Datasets:

kathi08654

/

goodwiki_3000

like 0

1939 California tropical storm

Category 1 Pacific hurricane in 1939

The 1939 California tropical storm, also known as the 1939 Long Beach tropical storm, and El Cordonazo (referring to the Cordonazo winds or the "Lash of St. Francis" (Spanish: el cordonazo de San Francisco)), was a tropical cyclone that affected Southern California in September 1939. Formerly classified a hurricane, it was the first tropical cyclone to directly affect California since the 1858 San Diego hurricane, and is the only tropical cyclone of tropical-storm strength (or greater) to make landfall in the U.S. state of California. The storm caused heavy flooding, leaving many dead, mostly at sea. ## Meteorological synopsis On September 15, a tropical depression formed off the southern coast of Central America. It moved west-northwestward, passing southwest of the Revillagigedo Islands. It then turned north and then northeastward. For some time, it was a hurricane, and it lost that intensity on or just before September 25. The tropical storm made landfall near San Pedro, California, early on September 25, with winds of severe gale strength. It dissipated later that day. The strongest reported sustained wind was of Force 11 strength, which was reported by a ship, making this system a minimal hurricane. The lowest pressure was reported by the same ship, and was at 28.67 inHg (971 mb). Due to the rotation of the Earth, tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere tend to move from east to west. This causes tropical cyclones to approach the West Coast of the United States infrequently. Another inhibiting factor for a California landfall is the surrounding water temperatures. Because of the water currents, the waters off the coast of California are rarely above 70 °F (21 °C), which is too cold for hurricanes to sustain themselves. This tropical cyclone was rare enough that only three other eastern Pacific tropical cyclones brought tropical storm-force winds to the Continental United States during the twentieth century. The Long Beach Tropical Storm was the only one to make landfall; the other three hit Mexico before moving north, but didn't make landfall in California. ## Preparations and impact The storm dropped heavy rain in California, with 5.66 inches (144 mm) falling in Los Angeles (5.24 inches or 133 millimetres in 24 hours) and 11.60 inches (295 mm) recorded at Mount Wilson, both September records. Over three hours, one thunderstorm dropped nearly 7 inches (180 mm) of rain on Indio. 9.65 inches (245 mm) fell on Raywood Flat, and 1.51 inches (38 mm) on Palm Springs. 4.83 inches (123 mm) fell on Pasadena, a September record at the time. At the Citrus Belt near Anaheim, at least 4.63 inches (118 mm) of rain fell. The 11.60 inches (295 mm) at Mount Wilson is one of California's highest rainfall amounts from a tropical cyclone, although at least one system has a higher point maximum. The rains caused a flood 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 m) deep in the Coachella Valley with heavy rain immediately preceding the tropical storm dropping 6.45 inches (164 mm) the day before the storm hit. The Los Angeles River, which was usually low during September, became a raging torrent. With heavy rain immediately preceding the tropical storm, flooding killed 45 in Southern California. At sea, 48 were killed. However, the National Hurricane Center only attributes 45 deaths to this system. Six people caught on beaches drowned during the storm. Most other deaths were at sea. Twenty-four died aboard a vessel called the Spray as it attempted to dock at Point Mugu. The two survivors, a man and a woman, swam ashore and then walked five miles (8 km) to Oxnard. Fifteen people from Ventura drowned aboard a fishing boat named Lur. Many other vessels were sunk, capsized, or blown ashore. Many low-lying areas were flooded. The Hamilton Bowl overflowed, flooding the Signal Hill area. Along the shore from Malibu to Huntington Beach houses were flooded. Throughout the area, thousands of people were stranded in their homes. Streets in Los Angeles proper were covered with water, flooding buildings and stalling cars. Flooding in Inglewood and Los Angeles reached a depth of 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m). Construction on a flood control project in the Los Angeles River's channel by the Army Corps of Engineers was stopped by the flooding. Windows throughout Long Beach were smashed by the wind. At Belmont Shore and the Peninsula, waves undermined ten homes before washing them away. Debris was scattered throughout the coast. Agriculture was disrupted. Crop damage in the Coachella Valley reached 75%. Rains washed away a 150-foot (46 m) section of the Southern Pacific Railroad near Indio, and a stretch of the Santa Fe main line near Needles. Waters backing up from a storm drain under construction in the San Gabriel Valley blocked California State Route 60. The pier at Point Mugu was washed away. In Pasadena, 5000 people were left without electricity and 2000 telephones lost service. Communications throughout the affected area was disrupted or rendered impossible. The total amount of damage was \$2 million (1939 USD, \$ million in USD). The tropical storm was credited with at least one beneficial effect: it ended a vicious heat wave that had lasted for over a week and killed at least 90 people. People were caught unprepared by the storm, which was described as "sudden". Some people were still on the beach at Long Beach when the wind reached 40 mph (64 km/h; 35 kn), at which time lifeguards closed the beach. Schools were closed there. At sea, the Coast Guard and Navy conducted rescue operations, saving dozens of people. In response to Californians' unpreparedness, the Weather Bureau established a forecast office for southern California, which began operations in February 1940. ## See also - List of California hurricanes - List of wettest tropical cyclones in California - Hurricane Hilary – most recent tropical storm to impact California

Cargolink

Norwegian railway company

Cargolink AS is a Norwegian railway company. Owned by the automotive distribution company Autolink, Cargolink has operated both autorack and container trains since November 2008. Cargolink has a fleet of ten diesel locomotives, five shunters, 100 autoracks and 60 container cars. Combined autorack and container trains are operated up to five times per week along the Sørland-, Bergen-, Rauma-, Røros- and Nordland Lines, as well as services through Sweden. Autolink, the largest distributor of automobiles in Norway, has traditionally bought train services from CargoNet. In 2007, they signed a contract with Ofotbanen, and at the same time bought 40% of the company. However, Ofotbanen was in financial difficulties, causing a dispute between the two owners. The result was that Autolink formally established Cargolink in March 2008, without the knowledge of Ofotbanen, and terminated the contract with Ofotbanen in July. Cargolink received an operating licence in September and service started in November. ## Operation Cargolink has a fleet of five shunters at their port in Drammen, in addition to three Di 6 diesel locomotives and three TRAXX electric locomotives for main haulage. While the shunters are owned by Cargolink, the diesel locomotives are leased from Dispolok of Germany and the electric locomotives are leased from Hector Rail. It also has more than 100 closed autoracks for automobile transport, and 60 container cars. 70 new autoracks are under delivery from Sweden. On contract from Autolink, Cargolink operates autorack trains throughout large portions of the Norwegian railway network, from the seaports in Drammen and Oslo. Services are provided along the Sørland Line to Stavanger, along the Bergen Line to Bergen, along the Dovre Line to Trondheim, along the Rauma Line to Åndalsnes, and along the Nordland Line to Mosjøen, Mo i Rana and Bodø. It also operates through Sweden to reach Narvik and Malmö Each route has up to five weekly departures in both directions with combined autorack and container trains. The company transports 55,000 cars annually on 600 trains, giving a revenue of . Autolink is responsible for about three-quarters of all new-car distribution in the country. On the weekly return trips from Northern Norway, Cargolink uses the empty cars to transport aluminum from Elkem Mosjøen. ## History ### Autolink and Ofotbanen Autolink has traditionally owned a large pool of autoracks. These have been operated by the Norwegian State Railways, and subsequently their subsidiary CargoNet. On 31 January 2007, Autolink bought 40% of the private railway company Ofotbanen, and at the same time signed a haulage contract with them. This made Autolink Ofotbanen's largest customer, and second largest owner. In March, Autolink ordered additional 70 new autoracks for NOK 175 million. Ofotbanen have since their establishment had financial difficulties. The contract with Autolink had helped, but in July 2008, Autolink canceled their contract with Ofotbanen. Two weeks later, Autolink announced that they would establish their own railway company, which they had been working with since March. They stated that the deal with Ofotbanen was discontinued because the majority owner—Rail Management, in turn owned by Mons Bolin—would not allow additional private placements of capital, nor sell their shares to Autolink. From 29 July, all automotive trains stopped running, and no cars were transported for ten days. The same day, all board members in Ofotbanen representing Autolink withdrew from their positions. The matter ended in court, with a case to determine whether Autolink should be allowed to take control of four train radios that were located in locomotives owned by Autolink, but operated by Ofotbanen. In a shareholder agreement between Autolink and Rail Management, the ownership of the train radios had been transferred to Autolink, but the agreement has clauses that specified that Autolink could not start a competing railway company. Stating that Autolink had been disloyal in regard to the contract, Ofoten District Court ruled on 17 July 2008 against Autolink's demand for an interim order to transfer the ownership of the radios to Autolink. The court ruled that an interim decision could not be made due to the complexity of the contracts, and that a normal lawsuit would have to be carried out to determine the matter. There was agreement that Autolink, on 13 February 2008, had bought five shunters from Ofotbanen for NOK 12 million, of which NOK 9.5 million was paid by Autolink deleting debt. Ofotbanen lost their license from the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate on 7 October 2008. This was because Ofotbanen had not documented necessary accounts for 2007, nor provided evidence of necessary liquidity. On 24 October, the company was declared bankrupt. Rail Management subsequently established the new company Ofotbanen Drift, and stated that the cause of the bankruptcy was that Autolink had not let them make a private placement of NOK 10 million. ### Establishment Work on establishing the new company was initiated by Autolink in March 2008, with the company formally established on 27 March. It received an operating license from the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate on 18 September 2008. Five shunters that were operated by Ofotbanen, but owned by Autolink, were transferred to Cargolink. In addition, ten Di 6 diesel locomotives have been leased from Vossloh, with options for later purchase. Operations started on 2 November, with 22 engineers based in Drammen. Since the company has an all-diesel fleet, management is working to reroute trains to Trondheim and Northern Norway along the Røros Line instead of the Dovre Line. CargoNet and Ofotbanen had been using the Dovre Line because it is electrified, giving lower operating costs despite its elevation, 350 m (1,150 ft) higher than the Røros Line. After initial trial runs with only three locomotives, full service was introduced later in November.

Hurricane Able (1950)

Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1950

Hurricane Able was the first named tropical cyclone in the Atlantic hurricane database, and was also the first of six major hurricanes in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. Its development was confirmed on August 12 by the Hurricane Hunters, which is a group that intentionally flies into a hurricane for observations. Hurricane Able initially threatened to strike the Bahamas, but instead turned to the northwest and later to the northeast. As it neared the Outer Banks, Able reached peak winds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), equivalent to a modern-day Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. After brushing those islands and Cape Cod, Able moved ashore on Nova Scotia as a minimal hurricane. It later crossed Newfoundland and dissipated on August 24. The hurricane prompted standard precautions in the Bahamas and Florida, although it did not affect the region. In North Carolina, winds and waves brushed the coast, while around New York City, heavy rainfall caused some flooding. Along Cape Cod and Nantucket, Able produced winds up to 55 mph (90 km/h) and high waves, and across New England there were nine traffic fatalities. The hurricane killed 2 people in Canada and caused over \$1 million in damage. ## Meteorological history The beginning of the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season was considered "remarkably quiet" by the U.S. Weather Bureau, with no noteworthy activity until early August. A Hurricane Hunters flight into an easterly wave on August 12 indicated a developing tropical storm east of the Lesser Antilles; it was later given the name "Able", which is the first name in the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It moved steadily northwestward and reached hurricane status on August 14, as it passed to the north of the Leeward Islands. The next day, Hurricane Able turned to the west and west-southwest, due to a high pressure system to its north. On August 17 it attained major hurricane status, and by early on August 18 reconnaissance aircraft measured winds of 140 mph (225 km/h), though Atlantic hurricane reanalysis later determined that those winds were unrepresentative of the intensity. At the time, the storm was 350 miles (565 km) in diameter. Able was expected to continue to the west toward the Bahamas and Florida. It was the strongest hurricane to threaten the Bahamanian capital, Nassau, since a hurricane in 1929. The hurricane turned to the northwest, however, sparing the Bahamas from the strongest winds. On August 19, Able turned to the north, and attained its peak intensity of 125 mph (201 km/h) while doing so; shortly before peak intensity, aircraft measured a central pressure of 953 millibars (28.14 inHg), the lowest in the life of the storm. The next day Able accelerated to the northeast, after passing just offshore Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Having maintained peak winds for 12 hours, Hurricane Able began to weaken on August 20, and early the next day it moved quickly by Cape Cod. It produced winds of hurricane force in Nova Scotia before it moved ashore on August 21 near Goodwood with winds of 75 mph (121 km/h). Subsequently, it deteriorated into an extratropical cyclone, and Able crossed Newfoundland before dissipating early on August 24 in the far northern Atlantic Ocean. ## Impact and records When Hurricane Able was expected to move through the Bahamas, people executed standard preparations such as securing windows and bringing ships to harbor. One cruise liner diverted its route from the Bahamas toward New York. In Florida, the U.S. Air Force made preliminary plans to move planes. Ultimately, the hurricane spared the region. Further north, the United States Weather Bureau issued northeast storm warnings from Morehead City, North Carolina to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. There, the hurricane ended up bringing light winds and rough waves. Moderate precipitation occurred along the North Carolina coast. In southern New England, Able dropped 3 – 5 inches (75 – 125 mm) of rainfall, with a peak of 6.89 inches (175 mm) in Beechwood, Massachusetts. Flooding was reported in portions of New York City. The resulting slick roads from the rains caused nine traffic fatalities across New England. The storm produced 55 mph (90 km/h) gusts in Nantucket and Cape Cod, along with high tides and waves. Offshore, the waves damaged a freighter headed for Florida. In Nova Scotia, Able produced hurricane-force winds, the only land along its path to receive such winds; a gust of 99 mph (160 km/h) was reported in Halifax. The hurricane also dropped heavy rainfall, including over 4.92 inches (125 mm) in Annapolis Valley. Initially there were three fishing boats missing throughout the region, although two later returned to harbor. By August 22, the third was still missing over the Grand Banks, which prompted a rescue team to search for the boat. Many other boats crashed against the coast, and two children died when their raft capsized. Two bridges and several roadways were washed out or flooded, and in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, floodwaters left roadways impassable. On land, Able produced heavy damage estimated at over \$1 million (CAD), half of which in Annapolis Valley, and split between crops, communications, and fishing industries. From 1950 through 1952, names from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet were first used for storms in the North Atlantic. Able is the first name in the alphabet, and as such, Hurricane Able in 1950 was the first name officially to be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was also the first of eight major hurricanes in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season, which as of 2010 was thought to be the record for the most major hurricanes in a season. However, as of 2014, it was found that several storms in 1950 were weaker than thought, and it was found that only six major hurricanes formed, so the record is now held by 2005. ## See also - 1950 Atlantic hurricane season

