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Delhi Mellei
Delhi Mellei is a 2014 Indian Meitei language film directed by Ajit Ningthouja, produced by Bishoya Potshangbam and presented by Mixn Raj under the banner of Rajkumar Films. It stars Bala Hijam as the titular protagonist with Gurumayum Bonny in the lead roles. The story of the film was written by Mixn Raj and Maheiba Moirangcha. The shooting of the film was mainly done in Delhi.The film was premiered at Shankar Lal Auditorium, University of Delhi North Campus, New Delhi, on 15 November 2014 and released at Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT), Imphal, Manipur, on 21 December 2014. The film was also premiered at Physics Auditorium, Punjab University, Chandigarh, on 16 November 2014; St. Patricks Community Hall, Bengaluru on 26 January 2015; Andra Saraswatha Parisab Auditorium, Opposite Aditya Hospital, Hyderabad on 1 February 2015 and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Memorial Hall, German Bakery, Karegaon Park, Pune on 15 February 2015.
Delhi Mellei is a 2014 Indian Meitei language film directed by Ajit Ningthouja, produced by Bishoya Potshangbam and presented by Mixn Raj under the banner of Rajkumar Films. It stars Bala Hijam as the titular protagonist with Gurumayum Bonny in the lead roles. The story of the film was written by Mixn Raj and Maheiba Moirangcha. The shooting of the film was mainly done in Delhi.The film was premiered at Shankar Lal Auditorium, University of Delhi North Campus, New Delhi, on 15 November 2014 and released at Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT), Imphal, Manipur, on 21 December 2014. The film was also premiered at Physics Auditorium, Punjab University, Chandigarh, on 16 November 2014; St. Patricks Community Hall, Bengaluru on 26 January 2015; Andra Saraswatha Parisab Auditorium, Opposite Aditya Hospital, Hyderabad on 1 February 2015 and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Memorial Hall, German Bakery, Karegaon Park, Pune on 15 February 2015. The full movie was officially released by TANTHA in YouTube on 29 June 2015. Synopsis The film is about a lady, Mellei (Bala) from Manipur, northeast India, who came to Delhi to pursue her studies in Ramjas College, Delhi University but returned empty-handed when she went on a wrong path and wasn't able to tackle the situations and events happening around her with a positive energy. Cast Gurumayum Bonny as Tomthin Bala Hijam as Mellei Ratan Lai as Gunanu, Tomthin's roommate Christy Moirangthem as Sanatombi Takhellambam Lokendra as Mellei's father Heisnam Geeta as Mellei's mother Anu Sagolshem Raj Baduria Rohen Shila Telheiba Soundtrack Poirei Thokchom and Boy Soraisham composed the soundtrack for the film and Mixn Raj and Maheiba Moirangcha wrote the lyrics. The songs are titled Eigi Delhi Mellei and Lottuna Thamladara. == References ==
[ "Culture" ]
4,995,366
Daniel Santbech
Daniel Santbech (fl. 1561) was a Dutch mathematician and astronomer. He adopted the Latinized name of Noviomagus, possibly suggesting that he came from the town of Nijmegen, called Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum by the Romans. In 1561, Santbech compiled a collected edition of the works of Regiomontanus (1436–1476), De triangulis planis et sphaericis libri quinque (first published in 1533) and Compositio tabularum sinum recto, as well as Santbech's own Problematum astronomicorum et geometricorum sectiones septem. It was published in Basel by Henrich Petri and Petrus Perna.
Daniel Santbech (fl. 1561) was a Dutch mathematician and astronomer. He adopted the Latinized name of Noviomagus, possibly suggesting that he came from the town of Nijmegen, called Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum by the Romans. In 1561, Santbech compiled a collected edition of the works of Regiomontanus (1436–1476), De triangulis planis et sphaericis libri quinque (first published in 1533) and Compositio tabularum sinum recto, as well as Santbech's own Problematum astronomicorum et geometricorum sectiones septem. It was published in Basel by Henrich Petri and Petrus Perna. Santbech's work consisted of studies on astronomy, sundials, surveying, and levelling for water courses. It also includes descriptions of astronomical instruments, information for navigators and geographers, and general information about astronomy in the first years after Nicolaus Copernicus. Santbech also studied the subject of gunnery and ballistics as a theoretic discourse as well as for the practical application of war, and utilized the foundations of geometry, with ample references to Euclid and Ptolemy, in order to do so. Santbech seem not to have been aware of similar studies by Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia.[1] Santbech's text included theoretical illustrations of trajectories. These were depicted with abruptly acute angles and straight lines, allowing him to create a right-angled triangle from which ranges were computed with the help of a table of sines. Santbech was of course fully aware that a cannonball's true trajectory would not consist of a straight line and a sudden drop, but these depictions were meant to assist with mathematical calculations. In 1651, Riccioli gave Santbech's name to the crater Santbech on the Moon. References Andreas Kleinert: Zur Ballistik des Daniel Santbech. In: Janus 63 (1976), pp. 47–59. [in German] External links (in English) The Geometry of War (in English) Polybiblio: Regiomontanus, Johannes/Santbech, Daniel, ed. De Triangulis Planis et Sphaericis libri quinque. Basel Henrich Petri & Petrus Perna 1561 Problematum astronomicorum et geometricorum sectiones septem (Full Latin Text at Perseus Project) ***Link Dead as of July 2021
[ "Mathematics" ]
3,169,726
Michael I Komnenos Doukas
Michael I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (Greek: Μιχαήλ Κομνηνός Δούκας, romanized: Mikhaēl Komnēnos Doukas), and in modern sources often recorded as Michael I Angelos, a name he never used, was the founder and first ruler of the Despotate of Epirus from c. 1205 until his assassination in 1214/15. Born c. 1170, Michael was a descendant of Alexios I Komnenos and a cousin of emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. He began his public career in 1190, as a hostage to the Third Crusade, and went on to serve as governor of the province of Mylasa and Melanoudion in the 1190s and again in c. 1200/01. During the latter tenure he rebelled against Alexios III but was defeated and forced to flee to the Seljuk Turks. In the aftermath of the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, he attached himself to Boniface of Montferrat.
Michael I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (Greek: Μιχαήλ Κομνηνός Δούκας, romanized: Mikhaēl Komnēnos Doukas), and in modern sources often recorded as Michael I Angelos, a name he never used, was the founder and first ruler of the Despotate of Epirus from c. 1205 until his assassination in 1214/15. Born c. 1170, Michael was a descendant of Alexios I Komnenos and a cousin of emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. He began his public career in 1190, as a hostage to the Third Crusade, and went on to serve as governor of the province of Mylasa and Melanoudion in the 1190s and again in c. 1200/01. During the latter tenure he rebelled against Alexios III but was defeated and forced to flee to the Seljuk Turks. In the aftermath of the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, he attached himself to Boniface of Montferrat. Soon, however, he abandoned the Crusader leader and went to Epirus, where he established himself as ruler, apparently through marriage with the daughter or widow of a local magnate. Michael's domain in Epirus became a refuge and centre of resistance of the Greeks against the Latin Crusaders. At about the same time, according to some modern scholars, he may have led the abortive Greek resistance to the Crusaders in the Peloponnese, which was crushed at the Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras; according to other views, he may have led a campaign there between 1207 and 1209. In order to avoid invasion and buy time to consolidate his position in Epirus, Michael soon entered into negotiations with Pope Innocent III, and concluded treaties with the Latin Empire and the Republic of Venice. In the meantime, his rule received a boost in legitimacy when he ransomed the deposed Alexios III from captivity. According to later chroniclers, Alexios III conferred the hereditary rule of Epirus to Michael and his descendants. By 1210, Michael was secure enough to launch an attack against the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica, in conjunction with the Bulgarians. Repelled by the intervention of the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders, Michael quickly switched sides and joined the Latins to prevent the city from falling into Bulgarian hands. In 1212, he conquered most of Thessaly from the Lombard lords of Thessalonica. At about the same time, his troops briefly took over the Lordship of Salona. He then went on to recover Dyrrhachium and the island of Corfu from the Venetians in 1213–1214, but was thwarted in his attempt to push further north into Zeta. He was assassinated soon after in his sleep, and was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas. Early life Michael was the illegitimate son of the sebastokrator John Doukas. His paternal grandparents were Constantine Angelos and Theodora, a daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118). Michael's uncle, Andronikos, was the father of the future emperors Isaac II Angelos (r. 1185–1195, 1203–1204) and Alexios III Angelos (r. 1195–1203), who were thus Michael's first cousins. Despite this kinship, he never used the surname "Angelos", which has been applied by some modern scholars to Michael and his dynasty. The few documents surviving from his own hand and a couple of lead seals show his name as "Michael Doukas" or "Michael Komnenos Doukas" (Μιχαήλ Κομνηνός ὁ Δούκας), evidently in an effort to emphasize his relation to the revered Doukas and Komnenos dynasties, rather than the disastrous reign of the Angeloi. The only medieval sources to use the surname "Angelos" to refer to Michael were later pro-Palaiologos historians hostile to him and the Epirote state's rival claims to the Byzantine inheritance.It is unknown when Michael was born; the only relevant information is the statement of Niketas Choniates that he was a "young man" in 1201. The Greek scholar Konstantinos Varzos places his birth approximately in 1170. Michael is first mentioned on 14 February 1190, when he, along with other imperial relatives, served as a hostage to Frederick I Barbarossa (r. 1152–1190) during the passage of the Third Crusade through Byzantine territory. He then went on to serve as governor (doux and anagrapheus) of the theme of Mylasa and Melanoudion in Asia Minor during the last years of Isaac II's first reign. Many scholars assign him the rank of sebastos from a seal attributed to him, but this is disputed by Lucien Stiernon, as he is nowhere else mentioned with this title. Alexios III re-appointed him to the same province, probably in 1200. Demetrios Polemis, in his study on the Doukas family, reports that he was reappointed to the post by Alexios IV (r. 1203–1204), but as Varzos remarks, this is evidently an error by Polemis. In early 1201, for unknown reasons, Michael rose in revolt against the emperor. Alexios III campaigned against him in the summer 1201 and defeated him, forcing Michael to seek refuge at the court of the Seljuk Turk Sultan of Rûm, Süleymanshah II (r. 1196–1204). In his service he led Turkish raids into Byzantine territory around the Maeander River valley. According to Geoffrey of Villehardouin, a participant in the Fourth Crusade and author of De la Conquête de Constantinople, at the time of the fall of Constantinople to the forces of the Fourth Crusade, Michael was present in the city, having possibly returned from exile in the period after the deposition of Alexios III and the restoration of Isaac II and his son Alexios IV in 1203–04. Michael then entered into the service of Boniface of Montferrat, who received the Kingdom of Thessalonica and overlordship over Greece in the division of the spoils among the Crusaders, and followed Boniface west as the latter went to take up his kingdom in September 1204. Villehardouin reports that Boniface trusted Michael, but the latter soon abandoned Boniface and went to Epirus, where he installed himself as the leader of the local Greeks against the Latin Crusaders.The process of Michael's establishment in Epirus is obscure. The hagiography of St. Theodora of Arta, written in the late 13th century, maintains that Alexios III had appointed Michael as governor in the Peloponnese and a certain Senachereim, who was Michael's relative by marriage (they both had married first cousins from the Melissenos family), as governor of the Theme of Nicopolis in Epirus. When the local inhabitants rose in revolt against him, Senachereim called upon Michael for aid. Michael rushed to Nicopolis, but not before the locals had killed Senachereim. After that, Michael, himself widowed, took Senachereim's widow as his wife and succeeded him as governor. Although generally regarded as inaccurate due to the many errors it contains, this part of the hagiography is at least partially corroborated by Villehardouin's account that he married the daughter of a local magnate. It is certain that Michael was never appointed governor of the Peloponnese, but the hagiography's reference to the peninsula has led to suggestions by modern scholars that he is to be identified with the Michael who led the Peloponnesian Greeks in the Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras against the Crusaders, in the summer of 1205. This commonly held identification has been questioned by more recent research by the historian Raymond-Joseph Loenertz, who suggests that Michael leaving Epirus, which still was not securely under his control, to go on campaign in the Peloponnese would have been extremely unlikely as it would leave Epirus open to attack by Boniface. Loenertz does however consider that Michael may indeed have led another expedition into the Peloponnese a few years later, in 1207–09 (see below). Ruler of Epirus From his base at Arta, Michael proceeded to expand his control over most of the region of Epirus, including much of modern Albania, quickly establishing an independent domain encompassing the lands between Dyrrhachium (Durazzo) in the north and Naupactus in the south, bordering the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica in the east, the possessions of the Republic of Venice to the north and west, and the Bulgarians and Serbs to the north and east. He maintained good relations with the Albanian and Vlach chieftains in the area, and their men provided able troops for his army.The state Michael established is commonly known in historiography as the "Despotate of Epirus", and it was long thought that Michael was the first Epirote ruler to claim the title of despotes, it being surmised that he was granted the title by the deposed emperor Alexios III after his ransoming (see below). In reality, as modern research has shown, neither Michael nor his half-brother and successor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas, bore the title. It was Michael's bastard son, Michael II Komnenos Doukas, who became the first ruler of Epirus to be titled a despotes in the 1230s, while the designation of the Epirote state as a "despotate" first appears in Western, rather than Byzantine, sources in the 14th century. Rapprochement with the Latin powers Along with the other major Greek successor state, the Empire of Nicaea in western Asia Minor, Epirus became the main Greek centre resisting Latin rule. Michael's chief preoccupation therefore was the threat posed by the Latin Crusader states and the Republic of Venice. In the treaty of partition of the Byzantine Empire among the Crusaders, Epirus had been allotted to Venice, but although it had occupied in 1205 Dyrrhachium, the chief port for the Albanian hinterland, and the island of Corfu in 1207, the maritime-minded Republic had shown little interest in the rest of its mainland. To insure himself against a Latin attack, Michael began negotiations with Pope Innocent III, hinting at a possible union of the Orthodox Church of his domains with the Roman Catholic Church. The relationship was not untroubled–in a letter of 17 August 1209, the Pope asked of "Michael Komnenos of Romania" that, if he were truly the Pope's servant, as he claimed in his letters, he should allow the Latin Archbishop of Dyrrhachium access to the estates owned by the archbishopric in Michael's domains—but it did serve for the moment to earn Michael the Pope's goodwill, as well as precious time. According to Loenertz, it also appears that at some point Michael had paid homage to the Kingdom of Thessalonica as its vassal. Despite these diplomatic manoeuvrings, according to a series of letters of Innocent III dated to autumn 1210, Michael engaged in combat with the Prince of Achaea Geoffrey I of Villehardouin (r. 1209–1229) and his barons; the letters do not give any further details. Modern researchers have linked this reference either with his supposed leadership in the battle of Kountouras, or, more plausibly, with an abortive campaign in the Peloponnese sometime in 1207–09 in order to aid the beleaguered ruler of Argos and Corinth, Leo Sgouros, who was being besieged by the Crusaders in his citadel on the Acrocorinth. Traditionally, several scholars, such as Karl Hopf and Antoine Bon, have furthermore identified a certain Theodore, who appears as "lord of Argos" and Sgouros' successor in leading the resistance against the Crusaders, with Michael's half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas. Loenertz points out, however, that not only is there no evidence for such an assumption, but that Theodore Komnenos Doukas is known to have been in the service of the Nicaean emperor, Theodore I Laskaris (r. 1205–1222), at the time.In summer 1209, after the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders (r. 1205–1216) quelled a revolt of the Lombard barons of Thessalonica and brought the Kingdom of Thessalonica under his effective control, Michael sent envoys to propose an alliance. Henry distrusted Michael's sincerity, but sent an embassy to Epirus with his terms, which amounted to Michael declaring himself a vassal of the Latin Empire. Michael was able to sidestep an outright declaration of submission by offering the hand of his eldest daughter to the Emperor's brother, Eustace, and a third of his lands as her dowry. Henry accepted, and the peace agreement was sealed with the marriage of Eustace and Michael's daughter. Finally, in early 1210, Michael's envoys, the Bishop of Tzernikon Theodore and Symeon Kounales, met with the Venetian duke of Dyrrhachium, Marino Vallaresso, and negotiated a treaty, confirmed by oath on 20 June. Thereby Michael accepted to become a vassal of Venice, holding his lands in fief from Venice as confirmed in a charter issued by Doge Pietro Ziani (r. 1205–1229). Michael granted the Venetians extensive trading privileges and tax exemptions, just as they had enjoyed under the chrysobulls of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180), promised to expedite the grain exports to Venice, and to assist in any shipwreck of a Venetian vessel off the Epirote coast. In addition, as a sign of his vassalage he would pay to the Venetian duke of Dyrrhachium an annual tribute of 42 litrai of gold hyperpyra in two instalments, and send annually a rich brocade for the altar of St. Mark's Basilica and one for the Doge. Ransoming of Alexios III At about the same time, Michael's rule received a boost in legitimacy through his ransoming of emperor Alexios III. After his deposition by the Crusaders in July 1203, Alexios with his wife Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera had been roaming Greece seeking protection. A marriage alliance with Leo Sgouros failed due to the latter's hasty retreat before the advance of Boniface of Montferrat. Left stranded in Thessaly, Alexios was captured by Boniface. The former emperor was initially held in comfortable captivity, but at some point he fell foul of Boniface; sources differ on whether he tried to flee to Michael's domains and was captured by Boniface's knights en route or whether Boniface simply came to distrust him as a potential rival focal point for the loyalties of the Greek population. He and his wife were then imprisoned, either in Thessalonica or, according to other sources, in Montferrat. Learning of their fate, Michael offered to ransom the former imperial couple and eventually secured their release, welcoming them at Salagora, the port of Arta, where they arrived by ship.Michael treated the couple with every courtesy, but Alexios did not remain long in Arta. The deposed emperor was eager to regain his throne by taking over the Empire of Nicaea with the aid of the Seljuk Sultan Kaykhusraw I. Leaving his wife behind, and accompanied by Michael's half-brother Constantine Komnenos Doukas, Alexios took sail for Asia Minor. His attempt ended in complete failure in the Battle of Antioch on the Maeander in 1211, where Theodore I Laskaris killed Kaykhusraw and took Alexios prisoner. The hagiography of St. Theodora of Arta claims that on his departure, Alexios granted Michael and his descendants hereditary possession of his domain, while the 14th-century Aragonese version of the Chronicle of the Morea claims that Alexios left Michael as his lieutenant in the west. From these references some earlier scholars erroneously inferred that Michael received the title of despotes from Alexios. Lucien Stiernon, followed by Varzos, places the ransoming of Alexios in 1206/7. Loenertz on the other hand considers it a result of Michael's rapprochement with the Latins and places it in 1210, when the interests of the Latin Empire in curbing the growing power of Nicaea coincided with Michael's intention to ransom Alexios. Territorial expansion Michael seized the opportunity of Henry's focus on his planned campaign against Nicaea to attack Thessalonica. At the head of Latin mercenaries, he captured the constable of the Kingdom of Thessalonica and baron of Domokos, the Lombard Amé Buffa, and a hundred of his companions. He is alleged to have been excessively cruel to his prisoners, killing or whipping many of them, while Buffa, his confessor, and three other nobles were crucified. Michael's army proceeded to capture several fortresses and kill the Latin garrisons, including priests. Enraged, Henry sped to Thessalonica's aid, covering the distance from Constantinople in only twelve days. Michael in the meantime had allied himself with the Bulgarian ruler Strez, but they were defeated by Henry. It is possible that during this campaign, Henry was assisted by his vassals from Achaea, thereby explaining the reference in the Pope's correspondence of Achaean barons fighting against Michael, rather than assuming an Epirote expedition to the Peloponnese. The Latin Emperor wrested lands from both allies, but was forced to cut short his campaign and return to Constantinople, which was being threatened by the Bulgarian emperor Boril. Henry left Thessalonica in the charge of his brother Eustace and of Berthold of Katzenelnbogen, who then defeated another invasion by Strez, supported with troops from his brother Boril. Disquieted by the Bulgarian attacks on Thessalonica, Michael switched sides and joined the Latins in defeating the Bulgarians at Pelagonia. It is commonly assumed that during these conflicts, Michael terminated his vassalage to the Latin Empire; historian Philip Van Tricht however points out that there are no sources for this, and that this vassalage may have survived until 1217, when Michael's brother Theodore captured Latin Emperor Peter II of Courtenay near Dyrrhachium.Sometime between 1210 and 1214, according to the Chronicle of Galaxeidi, Michael came into conflict with the Latin Lord of Salona, Thomas I d'Autremencourt. When d'Autremencourt seized a few islands in the Corinthian Gulf off Galaxeidi, the inhabitants of the latter called upon Michael for aid, and in the ensuing battle, Thomas was killed and Salona (modern Amfissa) was occupied. Epirote rule there proved short-lived, however, as d'Autremencourt's son Thomas II soon recovered his father's lordship. In 1212, his troops invaded Thessaly in force, overrunning the resistance of the local Lombard nobles. The Epirotes took Larissa, where they deposed the Latin Archbishop and restored the local see to an Orthodox metropolitan, Velestino, the fief of Berthold of Katzenelnbogen, and reached the shores of the Pagasetic Gulf at Demetrias. The newly gained Thessalian territories were entrusted to Michael's son-in-law Constantine Maliasenos as a hereditary appanage.Soon after, probably in 1213, he took Dyrrhachium from Venice, followed in 1214 by Corfu. Very little is known about the details of these successes, as the generally hostile stance of the pro-Nicaean Byzantine historians towards Michael means that his achievements were often ignored. According to local Corfiot tradition, the castle of Angelokastro was built by Michael. Michael continued to push northward into Albania and Macedonia, taking Kruja and ending the independence of the principality of Arbanon and its ruler, Dimitri Progoni, but his attempt to seize Zeta was stopped by the Serbs at Skadar. Death and legacy Michael himself did not long outlive these successes: in late 1214 or in 1215, he was assassinated in his sleep at Velegrada by a servant called Rhomaios. According to the historian John V. A Fine, "whether he was hired to do the act, and, if so, by whom is unknown". As his only surviving son was illegitimate and underage, Michael was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore. Theodore had been in the service of Nicaea, and Michael had requested Laskaris to send him to Epirus because his own son's position was weak. In the event, Theodore not only sidelined the young Michael II, but according to the hagiography of St. Theodora of Arta, sent him and his mother to exile in the Peloponnese for the duration of his reign. Theodore proved a powerful and warlike ruler, greatly expanding the Epirote state and capturing Thessalonica in 1224, where he was crowned emperor. The rise of Theodore's Empire of Thessalonica ended abruptly with his defeat and capture by the Bulgarians at the Battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230, that allowed the exiled Michael II to return to Epirus and recover his father's domain.Michael laid the foundations of the Epirote state, and initiated a dynasty, the Komnenoi–Doukai, who would rule over Epirus until 1318, when the Italian Orsini family took over. Members of the family also ruled over Thessaly, and for a while claimed the imperial title as rulers of Thessalonica from 1224 until its capture by the Nicaeans in 1246. It appears that during his lifetime, Michael was a popular ruler with his subjects; the contemporary metropolitan bishop of Naupactus, John Apokaukos, lauded Michael as a "new Noah", at whose side the refugees of the Latin cataclysm found refuge. The contemporary Archbishop of Ohrid Demetrios Chomatianos even estimated that at least half, if not most, of those who fled from Constantinople, found refuge in Epirus, including many of the senatorial aristocracy. More still came from the Peloponnese, fleeing Latin rule there. Apokaukos also praises him for his refoundation and refortification of the city of Ioannina, where many of the refugees were settled; the city thenceforth chose the Archangel Michael as its patron saint in his honour. Family The exact identity of Michael's wife or wives is unknown. According to the hagiography of St. Theodora of Arta, he married twice. His first wife was a lady of the aristocratic Melissenos family, who died at an unknown time. Her first cousin, likewise a Melissenos, married the governor of Nicopolis, Senachereim (see above). After his murder by the locals, Michael avenged him, took his place and married his widow. Despite the unreliability of the hagiography, its account is partially confirmed by Villehardouin's reference to the daughter of an Epirote magnate. Furthermore, as Michael's second wife was a first cousin of his first, their marriage was uncanonical in the eyes of the Church and of hostile historians; it is therefore likely that the "concubine" referenced by the latter as the mother of Michael II Komnenos Doukas was in reality Michael's second wife.Michael had five children, three by his (first) wife and two by his second wife or concubine: An unnamed daughter, who in 1209 married Eustace, brother of the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders. Theodora Komnene Doukaina, only mentioned briefly by Demetrios Chomatianos in 1216. Constantine Komnenos Doukas, mentioned only in the Latin text of the 1210 treaty with Venice, where he is designated as his father's successor. He must have died at a young age, before Michael's own death. Maria Komnene Doukaina, who married Constantine Maliasenos. Michael II Komnenos Doukas, an illegitimate son who succeeded as ruler of Epirus in 1230 until his death ca. 1268. He is the first Epirote ruler to have borne the title of despotes. References Sources Fine, John V. A. Jr. (1994) [1987]. The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08260-4. Loenertz, Raymond-Joseph (1973). "Aux origines du despotat d'Épire et de la principauté d'Achaïe" [On the origins of the Despotate of Epirus and the Principality of Achaea]. Byzantion (in French). 43: 360–394. Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (1976). "Refugees, Mixed Population and Local Patriotism in Epiros and Western Macedonia after the Fourth Crusade". XVe Congrès international d'études byzantines (Athènes, 1976), Rapports et corapports I. Athens. pp. 3–33.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Nicol, Donald M. (1984). The Despotate of Epiros, 1267–1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-13089-9. Polemis, Demetrios I. (1968). The Doukai: A Contribution to Byzantine Prosopography. London: The Athlone Press. OCLC 299868377. Stiernon, Lucien (1959). "Les origines du despotat d'Épire. À propos d'un livre récent" [The origins of the Despotate of Epirus. On the occasion of a recent book]. Revue des études byzantines (in French). 17: 90–126. doi:10.3406/rebyz.1959.1200. ISSN 0766-5598. Stiernon, Lucien (1963). "Ferjančić (Božidar), Despoti a Vižantiji i juznoslovenskim Zemljama". Revue des études byzantines (in French). 21: 291–296. ISSN 0766-5598. Talbot, Alice-Mary (1991). "Michael I Komnenos Doukas". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1362. ISBN 0-19-504652-8. Talbot, Alice-Mary; Kazhdan, Alexander (1991). "Epiros, Despotate of". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 716–717. ISBN 0-19-504652-8. Van Tricht, Filip (2011). The Latin Renovatio of Byzantium: The Empire of Constantinople (1204–1228). Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-20323-5. Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. B. Thessaloniki: Centre for Byzantine Studies, University of Thessaloniki. OCLC 834784665. Further reading Lappas, Nikolaos A. (2007). Πολιτική ιστορία του κράτους της Ηπείρου κατά τον 13ο αι [Political history of the State of Epirus during the 13th century] (PhD thesis) (in Greek). Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. doi:10.12681/eadd/20550.
[ "Human_behavior" ]
21,452,628
Ian Sommerville (technician)
Ian Sommerville (June 3, 1940 – February 5, 1976) was an electronics technician and computer programmer. He is primarily known through his association with William S. Burroughs's circle of Beat Generation figures, and lived at Paris's so-called "Beat Hotel" by 1960, when they were regulars there, becoming Burroughs's lover and "systems adviser". Sommerville was educated at the King's School, Canterbury, and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Around 1960, he programmed a random-sequence generator that Brion Gysin used in his cut-up technique. He and Gysin also collaborated in 1961 in developing the Dreamachine, a phonograph-driven stroboscope described as "the first art object to be seen with the eyes closed", and intended to affect the viewer's brain alpha wave activity.
Ian Sommerville (June 3, 1940 – February 5, 1976) was an electronics technician and computer programmer. He is primarily known through his association with William S. Burroughs's circle of Beat Generation figures, and lived at Paris's so-called "Beat Hotel" by 1960, when they were regulars there, becoming Burroughs's lover and "systems adviser". Sommerville was educated at the King's School, Canterbury, and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Around 1960, he programmed a random-sequence generator that Brion Gysin used in his cut-up technique. He and Gysin also collaborated in 1961 in developing the Dreamachine, a phonograph-driven stroboscope described as "the first art object to be seen with the eyes closed", and intended to affect the viewer's brain alpha wave activity. Sommerville and Burroughs made the 5-minute tape "Silver Smoke of Dreams" in the early 1960s, and later provided the basis for the quarter-hour audio "cut-up" and "K-9 Was in Combat with the Alien Mind-Screens" around 1965. The following year Sommerville also installed two Revox reel-to-reel machines for Paul McCartney in Ringo Starr's apartment at 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone, London, and recorded Burroughs on the machine.Sommerville along with Gysin and Burroughs collaborated on Let The Mice In, published in 1973. Burroughs' book My Education: A Book of Dreams, indeed largely composed of accounts of his dreams, includes dreams of talking with Sommerville. He died in a car accident on William Burroughs's birthday, 5 February 1976. Burroughs's biographer, Barry Miles reports that Ian had sent Burroughs a telegram that day saying "Happy birthday. Lots of love. No realisation. Ian". "No realisation" referred to Ian's unsuccessful search for a job as a computer programmer in America. == References ==
[ "Technology" ]
75,318,853
Justin Dunnavant
Justin Dunnavant is an anthropologist who has done various works involving maritime archaeology and historical connections. He is an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Anthropology. His area of interests revolve around anthropology and history with specifics to Atlantic and Indian Ocean Slave Trade, community-based archaeology, and black geographies. He has been part of many research projects, from terrestrial to maritime archaeology, and even coral reef restorations. Some of the content he has been a part of include being featured in various streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, public academic magazines such as National Geographic, and contributed publications.
Justin Dunnavant is an anthropologist who has done various works involving maritime archaeology and historical connections. He is an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Anthropology. His area of interests revolve around anthropology and history with specifics to Atlantic and Indian Ocean Slave Trade, community-based archaeology, and black geographies. He has been part of many research projects, from terrestrial to maritime archaeology, and even coral reef restorations. Some of the content he has been a part of include being featured in various streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, public academic magazines such as National Geographic, and contributed publications. Academic achievements 2017 - Ph. D : University of Florida 2009 - B.A. : Howard UniversityAwards 2021 : National Geographic Society's Emerging Explorer 2021 : Explorer's Club 50 - Fifty People Changing the World 2021 : Society for American Archaeology's Outstanding Public Archaeology Initiative Award 2021-2019 : Vanderbilt Provost's Postdoctoral Fellow 2019-2017 : University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellow 2017 : GMAC Diversity Field School Award for commitment to diversity in historical archaeology 2017-2014 : Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow 2013 : Stetson Kennedy Vox Populi Award for Oral History and Social Justice (SPOHP) 2010-2009 : Fulbright US Scholars Program 2007 : District of Columbia Mayor's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation Netflix's Explained: Pirates In this Netflix Original series called Explained, Justin Dunnavant is a special guest in this episode called Pirates. This 20 minute episode goes into the in-depth reality of what pirates were and are today. The information provided in this episode ranges from analyzing various known pirates, like Black Beard and Captain Morgan, and discoveries of ships, like "The Queen Anne's Revenge". What the analysis and research of the various special guest provide is that the pirates we know of are not what we consider them to be, nor what we think of pirate ships. The reality is that those ships were used for slave trade, production transportation, profit and status elevation during that time. Dunnavant provides information on how pirates took a part the slave trade, who Captain Morgan truly was and how he obtained his wealth, and what impact those pirates had within those location they had at their plantations or trading requests. This episode goes into the change of criminal charges onto pirates, what connections the government had with raids, the legality of it, and what this lifestyle provided within that culture. In the history aspect of this episode, pirates have been known and around ever since ships have been on sea. Aside from how we know pirates within movies and characteristics that apply to pirates, like the exaggerated "R" or the requirement of alcohol, the most known pirate was Cheng I Sao due to her strict constitution, the size of her fleet, her control over the salt trade versus the government, and how her punishment was handled. This episode went in-depth of what we know of pirates, how they are able to maintain their lifestyle, the reality of their illegal activity including slave trade, and how pirates are known today within society as criminals. Hulu's Your Attention Please: Volume 6 Your Attention Please is a Hulu Show hosted by Craig Robinson who dives into the wide spectrum of passions and personal journeys from various African American individuals that have made an impact not only for themselves, but for their ancestry, culture, and future. These individuals that Craig Robinson learns more about embark on their personal struggles, lifestyle, backgrounds, goals, and choices that have led them to where they are now. In the episodes, the audience gets to know that the individuals featured go through their own journey, which includes pushing their limits and creating something new in their own form of art. Each episode has a time frame of 6 minutes to 35 minutes. This episode of the series features Annie Bercy, Rhonda Harper, and Justin Dunnavant. In the segment of Justin Dunnavant, it goes into his background and his purpose within the field of archaeology, along with what the field research can provide: "offering solutions to the problems". Some of the background information provided about him includes his attendance to college at Howard University at the age of 16 with an archaeological dig that was set as an abroad trip being a critical point to his life that led him into world of archaeology. His specialty within archaeology centers around Africa and any migration patterns, along with a focal point about pirates. Apart from pirates, Dunnavant makes the audience rethink what we know about history and challenge it with a new lens based on Afrofutuerism, the compelling work of Diving with a Purpose and National Association of Black Scuba Divers, and new evidential sites. This show and its special guests have the purpose of inspiring the African American community to learn more about their history, question the multitude of possibilities their journey can answer, and take pride in who they are. National Geographic This article was published on January 27, 2022 and stated to be a 4 minute read. Under the heading "Impact", by the title of "Justin Dunnavant: Excavating stories from the relics of our past", this article goes into the methods of how Dunnavant is adding more to what we know about our past. Some of the location include the U.S. Virgin Islands, Danish West Indies, and coast of Florida Keys, with data collection of relics to disclose the relationship that can be provided from environmental factors and the slave trade. Further into the article, it goes into why Dunnavant went into this field of study, his goal with this field and representation, what opportunities maritime archaeology can provide, and his contributions as being an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. == References ==
[ "Humanities" ]
1,559,261
Riverdale Park (Toronto)
Riverdale Park is a large park spanning the Lower Don River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, between Cabbagetown to the west and Broadview Avenue in Riverdale to the east.
Riverdale Park is a large park spanning the Lower Don River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, between Cabbagetown to the west and Broadview Avenue in Riverdale to the east. Description The park has recreational fields for soccer, baseball, and Ultimate on both sides of the river. There is also a swimming pool, tennis courts and outdoor hockey rink to the northeast, and a running track in the centre. A footbridge crosses the Don Valley Parkway, Bayview Avenue, the Canadian National Railway Bala subdivision tracks, and the river and joins the two sides of the valley as well as the Lower Don Recreational Trail that follows the river. The bridge is located near the site of a butternut tree bridge built by Ely Playter that provided access to his property and mill around the 1790s. The bridge is depicted by Elizabeth Simcoe's watercolour painting Playter's Bridge near York, ca. 1796.At the south-east corner of the park is Bridgepoint Hospital and a monument to Sun Yat-Sen. Immediately to the west of the park in Cabbagetown is Riverdale Farm, a city operated, publicly accessible farm. In the summer, a free movie series takes place in the park. According to its website, "Everyone is welcome ~ Bring a picnic, friends and family to enjoy great PG rated films under the stars. All the films begin at dusk" History The land on the east side of the Don River was originally owned by John Scadding, one of the early settlers to Toronto and the estate manager and clerk for John Graves Simcoe, Governor of Upper Canada. John Scadding's cabin, built in 1794 just south of the present day park, was relocated to the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition in 1879. 120 acres (49 ha) of Scadding's farm property had been purchased by the City of Toronto in 1856 for the Don Jail, and the rest of the lands opened as a park in 1880. The park acquired a 32-pounder cannon from Quebec City and since relocated to Marie Curtis Park. More land was added later to bring the park up to 162 acres (66 ha) in size, but the construction of the Don Valley Parkway in the 1960s reduced this to the current figure of 104 acres (42 ha). On Broadview Avenue east of the park is John Cox Cottage, an 1807 log home. In 1886, road construction immediately east of the park uncovered artifacts of a First Nations settlement or encampment on the area above the valley. A small number of artifacts are on display in a display case at Withrow Avenue Junior Public School. A plaque is affixed to the main entrance of the school on Bain Avenue. The eastern side of the park was also used as a landfill in the 1920s. A walk along Broadview Avenue shows the evidence of this in the form of green exhaust pipes to vent the methane gas from the former dump beneath the park.In the 1970s, the park was the original site proposed for a new 40,000 seat stadium, a project that would eventually become SkyDome. The plan was eventually abandoned, in part due to the strong objections of local Alderman John Sewell.In 1990, a grassy slope on the eastern side was planted with trees. This was the first public event hosted by the Task Force to Bring Back the Don. The slope is now moderately forested with trees averaging 3–4 metres in height. In 2002, Bring Back the Don created a small marsh at the bottom of the slope. Water collects there from the slope as well as from adjacent playing fields. Other restoration projects include trees planted along a berm adjacent to the Don Valley Parkway. References External links Riverdale Park East Riverdale Park West Bring Back the Don restoration projects in the park Lost Rivers page on restoration efforts Historic sketches and photos from around the park and Riverdale Zoo
[ "Geography" ]
46,911,531
Stelia Aerospace
Stelia Aerospace (stylized STELIA Aerospace) is an aerospace company headquartered in Toulouse, France. It specializes in the design and manufacture of aerostructures, pilot seats and premium class passenger seats, mainly for the commercial aviation sector. Stelia Aerospace was created on 1 January 2015 by the merger of two Airbus business units: Aerolia and SOGERMA. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus.
Stelia Aerospace (stylized STELIA Aerospace) is an aerospace company headquartered in Toulouse, France. It specializes in the design and manufacture of aerostructures, pilot seats and premium class passenger seats, mainly for the commercial aviation sector. Stelia Aerospace was created on 1 January 2015 by the merger of two Airbus business units: Aerolia and SOGERMA. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus. History Stelia Aerospace can trace its origins back to the merge of two companies, SOGERMA and Aerolia. SOGERMA (Société girondine d’entretien et de réparation de matériel aéronautique) was a French company founded in 1924 amid the early days of aviation.Prior to its restructuring in 2006, the company largely focused on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), but subsequently directed its resources to its specialist aerostructures and seating activities.AEROLIA SA was founded on 1 January 2009 as a spin-off of Airbus France's aerostructures activities. This involved the Méaulte and Saint-Nazaire industrial plants, along with a design office in Toulouse.In 2007, EADS' management decided to respond to the weakening US dollar and large investments required for the Airbus A380 and A350 XWB programs by restructuring in order to streamline, divest several non-core activities, and cut costs. Aerospace periodical Flight International compared the move to Boeing's then-recent spin-off of Spirit AeroSystems.On 1 January 2015, Stelia Aerospace was created via the merger of Aerolia and Sogerma. At the time, Stelia Aerospace employed roughly 6,100 staff across 11 different locations, and the two merged businesses were considered "complementary". Contracts previously undertaken by the two firms carried over to the new entity, including those for fitting-out work on Airbus airliners.In March 2017, Stelia Aerospace inaugurated its new aeronautics factory in Méaulte, Northern France; this facility, which handles production of the forward fuselages of Airbus airliners and central fuselage of Bombardier Aerospace’s Global 7500 series of business jets, had required a €70 million investment. In February 2018, Stelia Aerospace demonstrated a metallic fuselage panel manufactured using 3D printing techniques. The same year, the firm acquired a majority share of Toulouse-based digital modelling specialist Portalliance Engineering.In October 2019, Stelia Aerospace announced plans to build a new assembly plant in Portugal at a cost of €40 million. In February 2020, the company started a three-year partnership with Bombardier for the AILE (Aile Intelligente et Légère pour l’Environnement, or Intelligent and Light Wing for Environment) research programme.Starting on 1 January 2022, Stelia Aerospace sites worldwide were grouped with other Airbus sites in Nantes and Montoir-de-Bretagne under the newly formed Airbus subsidiary Airbus Atlantic. Business activities Stelia Aerospace has three main business segments: Aerostructures Premium class airline seats (First, Business, Premium Economy) Pilot seatsStelia Aerospace also manufactures aircraft interiors. Aerostructures Stelia Aerospace designs and manufactures fully equipped aircraft fuselage sections from the nose to the rear, wings and special Work Packages such as the main landing gear bay, A400M ramp door, and helicopter tail boom.A major portion of the company's business is the design and manufacturing of aerostructures, including complex detailed parts comprising both composite and metallic materials. STELIA Aerospace claims that it is one of a small number of companies able to provide a fully equipped section (metallic and/or composite fuselage section, with all the tubes and wiring systems integrated), developing the “plug and fly” concept.- Wings of the ATR family, which are fully equipped and tested up to the final test benches. - Central section of the Bombardier large business jet Global 7000/8000. - Various sections of the Airbus A220, such as the cockpit and aft fuselage. - Elements of the Airbus BelugaXL, including the nose section, cargo door, and upper fuselage with pre-integrated systems (electrical, hydraulic, air conditioning, oxygen, etc.) Locations Stelia Aerospace is a global business with 11 worldwide industrial facilities and supporting offices. References External links Stelia Aerospace official website Stelia North-America official website
[ "Business", "Science" ]
1,135,781
Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car (or "reefer") is a refrigerated boxcar (U.S.), a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars (commonly used for transporting fruit), neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus. Reefers can be ice-cooled, come equipped with any one of a variety of mechanical refrigeration systems, or utilize carbon dioxide (either as dry ice, or in liquid form) as a cooling agent. Milk cars (and other types of "express" reefers) may or may not include a cooling system, but are equipped with high-speed trucks and other modifications that allow them to travel with passenger trains.
A refrigerator car (or "reefer") is a refrigerated boxcar (U.S.), a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars (commonly used for transporting fruit), neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus. Reefers can be ice-cooled, come equipped with any one of a variety of mechanical refrigeration systems, or utilize carbon dioxide (either as dry ice, or in liquid form) as a cooling agent. Milk cars (and other types of "express" reefers) may or may not include a cooling system, but are equipped with high-speed trucks and other modifications that allow them to travel with passenger trains. History Background: North America After the end of the American Civil War, Chicago, Illinois emerged as a major railway center for the distribution of livestock raised on the Great Plains to Eastern markets. Transporting the animals to market required herds to be driven up to 1,200 miles (1,900 km) to railheads in Kansas City, Missouri or other locations in the midwest, such as Abilene and Dodge City, Kansas, where they were loaded into specialized stock cars and transported live ("on-the-hoof") to regional processing centers. Driving cattle across the plains also caused tremendous weight loss, with some animals dying in transit. Upon arrival at the local processing facility, livestock were slaughtered by wholesalers and delivered fresh to nearby butcher shops for retail sale, smoked, or packed for shipment in barrels of salt. Costly inefficiencies were inherent in transporting live animals by rail, particularly the fact that approximately 60% of the animal's mass is inedible. The death of animals weakened by the long drive further increased the per-unit shipping cost. Meat processors sought a method to ship dressed meats from their Chicago packing plants to eastern markets. Early attempts at refrigerated transport During the mid-19th century, attempts were made to ship agricultural products by rail. As early as 1842, the Western Railroad of Massachusetts was reported in the June 15 edition of the Boston Traveler to be experimenting with innovative freight car designs capable of carrying all types of perishable goods without spoilage. The first refrigerated boxcar entered service in June 1851, on the Northern Railroad (New York) (or NRNY, which later became part of the Rutland Railroad). This "icebox on wheels" was a limited success since it was only functional in cold weather. That same year, the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad (O&LC) began shipping butter to Boston in purpose-built freight cars, utilizing ice for cooling. Meat The first consignment of dressed beef left the Chicago stock yards in 1857 in ordinary boxcars retrofitted with bins filled with ice. Placing meat directly against ice resulted in discoloration and affected the taste, proving to be impractical. During the same period Gustavas Swift experimented by moving cut meat using a string of ten boxcars with their doors removed, and made a few test shipments to New York during the winter months over the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR). The method proved too limited to be practical. Detroit's William Davis patented a refrigerator car that employed metal racks to suspend the carcasses above a frozen mixture of ice and salt. In 1868, he sold the design to George H. Hammond, a Detroit meat packer, who built a set of cars to transport his products to Boston using ice from the Great Lakes for cooling. The load had the tendency of swinging to one side when the car entered a curve at high speed, and use of the units was discontinued after several derailments. In 1878 Swift hired engineer Andrew Chase to design a ventilated car that was well insulated, and positioned the ice in a compartment at the top of the car, allowing the chilled air to flow naturally downward. The meat was packed tightly at the bottom of the car to keep the center of gravity low and to prevent the cargo from shifting. Chase's design proved to be a practical solution, providing temperature-controlled carriage of dressed meats, This allowed Swift and Company to ship their products across the United States and internationally. Swift's attempts to sell Chase's design to major railroads were rebuffed, as the companies feared that they would jeopardize their considerable investments in stock cars, animal pens, and feedlots if refrigerated meat transport gained wide acceptance. In response, Swift financed the initial production run on his own, then — when the American roads refused his business — he contracted with the GTR (a railroad that derived little income from transporting live cattle) to haul the cars into Michigan and then eastward through Canada. In 1880 the Peninsular Car Company (subsequently purchased by ACF) delivered the first of these units to Swift, and the Swift Refrigerator Line (SRL) was created. Within a year, the Line's roster had risen to nearly 200 units, and Swift was transporting an average of 3,000 carcasses a week to Boston, Massachusetts. Competing firms such as Armour and Company quickly followed suit. By 1920, the SRL owned and operated 7,000 of the ice-cooled rail cars. The General American Transportation Corporation would assume ownership of the line in 1930. Live cattle and dressed beef deliveries to New York (short tons): The subject cars travelled on the Erie, Lackawanna, New York Central, and Pennsylvania railroads. Source: Railway Review, January 29, 1887, p. 62. 19th Century American Refrigerator Cars: Source: Poor's Manual of Railroads and ICC and U.S. Census reports. Fruit & Fresh Produce In the 1870s, the lack of a practical means to refrigerate peaches limited the markets open to Samuel Rumph, a Georgia peach grower. In 1875, he invented a refrigerated railcar and crates that allowed him to grow peaches on a very large scale and ship them to distant markets. He was the first to achieve this. His innovations created Georgia's fame for peaches, a crop now eclipsed economically by blueberries.Edwin Tobias Earl was born on a fruit ranch near Red Bluff, California on May 30, 1858. His father was Joseph Earl, his mother Adelia Chaffee, and his brother was Guy Chaffee Earl. He started his career in the shipping of fruits. By 1886, he was President of the Earl Fruit Company. In 1890, he invented the refrigerator car to transport fruits to the East Coast of the United States. He established the Continental Fruit Express and invested US$2,000,000 in refrigerator cars. In 1901, he sold his refrigerator cars to Armour and Company of Chicago and became a millionaire. By the turn of the 20th century, manufactured ice became more common. The Pacific Fruit Express (PFE) - a joint venture between the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads, with a fleet of 6,600 refrigerator cars built by the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) - maintained seven natural harvesting facilities, and operated 18 artificial ice plants. Their largest plant (located in Roseville, California) produced 1,200 short tons (1,100 t) of ice daily, and Roseville's docks could accommodate up to 254 cars. At the industry's peak, 1,300,000 short tons (1,200,000 t) of ice was produced for refrigerator car use annually. On the east coast of the United States, in 1920 the company Fruit Growers Express (FGE) was established and owned by a consortium of eastern railroads to serve the wholesale market for refrigerated produce delivered by railcar. In addition to operating and servicing refrigerated railcars, FGE became a major manufacturer of insulated boxcars and mechanical refrigerated cars. Ice The use of ice to refrigerate and preserve food dates back to prehistoric times. Through the ages, the seasonal harvesting of snow and ice was a regular practice of many cultures. China, Greece, and Rome stored ice and snow in caves, dugouts or ice houses lined with straw or other insulating materials. Rationing of the ice allowed the preservation of foods during hot periods, a practice that was successfully employed for centuries. For most of the 19th century, natural ice (harvested from ponds and lakes) was used to supply refrigerator cars. At high altitudes or northern latitudes, one foot tanks were often filled with water and allowed to freeze. Ice was typically cut into blocks during the winter and stored in insulated warehouses for later use, with sawdust and hay packed around the ice blocks to provide additional insulation. A late-19th century wood-bodied reefer required re-icing every 250 miles (400 km) to 400 miles (640 km). Top icing is the practice of placing a 2-inch (51 mm) to 4-inch (100 mm) layer of crushed ice on top of agricultural products that have high respiration rates, need high relative humidity, and benefit from having the cooling agent sit directly atop the load (or within individual boxes). Cars with pre-cooled fresh produce were top iced just before shipment. Top icing added considerable dead weight to the load. Top-icing a 40-foot (12 m) reefer required in excess of 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of ice. It had been postulated that as the ice melts, the resulting chilled water would trickle down through the load to continue the cooling process. It was found, however, that top-icing only benefited the uppermost layers of the cargo, and that the water from the melting ice often passed through spaces between the cartons and pallets with little or no cooling effect. It was ultimately determined that top-icing is useful only in preventing an increase in temperature, and was eventually discontinued. The typical service cycle for an ice-cooled produce reefer (generally handled as a part of a block of cars): The cars were cleaned with hot water or steam. Depending on the cargo, the cars might have undergone four hours of "pre-cooling" prior to loading, which entailed blowing in cold air through one ice hatch and allowing the warmer air to be expelled through the other hatches. The practice, dating back almost to the inception of the refrigerator car, saved ice and resulted in fresher cargo. The cars' ice bunkers were filled, either manually from an icing dock, via mechanical loading equipment, or (in locations where demand for ice was sporadic) using specially designed field icing cars. The cars were delivered to the shipper for loading, and the ice was topped-off. Depending on the cargo and destination, the cars may have been fumigated. The train would depart for the eastern markets. The cars were reiced in transit approximately once a day. Upon reaching their destination, the cars were unloaded. If in demand, the cars would be returned to their point of origin empty. If not in demand, the cars would be cleaned and possibly used for a dry shipment. Refrigerator cars required effective insulation to protect their contents from temperature extremes. "Hairfelt" derived from compressed cattle hair, sandwiched into the floor and walls of the car, was inexpensive, yet flawed over its three- to four-year service life it would decay, rotting out the car's wooden partitions and tainting the cargo with a foul odor. The higher cost of other materials such as "Linofelt" (woven from flax fibers) or cork prevented their widespread adoption. Synthetic materials such as fiberglass and polystyrene foam, both introduced after World War II, offered the most cost-effective and practical solution. The United States Office of Defense Transportation implemented mandatory pooling of class RS produce refrigerator cars from 1941 through 1948. World War II experience found the cars spending 60 percent of their time traveling loaded, 30 percent traveling empty, and 10 percent idle; and indicated the average 14 loads each car carried per year included 5 requiring bunker icing, 1 requiring heating, and 8 using ventilation or top icing. Following experience with assorted car specifications, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association (UFF&VA) listed what they considered the best features of ice refrigerator cars in 1948: Steel cars (vs wood) for better insulation protection and greater rigidity resulting in reduced leakage around doors A minimum of 4 inches (10 cm) insulation thickness with all insulation protected from moisture Cushioned trucks and draft gear to minimize jarring and bruising of produce Standardized interior dimensions to allow improved loading methods with standardized containers Adjustable ice bunker bulkheads to allow greater floor space for shippers using top icing alone Vertically adjustable grates within the ice bunkers to allow half-stage icing to reduce icing charges where appropriate Forced air circulation within the car An additional lining to allow side wall flues circulating air around all cargo preventing contact with exterior car walls Perforated floor racks providing similar protection and air circulation under the cargo Provisions for pre-cooling the cars with a portable unit at the loading platforms. Mechanical refrigeration In the latter half of the 20th century, mechanical refrigeration began to replace ice-based systems. Soon after, mechanical refrigeration units replaced the armies of personnel required to re-ice the cars. The sliding plug door was introduced experimentally by P.F.E. (Pacific Fruit Express) in April 1947, when one of their R-40-10 series cars, #42626, was equipped with one. P.F.E.'s R-40-26 series reefers, designed in 1949 and built in 1951, were the first production series cars to be so equipped. In addition, the Santa Fe Railroad first used plug doors on their SFRD RR-47 series cars, which were also built in 1951. This type of door provided a larger six foot opening to facilitate car loading and unloading. These tight-fitting doors were better insulated and could maintain an even temperature inside the car. By the mid-1970s, the few remaining ice bunker cars were relegated to "top-ice" service, where crushed ice was applied atop the commodity. Cryogenic refrigeration The Topeka, Kansas shops of the Santa Fe Railway built five experimental refrigerator cars employing liquid nitrogen as the cooling agent in 1965. A mist induced by liquified nitrogen was released throughout the car if the temperature rose above a pre-determined level. Each car carried 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of refrigerant and could maintain a temperature of minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (−30 °C). During the 1990s, a few railcar manufacturers experimented with the use of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) as a cooling agent. The move was in response to rising fuel costs, and was an attempt to eliminate the standard mechanical refrigeration systems that required periodic maintenance. The CO2 system can keep the cargo frozen solid as long as 14 to 16 days. Several hundred "cryogenic" refrigerator cars were placed in service transporting frozen foodstuffs, though they failed to gain wide acceptance (due, in part, to the rising cost of liquid carbon dioxide). Because cryogenic refrigeration is a proven technology and environmentally friendly, the rising price of fuel and the increased availability of carbon dioxide from Kyoto Protocol-induced capturing techniques may lead to a resurgence in cryogenic railcar usage. Experimentation Aluminum and stainless steel Several experimental cars were built when wartime production restrictions were relaxed in 1946: Illinois Central Railroad number 51000 was built in the McComb, Mississippi shops with an aluminum superstructure to reduce weight with steel where required for strength and provided the standard dimensions, cushioned draft gear, easy-riding trucks, minimum 4 inches (10 cm) of insulation, adjustable ice bunker bulkheads and half-stage icing racks with forced air circulation through side wall flues and floor racks recommended by UFF&VA. Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch number 13000 was built of stainless steel by the Consolidated Steel Corporation of Wilmington, California with convertible ice bunkers, side ventilation ducts, and axle-driven circulation fans. It was thought that stainless steel would better resist the corrosive deterioration resulting from salting the ice. The one-of-a-kind unit entered service as #13000, but was subsequently redesignated as #1300, and later given #4150 in 1955. The car spent most of its life in express service. Cost was cited as the reason no additional units were ordered. The car was dismantled at Clovis, New Mexico in February 1964. Pacific Fruit Express rebuilt two steel-sided ventilator refrigerator cars in their Los Angeles shops with aluminum car bodies to test durability of lightweight alloys versus that of steel. It was hoped that weight savings (the units weighed almost 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) less than a like-sized all-steel car) and better corrosion resistance would offset the higher initial cost. Alcoa provided the body for number 44739, and Reynolds Aluminum Company provided number 45698. The cars (outfitted with state-of-the-art fiberglass insulation and axle-driven fans for internal air circulation) traveled throughout the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific systems, where they were displayed to promote PFE's post-World War II modernization. Though both units remained in service over 15 years (#45698 was destroyed in a wreck in May 1962, while #44739 was scrapped in 1966), no additional aluminum reefers were constructed. Fruit Growers Express number 38374 was equipped with an experimental aluminum body in the Indiana Harbor, Indiana shops. "Depression Baby" During the 1930s, the North American Car Company produced a one-of-a-kind, four-wheeled ice bunker reefer intended to serve the needs of specialized shippers who did not generate sufficient product to fill a full-sized refrigerator car. NADX #10000 was a 22-foot (6.71 m)-long, all-steel car that resembled the forty-and-eights used in Europe during World War I. The prototype weighed 13.5 short tons (12.2 t; 12.1 long tons) and was outfitted with a 1,500 lb (680 kg) ice bunker at each end. The car was leased to Hormel and saw service between Chicago, Illinois and the southern United States. The concept failed to gain acceptance with eastern railroads and no additional units were built. Dry ice The Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch (SFRD) briefly experimented with dry ice as a cooling agent in 1931. The compound was readily available and seemed like an ideal replacement for frozen water. Dry ice melts at −109 °F or −78.33 °C (versus 32 °F or 0 °C for conventional ice) and was twice as effective thermodynamically. Overall weight was reduced as the need for brine and water was eliminated. While the higher cost of dry ice was certainly a drawback, logistical issues in loading long lines of cars efficiently prevented it from gaining acceptance over conventional ice. Worst of all, it was found that dry ice can adversely affect the color and flavor of certain foods if placed too closely to them. Hopper cars In 1969, the Northern Pacific Railroad ordered a number of modified covered hopper cars from American Car and Foundry for transporting perishable food in bulk. The 55-foot (16.76 m)-long cars were blanketed with a layer of insulation, equipped with roof hatches for loading, and had centerflow openings along the bottom for fast discharge. A mechanical refrigeration unit was installed at each end of the car, where sheet metal ducting forced cool air into the cargo compartments. The units, rated at 100 short tons (91 t; 89 long tons) capacity (more than twice that of the largest conventional refrigerator car of the day) were economical to load and unload, as no secondary packaging was required. Apples, carrots, onions, and potatoes were transported in this manner with moderate success. Oranges, on the other hand, tended to burst under their own weight, even after wooden baffles were installed to better distribute the load. The Santa Fe Railway leased 100 of the hoppers from ACF, and in April 1972 purchased 100 new units, known as "Conditionaire" cars.The cars' irregular, orange-colored outer surface (though darker than the standard AT&SF yellow-orange used on reefers) tended to collect dirt easily, and proved difficult to clean. Santa Fe eventually relegated the cars to more typical, non-refrigerated applications. Preservation Examples of many styles of refrigerator and ice cars can be found at railroad museums around the world. The Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California features a very complete roster of 20th century cars, including wood bodied ice cars, steel bodied ice cars, one of the earliest mechanical refrigerator cars, later mechanical refrigerator cars and a cryogenic reefer, as well as several "insulated" boxcars also used for food transport. Refrigerator cars in Japan The first refrigerated cars in Japan entered service in 1908, primarily for fish transport. They were of the ReSo 200 type, from 1909 followed by the ReSo 210 type and from 1912 followed by the ReSo 230 type; all reclassified into Re 1 type in 1928. Many of these cars were equipped with ice bunkers, however the bunkers were not generally used. Fish were packed in wooden or foam polystyrene boxes with crushed ice. Fruit, vegetables and meat transportation in refrigerated rail cars was not common in Japan. For fruits and vegetables, ventilator cars were sufficient due to the relatively short distances involved, whereas since meat require low temperature storage, they were therefore typically transported by ship, since most major Japanese cities are located along the coast. Refrigerator cars suffered heavy damage in World War II. After the war, the occupation forces confiscated many cars for their own use, utilizing the ice bunkers as originally intended. Supplies were landed primarily at Yokohama, and reefer trains ran from the port to U.S. bases around Japan. Around this time, the surviving pre-war refrigerator cars were gradually retired and replaced with newer types. In 1966, JNR developed the ReSa 10000 and ReMuFu 10000 type refrigerated cars that could travel at 100 km/h (62 mph) They were used in fish freight express trains. "Tobiuo" (Flying fish) train from Shimonoseki to Tokyo, and "Ginrin" (Silver scale) train from Hakata to Tokyo, were operated. By the 1960s, refrigerator trucks had begun to displace railcars. Strikes in the 1970s resulted in the loss of reliability and punctuality, important to fish transportation. In 1986, the last refrigerated cars were replaced by reefer containers. Most Japanese reefer cars were four-wheeled due to small traffic demands. There were very few bogie wagons in late years. The total number of Japanese reefers numbered approximately 8,100. At their peak, about 5,000 refrigerated cars operated in the late 1960s. Mechanical refrigerators were tested, but did not see widespread use. There were no privately owned reefers in Japan. This is because fish transportation was protected by national policies and rates were kept low, and there was little profit in refrigerated car ownership. Refrigerated trains in the United Kingdom Due to the shorter distance to be travelled in the United Kingdom, the need for refrigeration was limited to specialised goods, which could in express-train format - mostly run overnight to avoid delays from passenger traffic - be transported in suitable timescales of less than a day from the area of production to processing, or onwards to the point of consumer consumption. Hence whilst similar cattle, fish, fruit and farm-fresh produce shipping requirements existed, the need to refrigerate was often minimised by the use of non-stop express train service to the required destination. In example, the London Midland and Scottish Railway ran specialised express trains from meat producer hubs in Scotland and the North of England to the Smithfield Meat Market in London, with a dedicated goods station located below ground level directly into the market's slaughtering house. The LMS and the LNER also ran express fish trains from Fleetwood and Grimsby to Broad Street to access Billingsgate Fish Market.The big four railway companies standardised within their own networks their own ice-chilled wagons, which being built with more insulation again minimised the need for onboard mechanical refrigeration. The Great Western Railway designed and built their own Mica A (ventilated) and Mica B (Non-ventilated) vans for such express produce trains, with ice supplied by the original product producer from their own plant. One specialised form of fresh produce train which existed in the UK was the milk train, which through use of specialised chilled glass-lined wagons remained in service until 1981. Like many railways around the world, modern UK railways do ship specialised refrigerated containers on intermodal trains, with such trains now taking-over the roll again from long-distance trucking on hub-to-hub routes to reduce carbon foot print. DB Cargo UK runs Europe's longest-distance single-operator handled train from Valencia, Spain to Barking in East London twice weekly, in partnership with Eddie Stobart Logistics and retailer Tesco's, shipping fresh fruit and produce 1,800 km in refrigerated ISO containers. Timeline 1842: The Western Railroad of Massachusetts experimented with innovative freight car designs capable of carrying all types of perishable goods without spoilage. 1851: The first refrigerated boxcar entered service on the Northern Railroad (New York). 1857: The first consignment of refrigerated, dressed beef traveled from Chicago to the East Coast in ordinary box cars packed with ice. 1866: Horticulturist Parker Earle shipped strawberries in iced boxes by rail from southern Illinois to Chicago on the Illinois Central Railroad. 1867: First U.S. refrigerated railroad car patent was issued. 1868: William Davis of Detroit, Michigan developed a refrigerator car cooled by a frozen ice-salt mixture, and patented it in the U.S. The patent was subsequently sold to George Hammond, a local meat packer who amassed a fortune in refrigerated shipping. 1875: Samuel Rumph invented a railcar specifically to ship peaches, and a mortised-end peach crate., making possible large scale growing and long-distance shipping of peaches 1876: German engineer Carl von Linde developed one of the first mechanical refrigeration systems. 1878: Gustavus Swift (along with engineer Andrew Chase) developed the first practical ice-cooled railcar. Soon Swift formed the Swift Refrigerator Line (SRL), the world's first. 1880: The first patent for a mechanically refrigerated railcar issued in the United States was granted to Charles William Cooper. 1884: The Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch (SFRD) was established as a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to carry perishable commodities. 1885: Berries from Norfolk, Virginia were shipped by refrigerator car to New York. 1887: Parker Earle joined F.A. Thomas of Chicago in the fruit shipping business. The company owned 60 ice-cooled railcars by 1888, and 600 by 1891. 1888: Armour & Co. shipped beef from Chicago to Florida in a car cooled by ethyl chloride-compression machinery. Florida oranges were shipped to New York under refrigeration for the first time. 1889: The first cooled shipment of fruit from California was sold on the New York market. 1898: Russia's first refrigerator cars entered service. The country's inventory reached 1,900 by 1908, 3,000 two years later, and peaked at approximately 5,900 by 1916. The cars were utilized mainly for transporting butter from Siberia to the Baltic Sea, a 12-day journey. 1899: Refrigerated fruit traffic within the U.S. reached 90,000 short tons (81,647 t; 80,357 long tons) per year; Transport from California to NY averaged 12 days in 1900. 1901: Carl von Linde equipped a Russian train with a mobile, central mechanical refrigeration plant to distribute cooling to cars carrying perishable goods. Similar systems were used in Russia as late as 1975. 1905: U.S. traffic in refrigerated fruit reached 430,000 short tons (390,089 t; 383,929 long tons). As refrigerator car designs become standardized, the practice of indicating the "patentee" on the sides was discontinued. 1907: The Pacific Fruit Express began operations with more than 6,000 refrigerated cars, transporting fruit and vegetables from Western producers to Eastern consumers. U.S. traffic in refrigerated fruit hit 600,000 short tons (544,311 t; 535,714 long tons). 1908: Japan's first refrigerator cars entered service. The cars were for seafood transportation, in the same manner as most other Japanese reefers. 1913: The number of thermally insulated railcars (most of which were cooled by ice) in the U.S. topped 100,000. 1920: The Fruit Growers Express (or FGE, a former subsidiary of the Armour Refrigerator Line) was formed using 4,280 reefers acquired from Armour & Co. 1923: FGE and the Great Northern Railway form the Western Fruit Express (WFE) in order to compete with the Pacific Fruit Express and Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch in the West. 1925 to 1930: Mechanically refrigerated trucks enter service and gain public acceptance, particularly for the delivery of milk and ice cream. 1926: The FGE expanded its service into the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest through the WFE and the Burlington Refrigerator Express Company (BREX), its other partly owned subsidiary. FGE purchased 2,676 reefers from the Pennsylvania Railroad. 1928: The FGE formed the National Car Company as a subsidiary to service the meat transportation market. Customers include Kahns, Oscar Mayer, and Rath. 1930: The number of refrigerator cars in the United States reached its maximum of approximately 183,000. 1931: The SFRD reconfigured seven reefers to utilize dry ice as a cooling agent. 1932: Japanese Government Railways built vehicles specially made for dry ice coolant. 1934: The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regulation #201 came into effect banning billboard advertisements on freight cars. 1936: The first all-steel reefers entered service. 1946: Two experimental aluminum-body refrigerator cars entered service on the PFE; an experimental reefer with a stainless-steel body was built for the SFRD. 1950: The U.S. refrigerator car roster dropped to 127,200. 1955: East of Eden popularizes refrigerator cars by featuring a major plotline where James Dean's father tries to go into the business and fails when all the produce melts during transit. 1957: The last ice bunker refrigerator cars were built. 1958: The first mechanical reefers (utilizing diesel-powered refrigeration units) entered revenue service. 1959: The flush, "plug" style sliding door was introduced as an option, providing a larger door to ease loading and unloading. The tight-fitting doors were better insulated and allowed the car to be maintained at a more even temperature. Early example is the DT&I XL-1 car by Evans. 1966: Japanese National Railways started operation of fish freight express trains by newly built "resa 10000" type refers. 1969: ACF constructed several experimental center flow hopper cars incorporating mechanical cooling systems and insulated cargo cells. The units were intended for shipment of bulk perishables. 1971: The last ice-cooled reefers were retired. 1980: The U.S. refrigerator car roster dropped to 80,000. 1986: The last reefers in Japan were replaced by reefer containers. 1990s: The first cryogenically cooled reefers entered service. 2001: The number of refrigerator cars in the United States bottomed out at approximately 8,000. 2005: The number of reefers in the United States climbs to approximately 25,000, due to significant new refrigerator car orders. 2006 Railex launches 55-car unit train reefer service between U.S. west coast and New York. 2013 Additional unit train reefer services to Florida and Chicago are announced. Specialized applications Express service Standard refrigerated transport is often utilized for goods with less than 14 days of refrigerated "shelf life" — avocados, cut flowers, green leafy vegetables, lettuce, mangoes, meat products, mushrooms, peaches and nectarines, pineapples and papayas, sweet cherries, and tomatoes. "Express" reefers are typically employed in the transport of special perishables: commodities with a refrigerated shelf life of less than seven days, such as human blood, fish, green onions, milk, strawberries, and certain pharmaceuticals. The earliest express-service refrigerator cars entered service around 1890, shortly after the first express train routes were established in North America. The cars did not come into general use until the early 20th century. Most units designed for express service are larger than their standard counterparts, and are typically constructed more along the lines of baggage cars than freight equipment. Cars must be equipped with speed-rated trucks and brakes, and — if they are to be run ahead of the passenger car, must also incorporate an air line for pneumatic braking, a communication signal air line, and a steam line for train heating. Express units were typically painted in passenger car colors, such as Pullman green. The first purpose-built express reefer emerged from the Erie Railroad Susquehanna Shops on August 1, 1886. By 1927, some 2,218 express cars traveled America's rails, and three years later that number rose to 3,264. In 1940, private rail lines began to build and operate their own reefers, the Railway Express Agency (REA) being by far the largest. In 1948, the REA roster (which would continue to expand into the 1950s) numbered approximately 1,800 cars, many of which were World War II "troop sleepers" modified for express refrigerated transport. By 1965, due to a decline in refrigerated traffic, many express reefers were leased to railroads for use as bulk mail carriers. Intermodal For many years, virtually all of the perishable traffic in the United States was carried by the railroads. While railroads were subject to government regulation regarding shipping rates, trucking companies could set their own rate for hauling agricultural products, giving them a competitive advantage. In March 1979, the ICC exempted rail transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables from all economic regulation. Once the "Agricultural Exemption Clause" was removed from the Interstate Commerce Act, railroads began aggressively pursuing trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) business (a form of intermodal freight transport) for refrigerated trailers. Taking this one step further, a number of carriers (including the PFE and SFRD) purchased their own refrigerated trailers to compete with interstate trucks. Tropicana "Juice Train" In 1970, Tropicana orange juice was shipped in bulk via insulated boxcars in one weekly round-trip from Bradenton, Florida, to Kearny, New Jersey. By the following year, the company was operating two 60-car unit trains a week, each carrying around 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800,000 L; 830,000 imp gal) of juice. On June 7, 1971, the "Great White Juice Train" (the first unit train in the food industry, consisting of 150 100-short-ton (91 t; 89-long-ton) insulated boxcars fabricated in the Alexandria, Virginia, shops of Fruit Growers Express) commenced service over the 1,250 miles (2,010 km) route. An additional 100 cars were soon added, and small mechanical refrigeration units were installed to keep temperatures constant. Tropicana saved $40 million in fuel costs during the first ten years in operation. Railex and other unit trains In 2006 Railex LLC launched service in partnership with the Union Pacific Railroad and CSX between Wallula, Washington, and Rotterdam, New York, followed in 2008 by a Delano, California, to NY line, and Jacksonville, Florida service from the west coast in 2014. Railex runs unit trains of 55 large, "plate F" refrigerated cars. Two additional refrigerated unit-train services were announced in 2013, the Green Express, from Tampa, Florida to Kingsbury, Indiana, operated by CSX and the Tampa Port Authority, and the TransCold Express operated by McKay Transcold, LLC and BNSF, connecting the California Central Valley with the midwest. AAR classifications Note: Class B refrigerator cars are those designed for passenger service; insulated boxcars are designated Class L. See also References Notes Bibliography External links Guide to Rail Cars
[ "Engineering" ]
3,904,882
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA; Greek: Αμερικανική Σχολή Κλασικών Σπουδών στην Αθήνα) is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). CAORC is a private not-for-profit federation of independent overseas research centers that promote advanced research, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, with focus on the conservation and recording of cultural heritage and the understanding and interpretation of modern societies.
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA; Greek: Αμερικανική Σχολή Κλασικών Σπουδών στην Αθήνα) is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). CAORC is a private not-for-profit federation of independent overseas research centers that promote advanced research, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, with focus on the conservation and recording of cultural heritage and the understanding and interpretation of modern societies. General information With an administrative base in Princeton, New Jersey, and a campus in Athens, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens is one of the leading American research and teaching institutions in Greece, dedicated to the advanced study of all aspects of Greek culture, from antiquity to the present. Founded in 1881, the School is a consortium of nearly 200 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. It was the first American overseas research center, and today it is the largest of the eighteen foreign institutes in Athens. It also provides the opportunity for students and scholars from around the world to explore the full range of scholarly resources in Greece. The American School operates excavations in the Athenian Agora and Ancient Corinth, two distinguished libraries, an archaeological science laboratory, and a publications department. The School remains, as its founders envisioned, primarily a privately funded, nonprofit educational and cultural institution. Governance The School's academic programs and research facilities are supervised by an academic advisory body known as the Managing Committee, which consists of elected representatives from a consortium of more than 190 North American colleges and universities. The Board of Trustees, composed of distinguished women and men from the world of business, law, philanthropy, and academia, is responsible for the management of the School's endowment, finances, and property, and has legal responsibility for the ASCSA. Archaeological projects The ASCSA has been involved in a large number of archaeological projects, as well as a major program of primary archaeological publications. It is responsible for two of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, the Athenian Agora and Ancient Corinth. The Corinth Excavations commenced in 1896 and have continued to present day with little interruption, and the Athenian Agora excavations first broke ground in 1932. At both sites, the ASCSA operates important museums and extensive facilities for the study of the archaeological record. Excavation records and artifacts are made available to wider audiences via ASCSA.net Affiliated projects Other archaeological projects with ASCSA involvement, past and present, include surveys in the Southern Argolid, in Messenia and at Vrokastro (Crete) and excavations at Olynthus (Greek Macedonia), Samothrace (North Aegean), the islet of Mitrou (Central Greece), Halai (Phthiotis), Isthmia, Kenchreai, Nemea, Sicyon (all in Corinthia), Lerna, Argos, Franchthi cave and Halieis (Argolid), Mt. Lykaion (Acadia), Nichoria and the Palace of Nestor at Pylos (Messenia), Haghia Irini (Keos), as well as Azoria, Mochlos, Gournia, Kavousi and Kommos on Crete. Publications ASCSA publishes the peer-reviewed journal Hesperia quarterly as well as monographs for final reports of archaeological fieldwork conducted under School auspices, supplements to Hesperia, Gennadeion monographs; and miscellaneous volumes relating to the work of the School. These books range in format from large hardbacks to slim paperback guides. List of directors William W. Goodwin (1882 to 1883); first director Lewis R. Packard (1883 to 1884) James Cooke Van Benschoten (1884 to 1885) Frederick De Forest Allen (1885 to 1886) Martin L. D'Ooge (1886 to 1887) Augustus C. Merriam (1887 to 1888) Charles Waldstein (1889 to 1892) Frank B. Tarbell (1892 to 1893) Rufus B. Richardson (1893 to 1903) Theodore Woolsey Heermance (1903 to 1905) William Nickerson Bates (1905 to 1906); acting Bert Hodge Hill (1906 to 1926) Carl Blegen (1926 to 1927); acting Rhys Carpenter (1927 to 1932) Richard Stillwell (1932 to 1935) Edward Capps (1935 to 1936) Charles Hill Morgan (1936 to 1938) Henry Lamar Crosby (1938 to 1939); acting Gorham Phillips Stevens (1939 to 1941) Arthur Wellesley Parsons (1941 to 1946); on leave for war service Gorham Phillips Stevens (1941 to 1947); acting Rhys Carpenter (1946 to 1948); not in residence Oscar Broneer (1947 to 1948); acting Carl Blegen (1948 to 1949) John Langdon Caskey (1949 to 1959) Henry S. Robinson (1959 to 1969) James Robert McCredie (1969 to 1977) Richard Stillwell (1974); acting Henry R. Immerwahr (1977 to 1982) Stephen G. Miller (1982 to 1987) William D. E. Coulson (1987 to 1997) James D. Muhly (1997 to 2002) Stephen V. Tracy (2002 to 2007) Jack L. Davis (2007 to 2012) James C. Wright (2012 to 2017) Jenifer Neils (2017 to 2022) Bonna Daix Wescoat (2022 to 2027) List of Assistant Directors Carl Blegen (1920 to 1926) Benjamin Dean Meritt (1926 to 1928) Stephen Luce (1928 to 1929) Richard Stillwell (1931 to 1932) Charles Hill Morgan (1935 to 1936) Arthur Wellesley Parsons (1931 to 1941) John Langdon Caskey (1948 to 1949) Henry S. Robinson (1958 to 1959) Nick Blackwell (2012 to 2015) Dylan K. Rogers (2015 to 2019) Eric W. Driscoll (2019 to 2021) Simone Agrimonti (2021 to 2022) Carolin (Katie) Garcia Fine (2022 to present) References Bibliography E. Korka et al. (eds.): Foreign Archaeological Schools in Greece, 160 Years, Athens, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, 2006, p. 18–29. L. Lord: A History of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens: An Intercollegiate Experiment, 1882–1942. L. Shoe Meritt: A History of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens: 1939–1980. External links ASCSA website AMBROSIA The Union Catalogue of the Blegen and Gennadius Libraries of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Libraries of the British School at Athens ASCSA.net Online database of the ASCSA ASCSA Publications The Archivist's Notebook Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, digital reproduction Heidelberg University Library
[ "Education" ]
798,595
Saturnin
Saturnin of Toulouse (Latin: Saturninus, Occitan: Sarnin, French: Saturnin, Sernin, Catalan: Serni, Sadurní, Galician: Sadurninho and Portuguese: Saturnino, Sadurninho, Basque: Satordi, Saturdi, Zernin, and Spanish: Saturnino, Serenín, Cernín) was one of the "Apostles to the Gauls" sent out (probably under the direction of Pope Fabian, 236–250) during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250–251) to Christianise Gaul after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian communities. Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatien to Tours, Trophimus to Arles, Paul to Narbonne, Saturnin to Toulouse, Denis to Paris, Austromoine to Clermont, and Martial to Limoges. His feast day is 29 November.
