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16633650

The Kampung Boy

Sometime after recovering from the circumcision, Lat trespasses on a tin mine with his friends. They teach him how to gather the mud left in the wake of the mining dredges and pan for valuable ore. The activity is illegal but often overlooked by the miners. Lat brings the result of his labour back to his father, expecting praise. Instead, he is punished for neglecting his studies and future. After overhearing his parents' laments and being shown the family's rubber plantation, Lat finds the will to push himself to study. He is rewarded for his efforts, passing a "special examination" and qualifying for a "high-standard" boarding school in Ipoh, the state capital.

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The Kampung Boy

Rushing home to inform his parents, Lat discovers his father in negotiations with a tin mining company, which is surveying the land. The company will offer a large sum of money for the family's properties if they discover tin on it. Other villagers are hoping for similar deals with the company. They plan to buy houses in Ipoh if their hopes are realised. The day for Lat to depart the village has arrived and he is excited, but as he is about to depart, sadness washes over him. He acknowledges the emotions as his love of the village and hopes that the place where he was born will remain unchanged when he returns and see it changed.

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The Kampung Boy

"The Kampung Boy" is an autobiography. Its author, Lat, grew up in a "kampung" and moved to the city after graduating from high school. He worked there as a crime reporter and drew cartoons to supplement his income—a hobby he had started at the age of nine. Lat became the column cartoonist for his newspaper after impressing his editors with his cartoons on the "bersunat". He was sent to London to study at St Martin's School of Art and on returning to Malaysia in 1975, he reinvented his column, Scenes of Malaysian Life, into an editorial comic series. It proved popular and as Lat's fame grew, he began questioning his city lifestyle and reminiscing about his life in the "kampung". Lat felt he and his fellow citizens had all forgotten their village origins and wanted to remind them of that. He began working on "The Kampung Boy" in 1977, conceptualising and drawing the scenes when he was not drawing Scenes of Malaysian Life. His labour came to fruition in 1979 when Berita Publishing Sendirian Berhad released "The Kampung Boy" on the Malaysian market.

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The Kampung Boy

The style of "Kampung Boy" does not follow that commonly found in Western graphic novels. A page can be occupied fully by a single drawing, accompanied by text. The image either presents a scene that stands on its own or segues into the next, forming a story sequence that flows across two facing pages. The story is told in a local dialect of English, simpler in its grammatical structure and sprinkled with Malay words and phrases. Deborah Stevenson, editor of "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books", found that the narration invokes a sense of camaraderie with the reader, and carries an "understated affection for family, neighbours and village life." Mike Shuttleworth, reviewer for "The Age", said that Lat often achieved humour in this book by illustrating the scene contrary to what was described. Stevenson agreed, highlighting a scene in which Mat spoke of how his mother tenderly fed him porridge; the illustration, however, shows her irritation as the toddler spits the porridge back at her.

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The Kampung Boy

Kevin Steinberger, reviewer for "Magpies", found Lat's layout made "Kampung Boy" an "easy, inviting read." He said that Lat's pen-and-ink drawings relied on the "strong contrast between black and white to create space and suggest substance." Lat drew the children of "Kampung Boy" as "mostly mop-topped, toothy, bare-bottomed or sarong-draped" kids, who are often "exaggeratedly dwarfed" by items of the adult world. He explained that the way the boys were drawn was partly due to the influence of comics he read in the 1950s; "naughty ones with ... bushy hair" were prominent male protagonists in those books. The adult characters are easily distinguished by their exaggerated clothing and accessories such as puffed out pants and butterfly glasses. "Short and round" shapes make the design of the characters distinctive. These characters display exaggerated expressions, particularly when they are drawn to face the readers.

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The Kampung Boy

Francisca Goldsmith, a librarian and comics reviewer, found Lat's scenes to be "scribbly", yet "wonderfully detailed". Similarly, comics journalist Greg McElhatton commented that "The Kampung Boy" was "a strange mix of caricature and careful, fine detail." These two views lend support to Muliyadi's assertion that Lat demonstrated his strength in "The Kampung Boy"; his eye for detail extended to his characters and, more importantly, the surroundings. Lat's characters look, dress, act, and talk like real Malaysians would, and they are placed in environments that are readily identifiable with local jungles, villages, and cities. The faithful details impart a sense of familiarity to Malaysian readers and make the scenes convincing to others.

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The Kampung Boy

"New Straits Times", the paper Lat was working for in the 1970s, was published in English; its directive was to serve a multi-racial readership. Redza commented that Lat understood Malaysian society and the need to engage all of its racial groups. "The Kampung Boy" was thus written and published in English. At Lat's request, Berita Publishing hired his friend, Zainon Ahmad, to translate the graphic novel into Malay. This version was published under the title "Budak Kampung". By 2008, "The Kampung Boy" had been reprinted 16 times, and translated into various languages such as Portuguese, French, and Japanese. Countries that have printed localised versions of "The Kampung Boy" include Brazil, Germany, Korea and the United States.

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The Kampung Boy

The United States adaptation, which dropped the definite article from the title, was published by First Second Books in 2006. The book is in a smaller format (6 inches by 8 inches) and sported Matt Groening's testimonial—"one of the all-time great cartoon books"—on its cover. According to Gina Gagliano, First Second's Marketing Associate, the publishers left the story mostly untouched; they had not altered the contents to be more befitting to American tastes. They did, however, change the grammar and spelling from British English (the standard followed by Malaysia) to the American version and lettered the text in a font based on Lat's handwriting. First Second judged that the original book's sprinklings of Malay terms were not huge obstacles to their customers. Most of the Malay words could be clearly understood from context, either through text or with the accompanying illustrations. The clarity of the language left the publisher few terms to explain to North American readers; the few that remained were explained either by inserting definitions within parentheses or by replacing the Malay word with an English equivalent.