Zemrën e lamë peng

2008 song by Olta Boka

"Zemrën e lamë peng" (; transl. "We gambled our hearts") is a song by Albanian singer Olta Boka, written by Pandi Laço and composed by Adrian Hila. It was released as a CD single in 2008 through Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Musically, it is an Albanian-language ballad, lyrically revolving around lovesickness and the pain of separation from a loved one. The song represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia, after winning the country's pre-selection competition Festivali i Këngës 46. The country reached the 17th place in a field of 25, gathering a total of 55 points. During her dark-themed show, Boka was on stage accompanied by three instrumentalists, while the LED screens displayed various violet and yellow-coloured hearts. ## Background and composition In 2007, Olta Boka was announced as one of the contestants selected to compete in the 46th edition of Festivali i Këngës, a competition to determine Albania's entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Following the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in the Albanian language. Boka took part with the song "Zemrën e lamë peng", composed by Adrian Hila and written by Pandi Laço. For the purpose of the singer's Eurovision Song Contest participation, the song was remastered and reworked in Italy with few modifications leading to a more "rhythmic version". Musically, it was described as a ballad, which lyrically revolves around lovesickness and the pain of separation. ## Release and promotion The song was released as a CD single in 2008 through Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), while approximately 1000 promotional CD's were distributed to radio stations. An accompanying music video for the song premiered prior to the start of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. For promotional purposes, Boka made diverse live appearances on multiple occasions in April that year to perform the song, including in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. In the same month, she also appeared to perform on the Turkish television shows Aynadan yansıyanlar and Michael show. Israel's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, Boaz Ma'uda, released in 2009 a Hebrew version of the song titled "Sha'ar Libach" (שער ליבך). ## At Eurovision ### Festivali i Këngës The national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 46th edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine the country's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The former consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 15 December, and the grand final on 16 December 2007, which included Boka being chosen to represent the country in the contest, after the votes of an expert jury were combined, resulting in 67 points. Boka's victory was surrounded by controversy after several observers accused the Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) of conspiracy and manipulation. ### Belgrade The 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Belgrade, Serbia, and consisted of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May, and the grand final on 24 May 2008. According to the Eurovision rules at the time, each participating country, apart from the host country and the "Big Four", consisting of , , , and the , were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the grand final. However, the top ten countries from the respective semi-final progressed to the grand final. On 28 January 2008, it was announced that "Zemrën e lamë peng" would be performed in the second semi-final of the contest. Albania performed sixth in the second semi-final, following and preceding , and qualified for the grand final in ninth place with 67 points. At the grand final, it performed third, following and preceding . Albania reached the 17th place in a field of 25 with 55 points. During her dark-themed show of the song, Boka was accompanied on stage by two guitarists and a drummer. The LED screens in the background displayed various violet and yellow-toned hearts throughout the performance. ## Track listing - CD 1. "Zemrën e lamë peng" – 2:57 - Digital download 1. "Zemrën e lamë peng (Festivali i Këngës)" – 3:28 ## Release history

Vietnam and the World Bank

Vietnam's relationship with the World Bank

Vietnam joined the World Bank Group (WBG) on 21 September 1956. Before the mid-1980s, Vietnam was one of the world's least developed countries. A series of economic and political reforms launched in 1986, known as Đổi Mới, caused Vietnam to experience rapid economic growth and development, becoming a lower middle-income country. The World Bank (WB) has maintained a development partnership with Vietnam since 1993. As of 25 March 2019, it has committed a total of in loans, credits, and grants to Vietnam through 165 operations and projects, 44 of which are active as of 2019 and comprise . With an estimated extreme poverty rate below 3% and a GDP growth rate of 7.1% in 2018, Vietnam's economy continues to show fundamental strength and is supported by robust domestic demand and export-oriented manufacturing. In an effort to support the reforms in Vietnam and foster the country's shift from a centrally planned to a market-based economy, the WB's partnership with Vietnam has witnessed more than 270 projects or advisory and analytic activities conducted through strategic partnerships with four of the WBG's five organizations, covering areas including poverty reduction, education, rural and urban services, infrastructure, new energy, and environmental protection. The WB and the government of Vietnam have made joint efforts to improve Vietnam's development, including strengthening competitiveness, improving sustainability, and increasing opportunities for the poor. In terms of future planning, Vietnam and the WB are prioritizing "inclusive growth, investment in people, environmental sustainability and good governance", as illustrated in the new Country Partnership Framework (CPF), which was approved and endorsed by the WBG in May 2017. Based on analyses from two previous reports, the CPF introduced several strategic shifts, including strengthening private sector development, supporting financial sustainability and poverty reduction, improving education, and promoting low carbon energy generation. ## Background Founded in the 1940s, the World Bank (WB) is an international financial institution. The WB has evolved into the World Bank Group (WBG), which consists of five closely related institutions: the International Development Association (IDA), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). According to the WB website, the term "World Bank" refers only to the IBRD and IDA, which "provide low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries". Vietnam joined the WBG on 21 September 1956. Before the mid-1980s, Vietnam was one of the world's least developed countries. Under Đổi Mới, which were a series of economic and political reforms launched in 1986, Vietnam experienced rapid economic growth and development, becoming a lower middle-income country. The WB has maintained a development partnership with Vietnam since 1993. As of 25 March 2019, it has committed a total of in loans, credits, and grants to Vietnam through 165 operations and projects, 44 of which are active as of 2019 and comprise . With an estimated extreme poverty rate below 3% and a GDP growth rate of 7.1% in 2018, Vietnam's economy continues to show fundamental strength and is supported by robust domestic demand and export-oriented manufacturing. ## Strategic partnerships In an effort to support the reforms in Vietnam and foster the country's shift from a centrally planned economy to market-based economy, the WB's partnership with Vietnam has witnessed more than 270 projects or advisory and analytic activities conducted through strategic partnerships with four of the WBG's five organizations, covering areas including poverty reduction, education, rural and urban services, infrastructure, new energy, and environmental protection. The WB and the government of Vietnam have made joint efforts to improve Vietnam's development, including strengthening competitiveness, improving sustainability, and increasing opportunities for the poor. Vietnam joined the IDA on 24 September 1960, the IBRD on 21 September 1956, the IFC on 4 August 1967, and the MIGA on 5 October 1994. ### IDA As of 31 July 2019, the IDA has provided Vietnam with credits totaling about and grants totaling , which supported more than 160 projects covering sectors such as public administration, water supply and sanitation, waste management, health, social protection, agriculture, education, and transportation. Of the 169 projects, 43 are active (as of 2019) and 7 have been dropped. In 2018, the Dynamic City Integrated Development project was approved to further improve urban infrastructure and urban management. The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluates the development effectiveness of the WBG and over the past decade has assessed IDA projects in Vietnam as generally positive; most project ratings were moderately satisfactory or better. However, due to more complicated project designs, deficient performance evaluation, and the postponement of remedy measures, a tendency for outcome ratings to decline has been seen in more recent years. ### IBRD In 2009, the IBRD approved its first loan, of , to Vietnam "to support public investment reforms". As of 31 July 2019, the IBRD had financed 16 projects in Vietnam, with a total lending portfolio of about . The projects funded cover sectors including public administration, sanitation, energy transmission and distribution, energy and extractives, industry, trade and services, transportation, and rural and inter-urban roads. ### IFC As of 13 June 2019, the IFC has invested about in 50 projects in Vietnam and budgeted a total of in advisory services to 16 projects. Since establishing its office in Vietnam in 1997, the IFC has worked to improve the private sector's access to finance, encourage structural reforms, promote international standards, and improve Vietnam's business climate. #### Vietnamese Business Forum In December 1997 in Tokyo, Japan, a Consultative Group Meeting was held between the Vietnamese government and its community of donors. The IFC suggested that there be dialogue between the government and private sector, which led to the establishment of the Vietnamese Business Forum (VBF). According to the VBF website, "the initiative was made in the context that government, donors, and foreign investors were looking for improvements to accelerate investment in Vietnam. Meanwhile, there had been numerous free-flowing unstructured meetings between the government leaders and individual foreign investors, leading contradictory recommendations." With the guidance of the IFC, the VBF has saved an estimated \$200 million for the private sector through "reforms that reduced barriers and increased transparency in business development processes". The VBF has continued efforts to ensure fair implementation of laws and to promote open and clear communications between the Vietnamese government and the private sector in all aspects of the Vietnamese economy. At the 2019 semiannual VBF, the chambers of multiple countries, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (JCCI), Korean Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KoCham), and British Business Group in Vietnam (BBGV), reported on and discussed a multitude of topics ranging from Vietnam's high levels of investment into infrastructural developments to large scale progress in renewable energy. In the closing statements by Ousmane Dione, the World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, it was noted there was a need for Vietnam be more adaptive and not just smarter or more conservative. ### MIGA As of 19 July 2019, the MIGA has guaranteed a total of for three projects, collaborating with the IBRD and the IFC to enhance infrastructure, manufacturing development, and private sector growth in Vietnam. In 2013, MIGA guaranteed of the loan supporting the expansion of the Masan Group's consumer products business; this, alongside the IFC's investment, increased food security, boosted job creation, created significant tax revenues, and improved the development of local small and medium enterprises. On 7 March 2014, MIGA guaranteed to cover the loan financing the BT20 National Highway 20 Project, which aimed to rehabilitate and upgrade the critical connector road for the Ho Chi Minh City–Da Lat corridor and was expected to boost the economic development of Vietnam's poorest areas. On 31 December 2015, MIGA guaranteed for the Hoi Xuan Hydropower Project, which supported the development and improvement of renewable energy and energy infrastructure in Vietnam. ## Significant projects ### Poverty reduction A series of projects have been implemented to reduce poverty and improve living conditions in Vietnam. Launched in 2001, the First Northern Mountains Poverty Reduction Project aimed to improve infrastructure and rural services, covering broad sectors such as rural roads, irrigation systems, water supply, education, and health systems. The project, alongside the Second Project launched in 2010 with similar goals, resulted in a 15% increase in per-capita income among project beneficiaries in the poorest region of Vietnam. Other projects, including ten Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC) projects starting from 2001 and three Rural Financial Projects, also benefited rural private enterprises and households through improved access to finance. The percentage of people living under the national poverty line decreased from nearly 60% in 1993 to 13.5% in 2014. During the implementation of the PRSC projects, problems—including inadequate local knowledge and inefficient cooperation—delayed the project's operations and raised concerns about the program's quality; both the overall project and Vietnam's performance were rated unsatisfactory by the Project Performance Assessment Report. ### Education The WB has funded numerous education projects that aimed to increase the accessibility, quality, and equality of education in Vietnam. In 1993, the first education project, the Primary Education Project, was launched in Vietnam. According to the WB, the project "provided more and better school books, built classrooms and improved school management in five rural provinces." It increased the enrollment rate (the rate of children attending school) from 86% in 1993 to 95% in 2002. From 2013 to 2017, the Vietnam School Readiness Promotion Project was launched to "raise school readiness" for 5-year-old children. The project raised the enrollment rate of preschool children from 73.7% in 2012 to 87.6% in 2017. From 2009 to 2014, three projects under the Higher Education Development Policy Program supported and implemented a higher-education reform to improve quality, accountability, and transparency in education. ### Infrastructure and rural services Out of over 200 WB-supported projects, 53 projects were related to "rural services and infrastructure", the most of any area. According to the IEG, the Third Rural Transport Project (2006–2014) aimed to "reduce travel costs and improve access" in rural areas through rehabilitating and maintaining rural roads. People living within 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of an all-weather road increased from 76% in 2011 to 87% in 2014. The Red River Delta Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project aimed to establish and improve water supply and sanitation infrastructure. The project was expected to benefit 800,000 people living in four provinces in the Red River Delta. Implemented from 2004 to 2014, the Vietnam Urban Upgrading Project aimed to improve infrastructure for 7.5 million urban residents, through improving homes, roads, canals, and bridges. ### Energy Since 2000, Vietnam's annual GDP growth rate has been between 5% and 7.6%. The country's energy demand and consumption have grown in accordance. On 26 April 2011, the WB approved the Trung Son Hydropower Project, which aimed to generate renewable energy in the form of hydroelectricity. With a loan of \$330 million from the IBRD, the Trung Son Hydropower Company constructed the dam while the WB provided facilitation and technical support. By 31 July 2017, the project had generated an accumulated energy output of 955 GWh (3,440 terajoules) and in revenue. Previous projects, such as the Second Rural Energy Project from 2004 to 2014, have also benefited households in rural areas through providing more electricity and increasing accessibility. ## Future goals and strategy shifts ### Country Partnership Framework The new Country Partnership Framework (CPF)—for Vietnam from 2018 to 2022—was endorsed by the WBG's Board of Executive Directors on 5 May 2017. In the partnership, Vietnam and the WBG are prioritizing "inclusive growth, investment in people, environmental sustainability and good governance". The CPF was "based on analysis in the Vietnam 2035: Toward Prosperity, Creativity, Equity, and Democracy and the 2016 Vietnam Systematic Country Diagnostic" and introduced several strategic shifts, including strengthening private sector development, supporting financial sustainability and poverty reduction, improving education, and promoting low carbon energy generation. The WB planned to further promote private sector development, support public services and transfers, reduce poverty among ethnic minorities, reconcile the education and labor markets, and encourage more low-carbon energy generation. ### Vietnam 2035: Toward Prosperity, Creativity, Equity, and Democracy Experts from the WB and Vietnam have made joint efforts to construct a blueprint for the country's future development, which were expressed in Vietnam 2035: Toward Prosperity, Creativity, Equity, and Democracy. According to the report, Vietnam plans to complete its transition into a modern, industrialized country by 2035. Three pillars were proposed to achieve the goal: "Economic Prosperity with Environmental Sustainability", "Equity and Social Inclusion", and "A Capable and Accountable State". ## Controversies While the WB has made significant commitments to Vietnam, the extent of the WB's contributions to Vietnam's development has been debated. Although the WB presented Vietnam as the successful model of its market-oriented policies, critics have argued that the role of the WB in fostering Vietnam's reforms was exaggerated because the reforms were more internal than external. In the 1990s, the WB made several proposals for structural adjustments in Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese government refused to adopt these proposals, and it has since been reluctant to liberalize trade, leading some scholars to conclude that the WB had limited influence on Vietnam's development.