Saturnin of Toulouse (Latin: Saturninus, Occitan: Sarnin, French: Saturnin, Sernin, Catalan: Serni, Sadurní, Galician: Sadurninho and Portuguese: Saturnino, Sadurninho, Basque: Satordi, Saturdi, Zernin, and Spanish: Saturnino, Serenín, Cernín) was one of the "Apostles to the Gauls" sent out (probably under the direction of Pope Fabian, 236–250) during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250–251) to Christianise Gaul after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian communities. Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatien to Tours, Trophimus to Arles, Paul to Narbonne, Saturnin to Toulouse, Denis to Paris, Austromoine to Clermont, and Martial to Limoges. His feast day is 29 November. Background Saturnin is styled the first Bishop of Tolosa (Toulouse). The lost Acts of Saturninus were employed as historical sources by the chronicler Gregory of Tours. The martyrology gave a genealogy for Saturnin: the son of Aegeus, King of Achaea, by his wife Cassandra, who, herself, was the daughter of Ptolemy, King of the Ninevites. The Acts placed Saturninus in the 1st century, made him one of the 72 disciples of Christ, placed him at the Last Supper. Legends associated with Saturninus state that after Peter consecrated him a bishop, "he was given for his companion Papulus, later to become Saint Papulus the Martyr." Legend states that besides Papulus, Saturninus also had Honestus as a disciple. The detail from the Acts that is selected for remembering today describes his martyrdom: to reach the Christian church Saturninus had to pass before the capitol (not to be confused with the present Capitole de Toulouse whose site was founded in the 12th century, the Roman Capitol of the city was towards the present Place Esquirol), where there was an altar, and according to the Acts, the pagan priests ascribed the silence of their oracles to the frequent presence of Saturninus. One day they seized him and on his unshakeable refusal to sacrifice to the images they condemned him to be tied by the feet to a bull which dragged him about the town until the rope broke. (Tellingly, the identical fate was ascribed to his pupil Fermin whose site of martyrdom is at Pamplona.) The bull, it is said, finished at the place since named Matabiau, that is, matar ("the killing") and biau or bœuf ("bull"). An inversion of this martyrdom, the tauroctony, the "killing of the bull," is precisely the central rite of Mithraism, the most important icon in the mithraeum, a depiction of Mithras in the act of killing a bull. The tauroctony was either painted or depicted in a sculptural relief, sometimes on the altar. Two Christian women (puellae remembered as "les Puelles") piously gathered up the remains and buried them in a "deep ditch", that they might not be profaned by the pagans. It is not beyond possibility, in this part of Gaul, where even today the greatest bull among many in Toulouse is honored with the name "Le Grand Taur", that the deep ditch was in fact a mithraeum. The site, said to be "where the bull stopped", is on the rue du Taur ("Street of the Bull"). The street with the Mithraic name is one of the original Roman cross streets running straight from the Capitole now to the Romanesque basilica honoring Saint Saturnin ("St Sernin"). "Notre-Dame du Taur" Saturnin's successors at Toulouse, Hilary (bishop 358 – 360) and Exuperius (Exupère) (died ca. 410), gave him more honorable burial, once Christian rites were no longer illicit, by erecting a simple wooden oratory over the "Roman crypt" (as modern guides describe it) where he had been interred. The noteworthy 14th-century Gothic church that eventually replaced earlier buildings is Notre-Dame du Taur ("Our Lady of the Bull"). At the end of the century, the press of pilgrims to the cramped site encouraged Bishop Silvius (360–400) to build a larger church, finished by his successor Exuperius (Exupère) (400 – ?) in 402. The body of Saturnin was translated to the new church, which now forms the crypt of the present Romanesque basilica, one of the buildings that defines the Romanesque style in southern France. The basilica is not the cathedral, which is dedicated to Saint Stephen. The reburial place was at the crossing, before the altar, where the Saturnin's relics remained until 1284. At the same time the bishop took the official Acts of Saturnin, the Passio antiqua, and rewrote them as a panegyric that took the place of the originals embellishing them with colorful details, and with pious legends linking Saturnin to the founding of the churches of Eauze, Auch, Pamplona, and Amiens. Even so, they are among the oldest documents of the Gallican Church. Places named after him numerous places in France named Saint-Saturnin numerous places in France named Saint-Sernin Burgo de San Cernín, Navarre, Spain. It was the Languedocian borough of Pamplona. In Catalonia, Spain. Sant Sadurní d'Anoia Sant Sadurní d'Osormort Sant Sadurní de l'Heura In Asturias, Spain. San Saturnino In Portugal São Saturnino, Fronteira In Wales Llansadwrn, Anglesey See also Saint Saturnin, patron saint archive References Relevant literature Oškerová, Martina. 2014. "Zdeněk Jirotka: Saturnin Analysis of English translation by Mark Corner." Thesis, Masaryk University. Sehnalová, Kamila. 2013. "Comparative Analysis of Czech, English and German Proverbs in Jirotka's Saturnin." Thesis, Charles University. External links The Golden Legend: The Life of Saint Saturnine
[ "History" ]
486,068
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoological and botanical centres in the world, and the oldest park in Hong Kong. Founded in 1864, its first stage was opened to the public in 1871. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares (14 acres), in Central, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak.Similar to Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere. While physically smaller than Hong Kong Park it contains more plants, animals and facilities.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoological and botanical centres in the world, and the oldest park in Hong Kong. Founded in 1864, its first stage was opened to the public in 1871. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares (14 acres), in Central, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak.Similar to Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere. While physically smaller than Hong Kong Park it contains more plants, animals and facilities. History The park was previously named Bing Tau Fa Yuen (「兵頭花園」). "Bing Tau" literally means "the head of the soldiers" or the "Commander-in-Chief". According to Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department, it was nicknamed as such by the city's Cantonese community, as it was the former site of the city's Government House. Others said Bing Tau was just the phonetic transliteration of the first two syllables of the word botanical. In the old days, many lovers liked to go there on a date. During the Japanese occupation, it was renamed as Taishō Kōen (Hiragana: たいしょうこうえん, Kanji: 大正公園). The founder of The Garden Company Limited discussed at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens and came up with the idea of starting a company; therefore, it was named after "Garden" and its Cantonese transliteration "Garden". The park was closed from 1931 to 1933 to allow for the construction of a reservoir under the park.。 In the past, many world famous people visited the park under the name of Wildlife Fund, such as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1983) and Princess Anne of England (1988). Memorials At the southern entrance to the gardens, at Upper Albert Road, is the Chinese War Memorial, dedicated to the Chinese who died assisting the Allies during World War I and World War II. The inscription on the lintel reads: "In Memory of the Chinese who died loyal to the Allied cause in the Wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945". The granite arch in the shape of a paifang was erected in 1928. Reference to the Second World War was added later.A bronze statue of King George VI was erected in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of British colonial rule over Hong Kong (1841–1941). Plants There are more than 1,000 species of plants in the gardens, mostly indigenous to tropical and sub-tropical regions. It includes some rare species like the dawn redwood and the local Ailanthus. Besides these, some species which can produce flowers throughout the year can also be found there, like the Hong Kong orchid tree. Different Species are grown in the Thematic gardens in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Bamboo Garden This garden grows about ten times bigger than other gardens. Camellia Garden More than 30 species are grown in this garden. Crapnell's camellia (Camellia crapnelliana), Grantham's camellia (Camellia granthamiana) and Hong Kong camellia (Camellia hongkongensis) are native to Hong Kong. Some introduced rare species such as Yunnan camellia (Camellia reticulata) and golden camellia (Camellia nitidissima and Camellia euphlebia) can also be found in this garden. Magnolia Garden This garden grows 5 species of magnolia: Chinese magnolia (Magnolia coco) Yulan (Magnolia denudata) Purple magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) Saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana) Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Greenhouse Various species of orchids, ferns, bromeliads, vines and carnivorous plants are grown in the greenhouse. Palm Garden This garden grows over 30 species under 22 genera of the palm family. Bauhinia Garden This garden grows 8 species including Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakeana), purple camel's foot (Bauhinia purpurea) and camel's foot tree (Bauhinia variegata). Azalea Garden This garden grows over 10 azalea species including red azalea (Rhododendron simsii), lovely azalea (Rhododendron pulchrum), purple azalea (Rhododendron pulchrum var. phoeniceum) and white azalea (Rhododendron mucronatum), those are native to Hong Kong. There are also rare species such as yellow azalea (Rhododendron molle) and Westland's rhododendron (Rhododendron moulmainense). Herb Garden Various species of herb are grown in the garden. Animals The size of the garden precludes the keeping of very large mammal species such as giraffes. Nevertheless, the collection of primates is varied, including such diverse creatures such as the Hoffmann's two-toed sloth, Red necked wallaby, golden lion tamarin, gibbon, orangutan, ring-tailed lemur and black-and-white ruffed lemur. Apart from the plants, there are over 400 birds, 50 mammals and 20 reptiles. Mammals and reptiles A taxidermy specimen of Siu Fa, the female jaguar that lived in Hong Kong for nearly 20 years is on display at the Education and Exhibition Centre of HKZBG from 5 March 2009.A pigeon pair of Bornean orangutan twins were born in the HKZBG in July 2011, joining the big family of the gardens. This is the first-ever successful breeding of Bornean orangutan twins in the HKZBG, bringing to five the total number of this primate in the gardensTo enhance public understanding and appreciation of all living creatures, the two female meerkats introduced to the HKZBG are aged 4 and 5, and are housed in the newly-decorated "Meerkat's Home".In 2020, The mammal and reptile section of the Zoological & Botanical Gardens were temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The mammal families at the gardens expanded during the epidemic. To celebrate its 150s anniversary in 2021, a female Asian small-clawed otter introduced to the HKZBG. Yellow-cheeked gibbons, ring-tailed lemurs, white-faced saki, black-and-white ruffed lemurs and cotton-top tamarins all welcomed new additions to the family.The reptiles are primarily snakes, crocodilians, and turtles such as the African spurred tortoise, radiated tortoise, Chinese alligator and Burmese python. Birds Over 100 avian species have successfully reared young, including the Japanese red-crowned crane, peacock pheasant and the Bali mynah, all of which are highly endangered in the wild. Just outside the greenhouse are several large aviaries housing species of waterfowl, such as the wood duck, flamingo, blue crane and intensely-coloured scarlet ibis, perching atop a man-made waterfall. There are also terrestrial birds; many of them small, and with several species from East Asia and Africa. Yellow-casqued hornbill are among the HKZBG's larger avian species.An injured black-faced spoonbill was rescued in Nam Sang Wai by staff of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and transferred to the KFBG Wild Animal Rescue Centre in March 2018. This spoonbill, which was unable to fly after an operation, will be able to join the other waterfowl at HKZBG, and so will have excellent human-provided care as well as companions in captivity.To celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens will hold a number of free public activities, in addition to adding black-crowned cranes, great white pelicans, and great curassow, in addition to bird-watching platforms.The small brick buildings that house some of the smaller birds were once staff quarters, for Chinese workers at the park. These were recently renovated, resulting in the destruction of a row of defunct Victorian gas lamp posts; these may have been the last remaining such lamps in Hong Kong, and possibly in all of East Asia. Animal welfare concerns The gardens have come under fire for 'outdated' facilities, and ‘inadequate, overcrowded conditions’ for the animals housed within its confines.In 2015, the South China Morning Post reported that the Kadoorie Institute, the SPCA, Animals Asia Foundation and the orangutan foundation Orangutanaid all have expressed “sincere doubts over the welfare of its animals,” and recommended that the park be “returned to its original status as a botanical garden". Later that year, Jane Goodall expressed her concern over the “treatment of orangutans in Hong Kong's zoo", saying that they were “not in a good situation", and adding that "large animals in small cages with nothing to do are not happy animals". Transport The main entrance is located at Upper Albert Road. A number of bus routes give access to the facility. Admission is free to all parts of the Zoological and Botanical Gardens. See also Central and Western Heritage Trail King George V Memorial Park, Hong Kong List of urban public parks and gardens of Hong Kong Edward Youde Aviary Ocean Park Hong Kong Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden References Further reading Griffiths, D.A. (Autumn 1988). "A Garden on the Edge of China: Hong Kong, 1848". Garden History. 16 (2): 189–198. doi:10.2307/1586970. JSTOR 1586970. External links Official website
[ "Geography" ]
62,337,917
Monster Girl Doctor
Monster Girl Doctor (Japanese: モンスター娘のお医者さん, Hepburn: Monsutā Musume no Oisha-san), also known as Doctor for Monster Girls, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yoshino Origuchi and illustrated by Z-Ton. Shueisha published ten volumes of the series under their Dash X Bunko imprint. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the light novel series in English for North America. A manga adaptation by Tetsumaki Tomasu began serialization online in Tokuma Shoten's Comic Ryū Web magazine in February 2018. A second manga adaptation titled Monster Girl Doctor 0 began serialization in Shueisha's Suiyōbi wa Mattari Dash X Comic in July 2020.
Monster Girl Doctor (Japanese: モンスター娘のお医者さん, Hepburn: Monsutā Musume no Oisha-san), also known as Doctor for Monster Girls, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yoshino Origuchi and illustrated by Z-Ton. Shueisha published ten volumes of the series under their Dash X Bunko imprint. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the light novel series in English for North America. A manga adaptation by Tetsumaki Tomasu began serialization online in Tokuma Shoten's Comic Ryū Web magazine in February 2018. A second manga adaptation titled Monster Girl Doctor 0 began serialization in Shueisha's Suiyōbi wa Mattari Dash X Comic in July 2020. An anime television series adaptation by Arvo Animation aired from July to September 2020. Premise Taking place after a long war between humans and monsters ended, the story focuses on the human Dr. Glenn Litbeit and his lamia assistant, Saphentite "Sapphee" Neikes, as they run a clinic in the city of Lindworm, which is home to many species of monsters living alongside humans. Characters Glenn Litbeit (グレン・リトバイト, Guren Ritobaito) Voiced by: Shun'ichi Toki (Japanese); Griffin Puatu (English) Glenn is a human male from a merchant family from the far east, who specialized in medicines during the war. He strives to become a doctor for the monster population of the city of Lindworm. His calm demeanor and quick mind and focus allow him to treat everyone from a harpy girl to an immortal dragon; this tends to make him have a cadre of girls vying for his affection, much to the annoyance of Sapphee. It is implied he reciprocates Sapphee's affections, but cannot act on it until his clinic is paid off. Saphentite Neikes (サーフェンティット・ネイクス, Sāfentitto Neikusu) Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English) Glenn's childhood friend and assistant in the clinic who goes by the nickname of "Sapphee". She organizes the clinic and monitors the fairies that assist them. She is a rare albino lamia, so she has to wear a special outfit whenever she goes out into the sunlight. Her family were also merchants during the war, allying with the Litbeit family to aid the wounded and ensure medicine production on both sides. She was sent to the Litbeits as a political hostage, where she met Glenn and fell in love with him; however, her family are also well known assassins, and if the Litbeits were to betray them she was set to kill Glenn's family. She also has a low tolerance for alcohol. Tisalia Scythia (ティサリア・スキュテイアー, Tisaria Sukyuteiā) Voiced by: Sarah Emi Bridcutt (Japanese); Julia McIlvaine (English) A centaur who is the sole heiress of Scythia Transportation. A high ranked arena fighter, she was on a losing streak until Glenn realized her problem and was able to help her by giving her horseshoes. She is very open about her infatuation for Glenn and is not afraid to say so in public, mostly to annoy Sapphee, whom she considers a friend and romantic rival. Lulala Heine (ルララ・ハイネ, Rurara Haine) Voiced by: Yukiyo Fujii (Japanese); Ryan Bartley (English) A mermaid who sings at the Merrow Waterways in order to provide financial support for her family. Even while suffering from inflammation of her gills due to staying above and out of water too much, she continued singing. She saved a boy from drowning and Glenn saves her from drowning due to her gills. She develops feelings for Glenn after he saved her and treated the inflammation. Arahnia Taranterra Arachnida (アラーニャ・タランテラ・アラクニダ, Arānya Tarantera Arakunida) Voiced by: Yū Shimamura (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English) An arachne who is a fashion designer, sewing clothes with her own silk. She is a friend of Sapphee and has known her for a long time, and has made several of her sunblocking outfits due to arachne silk being very durable. Her skill is so good, she can do minute stitchwork swiftly and efficiently. She tries to seduce Glenn originally to get a response from Sapphee and Tisalia, but soon realizes that she has fallen for him herself. Skadi Dragenfelt (スカディ・ドラーゲンフェルト, Sukadi Dorāgenferuto) Voiced by: Atsumi Tanezaki (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English) The chairwoman and head council representative of Lindworm. She was the dragon that was able to bring the humans and monsters together before they could destroy each other completely, bringing an end to the war and founding the city as an experiment to see if monsters and humans can co-exist. She is hundreds of years old, yet has the body of a young girl. She dresses head to toe in robes and a veil so few have seen her face, but they are used to hide a parasitic condition. Due to said condition she rarely speaks above a whisper, so her words are relayed by Kunai (in a very loud tone). Kunai Zenow (苦無・ゼナウ) Voiced by: Maki Kawase (Japanese); Lizzie Freeman (English) Lady Skadi's personal assistant and bodyguard. A rare flesh golem from the east, she was taken in by Skadi and became entirely devoted to her, and takes her job seriously. However, due to her nature, she has been known to lose parts if she is damaged. Due to how she was created, she is not fond of doctors and she can hear the voices of those whose body parts she is created from. While she is very proud of her warrior nature, her heart is that of a pure maiden, and she develops feelings for Glenn after he helps repair her during a mission. Now she goes to him whenever she needs to replace her stitches or parts, because as he helps her the voices are a lot quieter. Illy (イリィ, Irii) Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro (Japanese); Kira Buckland (English) A harpy who was captured by bandits and forced to lay eggs, which were to be illegally sold. However, she had an impacted egg from stress until Glenn helped her while Skadi and Sapphee held off the remaining bandits. Afterward, she and the others went to a nearby harpy village to live. Memé Redon (メメ・ルドン) Voiced by: Miho Okasaki (Japanese); Giselle Fernandez (English) A cyclops who works at the Kuklo Workshop. She has dry eye issues because hers is larger than the others; however, it gives her more clarity in very fine work such as detailing and making surgical instruments like scalpels and needles that the hospital and Glenn use. She was inspired by Skadi to try to make things people could use to live. She also likes wearing Gothic Lolita outfits created by Arahnia. While she seems to have feelings for Glenn, she often feels embarrassed when she get closer to him. Kay Arte (ケイ・アルテ, Kei Arute) Voiced by: Fairouz Ai (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English) A centaur who is one of Tisalia's attendants. She was a war orphan who was adopted by the Arte family, servants of the Scythia family. Lorna Arte (ローナ・アルテ, Rōna Arute) Voiced by: M.A.O (Japanese); Sarah Anne Williams (English) A centaur who is one of Tisalia's attendants. Like Kay, Lorna was a war orphan who was adopted by the Arte family. Due to her being more sensitive than Tisalia and Kay, she suffers from self-esteem issues and needs a more controlling hand than Kay. She is unknowingly into binding, which actually calms her down. Dione Nephilim (ディオネ・ネフィリム, Dione Nefirimu) Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto (Japanese); Lizzie Freeman (English) A rare gigas who lives near the harpy village and sees Glenn for a head cold while he was performing examinations at the village. Due to her size, she moves very slowly and carefully so not to injure any smaller creatures, but every step causes earthquakes and landslides. Though young for her race, she still is hundreds of years old and has known Cthulhy and Skadi for a long time. She is friends with Illy, who goes to her mountaintop to visit her. Cthulhy Squele (クトゥリフ・スキュル, Kuturifu Sukyuru) Voiced by: Yukana (Japanese); Jeannie Tirado (English) A Cecaelia who is the head medical doctor of the Lindworm Central Hospital. Cthulhy is the mentor and primary teacher of both Glenn and Sapphee, and she had them start the clinic in order to expand their learning of medicine and to groom Glenn to take over for her one day. She has known Skadi for a long time, hinting that she is hundreds of years old, despite looking like she is in her 30s. She enjoys openly flirting with Glenn, much to the annoyance of Sapphee. Aluloona Loona (アルルーナ・ルーナ, Arurūna Rūna) Voiced by: Yō Taichi (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English) An alraune who is a member of the city council. Second-in-command to Skadi, she is in charge of agriculture. Molly Vanitas (モーリー・ヴァニタス, Mōrī Vuanitasu) The former shoggoth that was attached to Skadi. Once collected, she joined the skeleton of the former supervisor of the dead district and is working to make it a tourist attraction with the help of the undead residents. She uses a shovel as a weapon in order to keep the more unruly monsters in line. She is also highly interested in Glenn, but more as a lover than a mate. Sioux Litbeit (スー・リトバイト, Sū Ritobaito) Glenn's sister from the east who suffers from Demonitis. She began sprouting horns from her forehead, which proves her family has more than just human blood in their ancestry, which lead her to overheating if she becomes flustered or overexerts herself until Glenn was able to help her. She currently works in the red light district as a patrol member. She considers Sapphee as her sister, and is friends with Memé and Arahnia. Due to all the women flocking to Glenn, she takes it upon herself, by orders of her mother, to find Glenn the most suitable to be his wife. Media Light novel The Monster Girl Doctor light novel series is written by Yoshino Origuchi and illustrated by Z-Ton, who is one of the artists featured in the Monster Musume: I ♥ Monster Girls manga anthology. Shueisha published ten volumes of the series under their Dash X Bunko imprint from June 24, 2016 to March 25, 2022. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series for its North American distribution, and the first volume was released on December 19, 2017. Manga A manga adaptation is illustrated by Tetsumaki Tomasu and has been serialized online in Tokuma Shoten's Comic Ryū Web magazine since February 26, 2018. It has been collected in two tankōbon volumes as of March 2020. Volumes Monster Girl Doctor Monster Girl Doctor 0 Anime An anime television series adaptation was announced by Bandai Namco Arts on November 14, 2019. The series was animated by Arvo Animation and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki, with Hideki Shirane handling series composition, Hiromi Kato designing the characters, and TO-MAS composing the music. While the anime had an advanced streaming debut on the d Anime Store on July 4, 2020, the series officially aired from July 12 to September 27, 2020 on Tokyo MX and other channels. The opening theme is "Campanella Hibiku Sora de" (カンパネラ響く空で, "In the Sky Where the Bells Ring") performed by ARCANA PROJECT, while the ending theme is "Yasashisa no Namae" (やさしさの名前, "The Name of Kindness") performed by Aina Suzuki.The series is licensed by Crunchyroll in North America. In Southeast Asia and South Asia, the series is licensed by Muse Communication and released on Muse Asia YouTube channel and streaming service iQIYI in Southeast Asia. On August 11, 2020, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on August 16.On May 18, 2021, it was announced Sentai Filmworks picked up the home video rights. See also Nurse Hitomi's Monster Infirmary, a manga series with a similar premise Notes References External links Official website (in Japanese) Official anime (in Japanese) Monster Girl Doctor (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia Monster Girl Doctor at IMDb
[ "Knowledge" ]
5,669,825
Midlands Electricity
The Midlands Electricity Board was the public sector utility company responsible for the purchase of electricity from the electricity generator (the Central Electricity Generating Board from 1958) and its distribution and sale of electricity to customers in the Midlands of England prior to 1990. As Midlands Electricity plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
The Midlands Electricity Board was the public sector utility company responsible for the purchase of electricity from the electricity generator (the Central Electricity Generating Board from 1958) and its distribution and sale of electricity to customers in the Midlands of England prior to 1990. As Midlands Electricity plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The Midlands Electricity Board was formed in 1947, under the Electricity Act of that year. The counterpart of the East Midlands board, it served southern, and western parts of Warwickshire, as well as the counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire, as well as most of Gloucestershire, the West Midlands conurbation and northern Oxfordshire. The key people on the board were: Chairman G. S. Buckingham (1964, 1967), deputy chairman R. Mallet (1967), full-time members R. Mallet (1964) R. Cook and H. A. P. Caddell (1967).As with the EMEB, it kept a network of showrooms across its area, to allow customers to pay bills, and order many types of electrical goods. The MEB, Southern Electric and Eastern Electricity merged their showrooms, forming the Powerhouse store chain in the early 1990s. The total number of customers supplied by the board was: The amount of electricity, in GWh, sold by Midlands Electricity Board was:In 1990, as part of the privatisation of the UK electricity industry, the board became Midlands Electricity plc. The new business was split up, and sold several times: the supply business to Npower in 1999, the distribution business to GPU Power UK, who continued to use the ‘a Midlands Electricity company’ tagline for a couple of years, and then sold to Aquila, under whose short ownership it was renamed Aquila Networks, before being purchased by Powergen in 2004, becoming Central Networks, part of E.ON. The company was then sold in 2011 to American utilities company PPL who owns the UK distribution company Western Power Distribution, who were already operating in the license area of the previous company SWEB (South West) and Infralec (Wales), and rebranded the Midlands areas WPD West Midlands PLC and WPD East Midlands PLC (previously EMEB). In 2021, PPL placed Western Power Distribution up for sale, being purchased by National Grid, who as of the 21st September 2022 has rebranded the WPD business as National Grid. The distribution business is internally known as National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) to differentiate from National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). See also Companies merged into MEB Npower == References ==
[ "Energy" ]
19,816,093
Sanjiva Weerawarana
Sanjiva Weerawarana is a CEO, software developer and open-source software evangelist. He is known for his work on Web Services standards including WSDL, BPEL, and WS-Addressing. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of WSO2, an open-source middleware company, and creator of the Ballerina programming language. His involvement with the Apache Software Foundation includes project work on SOAP, Apache Axis and Apache Axis2.
Sanjiva Weerawarana is a CEO, software developer and open-source software evangelist. He is known for his work on Web Services standards including WSDL, BPEL, and WS-Addressing. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of WSO2, an open-source middleware company, and creator of the Ballerina programming language. His involvement with the Apache Software Foundation includes project work on SOAP, Apache Axis and Apache Axis2. Early life and education Weerawarana attended Kent State University, majoring in applied mathematics / computer science, before completing a PhD at Purdue University. Career After graduation, Weerawarana joined IBM Research working in Hawthorne, New York, until he left to found the startup WSO2. Weerawarana has been involved with the Apache Software Foundation since 2000 when he worked on the original Apache SOAP project. Weerawarana is an elected Member of the Foundation and is a committer on several projects.Weerawarana set up the Lanka Software Foundation, and was involved with the Sahana FOSS Disaster Management System. He is an advisory board member of the company 24/7 Techies. He is a visiting professor and lecturer at the University of Moratuwa and a board alumnus of the Open Source Initiative. He currently lives in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Publications Notable research publications include: Colombo: Lightweight middleware for service-oriented computing Enterprise Services Books Sanjiva Weerawarana, Francisco Curbera, Frank Leymann and Donald F. Ferguson (2005). Web Services Platform Architecture. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-148874-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Maria E. Orlowska, Sanjiva Weerawarana, Michael P. Papazoglou, Jian Yang (2003). Service-Oriented Computing -- ICSOC 2003 : First International Conference, Trento, Italy, December 15–18, 2003, Proceedings. Springer. ISBN 3-540-20681-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) See also Apache Software Foundation Open Source Initiative WSO2 References External links Sanjiva Weerawarana's Blog Lanka Software Foundation W3C Working Draft on WSDL ver 1.2 Sanjiva Weerawarana's profile Page at wso2.com WSO2 home page Board of Directors - Lanka Software Foundation Sanjeeva Weerawarana in Business Week
[ "Technology" ]
6,330,656
List of canals in Texas
== Transportation canals == Intracoastal Waterway Houston Ship Channel Sabine–Neches Waterway
== Transportation canals == Intracoastal Waterway Houston Ship Channel Sabine–Neches Waterway Irrigation canals See Texas Irrigation Canals Franklin Canal (Texas) Riverside Canal (El Paso) American Canal See also Sheep Creek
[ "Lists" ]
25,901,647
Globish (Nerrière)
Globish is a name for a subset of the English language formalized in 2004 by Jean-Paul Nerrière. It uses a subset of standard English grammar and a list of 1500 English words. Nerrière claims that it is "not a language" in and of itself, but rather it is the common ground that non-native English speakers adopt in the context of international business. "Globish," a trademark, is a portmanteau of "global" and "English." The first attested reference to the term as Global English, i.e., to refer to a set of dialects of English spoken outside of traditional English-speaking areas, was in an issue of The Christian Science Monitor in 1997: Indeed, the "globish" of world youth culture is more and more interactive.
Globish is a name for a subset of the English language formalized in 2004 by Jean-Paul Nerrière. It uses a subset of standard English grammar and a list of 1500 English words. Nerrière claims that it is "not a language" in and of itself, but rather it is the common ground that non-native English speakers adopt in the context of international business. "Globish," a trademark, is a portmanteau of "global" and "English." The first attested reference to the term as Global English, i.e., to refer to a set of dialects of English spoken outside of traditional English-speaking areas, was in an issue of The Christian Science Monitor in 1997: Indeed, the "globish" of world youth culture is more and more interactive. Non-Western forms of English now are as creative and lively as Chaucerian or Shakespearean or Dickensian English once were. Nerrière's project differs from a controlled language of the same name devised by Madhukar Gogate six years earlier. Usage Jean-Paul Nerrière uses the term Globish for his subset of the English grammar and vocabulary. He claims that the language described in his books is naturally occurring. He has marked his codification of that language by acquiring trademark protection on the term, similar to I.A. Richards who trademarked Basic English in order to prevent dilution and misrepresentation of his work. Instances of attested prior usage, it can be seen, were incidental or not intended for the same purpose. Development As an IBM executive and as a result of his vast travels, Jean-Paul Nerrière realized that a new global language was becoming more and more important. While serving as vice president of international marketing at IBM, Jean-Paul Nerriere first observed patterns of English that non-native English speakers used to communicate with each other in international conferences. In 1989, he proposed Globish as an international language focussing most of his efforts to its promotion. He developed rules and training in the form of various publications to help non-native English speakers better communicate with each other by using Globish as a lingua franca. He conducted dozens of interviews and wrote or co-authored 6 books about Globish in four different languages. Promotion and publications Nerrière formulated his ideas in two books he authored, Découvrez le globish (meaning Discover the Globish) and Do Not Speak English, Parlez Globish. Both books have been translated into a number of international languages. In French, he has published Parlez globish!: l'anglais planétaire du troisième millénaire and co-authored with Philippe Dufresne and Jacques Bourgon, the instruction book Découvrez le globish: l'anglais allégé en 26 étapes. Nerrière's 2004 codification work began to legitimize the language purpose to the extent it drew some press attention. Clearly, and with much subsequent reference, the term Globish has grown increasingly as a generic term since the date of his first publications. Nerrière trademarked Globish as a subset of the English language formalized by him. He also launched the website globish.com to promote his ideas. In 2009, intending to demonstrate that "Good Globish is correct English", Nerriere and David Hon published Globish the World Over, the first book written entirely in Globish-English. Robert McCrum, literary editor of The Observer, is quoted as supporting the efficacy of the language. By 2011, Globish the World Over had been translated into 12 languages including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, Hungarian, Slovakian, Uzbek etc. It was a best seller in Japan. In 2011, the Globish Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization in Australia, for the purpose of maintaining and promulgating the standards of Globish. By 2013, the Globish Foundation had 8 national affiliates and an online Globish Communications Test available 24/7.Barbara Cassin claims that Globish is not a language of culture, but a language of service. Robert McCrum wrote the book Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language (ISBN 9780393062557), describing Globish as an economic phenomenon, unlike "global English" whose uses are much more diverse than just business. Related systems Special English is also a controlled subset of the English language with about 1500 words, short sentences, and slower delivery than traditional English. Special English was first used on October 19, 1959, and is still presented daily by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America. Specialized English is a controlled subset of the English language derived from Special English by Feba Radio. It also has about 1500 words, with some differences in the word list from Special English. Criticism Critics of Globish either feel that its codifications are not sufficiently clearly rendered, or that an artificial language is preferable to any natural one. Although Nerrière claims that the Globish described in his book is a natural language, he has never published any statistical evidence of his observations. Joachim Grzega, a German linguist, has even gone as far as to state "Obviously, it is not based on any empirical observations, neither on native–non-native nor on non-native–non-native discourse." Globish is suspected of cultural imperialism, because it spreads only one language from which the subset of words is taken: this criticism is often by the speakers of other "neutral" languages, meant as languages not spoken in any nation. Clearly, derivative forms which have "English" in their titles are doubly suspect. According to CIA's The World Factbook, native English speakers represent only 4.68% of the world population, including native and non-native speakers the total proportion of all English speakers is estimated to be 10–15%. Globish is criticized for having an ulterior economic motive. It is a registered trademark and some marketing is done with it, since its owner did not renounce his rights to it (as for example L.L. Zamenhof did for Esperanto; on the other hand, I.A. Richards discussed why he trademarked Basic English, in order to prevent dilution and misrepresentation). The Globish Text Scanner accepts some 2000 extra words. See also Anglish Controlled natural language Engrish Globish (Gogate) International auxiliary language List of dialects of the English language Newspeak Simple English (disambiguation) References External links Official international Globish site Official ebook about Globish: "Globish The World Over"- free sample chapters Interview with Jean-Paul Nerrière (creator of Globish) Nerrière's Globish site BASIC GLOBISH (Text) (Globish Word Listing 1,500 words) Globish vocabulary (PDF) (1500 words; from Nerrière's site) Globish words explained in English (PDF) GLOBISH TEXT SCANNER Yvan Baptiste's site about Nerrière's Globish (in French; gives pronunciations for the 1500 words) Critical comments on Globish by Joachim Grzega in the article Globish and Basic Global English (BGE), published in the Journal for EuroLinguistiX So, what's this Globish revolution? Guardian Unlimited 3 December 2006 Nerrière on Globish (Video)
[ "Education" ]
6,004,370
St. Anne's Church, Miskolc
The St. Anne's Church (Hungarian: Szent Anna-templom) is a Roman Catholic parish church on St. Anna Square, Miskolc, Hungary. Locally it is often referred to as "Red Church", because of its red roof. The construction of the building started on July 21, 1816. The church was consecrated on August 3, 1823. The parsonage was completed in 1826, and the church functions as a parish church since then.
The St. Anne's Church (Hungarian: Szent Anna-templom) is a Roman Catholic parish church on St. Anna Square, Miskolc, Hungary. Locally it is often referred to as "Red Church", because of its red roof. The construction of the building started on July 21, 1816. The church was consecrated on August 3, 1823. The parsonage was completed in 1826, and the church functions as a parish church since then. The church was built in late Baroque style with some Neoclassical elements; the altar and the pulpit are late Neoclassical. The first public clock of the city was in the church's tower. Actress Róza Széppataki-Déry and the sister of painter Mihály Munkácsy, Cecília Lieb are buried in the church's cemetery. The church also used to be the end terminus of the first tram line of Miskolc between 1897 (the beginning of tram service) and 1905. References The church (Hungarian only) The church on HelloMiskolc.hu
[ "Religion" ]
3,161,217
Boyd Coddington
Boyd Coddington (August 28, 1944 – February 27, 2008) was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.
Boyd Coddington (August 28, 1944 – February 27, 2008) was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star of American Hot Rod on TLC. Early life, education and early career Coddington grew up in Rupert, Idaho, reading all the car and hot rod magazines he could, and got his first car (a 1931 Chevrolet truck) at age 13. He attended machinist trade school and completed a three-year apprenticeship in machining. In 1968, he moved to California building hot rods by day and working as a machinist at Disneyland during the night. He soon became known for building unique hot rods and in 1977 he opened his own shop, Hot Rods by Boyd, in Stanton, California. His first major customer was Vern Luce whose car, a 1933 coupe, won the Al Slonaker Award at the 1981 Oakland Roadster show. Design innovations Coddington was known for clean, elegant designs combining old school with what would come to be known as the "Boyd Look". Some of Coddington's signature innovations were his custom-fabricated alloy wheels, typically machined from a solid aluminium billet, an industry first. Together with John Buttera, Boyd pioneered this "billet" machined look and applied it not only to wheels, but broadly throughout the car.In 1988, Coddington founded Boyd's Wheels, Inc. to manufacture and market his custom billet wheels. CadZZilla In 1989, CadZZilla, a customized 1949 Cadillac, was commissioned by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, conceived by Jack Chisenhall, and designed by Chisenhall and Larry Erickson. It is acclaimed as one of the great expressions of automotive customization. Columnist Gray Baskerville called CadZZilla "the most incredible transformation he'd ever witnessed", and in their "History of Hot Rods & Customs" the auto editors of Consumer Guide praised it as "the first really new type of custom since the heyday of the 1950s". Artistic legacy Many of the next generation of customizers started their career with Coddington. Larry Erickson, later the chief designer of the Mustang and Thunderbird for Ford Motor Co., worked with Coddington early on, and specifically credits the CadZZilla collaboration for jump-starting his career. Designer Chip Foose (Overhaulin') and fabricator Jesse James (Motorcycle Mania) both started their careers in his shop. Coddington hosted the Discovery Channel show American Hot Rod. Coddington's creations have won the Grand National Roadster Show's "America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR)" award seven times (the only back-to-back winner of America's Most Beautiful Roadster) and the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence award twice, and earned him entry into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the SEMA Hall of Fame, the Route 66 Hall of Fame, and the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame. In 1997, Coddington was inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame. Later financial trouble In 1998, financial trouble due to a $465,000 loss from a bankrupt customer led Coddington to re-organize Boyd's Wheels and partner with his eldest son (Boyd Coddington, Jr.). In his later days, he began registering cars that were essentially completely custom fabrications as antique automobiles, avoiding major emissions restrictions and tax liabilities. California officials considered this a "ship of Theseus" fraud, claiming that so many central elements were replaced, the cars ceased to be the same entity. Coddington was charged with a misdemeanor and pleaded guilty on April 7, 2005. Death Coddington was hospitalized on December 31, 2007. He was discharged shortly after New Year's Eve, but was readmitted a few days later to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, California. Doctors performed surgery; despite the prognosis of a complete recovery, Coddington died on February 27, 2008. His publicist stated that Coddington was a long-time diabetic who died from complications that were brought on from a recent surgery for a perforated colon along with sepsis and kidney complications.Coddington was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California. References External links American Hot Rod TV series Boyd Coddington Helps Exhume Buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere in Tulsa, Oklahoma The Boyd Coddington Virtual Museum Boyd Coddington at Find a Grave
[ "Engineering" ]
40,825,624
United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of threatened and endangered arthropods
List of threatened and endangered arthropods, including insects, arachnids, and crustaceans under the United States Endangered Species Act as of October 2013.Key to Listing Status codes: E - Endangered. An animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.T - Threatened. An animal or plant species likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. SAE or SAT - Listed as Endangered or Threatened due to similarity of appearance. A species may be treated as endangered or threatened if it resembles in appearance a species which has been listed and enforcement personnel would have difficulty distinguishing between the listed and the unlisted species; if the effect of this difficulty is an additional threat to the listed species; and if such treatment of the unlisted species would improve protection for the listed species.
List of threatened and endangered arthropods, including insects, arachnids, and crustaceans under the United States Endangered Species Act as of October 2013.Key to Listing Status codes: E - Endangered. An animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.T - Threatened. An animal or plant species likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. SAE or SAT - Listed as Endangered or Threatened due to similarity of appearance. A species may be treated as endangered or threatened if it resembles in appearance a species which has been listed and enforcement personnel would have difficulty distinguishing between the listed and the unlisted species; if the effect of this difficulty is an additional threat to the listed species; and if such treatment of the unlisted species would improve protection for the listed species. See also Endangered arthropods United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species of mammals and birds Conservation biology References External links U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species website The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
[ "Life" ]
8,576,617
Jilin Self-Defence Army
The Jilin Self-Defence Army was an anti-Japanese volunteer army formed in 1931 to defend local Chinese residents against the Japanese invasion of northeast China. General Ding Chao, Li Du, Feng Zhanhai, Xing Zhanqing, and Zhao Yi organised the Jilin Self-Defence Army in order to prevent the fall and occupation of Harbin city, Jilin province. This brought all their forces under a unified command. Calling for civilians to form volunteer units and join in the defense of the city, the army reached a strength of 30,000 men in six brigades of Zhang Xueliangs Northeastern army. Jilin Self-Defense Corps – Commander-in-Chief Li Du Frontline commander-in-chief – Wang Yu Chief of the general staff – Yang Yaojun Chinese Eastern Railroad Defense Army – Commander-in-Chief – Ding Chao 28th Brigade – Ding Chao 22nd Brigade – Zhao Yi 25th Brigade – Ma Xianzhang 26th Brigade – Song Wenjun 29th Brigade – Wang Ruihua Temporary 1st Brigade – Feng Zhanhai 1st Cavalry Brigade – Gong Changhai 2nd Cavalry Brigade – Yao Dianchen Wooded Mountain Guerrilla Force – Song XizengThe defense of Harbin was at first successful and succeeded in repulsing the Manchukuo forces sent against them for a time.
The Jilin Self-Defence Army was an anti-Japanese volunteer army formed in 1931 to defend local Chinese residents against the Japanese invasion of northeast China. General Ding Chao, Li Du, Feng Zhanhai, Xing Zhanqing, and Zhao Yi organised the Jilin Self-Defence Army in order to prevent the fall and occupation of Harbin city, Jilin province. This brought all their forces under a unified command. Calling for civilians to form volunteer units and join in the defense of the city, the army reached a strength of 30,000 men in six brigades of Zhang Xueliangs Northeastern army. Jilin Self-Defense Corps – Commander-in-Chief Li Du Frontline commander-in-chief – Wang Yu Chief of the general staff – Yang Yaojun Chinese Eastern Railroad Defense Army – Commander-in-Chief – Ding Chao 28th Brigade – Ding Chao 22nd Brigade – Zhao Yi 25th Brigade – Ma Xianzhang 26th Brigade – Song Wenjun 29th Brigade – Wang Ruihua Temporary 1st Brigade – Feng Zhanhai 1st Cavalry Brigade – Gong Changhai 2nd Cavalry Brigade – Yao Dianchen Wooded Mountain Guerrilla Force – Song XizengThe defense of Harbin was at first successful and succeeded in repulsing the Manchukuo forces sent against them for a time. After its initial success, the army was forced out of Harbin when the Japanese sent their own troops under Jiro Tamon.Ding Chao's beaten Jilin Self-Defence Army retired from Harbin and marched to the northeast down the Songhua River, to join the Lower Songhua garrison of General Li Du and together reorganized, swelling its ranks with volunteers to 30,000 men in nine brigades by April 1932. It continued to resist, occupying the towns along the eastern section of the Chinese Eastern Railway, between Harbin and the Soviet border.Feng Zhanhai, former regimental commander of the Jilin Guards Division, retreating from Harbin into the west of Jilin province raised a sizeable independent volunteer force, the Northeastern Loyal and Brave Army estimated by the Japanese as 15,000 men in June 1932. See also Pacification of Manchukuo Second Sino-Japanese War References Coogan, Anthony, The volunteer armies of Northeast China, History Today; July 1993, Vol. 43 Issue 7, pp.36-41 Notes On A Guerrilla Campaign, from http://www.democraticunderground.com accessed November 4, 2006 a more readable version here and some photos, from http://forum.axishistory.com, accessed November 4, 2006 China's Anti-Japanese War combat operations Author : Guo Rugui, editor-in-chief Huang Yuzhang Press : Jiangsu People's Publishing House Date published : 2005-7-1 ISBN 7-214-03034-9 第二部分:从“九一八”事变到西安事变哈尔滨保卫战
[ "Military" ]
142,463
Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella, Italian pronunciation: [la ˈviːta ˈɛ bˈbɛlla]) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who employs his imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. The film was partially inspired by the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì and by Benigni's father, who spent two years in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during World War II. The film was an overwhelming critical and commercial success. It received widespread acclaim, with critics praising its story, performances and direction, and the union of drama and comedy, despite some criticisms of using the subject matter for comedic purposes.
Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella, Italian pronunciation: [la ˈviːta ˈɛ bˈbɛlla]) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who employs his imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. The film was partially inspired by the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì and by Benigni's father, who spent two years in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during World War II. The film was an overwhelming critical and commercial success. It received widespread acclaim, with critics praising its story, performances and direction, and the union of drama and comedy, despite some criticisms of using the subject matter for comedic purposes. The movie grossed over $230 million worldwide, including $57.6 million in the United States, is the second highest-grossing foreign language film in the U.S. (after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and one of the highest-grossing non-English language movies of all time. The National Board of Review included it in the top five best foreign films of 1998.The movie won the Grand Prix at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, nine David di Donatello Awards (including Best Film), five Nastro d'Argento Awards in Italy, two European Film Awards, and three Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor for Benigni, the first for a male non-English performance. Plot Part IIn 1939, in Fascist Italy, Guido Orefice is a young Italian Jewish man who arrives to work in the city of Arezzo, in Tuscany, where his uncle Eliseo works in the restaurant of a hotel. Guido is comical and sharp and falls in love with a Gentile girl named Dora. Later, he sees her again in the city where she is a teacher and set to be engaged to Rodolfo, a rich but arrogant local government official with whom Guido has regular run-ins. Guido sets up many "coincidental" incidents to show his interest in Dora. Finally, Dora sees Guido's affection and promise and gives in, against her better judgment. He steals the lady from her engagement party, on a horse, humiliating her fiancé and mother. They are later married, have a son Giosuè, and run a bookstore. Part IIDuring World War II, in 1944 when Northern Italy is occupied by Nazi Germany, Guido, his uncle Eliseo, and Giosuè are seized on Giosuè's birthday. They and many other Jews are forced onto a train bound for a concentration camp. After confronting a guard about her husband and son and being told there is no mistake, Dora volunteers to get on the train in order to be close to her family. However, as men and women are separated in the camp, Dora and Guido do not see each other during the internment. Guido pulls off various stunts, such as using the camp's loudspeaker to send messages—symbolic or literal—to Dora to assure her that he and their son are safe. Eliseo is murdered in a gas chamber shortly after their arrival. Giosuè narrowly avoids being gassed himself as he hates to take baths and showers, and did not follow the other children when they had been ordered to enter the gas chambers and were told they were showers. In the camp, Guido hides the true situation from his son. Guido tells Giosuè that the camp is a complicated game in which he must perform the tasks Guido gives him. Each of the tasks will earn them points and whoever gets to one thousand points first will win a tank. He tells him that if he cries, complains that he wants his mother, or says that he is hungry, he will lose points, while quiet boys who hide from the camp guards earn extra points. Giosuè is at times reluctant to go along with the game, but Guido convinces him each time to continue. At one point Guido takes advantage of the appearance of visiting German officers and their families to show Giosuè that other children are hiding as part of the game, and he also takes advantage of a German nanny thinking Giosuè is one of her charges in order to feed him as Guido serves the German officers. Guido and Giosuè are almost found out to be prisoners by another server until Guido is found teaching all of the German children how to say "Thank you" in Italian, effectively providing a ruse. Guido maintains this story right until the end when, in the chaos of shutting down the camp as the Allied forces approach, he tells his son to stay in a box until everybody has left, this being the final task in the competition before the promised tank is his. Guido goes to find Dora, but he is caught by a German soldier. An officer orders Guido to be executed and Guido is led off by the soldier. While he is walking to his death, Guido passes by Giosuè one last time and winks, still in character and playing the game. Guido is then shot and left for dead in an alleyway. The next morning, Giosuè emerges from the sweat-box, just as a U.S. Army unit led by a Sherman tank arrives and the camp is liberated. Giosuè is overjoyed about winning the game (unaware that his father is dead), thinking that he won the tank, and an American soldier allows Giosuè to ride on the tank. While traveling to safety, Giosuè soon spots Dora in the procession leaving the camp and reunites with his mother. While the young Giosuè excitedly tells his mother about how he had won a tank, just as his father had promised, the adult Giosuè, in an overheard monologue, reminisces on the sacrifices his father made for him and his story. Cast Production Director Roberto Benigni, who wrote the screenplay with Vincenzo Cerami, was inspired by the story of Rubino Romeo Salmonì and his book In the End, I Beat Hitler, which incorporates elements of irony and black comedy. Salmoni was an Italian Jew who was deported to Auschwitz, survived and was reunited with his parents, but found his brothers were murdered. Benigni stated he wished to commemorate Salmoni as a man who wished to live in the right way. He also based the story on that of his father Luigi Benigni, who was a member of the Italian Army after Italy became a co-belligerent of the Allies in 1943. Luigi Benigni spent two years in a Nazi labour camp, and to avoid scaring his children, told about his experiences humorously, finding this helped him cope. Roberto Benigni explained his philosophy, "to laugh and to cry comes from the same point of the soul, no? I'm a storyteller: the crux of the matter is to reach beauty, poetry, it doesn't matter if that is comedy or tragedy. They're the same if you reach the beauty."His friends advised against making the film, as he is a comedian and not Jewish, and the Holocaust was not of interest to his established audience. Because he is Gentile, Benigni consulted with the Center for Documentation of Contemporary Judaism, based in Milan, throughout production. Benigni incorporated historical inaccuracies in order to distinguish his story from the true Holocaust, about which he said only documentaries interviewing survivors could provide "the truth".The film was shot in the centro storico (historic centre) of Arezzo, Tuscany. The scene where Benigni falls off a bicycle and lands on Nicoletta Braschi was shot in front of Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla in Arezzo. Music The original score to the film was composed by Nicola Piovani, with the exception of a classical piece which figures prominently: the "Barcarolle" by Jacques Offenbach and A Musical Joke by Mozart. The soundtrack album won the Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score and was nominated for a Grammy Award: "Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media", but lost to the score of A Bug's Life. Release In Italy, the film was released in 1997 by Cecchi Gori Distribuzione. The film was screened in the Cannes Film Festival in May 1998, where it was a late addition to the selection of films. In the U.S., it was released on 23 October 1998, by Miramax Films. In Germany, it was released on 12 November 1998. In Austria, it was released on 13 November 1998. In the UK, it was released on 12 February 1999. After the Italian, English subtitled version became a hit in English speaking territories, Miramax reissued Life Is Beautiful in an English dubbed version, but it was less successful than the subtitled Italian version.The film was aired on the Italian television station RAI on 22 October 2001 and was viewed by 16 million people. This made it the most watched Italian film on Italian TV. Reception Box office Life Is Beautiful was commercially successful, making $48.7 million in Italy. It was the highest-grossing Italian film in its native country until 2011, when surpassed by Checco Zalone's What a Beautiful Day.The film was also successful in the rest of the world, grossing $57.6 million in the United States and Canada and $123.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $230.1 million. It surpassed fellow Italian film Il Postino: The Postman as the highest-grossing foreign language film in the United States until Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Critical response The film was praised by the Italian press, with Benigni treated as a "national hero." Pope John Paul II, who received a private screening with Benigni, placed it in his top five favourite films. It holds a "Fresh" 81% approval rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 93 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's consensus reads: "Benigni's earnest charm, when not overstepping its bounds into the unnecessarily treacly, offers the possibility of hope in the face of unflinching horror". Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5/4 stars, stating: "At Cannes, it offended some left-wing critics with its use of humor in connection with the Holocaust. What may be most offensive to both wings is its sidestepping of politics in favor of simple human ingenuity. The film finds the right notes to negotiate its delicate subject matter ... The movie actually softens the Holocaust slightly, to make the humor possible at all. In the real death camps there would be no role for Guido. But Life Is Beautiful is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future. About the necessary human conviction, or delusion, that things will be better for our children than they are right now." Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune gave the movie a score of 100/100, calling it: "A deeply moving blend of cold terror and rapturous hilarity. Lovingly crafted by Italy's top comedian and most popular filmmaker, it's that rare comedy that takes on a daring and ambitious subject and proves worthy of it."Richard Schickel, writing for Time, argued, "There are references to mass extermination, but that brutal reality is never vividly presented". He concluded that "even a hint of the truth about the Holocaust would crush [Benigni]'s comedy." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B−, calling it "undeniably some sort of feat—the first feel-good Holocaust weepie. It's been a long time coming." However, Glieberman stated: "There's only one problem. As shot, it looks like a game".Michael O'Sullivan, writing for The Washington Post, called it "sad, funny and haunting."Nell Minow of Common Sense Media gave it 5/5 stars, saying: "This magnificent film gives us a glimpse of the Holocaust, but it is really about love, and the indomitability of humanity even in the midst of inhumanity." Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times that the film took "a colossal amount of gall" but "because Mr. Benigni can be heart-rending without a trace of the maudlin, it works."The Los Angeles Times's Kenneth Turan noted the film had "some furious opposition" at Cannes, but said "what is surprising about this unlikely film is that it succeeds as well as it does. Its sentiment is inescapable, but genuine poignancy and pathos are also present, and an overarching sincerity is visible too."David Rooney of Variety said the film had "mixed results," with "surprising depth and poignancy" in Benigni's performance but "visually rather flat" camera work by Tonino Delli Colli. In 2002, BBC critic Tom Dawson wrote "the film is presumably intended as a tribute to the powers of imagination, innocence, and love in the most harrowing of circumstances," but "Benigni's sentimental fantasy diminishes the suffering of Holocaust victims."In 2006, Jewish American comedic filmmaker Mel Brooks spoke negatively of the film in Der Spiegel, saying it trivialized the suffering in concentration camps.By contrast, Nobel Laureate Imre Kertész argues that those who take the film to be a comedy, rather than a tragedy, have missed the point of the film. He draws attention to what he terms 'Holocaust conformism' in cinema to rebuff detractors of Life Is Beautiful.Israeli screenwriter, author and art critic Kobi Niv published the book Life Is Beautiful, But Not for Jews (in 2000 in Hebrew and an English translation in 2003) in which he analyzed the movie from a highly critical perspective, suggesting that the film's underlining narrative is harmful for Jews.Another academic analysis of the movie was undertaken by Ilona Klein, who analyzes the film's success and refers to the "ambiguous themes hidden within." Klein suggests that one of the reasons the movie was so successful was its appeal of "sentimental optimism". At the same time, she points out that "Miramax's hype billed this film as a fable about 'love, family, and the power of imagination,' yet most Jewish victims of the Nazis' 'Final Solution' were loving, concerned, devoted parents. No amount of love, family, and power of imagination helped their children survive the gas chambers."David Sterritt of The Christian Science Monitor highlighted that "Enthusiasm for the movie has not been as unanimous as its ad campaign suggests, however, and audiences would do well to ponder its implicit attitudes." He pointed out that the movie implicitly suggests quick-witted confidence was a match for the terrors of fascist death camps, then added that "[Benigni's] fable ultimately obscures the human and historical events it sets out to illuminate." Accolades Life Is Beautiful was shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, and went on to win the Grand Prix. Upon receiving the award, Benigni kissed the feet of jury president Martin Scorsese.At the 71st Academy Awards, Benigni won Best Actor for his role, with the film winning two more awards for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and Best Foreign Language Film. Benigni jumped on top of the seats as he made his way to the stage to accept his first award, and upon accepting his second, said, "This is a terrible mistake because I used up all my English!" See also List of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film List of Italian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film References Bibliography Bullaro, Grace Russo (2005). Beyond "Life is Beautiful": Comedy and Tragedy in the Cinema of Roberto Benigni. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-904744-83-4. Norden, Martin F., ed. (2007). The Changing Face of Evil in Film and Television. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi. ISBN 978-9042023246. Perren, Alisa (2012). Indie, Inc.: Miramax and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s. University of Texas Press. Piper, Kerrie (2003). Life is Beautiful. Pascal Press. ISBN 1741250307. External links Life Is Beautiful at IMDb Life Is Beautiful at the TCM Movie Database Life Is Beautiful at AllMovie Life Is Beautiful at Box Office Mojo Life Is Beautiful at Metacritic Life Is Beautiful at Rotten Tomatoes Life Is Beautiful at the Arts & Faith Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films list
[ "Internet" ]
3,057,073
John Leighfield
John Percival Leighfield (born 1938) is a British IT industry businessman and was previously chairman of RM plc from 1993 until 2011.Currently John Leighfield is a Director of Getmapping, a UK supplier of aerial photography, mapping products and data hosting solutions. He is also Chairman of Governors of the WMG Academy Trust (which operates two University technical colleges). John Leighfield was born in Oxford, England, and was a pupil at Magdalen College School. He then read Greats at Exeter College, Oxford. He has an MA from Oxford, Honorary Doctorates from the University of Central England in Birmingham (DUniv), from De Montfort University (DTech), from Wolverhampton University (DTech) and from the University of Warwick (DLL).
John Percival Leighfield (born 1938) is a British IT industry businessman and was previously chairman of RM plc from 1993 until 2011.Currently John Leighfield is a Director of Getmapping, a UK supplier of aerial photography, mapping products and data hosting solutions. He is also Chairman of Governors of the WMG Academy Trust (which operates two University technical colleges). John Leighfield was born in Oxford, England, and was a pupil at Magdalen College School. He then read Greats at Exeter College, Oxford. He has an MA from Oxford, Honorary Doctorates from the University of Central England in Birmingham (DUniv), from De Montfort University (DTech), from Wolverhampton University (DTech) and from the University of Warwick (DLL). He is a Fellow of the RSA, RGS, CMI, IET, and BCS. Leighfield has pursued a career in IT, initially in the 1960s with the Ford Motor Company, where he did pioneering work on computer systems in finance and manufacturing, Plessey (where he was head of management services) and British Leyland (from the early 1970s). In 1987, he led an employee buy out of Istel Ltd, which he had established as a subsidiary of British Leyland. In 1989, the company was subsequently taken over by AT&T. He was the executive chairman of AT&T Istel until April 1993. In November 1993, he joined RM (a British educational computing company) as a non-executive director and in October 1994 became the non-executive chairman. He has been a non-executive director of a number of other companies as well, including Halifax plc and Synstar plc (of which he is also non-executive chairman). Leighfield was president of the British Computer Society (1993–4) and the Computing Services and Software Association (1995–6). He is president of the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS), a UK professional association. He has been a member of the council of University of Warwick, chairman of the advisory board, and an honorary visiting professor at the Warwick Business School. He was pro-chancellor and chairman of the council at the University of Warwick from 2002 to 2011. In the Queen's Birthday Honours 1998 Leighfield was appointed as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In 2006, Leighfield was awarded the Mountbatten Medal. In 2005, he was appointed as a non-executive director of Getmapping plc and Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. Leighfield lives in Oxford. He was formerly Chairman of the Governors of Magdalen College School. He is Chairman of the Oxford Philomusica Advisory Council, the Resident Professional Orchestra at the University of Oxford. In his spare time, he has an interest in maps, especially of Oxfordshire. He is married with children and grandchildren. On 15 January 2016 Leighfield gave an in-depth interview to Alan Cane, Former Editor of the Financial Times, on his life and career for Archives of IT. References External links Synstar information BCS Strategic Panel Members Intellect UK information BCS Oxfordshire Branch photograph
[ "Technology" ]
15,979,061
Bosphorus Airways
Bosphorus Airways was a Charter Airline from Turkey that operated for a brief period of time from 1992 to 1993.
Bosphorus Airways was a Charter Airline from Turkey that operated for a brief period of time from 1992 to 1993. History Bosphorus Airways began services in April 1992 with two Boeing 737-3H9 for charter flights to and from Turkey. In May 1993, one of the B737 was temporarily impounded for violations of the flight embargo into Serbia. The company planned for the summer season flights with larger McDonnell Douglas DC-10 to start. However, these ideas were dashed, since utilization and demand due to the effects of the Second Gulf War, declined rapidly. The financial situation for the airline worsened and by the end of 1993 the airline was shut down. Fleet 2 Boeing 727 2 Boeing 737-300 References External links Impounded Plane Determinations Airport Transportation Information
[ "Business" ]
12,538,690
Puerto Rican flower bat
The Puerto Rican flower bat (Phyllonycteris major) is an extinct species of bat from the family Phyllostomidae (leaf-nosed bats). It was native to Puerto Rico and is known only from subfossil skeletal material.
The Puerto Rican flower bat (Phyllonycteris major) is an extinct species of bat from the family Phyllostomidae (leaf-nosed bats). It was native to Puerto Rico and is known only from subfossil skeletal material. Sources UNEP-WCMC Species Database Archived 2008-03-29 at the Wayback Machine Bucknell University - Wilson & Reeder's: Mammal Species of the World (Third edition) ZipCodeZoo.com == References ==
[ "Communication" ]
3,039,067
High-context and low-context cultures
In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. "High-" and "low-" context cultures typically refer to language groups, nationalities, or regional communities. However, the concept may also apply to corporations, professions, and other cultural groups, as well as to settings such as online and offline communication. High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages.
In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. "High-" and "low-" context cultures typically refer to language groups, nationalities, or regional communities. However, the concept may also apply to corporations, professions, and other cultural groups, as well as to settings such as online and offline communication. High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. Low-context cultures do the opposite; direct verbal communication is needed to properly understand a message being communicated and relies heavily on explicit verbal skills. The model of high-context and low-context cultures offers a popular framework in intercultural-communication studies but has been criticized as lacking empirical validation. History of differing context cultures These concepts were first introduced by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1959 book The Silent Language. Cultures and communication in which the context of the message is of great importance to structuring actions are referred to as high context. High-context defines cultures that are usually relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. Hall identifies high-context cultures as those in which harmony and the well-being of the group are preferred over individual achievement. In low context, communication members' communication must be more explicit, direct, and elaborate because individuals are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories or backgrounds, and communication is not necessarily shaped by long-standing relationships between speakers. Because low-context communication concerns more direct messages, the meaning of these messages is more dependent on the words being spoken rather than on the interpretation of more subtle or unspoken cues. A 2008 meta-analysis concluded that the model was "unsubstantiated and underdeveloped". Characteristics of high-context and low-context cultures Denotation and connotation High-context cultures are related to connotation. People within high-context cultures tend to be more aware and observant of facial expressions, body language, changes in tone, and other aspects of communication that are not directly spoken. Denotation tends to be attributed to low-context culture People in low-context cultures communicate in a more direct way, with explicitly speaking what they want to communicate. Interpersonal relationships Individualism and collectivism are related to low-context and high-context cultures, respectively. Within high-context cultures, people rely on their networks of friends and family, viewing their relationships as part of one large community. In low-context cultures, relationships are not viewed as important figures to identity. People within low-context cultures see their relationships much looser and the lines between networks of people are more flexibly drawn. Examples of higher- and lower-context cultures Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". Instead, a comparison between cultures may find communication differences to a greater or lesser degree. Typically a high-context culture will be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. Not all individuals in a culture can be defined by cultural stereotypes, and there will be variations within a national culture in different settings. For example, Hall describes how Japanese culture has both low- and high-context situations. However, understanding the broad tendencies of predominant cultures can help inform and educate individuals on how to better facilitate communication between individuals of different cultural backgrounds. Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures or specific settings such as airports or law courts. A simplified example mentioned by Hall is that scientists working in "hard science" fields (like chemistry and physics) tend to have lower-context cultures: because their knowledge and models have fewer variables, they will typically include less context for each event they describe. In contrast, scientists working with living systems need to include more context because there can be significant variables which impact the research outcomes. Croucher's study examines the assertion that culture influences communication style (high/low-context) preference. Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."In addition, Hall identified countries such as Japan, Arabic countries, and some Latin American Countries to practice high-context culture; "High context communication carries most of its information within physical acts and features such as avoiding eye contact or even the shrug of a shoulder." On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States, and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge of each member's history or background. Cultures and languages are defined as higher or lower contexts on a spectrum. For example, it could be argued that the Canadian French language is a higher context than Canadian English, but a lower context than Spanish or French French. An individual from Texas (a higher-context culture) may communicate with a few words or use of a prolonged silence characteristic of Texan English, whereas a New Yorker would be very explicit (as typical of New York City English), although both speak the same language (American English) and are part of a nation (the United States of America) which is lower-context relative to other nations. Hall notes a similar difference between Navajo-speakers and English speakers in a United States school.Hall and Hall proposed a "spectrum" of national cultures from "High-Context cultures" to "Low-Context Cultures. This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. Some recognized examples include: Higher-context culture: China, India, Korea, Japan, other Asian countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Oman, and Yemen, African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, Latin America, the Pacific islands, France, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. In the United States, Native Americans and Hawaiian islanders are also considered high-context. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, and other European nations. Cultural context can also shift and evolve. For instance, a study has argued that both Japan and Finland (high-context cultures) are becoming lower-context with the increased influence of Western Europe and United States culture. Case studies US, China, and Korea Kim Donghoon conducted a study to test the major aspects of high-context versus low-context culture concepts. The study collected three samples from different cultures - the US, China, and Korea - with 96 business managers surveyed in the American and Chinese samples and 50 managers in the Korean sample. According to Hall's theory, the Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents a lower-context culture. The study tested 16 items, covering various aspects of the high-versus-low context concept, including social orientation, responsibility, confrontation, communication, commitment, and dealing with new situations. The results show significant differences between the American, Chinese, and Korean samples on 15 out of 16 items, with 11 items significant at the .01 level, one at the .05 level, and three at the .10 level. The composite score also indicates a significant difference among the three samples at the .01 level. The American sample scored the lowest compared to the two "Oriental samples," which aligns with Hall's concept. Overall, this study provides further evidence to support the high versus low-context culture concepts with Chinese, Korean, and American participants. The study suggests that in high-context cultures, such as China and Korea, people tend to be more socially oriented, less confrontational, and more complacent with existing ways of living compared to people from low-context cultures like the US. Russia and Romania A case study was done on 30 Romanian and 30 Russian employees, to compare high- and low-context cultures, and the results strongly suggested that Russia and Romania are both high-context cultures. The table shows the major differences and similarities between individual queries. Mexico and the U.S. This study is a result of a cross-cultural examination between students from the United States, a low-context culture, and Mexico, a high-context culture, to study the reasons people communicate in each culture. There were 225 Mexican participants from three different undergraduate universities in Mexico City and 447 participants from Kent State University in the U.S. The case study looked into culture shock experienced by Mexicans studying in the U.S. The hypotheses tested indicated the high-context culture in Mexico would provide different motives for communication when compared with the low-context culture of the U.S. The results found that U.S. participants used communication for pleasure more often than Mexican participants. Pleasure, affection, and inclusion were the highest motives for communication in both cultures and control was the lowest for both cultures. Overlap and contrast between context cultures The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. Both often take many aspects of the other's cultural communication abilities and strengths into account. The terms high- and low-context cultures are not classified with strict individual characteristics or boundaries. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.Ramos suggests that "in low context culture, communication members' communication must be more explicit. As such, what is said is what is meant, and further analysis of the message is usually unnecessary." This implies that communication is quite direct and detailed because members of the culture are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories, past experiences, or backgrounds. Because low-context communication concerns more direct messages, the meaning of these messages is more dependent on the words being spoken rather than on the interpretation of more subtle or unspoken cues. The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice states that "high context defines cultures that are relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. Cultures and communication in which context is of great importance to structuring actions are referred to as high context." In such cultures, people are highly perceptive of actions. Furthermore, cultural aspects such as tradition, ceremony, and history are also highly valued. Because of this, many features of cultural behavior in high-context cultures, such as individual roles and expectations, do not need much detailed or thought-out explanation. According to Watson, "the influence of cultural variables interplays with other key factors – for example, social identities, those of age, gender, social class, and ethnicity; this may include a stronger or weaker influence." A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class, and ethnicity. For example, for someone who is older and more experienced within a society, the need for social cues may be higher or lower depending on the communication style. The same applies to the other characteristics in varied countries. On the other hand, certain intercultural communication skills are unique for each culture and it is significant to note that these overlaps in communication techniques are represented by subgroups within social interactions or family settings. Many singular cultures that are large have subcultures inside of them, making communication and defining them more complicated than the low-context and high-context culture scale. The diversity within a main culture shows how the high and low scale differs depending on social settings such as school, work, home, and in other countries; variation is what allows the scale to fluctuate even if a large culture is categorized as primarily one or the other. Online Punctuation marks and emojis are more often used by high-context users than low-context users. The tools are used to establish context by adding additional information as personal and social cues are not as presentable as they are in face-to-face negotiations. Miscommunication within cultural contexts Between each type of culture context, there will be forms of miscommunication because of the difference in gestures, social cues, and intercultural adjustments; however, it is important to recognize these differences and learn how to avoid miscommunication to benefit certain situations. Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. This significance follows into many situations such as the workplace, which can be prone to diversified cultures and opportunities for collaboration and working together. Awareness of miscommunication between high- and low-context cultures within the workplace or intercultural communication settings advocates for collected unification within a group through the flexibility and ability to understand one another. How higher context relates to other cultural metrics Diversity Families, subcultures, and in-groups typically favor higher-context communication. Groups that are able to rely on a common background may not need to use words as explicitly to understand each other. Settings and cultures where people come together from a wider diversity of backgrounds such as international airports, large cities, or multi-national firms, tend to use lower-context communication forms. Language Hall links language to culture through the work of Sapir-Whorf on linguistic relativity. A trade language will typically need to explicitly explain more of the context than a dialect which can assume a high level of shared context. Because a low-context setting cannot rely on a shared understanding of potentially ambiguous messages, low-context cultures tend to give more information or to be precise in their language. In contrast, a high-context language like Japanese or Chinese can use a high number of homophones but still be understood by a listener who knows the context. Elaborated and restricted codes The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. The use of an elaborated code indicates that the speaker and listener do not share significant amounts of common knowledge, and hence they may need to "spell out" their ideas more fully: elaborated codes tend to be more context-independent. In contrast, the use of restricted codes indicates that speakers and listeners do share a great deal of common background and perspectives, and hence much more can be taken for granted and thus expressed implicitly or through nuance: restricted codes tend to be more context-dependent.Restricted codes are commonly used in high-context culture groups, where group members share the same cultural background and can easily understand the implicit meanings "between the lines" without further elaboration. Conversely, in cultural groups with low context, where people share less common knowledge or 'value individuality above group identification', elaborated codes are necessary to avoid misunderstanding. Collectivism and individualism The concepts of collectivism and individualism have been applied to high- and low-context cultures by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede in his Cultural Dimensions Theory. Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. India and Japan are typically high-context, highly collectivistic cultures, where business is done by building relationships and maintaining respectful communication.Individualistic cultures promote the development of individual values and independent social groups. Individualism may lead to communicating to all people in a group in the same way, rather than offering hierarchical respect to certain members. Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. Language may be used to achieve goals or exchange information. The USA and Australia are typically low-context, highly individualistic cultures, where transparency and competition in business are prized. Stability and durability of tradition High-context cultures tend to be more stable, as their communication is more economical, fast, efficient, and satisfying; but these are gained at the price of devoting time to preprogramming cultural background, and their high stability might come with a price of a high barrier for development. By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension to happen at faster rates. This also means that low-context communication may fail due to the overload of information, which makes culture lose its screening function.Therefore, higher-context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. Focusing on tradition creates opportunities for higher-context messages between individuals of each new generation, and the high-context culture feeds back to the stability hence allowing the tradition to be maintained. This is in contrast to lower-context cultures in which the shared experiences upon which communication is built can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children, as in the United States. Facial expression and gesture Culture also affects how individuals interpret other people's facial expressions. An experiment performed by the University of Glasgow shows that different cultures have different understanding of the facial expression signals of the six basic emotions, which are the so-called "universal language of emotion"—happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness. In high-context cultures, facial expressions and gestures take on greater importance in conveying and understanding a message, and the receiver may require more cultural context to understand "basic" displays of emotions. Marketing and advertising perspective Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. One study on McDonald's online advertising compared Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States, and found that in high-context countries, the advertising used more colors, movements, and sounds to give context, while in low-context cultures the advertising focused more on verbal information and linear processes. Website communication Website design among cross-cultural barriers includes factoring in decisions about culture-sensitive color meanings, layout preferences, animation, and sounds. In a case study conducted by the IT University of Copenhagen, it was found that websites catering to high-context cultures tended to have more detailed and advanced designs, including various images and animations. Low-context websites had less animation and more stagnant images, with more details on information. The images found on the websites used in the study promoted individualistic and collectivist characteristics within the low-context and high-context websites, respectively. The low-context websites had multiple images of individuals, while the high-context websites contained images and animations of groups and communities. Limitations of the model In a 2008 meta-analysis of 224 articles published between 1990 and 2006, Peter W. Cardon wrote:[T]he theory was never described by Hall with any empirical rigor, and no known research involving any instrument or measure of contexting validates it. ... Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. In other words, the relationship between directness and contexting based on traditional classifications of [high-context] and [low-context] cultures is particularly tenuous. Most of the context categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. But the fact that contexting has not been empirically validated should not necessarily be construed as a failure of the theory. ... Nonetheless, the contexting model simply cannot be described as an empirically validated model.: 422–3 See also Phatic expression Taarof References Further reading Hall, Edward, T. Beyond Culture. Anchor Books (December 7, 1976). ISBN 978-0385124744 Samovar, Larry A. and Richard E. Porter. Communication Between Cultures. 5th Ed. Thompson and Wadsworth, 2004. ISBN 0-534-56929-3 External links High and low context cultures
[ "Culture" ]
498,657
Jørgen Alexander Knudtzon
Jørgen Alexander Knudtzon (9 September 1854 – 7 January 1917) was a Norwegian linguist and historian. He was a professor of Semitic Languages at the University of Oslo from 1907. Knudtzon was born in Trondheim, the son of consul Hans Nicolay Knudtzon (1814–89) and his wife Catharina (1831–79) née Trampe. Having finished his secondary education in 1872, he enrolled at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania. After a short spell at the Cathedral School in Trondheim, he returned to Christiania to study Semitic languages, in particular Akkadian, Arabian and Hebrew, the last of which he also gave lectures on.