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The Kampung Boy

The success of "The Kampung Boy" led to its adaptation as an animated series. Started in 1995, production took four years to complete and was an international effort, involving companies in countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and the United States. The series uses the characters of the graphic novel, casting them in stories that bear similarities to "The Simpsons". Comprising 26 episodes, "Kampung Boy" features themes that focus on the meshing of traditional ways of life with modern living, the balance between environmental conservation and urban development, and local superstitions. One of its episodes, "Oh! Tok", featuring a spooky banyan tree, won a special Annecy Award for an animated episode of more than 13 minutes in 1999. Although the pilot episode was shown on television in 1997, the series began broadcasting over the satellite television network Astro in 1999. Aside from Malaysia, "Kampung Boy" was broadcast in other countries such as Germany and Canada.

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The Kampung Boy

A theatre staging adaptation, titled "Lat Kampung Boy Sebuah Muzikal" co-directed by Hans Isaac and Harith Iskander and was staged at the Istana Budaya on 16 March to 3 April 2011. The theatre was co-produced by the Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books and Tall Order Productions. The cast members included Awie, Jalil Hamid, Atilia Haron, Rahim Razali and Douglas Lim.

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The Kampung Boy

According to Lat, "The Kampung Boy"s first print—60,000 to 70,000 copies—was sold out in three to four months; by 1979, at least 100,000 had been sold. "The Kampung Boy" is regarded as Lat's finest work and representative of his "oeuvre". After being published in the United States, "Kampung Boy" won the Children's Book Council and Booklist Editor's Choice award in 2006. It was also awarded the Outstanding International Book for 2007 by the United States Board of Books for Young People.

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The Kampung Boy

"The Kampung Boy" was successful due to its realistic presentation of Malaysia's cultural past. Many Malaysians who grew up in the 1960s or earlier fondly remembered the laidback lives they had in the "kampung" upon reading the book. Stevenson said that "The Kampung Boy"s portrayal of the past would resonate with everyone's fondness for a happy experience in his or her own past. Those unfamiliar with the ways of the "kampung" could relate to the "universal themes of childhood, adolescence, and first-love". According to Stevenson, the illustrations help to clarify any unfamiliar terms the reader might face and the narrative force of Lat's story depends more on the protagonist's experiences than on the details. The book's appeal to both children and adults lies in Lat's success in recapturing the innocence of childhood.

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The Kampung Boy

Malaysian art historian Redza Piyadasa said that ""The Kampung Boy" was a masterpiece that was clearly designed to be read as a novel." He compared the graphical depiction of childhood experience to Camara Laye's novel "The African Child" and viewed "The Kampung Boy" as the "finest and most sensitive evocation of a rural Malay childhood ever attempted in [Malaysia], in any creative medium." Steinberger had the same thoughts, but compared "The Kampung Boy" to Colin Thiele's autobiographical novel "Sun on the Stubble", which expounds on the fun and mischief of early childhood.

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The Kampung Boy

Lat's success with "The Kampung Boy" created new opportunities for him. He set up his own company—Kampung Boy Sendirian Berhad (Village Boy private limited)—to handle the merchandising of his cartoon characters and occasional publishing of his books. Kampung Boy is partnering with Sanrio and Hit Entertainment in a project to open an indoor theme park in Malaysia by the end of 2012. One of the park's attractions is the showcasing of Lat's characters alongside those of Hello Kitty and Bob the Builder. The distinctive characters of "The Kampung Boy" have become a common sight in Malaysia. They are immortalised on stamps, financial guides, and aeroplanes.

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The Kampung Boy

"Town Boy" is the sequel to "The Kampung Boy". Published in 1981, it continues Mat's story in the multicultural city of Ipoh, where he attends school, learns of American pop music, and makes new friends of various races, notably a Chinese boy named Frankie. Mat capers through town and gets into mischievous adventures with his friends. He and Frankie bond through their common love of rock-and-roll and playing air-guitar to Elvis Presley's tunes above the coffee shop run by Frankie's parents. As Mat grows into his teens, he dates Normah, "the hottest girl in Ipoh." "Town Boy"s story is a collection of Lat's reminiscences about his teenage days in Ipoh, an account of "the days before [he] moved to the capital city to venture into life as an adult... and later a professional doodler." The cartoonist wanted to publicise his knowledge of music and write a subtle story about friendship. Frankie is representative of the diverse friends Lat made in those days through a common love of music.

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The Kampung Boy

The book's layout is more varied than "The Kampung Boy"s, featuring "short multi-panel sequences with giant double-page-spread-drawings." Comics artist Seth commented that Lat's drawings are filled with "vigor and raw energy", "entirely based on eccentric stylizations but grounded with an eye capable of wonderfully accurate observation of the real world." At certain points, crowd scenes spread across the pages of the book, filled with "Lat's broadly humorous and humane" characters. Comics journalist Tom Spurgeon said after readings such scenes: "There are times when reading "Town Boy" feels like watching through a street fair after it rains, everyday existence altered by an event just enough to make everything stand out. You can get lost in the cityscapes."