Antonio Berni

Argentine figurative artist (1905–1981)

Delesio Antonio Berni (14 May 1905 – 13 October 1981) was an Argentine figurative artist. He is associated with the movement known as Nuevo Realismo ("New Realism"), an Argentine extension of social realism. His work, including a series of Juanito Laguna collages depicting poverty and the effects of industrialization in Buenos Aires, has been exhibited around the world. ## Biography ### Early life Berni was born in the city of Rosario on 14 May 1905. His mother, Margarita Picco, was the Argentine daughter of Italians. His father Napoleon, an immigrant tailor from Italy, died in the first World War. In 1914 Berni became the apprentice of Catalan craftsman N. Bruxadera at the Buxadera and Co. stained glass company. He later studied painting at the Rosario Catalá Center, where he was described as a child prodigy. In 1920 seventeen of his oil paintings were exhibited at the Salon Mari. On 4 November 1923, his impressionist landscapes were praised by critics in the daily newspapers La Nación and La Prensa. ### Paris The Jockey Club of Rosario awarded Berni a scholarship to study in Europe in 1925. He chose to visit Spain, as Spanish painting was in vogue, particularly the art of Joaquín Sorolla, Ignacio Zuloaga, Camarasa Anglada, and Julio Romero de Torres. But after visiting Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Granada, Córdoba, and Seville he settled in Paris where fellow Argentine artists Horacio Butler, Aquiles Badi, Alfredo Bigatti, Xul Solar, Héctor Basaldua, and Lino Enea Spilimbergo were working. He attended "City of Lights" workshops given by André Lhote and Othon Friesz at Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Berni painted two landscapes of Arcueil, Paisaje de París (Landscape of Paris), Mantel amarillo (The Yellow Tablecloth), La casa del crimen (The House of Crime), Desnudo (Nude), and Naturaleza muerta con guitarra (Still Life with Guitar). He went back to Rosario for a few months but returned to Paris in 1927 with a grant from the Province of Santa Fe. Studying the work of Giorgio de Chirico and René Magritte, Berni became interested in surrealism and called it "a new vision of art and the world, the current that represents an entire youth, their mood, and their internal situation after the end of the World War. A dynamic and truly representative movement." His late 1920s and early 1930s surrealist works include La Torre Eiffel en la Pampa (The Eiffel Tower in Pampa), La siesta y su sueño (The Nap and its Dream), and La muerte acecha en cada esquina (Death Lurks Around Every Corner). He also began studying revolutionary politics, including the Marxist theory of Henri Lefebvre, who introduced him to the Communist poet Louis Aragon in 1928. Berni continued corresponding with Aragon after leaving France, later recalling, "It is a pity that I have lost, among the many things I have lost, the letters that I received from Aragon all the way from France; if I had them today, I think, they would be magnificent documents; because in that correspondence we discussed topics such as the direct relationship between politics and culture, the responsibilities of the artist and the intellectual society, the problems of culture in colonial countries, the issue of freedom." Several groups of Asian minorities lived in Paris, and Berni helped distribute Asian newspapers and magazines, to which he contributed illustrations. ### Nuevo Realismo Period In 1931 Berni returned to Rosario, where he briefly lived on a farm and was then hired as a municipal employee. The Argentina of the 1930s was very different from the Paris of the 1920s. He witnessed labor demonstrations and the miserable effects of unemployment and was shocked by the news of a military coup d'état in Buenos Aires (see Infamous Decade). Surrealism didn't convey the frustration or hopelessness of the Argentine people. Berni organized Mutualidad de Estudiantes y Artistas and became a member of the local Communist party. Berni met Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros who had been painting large-scale political murals on public buildings and was visiting Argentina to give lectures and exhibit his work in an effort to "summon artists to participate in the development of a proletarian art." In 1933 Berni, Siqueiros, Spilimbergo, Juan Carlos Castagnino and Enrique Lázaro created the mural Ejercicio Plástico (Plastic Exercise). But ultimately Berni didn't think the murals could inspire social change and even implied a connection between Siqueiros artwork and the privileged classes of Argentina, saying, "Mural painting is only one of the many forms of popular artistic expression...for his mural painting, Siqueros was obliged to seize on the first board offered to him by the bourgeoisie." Instead, he began painting realistic images that depicted the struggles and tensions of the Argentine people. His popular Nuevo Realismo paintings include Desocupados (The Unemployed) and Manifestación (Manifestation). Both were based on photographs Berni had gathered to document, as graphically as possible, the "abysmal conditions of his subjects." As one critic noted, "the quality of his work resides in the precise balance that he attained between narrative painting with strong social content and aesthetic originality." In a 1936 interview, Berni said that the decline of art was indicative of the division between the artist and the public and that social realism stimulated a mirror of the surrounding spiritual, social, political, and economic realities. ### 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s In 1941, at the request of the Comisión Nacional de Cultura, Berni traveled to Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia to study pre-Columbian art. His painting Mercado indígena (Indian Market) is based on the photos he took during this trip. Two years later, he was awarded an Honorary Grand Prix at the Salón Nacional and co-founded a mural workshop with fellow artists Spilimbergo, Juan Carlos Castagnino, Demetrio Urruchúa, and Manuel Colmeiro. The artists decorated the dome of the Galerías Pacifico. The 1940s saw various revolutions and coups d'état in Latin America, including the ousting of Argentine President Ramón Castillo in 1943. Berni responded with more political paintings including Masacre (Massacre) and El Obrero Muerto (The Dead Worker). From 1951 to 1953, Berni lived in Santiago del Estero, a province in northwestern Argentina. The province suffered massive ecological damage, including the exploitation of quebracho trees. While in Santiago del Estero, he painted the series "Motivos santiagueños" and "Chaco," which were later exhibited in Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Bucharest and Moscow. In the 1950s he returned to expressionism with works like Los hacheros (Axemen) and La comida (Food), and began a series of suburban landscapes including Villa Piolín (Villa Tweety), La casa del sastre (House of Taylor), La iglesia (The Church), El tanque blanco (White Tank), La calle (Street), La res (The Answer), Carnicería (Carnage), La luna y su eco (The Moon and its Echo), and Mañana helada en el páramo desierto (Morning Frost on the Moor). He also painted Negro y blanco (Black and White), Utensilios de cocina sobre un muro celeste (Cookware on a Blue Wall), and El caballito (The Pony). From his position as Director Of Culture of the Argentine Foreign Relations Ministry (1960) during the government of Arturo Frondizi, art critic and friend Rafael Squirru sent Berni's engravings to the Venice Biennale, where they obtained First Prize in their category. After Squirru became Director of the Cultural Department of the OAS in 1963, he promoted Berni's work once again organizing prestigious shows for the artist such as the 1966 exhibition at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. ### Juanito Laguna Berni's post-1950s work can be viewed as "a synthesis of Pop Art and Social realism." In 1958, he began collecting and collaging discarded material to create a series of works featuring a character named Juanito Laguna. The series became a social narrative on industrialization and poverty and pointed out the extreme disparities existing between the wealthy Argentine aristocracy and the "Juanitos” of the slums. As he explained in a 1967 Le Monde interview, "One cold, cloudy night, while passing through the miserable city of Juanito, a radical change in my vision of reality and its interpretation occurred...I had just discovered, in the unpaved streets and on the waste ground, scattered discarded materials, which made up the authentic surroundings of Juanito Laguna – old wood, empty bottles, iron, cardboard boxes, metal sheets etc., which were the materials used for constructing shacks in towns such as this, sunk in poverty." Latin American art expert Mari Carmen Ramirez has described the Juanito works as an attempt to "seek out and record the typical living truth of underdeveloped countries and to bear witness to the terrible fruits of neocolonialism, with its resulting poverty and economic backwardness and their effect on populations driven by a fierce desire for progress, jobs, and the inclination to fight." Notable Juanito works include Retrato de Juanito Laguna (Portrait of Juanito Laguna), El mundo prometido a Juanito (The World Promised to Juanito), and Juanito va a la ciudad (Juanito Goes to the City). Art featuring Juanito (and Ramona Montiel, a similar female character) won Berni the Grand Prix for Printmaking at the Venice Biennale in 1962. In 1965 a retrospective of Berni's work was organized at the Instituto Di Tella, including the collage Monsters. Versions of the exhibit were shown in the United States, Argentina, and several Latin American countries. Compositions such as Ramona en la caverna (Ramona in the Cavern), El mundo de Ramona (Ramona's World), and La masacre de los inocentes (Massacre of the Innocent) were becoming more complex. The latter was exhibited in 1971 at the Paris Museum of Modern Art. By the late 1970s, Berni's Juanito and Ramona oil paintings had evolved into three-dimensional altarpieces. ### Later years and death After the March 1976 coup, which was like others in Latin America supported by the United States, Berni moved to New York City, where he continued painting, engraving, collating, and exhibiting. New York struck him as luxurious, consumerist, materially wealthy, and spiritually poor. He conveyed these observations in subsequent work with a touch of social irony. His New York paintings display a great protagonism of color and include Aeropuerto (Airport), Los Hippies, Calles de Nueva York (Streets of New York), Almuerzo (Lunch), Chelsea Hotel and Promesa de castidad (Promise of Chastity). He also produced several decorative panels, scenographic sketches, illustrations, and collaborations for books. Berni's work gradually became more spiritual and reflective. In 1980 he completed the paintings Apocalipsis (Apocalypse) and La crucifixion (The Crucifixion) for the Chapel of San Luis Gonzaga in Las Heras, where they were installed the following year. Antonio Berni died on 13 October 1981 in Buenos Aires, where he had been working on a Martín Fierro monument. The monument was inaugurated in San Martín on 17 November of the same year. In an interview shortly before his death, he said, "Art is a response to life. To be an artist is to undertake a risky way of life, to adopt one of the greatest forms of liberty, to make no compromise. Painting is a form of love, of transmitting the years in art." ## Legacy Since the late 1960s, various Argentine musicians have written and recorded Juanito Laguna songs. Mercedes Sosa recorded the songs Juanito Laguna remonta un barrilete (on her 1967 album Para cantarle a mi gente) and La navidad de Juanito Laguna (on her 1970 album Navidad con Mercedes Sosa). In 2005 a compilation CD commemorating Berni's 100th birthday included songs by César Isella, Marcelo San Juan, Dúo Salteño, Eduardo Falú, and Las Voces Blancas, as well as two short recordings of Berni speaking in interviews. After his death, he was granted the Honour Konex Award as the most important deceased artist from Argentina, given by the Konex Foundation in 1982. Several Argentine government organizations also celebrated Berni's centennial in 2005, including the Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Nación, and Secretaría de Turismo de la Nación. Berni's daughter Lily curated an art show entitled Un cuadro para Juanito, 40 años después (A painting for Juanito, 40 years later). Through the organization, De Todos Para Todos (By All For All), children across Argentina studied Berni's art and then created their own using his collage techniques. In July 2008, thieves disguised as police officers stole fifteen Berni paintings that were being transported from a suburb to the Bellas Artes National Museum. Culture Secretary Jose Nun described the paintings as being "of great national value" and described the robbery as "an enormous loss to Argentine culture." ## See also - Louis Aragon - Culture of Argentina - Infamous Decade - Latin American art - Pop Art - Social realism - Lino Enea Spilimbergo - Rafael Squirru

Music of Final Fantasy I and II

Music from the video games Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II