Jørgen Alexander Knudtzon (9 September 1854 – 7 January 1917) was a Norwegian linguist and historian. He was a professor of Semitic Languages at the University of Oslo from 1907. Knudtzon was born in Trondheim, the son of consul Hans Nicolay Knudtzon (1814–89) and his wife Catharina (1831–79) née Trampe. Having finished his secondary education in 1872, he enrolled at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania. After a short spell at the Cathedral School in Trondheim, he returned to Christiania to study Semitic languages, in particular Akkadian, Arabian and Hebrew, the last of which he also gave lectures on. His first scholarly contribution was Textkritische Bemerkungen zu Lay 17,18, which was published in 1882. In the same decade he studied assyriology and theology in Germany on a university stipend. He returned to Norway after only two years, and resumed his Hebrew teaching. In 1889, he took his dr. phil. degree with the thesis Det saakaldte Perfektum og Imperfektum i Hebraisk ("The So-called Perfect and Preterite in Hebrew").In recognizing the Hittite language as Indo-European on the basis of two letters from Arzawa (in Western Anatolia), found in Egypt (Die zwei Arzawa-Briefe, 1902), he played an important role in the deciphering of the Hittite language script. In two landmark volumes (1907 and 1915) he published the Amarna letters, diplomatic correspondence of the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten (1351–1334 BC). Works Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott für Staat und königliches Haus aus der Zeit Assahaddons und Asurbanipals. Vol. 2. Leipzig. 1893.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Die zwei Arzawa Briefe: Die ältesten Urkunden in Indogermanischer Sprache. Leipzig. 1902.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Die El-Amarna-tafeln, bearb. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs. 1908–15. Die El-Amarna-Tafeln. 2 vols. Leipzig. 1915.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) == References ==
[ "Language" ]
71,248,797
Pierre Meurin
Pierre Meurin (born 30 November 1989) is a French politician from National Rally (RN) who has represented Gard's 4th constituency in the National Assembly since 2022.
Pierre Meurin (born 30 November 1989) is a French politician from National Rally (RN) who has represented Gard's 4th constituency in the National Assembly since 2022. Professional and personal life Maurin was born in Paris and is the son of a construction worker who ran a window installation firm. He has two brothers and a sister. He graduated with a Master's degree in law and during his studies was active in the Union Nationale Inter-universitaire union. He served on the board of directors of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines until 2012 and later worked at the Institut d'études politiques de Lyon until 2021.He is married to a speech therapist with whom he has two children. Maurin has described himself as a practicing Catholic. Political career He became a member of the Movement for France (MPF) in 2008 and chaired the MPF's youth wing Jeunes pour la France From 2014 to 2018. Maurin was an early supporter of author and pundit Eric Zemmour and caused some controversy when he booed an opponent of Zemmour's from the audience during a televised debate. In 2020, he began organising Zemmour's pre-presidential campaign ahead of the 2022 French presidential election and was a founding member of his Reconquête party. However, before the election he left the post and announced his support for Marine Le Pen in 2020, arguing that Le Pen represented the best chance of defeating the Macron administration.During the 2022 French legislative election, he stood as the National Rally candidate in Gard's 4th constituency and defeated NUPES affiliated candidate Arnaud Bord. References See also List of deputies of the 16th National Assembly of France
[ "Politics" ]
37,889,240
Cultura Inglesa
The Associação Brasileira de Culturas Inglesas (Culturas Inglesas Brazilian Association), widely known simply as Cultura Inglesa (English Culture) is an English-teaching franchise founded in 1934 and with branches present in the Brazilian cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Goiânia and their surroundings. There are also branches in other states of Alagoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Bahia and Espírito Santo. There, it is possible for its students to take the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, including the KET (Key English Test), the PET (Preliminary English Test), the FCE (First Certificate in English), the CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) and the CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English). In 2009, it has been elected by the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW) as the 25th best company to work in Brazil In 2012, it was again featured on the list, but in no specific position.Besides teaching and applying examinations, the company also promotes cultural events focusing on British culture, such as music festivals, which have brought bands such as Franz Ferdinand and The Horrors.
The Associação Brasileira de Culturas Inglesas (Culturas Inglesas Brazilian Association), widely known simply as Cultura Inglesa (English Culture) is an English-teaching franchise founded in 1934 and with branches present in the Brazilian cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Goiânia and their surroundings. There are also branches in other states of Alagoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Bahia and Espírito Santo. There, it is possible for its students to take the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, including the KET (Key English Test), the PET (Preliminary English Test), the FCE (First Certificate in English), the CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) and the CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English). In 2009, it has been elected by the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW) as the 25th best company to work in Brazil In 2012, it was again featured on the list, but in no specific position.Besides teaching and applying examinations, the company also promotes cultural events focusing on British culture, such as music festivals, which have brought bands such as Franz Ferdinand and The Horrors. References External links Official website
[ "Education" ]
25,862,939
Peter Alliss Masters
Peter Alliss Masters is a golfing society that raises funds to provide children who have very limited mobility with powered wheelchairs. The charity has been going since the 1970s led by its patron, BBC's Voice of Golf, Peter Alliss.
Peter Alliss Masters is a golfing society that raises funds to provide children who have very limited mobility with powered wheelchairs. The charity has been going since the 1970s led by its patron, BBC's Voice of Golf, Peter Alliss. References Alliss, Peter, Peter Alliss: My Life, Hodder & Staughton, 2004, p. 286 External links PeterAllissMasters.org
[ "Health" ]
67,128,155
East River Column
The East River Column or Dongjiang Column (simplified Chinese: 东江纵队; traditional Chinese: 東江縱隊) was a unit of anti-Japanese Communist guerrillas that operated in Guangdong and Hong Kong during the Second Sino-Japanese War. They played a major role in Chinese resistance against Japanese occupation, and remain an important part of local historical traditions about the war and the subsequent Communist Revolution. They are also notable outside of China for being the only Chinese Communist unit transported on US Navy vessels, done as part of the peace negotiations led by the Marshall Mission.
The East River Column or Dongjiang Column (simplified Chinese: 东江纵队; traditional Chinese: 東江縱隊) was a unit of anti-Japanese Communist guerrillas that operated in Guangdong and Hong Kong during the Second Sino-Japanese War. They played a major role in Chinese resistance against Japanese occupation, and remain an important part of local historical traditions about the war and the subsequent Communist Revolution. They are also notable outside of China for being the only Chinese Communist unit transported on US Navy vessels, done as part of the peace negotiations led by the Marshall Mission. History The East River Column had its origins in two separate units, the Dongguan Model Able-bodied Young Men Guerrilla Team and the Huiyang Bao’an People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrillas. The former was founded in October 1938 by around thirty men led by Wang Zuorao. Wang was a Communist and National Revolutionary Army defector who had been organizing in Dongguan since January. The latter was created in November when CCP Southern Bureau Chief Liao Chengzhi ordered 60 men under Commander Zeng Sheng (Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Seamen’s Union) and Political Commissar Zhou Boming (Hong Kong Propaganda Chief and former Northeastern Army officer) to begin guerrilla operations north of Shenzhen. The People's Guerrillas included the future war hero Yuan Geng. Both groups started with a core of educated radicals and militant members of the Seaman's Union but successfully focused their recruitment efforts on the peasantry. The two forces were merged in 1939. As part of the Second United Front policy, the guerrillas nominally served under the KMT's 4th War Area until March 1940, when local KMT General Xiang Hanping launched an attack on them for refusing to disband. The 108 survivors fled to Shishan.The decision to flee eastward and away from the front lines against Japan was strongly criticized by CCP party leadership in Yan'an. In a message sent on May 8 but not received until June, Zhou Enlai ordered Zeng and Wang to return to the Pearl River Delta and resume operations against the Japanese. He also formally designated the unit as “the Guangdong People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrillas East River Column". The guerrillas followed orders and returned westwards. When the war reached Hong Kong in 1941, the East River Column grew from a few hundred to more than 6,000 soldiers. New recruits were motivated by anger at KMT desertions in the lead-up to the battle, and often armed themselves with abandoned KMT weapons. For the next four years the East River Column mounted the only fortified resistance against the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong. They killed Chinese collaborators, protected traders in Kowloon and Guangzhou, attacked the police station at Tai Po, and bombed Kai Tak Airport. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade of the East River Column was established on February 3, 1942, at the Rosary Mission Centre, a chapel in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. Commander Choi Kwok-Leung and Political Commissar Chan Tat-Ming led a force of about 400 men armed with 30 machine guns and several hundred rifles left by defeated British forces. The guerrillas rescued around twenty to twenty-five Allied pilots who parachuted into Kowloon when their planes were shot down by the Japanese, including Sir Lindsay Ride and Sir Douglas Clague. In December 1943 the East River guerillas absorbed the HK-Kowloon Brigade into the larger unit. In 1943 the East River Column was engaged in a multi-sided war against the Japanese, the KMT's 187th Division, KMT-aligned bandits, and units of Wang Jingwei's collaborationist regime. Despite this strong opposition, by 1944 they controlled a significant amount of territory known as the Guangdong Base Area, from Huiyang in the east to Sanshui and Xinhui in the west.When Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, Zhu De ordered Commander-in-Chief Yasuji Okamura of the China Expeditionary Army to surrender to Zeng and the East River Column. This was ignored at the behest of the United States and Chiang Kai-Shek, and Japanese troops remained in position until relieved by non-Communist forces. The Nationalists failed to dislodge the 3,000 guerrillas of the East River Column with a encirclement campaign, which included the New 1st Army, New Sixth Army, Forty-fifth, Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty-fifth Armies. The Communists continued to successfully harass Nationalist units moving along the Kowloon-Canton and Chaochow-Swatow Railways. The resulting stalemate was resolved when the Americans, who was at the time were hoping to broker a peace in China via the Marshall Mission, offered to transport the East River Column to Communist-held Yantai in Shandong. After lengthy negotiations, both sides agreed, and the Column was loaded onto US Navy vessels and escorted by the USS George to Shandong. This was the only time when the US Navy transported Chinese Communist soldiers. On 1 August 1947 the East River Column was reorganized and designated as the Guangdong-Guangxi Column of Chen Yi's East China Field Army. Legacy After the war and the Chinese Communist Revolution, the East River Column became part of the revolutionary legend in Hong Kong and Guangdong. It was featured in the 1997 adventure novel Music on the Bamboo Radio by Martin Booth, and the award-winning New Wave film Our Time Will Come directed by Ann Hui. The Guangdong Memorial Hall of the East River Column was built to preserve the history of the unit, and exhibits of related artefacts feature prominently in other local museums. In 1998, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa added the names of the members of the HK-Kowloon Brigade to the memorial shrine at Hong Kong City Hall. See also New Fourth Army Eighth Route Army Notes References Bibliography Tsang, Steve (2007). A Modern History of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: I.B.Tauris Publishing. ISBN 1-84511-419-1. Chen, Daming (2000). Hong Kong's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force. Hong Kong: Universal Press. Ho, Kan-chih (1977). A History of the Modern Chinese Revolution (1919-1956) (PDF). Calcutta: Manika Barua Books and Periodicals. Retrieved 8 November 2022. Courtauld, Caroline; Holdsworth, May; Vickers, Simon (1997). The Hong Kong Story. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-590353-6. Houchins, Lee Stretton (1971). American Naval Involvement in the Chinese Civil War, 1945-149 (Thesis). American University. Retrieved 8 November 2022. Chan, Sui-jeung (2009). East River Column: Hong Kong Guerrillas in the Second World War and After. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9789622098503.
[ "Military" ]
46,857,978
George Cooke (died 1768)
George Cooke (c.1705–1768) was an English barrister and politician.
George Cooke (c.1705–1768) was an English barrister and politician. Life He was the son of Sir George Cooke, a barrister who became chief prothonotary in the Court of Common Pleas, and his wife Anne, daughter of Edward Jennings, Member of Parliament for East Looe. He entered the Inner Temple in 1717, and was called to the bar in 1728.Cooke was in practice as a barrister until his father died, in 1740. He had the life appointment as chief prothonotary, from 1732, and also inherited the family estate, Harefield in Middlesex.In 1742 Cooke entered parliament, as member for Tregony, supported by Hugh Boscawen, 2nd Viscount Falmouth. At this stage, Horace Walpole called him "a pompous Jacobite". Leaving parliament in 1747, he was returned for Middlesex in 1750. Initially a Tory, he became a follower of William Pitt the elder in the later 1750s. In the 1760s he opposed the Stamp Act 1765. He was still the member for Middlesex when he died on 5 June 1768. Family Cooke married Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Twisden, 4th Baronet, in 1735; they had seven sons. The heir was George John Cooke, who became a Lieutenant-General in the Army. == Notes ==
[ "Government" ]
26,910,035
Mount Graham red squirrel
The Mount Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti grahamensis) is an endangered subspecies of the southwestern red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti) native to the Pinaleño Mountains of Arizona. It is smaller than most other subspecies of red squirrel, and also does not have the white-fringed tail that is common to the species. Its diet consists mainly of mixed seeds, conifer cones and air-dried fungi. It exhibits similar behavior to other squirrels in its species.
The Mount Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti grahamensis) is an endangered subspecies of the southwestern red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti) native to the Pinaleño Mountains of Arizona. It is smaller than most other subspecies of red squirrel, and also does not have the white-fringed tail that is common to the species. Its diet consists mainly of mixed seeds, conifer cones and air-dried fungi. It exhibits similar behavior to other squirrels in its species. Description Physical The Mount Graham red squirrel is a generally tiny squirrel weighing on average around 8 ounces (230 g) and measuring about 8 inches (20 cm) in length. The subspecies also has a 6 inches (15 cm) tail. Unlike most other squirrels in its species, the squirrels do not have a white-fringed tail. Both females and males share similar markings and features and are typically grayish brown in color with rusty yellow or orange markings on their backside. During the winter season, the squirrels ears are tufted with fur, and during the summer a black lateral line is observed on the squirrel. The skull of the subspecies is rounded and its teeth are low-crowned. Behavior Mount Graham red squirrels behave in a manner similar to most other subspecies of American red squirrel. They are diurnal and do not hibernate during the winter months, but instead carry out activities in the mid-day sun. Mount Graham squirrels usually eat a diet of mixed seeds, conifer cones and air-dried fungi. Habitat Historically, the Mount Graham red squirrel inhabited about 11,750 acres (47.6 km2) of spruce-fir, mixed-conifer and ecotone zone habitats that were generally at higher elevations throughout the Pinaleño Mountains. Recent data shows that it occurs more frequently at the ecotone zone than the other habitats. When choosing a potential nesting site, the squirrels typically pick a cool, moist area with an abundance of food sources. Drought, forest fires, and insect infestation have been responsible for a decrease of the squirrel in the spruce-fir habitat. Conservation The Mount Graham subspecies was believed to be extinct in the 1950s, but was "rediscovered" in the 1970s. After its rediscovery, it was suggested for threatened or endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act in 1982. On May 21, 1986, the subspecies was officially recommended to become an endangered species, and on June 3, 1987, was officially listed as endangered. The Mount Graham International Observatory was controversial when it was built in the squirrel's habitat; the observatory has been required to monitor the community near the observatory to determine if its construction is having any negative effects on the population. Habitat loss is also occurring at high levels for a variety of natural and anthropogenic reasons. In 1988, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated most of this area as a refuge, and access to the area is granted only with a special permit. A lightning strike on June 7, 2017, started a wildfire that could have led to the extinction of this subspecies.In September 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to consider if the squirrel needed further protection. They were petitioned under a procedure of the Endangered Species Act by a group that contends it is necessary to remove the observatory and other private structures. References External links USFWS Page Mount Graham Red Squirrel Research Program at School of Natural Resources and the Environment at University of Arizona
[ "Life" ]
11,983,273
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (pronounced [ɛːʃʋəɾjᵊ ɾɑːj ˈbətːʃən]; née Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she later established herself as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India. Rai Bachchan has received numerous accolades for her acting and was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 2012. In the 2000s and 2010s, she was often cited in the media as "the most beautiful woman in the world". While in college, Rai did a few modelling jobs.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (pronounced [ɛːʃʋəɾjᵊ ɾɑːj ˈbətːʃən]; née Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she later established herself as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India. Rai Bachchan has received numerous accolades for her acting and was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 2012. In the 2000s and 2010s, she was often cited in the media as "the most beautiful woman in the world". While in college, Rai did a few modelling jobs. Following appearances in several television commercials, she entered the Miss India pageant, in which she placed second. She was then crowned Miss World 1994. She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar and had her first Hindi film release in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya that same year. Her first commercial success was the Tamil romantic drama Jeans (1998), which was the most expensive Indian film at the time. She achieved wider success and won two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic dramas Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). Rai garnered critical appreciation for portraying a passionate artist in Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), a seductive widow in Chokher Bali (2003), an unhappily married woman in Raincoat (2004), Kiranjit Ahluwalia in Provoked (2006), and a nurse in Bhansali's Guzaarish (2010). Her greatest commercial successes have been the romantic dramas Mohabbatein (2000) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), the adventure film Dhoom 2 (2006), the biographical drama Guru (2007), the science fiction film Enthiran (2010), and the period films Jodhaa Akbar (2008), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023). Rai married actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007; the couple have one daughter. Her off-screen roles include duties as a brand ambassador for several charity organisations and campaigns. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). In 2003, she was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. Early life Rai was born on 1 November 1973 into a Tulu-speaking Bunt Hindu family in Mangalore, Karnataka. Her father, Krishnaraj, who died on 18 March 2017, was an army biologist, while her mother, Vrinda, is a housewife. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. Rai's movie Dil Ka Rishta (2003) was co-produced by her brother and co-written by her mother. She has been fluent in Tulu, Hindi, and English since childhood. The family later moved to Mumbai due to her father's job transfer. There, Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School. Describing her desire to maintain a good academic standing, Rai said, "I've always got a first rank except for my seventh grade mid-term when I stood second. I'm not saying I was egoistic, but there was a certain level of confidence in me. When I came to the 10th grade, my seniors, my juniors, everybody thought I'd top the ICSE board exams. But I came seventh or eighth in class and that was a huge ego blow. It really hurt because I had not valued my first rank until then." She did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year, and then joined D. G. Ruparel College in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams.Rai trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens and showed interest in traditional dance forms, including Bharatanatyam. Her favourite subject was zoology, and she initially considered a career in medicine. Then, with plans to become an architect, she enrolled at Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture, but later gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling. Long before rising to prominence, Rai locally stood out due to her unique physical features and after one of her photos at college went viral, she was contacted by photographers Gautam Rajadhyaksha and Farrokh Chothia to appear in advertisements and commercials. Career Modelling work and acting breakthrough (1991–1999) In 1991, Rai won an international supermodel contest (organised by Ford) which led to her being featured in the American edition of Vogue magazine. In 1993, she gained wide public recognition for her appearance in a Pepsi commercial with actors Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. Her single line of dialogue, "Hi, I'm Sanjana," became popular. In the 1994 Miss India pageant, she won second place, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned "Miss India World", also winning five other sub-titles, "Miss Catwalk", "Miss Miraculous", "Miss Photogenic", "Miss Perfect Ten" and "Miss Popular". With Sen representing India at the Miss Universe pageant, Rai's duties as the first runner-up included representing India in the rival Miss World pageant, held that year in Sun City, South Africa. She went on to win the crown where she also won the "Miss Photogenic" award and Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty − Asia and Oceania. After winning the pageant, Rai spoke of her dream for peace in the world, and her desire to be an ambassador of peace during her one-year reign in London. Rai continued to pursue a career as a model until she became an actress. Prior to participating in the beauty pageants, she had received four offers to star in different movies, but she "decided to participate in Miss India to step back from the film industry for a bit. If I hadn't taken part in Miss India, Raja Hindustani would have been my first film."Rai made her acting debut in 1997 with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar, a semi-biographical political drama, featuring Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Tabu and Revathi. The film was a critical success and among other awards, won the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival. Rai featured as Pushpavalli and Kalpana – dual roles; the latter was a fictionalised portrayal of politician and former actress Jayalalithaa. Her dialogue in the film was dubbed by Tamil actress Rohini. In the same year, she was cast as Ashi, a naive teenager in her first Bollywood film – Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, a romantic comedy opposite Bobby Deol. Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya was a commercial failure and reviewers were critical of Rai's acting ability. However, for her role she won a Screen Award for Best Female Debut.In the 1998 big-budget Tamil romantic drama Jeans directed by S. Shankar, Rai appeared alongside Prashanth. She played Madhumita, a young woman who accompanies her ailing grandmother to the United States to seek medical attention. A commercial success, the film earned Rai praise for her acting and dancing skills. In this film, her dialogue was dubbed by Savitha Reddy. Jeans, which was the most expensive Indian film at the time, was later submitted as India's official entry to the Academy Awards for 1998, but was not nominated.Rai's first role in 1999 was in the melodrama Aa Ab Laut Chalen, directed by Rishi Kapoor. The film was a critical failure and had a below average performance at the box office. Rai's portrayal of Pooja Walia, a traditional Indian woman living in the United States, met with negative reviews; Rediff.com published, "Rai sports a plastic smile and never gets a scene where she can portray any depth. All she does is cry and smile and look pretty". Also in 1999, she starred in the romantic musical Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which became a significant turning point in her career. The film, an adaptation of Maitreyi Devi's Bengali novel Na Hanyate, was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-starred Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. She played Nandini, a Gujarati woman who is forced into wedlock (with Devgn's character) despite being in love with another man (played by Khan). Bhansali cast Rai after he met her at the screening of a film and was impressed with her eyes. Khalid Mohamed of Bombay Talkies wrote that Rai "reveals an unquestionable felicity for acting" and has "that impossible combination of breathtaking beauty and brains". Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam emerged as a commercial success and won Rai a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.Rai next took up the leading role of Mansi, an aspiring singer, in Subhash Ghai's musical romantic drama Taal; alongside Akshay Khanna and Anil Kapoor. A reviewer for Rediff.com praised her acting and dancing prowess in the film and wrote that "Taal will again enhance her reputation as an actress while in no way detracting from her image as a traffic-stopper". A domestic commercial success, Taal was notable for being the first Indian film to feature in the top 20 listing at the American box office. Rai received a second Best Actress nomination that year at the Filmfare Awards ceremony. Established actress (2000–2008) In 2000, Rai starred in Kandukondain Kandukondain, a Tamil language adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility. Directed by Rajiv Menon, the film also starred Mammooty, Tabu and Ajith Kumar in prominent roles. Rai was cast as Meenakshi (based on the character of Marianne Dashwood), the younger sister of Tabu's character. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned Rai positive comments from critics; a review carried by The Indian Express summarized, "Attacking her role with just the perfect dollop of innocence, Rai does full justice to her part, and matches up perfectly to Tabu."Rai next starred alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh in the action drama Josh. She portrayed Shirley Dias, the twin sister of Khan's character who falls in love with his arch enemy's brother (played by Singh). The casting of Rai as Khan's sister was considered an unusual pairing at the time; director Mansoor Khan, however, described it as "perfect". Despite earning mixed reviews from film critics, Josh emerged as a commercial success. Satish Kaushik's social drama Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai was Rai's next release; she played a rape victim in the film. Co-starring Anil Kapoor and Sonali Bendre, the film was well received by critics and did well at the box office. Film critic Sukanya Verma praised Rai's decision to star in the film and added that she "conveys the turmoil and pain of a rape victim well. But it is her transition from an emotional wreck trying to gather the broken pieces of her life back together that is amazing." Rai's performance in the film eventually earned her a third Best Actress nomination at Filmfare.Following a leading role in the box-office flop Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Rai took on a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's musical romantic drama Mohabbatein. Rai played Megha Shankar, the daughter of Amitabh Bachchan's character who commits suicide after realizing that her father will not accept her romance with one of his students (played by Shah Rukh Khan). Receiving highly positive reviews from critics, Mohabbatein emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year and earned Rai a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, she starred alongside Govinda and Jackie Shroff in the romantic comedy Albela. Upon release, both the film and her performance received mostly negative reviews; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama criticized the film and mentioned Rai as "plastic in some scenes". After featuring in David Dhawan's slapstick comedy film Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, Rai appeared alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romantic drama Devdas, an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. She played the role of Paro (Parvati), the love interest of the protagonist (played by Khan). The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was featured by Time in their listing of the "10 Best Films of the Millennium". Devdas emerged as a major international success with revenues of over ₹840 million (US$11 million). Alan Morrison, writing for Empire, praised the performances of the three leads and wrote, "Rai proves she has the acting talent to back up her flawless looks". Devdas was chosen as India's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received a nomination at the BAFTA Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. In India, the film won 10 Filmfare Awards, including a second Best Actress award for Rai. Also in 2002, she participated in the show From India With Love in the UK, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. It took place at two outdoor venues, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park, with over 100,000 spectators.In 2003, Rai featured in two romantic dramas — her brother's production début Dil Ka Rishta, alongside Arjun Rampal, and Rohan Sippy's Kuch Naa Kaho, alongside Abhishek Bachchan. Neither of these films fared well critically or commercially. She was later noted for her starring role in Rituparno Ghosh's independent Bengali film Chokher Bali, an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. She portrayed the character of Binodini, an emotionally manipulative widow, struggling with her sexual desires in early-20th century Bengal. The film was a major critical success and Rai earned positive notice for her performance; Derek Elley of Variety noted, "Rai dominates the film with her delicately sensual presence and physical grace". Commercially, the film was a sleeper hit.After the success of Chokher Bali, Rai returned to mainstream Hindi film with Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee (2004), an action thriller featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Tusshar Kapoor. The film tells the story of five constables embroiled in a mystery surrounding a terrorist attack; Rai's role was that of Mahalakshmi, a gun moll. While filming for Khakee, Rai was accidentally hit by a running car, which resulted in the fracture of her left foot. Upon release, the film was a moderate critical and commercial success. In her next release, the romantic comedy Kyun! Ho Gaya Na..., Rai played Diya Malhotra, a university student who develops a one-sided attraction toward her friend Arjun Khanna (played by Vivek Oberoi). The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, but was commercially unsuccessful.Rai garnered international recognition in 2004 for her starring role opposite Martin Henderson in Gurinder Chadha's British film Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood-style adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. International film critics expressed mixed views on Rai's performance as the Punjabi version of Elizabeth Bennet; a review carried by The New York Times mentioned her as "radiantly beautiful but inert", while Rolling Stone noted that "she is a world-class hottie with talent to match, as she proves in her first English-speaking role." With a worldwide gross of $24 million against a production budget of $7 million, Bride and Prejudice proved to be a commercial success. Rai next collaborated with director Rituparno Ghosh for the second time on the 2004 relationship drama Raincoat, an adaptation of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Critics praised the film and also noted the lack of glamour in Rai's role, which earned her a Best Actress nomination at Filmfare. Derek Elley of Variety called the film a "chamber-sized gem" and mentioned Rai for "[s]hunning her usual immaculate makeup and duds, and looking more like a broken, malfunctioning doll." On the contrary, Gautaman Bhaskaran of The Hindu thought that Rai "looks quite plain [and] seems to have made an earnest effort to emote, using less of her body and limbs and more of her face, and eyes in particular." Rai next co-starred alongside Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan in the 2005 adult drama Shabd, which tells the story of an author who convinces his wife to pursue an illicit relationship with a younger man in research for his next book. The film received predominantly negative reviews and proved to be a commercial failure. The Times of India concluded, "For the umpteenth time, Ms. Rai looks drop-dead gorgeous. And that's about it. She is like that picture postcard you get when what you were actually waiting for is a letter. It's very beautiful to look at, but is of no use because it says nothing." In the same year, Rai took on the lead role of Tilo in Paul Mayeda Berges's romantic fantasy film The Mistress of Spices, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. The film received negative reviews from film critics, and emerged as a commercial failure. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian termed Rai's performance as "annoying" and wrote that she "wafts and simpers" through the entire film. Rai's only successful venture of 2005 was a special appearance in Shaad Ali's crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli, in which she featured in the widely popular item number "Kajra Re".Rai had two film releases in 2006, J. P. Dutta's Umrao Jaan and Yash Raj Films' Dhoom 2. The former, an adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa's Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada (1905), tells the story of a doomed courtesan from 19th-century Lucknow. Rai played the titular role, a character famously played by Rekha in the first film adaptation of the novel. Reviewers, while comparing the film to its previous adaptation, were critical of the film as well as of Rai's performance. BBC noted, "While only Rai could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn't quite capture the intensity of Umrao's abiding melancholy", adding that "Rai's incandescent beauty and artistry [..] does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged." In the Sanjay Gadhvi-directed adventure film Dhoom 2, Rai portrayed Sunehri, a petty thief who helps the police catch an illusive criminal; the film had an ensemble cast including Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Uday Chopra. Despite receiving mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, Dhoom 2 was Rai's first major commercial success since Devdas; the film was declared a blockbuster, and became the highest grossing Indian film of 2006 with gross revenues of over ₹1.11 billion (US$14 million). Rediff.com commented, "[She] is all gloss and no depth. You seldom feel any tension in her behaviour and expressions. [..] Sunehri enters the film nearly 50 minutes after its opening in a disguise. In no time, she is wearing the flimsiest of clothes. Once she opens her mouth—and she does it two minutes after appearing in the film—she spoils the image." Nonetheless, her performance earned her a sixth Filmfare Award nomination in the Best Actress category.In 2007, Rai played the wife of Abhishek Bachchan's character in Mani Ratnam's social drama Guru. A fictionalized biography of businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, Guru tells the rag to riches story of an uneducated man who builds a multinational corporation. The film met with international critical acclaim and emerged as a box-office success. Richard Corliss of Time labelled her character as an "ornament", but Raja Sen from Rediff.com described it as "arguably her finest performance, visible especially when she takes over the film's climax." Rai received her seventh Best Actress nomination at Filmfare for her performance in the film. Rai next starred alongside Naveen Andrews and Miranda Richardson in Jag Mundhra's independent British drama Provoked, as the real-life character of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a non-resident Indian who murders her husband after suffering years of domestic abuse. Rai earned mostly positive comments for her performance. Critic Indu Mirani from DNA wrote, "Aishwarya Rai plays the battered wife in what is undoubtedly one of her best performances to date. Rai convincingly goes through the various stages of shock, bewilderment, remorse and finally vindication". Internationally well-received, the film emerged as a moderate commercial success in the United Kingdom. That same year, Rai Bachchan starred alongside Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth and Thomas Sangster as the Indian warrior Mira in Doug Lefler's epic film The Last Legion.After a series of films that under-performed either critically or commercially, Rai Bachchan garnered both critical and box-office success with Ashutosh Gowariker's period romantic drama Jodhaa Akbar (2008). The film narrates a partly fictionalized account of a marriage of convenience between the Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (played by Hrithik Roshan) and the Rajput princess Jodha Bai (played by Rai). Rajeev Masand noted, "Rai is wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much, making this one of her finest outings on screen." The film had gross earnings of ₹1.12 billion (US$14 million) and fetched Rai Bachchan a Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards ceremony. She then co-starred with her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, and her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, in Ram Gopal Verma's political drama Sarkar Raj, a sequel to the 2005 box-office hit Sarkar. Rai Bachchan was cast as Anita Rajan, the CEO of an international power firm who proposes to set up a plant in rural Maharashtra. The film was a critical and commercial success, with praise directed to the performances of the three leads. Career fluctuations and sabbatical (2009–2016) Rai Bachchan's next role was in the 2009 Harald Zwart-directed spy comedy The Pink Panther 2. Starring alongside Steve Martin, Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer, Rai Bachchan portrayed the role of Sonia Solandres, a seductive criminology expert. Like its predecessor, the sequel received negative reviews from critics, but did a moderate business of $34 million at the American box office. Roger Ebert wrote, "Rai is breathtaking in Bollywood films, where they devote a great deal of expertise to admiring beauty, but here she's underutilized and too much in the background"; USA Today mentioned her expressions as "wooden" and added, "She looks gorgeous, but her expression rarely changes". In 2010, Rai Bachchan was cast by Mani Ratnam in his Tamil film, which is also a bilingual modern-day adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Her role was that of Ragini (modeled on Sita, the heroine of Ramayana), a woman married to the superintendent of police, who is kidnapped by a bandit. The Tamil version (Raavanan) and the Hindi version (Raavan) of the film were shot simultaneously and Rai Bachchan played the same role in both the film versions. She made a comeback to Tamil cinema after a gap of 10 years with Raavanan. The Tamil version Raavanan was a huge commercial success, whereas the Hindi version Raavan was a commercial failure. The films received polarized reviews from film critics, as did Rai Bachchan's performance. Kaveree Bamzai of India Today wrote, "Rai's Sita is one of the best things in the film ... her performance is heartfelt—this is a performer who is at ease playing women, rather than girls." However, film critics Aniruddha Guha and Rajeev Masand criticized her character and noted, "She's left to scream and shriek and hiss." Rai Bachchan's next role was opposite Rajinikanth in the science fiction Tamil film Enthiran (2010), directed by S. Shankar. She was cast as Sana, a college student and the girlfriend of Rajinikanth's character. At the time of release, Enthiran was the most expensive Indian film production and eventually emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. She then appeared as Mala, an impetuous brat, in Vipul Shah's Action Replayy; a science fiction comedy co-starring Akshay Kumar, Aditya Roy Kapur and Neha Dhupia.Rai Bachchan's final film of 2010 was the drama Guzaarish; her third collaboration with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Hrithik Roshan. The film tells the story of Ethan Mascarenas, a former magician (played by Roshan) with quadriplegia, who after years of struggle, files an appeal for euthanasia. Rai Bachchan's role was that of Sophia D'Souza, Mascarenas' nurse, who is abused by her alcoholic husband. Due to her and Bhansali's prior associations, Rai Bachchan agreed to the project before reading its script. Despite flopping at the box office, Guzaarish met with positive critical reviews. The Telegraph described it to be "one of Rai's best performances" and The Times of India summarized, "Rai is a stunning picture of fire and grace, walking away with certain scenes by her sheer vitality." In 2011, Rai Bachchan was cast as the protagonist of Madhur Bhandarkar's social drama Heroine; however, due to her pregnancy, Rai Bachchan was replaced by actress Kareena Kapoor, the original choice for the role.After a five-year sabbatical from film acting, Rai Bachchan made a comeback with Sanjay Gupta's drama-thriller Jazbaa, co-starring Shabana Azmi and Irrfan Khan. She also served as producer. A remake of the Korean thriller Seven Days (2007), the film saw Rai Bachchan play the role of Anuradha Verma, a criminal lawyer who is forced to defend a rapist in exchange for her daughter's safety. Shubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-Day criticized the film's unnecessary and intrusive melodrama and thought that Rai Bachchan "looks the part and even does a fairly decent job, barring certain emotional scenes where she clearly goes over the top". The film underperformed at the box office. In 2016, Rai Bachchan starred in Omung Kumar's biographical drama Sarbjit. The film is based on the life of Indian farmer Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted of terrorism by a Pakistani court, and how his sister Dalbir Kaur fought relentlessly for his release. Rai Bachchan played the role of the sister of Sarabjit Singh (played by Randeep Hooda). The film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. Few reviewers expressed that Rai Bachchan was "miscast" as she neither looked nor sounded like a Sikh woman. Her Punjabi accent and her over-the-top performance in few scenes were largely criticized, though several critics took note of how much she stood out in the film's quieter scenes. Rajeev Masand summarized that "she's required to scream and shout and weep copiously to express her anguish; the shrillness does her no favors. In quieter moments – like one in which Dalbir can't bear to part with her stillborn baby – the actress shines." Nonetheless, her role earned her tenth Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. The film earned over ₹440 million (US$5.5 million) worldwide against a production budget of ₹150 million (US$1.9 million). Success with intermittent work (2016–present) Rai Bachchan's final release of 2016 was Karan Johar's musical romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, alongside Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor, in which she played the role of a poet named Saba. Rai Bachchan received positive reviews for her performance, despite having limited screen time. Joe Leydon of Variety considered her to be the film's prime asset and wrote that she "seems to have wandered in from another movie, one where emotions are conveyed in subtler and more affecting fashion. When she takes her leave from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, you may wish you could go with her." The film emerged as one of her biggest commercial successes with revenues of over ₹2 billion (US$25 million). Two years later, Rai Bachchan played the part of a singer who is kidnapped by a troubled father in the unremarkable comedy-drama Fanney Khan (2018). An adaptation of the Belgian film Everybody's Famous! (2000), the film co-starred Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao. Uday Bhatia of Mint disliked the film and found Rai Bachchan "too unruffled a screen presence to convincingly sell the kind of silliness this film requires".Rai Bachchan reunited with Mani Ratnam for Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023), a two-part Tamil ensemble period film based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's epic novel of the same name. Both parts were filmed concurrently. She played Nandini, a scheming Chola queen. Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times found Rai Bachchan's performance in the first part to be the best among the ensemble cast and in the second part to be the best of her career, while Sonil Dedhia of News 18 added that she is "wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much". Ponniyin Selvan: I earned ₹5 billion (US$63 million) worldwide to emerge as one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time, while Ponniyin Selvan: II has grossed over ₹3 billion (US$38 million) worldwide. Off-screen work In 1999 Rai participated in a world tour called the Magnificent Five, along with Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Akshaye Khanna and Twinkle Khanna. In 2001, she appeared in her first world tour, which was Craze 2001, a series of concerts that was performed across the US alongside Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta and Gracy Singh. The show faced early cancellation due to the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the team prepared to return to India as soon as possible. However, the shows continued successfully in Canada. Rai is the brand ambassador for the Eye Bank Association of India's nationwide campaign to promote eye donation in India. In November 2004, Rai created the Aishwarya Rai Foundation to help needy people in India. In 2005, she became a brand ambassador for Pulse Polio, a campaign established by the Government of India in 1994 to eradicate polio in India. In the same year, Rai was appointed spokesperson for the International Year of Microcredit, raising awareness of the main goals and priorities of the United Nations' poverty alleviation efforts. In February 2005 Rai performed with other Bollywood stars at the HELP! Telethon Concert, an event to raise money for the victims of the 2004 tsunami earthquake. Along with other members of the Bachchan family, she laid the foundation of a special school for underprivileged girls in Daulatpur village in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. Construction was funded by the Bachchan family. Between July and August 2008, Rai Bachchan, her husband Abhishek Bachchan, her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, and actors Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh and Madhuri Dixit starred in the "Unforgettable World Tour" stage production. The tour covered the US, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, and Trinidad and Tobago. Rai Bachchan is also involved in the functional and administrative operations of her father-in-law's company, originally known as ABCL. That company, along with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., developed the Unforgettable Production. She appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The performance showcased Indian culture as a lead-up to India hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games.Rai Bachchan supports PETA India. In 2009 she was appointed as the first Goodwill Ambassador of Smile Train, an international charity that provides free Cleft lip and palate surgery to children in need. Her work with Smile Train focused not only on India, but on 76 different developing countries around the world. In September 2012, Rai Bachchan joined the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Hollywood actor Michael Douglas at a ceremony to commemorate the International Day of Peace in New York. Later that week, she was appointed as the new international Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, the joint United Nations programme on AIDS and HIV. She was tasked with raising global awareness on protecting children from HIV infection and increasing access to antiretroviral treatment.In 2016, Rai Bachchan was among the people named in the Panama Papers. She, her parents, and her brother were listed as directors of an offshore entity named Amic Partners Limited in British Virgin Islands between 2005 and 2008. In December 2021, she was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate and denied any knowledge of the company and stated that it was her father who was in charge of her financial matters. In 2019, Rai Bachchan and her mother invested ₹10 million (US$130,000) in the environmental startup Ambee, which measures air quality and other parameters using data. In 2021, Kalaari Capital-backed nutrition-based healthcare company Possible secured ₹50 million (US$630,000) from Rai Bachchan in a major funding round. Endorsements Rai made her first commercial for Camlin exam pencils when she was in the ninth grade. She became popular after appearing in a Pepsi commercial with actor Aamir Khan. She is the only actress who endorsed both Pepsi and Coca-Cola. She is one of the top brand ambassadors in the country and is one of the top paid Bollywood actresses in this respect. In 1999, she was appointed as Longines Ambassador of Elegance. In 2003, she became a global brand ambassador of L'Oréal, alongside Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria and Penélope Cruz. She modelled for Longines, L'Oréal, Titan Watches, Coca-Cola, Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pager, Philips, Palmolive, Lux, Fuji films, Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery, and Kalyan Jewellers. She was named the official brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds in India. In 2012, Rai Bachchan was ranked the 2nd most popular watch brand ambassador worldwide in a survey, conducted by World Watch Report. In 2013 she and her husband Abhishek Bachchan were roped in as the brand ambassadors by the TTK Group. In 2023, CNBC TV18 reported that she earned between ₹60 million (US$750,000) and ₹70 million (US$880,000) for brand endorsements per day. Personal life In 1999, Rai began dating Bollywood actor Salman Khan; their relationship was often reported in the media until the couple separated in 2002. Rai cited "abuse (verbal, physical and emotional), infidelity and indignity" on the part of Khan as reasons for ending the relationship. She then had a romantic relationship with actor Vivek Oberoi before they broke-up in 2005. Actor Abhishek Bachchan fell in love with Rai whilst filming Dhoom 2. Their engagement was announced on 14 January 2007 and later confirmed by his father, Amitabh Bachchan. The couple married on 20 April 2007 according to traditional Hindu rites of the Bunt community, to which she belongs. North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence, "Prateeksha", in Juhu, Mumbai. They have been described in the Indian media as a supercouple. Rai Bachchan is very close to her family, and lived with them in Bandra, Mumbai, until her marriage. She is Hindu and deeply religious.Rai Bachchan was accompanied by her husband to the Cannes Film festival shortly after their marriage, and later to The Oprah Winfrey Show, where they appeared together on 28 September 2009. She is the first Indian celebrity who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show twice. She attended the 83rd Academy Awards along with her husband.Rai Bachchan gave birth to a girl, on 16 November 2011. On 12 July 2020, she and her daughter were reported to have tested positive for COVID-19. On 17 July, they were reported to have been hospitalized. They recovered and were discharged from the hospital on 27 July 2020. Impact and reception Artistry and media image Rai Bachchan is among India's most popular and highest-paid actors. She is commonly referred to by fans and the media by the nicknames "Ash" and "Aish", but has stated that she dislikes being called as such. She has discouraged people from referring to her by names other than "Aishwarya" as she does not want to "spoil [her] good name". At the beginning of her career, she was labeled "a cold fish" and "a non-actress" by certain segments of the press and she was criticized when some of her movies did not perform well at the box office. Despite receiving multiple offers to star in movies, Rai was hesitant to accept any roles without further evaluation, saying that "I'd rather look before I leap." In an attempt to balance motherhood and work, she limited the number of her projects in the years after giving birth. In 2023, Anjali Belgaumkar of The Indian Express noted that despite appearing in around 10 films in a decade, she still appealed to the younger generation as her impact was not limited to her on screen roles or fashion choices but there was also an element of "divaness" that made her popular. Hrithik Roshan, who co-starred with Rai Bachchan in three movies, commended her for her solid work ethic: "Her level of patience is inspiring. If she has to sit like Jodhaa all day, she will. If she has to stand all day dressed like Sophiya, so that the dress doesn't crease, she will." Despite constant media speculation, she keeps her personal life well-guarded and limits her activities on social media. Off screen and in the press, Rai Bachchan is known for her sensitive and caring nature and she is reportedly driven by her instincts. In an interview, she stated that she was "like water, I just naturally, easily fit and adjust to any situation. That's always been my mind space and my temperament."In 2001, Forbes named her among the top five Indian movie stars. She was placed in Rediff.com's annual listing of "Best Bollywood Actresses" for six consecutive years (2003–2008). She was also placed in Rediff.com's other listing - "Powerlist: Top Bollywood Actresses", "Bollywood's Best Actresses of all time", "Top 10 Actresses of 2000–2010", "Best Dressed Woman", and "The 10 Most Popular Stars of 2022". Filmfare further placed her in their "Top Ten Actresses" list in 2003 and 2004, and she ranked eighth in their Power List in 2007. In 2004, she was chosen by Time as one of the world's most influential people, and appeared on the cover of its 2003 Asia edition. She appeared on such shows as Late Show with David Letterman, and was the first Bollywood personality to appear on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. For two consecutive years, Rai was listed among India Today's list of 50 most powerful people in India (2004 and 2005). In 2008 and 2011, she was selected by Verve magazine in its list of the country's most powerful women. In 2009, Forbes listed Rai Bachchan at 387th out of 1,411 actors on their list of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. She is the highest-ranked Indian actor on the list. In a poll conducted by the newspaper Daily News and Analysis in 2009, she was voted as one of India's most popular icons. In the same year, she made appearances on Martha Stewart's show Martha and on The Tyra Banks Show. She featured in Box Office India's "Top Bollywood Actresses" list for ten years, ranked first on its top actresses listing for the years 2000 until 2009, and ranked second in its "All Time Top Actress" list. She was placed in Outlook India's 75 Best Bollywood Actresses list. From 2012 to 2015 and again in 2018, Rai Bachchan was placed on Forbes India's Celebrity 100—a list based on the income and popularity of Indian celebrities—peaking at 34th position in 2015 with an annual income of ₹480 million (US$6.0 million). The market research firm YouGov named Rai Bachchan the world's eleventh most admired person of 2018. Appearance In the 2000s and 2010s, Rai was often cited in the media as "the most beautiful woman in the world". Her physical appearance and performances have made her a style icon for women. As her most distinctive physical features, Rai Bachchan's green-blue eyes, luscious lips, curves and feminine mannerisms have been cited by the media as her trademark. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who directed Rai Bachchan in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Devdas (2002), and Guzaarish (2010), commented on her ability to express different emotions through her eyes: "There's something in her eyes. That's the most important aspect of her beauty. They are not 'normal'. They are so powerful that even if you don't give her dialogue, they emote." He also praised her ability to perform musical numbers despite physical injuries or pain.In a reader poll conducted by UK's Hello! magazine, she was voted "the most attractive woman of 2003". In the same year, Rai appeared in Rolling Stone magazine's annual "Hot List". Rediff.com placed her 1st in their "Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses" list. In 2005, she was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on 2 January, which said that "at least according to thousands of Web sites, Internet polls and even Julia Roberts", she was "the world's most beautiful woman". The British magazine Maxim ranked Rai first on their list of "Hottest Women of India". In 2005 Harpers and Queen's list of "Most Beautiful Women in The World" ranked her ninth. In May 2006, Rai was featured in People magazine as one of the "World's Most Beautiful People". The UK magazine Eastern Eye ranked her third in the list of "Asia's Sexiest Women" in 2006, and she was ranked among the top ten in 2007 and 2009. She appeared again on the list in the following years and, in 2019, was chosen as one of the sexiest Asian women of the decade. In 2008, American television channel E!: Entertainment listed Rai Bachchan's eyes as the sexiest on their Sexiest Body Parts list.She ranked 2nd in The Times of India's 50 most desirable women of 2010, and ranked 9th in 2011. They also placed her 5th in their "50 Beautiful Faces" list, and named her as one of the "Forever Desirable Women". In 2011, India Today noted that there were over 17,000 websites dedicated to her. In the same year, she received a lot of negative publicity for failing to lose her post-pregnancy weight as is apparently "required" of a public figure. Despite the criticism, she walked the red carpet at the "AmfAR Cinema Against Aids" gala in 2012 Cannes Film Festival for the 11th time. Later that year, Rai Bachchan made it to the issue of New York magazine's list of "Forty Women That Women Find Beautiful", where she grabbed the 21st position in the list, with New York magazine saying "She may be the "world's most beautiful woman," but what we really love is that she never feels fragile onscreen".In October 2004 a wax figure of Rai was put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum. She was the sixth Indian and the second Bollywood personality—after her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan—to get this honour. In 2007, the same figure was displayed at Madame Tussaud's Museum in Times Square in New York. In 2005, a tulip in the Netherlands was named "Aishwarya Rai" after her. Also in 2005, Mattel released a limited edition of Barbie dolls of Rai in the United Kingdom. Awards and recognition Rai received two Filmfare Awards awards for Best Actress for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). She was appointed the member of the jury of the 2003 Cannes Film Festival and was the first Indian actress to represent her country as a jury member in the festival.Rai Bachchan received a Padma Shri in 2009 for her contribution to Indian cinema. In 2012, she accepted the second-highest Order of France, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Earlier, she had refused it as her father was suffering from a serious illness, and she wanted her whole family to attend the award ceremony. References Further reading External links Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at IMDb Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Bollywood Hungama Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Rotten Tomatoes Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Instagram
[ "Sports" ]
38,867,700
Seeker Aviation Australia
Seeker Aviation Australia Pty Limited is an intelligence, surveillance and observation (ISR) aircraft manufacturer that was previously based in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.
Seeker Aviation Australia Pty Limited is an intelligence, surveillance and observation (ISR) aircraft manufacturer that was previously based in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. History Founded in 1983, Seabird Ultralight Aircraft began as a manufacturer of ultralight aircraft. In 1986, Seabird Ultralight Aircraft changed its name to Seabird Aviation Australia Pty Ltd, and created their own products, the prototype Seabird SB5 Sentinel and certified Seabird SB7 Seeker aircraft, the forerunner of the current Seabird Seeker aircraft.In 2014, Seabird Aviation Australia was acquired by Seeker Aircraft, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of a USA based aviation company CSI Aviation. In 2018, Seabird Aviation Australia changed its name to Seeker Aviation Australia Pty Ltd. In October 2019 Seeker Aviation Australia moved its operations from Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia to Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Seabird Aviation Jordan L.L.C Seabird Aviation Jordan L.L.C, now defunct, was Seabird's licensee in Jordan, responsible for manufacturing and marketing Seabird Seeker aircraft in the Middle East and Africa. References External links Official website
[ "Science" ]
49,045,369
Patrick Brent
Patrick Timothy Brent is an American businessman who was born and raised in Chicago. After his business and entrepreneurial years, Mr. Brent became well known for his journalism and published works such as the stories he reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa while embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Patrick Timothy Brent is an American businessman who was born and raised in Chicago. After his business and entrepreneurial years, Mr. Brent became well known for his journalism and published works such as the stories he reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa while embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps. Early life Family Brent's father, Charles Monahan (born in County Donegal, Ireland) left his family when Brent was one year old. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother Laura Mable Todd. Patrick Monahan became Patrick Timothy Brent at the age of fourteen when adopted by his stepfather, a Marine veteran named Robert S. Brent. Brent has one daughter, Laura Elizabeth Walker born June 30, 1987, who is married to Marine veteran Benjamin Walker. Brent also mentored his nephew, now a career marine, Thomas Prentice, born October 12, 1969. Education Born in Chicago, Illinois, Brent is the product of the Catholic educational system. These years included St. Patrick's High School; Loyola University Chicago; two years of Catholic seminary (where he suffered expulsion), and computer studies at Notre Dame (non graduate). Military Brent served as an infantry marine in the Second Battalion, Twenty Fourth Marines, Fourth Marine Division. Journalism P.T. Brent has written approximately 150 stories for United Press International (UPI), Honolulu Star Bulletin and Leatherneck (the national magazine of the Marine Corps). His journalism career began in 2003 when he was assigned as an embedded reporter with Marines in Kuwait and Iraq. He made a total of three trips as an embedded journalist sending breaking news and home town stories about our armed forces, primarily with infantry Marines in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti Africa.Many stories were published under the pseudonym Tim Monaghan as is his book of sea stories entitled "29." Business career During college years in Chicago, Mr. Brent worked the night shift at several prominent hotels as an auditor and became familiar with NCR accounting machines and computers. Mr. Brent was initially hired by NCR as a programmer for accounting machines and computers (hotel and hospital systems). Three years later Brent moved to University Company in Chicago; where he received a series of promotions leading to regional manager and was based in Houston. Five years hence Mr. Brent relocated to San Francisco, where he founded the first of several computer service companies. In four short years, Western Twenty-nine, Inc. grew into a profitable operation with revenues exceeding 28 million dollars, and serving customers in over thirty states, Canada and Europe. The company pioneered data communications between nine major airlines and designed the first reservation and accounting system for travel agents. A few years later a division of the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation acquired the company. Subsequently, Brent became president of CRS, Inc. (the computer subsidiary of the Charles Schwab & Company) undertaking its reorganization and sale. CRS was sold to National Data Corporation at which time Mr. Brent founded and became CEO and chairman of Hamilton Taft & Company. Hamilton Taft & Company originated computer services for payroll tax reporting and processing trust funds exceeding four billion dollars annually throughout the United States. The company had over five hundred major corporations as clients, and had assets worth approximately eighty million dollars. It was acquired by CIGNA in 1984. Subsequently, Brent founded the Laura Todd Cookie Company, which is fondly named, after his grandmother. In 1987 he sold the majority of stock to the San Francisco Sourdough Company. Laura Todd has one location in Chicago, four in California, and eleven in Europe.From 1985 to 1999 Mr. Brent created both Baldwin Forrester Company (San Francisco) an Information System Consultant Firm and Bradford Adams & company (Palo Alto) a Digital Publishing Firm.In 1989 Brent spearheaded a dramatic "turnaround" as CEO of Windjammer Cruises in Hawaii. From 1992 to 1994 he reorganized and then sold the assets of Stellar Net, Inc. to Envoy Corporation. Later, with partner James Patrick Sharp, Mr. Brent became the co-founder of Sharp 29, Inc in Honolulu, Hawaii. From 2004 to 2007, Brent created and operated Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Currently, Brent is a partner in Donegal Group Hawaii including the Hotel Aqua Marina in Waikiki. Acting Brent's acting debut in the movie Go for Broke premiered in the 2017 Hawaii International Film Festival. Brent played Captain George Brackett in the musical South Pacific in 2017. Other activities Brent has been a director in the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Marine Corps University foundation. Has served for 15 years as a trustee of the summer camp for teenagers at Camp Pendleton, California, known as Devil Pups of America. He founded and sponsored the Annual Irish Sprint in San Francisco and Hawaii since 1979. Effective March 2010, this race is operated by the Marine Corps Marathon in Virginia. An avid runner, he has successfully completed sixteen marathons, including two in Boston, two in Honolulu, and two Marine Corps marathons. He swims competitively, plays tennis and polo. As one of the founders of Eldorado, Honolulu, and San Diego Polo Clubs Brent played for 29 years and was elected as governor of the western polo circuit for eight years. Brent was an American ambassador of the International Polo Federation (FIP) in 1982. Created the first movie on Polo Fundamentals as well as published POLO Gazette. Further reading Above & Beyond Marines conquer the civilian world by Turner Publishing Company ISBN 1-56311-949-8 Turner Publishing Library of congress 2003115111 https://books.google.com/books?id=5u_aq5S1xskC&source=gbs_similarbooks Unleash Your Power – Your strength – Bob / contributor P. T. Brent Trafford Publishing Quote "We Marines consider P.T. Brent to be our very own Ernie Pyle" Lt General Chip Gregson, USMC on 60th anniversary of Iwo Jima References External links Midweek Hawaii "Uncivil War at Pearl Harbor" Leatherneck Magazine "The Kingdom of Denmark Marines Jump at Chance to Serve in the Shadow of Viking" Leatherneck Magazine The Tower of Babel Versus Modern Warfare-Defence Language Institute" Hawaii Reporter Iwo Jima 60th anniversary Honolulu Star Bulletin Iwo Jima Honolulu Star Bulletin "The War in Iraq" Honolulu Star Bulletin "US Marines bring hope to a poor African nation" Honolulu Star Bulletin "In the kill zone, a 'pop' and a spurt of blood" Honolulu Star Bulletin "One man's dispatches from northern Iraq" Honolulul Star Bulletin "Notre Dame fantasy camp is a dream fulfilled" Honolulu Star Bulletin "From Kaneohe to the Mideast" Honolulu Star Bulletin "New tent at Arizona is offensive to some" Midweek Magazine "Uncivil War At Pearl Harbor" Honolulu Advertiser "Navy's $84M development deal is changing the face of Pearl Harbor" Honolulu Star Bulletin "Send in the doggone Marines" Marine Corps Association Marine Heritage Foundation Founder Donegal Group Hawaii http://www.devilpups.com http://hawaiifilmindustry.com/profile/PatrickBrent Pronounce the "R" in Leujeune Hawaii Military Affairs Council IMDb Polo College
[ "Economy" ]
5,683,120
Classic of Filial Piety
The Classic of Filial Piety, also known by its Chinese name as the Xiaojing, is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety: that is, how to behave towards a senior such as a father, an elder brother, or a ruler. The text was most likely written during the late Warring States period and early Han dynasty and claims to be a conversation between Confucius and his student Zengzi. The text was widely used during the Han and later dynasties to teach young children basic moral messages as they learned to read.
The Classic of Filial Piety, also known by its Chinese name as the Xiaojing, is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety: that is, how to behave towards a senior such as a father, an elder brother, or a ruler. The text was most likely written during the late Warring States period and early Han dynasty and claims to be a conversation between Confucius and his student Zengzi. The text was widely used during the Han and later dynasties to teach young children basic moral messages as they learned to read. Authorship The text dates from the 4th century BC to 3rd century BC. It is not known who actually wrote the document. It is attributed to a conversation between Confucius and his disciple Zengzi. A 12th-century author named He Yin claimed: "The Classic of Filial Piety was not made by Zengzi himself. When he retired from his conversation (or conversations) with Kung-ne on the subject of Filial Piety, he repeated to the disciples of his own school what (the master) had said, and they classified the sayings, and formed the treatise." Content As the title suggests, the text elaborates on filial piety, which is a core Confucian value. The text argues that people who love and serve their parents will do the same for their rulers, leading to a harmonious society. For example, 資於事父以事母,而愛同;資於事父以事君,而敬同。 As they serve their fathers, so they serve their mothers, and they love them equally. As they serve their fathers, so they serve their rulers, and they reverence them equally. Influence The Classic of Filial Piety occupied an important position in classical education as one of the most popular foundational texts through to late imperial China. The text was used in elementary and moral education together with the Analects, Elementary Learning, and the Biographies of Exemplary Women. Study of the text was also mentioned in epitaphs as an indication of a person's good character. It was a practice to read aloud the text when mourning one's parents. The text was also important politically, partly because filial piety was both a means of demonstrating moral virtue and entering officialdom for those with family connections to the imperial court. The text was important in Neo-Confucianism and was quoted by the influential Song figure and Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi. Translations Many Japanese translations of the Xiaojing exist. The following are the primary Western language translations. Legge, James (1879). The Hsiâo King, in Sacred Books of the East, vol. III. Oxford University Press. (in French) de Rosny, Leon (1889). Le Hiao-king. Paris: Maisonneuve et Ch. Leclerc. Republished (1893) as Le morale de Confucius: le livre sacré de la piété filiale. Paris: J. Maisonneuve. Chen, Ivan (1908). The Book of Filial Duty. London: J. Murray; New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. (in German) Wilhelm, Richard (1940). Hiau Ging: das Buch der Ehrfurcht. Peking: Verlag der Pekinger Pappelinsel. Makra, Mary Lelia (1961). The Hsiao Ching, Sih, Paul K. T., ed. New York: St. John's University Press. Goldin, Paul R. (2005). "Filial Piety" in Hawaii Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture, Victor H. Mair et al., eds. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 106-12. Rosemont, Henry, Jr.; Ames, Roger T. (2009). The Chinese Classic of Family Reverence: A Philosophical Translation of the Xiaojing. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. See also Family as a model for the state Role ethics Ma Rong (79-166) and the Classic of Loyalty. References Citations Works cited External links Xiaojing Xiao Jing (Full text in Chinese with English translation) Xiao Jing (Full text in Chinese with Explanatory Commentary) The Classic of Filial Piety 《孝經》 (Full text in Chinese and English with matching vocabulary)
[ "Philosophy" ]
666,828
Amiga World
Amiga World was a magazine dedicated to the Amiga computer platform. It was a prominent Amiga magazine, particularly in the United States, and was published by Massachusetts-based IDG Publishing from 1985 until April 1995. The first several issues were distributed before the computer was available for sale to the public. Issue 3, (Vol 2 No 1, January 1986) featured the artist Andy Warhol. The headquarters of the magazine later moved to Peterborough, New Hampshire.
Amiga World was a magazine dedicated to the Amiga computer platform. It was a prominent Amiga magazine, particularly in the United States, and was published by Massachusetts-based IDG Publishing from 1985 until April 1995. The first several issues were distributed before the computer was available for sale to the public. Issue 3, (Vol 2 No 1, January 1986) featured the artist Andy Warhol. The headquarters of the magazine later moved to Peterborough, New Hampshire. See also RUN, the parent magazine from which Amiga World was spun off. Amiga Survivor References External links Amiga World Animation Video Vol. 1 from 1990 on youtube.com
[ "Technology" ]
21,364,212
Snehansu Kanta Acharya
Snehangshu Kanta Acharya, Bar at Law (1 September 1913 – 27 August 1986) was an Advocate General of West Bengal, India and a political leader.
Snehangshu Kanta Acharya, Bar at Law (1 September 1913 – 27 August 1986) was an Advocate General of West Bengal, India and a political leader. Background and education He was the son of the Sashi Kanta Acharya Chaudhuri, a former Maharaja of Mymensingh, a premier zamindar in Bengal. The Maharajas of Mymensingh were the wealthiest and senior most zamindars of the district of Mymensingh and ranked high in the order of precedence in the Government House in Calcutta. Mymensingh was the predecessor estate of most other zamindaris of the district. He studied at Scottish Church College, and later at the University of Calcutta. He was called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Grey's Inn in London. Family His wife, Supriya Acharya (Mukhopadhyaya), daughter of Bengali writer Sourindra Mohan Mukhopadhyaya was also an active member of Communist Party of India (Marxist). His son, Sourangshu Kanta Acharya, is a doctor and his daughter, Bijoya Goswami, is a Sanskrit scholar. Famous singer Suchitra Mitra was his sister-in law. Political career He was a member of the Indian Students Group Movement, during the freedom struggle. This movement was formed in support of Socialist (Marxist) ideology, to protest against colonial rule of India and to counteract fascism. He worked as rescue volunteer in the time of 1946 riot in Kolkata before joining the Communist Party of India. He was closely associated with the former chief minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu. He had received the First Order of Merit of Syria in 1957 and had led several delegations to Europe, Asia and Africa. Acharya served as the Advocate General of West Bengal in two terms from 1969 to 1970 and 1977 to 1986. Memoirs A law college, Snahanshu Kanta Acharya Institute of Law (SKAIL) was established in his name under University of Kalyani. It is situated in the university campus. See also Major Zamindars of Mymensingh References External links Article about secret meetings at Acharya's house Report on Third General Election, 1962. Page 158 "Jail Diary"[usurped]
[ "Government" ]
45,446,618
UL-Jih
UL-Jih sro, also known as UL-Jih Sedláček Spol s.r.o. and Sedláček UL-JIH, is a Czech aircraft manufacturer based in Kaplice, founded by Jaroslav Sedláček in 1990. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft in the European Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category.The company is a Společnost s ručením omezeným, a Czech private limited company.While UL-Jih designs and builds aircraft, they are marketed by an affiliated company Fascination A.S., which is headed by Dušan Novotný and located in Brno, Czech Republic. UL-Jih head Jaroslav Sedláček is listed as head of production for Fascination A.S.
UL-Jih sro, also known as UL-Jih Sedláček Spol s.r.o. and Sedláček UL-JIH, is a Czech aircraft manufacturer based in Kaplice, founded by Jaroslav Sedláček in 1990. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft in the European Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category.The company is a Společnost s ručením omezeným, a Czech private limited company.While UL-Jih designs and builds aircraft, they are marketed by an affiliated company Fascination A.S., which is headed by Dušan Novotný and located in Brno, Czech Republic. UL-Jih head Jaroslav Sedláček is listed as head of production for Fascination A.S. History Founded by Jaroslav Sedláček in 1990, UL-Jih was conceived as a design, manufacturing, flight training and repair facility, using both composite materials and traditional aircraft construction techniques. Initial business involved the repair of hang gliders and ultralight aircraft.The first aircraft designed was the simple and inexpensive UL-Jih Kolibřík, designed with Josef Mareš, which sold 36 aircraft. This was followed by the UL-Jih Lišák and production of 41 of the Sunwheel biplanes designed by Wolfgang Dallach. Sedláček's UL-Jih Fascination, a family of two seat, low wing microlights, first flew in 1996 and has been under constant development ever since. The UL-Jih Evolution high-wing microlight first flew in 2002.The company also offers flight training at its school at the Velešín airport. Aircraft References External links Official website
[ "Science" ]
41,760,054
Mustafa Suleyman
Mustafa Suleyman (born August 1984) is a British artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur who is the co-founder and former head of applied AI at DeepMind, an artificial intelligence company acquired by Google and now owned by Alphabet. His current venture is Inflection AI.
Mustafa Suleyman (born August 1984) is a British artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur who is the co-founder and former head of applied AI at DeepMind, an artificial intelligence company acquired by Google and now owned by Alphabet. His current venture is Inflection AI. Early life Suleyman's father is a Syrian-born taxi driver and his mother is an English nurse.He grew up off Caledonian Road in the London Borough of Islington, where he lived with his parents and his two younger brothers.Suleyman went to Thornhill Primary School (a state school in Islington) followed by Queen Elizabeth's School, a boys' grammar school in Barnet. Around that time, he met his DeepMind co-founder, Demis Hassabis, through his best friend, Demis's younger brother. Suleyman said that he and Hassabis would discuss how they could impact the world. Career At 19, Suleyman dropped out of Mansfield College, Oxford to help start the Muslim Youth Helpline with his university friend Mohammed Mamdani, a telephone counselling service. The organization would later become one of the largest mental health support services for Muslims in the UK.Suleyman subsequently worked as a policy officer on human rights for Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, before going on to start Reos Partners, a ‘systemic change’ consultancy that uses methods from conflict resolution to navigate social problems. As a negotiator and facilitator, Mustafa worked for a wide range of clients such as the United Nations, the Dutch government, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.Suleyman co-founded DeepMind Technologies, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company and became its chief product officer. DeepMind was bought by Google in 2014 and he became head of applied AI at DeepMind.Since June 2019, Suleyman has served on the board of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist newspaper. DeepMind Suleyman is one of the three co-founders of the artificial intelligence / machine learning company DeepMind Technologies, and started out as its chief product officer. The company quickly established itself as one of the leaders in the AI sector and was backed by Founders Fund, Elon Musk and Scott Banister amongst others. In 2014 DeepMind was acquired by Google for a reported £400 million — the company's largest acquisition in Europe at that time. Following the acquisition, Suleyman became head of applied AI at DeepMind, taking on responsibility for integrating the company's technology across a wide range of Google products. In February 2016 Suleyman launched DeepMind Health at the Royal Society of Medicine. DeepMind Health builds clinician-led technology for the NHS and other partners to improve frontline healthcare services. Under Suleyman, DeepMind also developed research collaborations with healthcare organizations in the United Kingdom, including Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust,In 2016, Suleyman led an effort to apply DeepMind's machine learning algorithms to help reduce the energy required to cool Google's data centres. The system evaluated the billions of possible combinations of actions that the data centre operators could take, and came up with recommendations based on the predicted power usage. The system discovered novel methods of cooling, leading to a reduction of up to 40% of the amount of energy used for cooling, and a 15% improvement in the buildings' overall energy efficiency.In August 2019, Suleyman was placed on administrative leave following allegations of bullying employees. The company hired an external lawyer to investigate, and shortly thereafter Suleyman left to take a VP role at parent company Google. An email circulated by DeepMind's leadership to staff after the story broke, as well as additional details published by Business Insider, said Suleyman's "management style fell short" of expected standards.In December 2019, Suleyman announced he would be leaving DeepMind to join Google, working in a policy role. Inflection AI Suleyman left Google in January 2022 and joined Greylock Partners as a venture partner and in March 2022, Suleyman co-founded Inflection AI, a new AI lab venture with Greylock's Reid Hoffman. The company was founded with the goal of leveraging "AI to help humans 'talk' to computers," recruited former staff from companies such as Google and Meta and raised $225 million in its first funding round.In 2023, Inflection AI launched a chatbot named “Pi” for Personal Intelligence. The bot “remembers” past conversations and seems to get to know its users over time. According to Suleyman, the long-term goal for Pi is to be a digital “Chief of Staff”, with the initial design focused on maintaining conversational dialogue with users, asking questions, and offering emotional support. AI ethics Suleyman is prominent in the debate over the ethics of AI and has spoken widely about the need for companies, governments and civil society to join in holding technologists accountable for the impacts of their work. He has advocated redesigning incentives in the technology industry to steer business leaders toward prioritising social responsibility alongside their fiduciary duties. Within DeepMind he set up a research unit called DeepMind Ethics & Society to study the real-world impacts of AI and help technologists put ethics into practice.Suleyman is also a founding co-chair of the Partnership on AI – an organisation that includes representatives from companies such as Amazon, Apple, DeepMind, Meta, Google, IBM, and Microsoft. The organisation studies and formulates best practices for AI technologies, advances the public's understanding of AI, and serves as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and how it affects people and society. Its board of directors has equal representation from non-profit and for profit entities.In September of 2023, Suleyman, in collaboration with researcher Michael Bhaskar, released the book The Coming Wave, Technology, Power and the 21st Century's Greatest Dilemma, which discusses the inevitability of dangers from unconstrained AI and synthetic biology technologies, the near impossibility of containing them, and a possible set of solutions to contain them. It was shortlisted for the 2023 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. == References ==
[ "Ethics" ]
60,051,411
Phrasaortes
Phrasaortes was a Persian satrap of Persis under Alexander the Great from circa 330 BCE. He was a son of Rheomithres. Phrasaortes replaced the Achaemenid satrap Ariobarzanes, who had confronted Alexander at the Battle of the Persian Gate, where he was killed.Phrasaortes died at some point before the return of Alexander from India in 324 BCE. He was replaced by Oxines, a Persian noble, without the permission of Alexander, in a direct challenge to Alexander's authority. Oxines was executed by Alexander, and replaced by the Macedonian general Peucestas.
Phrasaortes was a Persian satrap of Persis under Alexander the Great from circa 330 BCE. He was a son of Rheomithres. Phrasaortes replaced the Achaemenid satrap Ariobarzanes, who had confronted Alexander at the Battle of the Persian Gate, where he was killed.Phrasaortes died at some point before the return of Alexander from India in 324 BCE. He was replaced by Oxines, a Persian noble, without the permission of Alexander, in a direct challenge to Alexander's authority. Oxines was executed by Alexander, and replaced by the Macedonian general Peucestas. == References ==
[ "People" ]
15,562,544
Dreaming (Australian Aboriginal art)
In Australian Aboriginal art, a Dreaming is a totemistic design or artwork, which can be owned by a tribal group or individual. This usage of anthropologist W. E. H. Stanner's term was popularised by Geoffrey Bardon in the context of the Papunya Tula artist collective he established in the 1970s.
In Australian Aboriginal art, a Dreaming is a totemistic design or artwork, which can be owned by a tribal group or individual. This usage of anthropologist W. E. H. Stanner's term was popularised by Geoffrey Bardon in the context of the Papunya Tula artist collective he established in the 1970s. Terminology "Dreamtime" or "Dreaming" is commonly used as a term for the animist creation narrative of Aboriginal Australians for a personal, or group, creation and for what may be understood as the "timeless time" of formative creation and perpetual creating. In addition, the term applies to places and localities on indigenous Australian traditional land (and throughout non-traditional Australia) where the uncreated creation spirits and totemic ancestors, or genii loci, reside.The term was coined by W. E. H. Stanner in 1956, and popularized from the 1960s. based on the description of indigenous Australian mythology by Lucien Levy-Bruhl (La Mythologie Primitive, 1935).The term "Dreaming" is based on the root of the term altjira (alcheringa) used by the Aranda people, although it has since been pointed out that the rendition is based on a mistranslation. Stanner introduced the derived term of "dreamtime" in the 1970s. Contemporary Indigenous Australian art "A Dreaming" is a story owned by different tribes and their members that explains the creation of life, people and animals. A Dreaming story is passed on protectively as it is owned and is a form of "intellectual property". In the modern context, an Aborigine cannot relate, or paint someone else's dreaming or creation story without prior permission of the Dreaming's owner. Someone's dreaming story must be respected, as the individual holds the knowledge to that Dreaming story. Certain behavioural constraints are associated with dreaming ownership; for instance, if a Dreaming is painted without authorisation, such action can meet with accusations of "stealing" someone else's Dreaming. Geoffrey Bardon's three books on Papunya (1971, 1976, 1978) specifically mention conflict related to possession of a dreaming story. He uses as an example the Honey Ant Dreaming painted in contemporary times on the school walls of Papunya. Before the mural could be painted, all tribes in Papunya: the Pintupi, Warlpiri, Arrernte, and Anmatyerre, had to agree that the honey ant was an acceptable mural, since Papunya is the meeting place for all tribes. After the mural was painted, one of the senior elders, Long Tom Onion, reminded Bardon that he, the elder, had suggested the mural be painted. Later, Bardon realised Long Tom Onion owned that Dreaming. He comprehended the importance of Dreaming ownership among indigenous Australians, especially those who retain tribal and traditional connections. Among the Central Desert tribes of Australia, the passing on of the Dreaming story is for the most part gender-related. For example, the late artist from the Papunya movement, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, painted ceremonial dreamings relating to circumcision and love stories, and lessons for "naughty boys". His daughters Gabriella Possum and Michelle Possum have tended to paint the "Seven Sisters" Dreaming or the Pleiades, as they inherited that Dreaming through the maternal line. Consequently, they have painted their "Grandmother's Country", which is an expression of their inherited ownership of the land through knowledge of the dreamings. Clifford and his daughters have not painted the same subjects; Clifford has never painted the "Seven Sisters Dreaming". By tribal law, his daughters are not allowed to see male tribal ceremonies, let alone paint them. Dreamings as "property" have also been used by a few Aboriginal tribes to argue before the High Court of Australia their title over traditional tribal land. Paintings of Dreamings, travelling journeys and ceremonies tend to depict the locations where they occur. There have been cases in which 10-metre-long paintings have been presented to the Court, as evidence of the tribe's title deed after terra nullius was struck down during the tenure of Chief Justice Gerard Brennan. See also Anangu Embodied imagination References Bardon, G. and Bardon, J. (2005), Papunya: The Story After the Place, Melbourne: University of Melbourne, Miegunyah Press
[ "Universe" ]
12,842,355
Allen Buchanan
Allen Edward Buchanan is a moral, political and legal philosopher. As of 2022, he held multiple academic positions: Laureate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arizona, Distinguished Research Fellow at Oxford University, Visiting Professor of the philosophy of international law at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College, London, and James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University.