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The Kampung Boy

The Asian characters occasionally speak in their native tongues, their words rendered in Chinese or Tamil glyphs without translations. Goldsmith and Ridzwan did not find the foreign words to be a hindrance in understanding and enjoying the work. Instead, they believed the non-English languages aided Lat's construction of his world as one different from a dominantly English-speaking world. Lat's depiction of Mat's visit to Frankie's home transcends culture, portraying realistically the experiences most children feel when visiting the "foreign but familiar staleness" of their new friend's home. Mat and Frankie's growing friendship is a central theme of the book, and their bond as they enjoy rock-and-roll together in Frankie's house has become a notable scene for readers such as journalist Ridzwan A. Rahim. Their friendship marks a shift in the story of Mat's life from a focus on his family in "The Kampung Boy" to a focus beyond. As the book revolves around Mat's friendship with Frankie, it ends with the Chinese boy's departure to the United Kingdom from the Ipoh railway station.

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The Kampung Boy

As of 2005, "Town Boy" had been reprinted 16 times. It has also been translated into French and Japanese. Reviews of "Town Boy" were positive. Librarian George Galuschak liked the book for its detailed crowd scenes and its diverse cast of characters—both animal and human. The "energy" in Lat's drawings reminded him of Sergio Aragonés and Matt Groening. Laurel Maury, a reviewer for the "Los Angeles Times", likened the book to a Peanuts cartoon, but without the melancholy typical of Charles M. Schulz's work. She said that Lat delivered a "rollicking" world and that his characters' interactions made the story unpretentious and heart-warming. Although Spurgeon believed any single scene in "Town Boy" was superior to any book from a lesser cartoonist, he preferred the narrower scope of "The Kampung Boy"; he felt the tighter focus of Lat's first book gave a more personal and deeper insight into the author's growth as a young boy. "Town Boy", with its quicker pace, felt to him like a loose collection of heady first-time experiences that failed to explore all possibilities of the encounters.

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The Kampung Boy

John Lent, a scholar of comics, described "Kampung Boy: Yesterday and Today" as Lat's "crowning achievement". Published in 1993, "Yesterday and Today" returns to Lat's roots as a "kampung" child as described in "The Kampung Boy". It explores in greater detail the games played by Lat and his friends and the lifestyle they had in the 1960s. However, "Yesterday and Today" also compares these past events to similar occurrences in the 1980s and '90s, contrasting the two in a humorous light; the opposition of the two time frames is further enhanced by rendering the portrayals of contemporary scenes in watercolour while those of the past remain in black and white. Lat's goal for this book was to "tell his own children how much better it was in the old days."

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The Kampung Boy

Like in "The Kampung Boy", the scenes in "Yesterday and Today" are presented in great detail. Lat shows the children playing with items constructed from simple items found in the household and nature. He also illustrates the toys' schematics. He compares the games with their modern counterparts, lamenting the loss of creativity in modern youths. Other comments on societal changes are in the book. A child is taking a swimming lesson in a pool, intently watched by his parents who have a maid in tow with various items in her hands. While the parents gesticulate wildly at their son, the lifeguard and instructor calmly sit by the pool, watching the boy's smooth progress. This scene is contrasted with Lat's own experience at the hands of his father, who casually tosses the terrified boy into a river, letting him either swim or flounder. Such details, according to Muliyadi, invoke a yearning for the past and help readers "better appreciate [the] cartoons".

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The Kampung Boy

University lecturer Zaini Ujang viewed "Yesterday and Today"s comparisons as criticisms of society, putting forth the question of whether people should accept "development" to simply mean discarding the old for the new without regards to its value. Professor Fuziah of the National University of Malaysia interpreted the book's ending as a wakeup call to parents, questioning them if they should deny their children a more relaxed childhood. Lent agreed, saying that Lat had asserted the theme from the start, showing him and his childhood friends "not in a hurry to grow up". Redza hinted that Lat's other goal was to point out the "dehumanising environment" that Malaysian urban children are growing up in. A Japanese edition of "Yesterday and Today" was published by Berita Publishing in 1998.

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The Kampung Boy

Interviews/self-introspectives

16637103

Media monitoring

Media monitoring is the activity of monitoring the output of the print, online and broadcast media. It can be conducted for a variety of reasons, including political, commercial, scientific, and so on.

16637103

Media monitoring

In the commercial sphere, this activity is usually carried out in house or by a media monitoring service company. These companies can provide such services on a subscription basis.

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Media monitoring

The services that media monitoring companies provide typically include the systematic recording of radio and television broadcasts, social media, web-tv, the collection of press clippings from print media publications, the collection of data from online information sources. The material collected usually consists of any media output that makes reference to the client, its activities and/or its designated topics of interests. The monitoring of online consumer sources such as blogs, forums and social networks is more specifically known as buzz monitoring which informs the company of how its service or product is perceived by users.

16637103

Media monitoring

While monitoring social media it can be beneficial for a company to respond to as many posts as possible. Not all comments will be positive ones, but it is good for the customers to know they are being heard. It is also important to keep in mind to avoid deleting any unfavorable content from a social media page you control. You should assume that something on the Internet was seen by at least one person, no matter how quickly you delete it. Deleting the comment can make the company look even worse and give the idea of a cover-up which implies guilt on the company’s part.

16637103

Media monitoring

Most media monitoring is done within private public relations agencies or businesses in house public relations sectors. Publicists will track the number of times the company was mentioned within different platforms. Some of the main platforms include magazines, newspaper, blogs, and social media. These entries are referred to as “clippings” and are compiled into monthly reports by the Public Relations firm. These clippings are then presented to the client along with the circulation and impressions from these platforms. Circulation is how many subscribers or viewers the platform has, and impressions are calculated by multiplying the circulation by three. Impressions are only calculated for print media because it is assumed print media will be circulated past the original subscribers. These figures are calculated to show the client approximately how many people their message has reached. Media monitoring is a beneficial tool to evaluate the efforts and progress of a PR firm.