The music of the video games Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu, who would go on to be the exclusive composer for the next seven Final Fantasy games. Although they were composed separately, music from the two games has only been released together. All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II, a compilation of almost all of the music in the games, was released by DataM/Polystar in 1989, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing in 1994. Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy, an arranged album of music from the two games by Katsuhisa Hattori and his son Takayuki Hattori was released by DataM in 1989, and re-released by NTT Publishing/Polystar in 1994. Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack, another arranged album, this time by Nobuo Uematsu and Tsuyoshi Sekito, was released in 2002 by DigiCube and again in 2004 by Square Enix. The music was well received by critics; reviewers have praised the quality and power of the original pieces, and reacted favorably to the arranged soundtracks. Several tracks, especially "Opening Theme", "Main Theme" and "Matoya's Cave", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series, as well as having been published in arranged and compilation albums by Square Enix and outside groups. ## Concept and creation When Uematsu was working at a music rental shop in Tokyo, a woman working in the art department for Square, which would later become Square Enix, asked if he would be interested in creating music for some of the titles they were working on, and he agreed. Uematsu considered it a side job, and he did not believe it would become any sort of full-time job. He said it was a way to make some money on the side, while also keeping his part-time job at the music rental shop. Before joining Square, he composed music for television commercials. While working at Square, he met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who asked him if he wanted to compose music for some of his games, which Uematsu agreed to. Sakaguchi gave him a few instructions, such as that the game needed a "battle" music and a "town" music, but left the remainder of the composing to Uematsu, aside from informing him of the specific technical limitations of the Famicom. Several pieces from Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II have been reused in different forms throughout the series, especially the "Prelude", "Opening Theme", "Battle", "Victory" and "Chocobo" themes. ## All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II is a soundtrack album of video game music from Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II, composed, arranged, and performed by Nobuo Uematsu. It spans 49 tracks and covers a duration of 62:32. It was first released on February 28, 1989, by DataM/Polystar, and subsequently re-released on March 25, 1994, by NTT Publishing. The original release bears the catalog number H25X-20015, and the re-release bears the catalog number PSCR-5251. Tracks 1 and 49 are arranged versions of tracks which appeared in both of the games, tracks 2-21 are from Final Fantasy I, and 22-47 are from Final Fantasy II. Track 48, "Dungeon", was composed for Final Fantasy II, but was not used in the game; it was later used in Final Fantasy VI under the name "The Magic House". All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II sold over 12,500 copies and was moderately well received by critics such as Ben Schweitzer of RPGFan, who felt that it had "the same power today that it had 18 years ago", although he also felt that it was much weaker than Uematsu's later works with many of the themes "simplistic and undeveloped". Patrick Gann of RPGFan, on the other hand, praised the album for what he considered to be good music and the rush of nostalgia it brought with it, and was especially pleased with the two arranged tracks. Aaron Lau of Soundtrack Central agreed with the sentiments expressed by Gann, and stated that the arranged tracks alone were worth buying the album for. Romil Balibalita of Soundtrack Central, however, felt that while the soundtrack was good, it was "only worth one or two listens" and recommended it for fans of the original versions of video game music. Nick of Square Enix Music Online said that the album was "an acquired taste" and recommended it primarily to fans of Nobuo Uematsu interested in his earlier work. ## Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy is an arranged soundtrack album of music from Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged by Katsuhisa Hattori and his son Takayuki Hattori, and performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. It spans 7 tracks and covers a duration of 39:49. It was first released on July 25, 1989, by DataM, and subsequently re-released on March 25, 1994, by NTT Publishing/Polystar. The original release bears the catalog number H28X-10007, and the re-release bears the catalog number PSCR-5253. The music itself is a recording of a concert given by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in the Gohanda temporary hall in Tokyo. Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy was very well received by reviewers, with Patrick Gann saying that "the music itself is brilliant" and that "the arrangements are stunning" while remarking not only on the nostalgia inherent in the music but also the combination of the choir and orchestra. Other reviewers such as Chris and Simon from Square Enix Music Online agreed, terming the album "an orchestral masterpiece amassed with some of the best quality and most subtle attempts of arranging available in the Final Fantasy series' discography" and "technically accomplished and on scale that was rarely done at the time of making", respectively. Isaac Engelhorn of Soundtrack Central also enjoyed the album, calling it "wonderful" and his favorite Final Fantasy arranged album, although he did take issue with the length of the album, as well as the sound quality. ## Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack album of video game music from the PlayStation version of the games, Final Fantasy Origins. The soundtrack contains versions of the original game music arranged to take advantage of the PlayStation's sound hardware. The tracks were composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by Nobuo Uematsu and Tsuyoshi Sekito. It spans 65 tracks on two disks and covers a duration of 1:42:30. It was first released on October 23, 2002, by DigiCube, and subsequently re-released on September 23, 2004, by Square Enix. The original release bears the catalog numbers SSCX-10071-2, and the re-release bears the catalog numbers SQEX-10032-3. The first disk contains music from Final Fantasy I by Nobuo Uematsu, while the second disk contains Final Fantasy II by Tsuyoshi Sekito. Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack sold 3,900 copies and reached \#87 on the Japan Oricon charts. It was well received, with Luc of Square Enix Music Online approving of Tsuyoshi Sekito's influence on the arrangements and recommending the album to hardcore fans of Final Fantasy. Track list ## Legacy The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from Final Fantasy video games into a rock music style, have arranged two pieces from Final Fantasy I. These are "Battle Scene" from the album The Black Mages, published in 2003 and "Matoya's Cave" from the album The Skies Above, published in 2004. They have also arranged a track from Final Fantasy II, "Battle Scene II", in their The Black Mages album. Lyrical versions of "Matoya's Cave" from Final Fantasy I and "Main Theme" from Final Fantasy II, sung by Risa Ohki, appeared on Final Fantasy: Pray, a compilation album produced by Square. Additionally, lyrical versions of "Main Theme" from Final Fantasy I and "Finale" from Final Fantasy II, sung by Risa Ohki and Ikuko Noguchi, appeared on Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow. The music of Final Fantasy I and II has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 music from FINAL FANTASY, a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the games. Additionally, several pieces from the games were performed as part of a medley by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for the Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy concert tour, while a different medley of tunes from the two games were performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. "Main Theme" from Final Fantasy I was performed at the Press Start - Symphony of Games concert in Tokyo in 2006. A concerto suite of music from Final Fantasy I was performed on July 9, 2011 at the Symphonic Odysseys concert, which commemorated the music of Uematsu. Independent but officially licensed releases of Final Fantasy I and II music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music. Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites.

Ecstasy (My Bloody Valentine album)

Ecstasy is the second mini album by the alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine, released on 23 November 1987 on Lazy Records. Released in a limited edition of 3,000 copies, it was the band's final release for Lazy Records and second to feature vocalist and guitarist Bilinda Butcher, who was recruited in April 1987 following the departure of original My Bloody Valentine vocalist David Conway. Ecstasy followed the noise pop and twee pop standards of My Bloody Valentine's earlier releases for the label, drawing influence from various artists including The Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and The Byrds, and the album distanced the band further from their earlier post-punk and gothic rock sound. The album experienced several technical and financial problems during its recording sessions, including errors in the mastering process, and the band were dissatisfied with its outcome; although upon its release, Ecstasy received moderate critical acclaim and peaked at number 12 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. The album was later combined with My Bloody Valentine's preceding single, "Strawberry Wine", and reissued on the compilation album Ecstasy and Wine (1989), which was released on Lazy Records without the band's consent. ## Background Following minor success on the underground scene after the release of The New Record by My Bloody Valentine (1986) and 1987's "Sunny Sundae Smile", original My Bloody Valentine vocalist David Conway left the band due to a gastric illness, disillusionment with music and his ambitions to become a writer. The remaining members—guitarist Kevin Shields, drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig and bassist Debbie Googe—considered splitting up and forming a new band under a different name. However, the band placed advertisements for a vocalist in the local music press in London, which Shields referred to later as "pointless, ... disastrous and excrutiating [sic]" due to the advertisements attracting a number of Morrissey inspired vocalists who he referred to as "fruitballs". Through mutual friends the band recruited two vocalists, Joe Byfield and Bilinda Butcher. After performing one show in April 1987 with both on vocals, My Bloody Valentine considered Byfield "unsuitable" for the band and he was subsequently fired. Butcher, whose prior musical experience had been playing classical guitar as a child, and singing and playing tambourine "with some girlfriends for fun", was chosen as My Bloody Valentine's new vocalist and began rehearsing with the band in the middle of 1987. Lazy Records, on which the band released "Sunny Sundae Smile", requested a full-length album from My Bloody Valentine during summer 1987. The band refused the label's request, claiming their newly formed line-up "had only been together a couple of months and hadn't really had time to get settled". However, the band compromised and agreed to record a mini album, provided they could release a single beforehand. The preceding single, "Strawberry Wine", was released on 9 November 1987 and peaked at number 13 on the UK Independent Singles Chart. ## Recording The recording sessions for Ecstasy took place a week after the recording sessions for "Strawberry Wine". My Bloody Valentine spent a total of 10 days recording the album. According to Kevin Shields, the sessions "had no direction and [the band] didn't even know what [they] were doing" and "bashed out all these tunes quickly, very demo-like". A number of songs were recorded that did not feature on the final release, as the band considered them "awful". However, the sessions were "the first time [the band had] actually played around properly in the studio", which resulted in "extreme" and "quite nasty" guitar sounds, which My Bloody Valentine would later become associated with. Ecstasy's recording was plagued by technical and financial errors, which impacted the eventual release of the album. The mastering process was affected by the album's engineer Steve Nunn, who mislaid the source material of the final mix prior to its transfer to the master recording. Shields subsequently "brought an independent engineer in to the studios to point out what was wrong" but Lazy Records refused to invest further finances into the album's recording process. As a result, "much of what was originally the sound of Ecstacy [sic] was lost, and much of the tone was dulled" and the album "showed a group who appeared to have run out of money half way through recording". ## Composition All of Ecstasy's seven tracks were written and composed by Kevin Shields, with Colm Ó Cíosóig credited as the co-writer of three tracks—"The Things I Miss", "Clair" and "(Please) Lose Yourself in Me". Regarding the lyrical content of the album in contrast to the music, Shields said that "the songs may sound sweet, but the subject matter isn't necessarily very nice. A lot of it is relationship-based, but it's always vague, and never just boy-meets-girl. It could easily be boy-meets-boy, or girl-meets-girl. Then there's hate, and whimsical thoughts you get from nowhere". Ó Cíosóig remarked that "it's more weird perversions of feeling you get in a relationship" and referred to the lyrics as being marked by "extremes, because we're entertained by extreme things". Shields noted that the lyrics were a progression from the band's earlier releases as "the idea of composing a sweet pop song that sugar-coated some lyrical horror and sending it hurtling up the charts appealed to our sense of humour" and considered the songwriting process for Ecstasy as "fresh after having made pure noise earlier". My Bloody Valentine experimented with a noise pop sound on the album, a venture which was influenced by The Jesus and Mary Chain, and incorporated elements of twee pop similar to "Strawberry Wine". Shields used a twelve-string electric guitar during the Ecstasy's recording sessions and was influenced by The Byrds during the writing process, which resulted in the guitar tones being "too jingly jangly". Writer Colin Larkin described Ecstasy's sound as "bubblegum pop with buzzsaw guitars", which was similar to their prior releases and further diverged from their earlier post-punk and gothic rock sound. Jim DeRogatis noted that Ecstasy's overall sound "ushered in a sunnier, more optimistic vibe" for the band which was reminiscent of the sound of 1960s American psychedelia, in particular the Los Angeles based band Love. "Clair", one of the first recordings to feature Bilinda Butcher, features a sampled tape loop of audience screams from The Beatles' live album, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl (1977). The sample was processed through audio filters to emulate guitar feedback. However, the music on Ecstasy has been criticised as being "directionless and floundered about within the framework of songs which appeared to be only half formed ideas," which was due to the band's in-studio experimentation with different aspects of their guitar sound. In hindsight, Shields said that "even when we'd finished it we didn't like half the songs we'd done. The record never came out right and it made us realise that we were still too twee". In response to the band's "unwanted reputation for jangly feyness", My Bloody Valentine later incorporated elements of American indie rock music and Shields customised his guitars' tremolo systems, resulting in the band pioneering an alternative rock subgenre known as shoegazing. The term "shoegazing", which was considered derogatory, was coined by Sounds journalists in the early 1990s to describe certain bands' "motionless performing style, where they stood on stage and stared at the floor". ## Release and reception Ecstasy was released on 23 November 1987 on Lazy Records. It received a limited edition release of 3,000 LP copies distributed by Rough Trade Records and went out of print within three months of its release. The album entered the UK Independent Albums Chart in December 1987 and spent four weeks in total on the chart, peaking at number 12. The contents of the album were later combined with the band's preceding single, "Strawberry Wine", and reissued on the compilation album Ecstasy and Wine, released in February 1989 on Lazy Records. Ecstasy and Wine, however, was released without the band's consent and Kevin Shields retrieved 10,000 LP copies from the manager of Lazy Records soon after its release. Shields sold the records to various distributors in the early 1990s, after My Bloody Valentine were dropped from Creation Records, and used the funds to finance later recording sessions. Upon its release Ecstasy received moderate critical acclaim. Melody Maker referred to the album as "a series of aloof, pastel washes of sound, suspended guitars, words from the back of beyond tying in to a large, shifting whole" and "larger than the sum of its parts". In Loveless, a book from the 331⁄3 series about the My Bloody Valentine album of the same name, Mike McGonial referred to Ecstasy as a "rarified, effete and poppy approach to Byrdsian rock" and AllMusic rated the album two and a half out of five stars. In a separate review of Ecstasy and Wine, AllMusic writer Bradley Torreano described Ecstasy as the point where the band "started moving toward Cocteau Twins territory, using guitarist Bilinda Butcher's airy voice to define their image" and when "Shields and Butcher [were] exploring the guitar landscapes that would later become their trademark". On Ecstasy's supporting tour My Bloody Valentine conceived the idea of an interlude of white noise during live performances which was later attributed to their song "You Made Me Realise" and often exceeded 130 decibels. The band toured small student venues and, according to Kevin Shields, at "one particular place, there were these guy playing pool in the background, shouting amongst themselves and being quite loud and not paying attention". Before performing "Clair", Shields said to the band "let's just do it until those guys stop" and performed a two-chord riff in the song that lasted for an approximate 30 minutes. ## Track listing ## Personnel All personnel credits adapted from Ecstasy's liner notes. My Bloody Valentine - Kevin Shields – vocals, guitar - Bilinda Butcher – vocals, guitar - Debbie Googe – bass - Colm Ó Cíosóig – drums Additional musicians - Nick Brown – violin (5) Technical personnel - My Bloody Valentine – production - Steve Nunn – engineering - Lucy Smith – photography ## Chart positions