Allen Edward Buchanan is a moral, political and legal philosopher. As of 2022, he held multiple academic positions: Laureate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arizona, Distinguished Research Fellow at Oxford University, Visiting Professor of the philosophy of international law at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College, London, and James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University. Education and career Professor Buchanan received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1970 and his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975. Dr. Buchanan's initial academic job was at the University of Minnesota, where he was promoted to associate professor of philosophy with tenure. He was a professor at the University of Arizona from 1982 to 1993; a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1993 to 1998; before returning to Arizona for 4 years. He was recruited to Duke in 2001.Earlier in his career, Buchanan served as a staff philosopher for the President's Commission on Medical Ethics; served on the Advisory Council for the National Human Genome Research Institute; and was a Fellow at the National Humanities Center. He is a fellow of the Hastings Center, an independent bioethics research institution. Philosophical work He has written six books covering such topics as Marx, applied ethics (especially bio-medical ethics), social justice, and international justice, including the foundations of international law. His academic collaborators have included Daniel W. Brock, Norman Daniels, Robert Keohane, and Daniel Wikler. Bibliography Better Than Human (Oxford University Press, 2011) Beyond Humanity (Oxford University Press, 2011) Buchanan, Allen (2003) Justice, Legitimacy, and Self-Determination: Moral Foundations for International Law Macedo, Stephen; Buchanan, Allen E. (2003) Secession and Self-Determination (336 pages) Buchanan, Allen; Margaret Moore (2003) States, Nations, and Borders: The Ethics of Making Boundaries (376 pages) Buchanan, Allen; Brock, Dan W.; Daniels, Norman; Wikler, Daniel (2000) From Chance to Choice: Genetics and Justice. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-66977-4. Buchanan, Allen (1999) The Quebec Secession Issue: Democracy, Minority Rights, and the Rule of Law, Privy Council Office, Canada. Spece, Roy G.; Shimm, David S.; Buchanan, Allen E. (1996) Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Practice and Research (472 pages) Buchanan, Allen (1995) Democratization, Secession and the Rule of International Law Buchanan, Allen (1991) Secession: The Morality of Political Divorce From Fort Sumter to Lithuania and Quebec Buchanan, Allen (1991) Secession: The Morality of Political Divorce from Fort Sumter to Lithuania (174 pages) Buchanan, Allen; Brock, Dan W. (1990) Deciding for Others: The Ethics of Surrogate Decision Making (440 pages) Buchanan, Allen; Brock, Dan W. (1989) Deciding For Others: The Ethics of Surrogate Decision Making Buchanan, Allen (1985) Ethics, Efficiency, and the Market Buchanan, Allen (1982) Marx and Justice: The Radical Critique of Liberalism Buchanan, Allen (1979) Deriving Welfare Rights from Libertarian Rights (16 pages)Articles published Buchanan, Allen, Keohane, Robert O. "The Preventive Use of Force: A Cosmopolitan Institutional Proposal." Ethics and International Affairs, 18(1), 1-22, 22 p. 2004. See also Liberal eugenics References External links Buchanan's Duke University faculty page Books and articles written by Allen E. Buchanan
[ "Ethics" ]
12,170,048
Southern forest bat
The southern forest bat (Vespadelus regulus) is a vesper bat found in Australia.
The southern forest bat (Vespadelus regulus) is a vesper bat found in Australia. Taxonomy A species of Vespadelus, of the diverse and common micro-bats, bats assigned as either suborder Yangochiroptera or Microchiroptera. The description for the species was published by Oldfield Thomas in 1906. The holotype, of indeterminate sex, was collected at King River, Western Australia at sea level. The specimen was obtained on a survey of Southwest Australia, along with several other bat species. The lectotype, a skull held at British Museum of Natural History, was nominated in 1968, providing a single specimen from the material collected by Thomas.Thomas ascribed the species as Pipistrellus regulus, allying it to the genus Pipistrellus. The species has also been placed with genus Eptesicus. Prior to analysis that led to the description of new species, the population was assigned to a poorly studied pumilis group of Australian bat taxa. Taxonomic instability also saw the species placed within a subgenus Pipistrellus (Vespadelus), while others were elevating that taxon as genus Vespadelus.The taxonomic status of the population west of Adelaide, South Australia, is suspected to be a separate species.Common names for the Vespadelus regulus include little bat, King River little bat, and King River pipistrelle. Description Vespadelus regulus is an aerial predator of insects that hunts at night using echolocation. There is reddish-brown fur at the back, the ventral coloration is greyish or light brown. This fur is thick, hairs are slightly greater than five millimetres in length, with an overall coloration at the dorsal side of dark Prout's brown. The ears and wings are dark grey. The range of measurements for the forearm is from 28 to 35 mm (1.1 to 1.4 in), and their weight is 4 to 7 g (0.14 to 0.25 oz). It has a very short snout and large ears. The side profile of the skull is comparatively lower, flattened, and the head in top view is triangular.The species overall grey and brown fur is characterised by hairs that are coloured dark brown then markedly lighter at the upper part of the shaft. The penis is pendulous, without a sharp bend in the length, the glans penis has a lateral fold and is funnel-shaped in profile. The ratio of the third to second phalanx bone of the wings third finger is greater than 0.84, The measured range of length of the head and body combined is 36 to 46 mm (1.4 to 1.8 in), the tail is 28 to 34 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) long, and the ear length is 9 to 13 mm (0.35 to 0.51 in). The skull, at its longest measurement, is 12 to 13 mm (0.47 to 0.51 in) They weigh from 3.6 to 7.0 g (0.13 to 0.25 oz).They are highly energetic and can hunt their prey, insects, with great agility.Another bat of the genus, the little forest species Vespadelus vulturnus, is also found in eastern regions, it is usually smaller, a forearm length of less than 31 mm, probably possesses a whitish tragus, a head has a pronounced brow. The inland forest bat Vespadelus baverstocki is distinguished by its smaller size in their common range to the north, and is paler in colour and lacks the distinct fold at the glans penis. The related bats of genus Vespadelus, the eastern forest bat V. pumilus and large forest species V. darlingtoni, are distinctly darker in skin colour and their penis is bent at an acute angle. The structural characteristics of their ultrasound calls are able to be discerned in sonograms, although imperfect recording conditions may not allow them to be distinguished from some other vespadeluses. The echolocation calls are emitted at a frequency of 38 to 46 kHz, and visual output of signals received by bat detectors are classified as "curved calls, tail absent or up-sweeping". Distribution and habitat An endemic of Tasmania and the southern regions of Australia, relatively common in coastal and sub-coastal habitat. The distribution range extends from southeast Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula, then restricted to the coast until their deeper inland ingress to the semiarid and forested regions of southwest Australia. The southwest of the continent, across an area to the north of Perth, is a region of low diversity in microbat taxa and none of the megachiropterans; this species is one of around ten to occur there. The also occur on Kangaroo Island, off the south coast of Australia. The habitat is a variety of mallee and other semi-arid woodland and wet sclerophyll forest in areas of higher rainfall. The species is found in environs at sea level and above, in Victoria they are reported as occurring at altitudes up to 1700 metres. Colonies have been found in remnant bushland in agricultural and urban areas.The species is found roosting in tree hollows and sometimes in buildings. The sites are often shared by individuals of the same gender. The diverse range of habitat includes wet to dry sclerophyll forests and low shrub woodlands, in mallee and a range of vegetation types of temperate regions. They display a strong preference for roosting in large, mature trees in the mid-decay stages, which correspond to trees with large numbers of suitable hollows.A study of roosting habitat and preferences for V. regulus and Nyctophilus gouldi in the Jarrah Forest of Southwest Australia examined the habits of these bats at two locations. This species favoured hollows of trees, predominantly the giants jarrah, Eucalyptus marginata, and marri, Corymbia calophylla, located in mature and open forest buffers reserved by later forest management practices. The individuals occupied a number of roosts in a confined locality, a hollow at a high elevation on the tree, and seem to favour riparian zones. In a survey of the greater Melbourne area, where they are uncommon, the species did not adopt the bat boxes installed to replace their preferred habitat. Ecology Vespadelus regulus forages amongst all levels of their habitat, including at the ground and above the forest canopy. They are fast and agile, able to twist in the air while pursuing small moths and other prey. The species flight is characterised by spiralling and gliding in long arcs. A study in comparative analysis of flight in Australian bats reported this highly energetic species, along with wattled bats Chalinolobus morio and Chalinolobus gouldii, had the greatest manoeuvrability.They occur in colonies of up to one hundred individuals, and recorded in association with Chalinolobus morio, lesser long-eared Nyctophilus geoffroyi and south-eastern freetail bat. A single birth occurs after a three month gestation period.The conservation status, as Eptisicus regulus, was assessed in IUCN 2003 red list as 'lower concern', and in 2008 as 'least concern' with the note that determination of the taxonomic status of populations was required. The species is found in protected parks and reserves, which provides some security from threatening factors. The also appear to be less sensitive to altered land use, primarily the removal of habitat by encroachment of agricultural and suburban development. == References ==
[ "Communication" ]
2,607,034
Popular Computing Weekly
Popular Computing Weekly was a computer magazine in the UK published from 1982 to 1990. It was sometimes referred to as PCW (although that abbreviation is more commonly associated with Personal Computer World magazine).
Popular Computing Weekly was a computer magazine in the UK published from 1982 to 1990. It was sometimes referred to as PCW (although that abbreviation is more commonly associated with Personal Computer World magazine). Overview The magazine was first published on 23 April 1982. Its subject range was general, covering gaming, business, and productivity software. The founding company was Sunshine Publications based in London and the launch editor was Duncan Scot. During 1989 it incorporated Computer Gamesweek. It was noteworthy for being the UK's only national weekly computer magazine of the time, and for its back page being dominated by an advertisement in the form of a comic strip, Piman, by the firm Automata UK between the years 1983 and 1986. A further noteworthy feature of the early editions was the high-quality artwork on the magazine covers. These had disappeared by 1983. One other noteworthy and regular column was about adventure games, notably text adventures. Reviews and cryptic spoilers were eagerly awaited. Readers who had completed the hugely successful text adventure The Hobbit, first released on the ZX Spectrum were invited to add their names to a "Hobbit Hall of Fame." The magazine folded with issue 415 published in June 1990. References External links Popular Computing Weekly scanned issues on the Internet Archive
[ "Technology" ]
63,637,599
List of hospitals in Mongolia
Hospitals in Mongolia include: Intermed Hospital == References ==
Hospitals in Mongolia include: Intermed Hospital == References ==
[ "Lists" ]
18,783,723
Church of Our Lady, Kortrijk
The Church of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in a former collegiate church located in the centre of Kortrijk, Belgium. It was built and established by Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders in 1199.
The Church of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in a former collegiate church located in the centre of Kortrijk, Belgium. It was built and established by Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders in 1199. History Early history The church played a major role in the history of the County of Flanders. The original chapel was situated within the domain of the Counts of Flanders which was, except for the part along the river Lys, fully walled. By request of Balduin IX and his wif Mary of Champagne, the chapel was extended and became church. Inside a collegiate chapter with twelve canons in honour of our lady was installed by request of the Count. This chapter received papal approbation in 1203 by Pope Innocent III. Th count provided himself the Prebendaries and gave important relics, that came from Jerusalem with the crusades. The chapter was considered one of the most important of Flanders. After the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302, which took place nearby on the Groeningekouter, the Flemish people hung 500 Golden Spurs of killed French knights on the ceiling of the church. Mercenaries took them away, in 1382 after the Battle of Roosebeke. They were replaced by replicas which can still be seen in the church. In 1370, Count Louis II of Flanders had the Count's chapel built to be a mausoleum for himself and in honour of Saint Catherine. The chapel contains frescos of all the counts and governors of Flanders, during the Spanish and Austrian periods. During the 15th century, the church was renovated. The castle was not restored and the domain was parcelled out (O.L.V.-straat, Konventstraat, Guido Gezellestraat, Kapittelstraat and Pieter de Cockelaerestraat). Only the church, the Broeltowers and the Artillery tower are the remains of the former medieval castle. 18th and 19th centuries In 1797, French troops invaded the city. They chased the canons out of their church and together with twelve convents, chapels and churches, the church was sold. The archives of the chapter were brought to the city archives and other possessions were destroyed. Thanks to the concordat between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, the church became the parish church of the parish of Our Lady. The canons never returned. Guido Gezelle was the priest of this parish between 1872 and 1889. Interior The church is currently still used as a parish church, most of the interior dates from the late Baroque period. The mean organ is sculpted in Rococo style, built by Van Peteghem. The church also contains other important treasures such as the altarpiece of Anthony van Dyck’s Raising of the Cross. This painting was commanded by the reverend canon Roger Braye, dating 1631. In the choir chapels we can find important graves and memorials. In the south a small door gives access to the gothic "Gravenkapel". After the Second World War some parts needed to be restored. References External links Church of Our Lady Kortrijk
[ "Religion" ]
3,449,524
Ab anbar
An ab anbar (Persian: آب‌انبار, literally "cistern") is a traditional reservoir or cistern of drinking water in Greater Iran in antiquity.
An ab anbar (Persian: آب‌انبار, literally "cistern") is a traditional reservoir or cistern of drinking water in Greater Iran in antiquity. Structure To withstand the pressure the water exerts on the containers of the storage tank, the storage itself was built below ground level. This also provides resistance to earthquakes. Many cities in Iran lie in a region that has been affected by very large earthquakes. Since almost all ab anbars are subterranean structures capped barely above ground level, they inherently possess stable structures. The construction material used for ab anbars were very tough and extensively used a special mortar called sarooj which was made of sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ash in specific proportions, depending on location and climate of the city. This mixture was thought to be completely water impenetrable. The walls of the storage were often 2 meters thick, and special bricks had to be used. These bricks were especially baked for ab anbars and were called Ajor Ab anbari. Some ab anbars were so big that they would be built underneath caravanserais such as the ab anbar of Haj Agha Ali in Kerman. Sometimes they would also be built under mosques, such as the ab anbar of Vazir near Isfahan. The bottom of the storage tanks were often filled with metals for various structural reasons. The 18th century monarch Agha Muhammad Khan, is said to have extracted the metals from the bottom of the Ganjali Khan public baths to make bullets for a battle. Storage tank Some ab anbars had storage space tanks that were rectangular in design, such as in Qazvin, as opposed to cylindrical designs in Yazd. There were several designs for the arched roof of the storage spaces of each ab anbar, namely ahang, kalanbu, kazhāveh, or combinations of these depending on the features of the storage space. In the particular example of Sardar-e Bozorg ab anbar in Qazvin, the storage space was built so large that it became known as the largest single domed ab anbar of Iran. Doming the square plan was not an easy task, yet dome construction was not something new to these architects as is evident from the numerous domed masterpieces such as Soltaniyeh. Some sources indicate that the architects would first construct the storage space and then fill it up with hay and straw all the way up to where they could start constructing the dome. After finishing the dome, the straw would be set on fire, hence clearing the space inside. However holes can be seen in the walls of many storage spaces where scaffolding perhaps may have been used. A storage space with a rectangular plan is much harder to dome than a circular one. It is not known why architects in particular places chose rectangular or circular layouts, considering that cylindrical spaces were easier to cover, and were deemed more hygienic for water storage due to lack of any corners in the space. Cylindrical tanks also had the advantage of experiencing homogenous forces throughout the walls caused by earth pressures, as opposed to the rectangular designs. Rectangular plans however have the advantage of containing larger volumes of water within rectangular property limits. Examples of ab anbars with a square plan include the Sardar-e Bozorg ab anbar in Qazvin by Sardar Hosein Qoli Khan Qajar and his brother Hasan Khan Qajar. Some ab anbars required columns to be built inside the storage space. The Sardar e Kuchak ab anbar in Qazvin uses a massive column in the center that splits the space up into four 8.5 X 8.5 meter contiguous spaces, each separately domed. The Zananeh Bazaar ab anbar of Qazvin uses 4 columns inside its storage tank. The Seyed Esmail ab anbar in Tehran is said to have had 40 columns. Access In order to access the water, one would go through the entrance (sar-dar) which would always be open, traverse a stairway and reach the bottom where there would be faucets to access the water in the storage. Next to the faucet would be a built-in seat or platform, a drain for excess water, and ventilation shafts. The temperature of the water flow is dependent on the faucet location (i.e. depth from surface). Some storages would have multiple faucets located at intervals along the stairway. Possible contamination is minimized by lack of direct access to the entirety of the water stored. The storage compartment is completely sealed except for ventilation shafts or windcatchers. To further minimize contamination, the storage tank's interior was scattered with a salty compound that would form a surface on top of the water. The storage tank would then be monitored year round to ensure that the surface had not been disturbed. The water of course would be drawn from the bottom using the pasheer. In some ab anbars, such as in Qazvin, the stairway and storage would be constructed adjacently alongside each other, whereas in others such as Yazd, the storage and stairway often had no structural connections to each other and the stairway was positioned independently. To prevent fatal fall distances, and possibly provide a brief relief when traversing the steps, there would be one to three landings built midway into the stairway. All stairways are linear. The person responsible for filling the ab anbars (both private and public) was called a meerab. In effect, he was responsible for distributing the kariz network at various times. If a house wanted its ab anbar filled, they would ask the meerab to open up the kariz to their ab anbar. An overnight appointment would be enough to fill a typical house ab anbar. The ab anbar would also have to be cleaned once a year from settled sediments. Sar-dar The Sardar (سردر) is an arched entrance that descends down into the ab anbar. It contains platforms built-in for pedestrians and a resting area after ascending out of the stairway. It is decorated and has inscriptions with poetry and the date of construction. Windcatchers Ab anbars in Iran are known to have used anywhere from one to six windcatchers. Qazvin's ab anbars however, do not frequently use windcatchers like in other parts of Iran, perhaps because of climatic conditions; Qazvin has very cold winters and mild summers, unlike Yazd. Most of Qazvin's ab anbars are only equipped with ventilation shafts or semi-windcatchers. Ab anbars in Yazd, Kashan, Naeen, and other hot climate cities of Iran on the other hand extensively use windcatchers for cooling and ventilation purposes. The way windcatchers work is that the moving air masses (wind, breeze, etc.) at the top of windcatchers create a pressure gradient between the top of the windcatcher and its base, inside, at the bottom of the shaft. This pressure gradient sucks out rising hot air from inside the shaft while the colder dense air remains. The superb heat-resistant material of the walls of the ab anbar further create an insulating effect that tends to lower the temperature inside an ab anbar, similar to a cave. The ventilating effect of the windcatchers prevent any stagnant air and hence any dew or humidity from forming inside, and the overall effect is pure, clean, cold water all year round. Glossary of terms for this article Ab-anbar آب‌انبار: Literal translation: Ab meaning water and Anbar meaning storage facility. A specially designed subterranean space that holds clean water, usually employing windcatchers and fed by karizes. Gushvār گوشوار: Something that occurs in symmetrical form on both sides of an element e.g. two little rooms on the sides of a hall, entrance, etc. Kariz كاریز: An underground water channel similar to a Qanat. Layeh-rubi لایه‌روبی: The periodic cleansing of Qanats, Karizes, and Ab anbars from sediments that gradually settle as water passes by. Maz-har مظهر: The first location where a Kariz or Qanat surfaces. Meerab میراب/میرآب: A person who was responsible for distributing (providing access) water into ab anbars via underground channels such as Qanats. Nazr نذر: A type of prayer in which a person asks for a favor in return for making a promise to a sacred entity. Pasheer پاشير: The lowest point of an ab anbar stairway; the location where a faucet is installed to provide water from the ab anbar storage tank. Qanat قنات: A system of connected wells, usually originating from elevated locations that direct water to locations far away via underground channels to a lower elevated maz-har. Saqqa-khaneh سقاخانه: A place (usually an enclave in an alley) where candles are lit and prayers (or nazr) are made. Sar-dar سَردَر: A gate-like entrance to a building, ab anbar, etc. The over-door decorations of this entrance. Sarooj ساروج: A special mortar made of sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ashes in specific proportions, and was very resistant to water penetration. Time for filling The time for filling the water reservoir was January and February, when there was no agriculture and water could be stored. Therefore, the water was kept in the tank for one year. To prevent it from rotting, a salt lick was added to the water from the top of the tank. Due to the stagnation of water, the salt lick did not dissolve throughout the water and over time a dense saltwater layer formed at the bottom of the tank, about one meter. Because of this, the tap was built one meter above the bottom of the tank. After the water of the tank ran out, before refilling it, the saltwater on the floor of the tank was cleaned. This was a difficult and demanding task which required a crew of laborers. See also Band-e Kaisar Cistern History of Persian domes Iranian architecture List of ab anbars of Qazvin List of earthquakes in Iran Soltaniyeh Traditional water sources of Persian antiquity Yakhchal References Further reading Memari e Islami e Iran. M. K. Pirnia. ISBN 964-454-093-X Minudar or Babuljanne. Gulriz, Mohammad Ali. Taha publications. 3rd printing. Qazvin. 1381 (2002). ISBN 964-6228-61-5 Qazvin: ayinah-yi tarikh va tabi’at-i Iran. Hazrati, Mohammad Ali. Sazeman e Irangardi va Jahangardi publications. Qazvin. 1382 (2003). ISBN 964-7536-35-6 Saimaa-yi ustaan-I Qazvain. Haji aqa Mohammadi, Abbas. Taha Publications. Qazvin. 1378 (1998). ISBN 964-6228-09-7 Memari-ye ab anbar haye shahr e Qazvin. Memarian, Gholamhosein. Asar. Vol 35. Miras Farhangi publications. Tehran. (p187-197). Sair e Tarikhi e banaayi Shahr e Qazvin va Banaha-yi an. Siyaghi, Dr. Seyd Mohammad Dabir. Sazeman e Miras e Farhangi. Qazvin. 2002. ISBN 964-7536-29-1 M.J. Strauss. Old ways of water management spring up again in arid regions. International Herald Tribune. Aug 20, 2005. External links Yazd's water reservoirs at risk at Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran website AB-ANBĀR at Encyclopædia Iranica
[ "Language" ]
3,924,214
Cairness House
Cairness House, 4.5 miles (7 km) south-east of Fraserburgh in Buchan in the county of Aberdeenshire, is a country house built in the Neoclassical style between 1791 and 1797 to designs by architect James Playfair. It replaced an earlier house of 1781 by Robert Burn, which was in part incorporated into the Playfair scheme. Sir John Soane assisted in the final stages of the construction after Playfair's death in 1794. The park was laid out by Thomas White, a follower of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. The Pevsner Architectural Guide for Aberdeenshire North and Moray states that "Cairness House, by James Playfair 1791-97, is of international importance as the only house in Britain, the design and construction of which reflected and evolved with the rapid advances in French Neoclassicism towards the end of the C18" and that "its survival is the more precious as so many of Playfair's other designs were either not built or have been lost or altered".
Cairness House, 4.5 miles (7 km) south-east of Fraserburgh in Buchan in the county of Aberdeenshire, is a country house built in the Neoclassical style between 1791 and 1797 to designs by architect James Playfair. It replaced an earlier house of 1781 by Robert Burn, which was in part incorporated into the Playfair scheme. Sir John Soane assisted in the final stages of the construction after Playfair's death in 1794. The park was laid out by Thomas White, a follower of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. The Pevsner Architectural Guide for Aberdeenshire North and Moray states that "Cairness House, by James Playfair 1791-97, is of international importance as the only house in Britain, the design and construction of which reflected and evolved with the rapid advances in French Neoclassicism towards the end of the C18" and that "its survival is the more precious as so many of Playfair's other designs were either not built or have been lost or altered". History Cairness House was commissioned by Charles Gordon of Cairness and Buthlaw, a descendant of the Barclays of Cairness through his mother. The house was part of a 9,000-acre (3,600 ha) estate that included the village of St Comb's and the Loch of Strathbeg. The second laird, Major-General Thomas Gordon (1788–1841), a good friend of Lord Byron, was a hero of the Greek War of Independence and wrote a celebrated history of the conflict. The Gordon family sold the estate in 1937 to the Countess of Southesk. During the Second World War, the house was rented to the Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Company of Fraserburgh as evacuation premises for their London head office. After the war, the house was used as a farmhouse and gradually fell into serious decline. The park was destroyed from the early 1950s onwards, with the mass clearance of trees, to reclaim land for agricultural use. In 1991, the house was listed as a Building at Risk by the Scottish Civic Trust. A major long-term restoration programme of the house and grounds was instigated by new owners in 2001. In 2009, the project won the Georgian Group Architectural Awards prize for best restoration of a Georgian country house in Britain. The Georgian Group stated that "From being a moribund building at risk riddled with dry rot, Cairness is now a magnificent private home." The prize was given by the Duke of Gloucester at a ceremony at Christie's, London, in November 2009. Cairness House is designated a category A listed building. and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. Architecture Considered one of the finest examples of Neoclassical architecture in Britain, Cairness House shows the influence of the French architects Étienne-Louis Boullée and Claude Nicholas Ledoux and has many parallels with the works of Sir John Soane. The design incorporates a complex mixture of Masonic and pagan symbols as well as many numerological and architectural conceits. It is a calendar house, and its ground plan shows an adjoining "C" and "H", variously standing for Cairness House and Charles Gordon. Constructed in finely detailed granite ashlar, Cairness House consists of a 110-foot (34 m) main block, flanked by two raised "bookend" wings. A tetrastyle pedimented Roman Doric porch sits at the centre, its unjointed columns hewn from menhirs taken from a nearby druids' stone circle. A pair of lower pavilions with representations of the Masonic Altar and Royal Arch adjoin at the back. From these pavilions extends a huge semicircular service wing, with a central bell tower above a lunette arch, enclosing a courtyard at the rear of the house. The centre of the courtyard is dominated by a round ice house modelled on the Temple of Vesta in Rome. The main roof is surmounted by 51 cast-iron chimney pots in the shape of fluted Doric columns. The interiors are boldly neoclassical with fine examples of simulated marble walls, pendentive or coffered ceilings and Greek key friezes. The Egyptian Room was the first of its kind in Britain and contains elaborate hieroglyph plasterwork; it is the earliest surviving Egyptian Revival room in the world and may have been used as a meeting room for the Rite of High Egyptian Masonry founded by Count Cagliostro. The Entrance Hall features a columbarium fireplace with anthemion antefixes. James Playfair also drew plans for gates and a pair of small lodges for the entrance to the driveway which however were not built until the house's centenary in 1891. The gates, railings and lodges come under a separate Category A listing by Historic Environment Scotland. The pillars on either side of the gates feature a pair of Greek sphinxes. References == External links ==
[ "Nature" ]
13,421,911
ITPro Today
Windows IT Pro was a trade publication and web site owned by Informa serving the information needs of IT professionals working with the Microsoft Windows platform. The magazine's editorial offices were located in Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA. It was in circulation between 1995 and April 2014.It is now exist as ITPro Today web publication.
Windows IT Pro was a trade publication and web site owned by Informa serving the information needs of IT professionals working with the Microsoft Windows platform. The magazine's editorial offices were located in Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA. It was in circulation between 1995 and April 2014.It is now exist as ITPro Today web publication. History and profile Established in 1995 as Windows NT Magazine in North America and NTexplorer Magazine in Europe, Windows IT Pro publishes a monthly digital magazine; produces web content, web seminars, and elearning training sessions; and hosts conferences for IT professionals. Common topics include Windows Server, Windows client, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Outlook, virtualization, cloud computing, Microsoft System Center, Active Directory, Group Policy, and PowerShell/Scripting. Windows IT Pro's sister web sites include Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows, SQL Server Pro, SharePoint Pro, Dev Pro, and myITforum.com. References External links ITPro Today
[ "Technology" ]
7,204,344
List of airports in Ontario
This is a list of airports in Ontario. It includes all Nav Canada certified and registered water and land airports, aerodromes and heliports in the Canadian province of Ontario. Airport names in italics are part of the National Airports System.
This is a list of airports in Ontario. It includes all Nav Canada certified and registered water and land airports, aerodromes and heliports in the Canadian province of Ontario. Airport names in italics are part of the National Airports System. National Airports System in Ontario The following Ontario airports are part of the Canadian National Airports System: List of airports and heliports The list is sorted by the name of the community served; click the sort buttons in the table header to switch listing order. Defunct airports See also List of airports in the Bala, Ontario areaList of airports in the Bracebridge area List of airports in the Fergus area List of airports in the London, Ontario area List of airports in the Ottawa area List of airports in the Parry Sound area List of airports in the Port Carling area List of airports in the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario area List of airports in the Thunder Bay area List of airports in the Greater Toronto Area == References ==
[ "Lists" ]
65,306,876
Iconic Newspapers
Iconic Newspapers is a British-owned newspaper company that publishes over 20 regional newspapers in Ireland. Iconic Newspapers are owned by Mediaforce who are majority owned by British businessman Malcolm Denmark. Iconic Newspapers hold their newspaper assets in a subsidiary called Formpress Publishing.In 2014, Iconic Newspapers acquired Johnston Press Ireland. Johnston Press Ireland was formed in 2005 following the purchase of Scottish Radio Holdings's newspapers known as Score Press by Johnston Press in 2005 for £155 million. In the same year, Johnston Press Ireland also purchased the Leinster Leader Group (just after Leinster Leader Group had purchased Tallaght Publishing Ltd), who published six titles, for €138.6 million.The company is based in Naas, County Kildare.
Iconic Newspapers is a British-owned newspaper company that publishes over 20 regional newspapers in Ireland. Iconic Newspapers are owned by Mediaforce who are majority owned by British businessman Malcolm Denmark. Iconic Newspapers hold their newspaper assets in a subsidiary called Formpress Publishing.In 2014, Iconic Newspapers acquired Johnston Press Ireland. Johnston Press Ireland was formed in 2005 following the purchase of Scottish Radio Holdings's newspapers known as Score Press by Johnston Press in 2005 for £155 million. In the same year, Johnston Press Ireland also purchased the Leinster Leader Group (just after Leinster Leader Group had purchased Tallaght Publishing Ltd), who published six titles, for €138.6 million.The company is based in Naas, County Kildare. History In May 2017, it was reported that Iconic Newspapers may bid to acquire some Landmark Media Investments regional titles. Iconic Newspapers did not proceed with this acquisition. In September 2017, it was reported that Iconic Newspapers managing director, Joe Flaherty, had been selected to run for Fianna Fáil in Longford-Westmeath.In November 2017, it was reported that Iconic Newspapers were making staff redundant at the Donegal Democrat.In January 2018, the 2017 accounts were published. Revenues at Formpress Publishing Ltd declined by 2pc from €13m to €12.6m. Numbers employed by the company last year reduced from 165 to 161 with staff costs declining from €6.84m to €6.59m.In November 2018, it was announced that Iconic Newspapers had acquired 7 titles from River Media.In November 2018, Fine Gael Senator Paudie Coffey sued Iconic Newspapers over an article written in the Kilkenny People.In January 2019, the accounts up to March 2018 were published. Revenues at Formpress Publishing Ltd. declined by 3pc, from €12.6m to €12.2m. Numbers employed by the company last year increased from 161 to 163. Profits declined 6%.In March 2019, Iconic Newspapers settled a defamation action from an ex-minister over an article in the Tipperary Star.In April 2019, Iconic Newspapers acquired two newspaper titles from Alpha Newspaper Group. The acquisition was subject to Competition Authority approval. In October 2019, the Competition Authority approved the transaction subject to conditions. The Irish Government needed to approve the acquisition next.In August 2019, Fine Gael Senator Paudie Coffey settled his High Court action with Iconic Newspapers.In October 2019, it was reported that Ionic Newspapers were in advance talks to acquire The Munster Express.In March 2020, the accounts up to 31 March 2019 were published. The results were affected by the acquisitions. Numbers employed by the company reduced from 153 to 149.In March 2020, Iconic Newspapers let staff go due to lack of newspaper advertising due to the coronavirus pandemic. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said that Iconic Newspapers "has laid off dozens of journalists, made a number of staff compulsorily redundant and temporarily shut two newspapers".In December 2020, it was announced that Iconic Newspapers' owners Mediaforce was subscribing £6 million in loan notes towards the sale of JPI Media Publishing Limited to National World plc. JPIMedia is the third largest publisher of regional newspapers and websites in the United Kingdom, with over 100 newspapers including 13 daily newspapers.In January 2021, further staff cuts occurred at Iconic Newspapers publications such as the Tipperary Star.In October 2021, it was announced that David Fordham had taken up a directorship role with National World, plc, at the request of Mediaforce, which is the owner of Iconic Newspapers. It was revealed in the same report that Mediaforce owns 26pc of National World.In September 2022, it was announced Iconic Media Group will purchase The Mayo News. Current Irish newspaper titles As of 2019, the company's titles included: Derry News (acquired from River Media) County Derry Post (acquired from River Media) Donegal Democrat (acquired from Johnston Press) Donegal People's Press (acquired from Johnston Press) Donegal Post (acquired from River Media) Dundalk Democrat (acquired from Johnston Press) Finn Valley Post (acquired from River Media) Inish Times (acquired from River Media) Kildare Post (acquired from River Media) Kilkenny People (acquired from Johnston Press) The Kilkenny Reporter (launched by Iconic Newspapers, not connected to closed title called Kilkenny Reporter) Leinster Express (acquired from Johnston Press) Leinster Leader (acquired from Johnston Press) Leitrim Observer (acquired from Johnston Press) Letterkenny People (acquired from Johnston Press) Letterkenny Post (acquired from River Media) The Limerick Chronicle (acquired from Johnston Press) Limerick Leader (acquired from Johnston Press) Longford Leader (acquired from Johnston Press) Midland Tribune (acquired from Alpha Newspaper Group) The Nationalist (Tipperary) (acquired from Johnston Press) Tipperary Star (acquired from Johnston Press Tullamore Tribune (acquired from Alpha Newspaper Group) Former newspaper titles Limerick Chronicle (now a supplement in the Limerick Leader, not a standalone title) Offaly Express Websites Carlow Live Cork Live Offaly Express (former newspaper title) Derry Now Donegal Live (involves the news teams of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal Post, Donegal People's Press and Inish Times) ÉireBheo Kildare Now Tipperary Live (The Nationalist and the Tipperary Star) Waterford LiveIconic Newspapers run 23 websites in total, which are mainly websites linked to their newspaper titles. == References ==
[ "Internet" ]
94,756
Adam Marsh
Adam Marsh (Adam de Marisco; c. 1200 – 18 November 1259) was an English Franciscan, scholar and theologian. Marsh became, after Robert Grosseteste, "...the most eminent master of England."
Adam Marsh (Adam de Marisco; c. 1200 – 18 November 1259) was an English Franciscan, scholar and theologian. Marsh became, after Robert Grosseteste, "...the most eminent master of England." Biography He was born about 1200 in the diocese of Bath, and educated at Oxford (Greyfriars) under the famous Robert Grosseteste. Before 1226 Marsh received the benefice of Wearmouth from his uncle, Richard Marsh, Bishop of Durham; but around 1230 he entered the Franciscan order. at the friary in Worcester. About 1238 he became lector at the Franciscan house at Oxford, and within a few years was regarded by the English province of that order as an intellectual and spiritual leader. Roger Bacon, his pupil, speaks highly of his attainments in theology and mathematics. According to Salimbene, in the 1240s, Marsh attended the lectures of Humilis of Milan on the Book of Isaiah and the Gospel of Mark. A lector named Stephen, in turn, used Marsh's Oxford lectione on Genesis, in his assignments. Marsh was a close acquaintance and correspondent of French theologian Thomas Gallus.His fame, however, rests upon the influence which he exercised over the statesmen of his day. As Bishop of Lincoln, Grosseteste relied on his friend's opinion regarding ecclesiastical appointments in the diocese, since "Marsh knew everybody". Consulted as a spiritual director by Simon de Montfort, the countess of Leicester and the queen, as an expert lawyer and theologian by the primate, Boniface of Savoy, he did much to guide the policy both of the opposition and of the court party in all matters affecting the interests of the Church. He shrank from office, and never became provincial minister of the English Franciscans, though constantly charged with responsible commissions. Henry III and Archbishop Boniface unsuccessfully endeavoured to secure for him the see of Ely in 1256. In 1257 Marsh's health was failing, and he died 18 November 1259. To judge from his correspondence he took no interest in secular politics. He sympathized with Montfort as with a friend of the Church and an unjustly treated man; but on the eve of the baronial revolution he was on friendly terms with the king. Faithful to the traditions of his order, he made it his ambition to be a mediator. He rebuked both parties in the state for their shortcomings, but he did not break with either. Works None of Adam's theological works survive. His only extant writings are a collection of over 200 of his letters compiled by fellow Franciscans after his death. This collection shows the wide range of his correspondents, including Robert Grosseteste (whose own collection also includes several letters to Adam), William of Nottingham (minister provincial of England), Simon de Montfort and his wife Eleanor, Bonaventure, and Henry III's wife Queen Eleanor. His letters, written in highly stylized Latin according to the rules of the ars dictaminis, often served to advance his theological vision, particularly with regard to the pastoral work of the Church and his urgent sense of its need for correction and reform. His letters also frequently respond to requests for spiritual counsel, offering both exhortation and admonition. Notes References Adam Marsh (2006–2010). The Letters of Adam Marsh. Lawrence, C. H. (ed.). 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Creighton, Mandell (1885). "Adam de Marisco" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Lawrence, C. H. (2018). "Adam Marsh at Oxford". In Robson, Michael and Zutshi, P. N. R. (eds.), The Franciscan Order in the Medieval English Province and Beyond. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 159–80.
[ "Mathematics" ]
31,892,666
Forestdale (agency)
Forestdale, Inc. is a non-profit agency that provides foster care, preventive and other family services in New York City. It is located in the Forest Hills section of Queens. Forestdale receives support and oversight from the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS). Forestdale sponsors the Fathering Initiative, a program for fathers who want to take an active role in their children’s lives. The Fathering Initiative provides parenting classes, links to education and job resources, and individual counseling.
Forestdale, Inc. is a non-profit agency that provides foster care, preventive and other family services in New York City. It is located in the Forest Hills section of Queens. Forestdale receives support and oversight from the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS). Forestdale sponsors the Fathering Initiative, a program for fathers who want to take an active role in their children’s lives. The Fathering Initiative provides parenting classes, links to education and job resources, and individual counseling. It is funded by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, with additional support from private foundations, including the National Fatherhood Initiative. History Forestdale is the descendant of the Brooklyn Industrial School Association and Home for Destitute Children, which was founded in 1854. The goal of the Industrial School was to teach poor children basic trade skills. By 1880 the organization ran five separate schools in neighborhoods including Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. In the late 19th century, shifting immigration patterns and the emergence of the public school system led to the closing of the Industrial Schools. The organization changed its name to the Brooklyn Home for Children, and focused on providing residential care for abused and abandoned children. The Brooklyn Home for Children was one of many New York City orphanages to participate in the Orphan Train movement, in which orphaned children were sent to the Western United States, usually to live with rural families.In 1941, the Brooklyn Home for Children was bequeathed a parcel of land in Forest Hills, Queens to construct a five-building residential campus. That same year, the agency launched its foster boarding home program. In 1980, the agency closed its residential program to focus on foster care and adoption and eight years later changed its name to Forestdale. References External links Official website
[ "Health" ]
68,632,682
Time in the Comoros
Time in Comoros is given by a single time zone, officially denoted as East Africa Time (EAT; UTC+03:00). Comoros does not observe daylight saving time.
Time in Comoros is given by a single time zone, officially denoted as East Africa Time (EAT; UTC+03:00). Comoros does not observe daylight saving time. IANA time zone database In the IANA time zone database, Comoros is given one zone in the file zone.tab – Indian/Comoro, which is an alias to Africa/Nairobi. "KM" refers to the country's ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code. Data for Comoros directly from zone.tab of the IANA time zone database; columns marked with * are the columns from zone.tab itself: See also Time in Africa List of time zones by country List of UTC time offsets References External links Current time in Comoros at Time.is Time in Comoros at TimeAndDate.com
[ "Time" ]
303,837
Epidaurus
Epidaurus (Greek: Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city (polis) in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epidaurus, part of the regional unit of Argolis. The seat of the municipality is the town Lygourio. The nearby sanctuary and ancient theatre were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 because of their exemplary architecture and importance in the development and spread of healing sanctuaries and cults across the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
Epidaurus (Greek: Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city (polis) in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epidaurus, part of the regional unit of Argolis. The seat of the municipality is the town Lygourio. The nearby sanctuary and ancient theatre were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 because of their exemplary architecture and importance in the development and spread of healing sanctuaries and cults across the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Name and etymology The name “Epidaurus” is of Greek origin. It was named after the hero Epidauros, son of Apollo. According to Strabo, the city was originally named Ἐπίκαρος (Epíkaros) under the Carians, (Aristotle claimed that Caria, as a naval empire, occupied Epidaurus and Hermione) before taking the name Ἐπίταυρος (Epítauros) when the city was taken by the Ionians and finally becoming Ἐπίδαυρος (Epídauros) after the Dorians conquered the city. Compare the individual elements ἐπί (epí, “upon”), Καρία (Karía, “Carian”), ταῦρος (taûros, “bull”) and Δωριεύς (Dōrieús “Dorian”)/Δωριεῖς (Dōrieîs, “Dorians”). History Epidaurus was independent of Argos and not included in Argolis until the time of the Romans. With its supporting territory, it formed the small territory called Epidauria. It was reputed to be founded by or named for the hero Epidaurus, and to be the birthplace of Apollo's son Asclepius the healer. Sanctuary of Asclepius Epidaurus is best known for its healing sanctuary (asclepieion) and the Sanctuary of Asclepius, situated about five miles (8 km) from the town, with its theatre, which is still in use today. The cult of Asclepius at Epidaurus is attested in the 6th century BC, when the older hill-top sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas was no longer spacious enough. It was the most celebrated healing centre of the Classical world, the place where ill people went in the hope of being cured. To find out the right cure for their ailments, they spent a night in the enkoimeteria, a big sleeping hall. In their dreams, the god himself would advise them what they had to do to regain their health. Within the sanctuary there was a guest house (katagogion) with 160 guest rooms. There are also mineral springs in the vicinity, which may have been used in healing. Asclepius, the most important healer god of antiquity, brought prosperity to the sanctuary, which flourished until the first half of the first century BC, when it suffered extensive damage. It was revived after a visit by Hadrian in AD 124 and enjoyed renewed prosperity in the following centuries.In AD 395 the Goths raided the sanctuary. Even after the introduction of Christianity and the silencing of the oracles, the sanctuary at Epidaurus was still known as late as the mid 5th century as a Christian healing centre. Other buildings The town of Epidaurus had its own theatre which has been excavated since 1990 and found to be well-preserved. Dating from the 4th c. BC it had about 2000 seats. It has been renovated and is open to the public, as part of a scheme to conserve and enhance ancient theatres which has mapped 140 ancient arenas across Greece. Theatre The prosperity brought by the asclepeion enabled Epidaurus to construct civic monuments, including the huge theatre that delighted Pausanias for its symmetry and beauty, used again today for dramatic performances, the ceremonial hestiatoreion (banqueting hall), and a palaestra. The ancient theatre of Epidaurus was designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC. The original 34 rows were extended in Roman times by another 21 rows. As is usual for Greek theatres (and as opposed to Roman ones), the view on a lush landscape behind the skênê is an integral part of the theatre itself and is not to be obscured. It seats up to 14,000 people. The theatre has long had a reputation for its exceptional acoustics, which reportedly allowed almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken words from the proscenium or skēnē to all 14,000 spectators, regardless of their seating, a tale often recounted by tour guides. In-situ measurements, however, somewhat moderate these claims: although most sounds can indeed be noticed throughout, intelligibility is not guaranteed, particularly for voice, which requires good projection, which might not have been a problem for Greek actors, who were reputed experts in this aspect. The acoustic properties are caused both by the physical shape, but also the construction material: the rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds, such as the murmur of the crowd, and also amplify the high-frequency sounds of the stage. Municipality The municipality Epidavros was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following two former municipalities, that became municipal units: Asklipieio EpidavrosThe municipality has an area of 340.442 km2, the municipal unit 160.604 km2. Gallery See also List of ancient Greek cities Callon of Epidaurus References External links Epidaurus UNESCO Listing Epidaurus photos and info How the sanctuary was built -the building inscriptions
[ "Knowledge" ]
63,921,516
Samuel W. Allerton
Samuel Waters Allerton was a businessman who amassed a substantial fortune, primarily through ventures in stockyards and livestock. Allerton was the Republican Party's nominee for Chicago mayor in 1893, losing to Democratic nominee Carter Harrison Sr.
Samuel Waters Allerton was a businessman who amassed a substantial fortune, primarily through ventures in stockyards and livestock. Allerton was the Republican Party's nominee for Chicago mayor in 1893, losing to Democratic nominee Carter Harrison Sr. Early life Allerton was born May 26, 1828, in Amenia, New York, the youngest of nine children of Samuel Waters Allerton Sr., a tailor and woolen mill operator, and his wife Hannah Allerton née Hurd.He was a descendant of Mayflower pilgrims Isaac Allerton and Elder William Brewster. Isaac Allerton married Brewster's daughter Fear, who became the mother of Samuel Allerton's ancestral line. In 1835 when Allerton was seven, his father's woolen mill business failed financially, and the family property was auctioned off. This was reported to be a formative experience in Allerton's life. At the age of twelve, Allerton entered the workforce as a farm hand. The family experienced further financial difficulty as a result of the Panic of 1837 and some members moved as far west as Dubuque, Iowa, but ultimately they settled on a farm in Yates County, New York in 1842.After six years Allerton had saved enough money to buy his parents a farm near Newark, New York, and they moved there. Adult life and career With his oldest brother Henry, Allerton rented and purchased farms, netting profits from them, and became a small-time livestock trader. He increased his involvement in livestock and made money in a venture transporting livestock over land after a break occurred in the rail line between Erie, Pennsylvania and Dunkirk, New York.Allerton then moved west, ending up in Fulton County, Illinois where he raised cattle for a year. He moved his livestock operations to Chicago in 1860, opening up Allerton Swine Yards at the terminus of the Hudson River Railroad.On July 2, 1860 Allerton wed Pamilla Wigdon Thompson in Peoria, Illinois. She was the oldest daughter of wealthy cattle farmers Asler and Berintha Thompson who lived near Canton in Fulton County. The Allertons moved into the Orient House, a Chicago boardinghouse. They soon bought a house at 644 Michigan Avenue and lived there until 1879 when they moved to 1936 Prairie Avenue. The Prairie Avenue house had been built for Daniel M. Thompson in 1869, and the Allerton family owned it until it was demolished in 1915. On June 10, 1863, their daughter Katharine ″Kate″ Reinette Allerton was born.In 1863 Allerton was a co-founder of the First National Bank of Chicago. For many years, he served as the bank's director, and he continued to hold a financial interest his entire life.In 1864, Allerton was a key partner in the founding of the Pittsburgh Joint Stock Yards and he was a leader in the push to consolidate Chicago's railroad stockyards into the Union Stock Yards in 1865. He led a group that invested $1 million to construct the St. Louis National Stockyards in 1871 and also invested in stockyards located in Baltimore, Jersey City, St. Joseph, Missouri, and Omaha.On March 20, 1873, Allerton and his wife Pamilla had their second child, a son named Robert Allerton. A series of three oil paintings of the family by Henry H. Cross (1837−1918) in 1879 showed Samuel and Pamilla in a horse−drawn sleigh, Samuel and Robert in the sleigh, and Robert on his black pony.Allerton was involved in the creation of the city's first cable car line.Allerton was widowed on March 15, 1880, when Pamilla died of scarlet fever. On March 15, 1882, he married Pamilla's youngest sister, Agnes C. Thompson. Agnes was 24 at the time of their wedding, whilst Allerton was 53. While he and Agnes never had any children of their own, Agnes acted as a mother and mentor in the arts to Allerton's young son Robert, who was both her stepson and nephew. Politically, Allerton was a strong conservative Republican. In 1893 he was the Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago. Allerton died on February 22, 1914, at the Allerton winter home in South Pasadena, California. Allerton's death was caused by diabetes from which he had long suffered. He is buried with his wives Pamilla and Agnes in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Wealth and property By the turn of the twentieth century, Allerton was among Chicago's wealthiest men. At one point, he was ranked by the Chicago Tribune as the third-wealthiest man in Chicago, behind only Marshall Field and J. Ogden Armour. He was also a regular presence on Chicago's society pages.Allerton owned a private Pullman railcar.In addition to the residence on Chicago's prestigious Prairie Avenue the Allerton family maintained a summer home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin called The Folly and a Mission style winter home in South Pasadena, California.Allerton owned stockyards and farms throughout the Midwestern United States. He owned over 40,000 acres of farmland in Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio.At one point, he was a well known breeder of horses for harness racing. References Sources Bowman, David. ″Samuel W. Allerton (1828−1914)″ Proceedings of The Allerton Legacy Symposium. Robert Allerton Park, Monticello, Illinois May 22, 1981. Burgin, Martha and Maureen Holtz (2009) Robert Allerton, the Private Man and the Public Gifts. Champaign: The News−Gazette, Inc. ISBN 978-0-9798420-7-8 Rotenstein, David S. "Hudson River Cowboys: The Origins of Modern Livestock Shipping". The Hudson Valley Regional Review. Poughkeepsie, New York. Volume 19, number 1.
[ "Economy" ]
55,947,269
Jack Watkins Reserve
Jack Watkins Reserve is a park in the Australian state of South Australia situated adjacent to the Islington Railway Workshops in the suburb of Kilburn within the local government area of City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The park was named after Jack Watkins, a union organiser and former president of The Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia who successfully lobbied to remove asbestos and other toxic contaminants from the railway site and adjacent properties. The park was opened in late August 2003 as a tribute to the large number of former railway workers who succumbed to asbestos-related diseases while working at the yard.The park contains a memorial walkway leading to a central memorial featuring four pillars, inscribed Tough Times, Strength, mates and ratbags. The park also contains a playground, public murals, barbecue facilities and a dog park. A memorial service is held each year in the park on 24 November to honour the victims of asbestos related disease.On 25 November 2016, the day after Asbestos Victims Memorial Day, the park was shut indefinitely due to eight pieces of asbestos being found, risking a health hazard to members of the public.
Jack Watkins Reserve is a park in the Australian state of South Australia situated adjacent to the Islington Railway Workshops in the suburb of Kilburn within the local government area of City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The park was named after Jack Watkins, a union organiser and former president of The Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia who successfully lobbied to remove asbestos and other toxic contaminants from the railway site and adjacent properties. The park was opened in late August 2003 as a tribute to the large number of former railway workers who succumbed to asbestos-related diseases while working at the yard.The park contains a memorial walkway leading to a central memorial featuring four pillars, inscribed Tough Times, Strength, mates and ratbags. The park also contains a playground, public murals, barbecue facilities and a dog park. A memorial service is held each year in the park on 24 November to honour the victims of asbestos related disease.On 25 November 2016, the day after Asbestos Victims Memorial Day, the park was shut indefinitely due to eight pieces of asbestos being found, risking a health hazard to members of the public. Mayor Gary Johanson stated that "someone deliberately went and seeded the reserve with asbestos particles". The park has since been decontaminated and reopened while a full investigation is underway See also List of Adelaide parks and gardens == References ==
[ "Geography" ]
46,645,822
Joanna Cherry
Joanna Catherine Cherry (born 18 March 1966) is a Scottish politician and lawyer serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh South West since 2015. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was the party's Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice in the House of Commons from 2015 to 2021.
Joanna Catherine Cherry (born 18 March 1966) is a Scottish politician and lawyer serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh South West since 2015. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was the party's Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice in the House of Commons from 2015 to 2021. Education and early career Cherry was born on 18 March 1966 to Mary Margaret (née Haslette) and Thomas Alastair Cherry. She was educated at Holy Cross primary school, then at St Margaret's Convent School in Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh.Following her graduation, Cherry worked as a research assistant with the Scottish Law Commission (1990) before practising as a solicitor with the Edinburgh legal firm Brodies WS until 1995. She also worked as a part-time tutor in constitutional law, family law and civil court practice at the University of Edinburgh from 1990 to 1996.Cherry was admitted as an advocate in 1995, with a particular interest in employment and industrial relations, health and safety, mental health, personal injury and professional negligence.She served as a Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Government from 2003 to 2008, and as an Advocate Depute and Senior Advocate Depute from 2008 until 2011. She was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 2009 (becoming a King's Counsel on the death of Elizabeth II) and was an advocate with the Arnot Manderson stable within the Faculty of Advocates until her election to parliament. Political career 2014 independence referendum Cherry set up the "Lawyers for Yes" group, which campaigned for a "Yes" (pro-independence) vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. 2015 election to Westminster In February 2015, she was adopted as the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate for Edinburgh South West in the May 2015 United Kingdom general election, winning the seat, previously held by former Chancellor Alistair Darling with a majority of over 8,000. Following her election, Cherry was appointed as the SNP spokesperson for Justice and Home Affairs at Westminster.In September 2016, she issued an apology after defending a comedy rap group Witsherface performance at a pro-independence event that had been criticised as homophobic. The performance had called Conservative leader Ruth Davidson "Dykey' D" and had portrayed her making her inappropriate comments towards SNP MP Mhairi Black.In May 2017, Cherry apologised for telling journalists that a nurse, who had told a TV debate audience she had been unable to survive on her salary and had to use food banks, was suspected to be the wife of a Conservative councillor. False claims about Claire Austin were retweeted by other SNP politicians and the nurse experienced online and offline harassment. 2017-9 Parliament She held her seat in the June 2017 general election although with a reduced majority of just over 1,000 votes, making her seat the most marginal in Edinburgh at the time. Following the election, she came second to Ian Blackford by a few votes to succeed Angus Robertson as SNP Westminster group leader.In October 2017, she was an observer at the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.In May 2019, executives from Facebook and Twitter appeared before the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, of which Cherry was a member, and faced accusations over the way they handled abuse and harassment of parliamentarians on social media. Cherry cited several abusive tweets, that were not removed swiftly by Twitter, something the company's head of UK government, public policy and philanthropy, Katy Minshall, described as "absolutely an undesirable situation". Following the meeting, Cherry received police protection whilst attending her constituency surgery, having received a death threat sent via social media.Following a High Court ruling in May 2019, in favour of The Daily Telegraph, The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority released figures confirming that 377 MPs had had their parliamentary credit cards suspended for "late, incomplete or incorrect expenses claims since 2015". Cherry was included on that list, with the paper reporting that she had had her official credit card repeatedly suspended for failing to repay money on time.On 11 May 2019 The Times reported that Cherry was being investigated by the House of Commons over bullying complaints from four former employees. Cherry rejected the allegations, and alleged that they were part of a politically motivated 'smear' campaign, from those within the SNP ranks who opposed her and her views. One former staff member took the complaint forward, alleging that Cherry both condoned bullying by her office manager and partook in bullying behaviour herself. Cherry was exonerated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and given leave to issue a statement to that effect – "I'm pleased to be able to advise that I have been exonerated after an independent investigation into complaints that I had either condoned or been engaged in bullying within my constituency office. As I predicted, the allegations have not been upheld."Cherry was the leading litigant in the Scottish court case challenging the five-week prorogation of Parliament by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Her case Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland, together with a case brought in England and Wales by Gina Miller, was ultimately successful in the Supreme Court, resulting in the quashing of the prorogation on 24 September 2019. 2019 election-onwards Cherry was re-elected as MP for Edinburgh South West in the 2019 general election, with an increased majority of nearly 12,000.In February 2020, Cherry announced that she was seeking nomination from the SNP Edinburgh Central constituency branch to run as the candidate for Edinburgh Central in the Scottish Parliament and would stand down as an MP in the House of Commons if elected. Angus Robertson also announced his intention to seek nomination for the Edinburgh Central constituency. In July 2020, Cherry announced she was ruling out a bid for Holyrood, stating that the conditions for standing as an MSP were unreasonable and made a fair contest involving her "impossible".Cherry was sacked from the SNP's front bench on 1 February 2021 by the party leadership. Cherry tweeted: "Despite hard work, results and a strong reputation I've been sacked today from the SNP front bench." The party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: "Team working and cooperation are key to ensure results and this reshuffle will give us a strong team to take us forward." An SNP spokesman said in a statement: "Joanna Cherry was removed from the front bench because of unacceptable behaviour, which did not meet the standards expected of a front bench spokesperson – not because of the views she holds."On 21 February 2021, Cherry was criticised by the Scottish branch of PEN International for her attempts to silence critics who questioned her by threatening defamation action. After Cherry disputed she had taken legal action, letters from her solicitors on her behalf were published. Jo Maugham, with whom she had worked on the legal challenge over Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament, said "Because defending defamation proceedings is so expensive, a well-funded claimant can bully critics into silence and, by marking the threats 'confidential', suppress transparency over the fact they are doing so. This feels profoundly wrong to me."On 26 March 2021, Cherry announced that she would step back from her public duties for health reasons. On 10 May 2021, following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, she began a gradual return to her public activities. On 31 May 2021, she resigned from the SNP national executive committee.In July 2022, Cherry was elected as the chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, having previously served as the deputy chair. She was covering for Harriet Harman, who temporarily stepped down to chair the Privileges Committee during its investigation into Boris Johnson, and returned to the deputy role after the investigation concluded.During the 2023 SNP leadership contest, Cherry was the only SNP parliamentarian to endorse Ash Regan, and introduced her at her campaign launch. On 13 February, Cherry called for SNP chief executive Peter Murrell—husband of outgoing party leader Nicola Sturgeon—to step down during the contest. He stepped down on 17 March over a dispute around publication of membership numbers.In July 2023 Cherry appeared in court to address what she described as "frightening threats", as her chief of staff, Fraser Thomson, said: "I took it to be a very serious attempt on Joanna Cherry's life." A 23-year-old woman was cleared of threatening her, as the judge found reasonable doubt that the tweet "STG I am gonna pop Joanna Cherry", in reply to a newspaper article on her, was grossly offensive, or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character. Electoral history Political positions Scottish independence Cherry supports both Scottish independence and a proposed second Scottish independence referendum. She has been described as a more hardline supporter of independence, advocating a less cautious approach towards holding a second referendum than Nicola Sturgeon, including the holding a referendum even if the Scottish government could not come to an agreement with the British government over such a referendum. She has stated that she believes emulating the Irish First Dáil could be a path forward for the Scottish independence movement, stating that "One hundred years ago, Irish independence came about not as a result of a referendum but as a result of a treaty negotiated between Irish parliamentarians and the British Government after nationalist MPs had won the majority of Irish seats in the 1918 general election and withdrawn to form a provisional government in Dublin." She has additionally denied that she advocates for illegally holding a referendum. Political parties In 2015 Cherry said that as a teenager, she wanted to be a Labour MP. She was very involved with Labour Students while at university, a contemporary of Douglas Alexander. She remained in the Labour Party after graduation, before becoming disillusioned in their lack of action on home rule and insufficient opposition to the Poll tax. She started voting for the SNP "in the mid 90s before joining the party in 2008".After her lack of inclusion in Ian Blackford's front bench in 2021, she spoke of approaches from that party for her to defect, saying "“I've had approaches from people in the Labour Party and people in the Alba party". She added: “If I lived in England, I would definitely be a member of the Labour Party. I have a great affection for the Labour Party". Alex Salmond She has long admired Alex Salmond, describing him after her election as "the person I most admire in my political life by a mile." During the Alex Salmond scandal concerning accusations of sexual harassment against former SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond, Cherry was described as one of his allies in the party and a critic of current SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon. Before the trial, Cherry told Holyrood that "Alex is my friend, and I was brought up to stand by my friends. It's the kind of family I come from. Alex is clear that he's innocent and I respect that." In March 2020, after Salmond was acquitted in court, she called for a public inquiry into the SNP's handling of the accusations against him. She later called for him to be reinstated to the party. In February 2021, she called for the government to release documents which Salmond claimed proved that Sturgeon and her allies had conspired against him.In March 2021, when Salmond formed the Alba Party, she denied speculation that she would be defecting along with him. Foreign policy In October 2021, Cherry criticised the Biden administration's actions during the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Fall of Kabul, and urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to help the refugees fleeing the Taliban. European Union Cherry supported Remain during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum and has supported an independent Scotland joining the European Union. In March 2019, she announced she would be proposing a motion to force the government to revoke Article 50 if the UK was due to leave in a No Deal Brexit on 10 April that year.In July 2020, she called for the SNP to stop fighting against Brexit, stating that "we lost the battle and Brexit is now an irreversible reality." Position on transgender rights Cherry has opposed proposed reforms of the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland which would allow transgender people to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate on the basis of a statutory declaration, replacing the current system that requires interview by a panel and medical reports. She signed the SNP Women's Pledge, which originated amongst members of the SNP but is not affiliated with it and which opposes the reforms.Cherry has denied accusations of transphobia, stating that she approaches the issue "as a feminist" and that there was a "big dose of misogyny" in debates over Gender Recognition Act reform. She said that the statement "women don't have penises" is an "undeniable biological fact". She has stated that she has faced abuse over her position and that sections of the SNP with opposing views have "engaged in performative histrionics redolent of the Salem witch trials".In January 2021, she supported an amendment to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 that would have exempted "criticism of matters relating to transgender identity" from violating provisions relating to protected characteristics in the bill. Later that month, she was criticised by SNP colleague Kirsty Blackman, after attacking and threatening to sue the party's LGBT wing, who had been critical of her defence of Sarah Phillimore, who had been banned from Twitter for allegedly making transphobic and antisemitic statements. In June, she signalled her support for For Women Scotland campaigner Marion Millar, who was charged under the Malicious Communications Act 1988, with a hate-crime aggravator, for allegedly transphobic and homophobic social media posts. Later that month, Cherry announced that she was returning to the bar to defend Millar in court. The case was subsequently dropped by prosecutors.Writing in The National in June 2021, Cherry stated that some veteran members of the LGBT+ community no longer felt welcome at Pride events due to their views on transgender rights, claimed that LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall's workplace inclusion schemes misrepresent the law, and stated her belief that "many same-sex attracted women and those who hold gender-critical beliefs have found themselves in a relationship of coercive control with employers, service providers and membership organisations". In response a letter to the editor was published in the National, from the Director of LGBT charity Equality Network, Tim Hopkins, disputing Cherry's position.In November 2021, Cherry was accused of "justifying conversion therapy" for transgender people after she tweeted that a ban on conversion therapy "must not make it a criminal offence for therapists to try to help patients with gender dysphoria to feel comfortable in their birth sex". In the days following her comments the SNP's official LGBTQ+ wing, Out for Independence, and SNP Students both called for party leadership to remove the whip from Cherry, and for an independent investigation into transphobia in the SNP. When her position was criticised by the Equality Network, one of Scotland's national LGBTI charities, Cherry called for a Scottish Government investigation into the charity and for Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, to make it clear to the charity that its behaviour was inappropriate for a government-funded organisation.In August 2022, in a public letter to Jason Leitch, the national clinical director for the Scottish government, Cherry argued that trans young people "must be treated like any other children with psychological problems" and called for Scotland's only gender identity clinic to be closed. In October 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that, with fellow "gender critical" parliamentarians Rosie Duffield and Anne Jenkin, Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, she was setting up a cross-party "biology policy unit", "to help ensure policies across the public sector that are based on gender identity theory are documented and scrutinised".In May 2023, The Stand Comedy Club cancelled a proposed event by Cherry, who compared the cancellation to actions by the Stasi. The Stand reversed the cancellation when Cherry threatened to make a legal claim against them for discrimination in respect of her "gender-critical" beliefs." Following her Stand appearance that August, Cherry said that she felt "palpable hostility" from staff working the event, saying "Stand staff saw fit to continue the unlawful harassment of me on account of my sexuality and beliefs". The manager of the event said "[as] one of only four people she dealt with on the day (only two of them staff of the Stand) I am very surprised at this. It was not raised at the event and cannot imagine what she is talking about." Personal life Cherry lists her personal interests as travel, reading and swimming. She is a lesbian. References External links Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom Contributions in Parliament at Hansard Voting record at Public Whip Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou Joanna Cherry on Twitter Profile on SNP website Appearances on C-SPAN
[ "Information" ]
8,927,403
Rooster's Brewery
Rooster's Brewing Co. is a family-owned brewery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The Rooster's brewery was established by Sean and Alison Franklin in 1993. In 2011, the Franklins sold the brewery to Ian Fozard and his sons Tom and Oliver.
Rooster's Brewing Co. is a family-owned brewery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The Rooster's brewery was established by Sean and Alison Franklin in 1993. In 2011, the Franklins sold the brewery to Ian Fozard and his sons Tom and Oliver. Outlaw Brewing Co Outlaw Brewing Co is a subsidiary label of Rooster's Brewery. Under this name, the company makes experimental and seasonal beers. Awards Rooster Brewing has received awards at the following competitions or trade shows: 2005 Brewing Industry International Awards 2006 World Beer Cup 2015 International Brewing Awards 2017 International Brewing Awards 2018 SIBA National Beer Awards 2019 SIBA National Beer Awards 2020 SIBA National Beer Awards 2021 International Brewing Awards References External links Official website of Rooster's Brewery
[ "Food_and_drink" ]
37,020,601
List of dams and reservoirs in Arizona
Following is a list of dams and reservoirs in Arizona. All major dams are linked below. The National Inventory of Dams defines any "major dam" as being 50 feet (15 m) tall with a storage capacity of at least 5,000 acre-feet (6,200,000 m3), or of any height with a storage capacity of 25,000 acre-feet (31,000,000 m3).
Following is a list of dams and reservoirs in Arizona. All major dams are linked below. The National Inventory of Dams defines any "major dam" as being 50 feet (15 m) tall with a storage capacity of at least 5,000 acre-feet (6,200,000 m3), or of any height with a storage capacity of 25,000 acre-feet (31,000,000 m3). Dams and reservoirs in Arizona This list is incomplete. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.Alamo Dam, Alamo Lake, United States Army Corps of Engineers Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam, Steel Dam Reservoir, privately owned Bartlett Dam, Bartlett Lake, United States Bureau of Reclamation Cave Buttes Dam, Cave Creek Reservoir, Flood Control District of Maricopa County Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Facilities, Stehr Lake, privately owned Coolidge Dam, San Carlos Lake, United States Bureau of Indian Affairs Davis Dam, Lake Mohave, USBR Gillespie Dam, unnamed reservoir, privately owned Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, USBR Granite Basin Dam, Granite Basin Lake, United States Forest Service Granite Reef Diversion Dam, unnamed reservoir of the Salt River, USBR Headgate Rock Dam, unnamed reservoir, Flood Control District of Maricopa County Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, USBR Horse Mesa Dam, Apache Lake, USBR Horseshoe Dam, Horseshoe Lake, USBR Imperial Dam, Imperial Reservoir, USBR Laguna Diversion Dam, unnamed reservoir of the Colorado River, USBR (on California border) Lyman Dam, Lyman Reservoir, privately owned Morelos Dam, unnamed reservoir of the Colorado River, International Boundary and Water Commission (on Mexican border) Mormon Flat Dam, Canyon Lake, USBR New Cornelia Tailings Dam, largest US dam by volume, privately owned New Waddell Dam, Lake Pleasant, USBR Painted Rock Dam, Painted Rock Reservoir, USACE Palo Verde Dam, diversion dam on the Colorado River, USBR Parker Dam, Lake Havasu, USBR Stewart Mountain Dam, Saguaro Lake, USBR Theodore Roosevelt Dam, Theodore Roosevelt Lake, USBR == References ==
[ "Lists" ]
67,484,751
Seizansō
The Seizansō (西山荘), also known as the Nishiyama Goten (西山御殿) was the retirement villa of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second daimyō of Mito Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. It is located in the city of Hitachiōta, Ibaraki. The villa was designated a National Historic Site and its gardens a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2007.