16637103

Media monitoring

In academia, media monitoring is deployed by social scientists in an attempt to discover e.g. biases in the way the same event is presented in different media, among the media of different countries etc. The use of large scale monitoring techniques by computer scientists enabled the exploration of different aspects of the media system such as the visualisation of the media-sphere, the sentimental and objectivity analysis of news content etc.

16637103

Media monitoring

Media monitoring is practically achieved by a combination of technologies—including audio and video recording, high speed text scanners and text recognition software—and human readers and analysts. The automation of the process is highly desirable and can be partially achieved by deploying data mining and machine learning techniques.

16883769

Dean Hoyle

Dean Hoyle (born 16 April 1967) is the founder and former owner of Card Factory and the ex-chairman and owner of Championship side Huddersfield Town. In 2015, Hoyle became chairman and majority shareholder of British discount retailer, The Works.

16883769

Dean Hoyle

According to the "Sunday Times Rich List" in 2020, Hoyle is worth an estimated £284 million, an increase of £1 million from the previous year.

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Dean Hoyle

Hoyle attended White Lee Secondary School in Heckmondwike.

16883769

Dean Hoyle

Hoyle and his wife, Janet, founded the Factory, a chain of greetings cards and gift stores, in 1997. By 2009, the company had 500+ shops, employing over 50,000 people.

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Dean Hoyle

Hoyle confirmed on 9 April 2010 that the sale of the Card Factory to Venture Capitalist Charterhouse was completed the previous day. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but financial commentators put the final selling price at in excess of £350 million. Hoyle announced that he would maintain a role in the business as Non-Executive Chairman.

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Dean Hoyle

Hoyle became chairman of discount retailer The Works after a "sizeable cash investment" in 2015. In July 2018, it was announced that The Works, approximately a third owned by Hoyle, would have an IPO and a valuation of £100 million. Hoyle retained the largest shareholding of 15% after the flotation.

16883769

Dean Hoyle

Hoyle is a lifelong Huddersfield Town A.F.C. supporter. He joined the board of Huddersfield Town on 10 April 2008 and took over as chairman, and majority shareholder, of the Club on 3 June 2009. The outgoing chairman, Ken Davy, retains a minority holding.

16883769

Dean Hoyle

In November 2016, Hoyle was awarded the fcbusiness Championship CEO of the Year award at the Football Business Awards 2016.

16883769

Dean Hoyle

In 2019, Hoyle decided to sell the club to lifelong fan Phil Hodgkinson. Huddersfield Town drew 1-1 with Manchester United on his final home game as the owner.

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Dean Hoyle

Hoyle is married to Janet, and they have two sons, Danny and Josh.

16810435

Alex Ferris

Alexander Ferris (born April 23, 1997) is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the thriller film "The Invisible" (2007), the drama film "The Time Traveler's Wife" (2009), and the comedy film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2010).

16810435

Alex Ferris

Ferris was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He began acting at the age of seven after meeting another child actor on a family vacation, and writing to the actor's agent. He appeared in the movie "RV" as Billy Gornicke, "The Invisible" as Victor Newton, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" as Collin Lee and "The Time Traveler's Wife" as Young Henry DeTamble. He played in the Showtime Network's "The L Word" as Wilson Mann-Peabody, son of Helena. He also played Young Sam Winchester in the TV series "Supernatural", episode "Something Wicked". In 2009, he appeared in an episode of "Smallville" entitled "Eternal" as a young Davis Bloome.

16810435

Alex Ferris

Ferris is also a voice actor, providing the voice of T.D. Kennelly in the television series "Martha Speaks", Paulie the Pliosaurus in "Dinosaur Train", Dreamfish in the Barbie animated movie "Barbie in A Mermaid Tale, and Charlie Brown in "Peanuts Motion Comics" in 2008.

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Alex Ferris

In 2016, he starred as Astrov in Timothy Koh's production of "Uncle Vanya" at the 440 Studios Black Box.

16812457

Thaba Bosiu

Thaba Bosiu is a sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 2 km and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital Maseru. It was once the capital of Lesotho, having been King Moshoeshoe's stronghold.

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Thaba Bosiu

Thaba Bosiu was used as a hideout by Moshoeshoe I and his subjects after they migrated from Butha-Buthe in 1824 escaping the ravages of the Difaqane/Mfecane Wars. The plateau formed a natural fortress which protected the Basotho in times of war. Moshoeshoe I and his people took occupation of this mountain in July 1824. He named it Thaba Bosiu (loosely translated – Mountain at Night) because he and his people arrived at night. To intimidate his enemies, he spread news that the mountain grew larger at night. Moshoeshoe was able to offer cattle and protection to those fleeing the ravages of Mfecane/Difaqane Wars. When Moshoeshoe settled in Thaba Bosiu, he sent for many people to be round up by his regiments. They were given food and shelter. The plateau's large area meant it could hold enough livestock and provisions to support the people during a lengthy siege.

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Thaba Bosiu

Once satisfied that they were safe, he sent the people out, but many remained under his rule. This gave birth to the Basotho nation; Thaba Bosiu served as a capital for his new Basotho nation. It also became the centre of organised resistance to European encroachment into the central plateau region of South Africa.

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Thaba Bosiu

The mountain has eight springs and six passes, the main one being Khubelu pass. The other passes are known as Ramaseli, Maebeng, Mokachane, Makara and Rahebe. It is flat topped and is situated in the valley of the Phuthiatsana River. It is approximately 24 km east of the junction of the Caledon River that divides Lesotho from Free State. It rises about 106m from the surrounding valley and its summit is surrounded by a belt of perpendicular cliffs some 12m on the average. Nearby, there is San rock art.