Rebecca Lee Crumpler

American physician

Rebecca Lee Crumpler, born Rebecca Davis, (February 8, 1831 – March 9, 1895), was an American physician, nurse and author. After studying at the New England Female Medical College, in 1864 she became the first African American woman to become a doctor of medicine in the United States. Crumpler was also one of the first female physician authors in the nineteenth century. In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses. The book has two parts that cover the prevention and cure of infantile bowel complaints, and the life and growth of human beings. Dedicated to nurses and mothers, it focuses on maternal and pediatric medical care and was among the first publications written by an African American on the subject of medicine. Crumpler graduated from medical college at a time when very few African Americans were permitted to attend medical college or publish books. Crumpler first practiced medicine in Boston, primarily serving poor women and children. After the American Civil War ended in 1865, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, believing treating women and children was an ideal way to perform missionary work. Crumpler worked for the Freedmen's Bureau to provide medical care for freedmen and freedwomen. Crumpler was subject to "intense racism" and sexism while practicing medicine. During this time, many men believed that a nearly immutable difference in average brain size between men and women explained the difference in social, political, and intellectual attainment. Because of this, many male physicians did not respect Rebecca Lee Crumpler, and would not approve her prescriptions for patients or listen to her medical opinions. Crumpler later moved back to Boston, where she continued to treat women and children. The Rebecca Lee Pre-Health Society at Syracuse University and the Rebecca Lee Society, one of the first medical societies for African American women, were named after her. Her Joy Street house in Beacon Hill is a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. ## Early life and education In 1831, Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born Rebecca Davis in Christiana, Delaware to Matilda Webber and Absolum Davis. She was raised in Pennsylvania by her aunt who cared for ill townspeople. Her aunt acted as the doctor in her community and had a huge influence on Crumpler's decision to pursue a career in medicine. Crumpler moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1852, where she worked as a nurse before applying and becoming accepted into the New England Female Medical College. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the only African American student at the school. ## Education ### Nursing and medical school From 1855 to 1864, Crumpler was employed as a nurse. She was accepted into the New England Female Medical College in 1860. She won a tuition award from the Wade Scholarship Fund, established by a bequest from local businessman John Wade of Woburn. In the mid-19th century, it was rare for women or black men to be admitted to medical school. In 1860, due to the heavy demands of medical care for American Civil War veterans, opportunities increased for women physicians and doctors. Due to her talent, Crumpler was given a recommendation to attend the school by her supervising physician when she was a medical apprentice. That year, there were 54,543 physicians in the United States, 300 of whom were women. None of them were African Americans, making Rebecca Lee Crumpler the first and only African American physician in her class. Crumpler graduated from New England Female Medical College in 1864 after having completed three years of coursework, a thesis, and final oral examinations in February 1864. On March 1, 1864, the school's board of trustees named her a Doctor of Medicine. Married to Wyatt Lee at that time, she was identified as Mrs. Rebecca Lee by the school, where she was the only African American graduate. She was the country's first African American woman to become a formally-trained physician. ### Physician Crumpler first practiced medicine in Boston and primarily cared for poor African American women and children. After the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865), she moved to Richmond, Virginia, believing it to be an ideal way to provide missionary service, as well as to gain more experience learning about diseases that affected women and children. She said of that time, "During my stay there nearly every hour was improved in that sphere of labor. The last quarter of the year 1866, I was enabled... to have access each day to a very large number of the indigent, and others of different classes, in a population of over 30,000 colored." Crumpler worked for the Freedmen's Bureau to provide medical care to freedmen and freedwomen who were denied care by white physicians. At the Freedmen's Bureau, she worked under the assistant commissioner, Orlando Brown. Subject to intense racism by both the administration and other physicians, she had difficulty getting prescriptions filled and was ignored by male physicians. Some people heckled that the M.D. behind her name stood for "Mule Driver". Crumpler moved to 67 Joy Street in Boston, a predominantly African American community in Beacon Hill. She practiced medicine and treated children without much concern for the parents' ability to pay. Her house is on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. ### Education In 1860, bearing letters of recommendation from her physician-employers, Crumpler was accepted into the elite West Newton English and Classical School in Massachusetts, where she was a "special student in mathematics." Crumpler taught in Wilmington beginning in 1874 and in New Castle, Delaware beginning in 1876. ### A Book of Medical Discourses In 1883, Crumpler published A Book of Medical Discourses from the notes she kept over the course of her medical career. Dedicated to nurses and mothers, it focused on the medical care of women and children. Her main desire in presenting this book was to emphasize the "possibilities of prevention." Therefore, she recommended that women should study the mechanisms of human structure before becoming a nurse in order to better enable themselves to protect life. However, Crumpler stated that most nurses did not agree with this and tended to forget that for every ailment, there was a cause and it was within their power to remove it. Although her primary focus was on the health of women and children, which seemed to be influenced by homeopathy, Crumpler recommended courses of treatment without stating that the treatment was homeopathic. She did not mention that medicine could be harmful, but stated the conventional amount of standard medicine usage. Her medical book is divided into two sections: in the first part she focuses on preventing and mitigating intestinal problems that can occur around the teething period until the child is about five years of age; the second part mainly focused on the following areas: "life and growth of beings", the beginning of womanhood and the prevention and cure of most of the "distressing complaints" of both sexes. Although the book was focused on medical advice, Crumpler also ties in autobiographical details that contain political, social, and moral commentary. Specifically in the first chapter, Crumpler gave non-medical advice concerning what age and how a woman should enter into marriage. The chapter also contained advice for both men and women on how to ensure a happy marriage. Crumpler describes the progression of experiences that led her to study and practice medicine in her book: > It may be well to state here that, having been reared by a kind aunt in Pennsylvania, whose usefulness with the sick was continually sought, I early conceived a liking for, and sought every opportunity to relieve the sufferings of others. Later in life I devoted my time, when best I could, to nursing as a business, serving under different doctors for a period of eight years; most of the time at my adopted home in Charlestown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. From these doctors I received letters commending me to the faculty of the New England Female Medical College, whence, four years afterward, I received the degree of Doctress of Medicine. At the time, many writings and books by African American authors had prefaces and introductions written in the style of white male writings to give them authentication. Crumpler introduced her own text, and justifying her work based on her own authority. ## Personal life While living in Charlestown, Rebecca Davis married Wyatt Lee, a Virginia native who was formerly enslaved. They were married on April 19, 1859. This was Wyatt's second, and her first, marriage. A year later Wyatt's son, Albert, died at age 7. This tragedy may have motivated Rebecca to begin her study of nursing for the next eight years. Rebecca was a medical student when her husband died of tuberculosis on April 18, 1863. He is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Boston. Dr. Rebecca Lee married Arthur Crumpler in Saint John, New Brunswick on May 24, 1865. Arthur was formerly enslaved and escaped bondage from Southampton County, Virginia. Born in 1824, he was the son of Samuel Crumpler, who was enslaved by Benjamin Crumpler. Arthur lived on the neighboring estate of a large landowner, Robert Adams, with his mother and siblings. When Adams died, his family was sold and nine-year-old Arthur was kept by Robert Adams' son, John Adams of Smithfield, Virginia after Arthur won a wrestling contest with John on the day of the estate auction. Except for one sister, he never found out the whereabouts of the people who continued enslaving and "purchased" his family members. He served with the Union Army at Fort Monroe, Virginia as a blacksmith, based upon his training and experience. He went to Massachusetts in 1862 and was taken in by Nathaniel Allen, founder of the West Newton English and Classical School, also called the Allen School. On July 16, 2020, a ceremony was held at the Fairview Cemetery to dedicate a gravestone in memory of Rebecca Lee Crumpler and her husband Arthur. The granite stone was the result of a fundraising appeal spearheaded by Vicky Gall, president of the Friends of the Hyde Park Library (Hyde Park Library). Rebecca and Arthur Crumpler were active members of the Twelfth Baptist Church, where Arthur was a trustee. They had a home at 20 Garden Street in Boston. Their daughter Lizzie Sinclair Crumpler was born in mid-December 1870, but as no other records have been found, it is believed the child did not survive infancy. For instance, Crumpler and her husband Arthur lived in Hyde Park, Massachusetts in 1880, but they did not have a child living with them at that time. Crumpler spoke at a funeral service for Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner upon his death in 1874. She read a poem that she had written for him, where "she touchingly alluded to his love for the gifted Emerson." By 1880, the Crumplers moved to Hyde Park, Boston. Although no photographs or other images of Crumpler survive, a Boston Globe article described her as "a very pleasant and intellectual woman and an indefatigable church worker. Dr. Crumpler is 59 or 60 years of age, tall and straight, with light brown skin and gray hair." About marriage, she said the secret to a successful marriage "is to continue in the careful routine of the courting days, till it becomes well understood between the two." Rebecca Crumpler died on March 9, 1895, in Fairview, Massachusetts, while still residing in Hyde Park. Arthur died in May, 1910, and they are both buried at the nearby Fairview Cemetery. Rebecca and Arthur Crumpler were buried in unmarked graves for 125 years, until 2020, when they received granite headstones for their gravesite from donations. On July 16, 2020, a ceremony was held at the Fairview Cemetery to dedicate a gravestone in memory of Rebecca Lee Crumpler and her husband Arthur. The granite stone was the result of a fundraising appeal spearheaded by Vicky Gall, president of the Friends of the Hyde Park Library. ## Legacy The Rebecca Lee Society, one of the first medical societies for African American women, was named in Crumpler's honor. Her home on Joy Street is a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. In 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared March 30 (National Doctors Day) the Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day. At Syracuse University there is a pre-health club named "The Rebecca Lee Pre-Health Society." This club encourages people of diverse backgrounds to pursue health professions. They offer mentors, workshops, and resources to help members succeed. ## See also - List of African American firsts - List of Boston University people