The Seizansō (西山荘), also known as the Nishiyama Goten (西山御殿) was the retirement villa of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second daimyō of Mito Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. It is located in the city of Hitachiōta, Ibaraki. The villa was designated a National Historic Site and its gardens a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2007. Overview The Seizansō villa was constructed in 1690, and was the residence of Tokugawa Mitsukuni from 1691 unto his death in 1700. It was at this location that he gathered a number of history scholars from around Japan to compile the Dai Nihonshi, a history of Japan, which was not finished until 15 years after his death. The villa burned down in 1817, but was rebuilt in 1819 by the 8th daimyō of Mito Domain, Tokugawa Narinobu. Currently it is managed as part of the "Tokugawa Museum", a foundation controlled by the former Tokugawa clan, and is open to the public as a museum. The building is a one-story structure with a thatch roof. The interior has rough walls, which reflects Tokugawa Mitsukuni's dislike for any form of ostentation. Outside the main structure is a smaller samurai residence for use by his guards and a Japanese garden. Gallery See also List of Historic Sites of Japan (Ibaraki) References External links Media related to Seizansō at Wikimedia Commons Official Home page (in Japanese) Hitachiōta home page (in Japanese)
[ "Time" ]
303,514
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and the supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications. Today, the company is probably best known abroad for its development/industrialisation and production of the first passive IR homing anti-ship missile of the western world, the Penguin, starting delivery in the early 1970s (when Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was part of KONGSBERG's predecessor Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk). As of 2021, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace had 3,500 employees. Space related activities are conducted within Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace's Space & Surveillance division and Kongsberg Satellite Services. Notable space related products from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace are the Booster Attachment and Release Mechanisms for ESA's Ariane 5.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and the supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications. Today, the company is probably best known abroad for its development/industrialisation and production of the first passive IR homing anti-ship missile of the western world, the Penguin, starting delivery in the early 1970s (when Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was part of KONGSBERG's predecessor Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk). As of 2021, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace had 3,500 employees. Space related activities are conducted within Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace's Space & Surveillance division and Kongsberg Satellite Services. Notable space related products from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace are the Booster Attachment and Release Mechanisms for ESA's Ariane 5. In the early 1990s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was involved with NASA's JPL and Germany's DASA in software development of the test/checkout system, as well as spacecraft hardware production, for the NASA/ESA Cassini-Huygens space probe. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has also delivered the Solar Array Drive Mechanism for ESA's Rosetta space probe. On 22 November 2008 Norwegian Minister of Defence Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen opened a new Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace plant that will produce parts for the aircraft recently chosen as Norway's future fighter, the F-35 Lightning II. Owners and ownership in other companies It is fully owned by Kongsberg Gruppen ASA (a company majority ownered by Norway's government.)Its subsidiaries are Kongsberg Spacetec AS, Kongsberg Hungaria Kft, Kongsberg Norcontrol AS, Kongsberg Defence Corp., Kongsberg Defence Oy, Kongsberg Defence Sp. Z.O.O., Kongsberg Gallium Ltd., and Kongsberg Defence Ltd. Co.It owns 50% of Kongsberg Satellite Services AS, and 77% of Kongsberg NanoAvionics AUB. Toshiba-Kongsberg affair In 1987, Toshiba Machine, a subsidiary of Toshiba, was accused of illegally selling CNC milling machines used to produce very quiet submarine propellers to the Soviet Union in violation of the CoCom agreement, an international embargo on certain countries to COMECON countries. The Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal involved a subsidiary of Toshiba and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. The incident strained relations between the United States and Japan, and resulted in the arrest and prosecution of two senior executives, as well as the imposition of sanctions on the company by both countries. Products Integrated Director Group (IDG) – radar system for target acquisition Penguin – passive heat seeking anti-ship missile Naval Strike Missile (NSM) – anti-ship missile with passive imaging heat seeker. Launched from ships and land vehicles. Joint Strike Missile (JSM) – sea- and land targets missile, launched from aircraft Trainers and simulators for different systems Mechanic and optomechanic for spaceships Protector (RWS) EriTac – tactical communication Multi Rolle Radio (MRR) – field radios ComBatt – A system for battlefield administration Encryption Devices NORTaC-C2IS – command- and control systems for tactical operations in the army Composite Materials MSI-90 uboat system – command and arms control for submarines MSI 2005F – system for anti-submarine warfare, for use on frigates Senit 2000 – command system for Hauk-class MTBs MICOS – mine hunting and minesweeping Kongsberg Mission Planning System (KAMP) – tactical system for naval operations Minesniper – Remote mine destroyer SLAMRAAM – surface-to-air AIM-120 air defense missiles, both as a separate system in NASAMS and integrated with HAWK GBADOC – ground-based airspace control Software for E3A AWACS NASAMS 1-3 Super Sonic Strike Missile (3SM) Tyrfing See also Aviation in Norway References External links Official website
[ "Science" ]
2,824,791
Punisher: War Zone
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 vigilante action-thriller film based on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher, directed by Lexi Alexander. Rather than a sequel to 2004's The Punisher, the film is a reboot that follows the war waged by vigilante Frank Castle / Punisher (Ray Stevenson) on crime and corruption, in particular on the disfigured mob boss known as Billy "Jigsaw" Russotti (Dominic West). It is the third feature film adaptation of The Punisher, the second reboot thereof and the first of two films to be produced under the Marvel Knights production banner, which focuses on films for mature audiences. Punisher: War Zone was released in North America by Lionsgate on December 5, 2008, and it was released in the United Kingdom by Sony Pictures Releasing on February 6, 2009 to negative reviews and grossed $10 million worldwide, making it a box-office bomb. Its related soundtrack hit the #23 slot on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 vigilante action-thriller film based on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher, directed by Lexi Alexander. Rather than a sequel to 2004's The Punisher, the film is a reboot that follows the war waged by vigilante Frank Castle / Punisher (Ray Stevenson) on crime and corruption, in particular on the disfigured mob boss known as Billy "Jigsaw" Russotti (Dominic West). It is the third feature film adaptation of The Punisher, the second reboot thereof and the first of two films to be produced under the Marvel Knights production banner, which focuses on films for mature audiences. Punisher: War Zone was released in North America by Lionsgate on December 5, 2008, and it was released in the United Kingdom by Sony Pictures Releasing on February 6, 2009 to negative reviews and grossed $10 million worldwide, making it a box-office bomb. Its related soundtrack hit the #23 slot on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. It was the final Punisher film to be produced by an outside studio before the rights reverted to Marvel Studios, with Stevenson reprising his role as Castle in The Super Hero Squad Show. A television series was later released on Netflix in 2017 and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plot Having lost his family to mob violence, former Force Recon Marine Frank Castle has spent the last five years as a vigilante known as the Punisher. Castle assaults a party for local Don Gaitano Cesare, and kills him and the guests. Cesare's caporegime Billy "The Beaut" Russotti escapes to his recycling plant hideout, and Detectives Martin Soap and Saffiotti, who were staking out the party, inform Castle. Castle infiltrates Russoti's hideout, and after a brief firefight, Russoti is thrown into a glass-crushing machine that leaves him hideously disfigured. Russoti later refers to himself as "Jigsaw" because the stitches in his face resemble puzzle pieces. Castle, who takes cover behind the body of Nicky Donatelli, discovers that Donatelli was actually an undercover FBI agent. Agent Paul Budiansky, the deceased agent's partner, joins the NYPD's "Punisher Task Force", partnering with Soap to help bring Castle to justice. Meanwhile, Jigsaw frees his deranged and cannibalistic brother, "Loony Bin Jim". Distraught over killing the agent, Castle unsuccessfully attempts to make reparations to Donatelli's wife, Angela, and daughter, Grace. He considers retiring, but his armorer Microchip makes him reconsider after telling him that Jigsaw will go after Donatelli's family for revenge. Jigsaw, Loony Bin Jim and their two henchmen, Ink and Pittsy, break into Donatelli's house and hold the family hostage. The Punisher tracks down Maginty, a known associate of Jigsaw, executing him after extracting the information before Budiansky and Soap apprehend him. Castle tells him that Jigsaw went after Donatelli's family, and Budiansky sends a police car to check on the Donatelli residence, intending to turn the Punisher in. When the patrol car fails to respond, Budiansky checks on the house, where Ink and Pittsy capture him. Soap frees the Punisher, who kills both Ink and Pittsy before leading Angela and Grace away. Budiansky then arrests Jigsaw and Loony Bin Jim after a short gunfight. Jigsaw and his brother bargain with the FBI for their release by giving up Cristu Bulat, who was smuggling in a biological weapon destined for Arab terrorists in Queens, New York. The brothers are granted immunity, plus the US$12 million Bulat was paying to use Jigsaw's port, and a file on Micro. They take Micro hostage, killing his mother in the process. They once again take the Donatellis hostage, after critically injuring Micro's associate Carlos, whom Castle had left to protect them. Castle later arrives at the hideout, and kills Carlos, after Carlos asks him to not let him "die like this". Jigsaw sets himself up in the Bradstreet Hotel, putting together a small army of gangsters desiring vengeance against the Punisher. Castle enlists the help of Budiansky, who informs Cristu's father, Tiberiu Bulat, about Jigsaw's location. Tiberiu's enforcers start a shootout in the hotel lobby, affording Castle a distraction. Castle enters through a second-floor window, leading to a firefight with Jigsaw's hired guns. Afterward, Castle engages Loony Bin Jim in solo combat; realizing that he will probably not survive the brawl, Jim flees. Castle chases and confronts both him and Jigsaw, who are holding Micro and Grace at gunpoint. Jigsaw gives Castle a choice: If Frank shoots Micro, Jigsaw will let the others go free. Micro bravely offers his life to save the girl, but Castle chooses to shoot Loony Bin Jim instead. As a result, Jigsaw kills Micro. Enraged, Castle attacks Jigsaw, eventually impaling him with a metal rod and throwing him onto a fire, telling him: "This is just the beginning." Outside, Angela forgives Castle, who bids farewell to Budiansky and the Donatelli family. As Castle and Soap leave together, Soap tries to convince Castle to give up his vigilante status after having "killed every criminal in town." Soap changes his mind when he is held up by a murderous mugger, who quickly becomes another victim of the Punisher. Cast Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle / The Punisher: Prior to filming, Stevenson read every possible issue of the Punisher MAX series, underwent endurance, martial arts, and weapons training with former Force Recon Marines and film fight choreographer Pat Johnson. Wayne Knight as Linus Lieberman / Microchip: Armorer to the Punisher. Colin Salmon as FBI Agent Paul Budiansky: Former partner of Nicky Donatelli. Based on an NYPD officer of the same name in the Punisher story arc "Widowmaker". Doug Hutchison as James Russoti / "Loony Bin Jim" / "LBJ": A chemically imbalanced, cannibalistic, psychopath whose veins practically flow with adrenaline and testosterone, leaving him in a constant state of homicidal mania that he alleviates by going on periodical killing sprees. Dominic West as Billy "The Beaut" Russoti / Jigsaw: A vain and image-obsessed Mafia killer. By killing off the established gangsters, Punisher creates the opportunity for Jigsaw to become a boss. Paddy Considine was considered for the role of Jigsaw in the film, but the offer was retracted and given to West who had previously turned it down. Dash Mihok as Detective Martin Soap: Head detective of the "Punisher Task Force". Romano Orzari as FBI Agent Nicky Donatelli: An undercover FBI agent attached to Russoti whose death is the catalyst for the events in the story. Julie Benz as Angela Donatelli: Nicky's wife Stephanie Janusauskas as Grace Donatelli: Nicky's daughter Larry Day as FBI Senior Agent Miller Ron Lea as Captain Ross T. J. Storm as Maginty: Leader of an Urban Freeflow gang. Maginty comes from the Punisher story arc "Kitchen Irish" and is an Irish gangster. Bjanka Murgel as Amy Candy: The girlfriend of Jigsaw. Mark Camacho as Carmine "Pittsy" Gazzera: One of Jigsaw's henchmen, and Ink's father. One of two henchmen originating from the Punisher story arc "In the Beginning". Keram Malicki-Sánchez as "Ink" Gazzera: One of Jigsaw's henchmen, and Pittsy's son. One of two henchmen originating from the Punisher story arc "In the Beginning". Carlos Gonzalez-Vio as Carlos Cruz: Former Latin Kings gangbanger who allied with Micro and effectively Punisher. David Vadim as Cristu Bulat: One of multiple villains originating from the Punisher story arc "The Slavers". Aubert Pallascio as Tiberiu Bulat: Cristu's father. One of multiple villains originating from the Punisher story arc "The Slavers". Production Development In February 2004, two months prior to The Punisher's theatrical debut, Lions Gate Entertainment announced the studio's intent to produce a sequel. Avi Arad, chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios, expressed his interest in developing the franchise, saying that the second film would "become the fifth Marvel property to become a sequel." In March, the director of the first film, Jonathan Hensleigh, said that he was interested in working with Thomas Jane again for The Punisher 2. In April, Jane said that the villain for The Punisher 2 would be Jigsaw. In November, Jane said that the studio was interested in making a sequel based on successful DVD sales of The Punisher and was developing the preliminary budget for the follow-up.In March 2005, Marvel Studios announced a 2006 theatrical release date for The Punisher 2. In April, Lions Gate Entertainment's CEO, Jon Feltheimer, confirmed at LGF's 2005 fiscal third quarter analyst call that the studio had completed its deal to develop The Punisher 2. Prior to July, Arad revealed that the script was being rewritten and that the sequel would start filming within the year. By July, Jane had put on an additional 12 pounds of muscle, and was hoping for filming to start in late 2006.In March 2006, The Punisher 2 was announced to be produced in Louisiana, being listed in the domestic charter under Louisiana's Secretary of State. In August, Marvel Entertainment revealed a new film slate that included The Punisher 2 on its partial list with production still to be determined. Thomas Jane said that the writer was halfway through a draft and that he believed filming would begin by February 2007. Jane confirmed that the villain Jigsaw, first announced in April 2004, would be in the film. Jane also said that director Jonathan Hensleigh would not be returning to direct the sequel. In addition, Lions Gate Entertainment, amidst the studios returning to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, announced that The Punisher 2 would begin filming within the year. In October, Jane said the script was due in a couple of weeks, and that it would be "darker, bloodier and more unfriendly than the first one." In December, the screenplay was being rewritten by screenwriter Stuart Beattie.It was announced that Kurt Sutter, a writer for The Shield, was involved with the script for The Punisher 2. Sutter said that he had an enjoyable time writing the script for the sequel and that it was going to be very true to the character. In a separate interview, Thomas Jane revealed that a new script had been turned in and everyone was hoping it would work out, as the lack of a good script had been holding up production. He further stated that if everything goes as planned then filming should begin in June or July, but shortly afterward, in a letter to Ain't It Cool News, Jane wrote that he had pulled out of the movie, stating: What I won't do is spend months of my life sweating over a movie that I just don't believe in. I've always loved the Marvel guys, and wish them well. Meanwhile, I'll continue to search for a film that one day might stand with all those films that the fans have asked me to watch. Directing In May 2007, director John Dahl was in talks to direct, but declined, citing a bad script and lack of budget as reasons for passing. In June, it was announced that Lexi Alexander would then take over the role as director as a result. In a December 2008 interview, Alexander revealed that when she first got the Punisher 2 script she passed on the project, but later changed her mind after reading the MAX adult Punisher comics, and getting assurances from Lionsgate that she could give the project a new look and feel – and cast a new actor in the central role of the Punisher. Director Alexander pitched her vision of the film as a throwback to '80s era action films, stating, "I said can we do it like this, and they all said that's exactly what we want to do." Casting On July 21, it was announced that actor Ray Stevenson would play the Punisher in the sequel to the 2004 film. Filming was slated to begin in October 2007 in Montreal. Prior to filming, Stevenson read every available issue of The Punisher MAX, underwent endurance, martial arts, and weapons training with former Force Recon Marines and film fight choreographer Pat Johnson. In August, a working title for the film, The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank, was announced. On August 28, Lionsgate announced that the new working name for The Punisher 2 would be Punisher: War Zone. In mid-September, the director announced cast members joining Stevenson with Dash Mihok as Detective Martin Soap, Colin Salmon as Agent Paul Budiansky, and Doug Hutchison as Loony Bin Jim. It was announced on September 25 via The Hollywood Reporter that Dominic West will star as the main antagonist, Jigsaw, and Wayne Knight will play the Punisher's armorer, Microchip. Paddy Considine was considered for the role of Jigsaw in the film, but the offer was retracted and given to West who had previously turned it down. Freddie Prinze Jr. also auditioned for the role, but was refused by Lionsgate Studios from accepting the part. Filming occurred from October 22 until December 14 in Montreal. Principal photography for Punisher: War Zone was completed on December 27.On February 14, 2008, Sutter officially removed his name from credit arbitration, stating: I took my name off the movie for a few reasons. The obvious reason is because I didn't deserve credit. There was very little of my draft that stayed in the shooting script. The one big one they kept, was the set piece where we see how Russo becomes Jigsaw. It's pretty brutal. Glad they kept that. Music While the film itself was a box office bomb, the soundtrack achieved considerable commercial success, reaching #23 on Billboard's 'Top Independent Albums' chart.An original score to the film was composed by Michael Wandmacher, whose primary focus in making the score was to "create a definitive musical identity for the Punisher. I knew I needed something dark, relentless and muscular, but I also couldn't forget Frank's humanity, his personal torment and deep sadness. So, I approached the job equally as a fan and as a composer." In order to make the character of Frank Castle seem less one dimensional, Wandmacher decided to include snare cadences and powerful, dynamic ostinatos and slowly rising string repetitions to mimic a relentless entity, like an approaching battalion. Creative conflicts The film was set for a September 12, 2008, release, but was pushed back three months to December 5, 2008. A teaser trailer was released on June 12, 2008. On July 25, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News wrote an article claiming that Lexi Alexander had been removed as the film's director. A second trailer was revealed to the public at the San Diego ComicCon on the same day. Alexander did not make an appearance at the convention, which caused speculation from the fans who attended the film's panel to question whether her name had been taken off the film. On August 15, website Latino Review reported that Lionsgate would be editing the film to receive a PG-13 rating. The director of photography, Steve Gainer, later claimed that the film will be "R" and that Alexander is still on board the project. On October 3, IGN confirmed that Alexander was not fired from the movie, based on an official statement they received from Lionsgate. In a December 2008 interview, Alexander confirmed that she had had serious battles with Lionsgate, but denied that she was ever officially off the film. "My name was never off, nor would I want it taken off, nor did I ever get a pink slip. The truth is that we had probably the same discussions that any other film has." Despite the much publicized discourse, Alexander says she is "extremely happy" with the final film: It came at a price, I would say, but I made the film I wanted on the screen. I think personally, in my opinion, it would have been very dangerous to put a compromise on the screen for my own career and for the promises I made to these actors who I talked into joining the film. I don't really care that it was an uphill battle; I'm glad with what's on the screen. In 2015, Alexander regretted that Lionsgate's control over the film resulted in the finished film's quality, stating, Marvel was an equal partner, but unfortunately when there were creative decision conflicts, Marvel would let Lionsgate be the tie breaker. I always regretted that I made a Marvel movie this way, because 99% of their notes were much better than the studios and I was more in tune with them. Alexander also noted that she did not have final cut privilege of the film. Reception Box office On its opening weekend, Punisher: War Zone grossed $4,271,451 in 2,508 theaters in the United States averaging $1,703 and ranking #8 at the box office. The film grossed $8,050,977 domestically, making Punisher: War Zone the lowest-grossing film based on a Marvel Comics property, below Elektra and Howard the Duck. It also grossed $2,049,059 internationally, bringing it to $10,100,036 worldwide, making it a box office bomb against its $35 million budget. Critical response On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 29% of 111 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Punisher: War Zone recalls the excessively violent, dialogue-challenged actioners of the 1980s, and coincidentally feels two decades out of date." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing, "You used to be able to depend on a terrible film being poorly made. No longer. The Punisher: War Zone is one of the best-made bad movies I've seen." He added that the film's only flaw is "that it's disgusting." Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Ray Stevenson's "character could be called the Not-Much-of-a-Learning Curveinator."Edward Porter of the UK's Sunday Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Earning an 18 certificate with its violence, the film is kids' stuff in all other respects: over-the-top shootouts, monstrous and barking-mad villains, a bumbling sidekick and so on. Highly enjoyable tosh." Movie reporter Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that it is the "best Punisher movie by far. The action is satisfying and the dark story is close to the tone of its Marvel Comics source material."Comedian Patton Oswalt was a vocal supporter of the film since its release, calling it "THE BEST time I've had at the movies this year." In October 2011, Oswalt hosted a screening of the film in Los Angeles with director Lexi Alexander, and the two discussed the film with Paul Scheer in episode 20 of his podcast How Did This Get Made? Home media Punisher: War Zone was released on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray on March 17, 2009. It was released on two different versions, a 2-disc special edition with a digital copy, and a standard version featuring both widescreen and fullscreen versions of the film. DVD sales for the film in North America (as of March 2010) was $14,001,953 in revenue from 576,151 units sold. Video game A tie-in PS3 video game, which shares fonts and models from the film, was released on July 2, 2009, via the PlayStation Network. References External links Official site Punisher: War Zone at IMDb Punisher: War Zone at AllMovie Punisher: War Zone at Box Office Mojo Punisher: War Zone at Metacritic Punisher: War Zone at Rotten Tomatoes
[ "Mass_media" ]
60,465,653
Ulink College
Ulink College (Chinese: 领科教育) is an educational information consultancy company founded in Shanghai, China. It consists of one partner school (NCPA) and six full-time international boarding high schools across China. The international high schools offers IGCSE and A-Level courses, and the partner school offers Advanced Placement (AP) course. The partner school and international high schools are all taught in English.
Ulink College (Chinese: 领科教育) is an educational information consultancy company founded in Shanghai, China. It consists of one partner school (NCPA) and six full-time international boarding high schools across China. The international high schools offers IGCSE and A-Level courses, and the partner school offers Advanced Placement (AP) course. The partner school and international high schools are all taught in English. Ulink College, Guangzhou Ulink College Guangzhou was founded in cooperation with South China Normal University (SCNU) in 2004. The school was initially named Ulink College of International Culture of SCNU or SCUN International School. It was initially a part of South China Normal University and located in the Campus of SCNU, Guangzhou, China. Partner School (NCPA) In August 2012, Nansha College Preparatory Academy (NCPA) was opened by this newly formed partnership. NCPA was authorized by College Board to provide teaching and examinations for Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The students in NCPA held Chinese identities and studied in an entirely English environment. Academic Ulink College was the member of International Recruitment Conferences (IRC), initiated by International School Services (ISS). It attended IRC each year to recruit qualified foreign teachers. The general requirements for teacher recruitment are bachelor's degree or above in relevant subjects, a teaching qualification recognized by CAIE, a background in education English and good command of written and oral English. Organization and administration The partner school of Ulink College (NCPA) was under the administration of both Ulink educational group and International Schools Services (ISS). Ulink educational group was responsible for marketing and public and government relations whilst ISS was responsible for the daily operation and management of NCPA, including assessment, instruction, and curriculum. Literature and popular culture Ulink College had an important influence on cross-culture collaboration in China. Its collaboration with International Schools Services that formed Nansha College Preparatory Academy represented a new way that foreign curriculum programs could take roots in China.Ulink College regarded exchange programs as one of its popular internal cultures. The intramural exchange programs offers Ulink's students the opportunities to immerse themselves in different cultures and strengthen their adaptability to various cultures.The campus of Ulink College Guangzhou and Nansha College Preparatory Academy was the main filming place of "We Roared Past Youth (Chinese: 那场呼啸而过的青春) ", an online drama of campus of youth theme. The drama was produced by Le Vision Pictures (Levp) in 2017, Quanwei Liu as the director, and was broadcast exclusively on Le.com (Chinese: 乐视网) in June of the same year. == References ==
[ "Education" ]
13,185,426
Chōshō
Chōshō (長承) was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,, lit. "year name") after Tenshō and before Hōen. This period spanned the years from August 1132 through November 1135. The reigning emperor was Sutoku-tennō (崇徳天皇).
Chōshō (長承) was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,, lit. "year name") after Tenshō and before Hōen. This period spanned the years from August 1132 through November 1135. The reigning emperor was Sutoku-tennō (崇徳天皇). Change of Era January 20, 1132 Chōshō gannen (長承元年): The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in Tenshō 2, on the 11th day of the 8th month of 1132. Events of the Chōshō Era 1132 (Chōshō 1, 1st month): Fujiwara no Tadasane received a sign of the emperor's favor. 1132 (Chōshō 1, 3rd month): The former-Emperor Toba decided to build himself a palace; and Taira-no Tadamori was placed in charge of its construction. When the project was completed, Tadamori was rewarded by being named governor of the island of Tsushima. Tadamori was a descendant of Emperor Kanmu. 1132 (Chōshō 1, 3rd month): Emperor Sutoku made a pilgrimage to Mount Kōya. August 1, 1133 (Chōshō 2, 29th day of the 6th month): Former-Emperor Toba had Fujiwara no Kanezane's daughter (the future Kaya-no In, 1095–1155) brought to his palace as his consort. 1133 (Chōshō 3, 19th day of the 3rd month): Kanezane's daughter—Toba's consort—is advanced to the position of empress, but she bore no Imperial sons. 1134 (Chōshō 3, 3rd month): The Emperor visited the Kasuga Shrine. 1134 (Chōshō 3, 3rd month): Sutoku visited the Hiyoshi Taisha. 1134 (Chōshō 3, 5th month): The Emperor visited the Iwashimizu Shrine. 1134 (Chōshō 3, 5th month): Sutoku visited the Kamo Shrines.This era was known as a time of famine. Notes References Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0; OCLC 251325323 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128 Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Ōdai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691 Varley, H. Paul. (1980). A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231049405; OCLC 6042764 External links National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
[ "Time" ]
63,112,189
The Acrobat (2019 film)
The Acrobat (French: L'Acrobate) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Rodrigue Jean and released in 2019. The film centres on Christophe (Sébastien Ricard) and Micha (Yury Paulau), two men who meet in an unoccupied unit in a high-rise construction project in Montreal during a snowstorm, and begin a passionate love affair in which they regularly meet back at the same unit.The film, which borrows its initial narrative setup from the film Last Tango in Paris, is the third in Jean's trilogy of films exploring sexuality and emotional intimacy, following Lost Song and Love in the Time of Civil War.The film premiered at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival, was subsequently screened at the Festival du nouveau cinéma, and had its commercial release in February 2020.
The Acrobat (French: L'Acrobate) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Rodrigue Jean and released in 2019. The film centres on Christophe (Sébastien Ricard) and Micha (Yury Paulau), two men who meet in an unoccupied unit in a high-rise construction project in Montreal during a snowstorm, and begin a passionate love affair in which they regularly meet back at the same unit.The film, which borrows its initial narrative setup from the film Last Tango in Paris, is the third in Jean's trilogy of films exploring sexuality and emotional intimacy, following Lost Song and Love in the Time of Civil War.The film premiered at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival, was subsequently screened at the Festival du nouveau cinéma, and had its commercial release in February 2020. References External links The Acrobat at IMDb
[ "Entertainment" ]
67,753,743
Maple Street Community Garden
Maple Street Community Garden is a community garden in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is located on Maple Street between Jean-Jacques Dessalines Boulevard and Nostrand Avenue.
Maple Street Community Garden is a community garden in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is located on Maple Street between Jean-Jacques Dessalines Boulevard and Nostrand Avenue. History Maple Street Community Garden was founded on a vacant lot which formerly had an abandoned house that burned down in 1999. The garden was started by the Maple Street Block Association in 2012 with a $1,000 grant and later $4,800 from the City Council to clean the vacant lot. The lot was privately owned but the gardeners were unable to establish contact with the owners.In September 2014, a limited liability company (LLC) owned by the Makhani brothers claimed to own the lot and tried to evict the gardeners. The LLC furnished a deed which claimed it to have purchased the home from heirs of the original owners. It was later discovered that the brothers had a shady real estate business. In July 2015, the gardeners were briefly barred from the site when the LLC acquired a restraining order. On November 6, 2015, the Brooklyn Supreme Court dismissed the ownership claim of the LLC and ordered an independent legal guardian to find the heirs of the property. In 2016, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and neighborhood Councilman Mathieu Eugene set aside a budget for 2017 to acquire the property for $1.25 million and transfer it to the Parks Department. In 2017, the City Planning Commission approved the acquisition after going through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).In 2021, the garden launched its Fresh Food Box Program with GrowNYC. The garden plots are all gardened communally by members and any neighbor can help on harvest days. References External links Maple Street Community Garden Website
[ "Information" ]
3,258,142
List of coups and coup attempts by country
This is a list of coups d'état and coup attempts by country, listed in chronological order. A coup is an attempt to illegally overthrow the government of a country. Scholars generally consider a coup successful when the usurpers are able to maintain control of the government for at least seven days.
This is a list of coups d'état and coup attempts by country, listed in chronological order. A coup is an attempt to illegally overthrow the government of a country. Scholars generally consider a coup successful when the usurpers are able to maintain control of the government for at least seven days. Afghanistan February 20, 1919: Nasrullah Khan overthrows Habibullah Khan February 28, 1919: Amanullah Khan overthrows Nasrullah Khan January 17, 1929: Habibullah Kalakani overthrows Inayatullah Khan October 16, 1929: Mohammed Nadir Shah overthrows Habibullāh Kalakāni July 17, 1973: Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrows Mohammed Zahir Shah December 9, 1976: Qiyam-i Islami (Islamic Uprising) attempts and fails to overthrow Mohammed Daoud Khan April 30, 1978: Abdul Qadir overthrows Mohammed Daoud Khan September 16, 1979: Hafizullah Amin overthrows Nur Muhammad Taraki December 27, 1979: Babrak Karmal overthrows Hafizullah Amin March 6, 1990: Shahnawaz Tanai attempts and fails to overthrow Mohammad Najibullah Albania 1914: The Peasant Revolt in Albania, also known as the Islamic Revolt or Muslim Uprising in Albania, was an uprising of peasants from central Albania, mostly Muslims against the regime of Wilhelm, Prince of Albania during 1914. It was one of the reasons for the prince's withdrawal from the country which marked the fall of the Principality of Albania. The uprising was led by Muslim leaders Haxhi Qamili, Arif Hiqmeti, Musa Qazimi and Mustafa Ndroqi. June – December 1924: The June Revolution (Albanian: Kryengritja e Qershorit or Lëvizja e Qershorit) also known as the Antibourgeois Democratic Revolution (Albanian: Revolucioni Demokrat Antiborgjez) was a peasant insurgency backed by the parliamentary opposition to the Zogu government, following the 1923 Albanian parliamentary election. Fan Noli becomes the Prime Minister of Albania. September 14, 1998: The funeral of MP Azem Hajdari turns violent as the office of the Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano is attacked, obliging the latter to hastily flee and step down shortly after. His party remains in power. Algeria July 3, 1962: Houari Boumédiène and Ahmed Ben Bella overthrow Benyoucef Benkhedda. June 19, 1965: Houari Boumédiène overthrew Ahmed Ben Bella. January 11, 1992: Khaled Nezzar overthrows Chadli Bendjedid. Angola 1977 Angolan coup d'état attempt: The Minister of Interior Nito Alves fails to overthrow Agostinho Neto. Argentina September 6, 1930: General José Félix Uriburu and the Nacionalistas overthrow President Hipólito Yrigoyen and suspend the 1853 Constitution December 18, 1932: failed military uprising against Agustín Pedro Justo by Atilio Cattáneo and the Radical Civic Union June 4, 1943: the military overthrows president Ramón Castillo September 28, 1951: failed military revolt against President Juan Perón by Benjamín Menéndez September 16–23, 1955: the military led by General Eduardo Lonardi overthrows president Juan Perón June 6, 1956: failed military uprising, led by General Juan José Valle, against de facto President Pedro Eugenio Aramburu June 19, 1959: failed military uprising against Arturo Frondizi by Arturo Ossorio Arana November 30, 1960: failed military uprising against Arturo Frondizi by Miguel Ángel Iñíguez March 29, 1962: the military, led by General Raúl Poggi, overthrows president Arturo Frondizi June 28, 1966: a military uprising led by General Juan Carlos Onganía overthrows president Arturo Umberto Illia December 18–22, 1975: failed military uprising against Isabel Perón by Jesús Orlando Cappellini March 24, 1976: Jorge Videla overthrows Isabel Perón and establishes the National Reorganization Process Armenia February 25, 2021: the Armenian military calls for Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. Pashinyan accuses the military of attempting a coup d'état Australia January 26, 1808: the New South Wales Corps overthrew William Bligh, Governor of New South Wales, and installed Major George Johnston as acting lieutenant-governor Austria March 15, 1933: Self-coup by Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, which effectively ended democracy and the First Republic July 25, 1934: the Austrian Nazi Party and the Austrian SS attempted to overthrow the Fatherland Front government in the Federal State of Austria, resulting in the assassination of Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss but ending in his succession by Kurt Schuschnigg Azerbaijan June 9, 1993: Heydar Aliyev overthrows Abulfaz Elchibey in a political crisis during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War March 13, 1995: Colonel Rovshan Javadov and his unit of OPON troops fail to seize power from President Heydar Aliyev and reinstate his predecessor Abulfaz Elchibey after Turkish President Süleyman Demirel warned Aliyev May 16, 2023: Alleged Iran-backed coup plot Bahrain 1981 Bahraini coup d'état attempt: 73 members of the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain were arrested by the Bahraini government for attempting to orchestrating a coup. The coup was allegedly assisted by Iran, while the Iranian government has denied this claim. Bangladesh August 15, 1975: Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad overthrows the BaKSAL government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman November 3, 1975: Khaled Mosharraf overthrows the government set up by the August coup November 7, 1975: Soldiers from the Bangladesh Army overthrow and kill Khaled Mosharraf just a few days after he took power May 30, 1981: Soldiers led by Major General Mohammad Abdul Monjur assassinate President Ziaur Rahman; they fail to seize power and are rounded up March 24, 1982: Hussain Muhammad Ershad overthrows President Abdus Sattar. May 1996: Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim attempts and fails to overthrow Abdur Rahman Biswas January 11, 2007: General Moeen U Ahmed pressures President Iajuddin Ahmed into declaring a state of emergency, postponing elections, and appointing a new Chief Advisor to head the caretaker government December 2011: Rebel army officers attempt and fail to overthrow Sheikh Hasina Belgium Austrian Netherlands June 18, 1789: The Austrian Imperial Army occupied the Great Market of Brussels, dissolved the States of Brabant and Council of Brabant and tried to arrest all its members. United Belgian States March 1790: Statist coup against the Vonckists. Benin October 28, 1963: Christophe Soglo overthrew Hubert Maga and the Dahomeyan Unity Party November 27, 1965: Christophe Soglo overthrew Sourou-Migan Apithy December 16, 1967: Maurice Kouandété overthrew Christophe Soglo December 10, 1969: Maurice Kouandété overthrows Emile Derlin Zinsou October 26, 1972: Mathieu Kérékou overthrows Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin January 17, 1977: French-led mercenaries attempt to overthrow Mathieu Kérékou and the People's Revolutionary Party of Benin government March 4, 2013: Failed coup attempt by Colonel Pamphile Zomahoun against President Thomas Boni Yayi Bolivia April 18, 1828: Military revolt. Antonio José de Sucre was wounded in the arm and resigned January 22, 1839: José Miguel de Velasco overthrew Andrés de Santa Cruz June 10, 1841: Sebastián Ágreda overthrew José Miguel de Velasco September 22, 1841: José Ballivián overthrows Mariano Enrique Calvo January 2, 1848: Manuel Isidoro Belzu overthrew Eusebio Guilarte and installed José Miguel de Velasco as president December 6, 1848: Manuel Isidoro Belzu overthrew José Miguel de Velasco; failed counter-coup by Velasco 1854: Failed military revolt with notable participant Mariano Melgarejo against Manuel Isidoro Belzu September 9, 1857: José María Linares overthrew Jorge Córdova January 14, 1861: José María de Achá, Ruperto Fernández, and Manuel Antonio Sánchez overthrew José María Linares December 28, 1864: Mariano Melgarejo overthrew José María de Achá January 15, 1871: Agustín Morales overthrew Mariano Melgarejo May 4, 1876: Hilarión Daza overthrew Tomás Frías December 28, 1879: Hilarión Daza declared deposed in his absence, Narciso Campero proclaimed president on January 19, 1880 April 12, 1899: José Manuel Pando overthrew Severo Fernández August 12, 1920: Bautista Saavedra overthrew José Gutiérrez June 28, 1930: Carlos Blanco Galindo overthrew Hernando Siles Reyes' ministerial cabinet November 27, 1934: Military revolt, Germán Busch under the orders of David Toro and Enrique Peñaranda overthrew Daniel Salamanca Urey and installed Vice President José Luis Tejada Sorzano as president May 17, 1936: Germán Busch overthrew José Luis Tejada Sorzano and installs David Toro as president July 13, 1937: Germán Busch overthrew David Toro December 20, 1943: Gualberto Villarroel overthrew Enrique Peñaranda July 21, 1946: Enraged mob lynched Gualberto Villarroel, Néstor Guillén and then Tomás Monje installed as interim presidents May 16, 1951: Mamerto Urriolagoitía enacted a self-coup and installed General Hugo Ballivián as president to stop President-elect Víctor Paz Estenssoro from taking office April 11, 1952: Hernán Siles Zuazo overthrew Hugo Ballivián and installed Víctor Paz Estenssoro as president November 5, 1964: René Barrientos and Alfredo Ovando Candía overthrew Víctor Paz Estenssoro September 26, 1969: Alfredo Ovando Candía overthrew Luis Adolfo Siles Salinas October 6, 1970: Military revolt. Three armed forces chiefs overthrow Alfredo Ovando Candía but ruled for less than a day before Ovando loyalists under Juan José Torres took back control. Ovando agreed to entrust the presidency to Torres August 21, 1971: Hugo Banzer overthrew Juan José Torres November 7, 1974: Failed military revolt. Hugo Banzer banned all political activity and ruled solely with military support July 21, 1978: Juan Pereda overthrew transitional military junta November 24, 1978: David Padilla overthrew Juan Pereda November 1, 1979: Alberto Natusch overthrew Wálter Guevara July 17, 1980: Luis García Meza overthrew Lidia Gueiler Tejada June 30, 1984: Failed coup attempt by military arrests Hernán Siles Zuazo for ten hours Bophuthatswana March 11, 1994: Lucas Mangope was overthrown by mutinying Bophuthatswana Defence Force forces supported by the South African Defence Force. Bophuthatswana, a bantustan established during apartheid, was reincorporated into South Africa. Brazil November 15, 1889: Deodoro da Fonseca and the Imperial Brazilian Army overthrew Pedro II of Brazil and established the First Brazilian Republic. November 3, 1891: Deodoro da Fonseca dissolved the National Congress during the Encilhamento crisis. November 23, 1891: Floriano Peixoto took power without calling for new elections, as the Constitution required. November 15, 1904: Attempted military coup during the Vaccine Revolt. November 3, 1930: Getúlio Vargas overthrew Washington Luís and prevented the inauguration of Júlio Prestes. November 10, 1937: Getúlio Vargas dissolved the National Congress, installing the Estado Novo dictatorship. October 29, 1945: A military coup d'état deposed Getúlio Vargas, installing the Second Brazilian Republic. August 24, 1954: Possible coup d'état averted after Getúlio Vargas committed suicide. November 11, 1955: A coup d'état to prevent Juscelino Kubitschek from assuming the presidency failed after general Henrique Lott carried out a countercoup. February 10, 1956: The Brazilian Air Force revolted against Juscelino Kubitschek in the Jacareacanga Revolt. December 2, 1959: Air Force military hijacked a civilian airplane and attempted a coup against Juscelino Kubitschek, in the Aragarças Revolt. August 25 – September 7, 1961: Military tried to prevent João Goulart from being sworn into the presidency after the resignation of Jânio Quadros. After a civilian campaign and support from legalist members of the military, averted when a parliamentary regime was adopted, curbing presidential powers (later reverted). September 12, 1963: Displeased lower-ranking military personnel rebelled in Brasília after the Supreme Federal Court reaffirmed their ineligibility for legislative posts, in the Sergeants' Revolt March 31, 1964: Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco overthrew João Goulart, establishing the 21-year-long dictatorship. August 31, 1969: The military prevented Pedro Aleixo, civilian vice-president and legal successor according to the military dictatorship's recently enacted constitution, from assuming power after Costa e Silva suffered a stroke. January 8, 2023: Supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress, Supreme Federal Court and Planalto Palace in Brasília, in an effort to overturn the result of the 2022 Brazilian general election and called for a military coup against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bulgaria April 27, 1881: A self-coup of Knyaz Alexander of Battenberg, who dismissed the government of Petko Karavelov and suspended the Tarnovo Constitution. August 9, 1886: An attempted dethronement of Knyaz Alexander of Battenberg. June 9, 1923: The Military Union overthrows Aleksandar Stamboliyski and installs coup leader Aleksandar Tsankov in power. September 14–29, 1923: Staged in September 1923 by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) under Comintern pressure and attempted to overthrow Alexander Tsankov's new government of Bulgaria that had come to power with the coup d'état of 9 June. Besides its communist base, the uprising was also supported by agrarians and anarchists. The uprising's goal was the "establishment of a government of workers and peasants" in Bulgaria. May 19, 1934: Zveno, led by Kimon Georgiev with the help of the Military Union overthrows the coalition government led by the Democratic Party. September 9, 1944: Zveno and the Fatherland Front, led by Kimon Georgiev, overthrows Konstantin Muraviev after the Soviet invasion of Bulgaria. April 1965: A plot within the Bulgarian Communist Party to overthrow Todor Zhivkov and establish an anti-Soviet Communist government was foiled. Burkina Faso January 3, 1966: Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana overthrows President Maurice Yaméogo. February 8, 1974: 1974 Upper Voltan coup d'état November 25, 1980: Colonel Saye Zerbo overthrows President Sangoulé Lamizana. November 7, 1982: Major Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo overthrows President Saye Zerbo. February 28, 1983: Failed coup attempt against President Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo. August 4, 1983: Captain Blaise Compaoré overthrows President Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, replacing him with Captain Thomas Sankara. October 15, 1987: Blaise Compaoré overthrows Thomas Sankara September 18, 1989: Alleged failed coup attempt by senior officers against President Compaoré. October 2003: 2003 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt October 30, 2014: Lt. Colonel Yacouba Isaac Zida overthrows current President Blaise Compaoré and briefly serves as head of state before selecting Michel Kafando as the new president. Days later, Kafando appointed Zida as acting Prime Minister. September 17, 2015: The presidential guard headed by Gilbert Diendéré overthrows Interim President Michel Kafando, one month before elections are due in the nation. However, the coup collapses one week later and Kafando is reinstalled. October 8, 2016: Blaise Compaore loyalists and former presidential guards failed to overthrow President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré January 23, 2022: January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état September 30, 2022: September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état September 26, 2023: failed coup attempt against President Ibrahim Traore Burundi July 8, 1966: Ntare V overthrows Mwambutsa IV November 28, 1966: Michel Micombero overthrows Ntare V November 10, 1976: Jean-Baptiste Bagaza overthrows Michel Micombero September 3, 1987: Pierre Buyoya overthrows Jean-Baptiste Bagaza July 25, 1996: Pierre Buyoya overthrows Sylvestre Ntibantunganya May 13–15, 2015: Failed coup d'état led by General Godefroid Niyombare against President Pierre Nkurunziza. Cambodia March 18, 1970: Lon Nol overthrows Norodom Sihanouk July 5, 1997: Hun Sen overthrows Norodom Ranariddh Cameroon April 6, 1984: Presidential palace guards failed to overthrow president Paul Biya. Central African Republic January 1, 1966: Jean-Bédel Bokassa overthrows David Dacko 1974: General Martin Lingoupou attempts to overthrow Bokassa. 1975: Attempt to overthrow Bokassa. 1976: Groups of soldiers try to overthrow Bokassa. September 21, 1979: David Dacko overthrows Jean-Bédel Bokassa by French military support September 1, 1981: André Kolingba overthrows David Dacko 1982: Ange-Félix Patassé, François Bozizé and Alphonse Mbaïkoua, attempt to overthrow André Kolingba. 1996: Soldiers attempt to overthrow Patassé. May 27–28, 2001: Failed coup attempt against Ange-Félix Patassé October 25–28, 2002: François Bozizé attempts to overthrow Patassé. March 15, 2003: François Bozizé overthrows Ange-Félix Patassé March 24, 2013: Michel Djotodia overthrows François Bozizé September 26 – October 3, 2015: Failed attempt by Haroun Gaye and Eugene Ngaïkosset to overthrow Catherine Samba-Panza. January 13, 2021: Failed coup attempt by rebel groups led by former President François Bozizé against Faustin-Archange Touadéra Chad April 13, 1975: Noël Milarew Odingar overthrows François Tombalbaye June 7, 1982: Hissène Habré overthrows Goukouni Oueddei December 1, 1990: Idriss Déby overthrows Hissène Habré May 16, 2004: Failed coup against President Idriss Déby March 14, 2006: Failed coup against President Idriss Déby May 1, 2013: Failed coup against Idriss Déby. Chile 1781: A failed attempt to declare Chile an independent republic September 18, 1810: A successful coup in favor of home rule in Chile April 1, 1811: A failed attempt to restore royal power in Chile September 4, 1811: A successful coup in favor of José Miguel Carrera 1827: A failed attempt to destroy the opposition to the federalist system June 1828: San Fernando mutiny, of Pedro Urriola, José Antonio Vidaurre and the Maipo Battalion. 1829: An armed conflict between conservatives and liberals over the constitutional regime 1831: Arauco rebellion, of Pedro Barnechea and Captain Uriarte 1832: Rebellion of Cazadores de Quechereguas Regiment, Under Cap. Eusebio Ruiz 1833: Arteaga Conspiracy, of General Zenteno and Coronel Picarte 1833: Cotapos revolution, of José Antonio Pérez de Cotapos 1836: An invasion of Chiloé Island and failed attempt to depose the government 1837: A failed attempt to depose the government that resulted in the death of Diego Portales 1851: An armed rebellion by liberals against the conservative President Manuel Montt 1859: A rekindling of the armed rebellion by liberals against the conservative President Manuel Montt started in 1851 1891: An armed conflict between forces supporting National Congress and forces that supported President José Manuel Balmaceda 1891–94: Several Balmacedist plots, Planned by Hernán Abos-Padilla, Nicanor Donoso, Diego Bahamondes, Luis Leclerc, Herminio Euth, José Domingo Briceño, Edmundo Pinto, Manuel and Emilio Rodríguez, Virgilio Talquino and Anselmo Blanlot against the new government 1912: A failed plot against President Ramon Barros Luco. In September, Gonzalo Bulnes the appointed leader of the plot, desisted. 1919: A failed plot by Generals Guillermo Armstrong and Manuel Moore against President Juan Luis Sanfuentes September 5, 1924: A successful coup against President Arturo Alessandri January 23, 1925: A successful coup in which Carlos Ibáñez del Campo and Marmaduke Grove overthrew Luis Altamirano to return President Arturo Alessandri to office September 21, 1930: A failed attempt against President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo by Marmaduke Grove July 26, 1931: Fall of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, successful rebellion against Ibañez September 1931: A rebellion in the Chilean Navy against Vice-president Manuel Trucco that ended with the fleet being bombed from the air. December 25, 1931: A failed Communist push against President Juan Esteban Montero June 4, 1932: A successful coup that resulted in the instauration of the Socialist Republic of Chile, in which Carlos Dávila overthrows Juan Esteban Montero September 27, 1932: A successful coup of General Pedro Vignola that resulted in the resignation of President Bartolomé Blanche and the return to civilian rule 1933: A failed plot against President Arturo Alessandri. Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Pedro Vignola called "to resist the Milicia Republicana by any means" 1935: Humberto Videla's plot, failed rebellion of NCO's 1936: plot against Alessandri, By René Silva Espejo and Alejandro Lagos September 5, 1938: A failed National Socialist attempt in favor of Carlos Ibáñez that resulted in the murder of 59 young party members August 25, 1939: A failed attempt of Ariosto Herrera against President Pedro Aguirre Cerda 1948: A failed plot against President Gabriel González Videla 1954: A failed plot to allow President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo to assume dictatorial powers June 29, 1973: A failed coup against President Salvador Allende September 11, 1973: A successful coup against President Salvador Allende (resulting in his suicide), in favor of Augusto Pinochet China Imperial China February 2, 249: Incident at Gaoping Tombs Sima Yi threw a coup against the Cao Wei regent Cao Shuang July 2, 626: During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Prince Li Shimin and his close followers killed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji before taking complete control of the Tang government from Emperor Gaozu. February 960: Coup at Chen Bridge during the Later Zhou dynasty, one of its distinguished military generals, Zhao Kuangyin, staged a coup d'état, forcing the last ruler of the dynasty, Emperor Gong, to abdicate the throne in his favour. Thus the general Zhao Kuangyin became Emperor Taizu who founded the Song Dynasty, reigning from 960 until his death in 976. September 4, 1323: Coup d'état at Nanpo against Gegeen Khan (alias Emperor Yingzong of Yuan, or Shidibala). 1856: The Taiping rebellion East King Yang Xiuqing attempts to take control of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom from Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan but he and his followers are killed 1861: With the help of Prince Gong, Empress Dowager Cixi ousted eight regents (led by Sushun) whom the Xianfeng Emperor had appointed on his deathbed to rule for the child Tongzhi Emperor. September 21, 1898: Wuxu Coup: In response to the Hundred Days' Reform, Empress Dowager Cixi takes power from the Guangxu Emperor. February 12, 1912: Qing general Yuan Shikai, by agreement with Sun Yat-sen and his Provisional Government, Emperor Puyi to abdicate and established the Beiyang government, ending the Qing Dynasty. Republic of China Late 1913 – January 1914: Yuan Shikai crackdown the Chinese National Assembly. December 12, 1915: Yuan Shikai launches a self-coup by establishing the Empire of China, with himself as the Emperor of China. June 14, 1917: Qing-loyalist general Zhang Xun overthrows Chinese President Li Yuanhong and later proclaim the restoration of the Qing Empire with Puyi as emperor. July 12, 1917: Brief restoration attempt was crushed by Duan Qirui troops. July 19, 1920: Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin overthrow Duan Qirui. January 25, 1922: Wu Peifu overthrow Liang Shiyi causing First Zhili-Fengtian War. October 23, 1924: Feng Yuxiang overthrow Cao Kun and establish Guominjun. April 18, 1926: Zhang Xueliang and Wu Peifu capture the capital Beijing and then sack city leading to the collapse of Beiyang government and near destruction of Guominjun faction. April 12, 1927: Chiang Kai-shek order to purge communists in his Kuomintang party to ensure right wing dominance in the party. June 2, 1928: Yan Xishan (allied with Chiang Kai-shek) overthrow Zhang Zuolin. April 1930: Yan Xishan expels Chiang Kai-shek's supporters from Beijing, starting the Central Plains War. December 12, 1936 – December 25, 1936: Zhang Xueliang kidnaps Chiang Kai-shek in an attempt to seize power and establish a united Anti-Japanese front with the Communist Party against the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. People’s Republic of China October 6, 1976: the Gang of Four, which allegedly tried to take over the government after the death of chairman Mao Zedong in September, are arrested Ciskei March 4, 1990: Oupa Gqozo and the Ciskei Defense Force overthrow Lennox Sebe. Colombia December, 1853: José María Melo overthrows José María Obando July 31, 1900: the vicepresident José Manuel Marroquín overthrows Manuel Antonio Sanclemente July 10, 1944: coup attempt against Alfonso López Pumarejo by some soldiers June 13, 1953: Gustavo Rojas Pinilla overthrows Laureano Gómez Comoros August 3, 1975: Said Mohamed Jaffar and Bob Denard overthrow Ahmed Abdallah May 23, 1978: Ahmed Abdallah and Bob Denard overthrow Ali Soilih November 26, 1989: Said Mohamed Djohar and Bob Denard overthrow Ahmed Abdallah September 28, 1995: Bob Denard overthrows Said Mohamed Djohar for 7 days. (see Operation Azalee) April 30, 1999: Azali Assoumani overthrows Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde April 20, 2013 A failed coup against President Ikililou Dhoinine Congo, Democratic Republic of the September 14, 1960: Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko) overthrows Patrice Lumumba November 25, 1965: Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko) overthrows Joseph Kasa-Vubu May 16, 1997: Laurent-Désiré Kabila overthrows Mobutu Sese Seko, leading to the First Congo War Congo, Republic of the August 15, 1963: Alphonse Massamba-Débat overthrows Fulbert Youlou September 4, 1968: Marien Ngouabi overthrows Alphonse Massamba-Débat February 8, 1979: Denis Sassou Nguesso overthrows Joachim Yhombi-Opango October 25, 1997: Denis Sassou Nguesso overthrows Pascal Lissouba Costa Rica April 27, 1870: Bruno Carranza overthrows Jesús Jiménez Zamora July 30, 1876: Vicente Herrera Zeledón overthrows Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz January 27, 1917: Federico Tinoco Granados overthrows Alfredo González Flores April 24, 1948: José Figueres Ferrer overthrows Teodoro Picado Michalski January 1955: Failed attempt to overthrow Jose Figueres Ferrer Cuba September 3, 1933: Fulgencio Batista ousts Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada March 10, 1952: Batista overthrows Carlos Prío Socarrás January 1, 1959: Fidel Castro and his communist revolutionaries overthrow Fulgencio Batista government Curaçao December 1, 1796: Johann Lauffer overthrows Jan Jacob Beaujon as governor. Cyprus 1972–1973: Three bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church attempt to overthrow Archbishop Makarios III as President of Cyprus July 15, 1974: Nikos Sampson, with support from EOKA B and the National Guard, overthrows Makarios III Czechoslovakia 1926–28 Gajda Affair: Rumored coup plots by Radola Gajda and the Czechoslovak Army against President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk's government. February 25, 1948: the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia under Klement Gottwald eliminates all democratic elements from power. Denmark 1660: Frederick III of Denmark declares a state of emergency after the Dano-Swedish War to forcibly implement an absolute hereditary monarchy 1772: Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, her advisor Ove Høegh-Guldberg, and her son Hereditary Prince Frederick threw a palace coup against Queen Caroline Matilda of Great Britain and her lover Johann Friedrich Struensee, who had come to dominate the Danish court due to the mental illness of King Christian VII 1784: Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark overthrew Juliana Maria's clique. The Crown Prince became regent Dominica April 27, 1981: Failed coup attempt by American and Canadian Neo-Nazi white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan leaders James Alexander McQuirter and Don Black to overthrow Prime Minister Eugenia Charles and restore Prime Minister Patrick John Dominican Republic May 30, 1849: Pedro Santana overthrows Manuel Jiménes June 13, 1858: José Desiderio Valverde overthrows Buenaventura Báez March 3, 1930: Rafael Trujillo and Rafael Estrella Ureña overthrows Horacio Vásquez September 25, 1963: Elías Wessin y Wessin overthrows Juan Bosch, leading to the Dominican Civil War Ecuador 1925 by Luis Telmo Paz y Miño 1935 by Federico Páez 1963 by Ramón Castro Jijón 1972 by Guillermo Rodríguez 1975 failed attempt by General Raúl González Alvear 2000 by Lucio Gutiérrez 2010 by the National Police of Ecuador Egypt 1879: Nationalist Revolution. Beginning of the British Occupation of Egypt 1919: Attempt to stop the British Occupation of Egypt, The Kingdom of Egypt is Established and Recognised as an Independent State 1952: Muhammad Naguib and the Free Officers Movement overthrows Farouk of Egypt, ending the Kingdom of Egypt February 27, 1954: Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrows Muhammad Naguib December 1957: Prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim tries to overthrow Nasser and restore the monarchy 2011: Hosni Mubarak Overthrown 2013: Mohamed Morsi Overthrown by General Abdel Fattah El Sisi El Salvador December 2, 1931 by Maximiliano Hernández Martínez April 2, 1944: Failed coup by the army October 20, 1944 by Osmín Aguirre y Salinas December 14, 1948 by Manuel de Jesús Córdova October 26, 1960: A bloodless coup overthrows President José María Lemus January 25, 1961: A coup overthrows the junta established just a few months before March 25–26, 1972: Failed coup by the army October 15, 1979: A coup d'état brought the Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador to power England 1603: Main Plot: Alleged Spanish-funded plot by courtiers led by Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham to overthrow King James I and replace him with his cousin Lady Arbella Stuart. 5 November 1605: Gunpowder Plot: Failed plot by a group of provincial English Catholics, including Guy Fawkes, who attempted to kill King James I and much of the Protestant aristocracy by blowing up the Houses of Parliament during the State Opening of Parliament. 1641: Army Plots: alleged and real Royalist plans by King Charles I to suppress the English Parliament before the First English Civil War; exposed by Parliamentarians such as John Pym 1648: Pride's Purge: Parliamentarian troops under Colonel Thomas Pride purge the Long Parliament of those opposed to trying King Charles I for treason after the English Civil War, turning it into the republican Rump Parliament and leading directly to the abolition of the monarchy. 20 April 1653: Dissolution of the Rump Parliament: Oliver Cromwell, with forty musketeers under the command of Charles Worsley, entered the House of Commons and forcibly dissolved the Rump Parliament leading to Cromwell becoming Lord Protector and instigating military rule. 1654: Gerard's conspiracy: abortive Royalist conspiracy to assassinate Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell 1688–1689: The Glorious Revolution: William III of Orange invades England at the invitation of the country's powerful Protestants, deposing the Catholic James II of England. Equatorial Guinea August 3, 1979: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo overthrows Francisco Macías Nguema March 7, 2004: A coup attempt is stopped before the plotters can arrive in country Estonia December 1, 1924: failed Communist coup attempt March 12, 1934: Konstantin Päts (self coup) and established an authoritarian rule. Ethiopia 1910: Ras Tessema Nadew and Fitawrawi Habte Giyorgis against Empress Taytu, regent of the incapacitated Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia 1916: a group of aristocrats, including Fitawrawi Habte Giyorgis and Ras Tafari Makonnen, against Emperor Iyasu V. December 13, 1960: A group failed to overthrow Emperor Haile Selassie during a state visit. September 12, 1974: Aman Mikael Andom overthrows Emperor Haile Selassie I, establishing the Derg November 17, 1974: Tafari Benti overthrows Aman Mikael Andom February 3, 1977: Mengistu Haile Mariam overthrows Tafari Benti June 22, 2019: Failed coup against the regional government in Amhara Region; resulted in the death of several prominent Ethiopian civil and military officials Fiji May 14, 1987: Sitiveni Rabuka overthrows Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra September 28, 1987: Sitiveni Rabuka overthrows Governor General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau and Queen Elizabeth II. Republic is proclaimed May 19, 2000: George Speight overthrows Mahendra Chaudhry December 5, 2006: Frank Bainimarama overthrows Laisenia Qarase Finland 27 January 1918: The radical left wing Labour Movement failed to overthrow the Finnish Senate. February 27 – March 6, 1932: The radical nationalist Lapua Movement failed to overthrow the Finnish government. France Ancien Régime 1567: Failed plot by Louis, Prince of Condé to kidnap King Charles IX, causing the Second French War of Religion Revolutionary France and First Republic 10 August 1792: The Paris Commune rallied Republican fédérés and National Guard troops to storm the Tuileries Palace, effectively deposing the French monarchy and imprisoning King Louis XVI 31 May – 2 June 1793: Montagnard-aligned sans-culottes arrest all leading Girondin ministers and deputies and execute them 26–28 July 1794: A conspiracy of anti-Robespierrist Montagnards form an alliance to have de facto dictator Robespierre and his associates arrested and executed; they escape but are arrested again and executed 1 April 1795: Unarmed citizens occupied the National Convention, but were driven out by the National Guard without bloodshed 5 October 1795: A royalist attempt to seize power in Paris during the Vendée rebellion is crushed by the French Revolutionary Army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte 4 September 1797: The French Directory, with the support of the military, deposes the royalists May 1796: Failed radical attempt to overthrow the Directory led by Gracchus Babeuf 11 May 1798: The French Directory dismisses 106 Jacobin deputies from the Council of Five Hundred. 18 June 1799: The Councils obtain the removal of three out of the five members of the French Directory through military pressure, leaving Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès as the dominant member of the French government. 9 November 1799: Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the French Directory and installs the French Consulate February 1804: A foiled royalist plot to overthrow the Napoleonic Consulate First Empire 23 October 1812: General Claude François de Malet fails to remove Napoleon from power while he was away on the Russian Campaign Second Republic 2 December 1851: Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, then president of France, dissolves the National Assembly and becomes the sole ruler of the country. In the following year, he would restore the French Empire after a referendum. Third Republic 23 February 1899: Paul Déroulède attempts to overthrow the French Third Republic Fourth Republic 13 May 1958: A partial coup d'état led by Pierre Lagaillarde, after which Charles de Gaulle is brought back to power and established the French Fifth Republic Fifth Republic 21–26 April 1961: A failed coup d'état against President Charles de Gaulle intended to prevent a withdrawal from French Algeria 2021: under the coordination of a conspirationist leader, around 300 followers (including policemen and military forces) aimed to overthrow Emmanuel Macron Gabon February 17–18, 1964: A group of Gabonese officers overthrows President Leon Mba January 7, 2019: Gabonese soldiers seize the national radio in an attempted coup against Ali Bongo Ondimba. August 30, 2023: Gabonese officers overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba after his recent victory on the 2023 Gabonese general election. The Gambia July 22, 1994: Yahya Jammeh overthrows Dawda Jawara December 30, 2014: a failed coup against Yahya Jammeh led by Former head of the presidential guards Lamin Sanneh December 20, 2022: 2022 Gambian coup d'état attempt – A few soldiers allegedly tried to overthrow the government of President Adama Barrow. Georgia 3 May 1920: 1920 Georgian coup attempt, a failed Bolshevik coup against the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Jan 6, 1992: Tengiz Kitovani and Jaba Ioseliani overthrow Zviad Gamsakhurdia Germany Weimar Republic January 1919: The Spartacus League attempts to overthrow the Social Democratic-dominated Council of People's Deputies; suppressed by the Reichswehr and the Freikorps. March 1920: Various Freikorps led by Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz attempt to overthrow Weimar Republic; seize control of Berlin but are suppressed with a general strike. November 8, 1923: failed attempt by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler with Erich Ludendorff to seize control of Bavaria and overthrow Gustav Ritter von Kahr's state government in Munich; suppressed by the Reichswehr and the police. Third Reich March 23, 1933: By the Enabling Act of 1933, the Chancellor Adolf Hitler assumes full powers in a self-coup. 1938: Oster conspiracy: Plan by Hans Oster and other high-ranking members of the Wehrmacht to overthrow the Nazi dictatorship and crown Prince William of Prussia as Emperor of a revived Hohenzollern Dynasty if Germany went to war with Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland; never carried out due to the Munich Agreement July 20, 1944: Members of the German resistance led by Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize control from the Nazi Party; bombed the Wolf's Lair in Rastenburg, East Prussia, but failed to kill Hitler. Federal Republic December 7, 2022: Police arrested 25 people for allegedly planning a coup. Part of the alleged plot included storming the Bundestag, the German parliament building. Ghana February 24, 1966: Joseph Arthur Ankrah overthrows Kwame Nkrumah April 17, 1967: Failed military coup January 13, 1972: Ignatius Kutu Acheampong overthrows Kofi Abrefa Busia July 5, 1978: Fred Akuffo overthrows Ignatius Kutu Acheampong June 4, 1979: Jerry John Rawlings overthrows Fred Akuffo December 31, 1981: Jerry John Rawlings overthrows Hilla Limann Greece 1831: A naval mutiny organized by Andreas Miaoulis against the government of Ioannis Kapodistrias, leading to the burning of the fleet on 13 August in the port of Poros 1831: after the assassination of Kapodistrias, a revolt against his brother Augustinos forced the Senate to take refuge in Astros 3 September 1843: King Otto was forced to grant Greece its first Constitution 23 October 1862: leading to the departure of King Otto and his queen, first step towards the 1862 Greek head of state referendum which resulted in Prince William of Denmark becoming George I, the King of the Hellenes 15 August 1909: The Goudi coup was staged against the government of Dimitrios Rallis, which brought Eleftherios Venizelos to the Greek political scene 17 August 1916: The National Defence coup d'état of Venizelos supporters in Thessaloniki led to the establishment of the Provisional Government of National Defence 11 September 1922: Led by Colonels Nikolaos Plastiras and Stylianos Gonatas and Commander Dimitrios Phokas, culminating in the abdication of King Constantine I 11 October 1923: Leonardopoulos–Gargalidis coup d'état attempt led by the royalist officers 25 June 1925: Greek coup d'état brought General Theodoros Pangalos to power 1926 Greek coup d'état on 22 August 1926, overthrow of General Pangalos by General Georgios Kondylis 1933 Greek coup d'état attempt on 6 March 1933, led by republican General Nikolaos Plastiras 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt on 1 March 1935, led by General Plastiras and Venizelos 1935 Greek coup d'état on 10 October 1935, led by General Kondylis, signalling the end of the Second Hellenic Republic and leading to the restoration of King George II to the throne, according to a referendum 4 August 1936: General Ioannis Metaxas established the 4th of August Regime 28 July 1938: Greek coup d'état attempt rebellion in Crete against the 4th of August Regime 31 May 1951: Attempted coup d'état of a group of right-wing officers named Sacred Link of Greek Officers (IDEA) 21 April 1967: Greek coup d'état, performed by a group of right-wing army officers led by Brigadier General Stylianos Pattakos and Colonels Georgios Papadopoulos and Nikolaos Makarezos, established the Regime of the Colonels 13 December 1967: Greek counter-coup attempt led by King Constantine II against the Regime of the Colonels. The failure of the counter-coup forced the King to leave Greece definitively 23 May 1973: The Velos mutiny against the Regime of the Colonels. The crew of the destroyer HNS Velos (D-16), under the command of Nikolaos Pappas, demanded political asylum in Italy, while the rest of the mutiny in Greek territory is suppressed 25 November 1973: The aftermath of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. The coup resulted in overthrow of Colonel Papadopoulos by hardliners around General Dimitrios Ioannidis 24 February 1975: Pyjamas coup attempt by certain officers to overthrow the government of Konstantinos Karamanlis Grenada March 13, 1979: Maurice Bishop overthrows Eric Gairy October 14, 1983: Bernard Coard overthrows Maurice Bishop October 19, 1983: Hudson Austin overthrows Bernard Coard Guam 1898 by José Sisto overthrows Francisco Portusach Martínez as Governor of Guam after Martinez received the position following the American capture of Guam during the Spanish-American War 1898 by Venancio Roberto and several islanders overthrew José Sisto, who was eventually reappointed to his old position by the U.S. federal government Guatemala June 27, 1954: Carlos Castillo Armas overthrows Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán's Revolutionary Action Party government; assisted by the CIA in Operation PBSUCCESS. March 31, 1963 under Enrique Peralta Azurdia March 23, 1982 under Efraín Ríos Montt Guinea April 3, 1984: Lansana Conté overthrows Louis Lansana Beavogui December 24, 2008: Moussa Dadis Camara overthrows Aboubacar Somparé in what became known as the Christmas Coup. September 5, 2021: Mamady Doumbouya overthrows Alpha Condé Guinea-Bissau November 14, 1980: João Bernardo Vieira overthrows Luís Cabral June 6, 1998: Attempted coup d'état against the government of President João Bernardo Vieira led by Brigadier General Ansumane Mané. May 7, 1999: Ansumane Mané overthrows João Bernardo Vieira September 14, 2003: Veríssimo Correia Seabra overthrows Kumba Ialá December 27, 2011: Attempted coup April 12, 2012: Mutinous troops overthrow interim government February 1, 2022: Failed attempt to overthrow the government November 30, 2023: attempted coup d'etat by army officers against President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Haiti October 17, 1806: Henri Christophe and Alexandre Pétion overthrow Emperor Jacques I Feb 13, 1843: Charles Rivière-Hérard overthrows Jean-Pierre Boyer May 3, 1844: Philippe Guerrier overthrows Charles Rivière-Hérard March 24, 1846: Jean-Baptiste Riché overthrows Jean-Louis Pierrot January 15, 1859: Fabre Geffrard overthrows Emperor Faustin I August 26, 1867: Sylvain Salnave overthrows Fabre Geffrard December 27, 1869: Nissage Saget overthrows Sylvain Salnave April 16, 1876: Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal overthrows Michel Domingue October 19, 1888: François Denys Légitime overthrows Lysius Salomon October 17, 1889: Florvil Hyppolite overthrows François Denys Légitime December 21, 1902: Pierre Nord Alexis overthrows Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal December 2, 1908: François C. Antoine Simon overthrows Pierre Nord Alexis August 3, 1911: Cincinnatus Leconte overthrows Antoine Simon January, 1914: Oreste Zamor overthrows Michel Oreste November 7, 1914: Joseph Davilmar Théodore overthrows Oreste Zamor February 25, 1915: Vilbrun Guillaume Sam overthrows Joseph Davilmar Théodore July 28, 1915: Mulatto uprising overthrows and kills Vilbrun Guillaume Sam January 11, 1946: Military junta overthrows Élie Lescot May 10, 1950: Paul Eugène Magloire against Dumarsais Estimé April 4, 1957: Leon Cantave overthrows Franck Sylvain June 14, 1957: Antonio Thrasybule Kébreau overthrows Daniel Fignolé July 28–29, 1958: Pasquet, Dominique, Perpignan failed attempt Francois Duvalier February 6, 1986: Jean Claude Duvalier goes into exile. He is replaced by the National Governing Council June 20, 1988: Henri Namphy overthrows Leslie Manigat September 17, 1988: Prosper Avril overthrows Henri Namphy September 30, 1991: Raoul Cédras overthrows Jean-Bertrand Aristide 5–29 February 2004: ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide during his second term Hawaii January 17, 1893: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. A coup d'état against Queen Liliʻuokalani on the island of Oahu by subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom, United States citizens, and foreign residents residing in Honolulu. A majority of the insurgents were foreigners. They prevailed upon American minister John L. Stevens to call in the U.S. Marines to protect United States interests, an action that effectively buttressed the rebellion. The revolutionaries established the Republic of Hawaii, but their ultimate goal was the annexation of the islands to the United States, which occurred in 1898. Honduras May 10, 1827: José Justo Milla overthrows Dionisio de Herrera October 21, 1956 October 3, 1963 under Oswaldo López Arellano December 4, 1972 under Oswaldo López Arellano April 22, 1975 under Juan Alberto Melgar Castro August 7, 1978 under Policarpo Paz García June 28, 2009 Manuel Zelaya is overthrown by the Honduran military Hungary March 21–22, 1919: Establishment of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, Mihály Károlyi removed as head of state August 7, 1919: István Friedrich overthrows the MSZDP government of Gyula Peidl October 15–16, 1944: Ferenc Szálasi and the Arrow Cross Party, supported by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, overthrow Regent Miklós Horthy to prevent him from signing an armistice with the Allied Powers. May 28–31, 1947: Mátyás Rákosi and the Hungarian Communist Party overthrow Ferenc Nagy's government by arresting members of the National Assembly. November 4, 1956: the Soviet Army invades Hungary and overthrows Imre Nagy, replacing him with János Kádár. Indonesia 1946 Indonesian coup attempt 1950 Indonesian Coup. 1959 Indonesian constitutional coup Sep 30, 1965: A failed coup attempt that is blamed on the Communist Party of Indonesia. March 11, 1966: General Suharto seized power and slowly overthrew President Sukarno until 1967. (see Transition to the New Order) Iran Achaemenid Empire 552 BC: Persian Revolt: Cyrus the Great led the Persis to declare independence from and then conquer the Median Empire, establishing the Achaemenid Empire. 522 BC: Darius I's revolt against Bardiya 338 BC: Assassination of Artaxerxes III and his family by Bagoas. Artaxerxes IV becomes the new King of Kings. 336 BC: Bagoas kills Artaxerxes IV by poison. Rise of Darius III to the throne. Sassanid Empire 309: Assassination of Adur Narseh by the nobles; His infant brother, Shapur II, becomes the new King of Kings. 420: Assassination and deposition of Yazdegerd I by the nobles. 488: Deposition of Balash by Sukhra, in favor of the shah's nephew, Kavad I. 496: The nobles depose Kavad I and install Jamasp as the new shah of shahs of Iran and Aniran. 590: Coup d'état by Vistahm and Vinduyih against Hormizd IV, in favor of his son, Khosrow II. 590: General Bahram Chobin revolts against the Sassanian government and captures Ctesiphon. Khosrow II flees to Constantinople. 628: Overthrow of Khosrow II by his son Kavad II. 630: Siege of Ctesiphon by the military commander Shahrbaraz. Execution of king Ardashir III. 631: Rostam Farrokhzad captures Ctesiphon, kills Azarmidokht and installs Boran as the queen of queens of Iran and Aniran. Safavid Empire 1732: Nader Shah overthrows Tahmasp II 1733: Governor of the Kuhgiluyeh's rebellion against Safavid Empire 1736: Deposition of Abbas III, the nominal ruler of Iran, by Nader Shah. The official end of the Safavid dynasty of Iran. Afsharid dynasty 1744: Beylerbey of Fars province's rebellion against Nader Shah 1747: Assassination of Nader Shah in support of Adil Shah. 1748: Ebrahim Afshar (brother of Adil Shah) defeated and blinded him and took the throne. 1748: Assassination of Ebrahim Afshar by command of Shahrukh Afshar Qajar Dynasty 1798: Assassination of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar in support of Sadiq Khan Shaqaqi 1908: Bombardment of the Majlis by Vladimir Liakhov in support of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar. Pahlavi Iran 1921: Coup d'état by Reza Khan Mirpanj (later Reza Shah Pahlavi) and Zia'eddin Tabatabaee during the reign of Ahmad Shah Qajar. 1953: Coup d'état against Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh in support of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi; sponsored by the CIA and MI6 Islamic Republic of Iran 1980: Failed coup d'état by a group of Iranian Armed Forces officers against the newly established Islamic regime. Iraq October 20, 1936: Bakr Sidqi overthrows Yasin al-Hashimi April 1, 1941: Rashid Ali al-Gaylani overthrows 'Abd al-Ilah with the support of the Axis Powers, leading to the Anglo-Iraqi War July 14, 1958: Abdul Karim Qassim against King Faisal II, ending the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq. March 8, 1959: Abd al-Wahab al-Shawaf against premier Abdul Karim Qassim, supported by United Arab Republic February 8, 1963: Abdul Salam Arif and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr overthrow Abdul Karim Qassim November 11, 1963: Pro-Nasserist officers of the Iraqi Armed Forces oust the Ba'ath Party from government July 17, 1968: Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr overthrows Abdul Rahman Arif, establishing the Ba'athist dictatorship. Italy 1922 March on Rome: Fascist coup d'état: Benito Mussolini and his National Fascist Party's Blackshirt militias attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Luigi Facta with an insurrection in Rome; successful when King Victor Emmanuel III refused to allow Facta to declare a state of martial law 1943: The 24 July coup to remove Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy and replace him with Marshal Pietro Badoglio; Count Dino Grandi and the Grand Council of Fascism voted overwhelmingly to ask King Victor Emmanuel to resume his full constitutional powers and, on the following day, the King summoned Mussolini to his palace and dismissed him. 1964: Alleged Coup attempted by military groups (see Piano Solo) 1970 Golpe Borghese: Coup attempt by neo-fascist groups led by Junio Valerio Borghese, a former Italian Royal Navy commander of World War II; failed after the CIA and NATO refused to support it Ivory Coast December 24, 1999: Robert Guéï overthrows Henri Konan Bédie Japan Lunar August, 456 AD: Historical texts state that Mayuwa no Ōkimi (ja:眉輪王) assassinated reigning Ōkimi Emperor Ankō (安康天皇) over the alleged killing of his father. According to Nihonshiki, the influential Ōomi Katsuragi no Tsubura was also killed by arson, whereas the Kojiki says he killed himself. This potentially could have been a coup attempt as the two most senior statesmen were targeted and eliminated, nevertheless the plotter is not indicated to have wanted to assume the throne, instead Emperor Yuryaku ascended 3 months later. 479 AD – Prince Hoshikawa Rebellion: Failed attempt by Prince Hoshikawa to gain the throne 498 AD: Ōomi Heguri no Matori briefly takes over Yamato Japan's government in a briefly successful coup upon the death of Emperor Ninken, before being defeated and killed by Otomo no Kanamura, who raised Emperor Buretsu to the throne.Over a century later, in 632 A.D. the title Ōkimi was posthumously reassigned to the term Tenno. This term is currently equated with Emperor. 645 AD: Soga no Iruka was assassinated in a successful coup, with one of the coup plotters becoming the next Emperor. (Taika Reform) 764 AD: Failed coup by Fujiwara no Nakamaro to overthrow Retired Empress Kōken and the monk Dōkyō. 1156: Emperor Go-Shirakawa defeats his rival Jōkō Emperor Sutoku. 1160: The Minamoto clan took up arms against the Taira clan, the Taira clan emerges victorious. 1184: Amidst the Genpei War, Kiso Yoshinaka ambushes Hōjūjidono, confining Emperor Go-Toba and Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. 1551: Sue Takafusa (later known as Sue Harukata) launches a rebellion against Ōuchi Yoshitaka, hegemon daimyō of western Japan, leading the latter to commit seppuku. 1864–65: The Mito Rebellion of Takeda Kōunsai; rebellion in the Mito Domain in support of the sonnō jōi policy 1866–68: The Meiji Restoration and modernization revolution in Japan. Samurai uprising leads to overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate and establishment of "modern" parliamentary, Western-style system under the Meiji era. March 1931: An aborted coup by the Sakurakai to overthrow Prime Minister Osachi Hamaguchi and form a new government led by Army Minister Kazushige Ugaki. October 21, 1931: An aborted coup also by the Sakurakai May 15, 1932: A failed coup by members of the Imperial Japanese Navy resulting in the assassination of Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi November 1934: A failed coup by members of the Imperial Japanese Army to achieve a Shōwa Restoration. February 26, 1936: A failed coup by the Imperial Way Faction in the Imperial Japanese Army against Prime Minister Keisuke Okada's government. August 14–15, 1945: A failed coup against the Emperor Hirohito by members of the Japanese War Ministry and the Imperial Guard opposed to surrendering to the Allied Powers at the end of World War II; failed after failing to convince the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff and the Eastern District Army to join August 24, 1945: A failed coup by dissidents opposed to surrender led by Isao Okazaki in Matsue. December 12, 1961: A coup attempt by retired right wing members of the Imperial Japanese Army, which was aborted through a police raid. November 25, 1970: An aborted coup by author Yukio Mishima, who attempted to convince the Japan Self-Defense Forces to overturn the 1947 Constitution. Jordan 1970: Failed Palestine Liberation Organization coup attempt against King Hussein; King Hussein retaliated with Black September conflict driving the PLO to Lebanon. 2021: Failed coup attempt by Prince Hamzah bin Hussein to overthrow his half-brother, King Abdullah II Kenya 1st August 1982: attempted coup by Kenya Air Force personnel to overthrow the Daniel arap Moi government; captured Eastleigh Air Base and parts of Nairobi before collapsing. Korea, North ca 1967, Kapsan Faction Incident: Attempt by faction of former anti-Japanese guerrillas led by Pak Kum-chol to overthrow Kim Il-sung, end the cult of personality, and introduce economic reforms. Led to a crackdown and purges in the Korean Workers' Party, as well as the implementation of the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System. Korea, South May 16, 1961: Park Chung Hee overthrew the Second Republic of Korea led by Yun Po-seon and replaced it with the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction October 17, 1972: President Park Chung Hee lead a coup to restore total presidential authority after his party underperformed in elections, creating the Fourth Republic of Korea. December 12, 1979: Major General Chun Doo-hwan of the Defense Security Command arrested Republic of Korea Army Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwa and his allies, creating the Fifth Republic of Korea. May 17, 1980: General Chun Doo-Hwan extended martial law, banned political activities and forced universities to close. Laos 25 December 1959: Coup by Captain Kong Le established General Phoumi Nosavan in charge 9 August 1960: Captain Kong Le overthrew General Phoumi 16 December 1960: General Phoumi won counter-coup in Battle of Vientiane 18 April 1964: Police General Siho Lamphouthacoul seized power for five days 4 August 1964: General Phoumi's attempt fails 31 January 1965: Colonel Bounleut Saycocie's and General Phoumi's independent attempts both fail 1966 Laotian coup: General Thao Ma's coup by air strike fails 1973 Laotian coup: General Thao Ma's coup via air strike fails 2007 Laotian coup failed coup by General Vang Pao Latvia May 15, 1934: Kārlis Ulmanis dissolved the Saeima (Parliament) and established an authoritarian rule. Lebanon December 31, 1961: A failed coup attempt conducted by the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party. Lesotho January 30, 1970: self-coup by Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan. January 20, 1986: Justin Metsing Lekhanya overthrows Leabua Jonathan November 12, 1990: Justin Metsing Lekhanya overthrows King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho April 30, 1991: Elias Phisoana Ramaema overthrows Justin Metsing Lekhanya August 30, 2014: A failed coup attempt Liberia October 26, 1871: President Edward James Roye is deposed by the people of Monrovia. April 12, 1980: Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe overthrows President William R. Tolbert, Jr. September 9, 1990: Prince Johnson overthrows President Samuel K. Doe Libya September 1, 1969: Muammar al-Gaddafi overthrows King Idris I of Libya and establishes a republic. April 17, 2013: an attempted Libyan coup against Prime Minister Ali Zeidan by Muammar Gaddafi loyalists. October 10, 2013: a second attempt Libyan coup led by Abdel-Moneim al-Hour against Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. April and October 2014: a failed coups against Prime Minister Ali Zeidan in first coup and Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani in second coup by Maj. Gen.Khalifa Haftar. 14 October 2016: a failed coup against Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj by ex-Prime Minister Khalifa al-Ghawil. Lithuania There are estimated to be over 10 unsuccessful coups during the period of 1919–1940 in Lithuania. 