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Thaba Bosiu

In 1837, Private David Webber from the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders reached Thaba Bosiu, where he was given refuge/sanctuary. He was a good mason and carpenter, and thus built Moshoeshoe a stone house. It was a rectangular building measuring 10 metres by five metres and was divided internally into two rooms. Moshoeshoe had four other stone buildings erected as part of his compound – three of which were rectangular and one cylindrical.

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Thaba Bosiu

Many Basotho believe that the mountain preserved magical properties. One belief is that if an individual takes some dirt from the mountain, he will find that it is gone in the morning, having returned to the mountain. As also mentioned above, news was spread as a form of intimidation to the enemies that the mountain grew larger at night.

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Thaba Bosiu

Mzilikazi attempted to attack Moshoeshoe I at Thaba Bosiu, trying to gather strength after escaping Shaka Zulu's rule; but was unsuccessful in his conquest.

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Thaba Bosiu

European invaders in 1852 and the Boers of the Orange Free State were unable to storm Moshoeshoe's mountain during the siege of Thaba Bosiu on 18 August 1865. Louw Wepener and 6 000 armed Boers volunteered to charge Thaba Bosiu. Their strategy was simply for the Free State Artillery (Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment) to bombard the top of the mountain. As they approached, only 100 Boers were still with Wepener by 5pm and others had retreated to the Boer lines. Wepener made it to the top of Khubelu pass only to have his head struck by a bullet. He is the only enemy ever to reach the mountain top and has been linked to it as Khubelu pass is also known as Wepener's pass. The siege of Thaba Bosiu continued until January 1866 when General Jan Fick and his men returned to Free State to reorganise.

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Thaba Bosiu

Due to being starved after the siege, the Basotho signed a treaty in April 1866 in which they agreed to surrender 3 000 cattle. They also surrendered more than two-thirds of their arable land. At the time, Basotho faced large scale starvation and thus Moshoeshoe and his subjects agreed to the Orange Free State's terms. The land they forfeited during this treaty included conquered territory on the west of the bank of the Caledon River and Orange River. This left Basotho with a significantly reduced cultivable area close to Thaba Bosiu, as well as 32 km of arable soil on the east bank of the Caledon River. Villagers, however, did not vacate the surrendered territory and in March 1867, Orange Free State President Johannes Henricus Brand ordered both a resumption and intensification of Free State military action.

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Thaba Bosiu

In 1867, After the Third Free State–Basotho War, when Free State conquered the whole Lowlands, Moshoeshoe requested British protection which was granted in March 1868 on the eve of the Boer attack on Thaba Boisu. Lesotho became a British territory. Thaba Bosiu was the only part of the territory which had remained invincible.

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Thaba Bosiu

On 27 December 1966, Moshoeshoe II organised protest meetings which culminated in a prayer meeting at Thaba Bosiu. This was a reaction to Prime Minister Chief Leabua Jonathan’s governance (leader of the Basotho National Party - BNP). Moshoeshoe II contested the legitimacy of the BNP governance and his lack of executive powers in the governance of Lesotho. When the prayer meeting was held, Chief Jonathan perceived this defiance as a promotion of insurrection and banned the meeting. A conflict between the security forces and demonstrators ensued, resulting in 10 dead and arrests of many opposition party leaders. Under house arrest, Moshoeshoe II was forced to sign a document promising not to convene or address public gatherings without consent of his government and to present only speeches required and prepared by the government.

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Thaba Bosiu

In 1967, the Lesotho government declared the mountain a national monument. In the 1990s, the United Nation Development Programme in conjunction with the Basotho government, initiated the Preservation and Presentation of Thaba Bosiu, the national monument to preserve this historical landmark. This mountain has become a tourist attraction, with a conference centre, a cultural village and many rondavel type of accommodation.

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Thaba Bosiu

In 1996, Moshoeshoe II was buried on the mountain, joining Moshoeshoe I. To keep the cultural significance, several political organisations held meetings or rallies at Thaba Bosiu. For example, Lekhotla la Bafo (a political organisation) held many meetings on top of the mountain. In 1957, Lekhotla la Bafo held a joint meeting with the Basotoland Congress Party (BCP) at Thaba Bosiu.

16524860

Composite monarchy

A composite monarchy (or composite state) is a historical category, introduced by H. G. Koenigsberger in 1975 and popularised by Sir John H. Elliott, that describes early modern states consisting of several countries under one ruler, sometimes designated as a personal union, who governs his territories as if they were separate kingdoms, in accordance with local traditions and legal structures. The composite state became the most common type of state in the early modern era in Europe. Koenigsberger divides composite states into two classes: those, like the Spanish Empire, that consisted of countries separated by either other states or by the sea, and those, like Poland–Lithuania, that were contiguous.

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Composite monarchy

A medieval example of a composite monarchy was the Angevin Empire. Theorists of the 16th century believed that "conformity" (similarity in language and customs) was important to success of a composite state. Francesco Guicciardini praised the acquisition of the Kingdom of Navarre by the King of Aragon in 1512 on account of their "conformità". Yet, differences could be persistent. Navarre retained its own law and customs separate from the rest of Spain down to 1841. In France, a far more unified state than Spain in the early modern period, the state was divided into different customary tax regimes, the "pays d'élection" and "pays d'état". This was abolished during the 1789 Revolution.