S.R. 819

"S.R. 819" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 17, 1999, in the United States. The episode was written by John Shiban, and directed by Daniel Sackheim. The episode helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. "S.R. 819" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.1, being watched by 15.7 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The show centers on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Mulder and Scully have 24 hours to save Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) from a biologically engineered disease. In order to combat the disease, Scully looks for a medical answer, while Mulder searches for the culprits behind the attack on Skinner's life. To aid him in this task, Mulder visits Senator Matheson, whom he hopes can help him find who is responsible before time runs out. Before the writing of "S.R. 819", the writers for The X-Files felt that the character of Walter Skinner was becoming too "expendable". John Shiban, the writer of the episode, decided to re-work Skinner back into the series' mythology by crafting the episode around him. Mitch Pileggi had to endure long bouts of make-up application, a process that he admitted he "hated". The nanobots in the blood sample were designed on a computer and then rendered for the final footage. ## Plot The episode opens with Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) unwell and horribly discolored in hospital. His veins are a sickly purple hue and are pulsating ominously. Suddenly, he goes into cardiac arrest and the doctors pronounce him dead. Twenty-four hours earlier, Skinner loses a boxing match after experiencing a dizzy spell. While at the hospital, he receives a call on his cell phone from a computerized voice telling him that he has only twenty-four hours to live. He is discharged from the hospital but Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) witness a bruise on his ribs growing. After trawling through security footage from the entrance to the J. Edgar Hoover Building, Scully recognizes a physicist named Dr. Kenneth Orgel, who advises a Senate subcommittee on ethics and new technology, and who stopped Skinner in the hall that same morning. Mulder and Skinner travel to Orgel's house but find he is being held hostage. Mulder apprehends one of the kidnappers, who does not speak English. They release him since he has papers showing diplomatic immunity. Mulder does a background check on the kidnapper, which leads him to Senator Richard Matheson (Raymond J. Barry); this results in a dead end, however. Scully discovers Skinner's blood sample and, after checking, she finds that Skinner's blood contains some sort of multiplying carbon nanotechnology. Meanwhile, Skinner ends up in hospital following a gunfight in the FBI parking garage. Mulder and Scully reunite at the hospital, where Mulder tells Scully that Skinner was investigating a health funding bill called S.R. 819. Mulder chases a suspicious bearded man, who sent a threatening message to Skinner's phone but escapes. Talking to Scully, Skinner remembers seeing the bearded man at the boxing club, the FBI and the hospital. Meanwhile, Senator Matheson arrives at an old power plant where Orgel is kept and suffers from the same condition afflicting Skinner. Before Matheson can free him, Orgel dies as the bearded man maximizes the nanotechnological effects via some remote control. Later, Mulder also arrives at the power plant and confronts Matheson. At the hospital, Skinner goes into cardiac arrest but suddenly revives when the bearded man deactivates his remote control. Later, Mulder and Scully report to Skinner, who is back in good health and claims not to recognize the bearded man. Skinner closes the case, ordering the agents to report exclusively to Assistant Director Alvin Kersh. In the final scene, the bearded man appears in Skinner's car and is revealed to have been a disguised Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), a rogue FBI agent who formerly worked for the Syndicate, and who continues to control the potentially debilitating nanotechnology in Skinner's body. ## Production ### Writing At the start of season six, the producers of The X-Files began to worry that Walter Skinner was becoming "expendable", as Mulder and Scully's transfer from the X-Files division meant that they saw less and less of him. Originally, John Shiban, the writer of the episode, wanted to infect Mulder with nanobots. However, he decided that since the audience knew Mulder would not be killed, this plot would not be very effective. Shiban thus decided to re-work Skinner back into the series mythology by putting him in Mulder's place. Shiban, inspired by the noir film D.O.A. (1950) and its 1988 remake—which he jokingly called "[two] pretty bad movies"—decided to craft an episode of The X-Files around the concept of "a guy who's been poisoned [and] has only a short time to live and has to use that time to find out why and by whom he's being murdered". Shiban began crafting his story by incorporating a nanobot plot that had been considered by various writers for several seasons. Shiban and the rest of the writing room were conscious in their decision to give Alex Krycek full control over Skinner via the nanobot infection, as it caused Skinner to once again become a mysterious character whose true loyalties could be tested. Shiban noted that, "[Krycek's control] gives Skinner an agenda that Mulder doesn't know about [...] Which was something we ultimately used again in the seasonender [sic], and will carry us into next year". ### Filming and effects Originally, the episode was slated to feature a "time-consuming" fight scene pitting Skinner against Krycek, but the scene was cut because of time-constraints and worries about going over-budget. However, Skinner's boxing match proved much "eas[ier] to stage". Mitch Pileggi had boxed competitively in college and went for "refresher course[s]" at the Goosen Gym in Los Angeles to prep for the episode. He later remarked, "It makes me happy that some people will assume there was a stunt double in the ring. There wasn't! [...] We both had a pretty good time". Location manager Ilt Jones called "S.R. 819" the "damn parking lot episode" because he was personally tasked with finding the variety of parking lots used in the episode. He later joked, "I started to wake up screaming about barriers and parking tickets and entrances and exit ramps". Pileggi had to endure long hours of makeup application, and to create the principal illusion of monstrous veins, long black faux-veins were glued to his body. Pileggi had had little to no makeup in previous episodes and later said, "They did a beautiful job and [the veins] looked awesome, but man, I hated it! I really don't know how those guys on Star Trek or Babylon 5 can stand having that done to them every day. I just wouldn't work if that's what it took". To show the nanobot infection progressing, special effects makeup supervisor John Vulich used two different makeup sets: one representing the early stage of the disease, and the other representing the later stage. The nanobots in the blood sample were designed on a computer and then cloned with an animation program. ## Broadcast and reception "S.R. 819" first aired in the United States on January 17, 1999. This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.1, meaning that roughly 9.1 percent of all television-equipped households were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 15.7 million viewers. The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on May 2, 1999, and received 690,000 viewers, making it the second most watched episode that week. Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "He has 24 hours to solve his own murder... or die." The episode was nominated for three 2000 Emmy Awards by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore). The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien Colonist's plans to take over the earth. The episode was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics. Tom Kessenich, in his book Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files wrote positively of the episode, saying, "'S.R. 819' re-established some wonderful conspiracy overtones and perhaps set the stage for more interesting developments in the future. It touched base with the very roots The X-Files sprung out of and did so in strong fashion." Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it a "B". She enjoyed the plot, calling it "fun", praised the twist ending, and called the nanobot makeup effects "legitimately terrifying". She did, however, write critically of Skinner's role in the episode, noting that his lack of presence made the entry a "disappointing one". In addition, VanDerWerff criticized the fact that the teaser shows Skinner dying; she wrote that "[t]here’s very little gas in the idea of Skinner dying" and that most of the viewers knew he would not die. Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four. Vitaris cited severe problems with "Skinner's emotional journey" as the main detractors for the episode. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, on the other hand, awarded the episode two out of five stars in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. The two, despite writing positively of the "traditional X-File" feel, called the episode "a return to the sort of murky storylining which promises so much but delivers so little".

Liberty Bell (Portland, Oregon)

Bell in Portland, Oregon

Liberty Bell refers to one of two replicas in Portland, Oregon, United States, of the original Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The first replica was purchased in 1962, and installed in the rotunda of City Hall in 1964. On November 21, 1970, it was destroyed in a bomb blast that also damaged the building's east portico. The second replica was installed outside of City Hall soon after the blast (c. 1972) with funds from private donations. It was dedicated on November 6, 1975. The bell is listed as a state veterans memorial by the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs. ## History Portland has had two replicas of Philadelphia's original Liberty Bell. The first replica was purchased in 1962 for \$8,000. It was constructed at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore and received a 25-year guarantee against breakage. The bell arrived in Portland in June 1963, with a damaged base and beam since the sculpture had slipped off its supports. Repairs were made before the replica was paraded through the city on a flatbed truck, then put into storage until Independence Day, when the bell was presented to the city. It was publicly rung for the first time during holiday celebrations and installed in City Hall's rotunda on May 5, 1964. On November 21, 1970, a dynamite bomb that had been placed beneath the bell detonated, damaging City Hall's east portico columns, shattering windows, and destroying the replica. No one was injured, but "shards of bell went everywhere through the main portico". The crime remains unsolved; no one claimed responsibility or was prosecuted for the blast. In 1993, The Oregonian said: "Wild, highly vocal speculation blamed the blast on either left-wing or right-wing terrorists, depending, of course, on the accusers' own political persuasions. Others guessed it was a monumental prank that careened out of control." Portland's second replica is located outside of City Hall's east portico, near the intersection of Southwest Fourth and Madison streets and across from Terry Schrunk Plaza. Private donations totaling \$8,000 allowed a new bell to be purchased for \$6,000 and installed not long after the blast (c. 1972). The bell has also been attributed as a gift from Philadelphia residents to Portland school children. It was dedicated on November 6, 1975. The replica was surveyed and considered "treatment needed" by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in October 1993. The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs lists the bell as one of the state's veterans memorials. ## Description and reception The 1 ton (910 kg; 0.89 long tons) sculpture is made of Best Genuine Bell Metal, a sixteen percent min-copper alloy, and measures approximately 66 by 64 by 66 inches (1.7 m × 1.6 m × 1.7 m). It is attached to a horizontal beam that is supported by two V-shaped beams. The base is made of brick, metal (steel) and wood (mahogany covering) that measures approximately 13 by 76 by 54.5 inches (0.33 m × 1.93 m × 1.38 m). The west side displays the inscription Pass and Stow / Philada / MDCCLIII. Raised lettering along the top of the bell reads PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF LEV. XX VVX. / BY ORDER OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE STATE HOUSE IN PHILADA. The founder's mark also appears. Smithsonian categorizes the sculpture as allegorical for symbolizing liberty. The bell has been included in published walking tours of Portland. ## See also - 1963 in art - 1972 in art - Liberty Bell (Oregon State Capitol), Salem

Italian ironclad Enrico Dandolo

Ironclad warship of the Italian Royal Navy

Enrico Dandolo was the second of two Duilio-class ironclad turret ships built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1870s. They were fitted with the largest guns available, 450 mm (18 in) rifled, muzzle-loading guns, and were the largest, fastest and most powerful ships of their day. Enrico Dandolo was built in La Spezia, with her keel laid in January 1873 and her hull launched in July 1878. Construction was finally completed in April 1882 when the ship, named for the 41st Doge of Venice, was commissioned into the Italian fleet. Enrico Dandolo spent much of her career in the Active Squadron of the Italian fleet, primarily occupied with training exercises. She was heavily modernized in 1895–1898, receiving a new battery of fast-firing 254 mm (10 in) guns in place of the old 17.72 in guns. The ship served in the Reserve Squadron after 1905, and then became a gunnery training ship. During the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, Enrico Dandolo was among the few ships of the Italian fleet to see no action. She was employed as a harbor defense ship, first in Tobruk, Libya in 1913 and then in Brindisi and Venice during World War I. The ship was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1920. ## Design The Duilio-class ironclads were designed by the noted Italian naval architect Benedetto Brin; they were revolutionary warships at the time they were designed, being the first ironclad battleships to be built without a sailing rig, and they marked the beginning of a trend toward larger and larger guns. Brin originally intended a main battery of four 35-long-ton (36 t) guns in a pair of turrets placed centrally, but during the course of work on the ships, he increased the size to 65 long tons (66 t) and ultimately to 100 long tons (100 t). Enrico Dandolo was 109.16 meters (358 ft 2 in) long overall and had a beam of 19.65 m (64 ft 6 in) and an average draft of 8.36 m (27 ft 5 in). She displaced 11,025 long tons (11,202 t) normally and up to 12,037 long tons (12,230 t) at full load. The ship's hull featured a straight stem and stern, along with a pronounced ram bow below the waterline. Enrico Dandolo had a minimal superstructure, which included a small conning tower that was connected via a hurricane deck to a heavy military mast located amidships and another small platform further aft. She had a crew of 420 officers and men, which later increased to 515. Her propulsion system consisted of two vertical compound steam engines each driving a single screw propeller. Steam was supplied by eight coal-fired, rectangular boilers that were divided into two boiler rooms on either end of the ship's central battery, each vented through its own funnel, which were incorporated into the ends of the hurricane deck. Her engines produced a top speed of 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph) at 8,045 indicated horsepower (5,999 kW). She could steam for 2,875 nautical miles (5,324 km; 3,308 mi) at a speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). Enrico Dandolo was armed with a main battery of four 450 mm (17.7 in) 20-caliber guns, mounted in two turrets placed en echelon amidships. This arrangement gave all four guns very wide fields of fire. These were the largest naval guns in use by any country at the time. As was customary for capital ships of the period, she carried three 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes. Enrico Dandolo was protected by belt armor that was 546 mm (21.5 in) thick at its strongest section, which protected the ship's magazines and machinery spaces. Both ends of the belt were connected by transverse bulkheads that were 400 mm (15.75 in) thick. She had an armored deck that was 28 to 51 mm (1.1 to 2 in) thick. Her gun turrets were armored with 432 mm (17 in) of steel plate. The ship's bow and stern were not armored, but they were extensively subdivided into a cellular "raft" that was intended to reduce the risk of flooding. ## Service history ### Construction – 1894 Enrico Dandolo, named after Enrico Dandolo, the 41st Doge of Venice, was laid down at La Spezia on 6 January 1873 and was launched on 10 July 1878. Fitting-out work was completed on 11 April 1882. During the annual fleet maneuvers held in 1885, Enrico Dandolo served as the flagship of the 1st Division of the "Western Squadron", with Vice Admiral Martini commanding. She was joined by her sister Duilio, the protected cruiser Giovanni Bausan, and a sloop. The "Western Squadron" attacked the defending "Eastern Squadron", simulating a Franco-Italian conflict, with operations conducted off Sardinia. During the following year's fleet maneuvers, which began on 10 June, Enrico Dandolo was assigned to the "defending squadron", along with the ironclads Palestro, Castelfidardo, and Affondatore, the protected cruiser Dogali, the torpedo cruiser Folgore, and several smaller vessels. The first half of the maneuvers tested the ability to attack and defend the Strait of Messina, and concluded in time for a fleet review by King Umberto I on the 21st. The second phase consisted of joint maneuvers with the Italian Army; the fleet was tasked with attempting to force an amphibious landing, which it effected at San Vicenzo on 30 July, the last day of the exercises. Enrico Dandolo took part in the annual 1888 fleet maneuvers, along with the ironclads Lepanto, Italia, Duilio, and San Martino, one protected cruiser, four torpedo cruisers, and numerous smaller vessels. The maneuvers consisted of close-order drills and a simulated attack on and defense of La Spezia. The ship served as the flagship of the 3rd Division of the Active Squadron during the 1893 fleet maneuvers, along with Affondatore, the torpedo cruiser Goito, and four torpedo boats. During the maneuvers, which lasted from 6 August to 5 September, the ships of the Active Squadron simulated a French attack on the Italian fleet. For the rest of the year, Enrico Dandolo was assigned to the 2nd Division of the Italian fleet, along with the protected cruiser Vesuvio and the torpedo cruiser Partenope. ### 1895–1920 She was thoroughly reconstructed between 1895 and 1898 to a design created by Inspector Engineer Giacinto Pulino. The ship's old, slow-firing 17.7 in guns were replaced with new 250 mm (10 in) guns, and she received a new secondary battery to defend the ship against torpedo boats. The battery consisted of five 120 mm (4.7 in) 40-caliber guns, sixteen 57 mm (2.2 in) 43-caliber quick-firing guns, eight 37 mm (1.5 in) 20-caliber revolver cannon, and four machine guns. The main battery guns were placed in significantly smaller turrets that had 220 mm (8.8 in) of armor plating; the lighter guns and turrets reduced the ship's displacement to 10,679 t (10,510 long tons; 11,772 short tons) normally and 11,264 t (11,086 long tons; 12,416 short tons) at full load. Enrico Dandolo also received a new engine, though her performance remained the same. The ship's crew increased to 495. In 1901, Enrico Dandolo was joined in the 2nd Division by the ironclads Andrea Doria and Francesco Morosini, the armored cruiser Carlo Alberto, Partenope, and three torpedo boats. She remained in service in the Active Squadron the following year, with Andrea Doria, Francesco Morosini, the three Re Umberto-class ironclads, and the new pre-dreadnought battleship Ammiraglio di Saint Bon. In 1905, Enrico Dandolo was transferred to the Reserve Squadron, along with the three Ruggiero di Laurias and the three Re Umbertos, three cruisers, and sixteen torpedo boats. This squadron only entered active service for two months of the year for training maneuvers, and the rest of the year was spent with reduced crews. She thereafter served in the Gunnery School as a training ship, along with the torpedo cruiser Saetta. At the start of the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, Italia was assigned to the 5th Division of the Italian fleet, the ironclads Italia and Lepanto, but she saw no action during the conflict. She became the guardship at Tobruk, Libya in 1913 and was transferred to Brindisi and Venice during World War I. While stationed at Brindisi, six of her 37 mm guns were removed. She was stricken on 23 January 1920 and later broken up for scrap.