1919 Polish coup d'état attempt in Lithuania December 17, 1926, overthrowing President Kazys Grinius and Antanas Smetona becoming the head of state. September 9, 1927, a failed attempt to overthrow Lithuanian Nationalist Union and to re-establish previous Govt. June 6–7, 1934 failed coup d'état led by fascist Iron Wolf. 1993: Coup of the Volunteers Madagascar Kingdom of Madagascar (Imerina) May 12, 1863, successful: Prime Minister Rainivoninahitriniony deposes king Radama II, who is (supposedly) killed and succeeded by his wife queen Rasoherina March 27, 1868, failed: an attempted coup to reinstate Rainivoninahitriniony as prime minister Republic of Madagascar October 11, 1972: Gabriel Ramanantsoa overthrows Philibert Tsiranana February 5, 1975: Richard Ratsimandrava overthrows Gabriel Ramanantsoa March 17, 2009: Andry Rajoelina overthrows Marc Ravalomanana (see 2009 Malagasy political crisis) Maldives In 1980 former president Nassir, along with his brother in law Ahmed Naseem, the health minister Mohammed Mustafa Hussain and a leading businessman Khua Mohammed Yusuf, allegedly hired a group of nine former members of Britain's elite Special Air Service commandos and sent them to assassinate president Gayoom. The mercenaries used Sri Lanka as their base and carried out several reconnaissance trips. They were also provided arms to carry out their mission and promised an inducement of $60,000 each. The attempt was called off by the SAS members because they started having second thoughts. 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt: Abdullah Luthufi assisted by PLOTE stages a coup to overthrow the government of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. They seize control of the capital until Indian Navy retake the city from the rebels. Mali November 19, 1968: Moussa Traoré overthrows Modibo Keïta March 26, 1991: Amadou Toumani Touré overthrows Moussa Traoré March 22, 2012: Military overthrows Amadou Toumani Touré August 18, 2020: Military overthrows Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta 2021 Malian coup d'état: Military overthrows Bah N'daw May 17, 2022: Malian Military Junta claims to have stopped a coup attempt lead by an "unnamed NATO country" Mauritania July 10, 1978: Mustafa Ould Salek overthrows Moktar Ould Daddah April 6, 1979: Ahmed Ould Bouceif and Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla overthrows Mustafa Ould Salek January 4, 1980: Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla overthrows Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly December 12, 1984: Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya overthrows Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla August 3, 2005: Ely Ould Mohamed Vall overthrows Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya August 6, 2008: Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz overthrows Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi Mexico 1799: Conspiracy of the Machetes in New Spain: plot by Criollo civil servants to overthrow the Spanish Empire and establish an independent republic; regarded as a precursor to the War of Mexican Independence 1829 by Anastasio Bustamante against Vicente Guerrero 1845 by Mariano Paredes against José Joaquín de Herrera 1876 by Porfirio Díaz against Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada 1911: Francisco I. Madero against Porfirio Díaz (and Francisco León de la Barra) 1913 by Victoriano Huerta (and Pedro Lascuráin) against Francisco I. Madero 1920 by Adolfo de la Huerta against Venustiano Carranza Moldova February 13, 2023: Alleged Russia-backed coup attempt allegations Montenegro October 16, 2016: attempted by opposition and Russian agents against the government of Milo Đukanović on the day of parliamentary election Morocco July 10, 1971 failed coup attempt by M'hamed Ababou and Mohamed Medbouh against Hassan II of Morocco August 16, 1972 failed coup by Mohamed Oufkir against Hassan II of Morocco Myanmar (Burma) 1837: King Bagyidaw was deposed by a coup led by his brother Tharrawaddy Min 1853: King Pagan Min was deposed by a coup led by his brother Mindon Min In October, 1958 a split within the AFPFL threatened to provoke a coup from field officers. In order to settle the situation U Nu invited the military to form caretaker government. In 1958–60, the caretaker government under General Ne Win was formed. The caretaker government initially appeared to be interested in building state capacity. It reduced corruption, improved bureaucratic efficiency, and managed to deal with the pocket armies. March 1, 1962: Ne Win overthrows U Nu September 18, 1988: Saw Maung overthrows Maung Maung Kha February 1, 2021: Min Aung Hlaing overthrows Aung San Suu Kyi Nepal 1559: Drabya Shah killed the Khadka, Raja with his own hand with a sword, during the race with conspiracy and started the rule of his dynasty under Shahas. October 31, 1846: A political massacre organized by Jung Bahadur Rana reduced the Shah Monarch to a figurehead and made Prime Minister and other powers hereditary to Ranas. In 1882 Chautariya Colonel Ambar Bikram Shah and his Gorkhali aide attempted assassination of Ranodip Singh but failed and were killed in Teku by the Ranas. November 2, 1885: Ranodip Singh Kunwar assassinated by Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana. December 15, 1960: King Mahendra dismissed the parliament of Nepal and arrested then PM B. P. Koirala and outlawed political parties. February 1, 2005: King Gyanendra dismissed the parliament of Nepal and declared a state of emergency, assuming direct rule. Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands 24 July 1577: capture of the Namur citadel by Don Juan of Austria has been considered a coup against the States-General of the Netherlands 28 October 1577: coup by radical Calvinists Jan van Hembyse and François van Ryhove against the stadtholder of Flanders, Philippe III de Croÿ (Duke of Aarschot). They founded the Calvinist Republic of Ghent. 7 September 1578: coup d'état by Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg against the Hof van Gelre en Zutphen. 23 January 1579: coup d'état by Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg and four Gueldrian noblemen against the Hof van Gelre en Zutphen. Dutch Republic August 1618: Coup d'état by Maurice, Prince of Orange, see Trial of Oldenbarnevelt, Grotius and Hogerbeets. July–August 1650: Attack on Amsterdam (1650) and imprisonment of rival regenten by William II, Prince of Orange. 20 August 1672: Murder of the De Witt brothers was an Orangist coup against the Loevestein government. Batavian Republic 22 January 1798: Uitvoerend Bewind against the National Assembly of the Batavian Republic 12 June 1798: Herman Willem Daendels against Pieter Vreede 19 September 1801: Napoleon Bonaparte against Uitvoerend Bewind Kingdom of the Netherlands 27 November 1856: Luxembourg Coup of 1856, a reactionary revision of the Luxembourg constitution by William III of the Netherlands, the reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg. 9–14 November 1918: Red Week (Netherlands): a failed coup attempt by Troelstra against the Dutch government. Nicaragua 1856 under William Walker June 6–9, 1936: Anastasio Somoza García overthrows Juan Bautista Sacasa 1947 by Anastasio Somoza García for Benjamín Lacayo Sacasa against Leonardo Argüello Barreto Niger April 15, 1974: Seyni Kountché overthrows Hamani Diori. January 27, 1996: Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara overthrows Mahamane Ousmane. April 9, 1999: Daouda Malam Wanké overthrows Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara. February 18, 2010: Salou Djibo overthrows Mamadou Tandja. 31 March 2021: Failed attempt by Captain Sani Saley Gourouza to overthrow Mahamadou Issoufou 26 July 2023: Detention of Mohamed Bazoum Nigeria January 15–16, 1966: Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu overthrows Abubakar Tafawa Balewa July 29, 1966: Yakubu Gowon overthrows Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi July 29, 1975: Murtala Mohammed overthrows Yakubu Gowon February 13, 1976: Buka Suka Dimka led a failed coup that resulted in the death of the head of state Murtala Mohammed December 31, 1983: Muhammadu Buhari overthrows Shehu Shagari August 27, 1985: Ibrahim Babangida overthrows Muhammadu Buhari April 22, 1990: Gideon Orkar failed to topple president Ibrahim Babangida November 17, 1993: Sani Abacha overthrows Ernest Shonekan. Norway 1537: King Christian III overthrew Regent Olav Engelbrektsson and the Rigsraad, leading to the Norwegian Reformation, and forcibly implemented a hereditary monarchy. April 9, 1940: Vidkun Quisling announced a fascist government by radio broadcast in an attempt to overthrow the legally elected Labour government of Johan Nygaardsvold while Nazi Germany invaded the country; his coup was rejected as illegitimate by King Haakon VII and Quisling would hold little power during the Nazi occupation. Oman July 23, 1970: Qaboos bin Said overthrew his father Said bin Taimur during the Dhofar Rebellion. Panama January 3, 1931 by Arnulfo Arias Madrid and Harmodio Arias Madrid against Florencio Harmodio Arosemena October 9, 1941 by Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango against Arnulfo Arias Madrid May 9, 1951 by Colonel José Antonio Remón Cantera against Arnulfo Arias Madrid October 11, 1968 by Omar Torrijos against President Arnulfo Arias Madrid 1989 coup attempt; Moises Giroldi attempted to overthrow President Manuel Antonio Noriega to prevent the U.S. invasion of Panama. Pakistan March 9, 1951: Major General Akbar Khan against the Muslim League government of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in protest of the government's acceptance of a ceasefire in the First Indo-Pakistani War. This was the first attempted military coup in Pakistan's history. October 27, 1958: Field Marshal Ayub Khan overthrows Iskander Mirza in response to his suspension of the Pakistani Constitution and declaration of Martial law. March 25, 1969 by General Yahya Khan, Ayub Khan resigned. July 4, 1977: General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and the Pakistan National Alliance overthrow Zulfikar Ali Bhutto after a contested general election. 1995: A group of Pakistani Armed Forces officers led by Zahirul Islam Abbasi plot to overthrow the Pakistan Peoples Party government of Benazir Bhutto October 12, 1999: General Pervez Musharraf overthrows the PML-N government Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and suspends the writ of the Constitution due to Sharif's intent to relieve him as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Paraguay September 4, 1880: Bernardino Caballero is appointed as interim president by the Congress after the death of the President Cándido Bareiro, and forced resignation by a coup of Vice president Adolfo Saguier. June 9, 1894: Juan Bautista Egusquiza overthrows Juan Gualberto González. Marcos Morínigo is appointed as interim president by the Congress. January 9, 1902: Bernardino Caballero overthrows Emilio Aceval. Andrés Héctor Carvallo is appointed as interim president by the Congress. December 19, 1904: Juan Antonio Escurra is deposed. Juan Bautista Gaona is appointed as interim president by the Congress. December 9, 1905: Juan Bautista Gaona is deposed. Cecilio Báez is appointed as interim president by the Congress. July 4, 1908: Benigno Ferreira is deposed. January 17, 1911: Albino Jara overthrows Manuel Gondra. January 14, 1912: Marcos Caballero Codas, Mario Uscher and Alfredo Aponte overthrow Liberato Marcial Rojas. February 28, 1912: Liberato Marcial Rojas is deposed. Pedro Pablo Peña is appointed as interim president by the Congress. March 22, 1912: Pedro Pablo Peña is deposed. Emiliano González Navero is appointed as interim president by the Congress. February 17, 1936: Rafael Franco overthrows Eusebio Ayala. August 13, 1937: Félix Paiva overthrows Rafael Franco. February 18, 1940: Self-coup by José Félix Estigarribia. June 3, 1948: Higinio Morínigo is deposed. Juan Manuel Frutos is appointed as interim president by the Congress. January 30, 1949: Juan Natalicio González is deposed. Raimundo Rolón is appointed as interim president by the Congress. February 26, 1949: Felipe Molas López overthrows Raimundo Rolón. September 11, 1949: Felipe Molas López is deposed. Federico Chaves is appointed as interim president by the Congress. May 4, 1954: Alfredo Stroessner overthrows Federico Chaves. Tomás Romero Pereira is appointed as interim president by the Congress. February 3, 1989: Andrés Rodríguez and the Paraguayan Army overthrow Alfredo Stroessner. Peru 1823 under José de la Riva-Agüero against the Supreme Governmental Board of Peru 1829 under Agustín Gamarra against José de La Mar 1835 under Felipe Santiago Salaverry against Luis José de Orbegoso 1842 under Juan Crisóstomo Torrico against Manuel Menéndez 1865 under Mariano Ignacio Prado against Pedro Diez Canseco 1872 under Tomás Gutiérrez against José Balta 1879 under Nicolás de Piérola against Mariano Ignacio Prado 1909 under Carlos de Piérola against Augusto B. Leguía 1914 under Óscar Benavides against Guillermo Billinghurst 1919 under Augusto B. Leguía y Salcedo against José Pardo y Barreda 1930 under Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro against Augusto B. Leguía y Salcedo 1948 under Manuel A. Odría against José Luis Bustamante y Rivero 1962 under Ricardo Pérez Godoy against Manuel Prado Ugarteche 1968 under Juan Velasco Alvarado against Fernando Belaúnde Terry February 1975 against Juan Velasco Alvarado (attempt) August 1975 under Francisco Morales-Bermúdez against Juan Velasco Alvarado April 1992 under Alberto Fujimori (self-coup) November 1992 under Jaime Salinas Sedó against Alberto Fujimori 2000 under Ollanta Humala against Alberto Fujimori 2005 under Antauro Humala against Alejandro Toledo 2022 under Pedro Castillo (self-coup attempt) Philippines From the 1565 Spanish conquest until 1898, there were than 20 failed Philippine revolts against Spain, including the Chinese revolts (1603, 1662), Dagohoy rebellion (1744–1825), Silang rebellion (1762–63), Pule revolt (1840–41), all crushed by the Spanish colonial government. Most of these were due to redress personal grievances (land use, unjust taxation, forced labor) and were not aimed to overthrow the government in Manila. The following list does show which plots did aim to overthrow the national government. 1587–1588: Failed Tondo Conspiracy, crushed by the Spanish colonial government 11 October 1719: Successful overthrow and assassination of Governor-General Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y Rueda by supporters of Manila Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta 1 June 1823: Failed revolt by Andrés Novales and Creole members of the Spanish Army crushed by the Spanish colonial government 1828: Failed Palmero Conspiracy, thwarted by the Spanish colonial government 20 January 1872: Failed Cavite mutiny, crushed by the Spanish colonial government 5 December 1896: Failed Manila mutiny, crushed by the Spanish colonial government 1896–98: Philippine Revolution, a war of independence against Spanish rule directed by the Katipunan society. First ended with the Pact of Biak-na-Bato between the Filipino and Spaniards, and the establishment of the Hong Kong Junta, then continued and led to the Philippine Declaration of Independence. Became intertwined with the Spanish–American War, where both Spaniards and Americans refused to recognize Philippine independence, and led to the Spanish cession of the Spanish East Indies to the United States. 1899–1901: Philippine–American War, First Philippine Republic against the United States after the Spanish cession of the Spanish East Indies, ended with the surrender of the Filipinos 2 May 1935: Failed Sakdalista Rebellion against United States, crushed by the American colonial government. 1942–1954: Failed Hukbalahap Rebellion against Japan and later the government of the Philippines, ended with the surrender of the Huks. 21 May 1967: Failed overthrow by Lapiang Malaya of the Third Philippine Republic led by President Ferdinand Marcos, ended with government forces killing and arresting the participants. 26 January–17 March 1970: First Quarter Storm, massive protests against Ferdinand Marcos. 21 September 1972: Self-coup of Ferdinand Marcos by declaring martial law. 22–25 February 1986: Successful People Power Revolution, civilian-backed military coup led by Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel V. Ramos overthrew Marcos as president. 6–8 July 1986: Failed coup attempt, known as the Manila Hotel plot, in the Philippines led by former senator and vice presidential candidate Arturo Tolentino together with 490 armed soldiers and 15,000 civilians loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos, crushed by the Philippine government. 11 November 1986: Failed coup attempt, known as the "God Save the Queen" Plot, in the Philippines led by Juan Ponce Enrile, ended with the removal of Enrile and re-organization of her cabinet. 27–29 January 1987: Failed coup attempt, known as the GMA-7 incident, in the Philippines led by Colonel Oscar Canlas, ended with one rebel soldier killed, and 35 others injured. 18 April 1987: Failed coup attempt, known as the Black Saturday incident, ended with one rebel soldier killed. 13 July 1987: Alleged coup attempt, known as the MIA plot, ended with four officers being sued in military court. 28–29 August 1987: Failed coup attempt, known as the August 1987 Coup, in the Philippines led by Col. Gregorio Honasan, crushed by the Philippine government. 1–9 December 1989: December 1989 coup attempt, failed coup attempt led by Col. Gregorio Honasan together with soldiers loyal to former President Marcos, crushed by the Philippine government. 4 March 1990: Hotel Delfino siege, government troops under Brigadier General Oscar Florendo fought against rebel forces led by suspended Cagayan Governor Rodolfo "Agi" Aguinaldo, crushed by the Philippine government. 4–6 October 1990: Failed mutiny known as the Mindanao crisis, mutinying soldiers staged a dawn raid on an army base in Mindanao, defeated by the government. 17–20 January 2001: Successful Second EDSA Revolution: A four-day political protest were held in EDSA, that peacefully overthrew the government of President Joseph Estrada 25 April–1 May 2001: Failed EDSA III: A seven-day political protest were held also in EDSA, in a failed attempt to bring back Joseph Estrada to power. 27 July 2003: Failed Oakwood mutiny, failed coup attempt with mutinous soldiers surrendering after taking over the Oakwood condominiums in the Makati Central Business District. 24 February 2006: State of emergency to forestall alleged coup against the government 29 November 2007: Failed Manila Peninsula siege, mutinous soldiers occupied The Peninsula Manila Hotel, later surrendered to the government.Alleged plots that have not been attempted yet: 2018–2021: Allegations of ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte was first publicized by the military, who mainly implicated the opposition figures and the critics of the Duterte administration of involvement in the plot.Rebellions that have not yet led to the point where the rebels have a chance of overthrowing the government: 1565–1898: Spanish–Moro conflict, Spain failed to subjugate the Moros until the cession of the Spanish East Indies to the United States. 1899–1913: Moro Rebellion, United States defeated the Moros, annexed their territories to the Philippine Islands. 1969–2019: Moro conflict, Tripoli Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1976, Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF in 1996, peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014, establishment of the Bangsamoro in 2019. 1969–present: Communist rebellion in the Philippines, currently ongoing, primarily by the New People's Army (NPA). Breakaway groups of the NPA has had peace deals with the Philippine government: with the Cordillera People's Liberation Army in 1986, and with the Revolutionary Proletarian Army in 2000.Attempts to wrest control of a chamber of Congress, while are plots, are not coups because it doesn't fit the definition of "removal of an existing government from power" as the head of state and government are not at stake (The Philippines uses the presidential system of government with separation of powers). There had been several instances of this, the latest of which were in 2020 in the House of Representatives and in 2018 in the Senate. One example was in March–April 1952 when the Senate presidency was changed three times. Poland 1919 Polish coup attempt: National Democratic attempt led by Marian Januszajtis-Żegota and Prince Eustachy Sapieha to overthrow Jędrzej Moraczewski and Józef Piłsudski's left-wing government May 1926: Józef Piłsudski overthrew the Chjeno-Piast government of President Stanisław Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Wincenty Witos, appointing Kazimierz Bartel as the new Prime Minister and beginning the Sanation regime. December 13, 1981: General Wojciech Jaruzelski declares martial law and bans the Solidarity union, forming the Military Council of National Salvation Portugal 147–139 BC: The Lusitanian Rebellion against the Roman forces in modern-day Portugal, led by Lusitanian leader named Viriatus. 1820: Liberal Revolution 1824: April Revolt 1836: Belenzada 1837: Revolt of the Marshals 1842: Coup of Costa Cabral 1846: Emboscada 1846–47: Patuleia 1851: Revolt of João Carlos de Saldanha (beginning of Regeneração) 1910: A republican coup d'état deposes King Manuel II of Portugal and establishes the Portuguese First Republic. 1915: May 14 Revolt overthrows Pimenta de Castro's government 1917: December 1917 coup d'état leads to Sidónio Pais' Dictatorship 1921: Bloody Night 1925: failed Military coup the Generals on 18 April 1925 1925: failed Revolt Mendes Cabecadas on 19 July 1925 1926: General Manuel Gomes da Costa and the Portuguese Armed Forces overthrows the First Portuguese Republic, establishing the Ditadura Nacional. 1927: Failed coup attempt lead by Mendes dos Reis, Agatão Lança, Câmara Lente, and Filipe Mendes on 3 February 1928: Failed coup attempt lead by Liga de Paris and Major Sarmento Beires on 20 July 1931: Failed coup attempt lead by Hélder Ribeiro, Utra Machado, Jaime Batista, Dias Antunes, and Sarmento Beires on 26 August 1974: The Movimento das Forças Armadas overthrows the Estado Novo Military dictatorship led by President Américo Tomás, founding the National Salvation Junta. 1975: Failed coup after the Carnation Revolution by far-left militants who hoped to establish a Communist government in Portugal. Qatar Februsary 22, 1972: Heir-apparent Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani deposes Emir Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani. June 27, 1995: Heir-apparent Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposes Emir Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. February 14, 1996: Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani attempts and fails to depose Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Romania 1866 by the "monstrous coalition" of Liberals and Conservatives against Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza 1938: King Carol II of Romania against Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and the Iron Guard 1940: Horia Sima and Ion Antonescu overthrow Carol II of Romania and create the National Legionary State. 1941: The Iron Guard unsuccessfully revolts against Ion Antonescu, leading to the suppression of the Iron Guard and a major pogrom in Bucharest. 1944: King Michael I of Romania and Constantin Sănătescu remove Ion Antonescu's government from power due to the Soviet invasion of Romania. 1947: Prime Minister Petru Groza forces King Michael I to abdicate, forming the Socialist Republic of Romania. 1989 – Romanian Revolution: Ion Iliescu and his National Salvation Front overthrow Nicolae Ceasescu alongside a series of civil unrest and uprisings, ending the Romanian Communist Party's rule. Russia Russian Empire 1741: Elizabeth Petrovna overthrows her infant cousin Ivan VI of Russia and his mother Anna Leopoldovna. 1762: A coup by Catherine the Great forced the abdication of Peter III of Russia. December 1825: Decembrist revolt attempted to depose Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Konstantin by military coup. March 15, 1917: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia is forced to abdicate in favor of the Russian Provisional Government, ending the Romanov dynasty. Revolutionary Russia September 1917: Lavr Kornilov attempts to march into Petrograd, overthrow the Provisional Government, dissolve the Petrograd Soviet and possibly establish a military dictatorship after being appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army by Alexander Kerensky. The coup failed because of a lack of support and mass resistance, but it eroded the Provisional Government's legitimacy and revived the Bolsheviks. It also resulted in the provisional government formally abolishing the Russian monarchy and proclaiming the Russian Republic. November 7, 1917: The Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party led by Vladimir Lenin overthrows the Russian Provisional Government and forms the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, leading to the Russian Civil War and the formation of the Soviet Union. Summer of 1918: Ambassadors' plot, failed attempt by Sidney Reilly et al. to remove the Bolsheviks from power. Soviet Union June 1957: the "Anti-Party Group" tries unsuccessfully to remove Nikita Khrushchev from power 13 October 1964: Nikita Khrushchev is forced to resign, handing the power to Leonid Brezhnev August 19 to 21, 1991: A group of Soviet Communist Party hardliners form the State Committee on the State of Emergency and attempt to overthrow President Mikhail Gorbachev in order to reverse his reforms; the coup is suppressed by RSFSR President Boris Yeltsin, weakening the Communist Party's authority and accelerating the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russian Federation September 21 to October 4, 1993: Russian President Boris Yeltsin, aided by the Russian Armed Forces, extralegally dissolved the Supreme Soviet and suspended the constitution in response to impeachment proceedings against him. Rwanda July 5, 1973: Juvénal Habyarimana overthrows Grégoire Kayibanda São Tomé and Príncipe August 15, 1995: Manuel Quintas de Almeida overthrows Miguel Trovoada for 6 days July 16, 2003: Fernando Pereira (major) overthrows Fradique de Menezes for 7 days November 24–25, 2022: A few men, including Delfim Neves, president of the outgoing National Assembly, allegedly tried to overthrow the government. Saudi Arabia November 1964: At the request of Crown Prince Faisal (Ibn Saud's third son), his brother Muhammad bin Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud's fourth son) led a palace coup which ousted King Saud (Ibn Saud's second son), making Faisal king. 1969 Saudi Arabian coup d'état attempt: Members of the Royal Saudi Air Force inspired by the Free Officers Movement in Libya attempted to overthrow King Faisal. Scotland 1688: The Glorious Revolution: William III of Orange's invasion of England and Scotland at the invitation of the country's powerful Protestants, deposing the Catholic James II of England and VII of Scotland Serbia 1842: Milan Obrenovic III is overthrown, resulting in the succession of the House of Karađorđević to the Serbian throne. 1858: Prince Alexander Karađorđević of Serbia is overthrown by Milan Obrenovic I, restoring the Obrenovic dynasty. May 28–29, 1903: May Coup Seychelles June 5, 1977: France-Albert René overthrows James Mancham November 25, 1981: South African mercenaries attempt to replace France-Albert René with the former president James Mancham 1986: There was a series of coup attempts against President René led by the Seychelles Minister of Defence, Ogilvy Berlouis. Operation Flowers are Blooming was the name of an operation by the Indian Navy to help avert a threatened coup against the government of President France-Albert René. Sierra Leone March 21, 1967: David Lansana overthrows Siaka Stevens April 19, 1968: John Amadu Bangura overthrows Andrew Juxon-Smith April 29, 1992: Valentine Strasser overthrows Joseph Saidu Momoh January 16, 1996: Julius Maada Bio overthrows Valentine Strasser May 25, 1997: Johnny Paul Koroma overthrows Ahmed Tejan Kabbah July 31, 2023: Sierra Leone police arrested 19 people, including fourteen serving personnel of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, two officers of the Sierra Leone Police and one retired chief superintendent of police who were allegedly planning a coup between August 7 and 10. In addition, five military officers and three police officers were subject to a search and capture warrant. November 26, 2023: an attempted coup involving attacks on barracks and a prison, resulting in the death of 19 people. The incident resulted in the arrest of 13 officers and 1 civilian. Solomon Islands June 5th, 2000: Malaita Eagle Force overthrows Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu Somalia December, 1961: an attempt by army officers to restore the independence of Somaliland fails. October 21, 1969: Muhammad Siad Barre overthrows Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein April 9, 1978 failed coup attempt against Muhammad Siad Barre. January 26, 1991: Mohammed Farrah Aidid and the United Somali Congress overthrow Muhammad Siad Barre, beginning the Somali Civil War. Spain Visigothic Kingdom 603: by General Witerico against king Liuva II 631: by Duke Sisenando against King Suintila 642: Tulga was overthrown by Chindasvinto 692: Égica was briefly overthrown by Suniefredo Kingdom of Spain 1814: Absolutist pronunciamiento of Fernando VII and Francisco Javier de Elío 1815: failed liberal pronunciamiento of Juan Díaz Porlier at A Coruña 1820: successful liberal pronunciamiento of Rafael del Riego, start of the Trienio Liberal 1822: failed absolutist coup by the Royal Guard of Fernando VII 1831: failed liberal pronunciamiento of Manuel de Torrijos 1835: liberal pronunciamiento of Cordero y de Quesada 1836: successful liberal mutiny of La Granja de San Ildefonso 1841: failed Moderate pronunciamiento 1843: successful Moderate pronunciamiento of Narváez and Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, end of the Baldomero Espartero regency 1844: failed liberal and Esparterist coup, led by Martín Zurbano 1846: failed progressive liberal military and civic revolt in Galicia, led by Miguel Solís Cuetos 1848: failed progressive liberal military and civic revolt in Madrid, led by colonel Manuel Buceta 1854: successful revolutionary coup in Madrid, led by general Leopoldo O'Donnell 1860: failed carlist military uprising at Sant Carles de la Ràpita, led by general Jaime Ortega y Olleta 1866: failed Progressive and Democrat coup in Madrid 1866: failed pronunciamiento of Villarejo de Salvanés, led by general Juan Prim 1868: successful Glorious Revolution, started by the pronunciamiento of Juan Bautista Topete in Cádiz First Spanish Republic 1874: successful coup led by General Pavía 1874: successful "Pronunciamiento de Sagunto", that ends the Spanish First Republic and restores monarchy and the Borbón family at the throne Kingdom of Spain 1883: failed 5 August republican pronunciamiento in Badajoz 1886: failed republican coup in Madrid, led by Manuel Villacampa del Castillo and Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla 1923: Spanish Army regiments led by Miguel Primo de Rivera overthrew Prime Minister Manuel García Prieto and established a dictatorship with the support of King Alfonso XIII. 1926: failed "Sanjuanada", a coup against the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera 1929: failed coup against the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, led by José Sánchez-Guerra y Martínez 1930: Jaca uprising: Fermín Galán led a failed republican pronunciamiento against the Spanish monarchy in Jaca. Second Spanish Republic August 10, 1932; José Sanjurjo unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Prime Minister Manuel Azaña's Republican Left government, although the coup plotters were in disagreement over whether to next dissolve the Second Spanish Republic. July 1936: A military uprising lead by Emilio Mola in which Francisco Franco participated, against Prime Minister Manuel Azaña and the Second Spanish Republic, starting the Spanish Civil War 1939: Segismundo Casado and Julián Besteiro overthrow the PSOE government of Juan Negrín in Republican-controlled Spain in order to negotiate a ceasefire with the Nationalists, forming the National Defense Council. Kingdom of Spain November 17, 1978: An aborted Guardia Civil coup led by Antonio Tejero to stop the Spanish transition to democracy. February 23, 1981: A faction of the Spanish Armed Forces led by Tejero broke into the Congress of Deputies while they were preparing to elect Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo as the new Prime Minister. King Juan Carlos denounced the coup in a nationally televised address, and the coup collapsed the next day with no casualties. October 27, 1982: A group of far-right colonels failed to overthrow Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo. June 2, 1985: a group of far-right soldiers and officers (along with some civilians) planned to take power following a false flag attack, but the conspiracy was later aborted. Sri Lanka 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt: Christian military officers attempted to topple the current government under Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Sudan November 16, 1958: Ibrahim Abboud overthrows Abdallah Khalil 1964: The October Revolution in Sudan, driven by a general strike and rioting, forced President Ibrahim Abboud to transfer executive power to a transitional civilian government, and eventually to resign. May 25, 1969: Gaafar al-Nimeiry overthrows Ismail al-Azhari July 19–22, 1971: Communist members of the National Revolutionary Command Council led by Hashem al Atta attempted to overthrow al-Nimeiry but failed due to a lack of support. 2 February 1977: Failed coup attempt in Juba by former members of the Anyanya in the Sudanese Air Force April 6, 1985: Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab overthrows Gaafar al-Nimeiry, establishing the Transitional Military Council. June 30, 1989: Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir and the National Islamic Front overthrows President Ahmed al-Mirghani and Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, creating the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation 10 April 2019: The Sudanese Armed Forces led by Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf overthrow Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir during the Sudanese Revolution 21 September 2021: An attempted coup against the ruling Sovereignty Council by forces loyal to Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir fails 25 October 2021: The Sudanese military, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, seizes control of the government following the arrest of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other civilian members of the Sovereignty Council April 15, 2023 – ongoing: Ongoing Coup attempt and armed conflict by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Suriname May 25/26, 1910: failed coup d'état by police officer Frans Killinger. November 7/8, 1947: failed coup d'état by Simon Sanches. February 25, 1980: military coup led by Dési Bouterse ousts Prime Minister Henck Arron. August 13, 1980: the military led by Dési Bouterse ousts President Johan Ferrier. March 15, 1981: failed counter coup/conspiracy by Wilfred Hawker. March 10/11, 1982: failed counter coup by Surendre Rambocus. December 24, 1990: President Ramsewak Shankar dismissed by Suriname's military. Switzerland 1717: Wilchingen against the City of Schaffhausen 1719: Werdenberg against Glarus 1723: Military led by Major Abraham Davel (Vaud) against City of Bern 1726: Peasants of Jura against Bistum of Basel 1755: Leventina (Ticino) against Canton Uri 1781: Chenaux (Fribourg) against Canton Fribourg 1797: Peasants of Baselgebiet against the City of Basel and ousted Peter Ochs and Peter Vischer January 8, 1800: Republicans (Hans Konrad Escher, Paul Usteri, Albrecht Rengger, Bernhard Friedrich Kuhn.) ousting the Patriots ( Karl Albrecht von Frisching, Karl von Müller-Friedberg und Carl Heinrich Gschwend) August 7, 1800: Patriots ousting the Republicans October, 27/28 1801: Federalist (Alois Reding & Johann Rudolf von Frisching) with help of the French Raymond Verninac ousting Unitarier and Patriots April 17, 1802: Unitarier under the Lead of Bernhard Friedrich Kuhns ousting the Federalist Alois Reding September 6, 1839: Züriputsch: Radical Movement under the lead of Conrad Melchior Hirzel & Fridrich Ludwig Keller ousting the Liberals. Killing of Johannes Hegtschweiler. Sweden 18 May 1160, successful: king Eric the Holy is killed on orders of Magnus Henriksson, who takes power as king Magnus II of Sweden 12 April 1167, successful: king Charles Sverkersson (later sometimes called ”Charles VII”) is killed by men loyal to Canute Ericsson, who was declared king and consolidated his power in 1173 14 June 1275, successful: Battle of Hova, king Valdemar I is overthrown and replaced by his brother who becomes king Magnus III 1439, successful: king Eric of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (Kalmar Union) was deposed in a coup from the Danish and Swedish thrones, in 1440 also from the Norwegian throne. June 1448, successful: Charles Canutesson is elected and hailed as king of Sweden under the pressure of his own private army 1457, successful: Charles Canutesson is ousted following a rebellion by the archbishop and the high nobility 1520, successful: Battle of Bogesund and Stockholm Bloodbath, Christian II of Denmark deposes Sten Sture the Younger and becomes king of Sweden 1521–3, successful: the Vasa rebellion deposes Christian II, effectively finally ending the Kalmar Union and making Gustaf Vasa king Gustaf I of Sweden 1568–9, successful: a rebellion among the estate of the nobility deposes king Eric XIV of Sweden and inserts his brother as king John III of Sweden 1569, failed: The 1569 plot against John III of Sweden, seeking to reinstate Eric XIV of Sweden 1574, failed: Mornay Plot against John III, seeking to reinstate Eric XIV 1576, failed: The 1576 plot against John III, seeking to reinstate Eric XIV 1598–1600, successful: War against Sigismund in 1598–9 and Linköping Bloodbath in 1600, Sigismund of Sweden was deposed and succeeded by his uncle Duke Charles, some years later crowned as Charles IX of Sweden 1756, failed: Coup of 1756 of queen Louisa Ulrika against the Riksdag of the Estates 1772, successful: Revolution of 1772; king Gustaf III of Sweden dismissed the Riksdag of the Estates, ending the Age of Liberty 1789, failed: 1789 Conspiracy of Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp against her brother-in-law Gustaf III 1793, failed: Armfelt Conspiracy by Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, in companionship with Magdalena Rudenschöld, with the intent to depose the guardian government of king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, is exposed. 1809, successful: Coup of 1809; a number of noblemen in the Swedish Army overthrew king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden after the Finnish War 1917–8, failed/cancelled: riots in Stockholm is followed by Socialist threats of revolution, but the plans are never realized; however, king Gustaf V is finally accepting parliamentarism and appoints Nils Edén as prime minister for a Liberal-Social Democrat coalition government to ease political tension Syria 1925–1927: The Great Syrian Revolt, a revolt initiated by the Druze and led by Sultan al-Atrash against French Mandate. March 29, 1949 by Husni al-Za'im against Shukri al-Quwatli August 14, 1949 by Sami al-Hinnawi against Husni al-Za'im December 3, 1951 by Adib Shishakli against Hashim al-Atassi February 25, 1954 by Maamun al-Kuzbari against Adib Shishakli September 29, 1961 by Haydar al-Kuzbari and others against Gamal Abdel Nasser March 8, 1963: Lu'ayy al-Atasi and the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region overthrow the Second Syrian Republic under Nazim al-Kudsi February 21–23, 1966: Salah Jadid overthrows Amin al-Hafiz and the Ba'ath National Command, leading to a split in the Ba'ath Party. November 13, 1970: Hafez al-Assad overthrows Salah Jadid Thailand The number of coups in Thailand—whether successful or unsuccessful— is uncertain, leading one academic to call for a concerted effort to make a definitive list. According to Paul Chambers, a professor at Chiang Mai University's Institute for South-East Asian Affairs, there have been almost 30 coup attempts in Thailand (whether successful or unsuccessful) since 1912. Some count 11 coups since 1932. Others claim there were 13 since 1932. 1912: Coup planned by military officers is discovered and thwarted. 24 June 1932: The Khana Ratsadon party overthrows the absolute monarchy of King Prajadhipok. 1 April 1933: Phraya Manopakorn Nitithada dissolves a government of the People's Party and ousted Pridi Banomyong, the leader of the party, out of the country. 20 June 1933: Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena overthrows Phraya Manopakorn Nititada. 11–23 October 1933: Royalist rebellion to overturn the results of the June 1933 coup d'état. 3 August 1935: The Nai Sip rebellion. 29 January 1939: More a purge or internal coup, it was the work of Prime Minister Phibul to remove political enemies and rivals. 7 November 1947: Phin Choonhavan overthrows Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi. 26–27 February 1949: Attempted coup by Pridi, which saw the Grand Palace occupied by his supporters, failed. 29 June 1951: Pridi supporters in the navy attempted a coup when they tried to seize Phibun. 29 November 1951: Military overthrows 1949 constitution and reverts to 1932 constitution. 21 September 1957: Sarit Thanarat overthrows Plaek Pibulsongkram 20 October 1958: Self-coup of Sarit Thanarat 18 November 1971: Self-coup of Thanom Kittikachorn February 1976: An attempted military coup was defeated in February. 6 October 1976: Sangad Chaloryu overthrows Seni Pramoj 20 October 1977: Kriangsak Chamanan overthrows Thanin Kraivichien 1 April 1981: A coup led by the deputy commander-in-chief of the army failed when forces loyal to the government suppressed the revolt. The "Young Turk" group of officers who staged the coup were dismissed from the army. 9 September 1985: A coup attempt by Col. Manoonkrit Roopkachorn, a member of the Young Turks, failed and a number of senior officers were later arrested. 23 February 1991: Sunthorn Kongsompong overthrows Chatichai Choonhavan 19 September 2006: Sonthi Boonyaratglin overthrows Thaksin Shinawatra 22 May 2014: Prayut Chan-o-cha overthrows Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Togo January 13, 1963: Étienne Eyadéma and Emmanuel Bodjollé overthrow Sylvanus Olympio January 13, 1967: Étienne Eyadéma and Kléber Dadjo overthrow Nicolas Grunitzky Transkei December 30, 1987: Bantu Holomisa overthrows Stella Sigcau. Tunisia July 15, 1957: Habib Bourguiba overthrows King Muhammad VIII al-Amin November 7, 1987 : 1987 Tunisian coup d'état: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali overthrows Habib Bourguiba July 25, 2021 : 2021 Tunisian self-coup : Kais Saied overthrows Assembly of the Representatives of the People Tuva January, 1929: Pro-Soviet, anti-Buddhist faction of the Tuvan People's Revolutionary Party overthrows the government of the Tuvan People's Republic, in modern Tuva. Turkey 1807–08: The Janissaries led by Kabakçı Mustafa overthrew Sultan Selim III to halt his Nizam-I Cedid reforms after the 1806 Edirne incident, disbanding his new military and replacing him with Mustafa IV. However, rebels led by Mustafa Bayrakdar overthrew the Janissary regime and placed Mahmud II on the throne. May 15, 1826: The Janissaries revolted and attempted to overthrow Sultan Mahmud II in opposition to his military modernizations, but he had the Sipahis force them back to their barracks and permanently disbanded them. May 30, 1876: Due to the public discontent caused by crop failures, public debt and excessive spending, 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdulaziz was deposed by his ministers on 30 May 1876 and found dead several days later, which was attributed to suicide. He was replaced by Murad V. 1909: Islamist factions in the Ottoman Army attempted to overthrow the new Ottoman General Assembly and restore Sultan Abdülhamit II to absolute rule, capturing control of Constantinople for 11 days. Ended with its suppression by Mahmud Shevket Pasha's Third Army, forcing the Sultan to abdicate. 1912: The "Saviour Officers" of the opposition Freedom and Accord Party overthrow the Committee of Union and Progress after the rigged 1912 general election. January 23, 1913: The Committee of Union and Progress overthrows Grand Vizier Kâmil Pasha after the First Balkan War, leading to the rule of the "Three Pashas" in the Ottoman Empire. May 27, 1960: A group of mid ranking Turkish Armed Forces officers, later called the National Unity Committee, overthrows the Democrat Party government led by Prime Minister Adnan Menderes February 22, 1962: A failed coup attempt led by Colonel Talat Aydemir due to the discontent by the election results on July 9, 1961. May 20, 1963: A second failed coup attempt led by officers loyal to Colonel Talat Aydemir who was retired after the previous coup attempt. The plotters were motivated by the purges of army officers that took part on May 27, 1960, coup. İsmet İnönü's government prevented the coup. Colonel Talat Aydemir, who was granted amnesty for the previous attempt, was executed. May 20, 1969, military intervention March 9, 1971: A coup attempt by leftist army officers was thwarted. March 12, 1971 under four force commanders of the Turkish Armed Forces overthrows Süleyman Demirel December 27, 1979, military memorandum September 12, 1980: Chief of the General Staff Kenan Evren overthrows the government led by Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel in response to widespread political violence. February 28, 1997: the General Staff issues a memorandum demanding the reversal of several policies of the Islamist government of Necmettin Erbakan, precipitating its collapse. Due to the lack of an overt military takeover, the event is popularly known as the "postmodern coup" (Turkish: Post-modern darbe). April 27, 2007: Amidst a political deadlock concerning ongoing presidential elections, the General Staff issues a statement, later called E-memorandum, about the presidential election understood to be a criticism of the ruling Justice and Development Party's candidate, Abdullah Gül. The crisis was resolved by an early election held later that year, which resulted in Gul's winning the presidency in a landslide. July 15, 2016: A group within the Turkish military linked by the Turkish government to the Gulen movement, the Peace at Home Council, made a failed military attempt to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Trinidad and Tobago July 27 – August 1, 1990: Failed coup attempt by Islamist Jamaat al Muslimeen organization led by Yasin Abu Bakr against Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson Uganda February 1966: Milton Obote overthrows King Mutesa II of Buganda January 25, 1971: Idi Amin overthrows Milton Obote May 12, 1980: Paulo Muwanga overthrows Godfrey Binaisa July 27, 1985: Tito Okello Lutwa overthrows Milton Obote January 26, 1986: Yoweri Museveni overthrows Tito Okello Lutwa Ukraine April 29, 1918: Pavlo Skoropadskyi overthrew the socialist government of the Central Council of Ukraine December 14, 1918: Directorate of Ukraine overthrew Pavlo Skoropadskyi November 26, 2021: Alleged Russia-backed coup attempt allegations February 2022: Failed 2022 coup attempt in Ukraine to take control of various Ukrainian cities by pro-Russian rebels, install pro-Russian rule in them and transfer cities to the Russian army during 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. United Kingdom 1802: Despard Plot; plan by Edward Despard to assassinate King George III and stage a popular uprising in London; suppressed by the government. 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Lord Liverpool and his cabinet; intercepted and suppressed in the planning stages 1913 (March): During the suffragette bombing and arson campaign, a plot to kidnap Home Secretary Reginald McKenna was revealed and discussed in the House of Commons and in the press. It was revealed that suffragettes were planning to kidnap one or more cabinet ministers and subjecting them to force-feeding, until they conceded women's suffrage. After the publicization of the plans, the plans were aborted. 1913: During the suffragette bombing and arson campaign, Special Branch detectives discovered that the WSPU had plans to create a suffragette "army" known as the "People's Training Corps" and informally as "Mrs Pankhurst's Army". The army was intended to proceed in force to Downing Street to imprison ministers until they conceded women's suffrage. After the discovery of the plans, they were aborted. United States Prior to independence December 21, 1719: Local military officers in colonial South Carolina overthrew the Lords Proprietors. Federal level March 1783: The Continental Army may have planned to overthrow the Confederation Congress, but the conspiracy failed after Gen. George Washington refused to join. August 29, 1786: Daniel Shays leads a march on the federal Springfield Armory in an unsuccessful attempt to seize its weaponry and overthrow the government. The federal government found itself unable to finance troops to put down the rebellion, and it was consequently put down by the Massachusetts State militia and a privately funded local militia. The widely held view was that the Articles of Confederation needed to be reformed as the country's governing document, and the events of the rebellion served as a catalyst for the Constitutional Convention and the creation of the new government. 1933–34: A group of businessmen were said to be conspiring to overthrow Franklin D. Roosevelt and install a fascist dictatorship. It is said to have failed when Smedley Butler refused to participate and instead testified before Congress. November 3, 2020 – January 7, 2021: After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, President Donald Trump pursued an effort to overturn the election, with support and assistance from his campaign, proxies, political allies, and general public supporters. These efforts culminated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, during which Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to stop the Congressional certification of the election. In 2023 the Department of Justice indicted Trump for this. State level 1841–42: Failed gubernatorial candidate Thomas Wilson Dorr attempted to install a new government of Rhode Island under a different constitution. March 16, 1861: The Texas Legislature deposed governor Sam Houston after he refused to swear allegiance to the Confederate States of America following the secession of Texas from the United States and replaced him with Edward Clark. April 15, 1874: Failed gubernatorial candidate Joseph Brooks launched a coup against Arkansas governor Elisha Baxter, setting off a violent struggle between the state's two Republican Party leaders. September 14, 1874: The White League overthrew the government of Louisiana in New Orleans, holding statehouse, armory, and downtown for three days until the coup was suppressed by the 22nd Infantry Regiment under the Insurrection Act of 1807. October 14, 1931: Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana Paul N. Cyr had himself sworn in as Governor while Governor Huey Long was out of state. Long had been elected to the Senate in 1930 but intended to remain Governor until the end of his term in 1932. Long sent the National Guard to the Governor's mansion and the state Capitol and returned to Baton Rouge to secure his position as governor. Long had Cyr removed as Lieutenant Governor by successfully arguing to the Louisiana Supreme Court that Cyr had vacated the position by swearing himself in as governor. October 8, 2020: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrests of 13 men suspected of orchestrating a domestic terror plot to kidnap American politician Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, and otherwise using violence to overthrow the state government. Counties and municipalities August 16, 1889: After months of retaliatory violence between rival factions of Southern Democrats, a gun battle in Richmond, Texas, killed the incumbent Sheriff of Fort Bend County, triggering martial law in the county and the collapse of its government. November 10, 1898: White-supremacist Southern Democrats overthrew the biracial Fusionist ruling coalition of Wilmington, North Carolina. August 2, 1946: Citizens led by returning WWII veterans overthrew the allegedly corrupt government of McMinn County, Tennessee. Uruguay February 10, 1898: Self-coup by Juan Lindolfo Cuestas. March 31, 1933: Self-coup by Gabriel Terra. February 21, 1942: Self-coup by Alfredo Baldomir, sometimes known as the Golpe bueno (the "Good coup"). June 27, 1973: Juan María Bordaberry closed parliament and established a civic-military dictatorship Venda April 5, 1990: Gabriel Ramushwana overthrows Frank Ravele Venezuela December 19, 1908: Juan Vicente Gómez declares himself president after Cipriano Castro leaves for Europe to receive medical treatment October 18, 1945: President Isaías Medina Angarita was overthrown by a rebellion and a popular movement, which saw a transition to a democratic government November 24, 1948: A military junta, led by Carlos Delgado Chalbaud overthrows the democratically elected president Rómulo Gallegos January 22–23, 1958: A popular unrest and military support achieved the overthrow of the dictatorial government of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, forming a transitional government led by Rear Admiral Wolfgang Larrazábal and Edgar Sanabria February 4–5, 1992: A failed coup attempt against President Carlos Andrés Pérez led by Hugo Chávez and his group MBR-200 November 27, 1992: A failed coup where a group of remnant officers loyal to the Hugo Chávez-led MBR-200 attempt to seize control of the government April 11–13, 2002: Brief coup against Hugo Chávez led by the country's military high command during a general strike called by the business federation Fedecámaras and the Confederation of Workers of Venezuela Vietnam October 1459: Emperor Lê Nhân Tông was deposed and killed in a coup led by Lê Nghi Dân May 1460: Failed coup against emperor Lê Nghi Dân 6 June 1460: Emperor Lê Nghi Dân was deposed (and possibly killed) in a coup by officials, who enthroned Lê Thánh Tông. November 1509: Emperor Lê Uy Mục was deposed in a coup led by Lê Tương Dực Spring 1516: Emperor Lê Tương Dực was deposed in a military coup; the army enthroned his nephew Lê Chiêu Tông 1524: Emperor Lê Chiêu Tông fled the capital due to a rebellion; general Mạc Đăng Dung quashed the rebellion, seized the opportunity to stage a coup against the emperor (who was killed by Mạc's supporters soon after), and enthroned his brother Lê Cung Hoàng. 15 June 1527: Emperor Lê Cung Hoàng, the puppet of general Mạc Đăng Dung, was deposed and executed in a military coup by Mạc, who proclaimed himself the emperor of his own new Mạc dynasty. This led to the Lê–Mạc War (1527/33–1592). Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina South Vietnam 1960: Lieutenant-Colonel Vương Văn Đông and Colonel Nguyễn Chánh Thi of the Airborne Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam failed to depose of President Ngo Dinh Diem. 1963: General Dương Văn Minh led a group of Army of the Republic of Vietnam officers to oust President Ngo Dinh Diem in response to Ngo's handling of the Buddhist crisis. January 1964: General Nguyễn Khánh ousted the military junta led by General Dương Văn Minh in a bloodless coup. September 1964: Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức failed to overthrow the ruling military junta led by General Nguyễn Khánh. The attempt collapsed without any casualties. December 1964: The ruling military junta, led by General Nguyễn Khánh dissolves the High National Council. 1965: Army units commanded by General Lâm Văn Phát and Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo fight to a stalemate with those of the ruling military junta, led by General Nguyễn Khánh. Following this, however, General Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Air Marshal Nguyễn Chánh Thi (hostile to both the plotters and to Khánh himself) seized power themselves with the backing of the United States. They then forced Khánh into exile. Yemen 1948: The Alwazir family assassinated Imam Yahya of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen. 1962 under Abdullah al-Sallal 1974 under Ibrahim al-Hamdi 2014–2015 a semi-successful coup against President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led by the Houthis 2018 Yemeni coup d'état by the Southern Movement Yugoslavia 6 January 1929: Alexander I of Yugoslavia suspends the constitution and introduces a personal dictatorship. (self-coup) 1941: by King Peter II of Yugoslavia against Regent Prince Paul of Yugoslavia in reaction for joining the Axis Powers, leading to an Axis invasion. Zanzibar January 12, 1964: John Okello led the coup to overthrow Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Said Zambia July 1, 1990: Mwamba Luchembe unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow President Kenneth Kaunda October 28, 1997: Steven Lungu failed to overthrow President Frederick Chiluba Zimbabwe Southern Rhodesia 1965: following the colonial government's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, the colonial governor dismisses the government, but the government ignores this and instead replaces the governor with an "Officer Administering the Government" Zimbabwe November 14, 2017: A coup resulted in the removal of longtime President Robert Mugabe See also List of coups and coup attempts – chronological listing List of coups and coup attempts since 2010 List of revolutions and rebellions Self-coup Soft coup References External links Coups in the World, 1950–Present Archived 2017-07-25 at the Wayback Machine – Database on coups and coup attempts 1950–present, by Jonathan Powell & Clayton Thyne. Coups d'Etat, 1946–2015 – List of coups and coup attempts 1946–2015, by the Center for Systemic Peace. Bibliography Groenveld, Simon (2009). Unie – Bestand – Vrede. Drie fundamentele wetten van de Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden. Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren. p. 200. ISBN 9789087041274. (in cooperation with H.L.Ph. Leeuwenberg and H.B. van der Weel) Kosterman, Hans (1999). "De Unie van Utrecht". In Willem Velema (ed.). Het aanzien van een millennium. Kroniek van historische gebeurtenissen van de Lage Landen 1000–2000. Utrecht: Uitgeverij Het Spectrum. pp. 61–63. ISBN 9027468443. Ooi, Keat Gin (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 1791. ISBN 9781576077702. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
[ "Lists" ]
40,810,442
Relics associated with Buddha
According to the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (Sutta 16 of the Dīgha Nikāya), after attaining parinirvana, the body of Buddha was cremated and the ashes divided among his lay followers.
According to the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (Sutta 16 of the Dīgha Nikāya), after attaining parinirvana, the body of Buddha was cremated and the ashes divided among his lay followers. Division of the relics According to the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta, after his parinirvana in Kushinagar, the remains of the Buddha were cremated at that location. Originally his ashes were to go only to the Sakya clan, to which the Buddha belonged. However, six other clans and a king demanded the ashes of the Buddha. In order to resolve this dispute, a Brahmin named Drona divided the ashes of the Buddha into eight portions. These portions were distributed as follows: to Ajātasattu, king of Magadha; to the Licchavis of Vesāli; to the Sakyas of Kapilavastu; to the Bulis of Allakappa; to the Koliyas of Rāmagāma; to the Brahmin of Veṭhadīpa; to the Mallas of Pāvā; and to the Mallas of Kusinārā. In addition to these eight portions, two other important relics were distributed at that time: Drona (the Brahmin who distributed the relics) received the vessel in which the body had been cremated, and the Moriyas of Pipphalivana received the remaining ashes of the funeral pyre.According to Buddhaghosa, Each of these ten portions was placed in a reliquary (such as the Kanishka casket or the Bimaran casket) and buried in a tumulus. These tumuli have been expanded or reconstructed over many centuries to form large stupas. Of these, the only one which remains intact is the Ramagrama stupa in Ramgram, Nepal. There is significant evidence to support the authenticity of the stupa at Piprahwa, as well as the Relic Stupa of Vaishali and the Ramabhar Stupa at Kushinagar. Apart from these, archaeological investigations to date have not definitively identified any of the remaining stupas. Spread of the relics by Ashoka The Lokapannatti, a collection of stories written in the 11th or 12th century, tells the story of Ajātasattu of Magadha (c. 492 – c. 460 BCE) who gathered the Buddha's relics and hid them in an underground stupa. According to this text, the Buddha's relics were protected by spirit-powered mechanical robots until they were disarmed two centuries later by Emperor Ashoka (c. 304 – 232 BCE). According to Mahāvaṃsa and Ashokavadana, Ashoka collected seven of the eight relics of Gautama Buddha, and redistributed them across 84,000 stupas that he ordered to be constructed around the world.When the Chinese pilgrims Faxian (337 CE – c. 422 CE) and Xuanzang (602–664 CE) visited India centuries later, they reported that most of the ancient sites were in ruin.The Mahaparinirvana sutra says that of the Buddha's four eye teeth (canines), one was worshipped in Indra's Heaven, the second in the city of Ghandara, the third in Kalinga, and the fourth in Ramagrama by the king of the Nagas. Annually in Sri Lanka and China, tooth relics would be paraded through the streets. In the past relics have had the legal right to own property, and the destruction of stupas containing relics was a capital crime viewed as murder of a living person. A southeast Asian tradition says that, after his parinirvana, the gods distributed the Buddha's 800,000 body and 900,000 head hairs throughout the universe. In Theravāda, according to the 5th century commentator Buddhaghosa, possessing relics was one of the criteria for what constituted a proper monastery. The adventures of many relics are said to have been foretold by Buddha, as they spread the dharma and gave legitimacy to rulers.In Buddhist eschatology, it is said that all of Buddha's relics will one day gather at the Bodhi tree, where he attained enlightenment, and will then form his body, sitting cross legged and performing the twin miracle; the disappearance of the relics at this point will signal the coming of Maitreya Buddha. In the Nandimitravadana translated by Xuanzang it is said that the Buddha's relics will be brought to parinirvana by sixteen great arhats and enshrined in a great stupa. That stupa will then be worshipped until it sinks into the earth down to the golden wheel underlying the universe. The relics are not destroyed by fire in this version but placed in a final reliquary deep within the earth, perhaps to appear again.Previous Buddhas also left relics; in the Buddhavamsa it mentions that the Sobhita, Paduma, Sumedha, Atthadassi, Phussa, Vessabhu, and Konagamana, these Buddhas have had their relics dispersed. The relics of Buddha's noble disciples like Sariputta and Maudgalyāyana, were also preserved enshrined in stupas (as in Sanchi). Relics in Afghanistan Sometime in the middle of the fifth century, the Chinese pilgrim Daorong traveled to Afghanistan to visit pilgrimage sites. In Nagarahara was a piece of bone from the top of Buddha's skull four inches long. Also in the city was an enshrined staff, and a jeweled reliquary containing some teeth and hair. A shadow was said to have been projected onto a rock wall, said to have belonged to Buddha, as well as a set of footprints, and a site venerated for being where Buddha washed his robe. A temple said to have been built by Buddha is sinking into the ground here, with what is said to be his writing on the wall. A tooth of the Buddha was kept in Baktra. In Bamyan a tooth of Buddha was stored along with the tooth of a cakravartin king. An early masterpiece of the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and one of the earliest representations of the Buddha, the Bimaran casket was discovered in a stupa near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. Although the casket bears an inscription saying it contained some of the relics of the Buddha; no relics were discovered when the box was opened.Buddha's first disciples Trapusa and Bahalika received eight strands of hair from him which they brought to their hometown of Balkh and enshrined in a golden stupa by the gate. Relics in the United States Bodhi Light International, Inc., a non-profit organization headquartered at Southern California, hosts The 10,000 Buddha Relics Collection, which is the largest known collection of Buddha relics in the United States. This collection includes two teeth, one hair, a finger bone, and thousands of gem-like relics believed to belong to Shakyamuni Buddha and his close family members and disciples. The relics in the collection are known for the phenomenon of producing new colorful crystals called "baby relics". The collection has been on exhibition to public twice a year since 2013 at Lu Mountain Temple in Rosemead, CA and Dharma Treasury Temple in San Francisco, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors. Most of these relics come from Asian countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.The exhibit was featured in Season 5, Episode 10 of the History Channel series “The UnXplained” with William Shatner June 2023. Relics in Bangladesh A Buddha relic is kept in Buddha Dhatu Jadi Bangladesh beneath four Buddha statues. The Buddha's Dhatu was given to Ven. U Paññya Jota Mahathero in 1994 by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee of Myanmar. Relics in Bhutan Ringsels from Buddha, Nagarjuna, Longchenpa, Marpa, and Milarepa visited Chubachu Bhutan from Bodhgaya Sri Lanka, in October 2013. Relics in Cambodia A Buddha relic was enshrined at Sakyamuni Chedai in Oudong in 2002. Fifty years earlier, this relic was transported from Sri Lanka to Phnom Penh, but was transported again after King Sihanouk voiced concerns about urban decay surrounding Phnom Penh. King Sihanouk of Cambodia received a Buddha relic from the French in 1952. Relics present from the 1950s were recently stolen in Oudong mountain and remain missing.A golden urn said to contain relics of Buddha was snatched from a mountain shrine, sparking a nationwide manhunt, and was recovered on February 5, 2014. The disappearance of the urn - believed to contain hair, teeth, and bones of Buddha and several small statues - came to light in December and prompted an outcry in the Buddhist-majority country. "Everything is still in the urn," national police spokesman Kirt Chantharith told a news agency. Relics in China According to legend, the first Buddha relic in China appeared in a vase in 248 C.E. brought by Kang Senghui to show a local ruler. The king of Wu Sun Quan would unsuccessfully attempt to destroy the tooth, by subjecting it to various tests. In legends Daoxuan is attributed with the transmission of the Buddha relic Daoxuan's tooth, one of the four tooth relics enshrined in the capital Chang'an during the Tang dynasty. He is said to have received the relic during a night visit from a divinity associated with Indra. The emperor Taizong tried to burn a tooth relic but was unable to do so.According to his biography upon his return in 645 C.E. Xuanzang returned from his seventeen-year-long pilgrimage to India with, "over six hundred Mahayana and Hinayana texts, seven statues of the Buddha and more than a hundred sarira relics."Emperor Wen and Empress Wu of the Sui dynasty both venerated Buddha relics. Daoxuan's Ji gujin fodao lunheng (Collection of [the Documents Related to] the Buddho-Taoist Controversies in the Past and the Present; completed 661) recounts that shortly after being born, Emperor Wen was given to a Buddhist "divine nun" until the age of 13. After becoming emperor, Emperor Wen led three Buddha relic redistribution campaigns in 601, 602, and 604. The relics were enshrined across 107 pagodas along with pictures of the divine nun.In 2010 remains of Gautama Buddha's skull were enshrined at Qixia Temple in Nanjing. The partial bone had been held in the Pagoda of King Ashoka, constructed in 1011 under the former Changgan Temple of Nanjing. In 1987 a chamber was unearthed below Famen temple and a finger bone said to belong to Gautama Buddha was discovered. In 2003 the finger bone was one of 64 culturally significant artifacts officially prohibited from leaving China for exhibitions. In 2009, the relic was enshrined in the world's tallest stupa recently built within the domains of Famen Temple.Two bone fragments believed to belong to Gautama Buddha are enshrined at Yunju temple. According to Tang dynasty records, China had 19 pagodas of King Ashoka holding Sakyamuni's relics. Seven of these pagodas are believed to have been found. Currently the tooth relic is kept in Beijing while the knuckle of the middle finger is at Xi'an city Shaanxi province.In 1072 the Japanese pilgrim Jojin visited the Buddha's tooth in Kaifeng; an imperial emissary had to open the door to the build that housed it in the hall of seven treasures.The Beijing tooth was discovered in 1900 when it was discovered in the ruins of Zhaoxian pagoda outside of Beijing. The monks of the nearby Lingguang monastery found a box in the rubble with the inscription "The Holy Tooth Relics of Sakyamuni Buddha", written by Shan-hui in 963 C.E. They kept the molar inside their monastery until 1955 when they donated it to the Buddhist Association of China. The Burmese ambassador asked whether Burma could have the relic; to which the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai had offered. However, when a delegation went to retrieve the tooth it was housed in a golden jeweled casket instead of glass, and only offered to loan it to Burma for eight months. The Beijing tooth temple was reconstructed in 1966 in front of Buddhist delegations from 10 countries. Relics in India Buddha belonged to the Shakya clan, whose capital was located at Kapilavastu. During an excavation in 1898, William Claxton Peppe discovered five small vases containing bone fragments, ashes, and jewels in a long-forgotten stupa in Piprahwa, near Birdpur in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh, India. A team led by K.M. Srivastava performed further excavations at the Piprahwa site between 1971 and 1973. The team discovered a casket containing fragments of charred bone and dated them to the 4th or 5th century BCE. Based upon the findings of these excavations, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has identified Piprahwa as Kapilavastu. This conclusion is disputed by some authorities, including the Nepalese Department of Archaeology, which claims Tilaurakot as the historical location of Kapilavastu.The Buddha Relic Stupa was built by Lichhavis in Vaishali as a mud stupa in the 5th century BCE. Noted archaeologists Anant Sadashiv Altekar and Sitaram Rai of the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute led an archaeological excavation of this stupa from 1958 to 1962. A reliquary was discovered and removed from the core of the stupa; it was dated to the 5th century BCE. It was later determined that this reliquary contained ashes of the Buddha mixed with earth, a copper punch-marked coin, and several other items. The casket was brought to the Patna Museum in 1972, where it remains to this day.Mortal remains of the Buddha belonging to the third or fourth century were found during an excavation in 1962–1963 at Devni Mori which is a Buddhist archaeological site near Shamalaji in Gujarat. Ashes of Buddha were found in a gold bottle wrapped in silk cloth within a copper bowl that was kept in a casket. The 1,700-year-old casket's inscription in Brahmi script mentions ‘Dashabala Sharira Nilaya’ — which stands for 'abode of the bodily relics of Lord Buddha'. The remains are preserved in the Museum of Department of Archaeology and Ancient History of the Faculty of Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda - Vadodara. Dhamma Vinaya Monastery Pune located in western part of Maharashtra state. In the Sahyadri hill ranges near khadakwasala dam where Dhamma Vinaya Monastery Pune, a replica of Sanchi stupa constructed and relics of Gautam Buddha's and arhants was enshrined.When the first dome of the Global Vipassana Pagoda was constructed in October 2006 in Mumbai; bone relics of the Buddha were enshrined in the central locking stone of the dome, making it the world's largest structure containing relics of the Buddha. The relics were originally found in the stupa at Bhattiprolu, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. They have been donated by the Mahabodhi Society of India and the prime minister of Sri Lanka to be kept at the Global Vipassana Pagoda. A casket was discovered in Lalitgiri in Orissa believed to contain bones of Buddha.The Culvmsa relays the legend Silakala and King Moggallana who went to India in exile. Silakala became a novice at Bodhgaya where he was given a hair relic; Moggallana took this relic back to Sri Lanka and placed it in a crystal casket, and instigated a regular festival in honor of the hair.Although king Bimbisara let the women in his palace visit Buddha in his monastery in the evenings; the women wanted a hair and nail stupa they could use to venerate the Buddha any time. After Bimbisara spoke with Buddha who complied with their request.In Rajagrha, Buddha went to have his hair shaved, but none of the monks were willing to cut Buddha's hair; so they found a young boy named Upali of the barber cast. In the attempt to cut the hair better he controlled his body posture and breathing going into the fourth level of trance, dhyana. The Buddha's disciple seeing this Ananda took the razor from him; then wondered what to do with the hair; thinking it was an impure thing. Buddha reprimanded him and had Ananda deliver the hair in a pot to the general Gopali who took it into battle, becoming victorious.According to Xuanzang's observation, hundreds of thousands of devotees came daily to venerate the tooth relic in Kanyakubja.According to the Pali Dathavamsa (tooth chronicle) a disciple of Buddha named Khema took a tooth from Buddha's funeral pyre and gave it to Brahmadatta king of Kalinga (India). In Dantapura the tooth is taken by niganthas to King Gushava, then the Hindu emperor Pandu who attempts to destroy it in several different ways. Unable to destroy the tooth the king converts to Buddhism and venerates the tooth. One hundred years prior to the visit of Xuanzang the Ephthalite Huns destroyed a number of relics in Kashmira and Gandhara. To escape one of the purges, a monk fled to India and paid pilgrimage to many sacred sites. One day he encountered a herd of wild elephants. He attempted to hide in a tree but was taken by the elephants to one of their young who had a bamboo splinter in his foot. He treated the elephant's wound and it rewarded him with a golden casket containing a tooth of Buddha. On the way back he ferried across a river that threatened to sink them mid-way. The passengers determined it was Nagas wanting the Buddha relic and convinced the monk to throw the tooth in the river. He would spend the next three years learning the proper rituals to tame the Nagas; subduing their king and reclaiming the tooth. He later did this successfully. Relics in Indonesia Borobudur in Java contains one of the Buddha's relics. Relics in Japan According to legend in Japan 552 C.E. there was an attempt to destroy a tooth relic, one of the first of Buddha's to arrive in the country; it was hit by a hammer into an anvil; the hammer and anvil were destroyed but the tooth was not. On January 15, 593, Soga no Umako ordered relics of Buddha deposited inside the foundation stone under the pillar of a pagoda at Asuka-dera. According to Japanese legends the tooth of Indras heaven would be stolen from Drona's turban by a demon called Sokushikki (demon fleet foot); however he was caught by an even faster divinity and the tooth was given to Indra. Although no mention is made of Xuanzang specifically having a tooth, a Japanese tradition claims one was eventually taken by the monk Gishin and kept in Tendai and Fujiwara. Relics in Korea Tongdosa temple, (one of the three Three Jewel Temples of Korea), was founded by Jajang-yulsa after he returned from a pilgrimage to China in 646 AD. The temple houses a robe, begging bowl and a piece of skull said to belong to Buddha. Other temples built by Jajang also house relics. Bongjeongam hermitage is said to possess sarira from Gautama, while Sangwonsa houses bone relics. Additionally Jeongamsa Temple, and Beopheungsa Temple are said to contain relics. At Bulguksa Temple in South Korea, beneath a three-story stone pagoda; 46 sarira have been kept for over 1200 years, 2 more having appeared recently.It is said that Korean emperor Huijong tried to sink a tooth relic at sea but was unable to do so. Relics in Laos Pha That Luang is the most important national symbol of Laos. Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire are believed to have been sent by the Emperor Ashoka, including Bury Chan or Praya Chanthabury Pasithisak and five Arahata monks who brought a holy relic (believed to be the breast bone) of the Buddha to the stupa. Relics in Malaysia In 2001, Mahindarama Buddhist Temple, located in George Town, became the first temple in Penang to house the relics of the Buddha. The two bone fragments of the Buddha had been presented to the temple's Chief Monk, Ven. E. Indaratana Maha Thera, while he was in India during the previous year. The relics are currently on display within the temple's main prayer hall. In 2012, a small portion of the Buddha's relics was presented by the Thai royal family to Wat Chetawan in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, as a token of goodwill of Thai Buddhists towards Malaysian Buddhists. The relics had been discovered in Uttar Pradesh, India in 1898, before being gifted by India's British authorities to Siam's King Chulalongkorn. Fa Yu Chan Si temples crystal pagoda contains relics from Gautama Buddha and other Buddhist masters. In conjunction with 24 hours Metta around the World 2013, a silver-golden casket containing Gautama Buddha's relics was brought by Ven. Dhammananda from Sri Lanka to be enshrined in Samadhi Vihara, Shah Alam. Relics in Mongolia According to legend, Abtai Sain Khan was given a Buddha relic by the third Dalai Lama. The fourteenth Dalai Lama prayed for this relic during his visit to Mongolia in 2011; its location was kept a close secret for concern it would be taken by the Soviet government. Relics in Myanmar The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar houses 8 strands of Buddha's hair taken by his first 2 disciples Tapussa and Bhallika; to the site where three relics of Buddha's previous incarnations had been enshrined. Shwedagon was created with the help of the King of Okkalapa and the Sule nat (spirit). Buddha's hairs are also said to be enshrined at Sule and Botataung Pagodas.The Kanishka casket is said to have contained three bone fragments of the Buddha, which were forwarded to Burma by the British following the excavation, where they still remain in U Khandi's dazaung (hall). The Uppatasanti Pagoda also holds a tooth relic from China.The Chakesadhatuvamsa, or chronicle of the six hair relics of the Buddha, was written in Myanmar. The text says that the Buddha gave six hairs to disciples at Venuvana in Rajagrha. These were given to 6 bordering countries who had never seen the Buddha. The stories say that when the Buddha came to Mon State to give sermons, he gave six of his hairs to hermits from Kyaiktiyo, Zinkyaik (to Tissa), Mount Zwegabin (to Thiha), Kaylartha, Kyaikdaeyone and Myathabeik. A pair of belu brothers from Kyaikhtisaung also received a hair. All the hermits and belus enshrined the hair in great stones.Burmese and Sri Lankan tradition says that Trapusa and Bhallika lost some of the hair relics to the Naga king Jayesana; who took them to worship in his undersea palace. The Hledauk Pagoda in Burma crumbled during an earthquake in 1912; exposing 2 relic chambers. Inside was a vessel containing relics from the Buddha and small figures of bronze representing stages of his lives.On his way flying through the air with 499 disciples to Sunaparanta, Buddha stopped at Saccabandha where he talked the heretic teacher of the same name into becoming an arhat. On his way home from Sunapranta Buddha stopped by the banks of the Nammada river where he was welcomed by a devote Buddhist naga king who asked for a memento to honor, so he left an impression of his footprint in the river bank. They visited Saccabandha again who asked for something to honor as well; Buddha obliged by pressing his foot into solid stone. Relics in Nepal According to UNESCO, Ramagrama stupa is the only undisturbed original stupa containing relics of Lord Buddha; built in the 6th century BCE. Nepal believes Tilaurakot to be Kapilavastu, and nominated it along with Lumbini for world heritage status. An excavation at Tilaurakot in 1962 revealed ancient brick structures but no relics. In 1970's thousands of Buddha relics were said to begin growing out of the east side of the stupa of Swayambhunath in Kathmandu. According to Xuanzang, relics of Koṇāgamana Buddha were held in a stupa in Nigalisagar; visited by Ashoka, in what is now southern Nepal. Relics in Pakistan The stupa built in what is now Peshawar by Kanishka of the Kushan Empire in the second century has been described as one of the tallest in the world and has been visited by early Chinese Buddhist pilgrims such as Faxian, Sung Yun and Xuanxang. In Peshawar, Faxian reported in the fourth century that the Buddha's begging bowl held 4 liters and was made of stone, made of four bowls bestowed upon him by the four guardian gods of the four quarters of mount Vinataka surrounding mount Sumeru. Another legend is of a Yuezhi king who wanted to take away the bowl but could not with the strength of eight elephants, so he constructed a stupa over it. The stupa was excavated in 1908–1909 by a British archaeological mission; where the Kanishka casket was discovered with three small fragments of bone. Three pieces of bone (approx 1½ in. or 3.8 cm long) were found in a crystal reliquary in a bronze casket bearing an effigy of Kanishka and an inscription recording his gift. They were removed to Mandalay in 1910 by Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, the Governor-General of India, for safekeeping. They were originally kept in a stupa in Mandalay but it has become dilapidated and is used as housing. The relics are being kept in a nearby monastery until funds can be found to build a new stupa to house the relics next to Mandalay Hill. The crystal reliquary holding the bones is now enclosed in a gold and ruby casket provided by Burmese devotees. Relics in Persia Xuanzang said that the Buddha's begging bowl had found its way to Persia after spending time in many different countries. It is said the bowl will one day be given to Maitreya Buddha. According to Faxian however, Buddha's alms bowl took several hundred years to travel across several countries before being taken by a naga king. The bowl would then reappear at Mount Vinataka, where it would be divided into the original four bowls and given to the four guardian kings to bestow on Maitreya. Maitreya would then press the bowls together forming one again, with the next thousand buddhas repeating this same process; using the same bowl. According to Daoxuan, the Buddha's bowl — given to him at the time he was offered milk rice — was made of clay. It was bestowed by a mountain deity who had been given the bowl by the previous Kassapa Buddha. The bowl was later repaired by Indra and the guardians of the four quarters crafted thousands of stone replicas, which were placed in thousands of stupas all over the world. Relics in Russia In 2011 the head of the Buddhist Patriarchy of Sri Lanka met with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to discuss the movement of relics from Sri Lanka to the Republic of Kalmykia. Former president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov will become the next guardian of these Buddha relics. Relics in Singapore The tooth relic is housed in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in the Chinatown district of Singapore. It is claimed the relic was found in a collapsed stupa in Myanmar. Relics in Sri Lanka In the Mahavamsa, Ashoka chooses not to retrieve Buddha relics in the possession of Nagas at Ramagrama. It was said that on his deathbed Buddha told a prophecy that of the eight dronas of his body relics, one would be venerated by the Koliyas of Ramagrama, then the relics would belong to the Nagas until being enshrined in Sri Lanka. Ashoka is told more prophecy by arhats, who speak of the future enshrinement of these relics by King Dutugemunu.The two quarts of relics that were enshrined in the village Rāmagāma were, according to The Buddha's determination, destined to be enshrined in the Great Stūpa Ruvanveli. King Dutugemunu who, on the full-moon day of the month of Āsāëha (June–July), under the constellation of Uttarāsāëha, would officiate in the ceremony for the enshrining of the relics in the Great Stūpa, worshipped the Sangha (Order of monks) on the day before the full-moon day, reminded them that tomorrow is the appointed day for the enshrining of the relics and requested them to give him the relics. The Sangha ordered then the novice Arahant Soõuttara, who was gifted with the six supernormal faculties, to bring the relics, which Arahant Soõuttara manages to bring and offer to the Sangha. Tradition says that Trapusa and Bahalika visited Sri Lanka and brought a hair relic with them in a golden reliquary to Girihandu. Trapusa and Bhallika had initially been disgusted by the hair and fingernail relics. Only after he explains the Jataka tale of Sumedha laying his hair at the feet of Dipamkara are they convinced this is meritorious.Buddha is said to have given hair relics to Maha Sumana the god of Sumanakuta, which were enshrined at Mahiyangana; he also left a footprint at Sumanakuta.In 1561 in Portuguese Goa, a tooth taken from Sri Lanka said to belong to the Buddha was crushed, burned in a brazier then tossed into the river in front of a crowd by archbishop Don Gaspar. Don Juan Dharmapala the Christian king of Kotte claimed to have to the Kandy tooth. However, according to the Culavamsa; Konnappu Bandara; who had betrayed the Portuguese also claimed to possess the tooth. He used his possession of the tooth along with his marriage to a Kandyan princess to seize the throne. The celebrated procession of the tooth in Kandy coincides with an earlier celebration dedicated to Vishnu.Thuparamaya, the first dagoba to be constructed in Sri Lanka, was constructed by King Devanampiyatissa (247-207 BCE) in the city of Anuradhapura. It is said to enshrine the right collarbone of the Buddha.When the Danta and Hemamala family arrive in Sri Lanka in 362-409 CE, they deliver one of the four eye teeth relics to King Sirimeghavanna; who places it with the bowl relic. The relics remain together in Anuradhapura for 600 years until being moved to the new capital of Polonnaruva; at which point it becomes the most venerated relic in Sri Lanka. It is believed the bowl produces rainfall, a 14th-century legend says that king Upatissa put an end to a drought by filling the bowl with water, and sprinkling the ground while following a cart with a golden statue of Buddha. It is said the Buddha's disciple Ananda had done with when Vaisali suffered from famine and pestilence from drought. In the twelfth century at Parakkamabahu's festival for the tooth relic, a rain cloud filled the ponds but did not rain on the celebration. Then king Dutugemunu received from the Sangha the Buddha's relics upon his head in a casket and departed from the golden pavilion in the midst of manifold offerings and honours made by gods and Brahma. He circumambulated the relic-chamber three times, entered it from the east, and then laid the relic casket on a couch of one koñi worth's silver that was arranged in the north side. An image of the Buddha was then, according to the Buddha's determination, created in the lion's reclining posture (sīhaseyya), and all the relics were enshrined within that image. When the enshrining of the relics in the Great Stūpa Ruvanveli was completed, the two novices Uttara and Sumana closed the relic chamber with the stone blocks that were previously hidden to be used as a lid. In the Thupavamsa numerous types of beings attended the enshrinement of the relics into the Mahathupa; including the Naga king Mahakala who until recently guarded them. The relics were to be placed atop a golden throne crafted by Visvakarma the divine artificer; the throne brought by Indra. Brahma offers his invisible umbrella of sovereignty, with the king Dutugemunu offering his own. The arhat Indagutta creates a metal canopy over the universe, so that Mara will not interfere, as monks chanted the sutra pitaka. Dutugemunu ceremoniously enters with the urn atop his head; but as he is about to place the urn on the golden throne, the relics rise into the air and form Buddha, with each of the 32 major signs and 8 lesser signs of a great man. In this form he performs the twin miracle of fire and water, fulfilling the fifth of his deathbed resolutions. One hundred and twenty million deities and humans gain arhatship from this experience. The relics return to the urn and they are laid to rest and the chamber sealed with forty-meter stone slabs. Relics in Thailand The Piprahwa relics were given to Rama V (the King of Siam) a couple of years after their discovery in 1898, where they still reside. Rama V had Phu Khao Thong, a man-made mountain constructed at Wat Saket. After 1888 the Stupa would house a Buddha relic from Sri Lanka alongside relics from prisoners. Phra Borommathat Chedi is the oldest stupa containing Buddha relics in Thailand. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was founded after a monk followed a dream and found a shoulder bone that glowed and replicated itself; leading him to believe it was a Buddha relic. (phra that). Wat Com Ping in northern Thailand claims to enshrine over 50,000 buddha relics. Relics of the head were found in Teankam temple, Lampang province in 2007. The temple was built by King Indraditya in the 12th century. Relics in Tibet An exhibit donated by the Dalai Lama features relics from Gautama Buddha as well as 40 other Buddhist masters from India, Tibet and China; taken with him out of Tibet after the 1959 invasion. The exhibit was the idea of Lama Zopa Rinpoche; it started in 2001 and has toured 61 countries. Relics in Vietnam Xa Loi Pagoda served as the headquarters for Buddhism in South Vietnam during the Vietnamese civil war, its construction began in 1956 to house remains of the Buddha. Giác Lâm Pagoda has housed Buddha relics since they were brought to the temple from Sri Lanka by Narada in 1953. Tịnh Xá Trung Tâm founded in 1965 also houses relics. Relics in Heaven It is said the placenta of Buddha ratnavyuha was taken by Brahma to be enshrined in a stupa. When Buddha left the palace to seek enlightenment he severed his hair with a sword. According to Theravada sources, throwing his top knot into the air, and says if he is to be Buddha it will remain in the sky. It stays at a height of one league, until it is taken by Indra to Trayastrimsa heaven. Mulasarvastivada Vinaya recounts how a friend of Kasyapa Buddha named Ghatikara gives him a monastic robe, bowl, razor, girdle, needle and water strainer. In another version the Bodhisattva encounters this divinity disguised as a hunter and trades him his Varanasi silk robes; which are enshrined in a catiya. Alternatively, new robes came to Buddha from ten brothers from Kapilavastu who received hemp robes from their mother, about to parinirvanize they told her to give the robes to the Buddha; foreseeing his birth. The mother gave the robes to her daughter near death; who gave them to a tree spirit to give to the son of Suddhodana. Indra disguises as a hunter, then takes the robes from the tree and gives them to Buddha in exchange for the silk robes; which he enshrines in heaven and dedicates a festival to the robes. The bowl in which Buddha received milk rice after his long fast is said to have floated down the Nairanjana River before sinking down to the Naga King Kala putting it with the bowls of the three previous Buddhas. References Notes Bibliography Analla, Ds. (2015). Aung, Naing Htet (ed.). Ashin Pannadipa and His Exertions (in English and Burmese). Myanmar.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Brekke, Torkel (2007). Bones of Contention: Buddhist Relics, Nationalism and the Politics of Archaeology, Numen 54 (3), 270-303 Germano, David; Kevin Trainor (ed.) (2004). Embodying the Dharma. Buddhist Relic Veneration in Asia. New York: SUNY Press Strong, J.S. (2007), Relics of the Buddha, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-11764-5
[ "Philosophy" ]
49,638,394
List of Afghan philosophers
A list of notable Afghan philosophers:
A list of notable Afghan philosophers: J Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani S Sediq Afghan Saifuddin Jalal Sayed Hassan Akhlaq
[ "Philosophy" ]
2,421,594
United States Office of Special Counsel
The United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency whose basic legislative authority comes from four federal statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). OSC's primary mission is the safeguarding of the merit system in federal employment by protecting employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), especially reprisal for "whistleblowing." The agency also operates a secure channel for federal whistleblower disclosures of violations of law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; abuse of authority; and substantial and specific danger to public health and safety. In addition, OSC issues advice on the Hatch Act and enforces its restrictions on partisan political activity by government employees. Finally, OSC protects the civilian employment and reemployment rights of military service members under USERRA.