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Composite monarchy

The 17th-century Spanish jurist Juan de Solórzano Pereira distinguished a state whose components were "aeque principaliter" (equally important) from an "accessory" union in which a newly acquired territory was subsumed under the laws of an already existing one, such as when New Spain was incorporated into the Crown of Castile, or when Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England.

16524860

Composite monarchy

Composite monarchies were common during the early 15th century to the early to mid 18th century in Europe. A composite monarchy involved the unification of several diverse local territories under one ruler. There are two types of composite monarchy proposed by Sir John H. Elliott, "accessory" union and ""aeque principali"". The first type of composite monarchy involved a unification where the united territories share the same laws and are regarded as the same jurisdiction. The second arrangement involved the preservation of local customs and power structures. These structures were ruled by a central ruler who either only broadly created state policy with deference to local rule and respect for local religious cultural and political customs; or where there was a more significant central role, negotiated the rules for each territory separately in respect and in consideration of local traditions and customs. In the second approach each territory was governed as though “…the king who [governs them all] were king only of each one of them”. This method of rule meant intervention of the central government or ruler was infrequent or allowed diverse customs and legal arrangements to coexist. This allowed classes, ethnicities and traditions to exist peaceably in a larger political unit without significant conflict. The monarch attempted in each case to ensure the "guarantee of preserving peace, order and justice, and to care for the poor."

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Composite monarchy

Most of Europe during the early modern period was governed under arrangements that can be described as composite monarchies. Diversity in arrangements was essential to ensure the unity of composite kingdoms, as they were often very diverse. Composite monarchies in the early modern period united diverse territories; while in some cases the unification of territories led to the establishment of nation-states in the modern world, in other cases composite territories did not become a unified nation state. Even in the most unified composite kingdom at the time, France, a majority of subjects did not speak the French language. This demonstrates the extent of diversity even in places considered homogeneous. The Ottoman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Crowns of Castile and Aragon, the Kingdom of France, and the early modern predecessors of the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Scotland, and the Kingdom of Ireland) are prominent examples of composite rule.

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Composite monarchy

Remnants of the Byzantine Empire from Eastern Europe were united under Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II by 1453, and the empire incorporated a vast collection of territories surrounding the Mediterranean. The Ottoman Sultan had succeeded in “superimposing” the Byzantine empire with Ottoman Rule. Ottoman lands contained a wide variety of cultural, legal and religious traditions.

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Composite monarchy

The Ottomans maintained an "aeque principali" empire where local customs and traditional practices were perpetuated. In many cases, the Ottomans allowed subject peoples including Christians and Jews to have their own communities where their own particular laws and customs were retained and integrated into the broader Ottoman system; which often included separate legal codes for each territory. This approach is similar to the approaches of other composite monarchies except that the Ottoman territories included a more diverse population. Unlike most European examples, the Ottoman ruling class included a wide variety of people and cultural traditions. Entrance to the Ottoman ruling class was not exclusively by birth, but many other cultural and linguistic traditions were included as long as they were Muslim and had deep knowledge of the Ottoman court ways.

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Composite monarchy

The Ottoman Empire's most striking difference with other composite monarchies in Europe was that it allowed religious freedom to a greater extent than the Europeans did. The Ottomans did not require that their subjects adhere to the religion of the monarch, a requirement that usually was a major part of composite kingdoms. The Ottoman Empire was diverse relatively to Europe and some historians argue there were minor restrictions on the freedom of minority groups. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Turks, Greeks, Hungarians, Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, guildsmen, and bureaucrats were free to work and live throughout the empire without major hassle. However, others argue the forced abduction of children for the Ottoman military in the Janissary Corps or the practice of forced relocation of ethnic minorities 'songbun' betray a less positive policy in the Ottoman Empire towards internal polities, particularly those considered suitable for these measures by the Ottoman court.

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Composite monarchy

Early modern Spain was an example of a composite monarchy based on the "aeque principali" approach. The Spanish approach involved separate administrative and taxation arrangements for each territory. Composite monarchy in Spain started with the "Reconquista" and the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs in the late fifteenth century, which united through a dynastic union, a form of federation, the Crown of Castille and the Crown of Aragon.

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Composite monarchy

Throughout much of the early modern period, each Spanish realm retained its own freedoms and laws, and this included administrative and governance arrangements, different monetary systems and borders. Modes of taxation are an excellent example of the differing arrangements in the Spanish composite monarchy. The system of taxation in Spain varied depending on the kingdom or territory, and sometimes even within kingdoms there were special tax arrangements. The differing tax arrangements led to a reliance on the revenues from the Kingdom of Castile as opposed to other areas of Spain. While all of Spain was united under the same ruler, each territory was often treated very differently and was ruled by the King and central administrators in line with their power structures. The component estates of the Crown of Aragon had different laws, tax and monetary systems, governments and parliaments, and were not united politically except at the level of the king, who had to deal separately with their different Courts, vow them loyalty and request their financial help. In the Principality of Catalonia, the Catalan Courts had legislative power, and laws could only be made and repealed by mutual consent of King and Courts. In 1519, the Catalan Courts met in Barcelona to recognize the first unified monarch of the crowns of Castile and Aragon, Charles I, and to discuss the granting of financial assistance to the King. Although the King had no legislative power, he had the privilege to request papal bulls, and used that privilege to undermine the strength of local elites when it seemed convenient. For example, in the case of the petitions of papal bulls against hoarding to favor popular classes, the King took opposed decisions regarding the Principality of Catalonia and the Kingdom of Aragon: "In 1582 he favoured the demands of Catalonia’s elites over those of Barcelona’s artisans, but under different circumstances he took the opposite stance in Aragon.", due to worsening relations between the Spanish monarchy and the Aragonese nobility, which was accused of "protecting bandits".