Beaumont House

House in South Australia

Beaumont House, occasionally known as Claremont, is an eclectic Romanesque-Classical brick residence located at 631 Glynburn Road in Beaumont, South Australia. Beaumont House was constructed for Augustus Short, the first Anglican bishop of Adelaide and founder of St Peter's Cathedral. It was constructed on land initially owned by Sir Samuel Davenport, a wealthy Adelaide landlord. Following Short's move back to England, Davenport purchased the house—the second of five eventual owners. Following three sales between 1907 and 1911, the house was then transferred to the National Trust of South Australia in 1968 and has been listed on the South Australian Heritage Register since 24 July 1980. ## History The suburb of Beaumont, in the City of Burnside, was founded as a purpose-built village by Sir Samuel Davenport in 1848. The location of Beaumont to Adelaide, a rapidly developing settlement at the time, made land in the area extremely expensive. Although Adelaide as a new settlement was prospering during the mid-19th century, still very few people could afford the exclusivity of Beaumont. Bishop Augustus Short moved from England to Adelaide after the Archbishop of Canterbury offered him the choice of moving to Newcastle—on the coast of New South Wales—or Adelaide, both recently established dioceses. He chose the latter, and was consecrated at Westminster Abbey on St Peter's Day, 29 June 1847. He arrived in Adelaide by ship on 28 December 1847. ## Construction Short expressed his interest in residing in Beaumont, and was wealthy enough to buy a large allotment of land off the current landowner, Davenport. Between 1849 and 1851, he had Beaumont House designed and built on a large allotment at the end of Glynburn Road, a major road which serviced the suburb of Beaumont, and linked to more major roads running west into the city of Adelaide along the Adelaide Plains. The Beaumont House estate was given the name 'Claremont' by Short. The location, in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, was chosen to catch the cool breezes coming from the sea across the Adelaide Plains. Bishop Short and his family moved into the house later in 1851, and resided there until Bishop's Court, North Adelaide, was ready to be occupied in 1856. During the same year, Sir Samuel Davenport purchased the house and land from Bishop Short and lived in 'The Lodge', a small cottage at the entrance to what became the driveway to Beaumont House, until Short vacated Claremont. Bishop Short later founded St Peter's Cathedral, an Anglican church, in 1869. However, a combination of declining health and disagreements of opinions over the next thirteen years saw him resign his precedence as bishop in 1872 and then as head of the diocese in 1881. He returned to England on 7 January 1882. At the time, the Claremont estate was valued at £8200. A cultivator of olives, Davenport had planted a limited number of olives around Beaumont House in 1852 after he purchased the land the year before. Davenport later expanded his groves by replanting trees and cuttings from Beaumont both in other areas of the allotment and at some of his other properties in the Adelaide Hills. He also planted mulberry trees for producing silk on the estate grounds. Davenport resided in Beaumont House until his death on 3 September 1906; his wife having predeceased him on 6 February 1902, and they had no children. He left his estate mainly to his nephew Howard Davenport after his death, and both Houses of Parliament in South Australia adjourned for his funeral as an obituaritry to his legacy. In 1907 the estate was sold to a new owner, Major Vincent, who made extensive alterations to the house. It was then bought by a third owner in five years, Mr Bennet, in 1911. Upon his death the house was passed on to his widow. Beaumont House was then transferred to the National Trust of South Australia by Bennet's widow, who had remarried, and her new partner on 24 August 1968. ## Architecture and alterations Originally a five-bedroom residence, the Beaumont House estate has been expanded greatly. Most of the structural expansion took place between 1907 and 1911, when Maj. Vincent owned it; it has not been expanded or notably altered at all since being donated to the National Trust. The estate is strongly reminiscent of Romanesque architecture, mainly due to alterations made to the house and grounds by Davenport. A member of the National Trust, the current owner of Beaumont House, explains how Davenport's travels influenced his styles: > Samuel Davenport was a great world traveller. He was very much involved in the world exposition movement. Every two years there were big world expos happening in different cities around the world. And he would travel to every one of these expos...I'm sure that the influences that he picked up in all of his travels are reflected here in Beaumont House. The olive groves are no longer cultivated on the grounds of Beaumont House, but other notable additions by Davenport to the Romanesque style still remain. The house is occasionally described as 'Mediterranean', mostly due to the red Tuscan-styled roof, the olive groves and pillared exterior. ## See also - List of historic houses in South Australia - National Trust of South Australia

Mangerton Mountain

Mountain in Killarney, Ireland

Mangerton or Mangerton Mountain (), at 838 metres (2,749 ft), is the 19th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, and the 26th–highest mountain according to the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Mangerton is the tallest mountain in the Mangerton Mountain Group, also called the Mangerton Mountains or the Mountains of East Kerry, a range that includes five other major mountains that have a height above 2,000 feet (610 m). Mangerton's western slopes lie within the Killarney National Park. On Mangerton's north-western face lies a deep corrie lake called the Devil's Punchbowl, which is a popular scenic destination for hill walkers; although the mountain is often overlooked by walkers due to the proximity of its more scenic and accessible neighbour, Torc Mountain. The far northern slopes of Mangerton was the site of an important 13th-century battle between the Mac Cárthaigh (Gaelic forces), and the FitzGeralds (Norman forces), known as the "Tooreencormick battle site". ## Naming Irish academic Paul Tempan notes in the Irish Hill and Mountain Names database that Mangerton is most likely a translation of , meaning "the long-haired". Tempan discussed the possibility that an alternative interpretation of Irish: An Mhangartach may be worth considering, as it could be the noun Irish: mangart with the suffix ach. Tempan notes P. S. Dinneen's Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla—Irish-English Dictionary (1927), defines Irish: mangart as "movement" or "shaking". Thus the adjective (not listed in any dictionary) could mean "moving", "shaking", or "quaking", which could refer to the physical movement of Mangerton bog prevalent on the southern slopes, or could be understood figuratively as meaning "vacillating" or "fickle". ## Geography ### Mangerton Mangerton's flat boggy summit plateau includes the satellite summits of Mangerton North Top 782 metres (2,566 ft) and Glencappul Top 700 metres (2,300 ft), and its "horseshoe-shaped" massif includes the summit of Stoompa 705 metres (2,313 ft). The Horses' Glen (or Glencappul), and the Devil's Punchbowl carve deep hollows, or corries on the north-west and north-east sides of Mangerton's massif, but the southern flanks form a huge plateau, one of the most extensive areas of mountain wilderness in Ireland, where herds of red deer and sika deer still roam. There are three lochs that flow from Managerton's corries into the Horse's Glen (or Glencappul), namely the lowest, Lough Garagarry (Loch Garaigre), the middle, Lough Mannagh (Loch Meáin) and the Lough Erhogh, which is a hanging glacial lake set into a corrie on Mangerton's north-east face. The Devil's Punchbowl (), at 670 metres (2,200 ft) on Mangerton's north-west face is a deep oval-shaped corrie filled by a loch in its base that drains into the Owengarriff River from which Torc Waterfall is formed, before finally flowing into the Lakes of Killarney below. Mangerton's western slopes lie within the Killarney National Park. Mangerton Mountain's height and topographic prominence, qualifies it to meet the British Isles Marilyn classification, as well as the Arderin, Simm and Hewitt classifications. Mangerton Mountain ranks as the 10th-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the prominence threshold is over 100 metres (e.g. higher mountains with sub-100-metre prominences are excluded). ### Range Surrounding Mangerton are 25 other peaks with an elevation above 100 metres (330 ft) in a range known as the Mangerton Group (or Mangerton Mountains). The range is bounded by the "square" road system surrounding Mangerton, being the N71 to the north and the west side, the N22 to the east side, and the narrow R569 road from Kenmare to the N22 via Kilgarvan on the south side. Most notable are Dromderalough (650 metres (2,130 ft)), and its slightly higher Dromderalough North-East Top (654 metres (2,146 ft)), as well as Crohane (650 metres (2,130 ft)), and Knockbrack (610 metres (2,000 ft)). It also includes the tourist peak of Torc Mountain 535 metres (1,755 ft) in the north-west corner. ## Hill walking Mangerton's flat boggy summit plateau means that it can get overlooked when guidebooks of Ireland's best walks are compiled, particularly given its proximity to the rocky ridges and summits of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks; sometimes even nearby Torc Mountain is recommended instead. However, Mangerton's scale, summit views and deep corries are well regarded, and its proximity to Killarney town and ease of access are recognised by climbers. The most direct route to the summit of Mangerton is via the 4–5 hour 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) Devil's Punchbowl Route. It starts from the concrete slab bridge (at ), and follows a worn track southwards up to the Devil's Punchbowl at 670 metres (2,200 ft), before reaching the Mangerton summit plateau via the west ridge of the Punchbowl, and then walking circa 300 metres across the plateau to the true summit of Mangerton itself, before returning via the same route (or taking the steeper eastern arete of the Punchbowl). The summit plateau of Mangerton can be difficult to navigate in poor or misty weather as there are few features. A variation of the Devil's Punchbowl Route is the inclusion of Stoompa, in a 5–6 hour 13.5-kilometre (8.4 mi) route, that can either be done as an extension of the Devil's Punchbowl route (e.g. over and back from Mangerton's summit to Stoopma), or as a "horseshoe" or "loop-route" that starts up the Devil's Punchbowl on the westside but finishes by descending down the northern slopes of Stoompa on the eastside. ## Tooreencormick battle site The far northern slope of Mangerton was the site of a battle in 1262 between the Mac Cárthaigh (Gaelic forces, being the Kingdom of Desmond) and the FitzGeralds (Anglo-Norman forces, being the Geraldines), following the rout at the Battle of Callann Glen near Kilgarvan the previous year. The battle site is marked on the ordnance maps and also by a commemorative stone monument, and is known as Tooreencormick () after Cormac MacCarthy Reagh, who was killed during the clash (his brother Fínghin Mac Carthaigh had been killed at the Battle of Callann). Other notable knights including Gerald Roche, "the third best baron in Erin", were slain at Tooreencormick. Despite the losses, the battle is considered a MacCarthy success as the Anglo-Normans were kept out of South Kerry and West Cork (i.e. the Kingdom of Desmond), for the next three centuries. > In spite of such two-edged victories, the battle of Callann and Tuairin Cormaic, for good or for evil, effectually prevented the establishment of an Anglo-Norman rule in [The Kingdom of] Desmond. It is that owing to dissensions among the Irish tribes the earls of Desmond eventually ' overtopped them all ', but in the region from which they drew their title they had more of the character of a Celtic chief than of a feudal lord, and it was left to the more resolute Tudor statesman and ruthless Tudor generals to break down the clan-system there. ## List of peaks The MountainViews Online Database lists 26 Mangerton Mountain Group peaks more than 100 metres (330 ft) in height. ## See also - Lists of mountains in Ireland - List of mountains of the British Isles by height - List of Marilyns in the British Isles - List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland

Band on the Run (song)