The United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency whose basic legislative authority comes from four federal statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). OSC's primary mission is the safeguarding of the merit system in federal employment by protecting employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), especially reprisal for "whistleblowing." The agency also operates a secure channel for federal whistleblower disclosures of violations of law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; abuse of authority; and substantial and specific danger to public health and safety. In addition, OSC issues advice on the Hatch Act and enforces its restrictions on partisan political activity by government employees. Finally, OSC protects the civilian employment and reemployment rights of military service members under USERRA. OSC has around 140 staff, and the Special Counsel is an ex officio member of Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), an association of inspectors general charged with the regulation of good governance within the federal government. Jurisdiction Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 1214, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has jurisdiction over most prohibited personnel practice (PPP) complaints brought by executive branch employees, former employees, and applicants for employment (hereinafter simply "employee" or "employees"). When a PPP complaint is submitted, the agency examines the allegations. If OSC finds sufficient evidence to prove a violation, it may seek corrective action, disciplinary action, or both. By statute, federal employees may not be retaliated against when they disclose information that they reasonably believe evidences the following types of wrongdoing: a violation of law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; a gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. The Special Counsel is authorized to receive such disclosures of wrongdoing, but it lacks jurisdiction over PPPs committed against employees of the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and certain other intelligence agencies found at 5 U.S.C. §2302(a)(2)(C)(ii), as well as the Government Accountability Office and any executive branch agencies principally concerned with counterintelligence or foreign intelligence, as designated by the President. Prohibited personnel practices OSC's primary mission is to protect federal employees and others from "prohibited personnel practices." Those practices, defined by law at § 2302(b) of Title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), generally stated, provide that a federal employee may not take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action that: discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation; solicit or consider employment recommendations based on factors other than personal knowledge or records of job-related abilities or characteristics; coerce the political activity of any person; deceive or willfully obstruct anyone from competing for employment; influence anyone to withdraw from competition for any position so as to improve or injure the employment prospects of any other person; give an unauthorized preference or advantage to anyone so as to improve or injure the employment prospects of any particular employee or applicant; engage in nepotism (i.e., hire, promote, or advocate the hiring or promotion of relatives); engage in reprisal for whistleblowing—i.e., take, fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take a personnel action with respect to any employee or applicant because of any disclosure of information by the employee or applicant that he or she reasonably believes evidences a violation of a law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety (if such disclosure is not barred by law and such information is not specifically required by Executive Order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs—if so restricted by law or Executive Order, the disclosure is only protected if made to the Special Counsel, the Inspector General, or comparable agency official); take, fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take a personnel action against an employee for exercising an appeal, complaint, or grievance right; testifying for or assisting another in exercising such a right; cooperating with or disclosing information to the Special Counsel or to an Inspector General; or refusing to obey an order that would require the individual to violate a law, rule, or regulation; discriminate based on personal conduct which is not adverse to the on-the-job performance of an employee, applicant, or others; take or fail to take, recommend, or approve a personnel action if taking or failing to take such an action would violate a veterans' preference requirement; take or fail to take a personnel action, if taking or failing to take action would violate any law, rule or regulation implementing or directly concerning merit system principles at 5 U.S.C. § 2301; or implement or enforce a nondisclosure agreement or policy lacking notification of whistleblower rights. History OSC was established on January 1, 1979. From then until 1989, the Office operated as the independent investigative and prosecutorial arm of the Merit Systems Protection Board, also called MSPB, or the "Board." By law, OSC received and investigated complaints from employees alleging prohibited personnel practices by federal agencies; enforced the Hatch Act, including by providing advice on restrictions imposed by the act on political activity by covered federal, state, and local government employees; and received disclosures from federal employees about wrongdoing in government agencies. OSC enforced restrictions against prohibited personnel practices and unlawful political activity by filing, where appropriate, petitions for corrective and/or disciplinary action with the Board. In 1989, Congress enacted the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). The statute made OSC an independent agency within the executive branch of the federal government, with continued responsibility for the functions described above. It also strengthened protections against reprisal for employees who disclose wrongdoing in the government, and it enhanced OSC's ability to enforce those protections. Congress enacted legislation in 1993 that significantly amended Hatch Act provisions applicable to federal and District of Columbia (D.C.) government employees, and enforced by OSC. (Provisions of the Act regarding certain state and local government employees were unaffected by the 1993 amendments.) In 1994, USERRA became law. It defined employment-related rights of persons in connection with military service, prohibited discrimination against them because of that service, and gave OSC new authority to pursue remedies for violations by federal agencies. Also in 1994, OSC's reauthorization act expanded protections for federal employees, and defined new responsibilities for OSC and other federal agencies. It provided, for example, that within 240 days after receiving a prohibited personnel practice complaint, OSC should determine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that such a violation occurred, exists, or will be taken. The act extended the protections of certain legal provisions enforced by OSC to approximately 60,000 employees of what is now the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), and to employees of certain government corporations. It also broadened the scope of personnel actions covered under those provisions. Finally, the act made federal agencies responsible for informing their employees of available rights and remedies under the WPA, and directed agencies to consult with OSC in that process. In November 2001, Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, creating the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Under the Act, non-security screener employees of TSA can file allegations of reprisal for whistleblowing with OSC and the MSPB. Approximately 45,000 security screeners in TSA, however, could not pursue such complaints at OSC or the Board. OSC efforts led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TSA in May 2002, under which OSC reviews whistleblower retaliation complaints from security screeners, and recommends corrective or disciplinary action to TSA when warranted. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 (WPEA) became law on November 27, 2012. The WPEA strengthens protections for federal whistleblowers by removing loopholes that deterred federal employees from disclosing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. It also removes restrictions that narrowed the scope of what constituted a "protected disclosure" under the Whistleblower Protection Act. In addition, it enhances OSC's ability to hold managers and supervisors accountable for retaliating against whistleblowers, and it bolsters remedies available to federal whistleblowers who have been the victim of retaliation. Finally, it expands whistleblower reprisal protection to employees of the TSA.On December 28, 2012, President Obama signed the Hatch Act Modernization Act of 2012 into law. This update to the Hatch Act of 1939 allows most state and local government employees to run for partisan political office, many of whom were prohibited from running for partisan office under the original Hatch Act. Under the new law, state and local government employees are no longer prohibited from running for partisan office unless their salary is paid for completely by federal loans or grants. As a result of the Hatch Act Modernization Act, many state and local government employees will be able to participate more actively in governance of their communities. 1970s and 1980s According to congressional testimony by Tom Devine, legal director of the non-profit Government Accountability Project: The Watergate investigation of the 1970s revealed a Nixon administration operation to replace the non-partisan civil service system with a politically loyal workforce dedicated to partisan election goals. Every agency had a shadow "political hiring czar" whose operation trumped normal civil service authority of personnel offices. Then-White House Personnel Office chief Fred Malek teamed up with Alan May to prepare the "Malek Manual," a guide to exploiting loopholes in civil service laws to drive politically undesirable career employees out of government and replace them with applicants selected through a political rating system of 1–4, based on factors such as campaign contributions and future campaign value. The Watergate Committee's finding of the abuses led to creation of the Ink Commission, whose exhaustive study and recommendations were the foundation for the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, including creation of the Office of Special Counsel to see that this type of merit system abuse never happened again. Nevertheless, even with the strong impetus for its creation, under President Carter, the Office languished with no permanent head, funding, or White House support. Though not as productive as it could have been, as a young agency in 1979, the Office of Special Counsel filed two requests for corrective action with the Merit Systems Protection Board. In Frazier, four deputy U.S. Marshals were threatened with geographic reassignment for blowing the whistle and exercising their appeal rights. In Tariela and Meiselman, two high-level Department of Veterans Affairs employees were threatened with reassignment for disclosing violations of laws, rules, and regulations. In its first year, the Office of Special Counsel also requested legislation regarding many concerns, among them whether the Special Counsel has litigation authority in court, and it asked for administrative independence from the Merit Systems Protection Board, of which it was a part.When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, he appointed Alex Kozinski to head the OSC. Within 14 months of his appointment, 70 percent of attorneys and investigators at the office's headquarters were either fired or had resigned. Mr. Kozinski "kept a copy of the Malek Manual on his desk," according to Devine's testimony. Devine added: He used its techniques to purge the professional civil service experts on his own staff, and replace them with employees who viewed whistleblowers as crazy troublemakers disloyal to the President. He taught courses to federal managers on how to fire whistleblowers without getting caught by OSC investigators, using the OSC Investigations Manual as a handout. He tutored Interior Secretary James Watt on how to remove a whistleblowing coal mine inspector from the Department of Interior. The OSC became what one Senate staffer called "a legalized plumbers unit." Devine also testified that: Mr. Kozinski's abuses were the major catalyst for passage of the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, and he was forced to resign. Under the WPA, the Office of Special Counsel became an independent agency. 1990s and 2000s As an example of its work during the 1990s, in 1995, OSC received a complaint that a high-ranking employee sexually harassed six subordinates. "The complaint alleged that the respondent engaged in repeated and varied unwelcome and offensive conduct over an approximate seven year period, including pressure and requests for dates and sexual favors, unwelcome sexual gestures and advances, and conditioning job offers on the granting of sexual favors." OSC was able to settle the case with the victims and harasser, who was suspended for sixty days and permanently removed from a supervisory position.A whistleblower from NASA disclosed to the Office of Special Counsel that officials at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) "created and were perpetrating a serious risk to public safety, such as the in-flight failure of a space shuttle, by ignoring their own specifications and safety margins for the effects of electromagnetic interference between and among systems within a given space shuttle." The whistleblower continued that "for a period of ten years, from 1989 to 1999, NASA allowed shuttles to be sent into space when the EMI levels of the vehicles exceeded established safety margins…" As a result of this disclosure, "NASA has stated that it will commit appropriate resources, including oversight and coordination, to improvements in the EMC program."In 2002, the Office of Special Counsel announced a program to help federal agency heads meet the statutory obligation to inform their employees about the rights, remedies, and responsibilities of the Whistleblower Protection Act under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(c). The certification program offered guidance and enumerated five steps required for meeting the statutory obligation. In the early 2000s under Elaine Kaplan's tenure as Special Counsel, the office received disclosures regarding a team of undercover security agents employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that traveled to airports around the world to investigate airport security systems, "in order to provide the FAA with realistic data on the state of aviation security." A former Special Agent with the FAA who conducted these investigations disclosed that the FAA "deliberately covered up … findings that reflected negatively on the airline industry."From 2005 to 2007, OSC under Special Counsel Scott Bloch received disclosures regarding air traffic control problems at the Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport. According to an Office of Special Counsel press release, air traffic controllers alleged that there was "a management cover-up of air traffic control operational errors" in the "safe separation between aircraft under their control."In 2006, the Office of Special Counsel announced that it was able to win reemployment and back pay for an injured Iraq war veteran who "sustained serious injuries in the line of fire." According to an Office of Special Counsel press release, "When honorably discharged from military service, his injuries prevented Harris [the veteran] from returning to the job he held for ten years as a Postal Carrier at a U.S. Post Office in Mobile, Alabama. Rather than looking for an alternate position for him, though, the postmaster sent Harris a letter saying that there was no work available for him," in violation of USERRA.The agency attracted public attention in April 2007 when it began an investigation of alleged White House political pressure on federal civil servants. Senior Bush political adviser Karl Rove was reported to be a subject of the investigation. Scott J. Bloch On June 26, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Scott J. Bloch for the position of Special Counsel at the Office of Special Counsel; he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 9, 2003. On January 5, 2004, he was sworn in to serve a five-year term. Bloch was a lightning rod for controversy. His first major actions as head of the Office were to choose as deputy a lawyer who had publicly taken a position against the "homosexual agenda," and to hire young lawyers from Ave Maria School of Law, the conservative school founded by Domino's Pizza billionaire Tom Monaghan.On May 6, 2008, the Federal Bureau of Investigation served warrants on OSC headquarters in Washington, D.C. as well as on Mr. Bloch's home, seizing computers. It was alleged that when Bloch's refusal to follow up on cases of discrimination based on sexual orientation was leaked to the press, he retaliated against career employees by creating a field office in Detroit. He was removed as Special Counsel on October 23, 2008. He was subsequently found to have obstructed the investigation by removing material from his computer. He pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of Congress but then successfully withdrew his plea upon learning that he would be sentenced to prison. During the Bloch era, the OSC was criticized for (1) very rarely recognizing legitimate whistleblowers, typically only when the whistleblower had already prevailed elsewhere; (2) taking too long to investigate meritorious cases; (3) using a conservative litmus test in hiring; (4) discouraging federal whistleblowers from using their legal protections, and (5) generally siding with the federal administration instead of with the whistleblowers it was supposed to protect.On March 22, 2007, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (Democrat, Hawaii), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, held a hearing on "Safeguarding the Merit System Principles." In his opening statement, Sen. Akaka stated, "organizations that help whistleblowers claim that OSC has gone from being their first option for relief to their last choice since OSC no longer works with agencies to achieve informal relief and the percentage of corrective actions and stays has been cut in half since 2002." 2010s After Bloch's tenure, the agency's website was modified to make it clear that OSC viewed sexual orientation and gender discrimination as prohibited personnel practices: "OSC has jurisdiction over allegations of discrimination based on conduct that does not affect job performance, which includes sexual orientation discrimination. In certain cases, EEOC may also have jurisdiction over claims of sexual orientation discrimination, such as a claim of sexual stereotyping, i.e., discrimination for failing to conform to a gender stereotype."After becoming Special Counsel, Carolyn Lerner received plaudits during her tenure for intense activity, public response, and revitalization of the agency. She greatly expanded the agency's Alternative Dispute Resolution Unit. In fiscal year 2011, the number of successful mediations increased from 50 percent to 77 percent, and nearly 3.5 times the number of mediations yielded settlement.In July and October 2011, OSC requested and obtained stays from the MSPB in three whistleblower retaliation cases—those of David Butterfield of the Department of Homeland Security, Franz Gayl of the U.S. Marine Corps and Paul T. Hardy, a member of the U.S. Public Health Service. On a matter related to the case of Franz Gayl, OSC filed an amicus brief in October with the MSPB, arguing that the Board should afford greater due process protections to employees who are suspended without pay because of the suspension of a security clearance. Also in October, Lerner called for reform of the Hatch Act, which OSC is charged with enforcing. Lerner sent draft legislation to Congress, proposing changes in the enforcement structure, an end to the prohibition on state and local candidacies linked to federal funding, and other changes. These changes were largely accepted by Congress in the form of the Hatch Act Modernization Act, which became law on January 28, 2013. It modified penalties under the Hatch Act to allow for disciplinary actions in addition to removal for federal employees and clarified the applicability to the District of Columbia of provisions that cover state and local governments. Additionally, it limited the prohibition on state and local employees running for elective office to employees whose salary is paid completely by federal loans or grants. During this same period, the OSC released a report from its Disclosure Unit detailing the complaints of three U.S. Port Mortuary whistleblowers and the subsequent statutorily-required investigation by their agency, the U.S. Air Force. The report, which included numerous accounts of the mishandling of remains of U.S. service members and their families, received considerable media and congressional attention. Subsequently, OSC reported to the U.S. Air Force that three mortuary supervisors had retaliated against the whistleblowers and should be disciplined.The Office of Special Counsel continue to receive numerous disclosures from FAA employees, including air traffic controllers, regarding ongoing safety concerns at United States airports. According to an OSC press release in 2012, the agency has received 178 disclosures from FAA whistleblowers since 2007, with most regarding aviation safety. After investigating the whistleblowers' allegations, the Department of Transportation substantiated 89% of the Office of Special Counsel's referrals. In 2012 alone, OSC received cases concerning air traffic controllers sleeping in the control room, using cell phones, improperly overseeing airline inspection/maintenance programs, allowing unauthorized aircraft to fly in U.S. airspace, and allowing risky landing maneuvers at airports.In April 2011, the Office of Special Counsel entered into a three-year "Demonstration Project" with the U.S. Department of Labor to enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which, according to the Office of Special Counsel, "prohibits employment discrimination against veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserve and entitles them to reinstatement in their civilian jobs upon their return from military duty." Under the Demonstration Project, the Office of Special Counsel will "receive and investigate certain USERRA complaints involving federal agencies." In September 2012, at the Office of Special Counsel's request, the MSPB granted a stay request for civilian employees of the Army who were subject to harassment after disclosing that their supervisor had violated law, rule, and regulation by "falsifying and destroying patient records."2012 and 2013 also saw legislative success for OSC with the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act and Hatch Act Modernization Act. A major set of cases handled by OSC concerned veterans' safety at VA hospitals, particularly in Jackson, Mississippi. According to a letter Special Counsel Lerner sent to President Obama, "These whistleblower disclosures are the latest, and most severe, in a persistent drumbeat of concerns raised by seven Jackson VAMC employees to OSC in the last four years. Throughout this process, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has consistently failed to take responsibility for identified problems. Even in cases of substantiated misconduct, including acknowledged violations of state and federal law, the VA routinely suggests that the problems do not affect patient care." There have been issues of unauthorized and unlicensed VA employees writing prescriptions for narcotics and understaffing in primary care units. Whistleblowers have also alleged that "a radiologist failed to read thousands of images or misread them, leading to missed diagnoses. Medical records were falsified to cover up these errors. Management knew of these problems and did not notify patients or require a full review of the images in question."According to a Washington Post article, as of May 2014, OSC had "63 open cases involving VA health, safety, or scheduling violations."OSC has also received numerous disclosures from whistleblowers from the Department of Homeland Security regarding abuse of a particular overtime provision called "administratively uncontrollable overtime," according to Washington Post articles and congressional hearings before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.In December 2013, President Barack Obama's "Second Open Government National Action Plan for the United States of America" made certification in the Office of Special Counsel's 2302(c) Certification Plan mandatory for all agencies.A January 2014 disclosure concerned wasteful Army contracts amounting to over $1 million. The Army substantiated the whistleblower's disclosures. According to an Office of Special Counsel press release, "The Army's Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, agreed to an $8 million annual contract with Silverback7, Inc. to hire and pay dozens of contract employees in various fields." These contracts, however, duplicated existing ones, and there was insufficient oversight to ensure Silverback7 hired the employees after the Army paid for the contract. The Army's own report concluded that it violated the "Bona Fide Needs Rule, the Purpose Statute, and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations."In April 2014, the Office of Special Counsel filed its first disciplinary action complaints related to political discrimination at the Merit Systems Protection Board in thirty years, aided by changes due to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. The three complaints were against Customs and Border Protection officials who are "alleged to have violated civil service laws" by "unlawfully manipulat[ing] the hiring process to select" candidates who had "close affiliation with the campaign to elect Barack Obama, the Obama Administration, and CBP's politically appointed commissioner." According to an Office of Special Counsel press release, "The complaints charge two of the three CBP officials with discriminating in favor of political appointees and against other potential candidates. They did so by improperly intervening in the hiring process to convert non-career political appointees into career appointments (known as 'political burrowing')."In 2017 OSC warned Trump's social media director Dan Scavino for violating the Hatch act with a political tweet. He was also told that any following breaches would be seen as done on purpose and punished more harshly. In 2018, OSC said that counselor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway, violated the Hatch Act when she made political remarks regarding the 2017 Alabama Senate election on two different occasions. In 2019, OSC recommended that Conway be removed from Federal service for repeated Hatch Act violations. List of acting and confirmed United States Special Counsels Henry Kerner (October 2017 – ) Confirmed by the 115th United States Senate (voice vote) on October 16, 2017. He graduated from Harvard Law School and spent 18 years working as a career prosecutor in California. In 2011, he joined the staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the chief investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. Kerner was also the staff director under Ranking Member Sen. John McCain of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the lead investigative committee of the Senate. He left in early 2016 and joined Cause of Action Institute as vice president for Investigations. The group is a nonpartisan oversight foundation committed to exposing waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, which itself has worked with whistleblower and government groups throughout the country. Tristan L. Leavitt, Acting (September – October 2017) Adam Miles, Acting (June – September 2017) Carolyn N. Lerner (April 2011 – June 2017 ) – The United States Senate confirmed Carolyn Lerner as the 8th Special Counsel on April 14, 2011. Prior to her appointment as Special Counsel, Lerner was a partner in the Washington, D.C., civil rights and employment law firm Heller, Huron, Chertkof, Lerner, Simon & Salzman, where she represented individuals in discrimination and employment matters, as well as non-profit organizations on a wide variety of issues. She previously served as the federal court appointed monitor of the consent decree in Neal v. D.C. Department of Corrections, a sexual harassment and retaliation class action. Before to becoming Special Counsel, Lerner taught mediation as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School, and was mediator for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Office of Human Rights. When she was in private practice, Lerner was featured in Best Lawyers in America, with a specialty of civil rights law, and was one of Washingtonian magazine's top employment lawyers. Lerner earned her undergraduate degree from the honors program at the University of Michigan with high distinction and was selected to be a Truman Scholar. She received a diploma in general studies from the London School of Economics, and she earned her law degree from New York University (NYU) School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Snow public interest scholar. After law school, she served for two years as a law clerk to the Honorable Julian Abele Cook, Jr., Chief U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. William E. Reukauf, Acting (November 2008 – April 2011). Reukauf joined the legal staff of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) in January 1983. He was appointed Associate Special Counsel for Prosecution in February 1985. In 2001 he became the head of an Investigation and Prosecution division. Prior to taking over as Acting Special Counsel, he had responsibility for managing the activities of the agency's regional field offices, as well as responsibility for OSC's Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. Prior to joining OSC, Mr. Reukauf was, for several years, in private practice in Washington, DC. His practice was focused on general civil litigation and criminal defense. Reukauf began his legal career in 1970, as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1973 he joined the General Counsel's office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as a senior trial attorney where he prosecuted enforcement actions involving toxic chemicals in the Division of Pesticides & Toxic Substances. Mr. Reukauf received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College in 1966 and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969. He is the author of Regulation of Toxic Pesticides, 62 Iowa L. Rev. 909 (1976–1977). Scott J. Bloch (December 2003 – November 2008). On June 26, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Bloch for the position of Special Counsel at the Office of Special Counsel. The Senate unanimously confirmed Bloch on December 9, 2003. On Jan. 5, 2004, he was sworn in to serve a five-year term. Bloch brought 17 years of experience to the Office of Special Counsel, including litigation of employment, lawyer ethics, and complex cases before state courts, federal courts and administrative tribunals. He briefed and argued cases before state and federal appellate courts. From 2001 to 2003, Bloch served as associate director and then deputy director and Counsel to the Task Force for Faith-based and Community Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked on First Amendment cases, regulations, intergovernmental outreach, and programmatic initiatives. Before serving in the Justice Department, he was a partner with Stevens & Brand, LLP, of Lawrence, Kansas, where he practiced in the areas of civil rights law, employment law, and legal ethics. Bloch tried jury trials before state and federal courts, representing employees and employers in cases involving whistleblower and other retaliation claims, as well as civil rights claims. He worked on important cases that set precedents in the field of legal ethics, including a ground-breaking Texas case that changed the way plaintiffs' lawyers handle mass tort cases. Bloch served as chair of his county Bar Ethics and Grievance Committee, investigating cases of alleged breaches by attorneys of ethics rules, and making recommendations to the state Supreme Court on disciplinary action. He also served on the state board of discipline, hearing testimony and legal arguments, and making findings on appropriate discipline of attorneys. For five years, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of Kansas School of Law. Mr. Bloch earned his bachelor's and law degree from the University of Kansas, where he graduated Order of the Coif, and served on the Boards of Editors of The Kansas Law Review and The Kansas Criminal Procedure Review. He lives with his wife, Catherine, and their seven children in Alexandria, Virginia. Elaine D. Kaplan (April 1998 – June 2003). Kaplan came to OSC with extensive experience litigating employment-related issues before federal courts and administrative tribunals. Prior to her appointment as Special Counsel by President Bill Clinton, Kaplan served as Deputy General Counsel of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), where she represented the interests of 150,000 employees in the areas of civil liberties, administrative law, racial and sexual discrimination, and labor law. During her 13 years at NTEU, Kaplan briefed and argued dozens of cases at all levels of the federal courts on behalf of the union and the federal employees it represented. Many of the cases in which Kaplan participated resulted in important precedent-setting decisions including, among others, National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab, 489 U.S. 656 (1989) (the first Supreme Court decision addressing Fourth Amendment implications of urinalysis drug-testing in the public workforce) and National Treasury Employees Union v. United States, 115 S.Ct. 1003 (1995) (which struck down on First Amendment grounds the statutory "honoraria ban" as applied to federal employees). Kaplan began her legal career in 1979 at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, where she worked as a staff attorney in the Division of Employee Benefits. In 1982, Kaplan was selected to serve on the staff of the newly created Division of Special Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation, which was established to handle the department's most significant appellate cases and all of its Supreme Court work. She subsequently held the position of staff attorney at the State and Local Legal Center, where she drafted amicus briefs on behalf of state and local governments for submission to the United States Supreme Court. Kaplan, who is a native of Brooklyn, New York, received her undergraduate degree from Binghamton University and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. William E. Reukauf, Acting (~1997 – April 1998) Kathleen Day Koch (December 1991 – ~1997). Prior to appointment by President George Herbert Walker Bush, Koch previously held the position of General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority from December 1988 to December 1991. In her term as General Counsel, she encouraged a heightened emphasis on conflict resolution through cooperation and dispute avoidance. She has been instrumental in creating a conflict resolution seminar program that has been utilitized by various federal agencies nationwide. Koch's entire legal career has been in public service, where she has developed expertise in federal employee and government ethics issues. Prior to her appointment to the FLRA, she served as Associate Counsel to the President. She was asked to join the White House staff while serving as Senior Attorney in the Personnel Law Division at the Commerce Department. During the significant formative period of the Merits Systems Protection Board (1979–84), Koch participated in the development of the adjudicatory agency's procedural and substantive precedents. Her government career began in 1977 when she was appointed an Honors Program attorney at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Koch studied at Concordia College in Riverside, Illinois. She received her B.S. degree with honors from the University of Missouri at St. Louis in 1971, and was honored that year as a finalist in the Danforth Urban Leadership Fellow competition. Koch took her J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School, graduating in 1977. Mary F. Weiseman (September 1986 – 1991). The third Special Counsel appointed by Ronald Reagan, Weiseman formerly served as Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. As Special Counsel, Wiseman focused on enforcement of the Hatch Act, which was then under review for statutory change, weakening its provisions. Wiseman's goal was to vindicate the rights of government employees to be free from direct and indirect pressure by their supervisors to engage in partisan politics both on and off the job. Lynn R. Collins, Acting (June 1986 – September 1986). Collins had been the Deputy Special Counsel; in the next decade he served as Special Assistant to the Regional Solicitor, U.S. Department of Interior, Sacramento, California. K. William O'Connor (October 1982 – June 1986). The second Special Counsel appointed by President Ronald Reagan, O'Conner formerly served as Inspector General of the Community Services Administration. Prior to 1981, O'Connor had served as Special Counsel for Interagency Coordination and Staff Director of the Executive Group Staff. His duties included advising the Deputy Attorney General on policy, programs, and matters affecting the Executive Group. In 1978–80 he was Senior Trial Attorney (Prosecutor/GSA Task Force) and led teams of investigators and lawyers in grand jury investigations of fraud schemes at the General Services Administration. In 1976–78 he was Associate Justice and then Chief Justice, High Court of American Samoa. O'Connor was vice president and counsel, Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Inc., in 1975–76; Special Counsel, Intelligence Coordination, Department of Justice, in 1975; Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, in 1971–75; Chief, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, in 1970–71; assistant to the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, in 1967–70. Previously he held various positions with the Job Corps. O'Connor was graduated from the University of Virginia (B.A., 1952; LL.B., 1958). He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was discharged in 1955 as first lieutenant. Alex Kozinski (June 1981 – August 1982). The first Special Counsel appointed by President Reagan, Kozinski formerly served as an attorney with the Office of Counsel to the President; previously practiced with Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. Mary Eastwood, Acting (January 1980 – June 1981). A native of Wisconsin, Eastwood was graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1955 and moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked on a temporary study project for the National Academy of Sciences. She joined the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in 1960, serving both as an attorney advisor and later (1969–79) as an equal opportunity advisor. The following year Eastwood became the associate special counsel for investigation in the special counsel's office of the Merit System Protection Board, which was charged with looking into allegations of illegal personnel practices in the federal government. As technical secretary to the civil and political rights committee of President Kennedy's Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), Eastwood researched decisions involving women and the Fourteenth Amendment, and became increasingly interested in the women's movement. With Pauli Murray she wrote the highly influential article "Jane Crow and the Law: Sex Discrimination and Title VII," which appeared in the Georgetown Law Review (34, December 1965). She was very active in the formation of the National Organization for Women (NOW); a board member of Human Rights for Women (HRW), an organization formed in 1968 to help finance sex discrimination litigation and research projects on women's issues; and a member of Federally Employed Women (FEW), a group that sought an end to sex discrimination in the federal government. H. Patrick Swygert (January 1979 – December 1979). Swygert was a recess appointment by President Jimmy Carter, under an Administration whose support for the mission of Office of Special Counsel has been critiqued as lacking. See also Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations References External links Official website Office of Special Counsel in the Federal Register
[ "Law" ]
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Soul Cages: The Story of Life, Death and Beyond
Soul Cages is a solo Bharatanatyam Dance Theatre production choreographed and performed by Savitha Sastry. It is based on a short story of the same name by AK Srikanth, and featured music by the Chennai-based music composer Rajkumar Bharathi, the great grandson of the veteran poet Subramania Bharathi . The production premiered on 28 January 2012 at New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium, and has since played in over 20 cities. The presentation was received with critical and popular acclaim.
Soul Cages is a solo Bharatanatyam Dance Theatre production choreographed and performed by Savitha Sastry. It is based on a short story of the same name by AK Srikanth, and featured music by the Chennai-based music composer Rajkumar Bharathi, the great grandson of the veteran poet Subramania Bharathi . The production premiered on 28 January 2012 at New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium, and has since played in over 20 cities. The presentation was received with critical and popular acclaim. Plot Soul Cages follows the journey of a six-year-old child, who dies in her sleep and is taken to heaven by an angel. In heaven, the child encounters the enigmatic King of Death, who is amused by the child’s delight in seeing the wonders of heaven, and engages with the child by playing with her. However, the tone of the story changes at the point where the child realizes that the beauty of heaven holds no meaning to her in the absence of her loved ones. The child figures out a way of having her mother and sister join her in heaven. While the child is delighted to have them close to her again, the King of Death is left in great consternation at the fact that two lives ended on Earth before their time. The presentation follows his attempts to stop the child from bringing more of her loved ones to heaven. The dance drama ends on a bitter-sweet note on the omnipotence of the natural laws of life and death. Cast All characters were played by Savitha Sastry, with voice-overs for each character played over the soundtrack in English. Production Soul Cages marked a departure from traditional Bharatanatyam themes of the nayika (the heroine) pining for love or pieces based on Bhakti (Devotion) alone. While the dance itself was based on Bharatanatyam, the production used several effects from theater such as special lighting, use of voiceovers and narratives in the soundtrack, and the use of an original story not based out of Indian mythology or religion. Critical reception Soul Cages received largely positive reviews from critics. In particular, the attempt to bring Bharatanatyam to a wider audience was well appreciated. At The Hindu, critic Shilpa Sebastian noted "Savitha Sastry’s choreography in Soul Cages strips the traditional Bharatanatyam performance of lyrics, to keep a universal appeal". Noted Dance Critic Satish Suri of Narthaki described Soul Cages as "a unique presentation exploring the dichotomy of life and death structured on the imagery and narrative of a story told with the grace and fluidity of classical Bharatanatyam." Ayesha Singh of the Indian Express called it "a renaissance in Bharatanatyam". SD Sharma of Hindustan Times noted, "The magnificence and splendour of Bharatanatyam was brought alive". He further added that the production was "a treat to watch for its innovative trends...a captivating, cohesive dance bonanza". Savitha’s performance was also critically lauded. Critic Tapati Chowdurie of The Statesman said "her aramandis are enviable and her movement on stage fluid poetry.". Critic and writer Pramita Bose of the Asian Age credits Savitha in her review with the words "renders this solo act with much sophistication and finesse to enthral the astute audience and a horde of avid lovers of dance. A critical appraisal of such a unique and spectacular performance reads that while a clout of discerning connoisseurs of the artform will be bewitched by the subtle nuances employed in Sastry’s presentation, the uninitiated novice will but madly fall in love with the art by merely watching it." Credits A Sai Shree Arts Production Artistic Direction: Savitha Sastry & AK Srikanth Story and Script: AK Srikanth Music: Rajkumar Bharathi Lyrics: Niranjan Bharathi Dance Choreography: Renjith Babu Choorakad & Savitha Sastry Narration: Prasiddha RamaRao & Govind Technical Director and Lightings: Victor Paulraj Costume design: C A Joy Vocals: Krithika Arvind & Srikanth Keyboard: Vijayshankar Mrdangam: Vijayaraghavan Tabla and other percussion: Ganesh Rao Veena: Subramanya Sharma Sitar: Kishore == References ==
[ "Society", "Culture" ]
31,354,188
Nant-y-Belan and Prynela Woods
Nant-y-Belan and Prynela Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the preserved county of Clwyd, north Wales.
Nant-y-Belan and Prynela Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the preserved county of Clwyd, north Wales. See also List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Clwyd
[ "Nature" ]
75,246,368
Khalil Halilu
Khalil Halilu (born 29 October 1990) is a Nigerian business and tech expert, entrepreneur and the current executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure NASENI. He was appointed to this position by President Bola Tinubu on 1 September 2023.
Khalil Halilu (born 29 October 1990) is a Nigerian business and tech expert, entrepreneur and the current executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure NASENI. He was appointed to this position by President Bola Tinubu on 1 September 2023. Early life and education Halilu was born in Kano City, Kano state. He attended Rainbow Primary School in Kano from 1996 to 2001. He completed his secondary school education at St. Thomas Catholic School in 2003 and Prime College in Kano in 2006. Halilu then enrolled at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, where he obtained his bachelor of science degree in Business Administration in 2009, followed by a master degree in International Business in 2010. Career After graduating from university, Halilu worked as an administrative clerk at Archimode & Associates. He then completed his National Youth Service Corps in Abuja.At the age of 23, Halilu founded and co-founded several ventures, including The CANs park, an eco-friendly tech hub in West Africa, and ShapShap, an on-demand delivery app. He also played a crucial role in developing the Zabe election monitoring system and founded the Center For Civic, Citizen's Welfare And Community Development (CWCD Africa). Halilu is currently on the board of directors of Gongoni Company Limited and Scirrocco International Limited, where he served as chief operating officer (COO) from 2010.Throughout his career, Halilu has held positions such as managing director at Khash Strategic Services Ltd. in 2014, Operations Manager at ZCET Global Meter Services Ltd. in 2017, and creative director abd business developer at Africa Infotech Consultancy in 2015. He also started KSH Construction & Design Ltd. in 2014 and CWCD Africa in 2018. Halilu’s notable achievements include the establishment of the CANs park in Abuja, which provides workspaces, technical and strategic consultation, and social innovation matchmaking to startups and investors from across Africa. He also founded ShapShap Logistics, operating in Lagos and Abuja, with a focus on providing localized tech solutions. Personal life Khalil Halilu is a Nigerian national and currently resides in Abuja. He is known by the nickname "KSH" and has a passion for polo. He actively participates in polo tournaments and events and contributes to the growth and development of polo in Nigeria. == References ==
[ "Sports" ]
36,905,930
Battle of Sacriportus
The Battle of Sacriportus also called the Battle of Sacriporto took place in April of 82 BC during Sulla's Second Civil War. The battle pitted the Optimates under the command of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix against the Populares forces commanded by Gaius Marius the Younger. The battle resulted in a decisive Optimate victory.
The Battle of Sacriportus also called the Battle of Sacriporto took place in April of 82 BC during Sulla's Second Civil War. The battle pitted the Optimates under the command of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix against the Populares forces commanded by Gaius Marius the Younger. The battle resulted in a decisive Optimate victory. Context After signing the peace treaty at Dardanos, Sulla returned to Italy at the head of his battle-hardened army with the intention of confronting his political opponents, the Populares. They were led by Gaius Marius the Younger and by Gnaeus Papirius Carbo. Sulla therefore invaded Italia in 83 BC, routing various Populares armies. Encamping for the winter, both sides made preparations to continue the fighting with the start of the Spring war season when the war became intensified and bloody. The battle According to historical accounts, one night in April, Sulla had a dream that Gaius Marius told his son, Gaius Marius the Younger, that he should not give battle to Sulla's forces the following day. Encouraged by this premonition, Sulla decided to immediately give combat and called on Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella, who was encamped nearby. Dolabella's army was exhausted from marching in an intense rainstorm and the military tribunes had ordered that the army make camp rather than give battle. Emboldened by the enemy's lack of offensive action, Gaius Marius decided to attack thinking he would be able to surprise the Optimates and win the day. Sulla's veterans simply stuck their pila into the ground to create a makeshift barricade, drew their swords, formed battle lines and counter-attacked. The Sullans' counter-attack put the Marians on the defensive, eventually, their left began to waver and either slowly or speedily (the accounts differ) they were driven back. In the end five cohorts of foot and two of horse deserted to Sulla causing a general collapse and Marius' army scattered in rout. Marius lost 28,000 men (killed, captured, turned coat or fled) while Sulla claimed to have only lost 23 men. Consequences The surviving Populares forces, including Marius, took refuge at Preneste to escape the pursuing Sullan forces. Sulla arrived shortly thereafter and besieged the city. The city fell on 4 November, holding out surprisingly until all of Italy was under Sulla's direct control. See also List of Roman wars and battles References Bibliography Classic sources Appian, The Civil Wars. Plutarch, Sulla. Modern sources Gabba, Emilio (1958). Appiani bellorum civile liber primus (in Italian). Florence: La Nouva Italia, 1958. Keaveney, Arthur (1982). Sulla: The Last Republican (2nd Revised ed.). London: Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0203022513. Lovano, Michael (2002). The Age of Cinna: Crucible of Late Republican Rome. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Veralg. ISBN 351507948-3. Angelo Luttazzi, Sacriporto. Luogo della battaglia combattuta tra Silla ed il figlio di Mario nell’82 a.C., “Studi e Rcerche sull’Ager Signinus”, 3, Colleferro 2004. Lynda Telford (2014). Sulla: A Dictator Reconsidered. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 9781783030484. Philip Matyszak (2014). Cataclysm 90 BC. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 9781848847897.
[ "People" ]
30,172,469
Joseph Rahme
Joseph Rahme Joseph Edmund Rahme (born 16 May 1971 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a male South African, and later American, tennis professional. Rahme attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied Business Administration and lettered in tennis in 1989-90-92. He was the 1990 Big 8 Conference Singles Champion at number 6 singles while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Rahme turned professional in 1992 and competed on the ITF Men's Circuit and ATP Tour from 1992 to 1999. Rahme completed his Business Administration degree with UNISA in 1998.
Joseph Rahme Joseph Edmund Rahme (born 16 May 1971 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a male South African, and later American, tennis professional. Rahme attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied Business Administration and lettered in tennis in 1989-90-92. He was the 1990 Big 8 Conference Singles Champion at number 6 singles while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Rahme turned professional in 1992 and competed on the ITF Men's Circuit and ATP Tour from 1992 to 1999. Rahme completed his Business Administration degree with UNISA in 1998. Rahme has been a certified tennis professional through the Professional Tennis Registry since 1999. He received the Georgia Professional Tennis Association's "Independent Professional of the Year" award in 2009, and again in 2014.Rahme grew up one of seven children in a Catholic family in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has five older sisters and a younger brother. Rahme attended high school at King Edward VII School in Johannesburg, South Africa, which he graduated from in 1988. He was one of South Africa's top ranked junior tennis players. References External links Joseph Rahme at the Association of Tennis Professionals Joseph Rahme at the International Tennis Federation [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
[ "Sports" ]
45,014,942
Dhuka al-Rumi
Dhuka al-Rumi (Arabic: ذوكه الرومي, romanized: Dhūka al-Rūmī, lit. 'Doukas the Roman'; died 11 August 919) was a Byzantine Greek who served the Abbasid Caliphate as governor of Egypt in 915–919. He was installed as governor of Egypt in 915 by the Abbasid commander-in-chief Mu'nis al-Muzaffar, as part of his effort to stabilize the situation in the country and expel a Fatimid invasion that had taken Alexandria. Dhuka was in Aleppo at the time, and arrived in Egypt in late August, succeeding Takin al-Khazari. The first Fatimid attempt to capture Egypt ended in failure thanks to Mu'nis' intervention, but soon the Fatimids began to make plans for a second assault, starting with the capture of Barqa after an 18-month siege in 917.
Dhuka al-Rumi (Arabic: ذوكه الرومي, romanized: Dhūka al-Rūmī, lit. 'Doukas the Roman'; died 11 August 919) was a Byzantine Greek who served the Abbasid Caliphate as governor of Egypt in 915–919. He was installed as governor of Egypt in 915 by the Abbasid commander-in-chief Mu'nis al-Muzaffar, as part of his effort to stabilize the situation in the country and expel a Fatimid invasion that had taken Alexandria. Dhuka was in Aleppo at the time, and arrived in Egypt in late August, succeeding Takin al-Khazari. The first Fatimid attempt to capture Egypt ended in failure thanks to Mu'nis' intervention, but soon the Fatimids began to make plans for a second assault, starting with the capture of Barqa after an 18-month siege in 917. The Fatimids evidently had sympathizers in Egypt, as the Egyptians since the early 9th century had come to resent rule from Baghdad; Dhuka was forced to execute several people for corresponding with the Fatimid ruler al-Mahdi Billah and his son, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah.Although Dhuka had the garrison of Alexandria reinforced following the sack of Barqa, the arrival of the Fatimid expeditionary force in July 919 caught him by surprise. The city's governor, Dhuka's son Muzaffar, fled, along with his aides and many of the populace, leaving the city to be sacked. Dhuka's efforts to repel the new invasion were hampered by the reluctance of the provincial garrison at Fustat to fight, exacerbated by the habitual delays in their pay, forcing him to rely on volunteers at first. He nevertheless moved quickly to secure Giza, across the Nile from Fustat, by constructing a fort there. Soon after, however, the new fiscal administrator for Egypt, al-Husayn al-Madhara'i, arrived with sufficient funds to pay the regular troops their arrears.Dhuka died on 1st August, and was succeeded by his predecessor Takin, who arrived to take up his office in January. Once more, the intervention of Mu'nis in the next year saved Fustat and threw the Fatimids out of the country. References Sources Brett, Michael (2001). The Rise of the Fatimids: The World of the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the Fourth Century of the Hijra, Tenth Century CE. The Medieval Mediterranean. Vol. 30. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9004117415. Halm, Heinz (1996). The Empire of the Mahdi: The Rise of the Fatimids. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Translated by Michael Bonner. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9004100563.
[ "Human_behavior" ]
71,366,901
Jongmyo rites
The Jongmyo ritual is an ancestor worship ceremony held at Jongmyos by the monarchs of the East Asian cultural sphere. Different dynasties have different rituals. The Korean Jongmyo jerye and Jongmyo ritual music were inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2001 by UNESCO. == References ==
The Jongmyo ritual is an ancestor worship ceremony held at Jongmyos by the monarchs of the East Asian cultural sphere. Different dynasties have different rituals. The Korean Jongmyo jerye and Jongmyo ritual music were inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2001 by UNESCO. == References ==
[ "Philosophy" ]
25,515,540
Li Ye (mathematician)
Li Ye (Chinese: 李冶; Wade–Giles: Li Yeh; 1192–1279), born Li Zhi (Chinese: 李治), courtesy name Li Jingzhai (Chinese: 李敬斋), was a Chinese scientist and writer who published and improved the tian yuan shu method for solving polynomial equations of one variable. Along with the 4th-century Chinese astronomer Yu Xi, Li Ye proposed the idea of a spherical Earth instead of a flat one before the advances of European science in the 17th century.
Li Ye (Chinese: 李冶; Wade–Giles: Li Yeh; 1192–1279), born Li Zhi (Chinese: 李治), courtesy name Li Jingzhai (Chinese: 李敬斋), was a Chinese scientist and writer who published and improved the tian yuan shu method for solving polynomial equations of one variable. Along with the 4th-century Chinese astronomer Yu Xi, Li Ye proposed the idea of a spherical Earth instead of a flat one before the advances of European science in the 17th century. Name Li Ye was born Li Zhi, but later changed his name to Li Ye to avoid confusion with the third Tang emperor who was also named Li Zhi, removing one stroke from his original name to change the character. His name is also sometimes written as Li Chih or Li Yeh. His literary name was Renqing (Chinese: 仁卿; Wade–Giles: Jen-ch’ing) and his appellation was Jingzhai (Chinese: 敬斋; Wade–Giles: Ching-chai). Life Li Ye was born in Daxing (now Beijing). His father was a secretary to an officer in the Jurchen army. Li passed the civil service examination in 1230 at the age of 38, and was administrative prefect of Jun prefecture in Henan province until the Mongol invasion in 1233. He then lived in poverty in the mountainous Shanxi province. In 1248 he finished his most known work Ceyuan haijing (測圓海鏡, Sea mirror of circle measurements). Li then returned to Hebei. In 1257 Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, ordered Li to give advice on science. In 1259 Li completed Yigu yanduan (益古演段, New steps in computation), also a mathematics text. After becoming Khan, Kublai twice offered Li government positions, but Li was too old and had ill health. In 1264 Li finally accepted a position at the Hanlin Academy, writing official histories. However, he had a political fallout and resigned after a few months, again citing ill health. He spent his final years teaching at his home near Feng Lung mountain in Yuan, Hebei. Li told his son to burn all of his books except for Sea mirror of circle measurements. Mathematics Ceyuan haijing Ceyuan haijing (Sea mirror of circle measurements) is a collection of 170 problems, all related to the same example of a circular city wall inscribed in a right triangle and a square. They often involve two people who walk on straight lines until they can see each other, meet or reach a tree in a certain spot. The purpose of book was to study intricate geometrical relations with algebra and provide solutions to equations.Many of the problems are solved by polynomial equations, which are represented using a method called tian yuan shu, "coefficient array method" or literally "method of the celestial unknown". The method was known before him in some form. It is a positional system of rod numerals to represent polynomial equations. For example, 2x2 + 18x − 316 = 0 is represented as which is equal to in Arabic Numbers. The 元 (yuan) denotes the unknown x, so the numerals on that line mean 18x. The line below is the constant term (-316) and the line above is the coefficient of the quadratic (x2) term. The system accommodates arbitrarily high exponents of the unknown by adding more lines on top and negative exponents by adding lines below the constant term. Decimals can also be represented. Later, the line order was reversed so that the first line is the lowest exponent. Li does not explain how to solve equations in general, but shows it with the example problems. Most of the equations can be reduced to the second or sometimes third order. It is often assumed that he used methods similar to Ruffini's rule and Horner scheme. Yigu yanduan Yigu yanduan (New steps in computation) is a work of more basic mathematics written soon after Li Ye completed Ceyuan haijing, and was probably written to help students who could not understand Sea mirror of circle measurements. Yigu yanduan consists of three volumes dedicated to solving geometrical problems on two tracks, through Tian yuan shu and geometry. It also contained algebraic problems, but with slightly different notations. Astronomy and shape of the earth The huntian (渾天) theory of the celestial sphere stipulated that the earth was flat and square, while the heavens were spherical in shape, along with celestial bodies such as the sun and moon (described by 1st-century AD polymathic scientist and statesman Zhang Heng like a crossbow bullet and ball, respectively). However, the idea of a flat earth was criticized by the Jin dynasty astronomer Yu Xi (fl. 307-345 AD), who suggested a rounded shape as an alternative. In his Jingzhai gu zhin zhu (敬齋古今注), Li Ye echoed Yu's idea that the Earth was spherical, similar in shape to the heavens but smaller in size, arguing that it could not be square since that would hinder the movement of the heavens and celestial bodies.However, the idea of a spherical earth was not accepted in mainstream Chinese science and cartography until the 17th century during the late Ming and early Qing periods, with the advent of evidence of European circumnavigation of the globe. The flat Earth theory in Chinese science was finally overturned in the 17th-century. Jesuits in China also introduced the spherical Earth model advanced by ancient Greeks such as Philolaus and Eratosthenes and presented in world maps such as Matteo Ricci's Kunyu Wanguo Quantu published in Ming-dynasty China in 1602. See also Chinese astronomy Chinese mathematics Qin Jiushao Zhu Shijie References Further reading Chan, Hok-Lam. 1997. “A Recipe to Qubilai Qa'an on Governance: The Case of Chang Te-hui and Li Chih”. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 7 (2). Cambridge University Press: 257–83. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25183352.
[ "Mathematics" ]
64,257,000
9/11 Kids
9/11 Kids is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Elizabeth St. Philip. The film profiles the ongoing effects of the September 11 attacks on the United States through the stories of the now young adults who were in the classroom where President George W. Bush was reading the grade-school level reading exercise "The Pet Goat" when he was interrupted and informed of the attacks.The film premiered as part of the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, it was not screened theatrically, but premiered as part of the festival's online streaming component and aired on CBC Television on April 23 as part of the network's special Hot Docs at Home series of films from the festival.On June 8, the film was named as one of five recipients of the Rogers Audience Award, alongside the films The Walrus and the Whistleblower, There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace, First We Eat and The Forbidden Reel. In light of the pandemic situation and its ongoing effects on film distribution, the award committee opted to split the award among all of the top five Canadian films.The film won the Donald Brittain Award for best social or political documentary at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.
9/11 Kids is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Elizabeth St. Philip. The film profiles the ongoing effects of the September 11 attacks on the United States through the stories of the now young adults who were in the classroom where President George W. Bush was reading the grade-school level reading exercise "The Pet Goat" when he was interrupted and informed of the attacks.The film premiered as part of the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, it was not screened theatrically, but premiered as part of the festival's online streaming component and aired on CBC Television on April 23 as part of the network's special Hot Docs at Home series of films from the festival.On June 8, the film was named as one of five recipients of the Rogers Audience Award, alongside the films The Walrus and the Whistleblower, There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace, First We Eat and The Forbidden Reel. In light of the pandemic situation and its ongoing effects on film distribution, the award committee opted to split the award among all of the top five Canadian films.The film won the Donald Brittain Award for best social or political documentary at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021. References External links 9/11 Kids at IMDb
[ "Entertainment" ]
9,920,385
Jon Mittelhauser
Jon E. Mittelhauser (born May 1970) is a software executive who co-wrote the Windows version of NCSA Mosaic and was a founder of Netscape.
Jon E. Mittelhauser (born May 1970) is a software executive who co-wrote the Windows version of NCSA Mosaic and was a founder of Netscape. Education Mittelhauser attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he joined the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 1992 and a master's degree in 1994. Career In 1993, as a graduate student, he co-wrote NCSA Mosaic for Windows with fellow student Chris Wilson while working at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Mittelhauser was part of the original team of five programmers of Mosaic with Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina (Unix version), Aleks Totic (Mac version) and Chris Wilson (Windows version). The Windows version that Mittelhauser and Wilson wrote was the first browser with over a million downloads and is often characterized as the first widely used web browser. Mittelhauser is considered a founding father of the browser.After leaving the University of Illinois in 1994, Mittelhauser became one of the founders of Netscape Communications Corporation.His next position was Director of Engineering for Geocast Network Systems, a start-up funded by Mayfield Fund, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Institutional Venture Partners.Mittelhauser led the software organization at OnLive, Inc. and managed their successful launch in 2010. He left at the end of that year as VP of Engineering and joined their Technical Advisory Board. In May 2012 he became Vice President of Engineering for Nebula, Inc.From December 2014 to December 2016, he was chief executive officer of the software company that develops CloudBolt.As of July 2018 he is Vice President of the Container Native Group at Oracle Corporation. Personal life Mittelhauser has two daughters and lives in Silicon Valley. In 1999 he opened The Basin restaurant in Saratoga with fellow Netscape-er Bill Foss. == References ==
[ "Technology" ]
37,069,888
Feng Guifen
Feng Guifen (Chinese: 馮桂芬; pinyin: Féng Guìfēn; Wade–Giles: Feng2 Kuei3-fen1; 1809 – May 28, 1874, courtesy name Linyi (Chinese: 林一; pinyin: Línyī), art name Jingting (Chinese: 景亭; pinyin: Jǐngtíng), later art name Dengweishanren (Chinese: 鄧尉山人; pinyin: Dèngwèishānrén), jinshi degree 1840) was a scholar during the Qing Dynasty. He was also a teacher, and a government official, serving as adviser to leading statesmen of his time. Feng is known for his interest in techniques by which states had become wealthy and strong, highlighting these subjects in the essay he wrote to propose reforms for the Chinese empire. He was the originator of the philosophy of the Self-Strengthening Movement undertaken in the late 19th century.
Feng Guifen (Chinese: 馮桂芬; pinyin: Féng Guìfēn; Wade–Giles: Feng2 Kuei3-fen1; 1809 – May 28, 1874, courtesy name Linyi (Chinese: 林一; pinyin: Línyī), art name Jingting (Chinese: 景亭; pinyin: Jǐngtíng), later art name Dengweishanren (Chinese: 鄧尉山人; pinyin: Dèngwèishānrén), jinshi degree 1840) was a scholar during the Qing Dynasty. He was also a teacher, and a government official, serving as adviser to leading statesmen of his time. Feng is known for his interest in techniques by which states had become wealthy and strong, highlighting these subjects in the essay he wrote to propose reforms for the Chinese empire. He was the originator of the philosophy of the Self-Strengthening Movement undertaken in the late 19th century. Life and career Feng was born to a family of wealthy Suzhou landowners in Wuxian in China's Jainsu Province in 1809. After passing the imperial examination ranking the second, he started working as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy in 1840 and later became the civil service examination supervisor in Guangxi Province. He also finally served as a private secretary to the Viceroy of Liangjiang, Li Hongzhang.During the Taiping Rebellion, Feng organized a local militia to fight the rebels. He fled to Shanghai when the rebels occupied Suzhou. Later in his life, Feng became the leader of the jingshi school during the Tongzhi Restoration (1862-1874). He also had an established intellectual relationship with Sun Yat-sen. Chinese reform When Feng fled to Shanghai, he came in contact with Westerners who were defending the city. He developed his ideas on modernization based from this interaction. Like other intellectuals and Qing officials such as Wenxiang, Zeng Guofan, and Zuo Zongtang, Feng argued for self-strengthening and industrialization by borrowing western technology and military systems, while retaining core Neo-Confucian principles. After the disasters experienced by China following Wei Yuan's death in 1857, he proposed wide-ranging reforms in a collection of works called Jiaobinlu kangyi or Essays of Protest. In his essay, On The Manufacture of Foreign Weapons, he was famously quoted as saying: "what we have to learn from the barbarians is only the one thing - solid ships and effective guns", though in reality his proposals were a little more extensive.The essays, which numbered 40 in total, outlined two measures. The first involved the technical improvements in the bureaucracy from the engineering initiatives in the Yellow River to fiscal reform such as the reform of the traditional salt gabelle. The second proposed constitutional changes, particularly the reallocation of political power and status. Although many of his reforms were never fully enacted, they were circulated for later generations of political reformers. It is also considered one of the earliest reformist agenda of modern China and would contribute to the Hundred Days Reform of 1898. His ideas also became the basis for the Self-Strengthening Movement that emerged in 1861 and lasted until 1895. References Further reading Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). "Fêng Kuei-fên" . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.
[ "Philosophy" ]
3,954,917
The Amityville Horror (1979 film)
The Amityville Horror is a 1979 American supernatural horror film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, and starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. The film follows a young couple who purchase a home haunted by combative supernatural forces. It is based on Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same name, which documented the alleged paranormal experiences of the Lutz family who briefly resided in the Amityville, New York home where convicted killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the mass murder of his family in 1974. It is the first entry in the long-running Amityville Horror film series, and was remade in 2005. Executive producer Samuel Z. Arkoff originated the project after purchasing the right's to Anson's book, and it was initially conceived as a television film, which Anson adapted himself.