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Composite monarchy

Monarchical rule in early modern Spain was a balancing act, as the monarch attempted to preserve unity and loyalty among each part, which required placating local interests. The approach toward governing each of the Spanish territories was to negotiate to determine the needs of different societal groups within the territory and then to govern based on the consensus achieved. Composite rule in Spain involved consultation and negotiation between central state officials and each territory individually, often resulting in different agreements and laws for each territory. The composite and diverse nature of monarchical rule in Spain also included the diversity of social classes and the bargaining power that they had versus the central government. Diversity of social classes further complicated Spanish composite rule. The central government had to take into account not only peculiarities in local customs and institutions but also local variations in social structure and the interests of the social structure. In the case of the practice of hoarding in Barcelona, the interests of the Guilds and artisan estate differed from the interests of the clergy and nobility. These differing interests also required resolution from the monarch and his central administrators.

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Composite monarchy

The early modern predecessors of the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Ireland and later including Scotland) included both an accessory union and "aeque principali" union.

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Composite monarchy

The union between England and Wales was an accessory union. English rules and laws were granted to Wales in the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543, and Wales was thus absorbed into the Kingdom of England.

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Composite monarchy

The Lordship and later Kingdom of Ireland were ruled separately in a personal union with the Kingdom of England (and Scotland after 1603; Great Britain after 1707) until they were legally united by the Acts of Union 1800, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Ireland retained its own legal system, which continues today as Northern Irish Law.

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Composite monarchy

The Kingdoms of England and Ireland were united with Scotland in a personal union from 1603 (Union of the crowns). England and Scotland were legally united by the Acts of Union 1707, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain. However, this union preserved institutions, customs and legal traditions peculiar to Scotland. For example, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian Church) and Scots law were preserved, while no separate church or legal system for Wales remained. England and Wales integrated, while Scotland retained many of its unique institutions and traditions.

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Composite monarchy

To this day, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (the majority of Ireland broke away as the Irish Free State in 1922, which later became the modern Republic of Ireland) remain separate legal jurisdictions within the UK.

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Composite monarchy

There are also three Crown dependencies of the UK – the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey – for which the British monarch is responsible but which have not had formal Acts of Union.

16850763

Aretha (1980 album)

Aretha is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on September 30, 1980, by Arista Records. This was the second album with this title to be released by the artist, and her first for Arista Records after a 12-year tenure with Atlantic Records.

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Aretha (1980 album)

Franklin's first Arista single release, "United Together", reached number 3 on the Soul chart and crossed over to number 56 on "Billboard"s Hot 100. The album itself peaked at number 47 and spent 30 weeks on the "Billboard" album chart.

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Aretha (1980 album)

The album's opening track, "Come to Me", appeared again on Franklin's 1989 album, "Through the Storm".

16853506

Braden Barty

Braden Barty (born July 24, 1970) is an American director and producer, whose work includes most notably "Far Away Eyes", "Spirit Space" (2008) and Flipping Vegas. He is also owner and founder of Braden Barty Media based in Burbank, California.

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Braden Barty

Barty was born in Los Angeles and raised in North Hollywood. His father, Billy Barty was an American film actor, entertainer and activist and one of the most famous 20th century people with dwarfism. His mother (also a dwarf), Shirley Bolingbroke, was a graphic design artist and a graduate from the California Institute of Arts. He was born average height and stands 5' 11".

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Braden Barty

Barty is a film graduate from the University of Utah. After graduating from college in 1996, Barty returned to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. For three years he worked as an assistant director on low-budget films and TV shows.

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Braden Barty

His 1996 film documentary, "Far Away Eyes: A Portrait of Autism", won first place at the Utah Film Front Festival and was sold to video distributor Chip Taylor Communications.

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Braden Barty

He has worked with behind the scenes videos with various artists such as Fall Out Boy, Lionel Richie, Foo Fighters, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Ne-Yo, The O.C. Supertones, Rihanna, Thrice, Deftones. His latest music video he directed himself was for "American Idol" star, Brooke White's song "Free".

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Braden Barty

In 2006 Barty teamed up with three-time WCW Champion Diamond Dallas Page and co-produced and directed his successful seven set YRG workout videos.

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Braden Barty

In 2005, Barty began shooting a metaphysical documentary, "Spirit Space". The film is based on quantum physics, life after death and the realities of consciousness. In March 2008 the film, featuring Fred Alan Wolf, Edgar Mitchell, and Don Miguel Ruiz was released.

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Braden Barty

In 2010 Barty Produced two TV pilots, Flipping Vegas and Girls Gone Global. He is in the development stages of another film, Multiverse, which is being dubbed as the sequel to his successful film Spirit Space.

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Braden Barty

He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a two-year mission in Salvador, Brazil from 1990 to 1992. Barty currently resides in La Crescenta, California with his wife Michelle and sons Jonah and Ashton. He is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and studied Hebrew.

16434473

RAF-2203

The RAF-2203 Latvija (nickname "Rafik") was a cabover van designed and developed by Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika from 1976–1997. They were widely used throughout the USSR as fixed-run taxis (Marshrutkas), medical cars, used for trade and as a special services vehicles. It was the successor of the RAF-977.

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RAF-2203

This van used the engine of the GAZ-24, between the front seats (not unlike the Dodge A100 or the Volkswagen LT 1st generation), with independent front suspension also from the GAZ-24 (but springs from the GAZ-13). It borrowed headlights and brake system parts from the Moskvitch 412, outside door handles from the Moskvitch 408, and wheels of the GAZ-21 Volga. The single rear door hinged at the top, rather than the more-usual side-opening. There were two major models: one, the 2203, seated ten plus driver and passenger, powered by a with 8.2:1 compression; the other, the 22032, a twelve-seat "route taxi", had longitudinal seats and lower 6.7:1 compression (to use more readily available 76 octane petrol), and produced only . (The 2203-02 would run on liquified propane). An ambulance, the 22031, was soon added to the range, and made up fully a third of all 2203s built; there was also a 22035 for blood donor clinics. These were joined by the 22034, for fire departments.

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RAF-2203

In addition to the uncommon 22033 and 22036 for state militias, there were prototype electric vehicles.

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RAF-2203

While the 2203 looked good, it was susceptible to rust, especially in the frame rails, and was unpleasant to drive in bad weather. Quality control of the assembly was also poor. Oil leaks and axle bearing failures were frequent. It also suffered overheating, serious vibration issues, failures of front suspension parts leading to poor handling, and high fuel consumption. On top of it all, access to the cab was difficult, despite the forward-control position.

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RAF-2203

They have now been replaced mostly by GAZ products (GAZelle, "Barguzin", etc.).

16439814

Fire safe cigarette

Fire safe cigarettes, abbreviated "FSC", also known as lower ignition propensity (LIP), reduced fire risk (RFR), self-extinguishing, fire-safe or reduced ignition propensity (RIP) cigarettes, are cigarettes that are designed to extinguish more quickly than standard cigarettes if ignored, with the intention of preventing accidental fires. In the United States, "FSC" above the barcode signifies that the cigarettes sold are fire standards compliant (FSC).

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Fire safe cigarette

Fire safe cigarettes are produced by adding two to three thin bands of less-porous cigarette paper along the length of the cigarette, creating series of harder-to-burn “speed bumps.” As the cigarette burns down, it will tend to be extinguished at each of these points unless the user is periodically intensifying the flame by inhaling. Contrary to myth, FSC cigarettes use no more ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) adhesive than conventional cigarettes, and its use as an adhesive predates the introduction of FSC technology.

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Fire safe cigarette

In 1929, a cigarette-ignited fire in Lowell, Massachusetts, caught the attention of U.S. Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers (D-MA); she called for the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) to develop the first less fire-prone cigarette, which NBS introduced in 1932. The Boston Herald American covered the story on 31 March 1932, noting that after three years of research the NBS had developed a “self-snubbing” cigarette and had suggested that cigarette manufacturers “take up the idea.” None did.

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Fire safe cigarette

In 1973, the United States Congress established the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect the public from hazardous products. Congress excluded tobacco products from its jurisdiction while assigning it responsibility for flammable fabrics. The CPSC regulated the flammability of mattresses and worked with furniture manufacturers to establish voluntary flammability standards for upholstered furniture, although more recently those standards have come to be considered mandatory.

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Fire safe cigarette

In 1978 Andrew McGuire, a burn survivor, started a grassroots campaign to prevent house fire deaths by changing the cigarette. McGuire secured funding for an investigation into cigarettes and fires which became "Cigarettes and Sofas: How the Tobacco Lobby Keeps the Home Fires Burning." Massachusetts congressman Joe Moakley introduced federal FSC legislation in the autumn of 1979 after a cigarette fire in his district killed a family of seven; California senator Alan Cranston authored a matching Senate bill.

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Fire safe cigarette

To forestall legislation mandating the inclusion of fire-safety features in cigarettes, the US Tobacco Institute financed a fire prevention education program in parallel with the campaign Fighting Fire with Firemen.

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Fire safe cigarette

In 1984, the Cigarette Safety Act funded a three-year study National Bureau of Standards (later NIST) study on how cigarettes and furnishings ignited and remained lit. “This understanding of the physics of ignition enabled the NBS team to develop two test methods for the ignition strength of cigarettes, under the auspices of the CPSC. This reported to US Congress in 1987 that it was technically feasible and maybe commercially feasible to make a cigarette that was less likely to start fires. Legislative activity continued in the states while the federal government, cigarette companies, and advocates discussed next steps. McGuire and colleagues continued to inform advocates about cigarette fires and prevention strategies, legislation and liability.

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Fire safe cigarette

A compromise led to the US Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 1990, which required additional NIST research on the interaction of burning cigarettes with soft furnishings, such as upholstered furniture and beds. The resulting study, while contentious, laid the groundwork for a flammability test method for cigarettes. Federal efforts to implement a standard stalled, as the Reagan and Bush administrations preferred free markets to regulation. The grassroots campaign focused on state efforts. McGuire continued to publish progress reports.

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Fire safe cigarette

Based on the NIST research, ASTM International's Committee E05 on Fire Standards developed E 2187, a "Standard Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Cigarettes," which evaluates cigarette's capacity to set fire to bedding and upholstered furniture in 2002. In 2000, New York passed the first state law requiring the introduction of cigarettes that have a lower likelihood of starting a fire, with flammability evaluated by E 2187. By spring 2006, four more states had passed laws modeled on New York's: Vermont, New Hampshire, California, and Illinois. McGuire published a campaign update. The National Fire Protection Association decided to fund the Fire Safe Cigarette Coalition to accelerate this grassroots movement.

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Fire safe cigarette

Since 1982, fifteen lawsuits have been filed regarding cigarette-ignited fire deaths and injuries. The first successful lawsuit resulted in a settlement for a young child severely burned in a car fire allegedly caused by a cigarette.