The Amityville Horror is a 1979 American supernatural horror film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, and starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. The film follows a young couple who purchase a home haunted by combative supernatural forces. It is based on Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same name, which documented the alleged paranormal experiences of the Lutz family who briefly resided in the Amityville, New York home where convicted killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the mass murder of his family in 1974. It is the first entry in the long-running Amityville Horror film series, and was remade in 2005. Executive producer Samuel Z. Arkoff originated the project after purchasing the right's to Anson's book, and it was initially conceived as a television film, which Anson adapted himself. When Arkoff rejected the teleplay, it was reworked by screenwriter Sandor Stern as a feature film. The producers intended to shoot the film in the actual DeFeo residence, but its owners denied them permission. Filming instead began on location in Toms River, New Jersey in October 1978, followed by interior shoots occurring at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer sound stages in Los Angeles, which were completed just before the Christmas holiday. The Amityville Horror had its world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art on July 24, 1979, before receiving a wide theatrical release three days later. The film was a major commercial success and one of the most profitable films released by its distributor, American International Pictures. It went on to gross over $80 million in North America, becoming one of the highest-grossing independent films of all time, as well as one of the highest-grossing horror films in cinema history. Though met with largely unfavorable critical reviews at the time of its release, composer Lalo Schifrin's musical score earned the film Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, while Kidder received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress. Some contemporary film scholars have considered the film a classic of the horror genre, and it is widely regarded as a seminal entry in the sub-genre of the contemporary haunted house film. In his 1983 non-fiction book, Danse Macabre, horror author Stephen King interprets the film as a parable on the anxieties of homeownership and financial ruin, citing the economic crisis of the 1970s and the film's frequent references to financial matters, a reading which has been similarly assessed by other film scholars. Plot In the early morning hours on November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murders his entire family with a rifle at their home of 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. One year later, middle-class newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz move into the house with Kathy's three children from a prior marriage: Greg, Matt, and Amy. Despite George's irreligiosity, Kathy, a nominal Roman Catholic, requests Jesuit priest Father Delaney to bless the home. Delaney arrives while the family is out boating on the Long Island Sound. Upon entering the house, Delaney is swarmed by flies upstairs and hears a hostile voice ordering him to leave, causing him to flee. The next day, Kathy's aunt Helena, a nun, visits the house but becomes violently ill and leaves abruptly, confounding Kathy. The Lutzes' domestic life begins a sharp decline over the ensuing weeks: George becomes uncharacteristically volatile and abusive, and obsesses over keeping the home warm with firewood, despite Kathy's insistence that it is not cold. George recurrently awakens at 3:15 a.m.—the same time the DeFeos were murdered—while Kathy suffers disturbing nightmares. Before Kathy's brother's engagement party one night, $1,500 cash to be paid to the caterer inexplicably goes missing in the house. Meanwhile, the babysitter watching Amy for the evening is locked inside a bedroom closet by an unseen force. Further unexplained incidents occur when one of the two boys suffers a crushed hand when a sash window falls on it, and Amy has an imaginary friend, Jody, who seems to be of a malevolent nature. One night, Kathy glimpses two red, swine-like eyes outside Amy's second-story bedroom window. Delaney makes several attempts to intervene that seem to be thwarted by unusual accidents and occurrences: His phone calls to the home are frequently experienced by Kathy as static noise, and on one occasion his car malfunctions en-route to the house, nearly causing a fatal crash. Convinced there are demonic forces at work, Delaney grows frustrated by the lack of support from his superiors in the diocese. Meanwhile, George's land surveying business begins to suffer due to his lack of attendance, concerning his business partner, Jeff. Jeff's wife, Carolyn, who has psychic proclivities, is both repulsed and intrigued by the things she feels when at the house. In the home's basement, Carolyn is drawn to a brick wall that the family dog, Harry, has repeatedly scratched at, and she begins dismantling it with a hammer. Discovering the damage, George takes down the rest of the wall, uncovering a small room with red walls. Carolyn, in terror, shrieks that they have found "the passage... to Hell!", her voice resembling that of Father Delaney. Later that night, Delaney prays passionately at his pulpit for God to save the family, before he inexplicably loses his sight and falls catatonic. Kathy visits the library to research the property's history, where she finds county records suggesting that the house is built atop a Shinnecock burial ground and that a known Satanic worshipper named John Ketchum had once lived on the land. She also discovers news clippings about the DeFeo murders and notices Ronald DeFeo's striking resemblance to George. The paranormal events culminate that night during a rainstorm: Blood oozes from the walls and down the staircase; Jody, appearing as a large, red-eyed pig, is seen through a window; and a seemingly possessed George attempts to kill the children with an axe, but regains his wits after Kathy intervenes. After falling through the basement stairs into a pit of black sludge while rescuing Harry, George and the rest of the family drive away, abandoning their home and belongings. A closing intertitle reads: "George and Kathleen Lutz and their family never reclaimed their house or their personal belongings. Today they live in another state." Cast Themes In his 1983 non-fiction book Danse Macabre, horror author Stephen King analyzed The Amityville Horror, identifying its numerous metaphors regarding anxiety over homeownership and financial turmoil, citing the 1973–1975 recession and the energy crisis of the 1970s, interpreting the film as a parable on American financial distress. At the time of the film's release, King had unfavorably reviewed the film for Rolling Stone, in which he deemed it a "simplistic and transparent" story, an assertion he recanted in Danse Macabre, writing that the "canards" who dismissed it "really miss the point, and as a lifelong horror fan, I should have known it. Stupid, simplistic, and transparent are also perfectly good words to describe the tale of The Hook, but that doesn't change the fact that the story is an enduring classic of its kind."King attributed the film's significant commercial success to audiences identifying with the lead characters, a middle-class couple who take a large financial risk in purchasing a home, only for it to have dire intrapersonal consequences within the family. Summarizing its thematic core, he wrote: "The Amityville Horror, beneath its ghost-story exterior, is really a financial demolition derby."Writer Tony Williams echoes King's analysis of the film in his 1996 book Hearths of Darkness: The Family in the American Horror Film, writing that, "despite lapsing into incoherence toward the end," it "contains significant associations between family life, home ownership, and supposedly supernatural horror... [it] is one of the few films that link the economic responsibilities of home ownership to family horror."Citing King's analysis, literary critic John Kenneth Muir noted in his book Horror Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Slashers, Vampires, Zombies, Aliens, and More (2013): "If one follows King's lead, it's easy to contextualize The Amityville Horror as a financial nightmare... Similarly, the movie's dialogue constantly references financial matters. "Bills have to be paid," says one character. "The IRS is calling," warns another. "They'll nickel and dime you to death" is a mantra not just about the bill collectors, perhaps, but a warning about the demons in the house." Production Development Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff purchased the rights to The Amityville Horror (1977) by author Jay Anson. Promoted as being based on a true story, Anson's book documents the alleged paranormal events experienced by the Lutz family while they resided in the Amityville, New York home where Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the mass murder of his parents and siblings in November 1974.Anson himself wrote a teleplay based on his work, which was intended to be shot as a made-for-television film for CBS. Samuel Z. Arkoff, an executive producer and head of American International Pictures, contacted CBS asking to produce the film as a theatrical feature, offering CBS the rights to broadcast it on their network in exchange. Arkoff subsequently hired screenwriter Sandor Stern to rework Anson's teleplay as a feature film. Casting James Brolin was offered to star in the film while he was completing Night of the Juggler, but was initially hesitant about the project. At the time of his casting, the script was unfinished, so Brolin obtained a copy of Anson's novel. Brolin read it until two o'clock in the morning. He had hung up a pair of his pants in the room earlier and during an especially tense passage of the book, the pants fell to the floor. Brolin jumped from his chair in fright. Convinced that the material would make an effective film, Brolin agreed to star. He described the project as a challenge for him, as it was a "pure character role" that he had not yet had the opportunity to play: "It demands a progression of dissipation of personality, so I had to figure out how to portray a man who is losing his sanity during his obsession."Kidder was cast in the role of Kathy Lutz after her breakthrough performance as Lois Lane in Richard Donner's Superman the year prior. "Basically at that stage you took the jobs you were offered and took the money," Kidder recalled in a later interview. "But [horror films] are fun to make. They make me laugh." In a 2005 interview with the actors, Brolin and Kidder admitted that they clashed in regard to their acting styles, with Brolin remaining committed to closely following the screenplay, while Kidder preferred a more improvisational approach to the material.Veteran actor Rod Steiger was cast in the role of priest Francis Delaney, and had at the time been experiencing a career slump following his recent open-heart surgery, which left him depressed and made film studios hesitant to hire him due to high insurance costs. Commenting during an interview promoting the film, Steiger said: "This is my last maneuver in letting Hollywood know that I'm in good shape physically."Natasha Ryan, an eight-year-old experienced child actor, was cast in the role of the Lutz's young daughter, Amy, while K. C. Martel made his feature film debut as one of the family's two sons, Greg. Filming For the location shooting of The Amityville Horror, the production scouted various locations on the East Coast, including in Maine and South Carolina, before settling on Toms River, New Jersey. The producers had initially sought to film at the real Amityville residence in Long Island, New York, but local authorities denied them permission. In August 1978, local Toms River newspapers published articles seeking submissions from homeowners who were willing to lease their residence to the production. The Dutch Colonial home that was ultimately chosen was converted to resemble the 112 Ocean Avenue residence in Amityville. The house was leased by the production for $12,000, and a boathouse was constructed on the property for an additional $31,000.Principal photography began in Toms River in late October 1978. Additional exteriors were shot at Toms River's Riverwood Park Recreation Center, the Ocean County Courthouse, and Reynolds Tavern. Local police and ambulance workers played extras in the film, and the Toms River Volunteer Fire Company provided the rain during several scenes. In order to safely handle an axe on the set, Brolin was trained by a local axe thrower in Toms River.After completion of the location shooting in November 1978, the production relocated to Los Angeles, where interiors were shot at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio lot. Filming completed at the MGM Sound Stage 26 just before the Christmas holiday, on December 22, 1978.Largely practical special effects were employed while filming: While shooting the scene in which Father Delaney is swarmed by flies, for example, actor Rod Steiger was doused in sugar water and beer, causing the insects to swarm him. Music Lalo Schifrin was hired to compose the original score for The Amityville Horror. When beginning the composition of the main theme, he was given the static image of the home which plays over the film's opening credits sequence. Recalling his inspiration, Schifrin said: "Since a family with three kids was about to move into the mansion, ignoring its past, I got the idea to write a haunting and distorted lullaby for three children's voices."In addition to the vocal accompaniment, Schifrin composed the film's score using a harp, celeste, violins, and violas, aspiring to create a "chilling" contrast between the voices and orchestral arrangements. To incorporate more "menacing sounds," he utilized low-pitched string arrangements, a bass clarinet, a brass-muted French horn, and a waterphone.It is sometimes alleged that Schifrin's score was the one rejected in 1973 for The Exorcist, but Schifrin has denied this in interviews.Schifrin's score earned the film a nomination an Academy Award for Best Original Score, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination in the same category. Release Distributed by American International Pictures (AIP), The Amityville Horror had its world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on July 24, 1979, opening a revival exhibition of various films produced and released by the studio. It was given a wide theatrical release in the United States three days later, on July 27, 1979. Marketing The film's production was widely publicized in national media when the studio attempted to concoct stories of "unusual" occurrences on the set (not dissimilar from what was claimed to have occurred during the filming of The Exorcist). According to Brolin, he and Kidder were both asked by the studio and the press, "'Is there weird stuff going on?'... and we were looking for stuff now. We'd have liked to tell them, 'Oh yeah, you wouldn't believe the stuff that happened yesterday—my lunch fell off the table in my lap.'"In promotion for the film's premiere, Brolin and Kidder visited the actual home at 112 Ocean Avenue, accompanied by the press. Brolin later reflected that the house was much more "condensed" than the location where the film was shot. Both Brolin and Kidder were skeptics of the claims made in the book. "I didn't buy that this really had happened," Kidder said in a 2005 interview. During the press junkets promoting the film, when asked whether she believed the Lutzes' claims, Kidder purportedly turned to the producers, who responded: "We'll never tell." In a 2005 interview, Margot Kidder said "the producers told us we should say all these terrible things happened on the set. It was all bullshit. Nothing happened, but it was funny." Box office The Amityville Horror opened in 748 theaters, and grossed $7.8 million during its opening weekend. It earned over $13.3 million over the course of the week across 810 theaters, marking the second best opening week of the year (to that date) after Moonraker's $14.7 million, and was AIP's largest ever. By September 1979, the studio reported that the film had earned $41 million during its first 31 days of release, which at that time had expanded to 940 theaters.At the conclusion of its theatrical run, the film had grossed a total of $86.4 million at the U.S. and Canadian box offices (nearly twenty times its budget), making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1979 after Kramer vs. Kramer. The film was one of the most successful films produced by an independent studio at the time and held the record of being the highest-grossing independent film of all time until 1990, when it was surpassed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.In 2019, Forbes published an inflation-adjusted list ranking horror film grosses based upon contemporary ticket prices, in which The Amityville Horror ranked as the eighth-highest grossing horror film of all time, with an adjusted gross of $310.3 million at the time of the article's publication. Critical response In his review, Roger Ebert described the film as "dreary and terminally depressing," writing that, "The problem with The Amityville Horror is that, in a very real sense, there's nothing there. We watch two hours of people being frightened and dismayed, and we ask ourselves... what for? If it's real, let it have happened to them. Too bad, Lutzes! If it's made up, make it more entertaining. If they can't make up their minds... why should we?" A staff review in People said Rod Steiger was overacting and that the film was "ridiculous." Tim Pulleine of the Monthly Film Bulletin declared that the film "proves the most satisfying excursion into no-frills spine-chilling for some time." and that "The film is constantly well played and provides Rod Steiger with his best opportunity in ages for all-stops-out bravura." John Simon of the National Review described the film as "dreadful."Janet Maslin of The New York Times criticized the film for containing repetitive gimmicks, noting that, "so many horror-movie clichés have been assembled under the roof of a single haunted house that the effect is sometimes mind-bogglingly messy. There is apparently very little to which the director, Stuart Rosenberg, will not resort. But he still can't come up with anything more hair-raising than the trick of having one Lutz experience a severe start when he or she doesn't realize other Lutzes are in the room. Whenever Mr. Rosenberg stumbles upon an idea as good as this one, he's bound to repeat it over and over again." The Washington Post's K. C. Summers felt the film was unexciting, writing: "It would be one thing if we were rewarded for sitting through all this with a spinetingling thrill or two, but the movie isn't even scary... Lack of logic is one thing. When a horror movie is boring as well, what's the point?"Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a favorable review, writing that, "what it does scarily well is make a very attractive three-story colonial (which would go for 300 thou easily if only it had a different case history) the villain of the piece. The horror is all the more effective because it arises not in some cobwebby and batty castle nor on an unlisted planet in an unnumbered millennium, but around the corner and up our street."The film has received some favorable contemporary reviews, including from historian James F. Broderick, who praised it as "an effective horror movie that succeeds largely because the performers take the over-the-top material seriously... The film is taut, tense, and filled with the bizarre, unsettling events chronicled in the book." In a 2013 assessment, John Kenneth Muir called The Amityville Horror a "blunt and effective horror film" and discussed author Stephen King's analysis of the film's subtext of financial turmoil.On internet review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 31% of 45 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review, and the average rating is 4.8/10. Its consensus reads, "Dull and disappointing, the best that can be said for The Amityville Horror is that it set a low bar for its many sequels and remakes". Accolades Legal disputes Following the film's release, several legal disputes arose involving the Lutz family and the rights to their story. George and Kathy Lutz claimed they were awarded fifty percent of the rights to Anson's book, but missed out on receiving a financial share of the film rights. William Weber, an attorney, was subsequently sued by the Lutzes after he alleged he had helped them fabricate their experiences and sell their story to Anson. In court proceedings for this lawsuit, George Lutz admitted that he had netted $100,000 from the release of the film. Home media Warner Home Video first released The Amityville Horror in a clamshell VHS in 1983. The film has since received numerous DVD releases, the first by MGM Home Entertainment in September 2000, and again by MGM in 2005, whose special features included the theatrical trailer, commentary by parapsychologist Hans Holzer (author of Murder in Amityville), a making of documentary and radio spots. MGM issued the first Blu-ray edition of the film in 2008, followed by a second Blu-ray release from Scream Factory in 2013, as part of The Amityville Trilogy set, which also included Amityville II: The Possession (1982) and Amityville 3-D (1983). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment re-released a Blu-ray edition in 2014.In September 2022, Vinegar Syndrome issued the film in 4K UHD Blu-ray format for the first time. Legacy Despite its largely unfavorable critical reception at the time of its original release, The Amityville Horror has been described as a classic of the horror genre by a number of critics and film historians, as well as being regarded as one of the scariest films of all time. Cultural critic Nicholas Mirzoeff wrote in 2012 that "the vulnerability of the local housebody has become part of the wider cultural web of implication" ever since the film's release, summarizing: "In Stuart Rosenberg's film, when George Lutz decides to move into the house, he declares: "A house has no memory." The rest of the film, and this genre of recent horror cinema in general, is dedicated to refuting that proposition."The British Film Institute included it in a top-ten list of great haunted house films in 2013, noting: "The half-baked debate over how much of this really happened tends to obscure the fact that is rather a good haunted house chiller that didn’t really deserve the critical drubbing it got when it was first released... A series of mostly awful sequels followed as well as a pointless 2005 remake, all helping cement Amityville and the story of its haunting in modern legend." In 2018, Esquire ranked it the fifth-scariest haunted house film ever made, and in a 2021 public survey undertaken by SWNS Media Group, it was ranked as the seventh-greatest horror film of all time.Star Kidder reflected upon the film negatively in a 2009 interview, calling it "a piece of shit. I couldn’t believe that anyone would take that seriously. I was laughing my whole way through it, much to the annoyance of Rod Steiger, who took the whole thing very seriously. At the time, my agent proposed sort of a “one for me, one for them” policy. That was one for them. It was the crazy Christians who made it a hit. They wanted people to believe in the devil and possessions and haunted houses and all that hooey." Related works The film was directly followed by a 1982 prequel, Amityville II: The Possession, and a sequel, Amityville 3-D in 1983. Owing to the film's basis on the DeFeo murders, its setting in an actual town, and that the alleged supernatural events depicted in it were publicly recorded, numerous unrelated sequels and spin-off films have been made in the intervening years. As of 2023, a total of thirty-five films bearing the Amityville name have been produced, with varying degrees of connection to the events depicted in original 1979 film. Notes References Sources External links The Amityville Horror at IMDb The Amityville Horror at AllMovie The Amityville Horror at Box Office Mojo The Amityville Horror at Rotten Tomatoes
[ "Society", "Culture" ]
8,080,097
Kowloon East Barracks
Kowloon East Barracks (Chinese: 九龍東軍營), formerly Osborn Barracks (Chinese: 奧士本軍營), is a People's Liberation Army facility, and was a British Army facility, in Kowloon City District, Hong Kong. Located in the northern part of Kowloon on Waterloo Road and Junction Road (across the street from Hong Kong Baptist University).
Kowloon East Barracks (Chinese: 九龍東軍營), formerly Osborn Barracks (Chinese: 奧士本軍營), is a People's Liberation Army facility, and was a British Army facility, in Kowloon City District, Hong Kong. Located in the northern part of Kowloon on Waterloo Road and Junction Road (across the street from Hong Kong Baptist University). History The military facility was named for Canadian Army Company Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Osborn was a British-born Canadian who died defending Hong Kong in 1941. He was awarded the Victoria Cross and a barracks in Hong Kong was named in his honour in 1945 after the liberation. Osborn is memorialised at Sai Wan War Cemetery and also through a statue of an anonymous World War I soldier in Hong Kong Park on Hong Kong Island. The statue of the anonymous World War I soldier was originally part of the Eu Tong Sen statuary collection at Eucliff villa. When Eucliff villa was demolished, the Eu family donated the statue in the 1980s to Osborn Barracks in Kowloon where it stayed for 20 years before being relocated to Hong Kong Park.Part of the land of the Osborn Barracks (the east of Renfrew Road) was given to Hong Kong Baptist University for new campus development in early 1990s. The last British Army regiment to occupy the Barracks was the Hong Kong Logistic Support Regiment RLC. After the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong the Osborn Barracks are used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong.A helipad is located along Renfrew Road. In 2015, Albert Chan Wai-yip suggested that the barracks be decommissioned for more residential space. See also List of army barracks in Hong Kong References References The Country Boy Who Died for Hong Kong
[ "Military" ]
2,896,926
List of Canadian airports by location indicator: CE
This is a list of all Nav Canada certified and registered water and land airports, aerodromes and heliports in the provinces and territories of Canada sorted by location identifier.They are listed in the format: Location indicator – IATA – Airport name (alternate name) – Airport location
This is a list of all Nav Canada certified and registered water and land airports, aerodromes and heliports in the provinces and territories of Canada sorted by location identifier.They are listed in the format: Location indicator – IATA – Airport name (alternate name) – Airport location CE – Canada- CAN Also see airport category and list. == References ==
[ "Lists" ]
5,266,575
List of airports in Sweden
This is a list of airports in Sweden, sorted by location.
This is a list of airports in Sweden, sorted by location. Airports Airport names shown in bold indicate the airport has scheduled service on commercial airlines. Airport names that are not bold but have an IATA code have previously had scheduled service. Ten of the most important airports are owned by the national company Swedavia. The other airports which have scheduled service, are in general owned by the city concerned. Most air routes inside Sweden are going to and from Stockholm. The shorter connections are mostly used by business travellers, since there is strong competition from rail and road travel. For the longest routes (Stockholm–Umeå and longer) air travel is the main mode of travel also for leisure travellers. For international travel, Arlanda is the hub for the Stockholm region and places north thereof. For southbound or westbound international travel from places in Sweden well south of Stockholm, Copenhagen is the hub. From Gothenburg, some main airports of Europe can be directly reached and be used as hubs. Heliports Only heliports with ICAO code are listed. See also Transport in Sweden List of airports by ICAO code: E#ES – Sweden Wikipedia:WikiProject Aviation/Airline destination lists: Europe#Sweden List of the largest airports in the Nordic countries Notes References Luftfartsverket (LFV) (Swedish Civil Aviation Authority) Integrated Aeronautical Information Package AD 2 Aerodromes Aeronautical Information Publication (2008) "AIP-SWEDEN Aerodrome Directory (2007)" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2007-04-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) "AIP-SWEDEN Location Indicators (2007)" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2007-10-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Svenska Flygplatser (Swedish Airports) (flygtorget.se) (in Swedish) "ICAO Location Indicators by State" (PDF). International Civil Aviation Organization. 2006-01-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2009-08-19. "UN Location Codes: Sweden". UN/LOCODE 2006-2. UNECE. 2007-04-30. – includes IATA codes External links Lists of airports in Sweden: Great Circle Mapper Aircraft Charter World The Airport Guide World Aero Data[usurped] A–Z World Airports FallingRain.com
[ "Lists" ]
15,978,876
Boğaziçi Hava Taşımacılığı
Boğaziçi Hava Taşımacılığı (BHT, Bosphorus Air Transport), named after Boğaziçi (Turkish for Bosphorus), was a Turkish charter cargo/passenger airline that operated for two years starting in 1987.
Boğaziçi Hava Taşımacılığı (BHT, Bosphorus Air Transport), named after Boğaziçi (Turkish for Bosphorus), was a Turkish charter cargo/passenger airline that operated for two years starting in 1987. History BHT-Boğaziçi was 85% owned by Turkish Airlines and began services with a Douglas DC-10-10F and a Boeing 707-321C. Freight charters were flown to America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The aircraft were also used for passenger services serving Turkish migrant workers traveling home. BHT also had a leased Boeing 727-264 but by 1989 the airline was in severe financial problems and shut down. Fleet 2 Douglas DC-10-10 2 Boeing 707-321C 2 Boeing 727-264 Fokker F-28 References External links Media related to Boğaziçi Hava Taşımacılığı at Wikimedia Commons Fleet and code information
[ "Business" ]
25,329,934
David Archer (scientist)
David Edward Archer (born September 15, 1960) is a computational ocean chemist, and has been a professor at the Geophysical Sciences department at the University of Chicago since 1993. He has published research on the carbon cycle of the ocean and the sea floor. He has worked on the history of atmospheric CO2 concentration, the expectation of fossil fuel CO2 over geologic time scales in the future, and the impact of CO2 on future ice age cycles, ocean methane hydrate decomposition, and coral reefs. Archer is a contributor to the RealClimate blog.
David Edward Archer (born September 15, 1960) is a computational ocean chemist, and has been a professor at the Geophysical Sciences department at the University of Chicago since 1993. He has published research on the carbon cycle of the ocean and the sea floor. He has worked on the history of atmospheric CO2 concentration, the expectation of fossil fuel CO2 over geologic time scales in the future, and the impact of CO2 on future ice age cycles, ocean methane hydrate decomposition, and coral reefs. Archer is a contributor to the RealClimate blog. Teaching responsibilities He teaches classes on global warming, environmental chemistry, and global geochemical cycles. He is the author of Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast, an introductory textbook on the environmental sciences for non-science undergraduates. Education He obtained his Ph.D from the University of Washington in 1990. Books The Global Carbon Cycle (Princeton Primers in Climate), The Global Carbon Cycle (Princeton Primers in Climate) The Warming Papers: The Scientific Foundation for the Climate Change Forecast, 2010, edited with Raymond Pierrehumbert, ISBN 978-1-4051-9616-1, 432 pages The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth's Climate, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-13654-7, 192 pages The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change, 2010, ISBN 978-0-521-73255-0, 260 pages Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4051-4039-3, 208 pages References External links David Archer at the University of Chicago David Archer at Realclimate David Archer at Google Scholar
[ "Academic_disciplines" ]
7,107,561
Catherine T. MacArthur
Catherine Terese MacArthur (née Hyland; November 23, 1908 – December 15, 1981) was an American philanthropist. With the estate of her husband, businessman and philanthropist John D. MacArthur, she co-founded the MacArthur Foundation, one of the 10 largest philanthropic foundations in the United States.
Catherine Terese MacArthur (née Hyland; November 23, 1908 – December 15, 1981) was an American philanthropist. With the estate of her husband, businessman and philanthropist John D. MacArthur, she co-founded the MacArthur Foundation, one of the 10 largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Life Born Catherine Terese Hyland in 1908, MacArthur was one of nine children of Irish immigrants on Chicago's South Side. Her father owned and operated several retail stores, was active in Democratic politics in Chicago, and held several state and local governmental positions.In 1938 she married John D. MacArthur. In 1935, MacArthur purchased Bankers Life and Casualty for $2,500 and used mass marketing techniques to sell insurance by mail. Banker's Life was the basis of John's phenomenal success in real estate and insurance. Official Banker's Life press releases verify that Catherine was intimately involved in the business's success. She appears throughout the records under her maiden name, C.T. Hyland, as corporate secretary, director, or both.In 1963, John purchased the Colonnades Hotel in Palm Beach Shores on Singer Island, Florida. Catherine lived with her husband in a modest apartment overlooking the parking lot, while John conducted his business from a corner table in the hotel's coffee shop.When John D. MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth over $1 billion and reportedly one of the three wealthiest men in the United States. Death References External links Biography at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Website People's Almanac Entry via (Trivia Library.Com)
[ "Economy" ]
292,437
The Rape of the Lock
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope. One of the most commonly cited examples of high burlesque, it was first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellaneous Poems and Translations (May 1712) in two cantos (334 lines); a revised edition "Written by Mr. Pope" followed in March 1714 as a five-canto version (794 lines) accompanied by six engravings. Pope boasted that this sold more than three thousand copies in its first four days. The final form of the poem appeared in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa's speech on good humour. The poem was much translated and contributed to the growing popularity of mock-heroic in Europe.
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope. One of the most commonly cited examples of high burlesque, it was first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellaneous Poems and Translations (May 1712) in two cantos (334 lines); a revised edition "Written by Mr. Pope" followed in March 1714 as a five-canto version (794 lines) accompanied by six engravings. Pope boasted that this sold more than three thousand copies in its first four days. The final form of the poem appeared in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa's speech on good humour. The poem was much translated and contributed to the growing popularity of mock-heroic in Europe. Description The poem of The Rape of the Lock satirises a minor incident of life, by comparing it to the epic world of the gods, and is based on an event recounted to Alexander Pope by his friend John Caryll. Arabella Fermor and her suitor, Lord Petre, were each a member of aristocratic recusant Catholic families, at a time in England when, under such laws as the Test Act, all denominations except Anglicanism suffered legal restrictions and penalties. (For example, Petre, being a Catholic, could not take the place in the House of Lords that would otherwise have been rightfully his.) Petre had cut off a lock of Arabella's hair without permission, and the consequent argument had created a breach between the two families. The poem's title does not refer to the extreme of sexual rape, but to an earlier definition of the word derived from the Latin rapere (supine stem raptum), "to snatch, to grab, to carry off"—in this case, the theft and carrying away of a lock of hair. In terms of the sensibilities of the age, however, even this non-consensual personal invasion might be interpreted as bringing loss of reputation and dishonour.Pope, also a Catholic, wrote the poem at the request of friends in an attempt to "comically merge the two" worlds, the heroic with the social. He utilised the character Belinda to represent Arabella and introduced an entire system of "sylphs", or guardian spirits of virgins, a parodised version of the gods and goddesses of conventional epic. Pope derived his sylphs from the 17th-century French Rosicrucian novel Comte de Gabalis. Pope, writing pseudonymously as Esdras Barnivelt, also published A Key to the Lock in 1714 as a humorous warning against taking the poem too seriously. Pope's poem uses the traditional high stature of classical epics to emphasise the triviality of the incident. The abduction of Helen of Troy becomes here the theft of a lock of hair; the gods become minute sylphs; the description of Achilles' shield becomes an excursus on one of Belinda's petticoats. He also uses the epic style of invocations, lamentations, exclamations and similes, and in some cases adds parody to imitation by following the framework of actual speeches in Homer's Iliad. Although the poem is humorous at times, Pope keeps a sense that beauty is fragile, and emphasizes that the loss of a lock of hair touches Belinda deeply. The humour of the poem comes from the storm in a teacup being couched within the elaborate, formal verbal structure of an epic poem. It is a satire on contemporary society which showcases the lifestyle led by some people of that age. Pope arguably satirises it from within rather than looking down judgmentally on the characters. Belinda's legitimate rage is thus alleviated and tempered by her good humour, as directed by the character Clarissa. Dedicatory letter Pope added to the second edition the following dedicatory letter to Mrs. Arabella Fermor: Madam, It will be in vain to deny that I have some regard for this piece, since I dedicate it to You. Yet you may bear me witness, it was intended only to divert a few young Ladies, who have good sense and good humour enough to laugh not only at their sex's little unguarded follies, but at their own. But as it was communicated with the air of a secret, it soon found its way into the world. An imperfect copy having been offered to a Bookseller, you had the good nature for my sake to consent to the publication of one more correct: This I was forced to, before I had executed half my design, for the Machinery was entirely wanting to complete it. The Machinery, Madam, is a term invented by the Critics, to signify that part which the Deities, Angels, or Dæmons are made to act in a poem: For the ancient poets are in one respect like many modern ladies: let an action be never so trivial in itself, they always make it appear of the utmost importance. These Machines I determined to raise on a very new and odd foundation, the Rosicrucian doctrine of Spirits. I know how disagreeable it is to make use of hard words before a lady; but 'tis so much the concern of a poet to have his works understood and particularly by your sex, that you must give me leave to explain two or three difficult terms. The Rosicrucians are the people I must bring you acquainted with. The best account I know of them is in a French book called Le Comte de Gabalis, which both in its title and size is so like a novel, that many of the fair sex have read it for one by mistake. According to these gentlemen, the four elements are inhabited by spirits, which they call Sylphs, Gnomes, Nymphs, and Salamanders. The Gnomes or Dæmons of Earth delight in mischief; but the Sylphs, whose habitation is in the air, are the best-conditioned creatures imaginable. For they say, any mortals may enjoy the most intimate familiarities with these gentle spirits, upon a condition very easy to all true adepts, an inviolate preservation of Chastity. As to the following Cantos, all the passages of them are as fabulous as the Vision at the beginning or the Transformation at the end; (except the loss of your Hair, which I always mention with reverence). The human persons are as fictitious as the airy ones, and the character of Belinda, as it is now managed, resembles you in nothing but in Beauty. Summary In the beginning of this mock-epic, Pope declares that a "dire offence" (Canto 1 line 1) has been committed. A lord has assaulted a "gentle belle" (line 8), causing her to reject him. He then proceeds to tell the story of this offence. While Belinda is still asleep, her guardian Sylph Ariel forewarns her that "some dread event impends". Belinda then awakes and gets ready for the day with the help of her maid, Betty. The Sylphs, though unseen, also contribute: "These set the head, and those divide the hair, some fold the sleeve, whilst others plait the gown" (146–147). Here Pope also describes Belinda's two locks of hair "which graceful hung behind". The Baron, one of Belinda's suitors, greatly admires these locks and conspires to steal one. Building an altar, he places on it "all the trophies of his former loves" (line 40), sets them on fire and fervently prays "soon to obtain, and long possess" (line 44) the lock. Ariel, disturbed by the impending event although not knowing what it will be, summons many sylphs to her and instructs them to guard Belinda from anything that may befall her, whether she "forget her prayers, or miss a masquerade, Or lost her heart, or necklace, at a ball" (line 108–109). So protected, Belinda arrives at Hampton Court and is invited to play a game of ombre. The conspiring Baron acquires a pair of scissors and tries to snip off one of her locks, but he is prevented by the watchful Sylphs. This happens three times, but in the end the Baron succeeds (also cutting a Sylph in two although Pope reassures us, parodying a passage in Paradise Lost, that "airy substance soon unites again" [line 152]). When Belinda discovers her lock is gone, she falls into a tantrum, while the Baron celebrates his victory. A gnome named Umbriel now journeys to the Cave of Spleen and from the Queen receives a bag of "sighs, sobs, and passions, and the war of tongues" (canto 4 line 84) and a vial filled "with fainting fears, soft sorrows, melting griefs, and flowing tears" (line 85–86) and brings them to Belinda. Finding her dejected in the arms of the woman Thalestris, Umbriel pours the contents over them both. Many people, moved by Belinda's grief, demand the lock back, but the Baron is unrepentant and refuses. Clarissa admonishes them to keep their good humour, but they will not listen and instead a battle ensues with glares, songs and wits as weapons. Belinda fights with the Baron and throws snuff up his nose to subdue him. When she demands that he restore the lock, however, it is nowhere to be found. It has been made a constellation and is destined to outlast the contestants. The Rape of the Bucket Although John Ozell and Pope belonged to different political factions and later exchanged bitter insults, the coincidence of Ozell's translation of a pioneering Italian mock-heroic poem, at about the same time as the appearance of The Rape of the Lock, led to the claim that it might have served as the model for Pope's poem. Pope's original two-canto version had been published anonymously in 1712. Ozell's translation of the first two cantos of the 17th-century La secchia rapita was published the following year with the long title The Trophy Bucket: An heroi-comical poem. The first of the kind. Made English from the original Italian of Tassoni. But in consequence of the great success of Pope's expanded five-canto version of The Rape of the Lock in 1714, this time under his own name, Ozell's publisher Edmund Curll seized the opportunity to profit from its popularity by retitling his translation The Rape of the Bucket in a 1715 "second edition".That Tassoni's poema eroicomico was the model for Boileau's Le Lutrin (The Lectern, 1674–83) is generally acknowledged. Both deflate an epic struggle to the size of a petty domestic squabble, but where Tassoni starts with an actual war and gives it an ignoble cause, Boileau begins with the trifling cause and compares it humorously with a Classical conflict. Narration of "What mighty contests rise from trivial things" is also Pope's method in The Rape of the Lock, and Boileau's work has been seen in its turn as Pope's model. However, the coincidence of the appearance of Ozell's translation of Boileau's original model at the same time as The Rape of the Lock led to the perception of a more direct connection between Pope's poem and Tassoni's, only strengthened by Curll's opportunistic retitling of Ozell's translation. It is an impression that remains to this day.Introducing his 1825 translation of the whole of Tassoni's The Rape of the Bucket, James Atkinson compared the three mock-heroic poems, the Italian, the French and the English. But "there is little of similarity among them," in his view, their humour is distinct. "The Secchia Rapita indeed differs essentially from the Rape of the Lock, both in spirit, and execution. There is nothing in the latter that can be compared with the humour of the former, or with the admirably grotesque pictures with which it abounds". Translations Translations of Pope's poem into French, Italian and German were all made in the first half of the 18th century. Others in those languages followed later, as well as in Dutch, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Swedish and Danish. The work had originally come to European notice through an anonymous prose version, La Boucle de Cheveux Enlevée, published anonymously in 1728 and now ascribed either to Marthe-Marguerite, Marquise de Caylus, or to Pierre Desfontaines. Despite there being a playful French model for this kind of writing in Boileau's Lutrin, the translator claims of Pope's work in the preface that "I do not believe that there can be found in our language anything more ingenious, in this playful genre." A verse translation by Jean-François Marmontel followed in 1746. The first German translation, Der merckwürdige Haar-Locken-Raub (1739), was a rendering of the French prose version of 1728. Luise Gottsched's verse translation, Der Lockenraub, was begun in the 1730s, again using a French prose version. However, she revised it totally once she managed to obtain the original text in English and in this way pioneered an interest in English literature in the German-language area. From then on, "Pope became very popular as a model for German poets from the 1750s onwards and remained an important source of inspiration throughout the second half of the 18th century," and in particular as a model for mock heroic poetry.Early Italian verse translations of the poem include Andrea Bonducci's Il Riccio Rapito (Florence 1739), followed by Antonio Schinella Conti's version, begun much earlier and finally published in Venice in 1751. The vogue for Pope's work went on to blossom at the start of the 19th century with separate translations by Federico Federici (Faziola 1819), Vincenzo Benini (Milan 1819), Sansone Uzielli (Livorno 1822), and Antonio Beduschi (Milan 1830).Scandinavian versions appeared near the start of the 19th century, beginning with the Swedish Våldet på Belindas låck (Stockholm, 1797) by Johan Lorens Odhelius (1737–1816). It was followed in 1819 by Den bortröfvade hårlocken by Jonas Magnus Stjernstolpe (1777–1831), and by the Danish imitation Belinde, eller den røvede Haarlok by Anton Martini (1773–1847) in 1829. Parody and interpretation In 1717 Giles Jacob published his bawdy parody, The Rape of the Smock, the plot of which turns on voyeurism and enforced seduction, building on erotic undertones present in Pope's poem which were to be taken up by its illustrators, and reached an apotheosis in Aubrey Beardsley's work.The 1714 edition of The Rape of the Lock and those that followed from Lintot's press had come with six woodcuts designed by Louis Du Guernier. Although the work of this artist has been described as unimaginative, he goes beyond his literal brief in making Belinda sleep in unwarranted décolletage in the first canto, while in the second giving the "painted vessel" on its way down the Thames the tilted perspective of the Ship of Fools. Furthermore, Du Guernier's frontispiece owes its iconography to a print by Étienne Baudet after a painting by Francesco Albani of Venus at her Toilette, making for an identification of Belinda with the goddess.The German translation of the poem published from Leipzig in 1744 had five copperplate engravings by Anna Maria Werner (1689–1753), the court painter of Saxony. It has been observed, however, that the places they depict are not specifically English and that the scene of the game of ombre in Canto 3 is "clearly based on a Leipzig coffee-house", complete with lapdogs tumbling on the floor. Meanwhile, in Britain most illustrations of the work were descending into "high kitsch and low camp". The 1798 edition, for example, illustrated by a variety of contemporary artists, is particularly noted now for Thomas Stothard's watercolour in which fairies are pictured with wings. Advised by William Blake to make the sylphs like butterflies, Stothard decided to "paint the wing from the butterfly itself" and immediately went out to catch one.Oil paintings by two artists rise a little above this judgment. Henry Fuseli's erotic The Dream of Belinda (1789–1790) goes beyond the actual episode to incorporate other imagery from the poem and some details peculiar only to Fuseli, such as the white moths in copulation in the lower foreground. He also illustrated the Cave of Spleen episode from Canto 4, but this met with contemporary scepticism and the original is now lost. Only Thomas Holloway's print remains to suggest that critics might have been right in seeing in it more "burlesque than sublimity". In the following century, Charles Robert Leslie's 1854 period piece, Sir Plume Demands the Restoration of the Lock, takes place in a cluttered drawing room in which the kind of lap dog present in many previous pictures feeds from a dish on the floor. The nine photo-engravings with which Aubrey Beardsley "embroidered" the 1896 edition of the poem drew on the French rococo style, in which there was a contemporary revival of interest. Well received at the time, their enduring popularity can be attributed to their reinterpreting of the poem in ways only a very few had managed earlier. Influence Pope's fanciful conclusion to his work, translating the stolen lock into the sky, where "'midst the stars [it] inscribes Belinda's name", alludes to the similar myth about the hair of the (real-world) Berenice II of Egypt, said to have been taken up to the heavens as the constellation Coma Berenices. This celestial conclusion contributed to the eventual naming of three of the moons of Uranus after characters from The Rape of the Lock: Umbriel, Ariel, and Belinda. The first two are major bodies, named in 1852 by John Herschel, a year after their discovery. The inner satellite Belinda was discovered in 1986, and is the only other of the planet's twenty-seven moons taken from Pope's poem rather than Shakespeare's works. Modern adaptations of The Rape of the Lock include Deborah Mason's opera-ballet, on which the composer worked since 2002. Its premiere was as an opera-oratorio in June 2016, performed by the Spectrum Symphony of New York city and the New York Baroque Dance Company. There was a 2006 performance at Sheffield University's Drama Studio of a musical work based on Pope's poem composed by Jenny Jackson. References External links The Rape of the Lock at the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA) The Rape of the Lock: Study Guide With Complete Text and Detailed Explanatory Notes The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems at Project Gutenberg The Rape of the Lock public domain audiobook at LibriVox
[ "Concepts" ]
68,592,950
Brigianii
The Brigianii (Gaulish: *Brigianioi) were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Briançon during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
The Brigianii (Gaulish: *Brigianioi) were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Briançon during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as Brigianii by Pliny (1st c. AD), and as Brigiani, Brigantionis and Bricianiorum on inscriptions.Their name may be based on the Gaulish root brig- ('high, elevated'), or on brīgo- ('might, strength'). Geography The Gallitae lived in the region of Briançonnais, in the center of the Cottian Kingdom. Their territory was located north of the Caturiges, west of the Quariates, east of the Tricorii, south of the Segovii.Their chief town was known as Brigantio (modern Briançon), meaning 'eminence, high/elevated place' in Gaulish. History They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder as one of the Alpine tribes conquered by Rome in 16–15 BC, and whose name was engraved on the Tropaeum Alpium. References Primary sources === Bibliography ===
[ "History" ]
32,312,176
Shared lives
Shared Lives, which is also known as Adult Placement in some areas, is a UK form of support and accommodation for adults with need wherein approved individuals or families open their lives to aid older or disabled persons. Over 10,000 Shared Lives carers in the UK provided care to people with a wide range of disabilities, illnesses and support needs, including people with learning disabilities, people with mental health problems, older people, care leavers (government wards aging out of care), disabled children becoming young adults, parents with learning disabilities and their children, and ex-offenders. Shared Lives carers are recruited, trained, approved, monitored and paid by one of the UK's 150 regulated Shared Lives schemes. The goal of Shared Lives is to match the individuals in need of service with others who will be compatible to them to act as 'extended family'. While generally the individual in need of support will move into the home of the carer, sometimes service is provided in their own homes, as day support, as breaks for unpaid family carers, as home from hospital care and as a stepping stone for someone who wants to get their own place.
Shared Lives, which is also known as Adult Placement in some areas, is a UK form of support and accommodation for adults with need wherein approved individuals or families open their lives to aid older or disabled persons. Over 10,000 Shared Lives carers in the UK provided care to people with a wide range of disabilities, illnesses and support needs, including people with learning disabilities, people with mental health problems, older people, care leavers (government wards aging out of care), disabled children becoming young adults, parents with learning disabilities and their children, and ex-offenders. Shared Lives carers are recruited, trained, approved, monitored and paid by one of the UK's 150 regulated Shared Lives schemes. The goal of Shared Lives is to match the individuals in need of service with others who will be compatible to them to act as 'extended family'. While generally the individual in need of support will move into the home of the carer, sometimes service is provided in their own homes, as day support, as breaks for unpaid family carers, as home from hospital care and as a stepping stone for someone who wants to get their own place. Users According to a Care Quality Commission report for 2009–2010, more than 10,788 people in England used Shared Lives. While the Care Quality Commission showed minor increases from the prior year, Information Centre statistics collated through different methodology showed a 36% increase in the same period. 13% of users were over 65, with the vast majority (76%) consisting of persons between 18 and 64 with learning disability. Mental health problems (7%) and physical disabilities (3%) were less represented. Use of Shared Lives is also increasing in Wales, with a 30% rise to 303 households in 2008–2009, while use in Scotland doubled between 2006 and 2009. Regulation Shared Lives Schemes in the UK are regulated under: the Health and Social Care Act 2008 [in England]; the Adult Placement Scheme (Wales) Regulations 2004; the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, superseded April 2011 by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (Schedule 12); the Adult Placement Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007. Shared Lives Plus Shared Lives Plus, a charity based in Liverpool, is the UK network for family-based and small-scale ways of supporting adults to live independently and to contribute to their families and communities. Its members are Shared Lives carers and workers, Homeshare programmes and micro-enterprises, which include a range of very small community-based services that share adult placement values and ethos. Alex Fox is the chief executive. NHS England announced the allocation of £1.75 million in 2016 to support to 6 to 10 Clinical commissioning groups to develop Shared Lives schemes which: Help to move people with learning disabilities out of medical institutions Offer live-in mental health support instead of hospital treatment Provide ‘step down’ services for people who have had health crises Support people with dementiaShared Lives Plus supported this programme.In 2016 the organisation merged with Homeshare UK and formed a partnership with Homeshare International. Lloyds Bank Foundation and Big Lottery Fund have each contributed £1 million in funding and evaluating local Homeshare pilots. Notes References NHS Information Centre, The (2009) Community Care Statistics 2008-09: Social Services Activity Report, England London, HM Government. Available at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/Social%20Care/socialcarepubs280410/Community%20Care%20Statistics%20Social%20Services%20Activity%20Report%20England%20-%202008-09%20FINAL2.pdf. NAAPS (2011) The Shared Life of my choice Liverpool, NAAPS. External links Shared Lives Plus, the charity representing Shared Lives in the UK
[ "Information" ]
93,740
Leicester Square
Leicester Square ( LEST-ər) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester. The square was originally a gentrified residential area, with tenants including Frederick, Prince of Wales and the artists William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds. It became more down-market in the late 18th century as Leicester House was demolished and retail developments took place, becoming a centre for entertainment. Major theatres were built in the 19th century, which were converted to cinemas towards the middle of the next.
Leicester Square ( LEST-ər) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester. The square was originally a gentrified residential area, with tenants including Frederick, Prince of Wales and the artists William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds. It became more down-market in the late 18th century as Leicester House was demolished and retail developments took place, becoming a centre for entertainment. Major theatres were built in the 19th century, which were converted to cinemas towards the middle of the next. Leicester Square is the location of nationally significant cinemas such as the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square and Empire, Leicester Square, which are often used for film premieres. The nearby Prince Charles Cinema is known for its screenings of cult films and marathon film runs. The square remains a tourist attraction which hosts events, including for the Chinese New Year. The square has always had a park in its centre, which was originally common land. The park's fortunes have varied over the centuries, reaching near dilapidation in the mid-19th century after changing ownership several times. It was restored under the direction of Albert Grant, which included the construction of four new statues and a fountain of William Shakespeare. The square was extensively refurbished and remodelled for the 2012 Summer Olympics at a cost of more than £15 million. Geography The square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west. The park at the centre of the square is bound by Cranbourn Street, to the north; Leicester Street, to the east; Irving Street, to the south; and a section of road designated simply as Leicester Square, to the west. It is within the City of Westminster, north of Trafalgar Square, east of Piccadilly Circus, west of Covent Garden, and south of Cambridge Circus.The nearest London Underground station is Leicester Square, which opened in 1906. London bus routes 24, 29 and 176 run on nearby Charing Cross Road.Leicester Square has also been used as name for the immediate surrounding area, roughly corresponding with Coventry Street, Cranbourn Street, Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Street. This includes Bear Street, Haymarket, Hobhouse Court (named after Sir John Cam Hobhouse), Hunt's Court (after Samuel Hunt, 17th century carpenter and leaseholder), Irving Street (after actor Henry Irving), Orange Street (named after William III, Prince of Orange), Oxendon Street (after Sir Henry Oxenden, 1st Baronet), Panton Street (after local property dealer Thomas Panton), and Trafalgar Square. History 16th–18th centuries The land where Leicester Square now lies once belonged to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster Abbey and the Beaumont family. In 1536, Henry VIII took control of 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land around the square, with the remaining 4 acres (1.6 ha) being transferred to the king the following year. The square is named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, who purchased this land in 1630. By 1635, he had built himself a large house, Leicester House, at the northern end. The area in front of the house was then enclosed, depriving inhabitants of St Martin in the Fields parish of their right to use the previously common land. The parishioners appealed to King Charles I, and he appointed three members of the privy council to arbitrate. Lord Leicester was ordered to keep part of his land (thereafter known as Leicester Fields and later as Leicester Square) open for the parishioners. The square was laid out to the south of Leicester House and developed in the 1670s. The area was originally entirely residential, with properties laid out in a similar style to nearby Pall Mall. In 1687, the northern part of the square became part of the new parish of St Anne, Soho. The 7th Earl of Leicester took ownership of the property in 1728 and it was briefly the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales, from 1742 until Leicester's death the following year. The poet Matthew Prior lived at what is now No. 21 around 1700 and artist William Hogarth resided at No 30 between 1733 and 1764, where he produced some of his best known works including Gin Lane. The magistrate Thomas de Veil, later to found Bow Street Magistrates' Court, lived at No 40 between 1729 and 1737; this location is now the Odeon West End. The painter Joshua Reynolds lived at No 47 from 1760 until his death in 1792; this location is now Fanum House, once the Automobile Association head office.At the end of the 17th century, Lord Leicester's heir, Philip Sidney, 3rd Earl of Leicester, permitted a small amount of retail development in booths along the front of Leicester House. A statue of King George I was built on the square in 1760 following the coronation of his great-grandson, George III. The square remained fashionable throughout most of the 18th century, with notable residents including the architect James Stuart at No 35 from 1766 to 1788 and the painter John Singleton Copley at No. 28 from 1776 to 1783.Leicester House was intermittently inhabited during the mid-18th century, and was finally sold to the naturalist Ashton Lever in 1775. Lever turned the house into a museum with a significant amount of natural history objects. In turn, the square began to serve as a venue for popular entertainments. Brothels began to appear around Leicester Square during the century, and visitors could pay to watch the severed heads of traitors executed at Temple Bar through a telescope. Leicester House became home of a museum of natural curiosities called the Holophusikon in the 1780s. It was demolished in 1791–72 due to rising debts following the extinction of the Leicester peerage, and replaced by Leicester Place. That in turn was converted into a church in 1865 and is now the site of the Prince Charles Cinema.In 1790, a new Royal Opera House was proposed to be built in Leicester Square. The scheme was led by The Prince of Wales, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford and James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury and aimed to re-establish London as a centre for Italian opera and ballet, with an opera house to rival those in mainland Europe. The opera house was never built, as the royal patent needed at that time to license a theatre was refused. The plans for the original design are preserved in Sir John Soane's Museum, while a 1790 painting by William Hodges, which displays the finished design, belongs to the Museum of London. 19th–21st centuries By the 19th century, Leicester Square was known as an entertainment venue, with many amusements peculiar to the era, including Wyld's Great Globe, which was built for The Great Exhibition of 1851 and housed a giant scale map of the Earth. The construction of New Coventry Street made it easier for traffic to access the square, resulting in private residences being replaced by shops, museums and exhibition centres. Savile House at No. 5–6, built in 1683 for Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, had become a museum by this time, and was ultimately destroyed by fire in 1865. It was rebuilt as the Empire Theatre.Several foreign-owned hotels were established around the square, making it popular with visitors to London. Brunet's Hôtel at No. 25 was opened by Louis Brunet in 1800, later expanding to Nos. 24 and 26 during the following decade. It was bought by Francis Jaunay in 1815 known as Jaunay's Hôtel. The Hôtel Sablonière et de Provence opened at No. 17–18 in 1845 as the Hôtel de Provence, and renamed in 1869. It closed in 1919 and became a public house. The Cavour, at No. 20 at the southeast of the square, opened in 1864. It was badly damaged in World War II but subsequently restored. The Alhambra Theatre was built in 1854 on the east side of the square, dominating the site. It temporarily closed two years later when the original owner, Edward Clarke, became bankrupt, but then reopened in 1858 as the Alhambra Palace. It enjoyed a surge in popularity after Queen Victoria and family came to see "Black Eagle – The Horse of Beauty". It burned down in 1882, but reopened the following year. In the early 20th century, the theatre became a popular venue for ballet. It was demolished in 1936 and replaced by the Odeon Cinema. The Empire Theatre of Varieties opened in 1881 on the former site of Savile House, but had a troubled start, closing for a time, until the end of the decade. The theatre gained a reputation for high-class prostitutes frequenting the theatre, and in 1894 the London County Council ordered the promenade on the upper balcony to be remodelled. A young Winston Churchill, then a cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, helped destroy canvas screens that had been erected to prevent access to the balcony. The theatre closed in 1927, to be replaced by the Empire Cinema.During the Winter of Discontent, where the incumbent Labour Party struggled to meet demands of trade unions and a shrinking economy, refuse collectors went on strike in January 1979. Leicester Square was turned into a de facto dump, earning it the nickname of "Fester Square". In the 1980s, the square was pedestrianised, cutting off all vehicular traffic. Access to the square for goods and deliveries is now controlled by specially designated marshals.By the start of the 21st century, Westminster City Council were concerned that the square was too dangerous at night, and wanted to demolish sections of it to encourage the growth of theatres and cinemas, and reduce popularity of nightclubs. In 2010, a major redevelopment of Leicester Square took place as part of a Great Outdoors scheme proposed by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The improvements included 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of granite paving and a water feature surrounding the Shakespeare statue. The square re-opened in May 2012 after 17 months' work at a total cost of £15.3 million. The Greater London Authority said the refurbishments would accommodate more than 1,000 new jobs. The re-opening coincided with the 2012 Summer Olympics later that year. Features Gardens square In the middle of the square is a small park that was originally available for common use on Lammas Day (12 August), such as washing clothes and herding cattle. The Earl of Leicester was obliged to preserve these grounds, which were separated from the rest of the square with railings. In 1808, the garden was sold by the Leicester Estate to Charles Elmes for £210 (equivalent to £17,424 in 2021), who neglected to maintain it. Ownership changed hands a number of times during the first half of the 19th century, including Robert Barren following Elmes' death in 1822, John Inderwick in 1834, and Hyam Hyams and Edward Moxhay in 1839. Little maintenance was done and the garden deteriorated to the point of severe dilapidation.In 1848, the land was subject to the significant legal case of Tulk v Moxhay. The plot's previous owner, Moxhay, had agreed upon a covenant not to erect buildings but the law would not allow buyers who were not "privy" to the initial contract to be bound by subsequent promises. The judge, Lord Cottenham, decided that future owners of land could be bound by promises to abstain from activity, subject to the doctrine of notice (actual or constructive). Otherwise, a buyer could (re-)sell land to himself to undermine an initial promise. James Wyld bought the assets of the garden from the Tulk and Moxhay's death estates in 1849 to erect the Great Globe, though buried the statue of George I under 12 feet of earth with the globe stuck on top. The statue was uncovered following the globe's demise, but by 1866 it had deteriorated due to vandalism and was sold for £16. Arguments continued about the fate of the garden, with Charles Augustus Tulk's heirs erecting a wooden hoarding around the property in 1873. These were quickly removed after the Master of the Rolls ordered that the land must be preserved for its original purpose. The garden was saved by the Member of Parliament (MP) Albert Grant, who purchased the park in 1874 for £11,060 and donated it to the Metropolitan Board of Works. The title deed for the square passed to the succeeding public bodies and is now in the ownership of the City of Westminster. After the purchase, the architect James Knowles redesigned the park. A statue of William Shakespeare surrounded by dolphins was constructed in the centre. The four corner gates of the park had one bust each of famous former residents in the square: the scientist Sir Isaac Newton designed by W. Calder Marshall; Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the Royal Academy by H. Weekes; John Hunter, a pioneer of surgery, by T. Wooler; and William Hogarth, the painter, by J. Durham. Ownership transferred to Westminster City Council in 1933. The most recent addition was a bronze statue of film star and director Sir Charlie Chaplin, designed by sculptor John Doubleday in 1981. On the pavement were inscribed the distances in miles to several Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Kenya and Jamaica. After the Great Outdoors refurbishment of the square, only the statue of Shakespeare still remains. Entertainment Leicester Square is the centre of London's cinema land, and one of the signs marking the square bears the legend "Theatreland". It contains the cinema with the largest screen and another with the most seats (over 1,600). The square is the prime location in London for film premieres and co-hosts the London Film Festival each year. Similar to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the square was surrounded by floor mounted plaques with film stars' names and cast handprints. During the 2010–2012 refurbishment, many of the plaques were removed, confusing tourists who still expected to find them there. The Leicester Square Theatre is based in nearby Leicester Place. It was constructed in 1955 as a church, before becoming the Notre Dame Hall, then the Cavern in the Town, a popular live music venue in the 1960s. In the 1970s, it was renamed back to the Notre Dame Hall, where the Sex Pistols played one of their first gigs at the club on 15 November 1976. It was converted into a theatre in 2002 as The Venue, and refurbished as the Leicester Square Theatre in 2008.The square has been the home for TKTS (originally known as the Official London Half-Price Theatre Ticket Booth), since 1980. Tickets for theatre performances taking place around the West End that day and during the week are sold from the booth at a significant discount. The popularity of the booth has given rise to other booths and stores around the square that advertise half-price tickets for West End shows. The Official London Theatre Guide recommends avoiding these booths as they are not official and do not contain the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR) logo.The square is home to the 93,000 square feet (8,600 m2) Hippodrome Casino. Following a £40m refurbishment in 2012, the premises can now accommodate 2,000 patrons.Global Radio has its headquarters on the east side of Leicester Square at No. 30, close to the Odeon. The building houses the radio stations Capital, Capital Xtra, Classic FM, Gold, Heart, LBC, Smooth Radio and Radio X. Cinemas The Odeon Leicester Square, which dominates the east side of the square, hosts many film premieres. Opened in 1937, it has a capacity for 1,683 people, arranged in circle and stalls. The last 70mm film showing was Armageddon in 1998, after which the theatre began to use digital technology. The projection room still contains some of the original 1930s decor and normally houses two projectors. The Empire opened in 1962. It was previously the largest cinema on the square, but in 2013 it was subdivided to cater for an IMAX screen. The Odeon West End, on the south side, opened in 1930. It was not generally used for premieres and was earmarked for demolition in 2014, to be replaced by a ten-storey hotel including a two-screen cinema. Westminster City Council reported 400 new jobs would be available after the redevelopment. Vue West End, on the north side, near the north east corner, was the first cinema in Europe to show a 3D film with Chicken Little in 2006.A short distance from the west of the square, on the south side of Panton Street, is the Odeon Panton Street. The Prince Charles Cinema, to the north of the square opened in 1962 with a "satellite dish" design where the audience looks upwards to the stage. The cinema became known for showing pornographic and erotic films during the 1970s, including Emmanuelle (1974). It later became a favourite venue for showing cult films, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and a sing-along version of The Sound of Music (1965), and marathon performances including all seven Muppet films back to back. Prices are considerably cheaper than the main cinemas in the square; in 2013 a ticket for a new release at the Prince Charles cost £10, compared to £24 at the Odeon. Due to the Leicester Square's long association with cinema, a film-themed sculpture trail entitled Scenes in the Square was installed. In February 2020, eight sculptures were installed which depict characters from the last 100 years of cinema including Laurel and Hardy, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood portrayed by Gene Kelly, Paddington Bear, Mr. Bean, and Wonder Woman. In September 2020, a statue of Harry Potter riding a Nimbus 2000 was installed, becoming the ninth statue in the exhibition. In June 2021, a statue of the Iron Throne from HBO TV series Game of Thrones was unveiled to mark 10 years since the release of the first episode. Other attractions Leicester Square is one of several places in the West End that puts on events relating to the Chinese New Year. The celebrations are organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association and held on the first Sunday during the new year period. Events include music, acrobatics and dancing. In 2015, the celebrations attracted more than 1,000 participants, becoming the largest of their kind in the UK. These included lion dances, a show of the Cultures of China and a drum show. A parade ran nearby through Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue.The Royal Dental Hospital and school was based at 40–41 from 1874 to 1901 and at 31–36 from 1901 to 1985, when the building was redeveloped as the Hampshire Hotel.The School of English operated on Leicester Square from 1992 until its closure in 2015. It taught over 25,000 students during its years of operation.The world's largest Lego store opened on 3, Swiss Court, Leicester Square in November 2016. The opening was marked by unveiling a 6-metre (20 ft) high model of Big Ben made out of 200,000 Lego bricks.In 2022, Burger King announced it would open its first meat-free restaurant in Leicester Square. The restaurant is scheduled to operate from 14 March to 10 April. Infrastructure The main electrical substation for the West End is beneath the square. The electrical cables to the substation are in a large tunnel ending at Leicester Square, and originating in Wimbledon, at Plough Lane, behind the former Wimbledon F.C. football ground, before which the cables are above ground. Cultural references In 1726, anatomist Nathaniel St André claimed to have delivered rabbits from Mary Toft, a woman who lived at No. 27 Leicester Square. The event was widely reported around London, attracting interest from King George I and Royal Society president Hans Sloane. Shortly afterwards, the woman was caught trying to buy a rabbit in secret, and the incident was uncovered as a hoax.Leicester Square is commemorated in the lyrics of the music hall song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" along with nearby Piccadilly, which became popular with soldiers during World War I. During the war, British inmates of Ruhleben Prisoner of War camp mentioned the square in a song: "Shout this chorus all you can. We want the people there, to hear in Leicester Square, That we're the boys that never get downhearted." It is mentioned in the lyrics of several rock & pop band tracks, including the Rolling Stones' notorious "Cocksucker Blues", (1970) "Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square" on Jethro Tull's album Stand Up (1969), "Emit Remmus" on the album Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999), "He's on the Phone" (1995) by Saint Etienne and "Leicester Square" on Rancid's Life Won't Wait (1998). A verse in "Something About England" on the Clash's 1980 album Sandinista! refers back to "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", including a reference to Leicester Square.Leicester Square is one of a group of three on the British Monopoly board along with Coventry Street and Piccadilly. The board was set out by designers Victor Watson and Marge Phillips in the order of entertainment on a Saturday night: film at Leicester Square, meal in Coventry Street and hotel on Piccadilly. Pronunciation The word Leicester features the ending cester which is with rare exceptions spoken as a simplified pronunciation, so is counterintuitive, a quirk of British English. A report by Premier Inn said Leicester Square was the most mispronounced place in the UK by tourists, usually as "" ("Lie-chester") Square. See also List of eponymous roads in London 1 Leicester Square Swiss Centre, London Scenes in the Square References Explanatory notes Citations General and cited references Further reading John Timbs (1867). "Leicester Square". Curiosities of London (2nd ed.). London: J.C. Hotten. OCLC 12878129. External links History of Leicester Square Leicester Square Webcam – 8 preset views from the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel Archived 10 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine Detailed information about the history and buildings of Leicester Square from the Survey of London Leicester Square webcam Archived 12 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine More on the history of Leicester Square at www.VictorianLondon.org Leicester Square Television Leicester Square London Film Premieres History of Leicester Square's Theatres and Cinemas
[ "Entertainment" ]
56,907,175
Jinzhou Museum (Dalian)
The Jinzhou Museum (Chinese: 金州博物馆) is a museum located in Jinzhou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China. This museum and the Lüshun Museum are the two historically important museums in Dalian.
The Jinzhou Museum (Chinese: 金州博物馆) is a museum located in Jinzhou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China. This museum and the Lüshun Museum are the two historically important museums in Dalian. Background Jinzhou, surrounded by walls, was historically the central town of Liaodong Peninsula, while Lüshun and Dalian are relatively new towns, being developed in the latter half of the 19th century and the 20th century, respectively. Historically important artifacts are in the Jinzhou Museum and the Lüshun Museum. The Old Museum The old Jinzhou Museum was established in 1928 during the time when Dalian, including Jinzhou, was Japan's leased territory, at the south gate of the walls (its current address: 61 Minzheng Street, 民主街61号) where there is now Xiangying Square (Chinese: 向应广场). It was part of the two-storeyed Jinzhou Town Hall.In the museum was the model of the old walled town of Jinzhou. There were also the displays in Japanese of how the Japanese Army attacked and conquered Jinzhou in both Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, before they marched on to Lüshun. These displays were changed to Chinese when the People's Republic of China was established in 1945. The New Museum The new Museum was built in the northern suburbs (its address: 888 Yong-an Boulevard, 永安大街888号) and was gradually opened in about 2010. Its location is for the public buildings where there are also the new Children's Palace and the new Library are. The new museum is four-storeyed: on the first (ground) floor are the model of the old walled town of Jinzhou and other displays; on the 2nd floor are the early historical displays, such as dolmens; on the 3rd floor are the displays of the events during the Ming and Qing periods, including the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War; and on the 4th floor are administrative offices. Note: The Jinzhou Municipal Museum (Chinese: 锦州市博物馆) is located in Jinzhou, Liaoning. Jinzhou Futongweimen Museum The Jinzhou Fu-Tongweimen Museum (Chinese: 金州副都统衙门博物馆), located at 255 Minzhu Street, is the place where the governor who defended and governed the Jinzhou area was sent from the central government of China. It became the police department during both Japanese occupation and PRC. In 1999 it was converted to a historical museum. See also Lüshun Museum References External links Jinzhou Museum (Dalian)
[ "Information" ]
1,368,691
Cross Maidan
Cross Maidan (formerly Parade Ground ) is a vast expanse of land in Mumbai. The term maidan means "playing ground" in Marathi. The ground measures 23,000 m². The name "Cross" is derived for the old stone Cross (crucifix) built when the city was under Portuguese rule in the 16th century. The maidan is under the jurisdiction of the district collector.
Cross Maidan (formerly Parade Ground ) is a vast expanse of land in Mumbai. The term maidan means "playing ground" in Marathi. The ground measures 23,000 m². The name "Cross" is derived for the old stone Cross (crucifix) built when the city was under Portuguese rule in the 16th century. The maidan is under the jurisdiction of the district collector. In 2009 it was announced that a 30-foot tall steel sculpture inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's charkha would be installed at the maidan. In the same year, the government also announced that it would be laying a water tunnel from the Malabar Hill reservoir to Cross Maidan at the cost of Rs. 940 million. It is claimed that the South Mumbai locality will have adequate water supply once this water tunnel is completed. The Maidan The vast expanses of land of the Oval Maidan, Azad Maidan, Cooperage Ground and Cross Maidan until the early 20th century formed the area known as Esplanade. The road which divides Cross Maidan and Azad Maidan which is today called Mahatma Gandhi Road was formerly known as the Esplanade. The term Esplanade is almost obliterated from history books except for the Bombay High Court which still goes by the term esplanade court. The part of MG Road abutting the Cross Maidan is popularly known as Fashion Street, with a range of vogue clothing at throwaway prices. The rest of the ground is used for cricket in the dry season and football (soccer) during the monsoons. Near the southern end, the Mahindra United Club, a national level club, has undertaken a lease of a small portion of the ground. In the past, traveling circuses have used the ground. The ground hosts eight cricket pitches. In 1986, Reliance Industries Limited held their AGM at the ground with 30,000 company shareholders in attendance. During the pre-independence era, the ground used to hold rallies and parades. Cutting across the centre of the ground is a shortcut that links the two railway stations of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Churchgate. The lane known as "Khau Galli" meaning Food Lane in Marathi, is traversed by thousands of people rushing to their work places. At times exhibitions and fairs are held in the maidan. Due to encroachment by Fashion Street hawkers and also mounds of garbage dumped in the southern end of the maidan, it has deteriorated to such an extent that a special committee has been set up to look after the ground, fence it off and clear the garbage and attain a heritage status. The Cross The cross used to stand where the current Elphinstone School currently stands. Currently it stands at the northern end of the ground. The cross is attested to have miraculous powers and devotees come from all over Mumbai and Goa during the feast on 3 May. The cross is adulated by both Christians and non-Christians. Good Friday and Maundy Thursday services are held in an exclusive area around the cross. The cross is maintained by the local diocese. Bhika Behram Well At the southern end of the maidan stands a well built by Bhika Behram in 1725. Behram, a Parsi, was travelling through this region, when he built this well for travellers. The well has a perennial source of sweet water, which is remarkable as most of the water in the area is brackish owing to the proximity to the Arabian Sea. The site is a declared heritage structure and is held sacred by the Parsi community. == References ==
[ "Geography" ]
28,778,371
Clare Adamson
Clare Anne Adamson FBCS (née Pickering; born 1 August 1967) is a Scottish politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Motherwell and Wishaw since 2016. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was previously an additional MSP for the Central Scotland region from 2011 to 2016. A graduate of the Glasgow Caledonian University, before entering politics Adamson was a computer scientist. In 2007, she was elected to the North Lanarkshire Council for the Wishaw ward. She ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, but was elected as an additional member for the Central Scotland region in 2011.
Clare Anne Adamson FBCS (née Pickering; born 1 August 1967) is a Scottish politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Motherwell and Wishaw since 2016. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was previously an additional MSP for the Central Scotland region from 2011 to 2016. A graduate of the Glasgow Caledonian University, before entering politics Adamson was a computer scientist. In 2007, she was elected to the North Lanarkshire Council for the Wishaw ward. She ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, but was elected as an additional member for the Central Scotland region in 2011. Adamson was elected as the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw in 2016 and was re-elected for a third term in the 2021 election. She has since served as the Convener of the Scottish Parliament's Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. Early life and career Clare Anne Pickering was born on 1 August 1967 in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, to Eileen and George Pickering. She moved to grow up in Wishaw at the age of seven and she studied Computer Information Systems at Glasgow Caledonian University, graduating with the degree of BSc (with distinction).In 1984 Adamson joined the Scottish National Party and she worked at the SNP HQ Campaign Unit as Project Manager of the Party's Activate Project from 2003 to 2007. She was previously a European Development Manager (IT) at a Glasgow-based software house. She belongs to the National Union of Journalists and is a Fellow of the British Computer Society.Adamson ran as a candidate for the SNP in various elections, but was unsuccessful. She ran for election to the North Lanarkshire Council in 2003 and contested Lanark & Hamilton East in the 2010 UK General Election. In the 2007 Scottish local elections, she was elected to the North Lanarkshire Council, representing her home town of the Wishaw ward. She stood down from the council in the 2012 election following her election to the Scottish Parliament. Member of the Scottish Parliament In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Adamson was the SNP's candidate for the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. She was defeated by Scottish Labour's John Pentland and was elected as an additional member of the Scottish Parliament for the Central Scotland region. After being elected to the parliament, she served as the Parliamentary Liaison Officer to Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.Adamson has continued to be actively involved with the Scottish Accident Prevention Council, as Vice Chairperson, and the Lanarkshire International Children's Games Organising Committee.Adamson ran again as candidate for the constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw. She successfully defeated John Pentland and was elected to represent the constituency in the Scottish Parliament. She was returned at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. She has served as Convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee since 2021. Personal life Adamson married John Adamson, a headteacher, in 2002. They both have one son, with her husband also having his own three children. She has a dog called Coco and enjoys reading and listening to music. References External links Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Clare Adamson Clare Adamson's Party Website Lanarkshire International Children's Games 2011 Archived 3 January 2013 at archive.today Scottish Accident Prevention Council STV 2010 General Election profile Wishaw Press councillors' expenses review 2008–2009 Wishaw Press councillors' expenses review 2009–2010 STV Local
[ "Information", "Technology" ]
5,382,957
Arbab
Arbab (Persian: ارباب) is a Persian word that means "boss", "master" and "landlord" or "one endowed with a special quality". It was a title used by tribal leaders in Middle East and South Asia.
Arbab (Persian: ارباب) is a Persian word that means "boss", "master" and "landlord" or "one endowed with a special quality". It was a title used by tribal leaders in Middle East and South Asia.
[ "Language" ]
8,163,916
Battle of Confey
The Battle of Confey or Cenn Fuait was a battle fought in Ireland in 917 between the Vikings of Dublin and the Irish King of Leinster, Augaire mac Ailella. It led to the recapture of Dublin by the Norse dynasty that had been expelled from the city fifteen years earlier by Augaire's predecessor, Cerball mac Muirecáin of Uí Fáeláin, and his ally Máel Finnia mac Flannacáin, the King of Brega.
The Battle of Confey or Cenn Fuait was a battle fought in Ireland in 917 between the Vikings of Dublin and the Irish King of Leinster, Augaire mac Ailella. It led to the recapture of Dublin by the Norse dynasty that had been expelled from the city fifteen years earlier by Augaire's predecessor, Cerball mac Muirecáin of Uí Fáeláin, and his ally Máel Finnia mac Flannacáin, the King of Brega. Location There is still some uncertainty concerning the location of the battle. The Annals of Ulster report that "Sitriuc, grandson of Ímar, landed with his fleet at Cenn Fuait on the border [airiur, airer] of Leinster." No such place is known, but the Annals of the Four Masters record that the battle took place in "the valley above Tech Moling". Tech Moling is St Mullin's, an ecclesiastical settlement in the extreme south of County Carlow, on the western boundary of Leinster, and accessible by ship via the River Barrow. Edmund Hogan identified Cenn Fuait ("Fuat's Head") with Glynn, a village which lies on a small stream about a kilometre north-east of St Mullin's.The Four Masters record that after the battle the "foreigners of Ceann Fuaid" plundered Kildare, which lies about 50 km from Glynn. This led the historians John O'Donovan and Bartholomew MacCarthy to identify Cenn Fuait with Confey or Confoy, near what is today Leixlip, County Kildare, on the border between Leinster and the Kingdom of Mide.W. M. Hennessy believed that airiur or airer indicated that Cenn Fuait was a headland on the coast of Leinster; but no such headland is known, and it has been objected that while airiur can mean "coast", it also denotes the border region between two neighbouring territories. Cath Cinn Fuait The Annals of Ulster record the battle and the events that led to it thus: Sitriuc, grandson of Ímar, landed with his fleet at Cenn Fuait on the border of Leinster. Ragnall, grandson of Ímar, with his second fleet moved against the foreigners of Waterford. A slaughter of the foreigners at Emly in Munster. The Eóganacht and the Ciarraige made another slaughter. Niall son of Aed, king of Ireland, led an army of the southern and northern Uí Néill to Munster to make war on the heathens. He halted on the 22nd day of the month of August at Topar Glethrach in Mag Feimin [near Clonmel]. The heathens had come into the district on the same day. The Irish attacked them between the hour of tierce and midday and they fought until eventide, and about a hundred men, the majority foreigners, fell between them. Reinforcements(?) came from the camp of the foreigners to aid their fellows. The Irish turned back to their camp in face of the last reinforcement, i.e. Ragnall, king of the dark foreigners, accompanied by a large force of foreigners. Niall son of Aed proceeded with a small number against the heathens, so that God prevented a great slaughter of the others through him. After that Niall remained twenty nights encamped against the heathens. He sent word to the men of Leinster that they should lay siege to the encampment from a distance. They were routed by Sitriuc grandson of Ímar in the battle of Cenn Fuait, where five hundred, or somewhat more, fell. And there fell too Ugaire son of Ailill, king of Leinster, Mael Mórda son of Muirecán, king of eastern Life, Mael Maedóc son of Diarmait, a scholar and bishop of Leinster, Ugrán son of Cennéitig, king of Laois, and other leaders and nobles. Sitriuc grandson of Ímar entered Áth Cliath. According to the later tract Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib and the Annals of the Four Masters the victorious Norsemen then plundered Kildare. The former text describes Sitric's capture of Dublin thus: There came after that the immense royal fleet of Sitriuc and the family of Ímar, i.e. Sitriuc the Blind, the grandson of Ímar; and they forced a landing at Dublin of Ath Cliath, and made an encampment there. Impact of the battle The Battle of Confey took place during a time of increased Viking attacks. The victorious Vikings were led by Sigtrygg Caech (also called Sigtrygg Gael or Sitric the Blind). The Annals of the Four Masters include among the 600 Irish dead several leaders in addition to Augaire mac Ailella the King of Leinster: "Maelmordha, son of Muireagan, lord of Eastern Life; Mughron, son of Cinneidigh, lord of the three Comainns and of Laois; Cinaedh, son of Tuathal, lord of Ui-Feineachlais; and many other chieftains, with the arch-bishop Maelmaedhog, son of Diarmaid, who was one of the Ui-Conannla, Abbot of Gleann-Uisean, a distinguished scribe, anchorite, and an adept in the Latin learning and the Scotic language." Augaire was killed by Palmairslau also known as Palner Tokesen from Funen, the father of Palnatoke.Norse settlers founded the town of Leixlip after the battle.Sitric was a member of the Norse dynasty which had ruled Dublin from the middle of the ninth century until 902. In that year the Ivar II, King of Dublin, and his family were driven from the city by Cerball mac Muirecáin Ó Fáeláin the King of Leinster and Máel Finnia mac Flannacáin the King of Brega. In the Annals of Ulster Sitric Caech and Ívarr II are both referred to as ua Ímair, "grandson of Ímar", a reference to Ivar I, who was the King (or co-regent) of Dublin from about 853 until his death in 873 and the ancestor of most of the Norse rulers of the city. Sitric, therefore, was either a brother or a first cousin of the ousted Ivar II (who had died in Scotland in 904). It is probably safe to assume that he was born in Dublin and was a young man when he and his family fled for their lives in 902. Following his victory at Cenn Fuait, Sitric occupied Dublin, which was to remain a Norse stronghold until the King of Dublin was ousted by Diarmuit mac Maél na mBó, King of Leinster and later High King of Ireland, in the year 1052. See also Early Medieval Ireland 800–1166 Kings of Dublin Battle of Tara Battle of Clontarf References Sources Leixlip Town Council History of Leixlip Summary of "The Vikings" by Johannes Bronsted Annals of the Four Masters translation
[ "History" ]
12,703,018
Lepidurus packardi
Lepidurus packardi, the vernal pool tadpole shrimp, is a small, rare species of tadpole shrimp (Notostraca) found in temporary ponds of the western United States.
Lepidurus packardi, the vernal pool tadpole shrimp, is a small, rare species of tadpole shrimp (Notostraca) found in temporary ponds of the western United States. Distribution The freshwater crustacean is endemic to California, where it lives in the endangered vernal pool type of habitat, and other freshwater aquatic habitats including ponds, reservoirs, ditches, road ruts, and other natural and artificial temporary water bodies. The animal is found in several regions of California, including the Central Coast, Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and southern Sierra Nevada foothills. The southeastern Sacramento Valley contains about 15% of the remaining vernal pool grassland habitat in the state, and it has about 35% of the known occurrences of L. packardi. 28% of all occurrences are in Sacramento County, California. Other areas with occurrences include the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, several preserves in Tehama County, and the vicinity of the cities of Chico, Redding, and Red Bluff. It has been noted at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Travis Air Force Base, and the Jepson Prairie Preserve. In the San Joaquin Valley it has been noted at the Merced and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges. There are occurrences in the Sierra foothills region in Tulare, Fresno, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties. It occurs outside California in the Agate Desert of Oregon. Description Lepidurus packardi is about 5 centimeters (2.0 in) long. It has a shield-like carapace up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long. It has compound eyes, up to 48 pairs of phyllopods (swimming appendages), and two cercopods, pincer-like appendages at the end of its telson, or tail segment. It is similar to, but distinct from, the related species Lepidurus couesii. The sexes can be distinguished by noting the egg sacs attached to the eleventh phyllopods of the female.The adult is omnivorous, collecting food items with its phyllopods as it swims, climbs on vegetation, or digs in sediment. It is an ecosystem engineer in that it causes bioturbation, producing so much turbidity when it digs through the sediment that it may alter the ecology of its pool habitat by reducing plant cover.Reproduction occurs when temporary pools fill with water. Larger females have higher fecundity, the clutch size ranging from eight to 61 eggs. The eggs can withstand a period of desiccation when the pool is dry; they will then hatch within three weeks of the pool refilling, often much more quickly. Desiccation is not required for hatching, however. The larva hatches as a metanauplius. It undergoes ecdysis, or molting, several times, growing more phyllopods each time. L. packardi takes about 38 days to mature, reproduces around its 54th day of life, and lives about 144 days. It is sexually mature when it is 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) in carapace length. Fecundity is much reduced in individuals which are infested with a parasitic echinostome fluke. Conservation Lepidurus packardi is a listed federally as an endangered species and by the IUCN RedList.Threats to L. packardi include anything that destroys, degrades, or fragments its ephemeral pool habitat. Nine percent of historical vernal pool habitat remains today, and it is fragmented and isolated. Expanding urban development is the cause of habitat destruction in many areas. Agricultural development is another cause. The construction of the University of California, Merced, campus was scheduled to alter the habitat in the area, but it also included plans for protection of over 20,000 acres (8,100 ha). Habitat can also be degraded when the local hydrology is altered, making the land too dry or permanently wet. There are many local conservation projects tailored to the needs of each region. References External links UC CalPhotos gallery of Lepidurus packardi (vernal pool tadpole shrimp) images
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