1974 single by Paul McCartney and Wings

"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released as the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run. The song was released as a single in April 1974 in the US and in June 1974 in the UK, following the success of "Jet", and became an international chart success. The song topped the charts in the United States, also reaching number 3 in the United Kingdom. The single sold over one million copies in 1974 in America. It has since become one of the band's most famous songs. A medley of three distinct musical passages that vary in style, "Band on the Run" is one of McCartney's longest singles at 5:09. The song was partly inspired by a comment that George Harrison had made during a meeting of the Beatles' Apple record label. The song-wide theme is one of freedom and escape, and its creation coincided with Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr having parted with manager Allen Klein in March 1973, leading to improved relations between McCartney and his fellow ex-Beatles. The original demos for this and other tracks on Band on the Run were stolen shortly after Wings arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, to begin recording the album. With the band reduced to a trio consisting of McCartney, his wife Linda, and Denny Laine, "Band on the Run" was recorded at EMI's Lagos studio and completed at AIR Studios in London. ## Background In a 1973 interview with Paul Gambaccini, McCartney stated that the lyric "if we ever get out of here" was inspired by a remark made by George Harrison during one of the Beatles' many business meetings. McCartney recalled: "He was saying that we were all prisoners in some way [due to the ongoing problems with their company Apple] ... I thought it would be a nice way to start an album." McCartney added, referring to his inspiration for "Band on the Run": "It's a million things ... all put together. Band on the run – escaping, freedom, criminals. You name it, it's there." In a 1988 interview with Musician magazine, McCartney noted the drug busts experienced by musicians of the late 1960s and early 1970s as an inspiration for the "Band on the Run", also referencing the "desperado" image he attributed to bands like the Byrds and the Eagles as an influence. McCartney, who had been having legal trouble involving pot possession, said, "We were being outlawed for pot ... And our argument on ['Band on the Run'] was 'Don't put us on the wrong side ... We're not criminals, we don't want to be. So I just made up a story about people breaking out of prison.'" According to Mojo contributor Tom Doyle, the song's lyrics, recalled through memory following the robbery of the band's demo tapes for the Band on the Run album, were altered to reflect on the band's then-current status, "stuck inside the four walls of the small, cell-like studio, faced with grim uncertainty." "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five", the closing track of the Band on the Run album, concludes with a brief excerpt of the chorus. ### Composition "Band on the Run" is a three-part medley: the AllMusic writer Stewart Mason described the last and longest section as "an effortless mélange of acoustic rhythm guitars, country-ish slide fills, and three-part harmonies on the chorus" and compared its sound to that of California rock group Eagles. The lyrics of the entire song, however, are related: all based on the general theme of freedom and escape. Music critic Robert Christgau characterised the lyrical content of the song as "about the oppression of rock musicians by cannabis-crazed bureaucrats". ## Recording The original demo recording for "Band on the Run", as well as multiple other tracks from the album, was stolen from the McCartneys while Paul McCartney and Wings were recording in Lagos, Nigeria. Robbed at knifepoint, they relinquished the demos, only recovering the songs through memory. Paul McCartney later remarked, "It was stuff that would be worth a bit on eBay these days, you know? But no, we figured the guys who mugged us wouldn’t even be remotely interested. If they’d have known, they could have just held on to them and made themselves a little fortune. But they didn’t know, and we reckoned they’d probably record over them." The song was recorded in two parts, in different sessions. The first two were taped in Lagos, while the third section was recorded in October 1973 at AIR Studios in London. Orchestrator Tony Visconti was hired by McCartney, who liked his arrangements for T. Rex. Visconti was given three days to write arrangements for the whole album, including the 60-person orchestra for the title track. Visconti said that the arrangements were collaborations with McCartney, and was surprised he was not credited with his work until the 25th anniversary reissue. ## Release Originally, Paul McCartney planned not to release any singles from Band on the Run, a strategy he compared to that used by the Beatles. However, he was convinced by Capitol Records vice president Al Coury to release singles from the album, resulting in the single release of "Jet" and "Band on the Run". "Band on the Run", backed with "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five", was released in America on 8 April 1974 as the follow-up single to Paul McCartney and Wings' top-ten hit "Jet". The song was a smash hit for the band, becoming McCartney's third non-Beatles American chart-topping single, and the second with Wings. The single was later released in Britain (instead backed with "Zoo Gang", the theme song to the television show of the same name), reaching number 3 on the British charts. The song reached number 1 in both Canada and New Zealand. The song was also a top 40 single in multiple European countries, such as the Netherlands (number 7), Belgium (number 21), and Germany (number 22). The US radio edit was 3:50 in length. The difference was largely caused by the removal of the middle or the second part of the song, as well as the verse that starts with "Well, the undertaker drew a heavy sigh ..." The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. It was the second of five number-one singles for the band on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974, Billboard ranked it number 22 on its Top Pop Singles year-end chart. Billboard also listed the song as Paul McCartney's sixth most successful chart hit of all time, excluding Beatles releases. "Band on the Run" has also been featured on numerous McCartney/Wings compilation albums, including Wings Greatest, All the Best!, and Wingspan: Hits and History. The song is also performed in many of McCartney's live shows, with a live version being included on the 1976 live album Wings over America. In June 2022, one week after his 80th birthday, McCartney performed the song with Dave Grohl at the Glastonbury Festival. ## Videos An independent film produced by Michael Coulson, while he was a college student in the mid 1970s, was later included in The McCartney Years video compilation as well as the 2010 re-issue of the album Band on the Run. It served mostly as a tribute to the Beatles, featuring montages of still pictures from their career. Wings were not shown. The video ends with a collage of Beatles pictures much like the album cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 2014, a new video for "Band on the Run" was created. The video was designed by Ben Ib, an artist who created tour visuals for Paul McCartney (as well as Roger Waters and The Smashing Pumpkins) and the cover for Paul McCartney's 2013 solo album New. In the video, all of the objects, including the "band on the run" itself, are made up of words. ## Reception "Band on the Run" was praised by former bandmate and songwriting partner John Lennon, who considered it "a great song" from "a great album". In 2014, Billboard praised "Band on the Run" for having "three distinct parts that don't depend on a chorus yet still manage to feel anthemic." Cash Box said that the "excellent build to eventual power pitch, coupled with some fine music and vocals makes this another McCartney masterpiece." Record World said it "features changes galore, bringing a new dimension to top 40 radio." AllMusic critic Stewart Mason called the track "classic McCartney", lauding the song for "manag[ing] to be experimental in form yet so deliciously melodic that its structural oddities largely go unnoticed." Paul McCartney and Wings won the Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for "Band on the Run" at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards. NME ranked the song as the tenth best song of the 1970s, as well as the fifteenth best solo song by an ex-Beatle. In 2010, AOL Radio listeners voted "Band on the Run" the best song of McCartney's solo career. In 2012, Rolling Stone readers ranked the song as McCartney's fourth best song of all time, behind "Maybe I'm Amazed", "Hey Jude", and "Yesterday". Rolling Stone readers also ranked the song the fifth best solo Beatle song. ## Personnel - Paul McCartney – vocals, guitars, electric piano, bass and drums - Linda McCartney – synthesizers and electric piano - Denny Laine – lead guitar Additional personnel: - Tony Visconti – orchestrations ## Chart performance ### Weekly charts ### Year-end charts ## Certifications ## Cover versions Since its release, "Band on the Run" has been covered by multiple artists. Former Wings member Denny Laine released a version of "Band on the Run" on his 1996 album Wings at the Sound of Denny Laine. A cover version was recorded in 2007 by the rock band Foo Fighters as their contribution to the Radio 1: Established 1967 album; on 1 June 2008 McCartney was joined onstage by Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl for a special performance of the song in Liverpool. Grohl played guitar and sang backing vocals on "Band on the Run" and then played drums on Beatles songs "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "I Saw Her Standing There". A cover version by Heart was included on the 2014 tribute album The Art of McCartney. Owsley covers the song on a hidden track on his album The Hard Way.

Park Hall (Oswestry)

Football stadium in Shropshire, England

Park Hall Stadium is a football stadium to the north-east of Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was opened by Shropshire County Council in 1993, originally as the home of Oswestry Town. In 2003, Oswestry Town merged with Total Network Solutions F.C. (TNS) to form current Cymru Premier team The New Saints. The newly merged club moved to Park Hall from Total Network Solutions' Recreation Ground. Following a short period of abandonment, the site was purchased from the council by Mike Harris with a view to redevelopment and The New Saints moving back to the ground. The New Saints started to use Park Hall as their home ground again in 2007, and the ground was further improved so that it was able to host matches in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. It has since been used to host youth international fixtures for both England and Wales while also hosting Non-League football for community teams in Oswestry. Park Hall is also the name of the surrounding area, in Whittington civil parish, which has housing and some light industries. ## Oswestry Town and 2003 merger The stadium was originally the site of an army ground. Park Hall was built as a stadium in 1993 by Shropshire County Council who owned the land and permitted Oswestry Town to use it as their home ground in the League of Wales after they had sold off their Victoria Road stadium. However, due to the club's financial problems, the ground fell into disrepair. In 2003, Oswestry Town and Total Network Solutions F.C. (a Welsh club carrying the name of their sponsor, a local computer company) voted to merge. They entered into an agreement whereby the newly merged TNS would split matches between Park Hall and Total Network Solutions' Recreation Ground in Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, with a view to moving to Park Hall. In the meantime, the majority of matches were played at the Recreation Ground with Park Hall being used only occasionally by TNS' women's, youth and reserve teams. The move was initially blocked by UEFA because the two teams were in different countries. The two clubs appealed, and UEFA took into account Oswestry Town's historic membership of the Football Association of Wales. TNS director Richard Hann also argued the precedence of Derry City F.C. being based in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland but playing in the Republic of Ireland's League of Ireland and being allowed to represent the Republic of Ireland in UEFA competitions. The decision was overturned, and UEFA stated that they would regard TNS and Park Hall as Welsh for UEFA purposes if they moved to Park Hall. Park Hall was purchased from the council by Mike Harris with a view to renovating it. ## The New Saints Following the merger, plans were drawn up to rebuild Park Hall in a project referred to as "Oswald Park". In 2005, TNS started to rebuild Park Hall with a view to moving there in 2008 because they were unable to improve the Recreation Ground as it was a council-owned recreation ground. Shortly afterwards, Total Network Solutions renamed themselves The New Saints as their sponsorship deal lapsed due to the sponsoring company being bought out by British Telecom. During renovation, Park Hall's pitch was replaced with artificial Ligaturf, as used at the home ground of Red Bull Salzburg. As a result of The New Saints moving to Park Hall and the decreasing number of the team's players who were from Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, some supporters broke away from The New Saints to form Llansantffraid Village F.C. In 2007, The New Saints moved into Park Hall permanently. In 2010, The New Saints applied for funding for a new stand, but it was refused by Welsh Grounds Improvement and the team risked losing their licence to compete in the Welsh Premier League. As a result, The New Saints applied to play their home matches at Deva Stadium in Chester and move away from Park Hall. Following the move from the Recreation Ground, between November 2012 and July 2015, The New Saints were unbeaten at Park Hall in all competitions. Despite the renovations, the ground did not meet UEFA's standards for hosting European football which meant that The New Saints were forced to play their home matches in UEFA competitions away from Park Hall. In 2008, The New Saints hoped to be able to host their UEFA Cup match against FK Sūduva Marijampolė in their first European match at Park Hall, however they missed the UEFA deadline to increase capacity. In 2009, following construction of a new stand, Park Hall was able to be used by The New Saints in UEFA competition as it reached the 1,000 seated capacity requirement. The New Saints still sometimes move their home matches away from Park Hall for capacity and financial reasons. ## International and European football Park Hall has hosted international matches following its renovation. In 2015 it hosted Group 3 of the 2016 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship qualification tournament, where Wales were designated as the host nation and chose Park Hall despite it being in England. Park Hall was used by England schools' football team as their home ground for a match in April 2016 against the Republic of Ireland. Park Hall is also used to host European matches for other Welsh Premier League teams whose own grounds do not meet European requirements. Cefn Druids used the ground in 2018 to host a Europa League qualifier, and Bala Town played a Europa Conference League qualifying match at Park Hall on 8 July 2021. ## Community During redevelopment at a cost of more than £3 million, The New Saints were awarded a £445,000 grant from the Football Foundation with the intention of Park Hall housing a leisure development with improved facilities including a ten-pin bowling alley. Park Hall is also used as the home ground of Oswestry Boys Club and Oswestry Town Lions of the Shropshire Alliance.

Bixby's Back

"Bixby's Back" is the 14th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series, Modern Family and the 38th episode overall. It originally aired February 9, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The episode was written by Danny Zuker, and directed by Chris Koch. In the episode, Claire and Phil decide to reprise their role-playing adventure from the previous Valentine's Day episode, "My Funky Valentine". Jay's elaborate Valentine's surprise for Gloria keeps getting held up. An admirer comes between Cameron and Mitchell. "Bixby's Back" received generally mixed reviews from critics with many saying it was an inadequate sequel to "My Funky Valentine". Despite the mixed reviews, the episode was viewed by 13.16 million households, according to the Nielsen Media Research, and received a 5.1 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, tying the spot for highest-rated episode of the series at that time with "The Old Wagon" and "Halloween". It later became the most viewed scripted program of the week among 18- to 49-year-old adults. ## Plot At the Dunphy house, Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) decide to have a small dinner for Valentine's Day in order to avoid the disastrous results of the events of last year. Since they only could get a very early dinner reservation, Claire realizes that all the couples are elderly so she decides to bring back their characters from last year, Clive Bixby and Julianna. Julianna has Clive ditch his wife and meet her at their hotel. At the bar, Claire gives Phil the key to her room. While watching Claire walk way, Phil takes the wrong room key belonging to an older woman who was arranging her purse. He enters the wrong room, sprinkles rose petals on the bed, undresses, and waits on the bed with a bottle of champagne. The older woman then walks in after coming back from the bar. Back at the house, Phil and Claire decide to just act like themselves. Haley's (Sarah Hyland) boyfriend David blows her off to study for a big exam. Manny (Rico Rodriguez) expects to profit from Haley being free from both David and Dylan (Reid Ewing) and manages to convince Haley to send David a break-up email. She feels liberated for a brief moment but then her ex-boyfriend Dylan shows up with his band on a flatbed of a truck and he sings a love song to her. Haley rushes into Dylan's arms and thus Manny's hopes of wooing Haley are dashed. Meanwhile, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) suspects Mitchell's new assistant, Broderick (Jeremy Rowley), has a crush on Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), which he denies but secretly affirms. His suspicion is soon proven wrong when Broderick hugs Cameron in an elevator revealing that he is the real object of his desire. While eating dinner together, Cameron reveals this to Mitchell, who still believes Broderick has a crush on him. To see which one is right, the two go to Broderick's house, but after getting a text from Broderick which says he is quitting, the two decide it would be best if they never knew which one of them Broderick liked. Jay (Ed O'Neill) plans out a perfect Valentine's surprise for Gloria (Sofía Vergara). He hires a chef to prepare her a luxurious meal at their house, but must keep Gloria away while the chef is setting up. Jay takes Gloria to a great restaurant that she loves, with the intent to leave after pretending to find that his secretary had forgotten to make a reservation. Unfortunately his plan goes awry; at the restaurant there really is a reservation for two under the name Pritchett, so they have to stay much to Gloria's delight and Jay's flabbergasted anguish. Later, the reservation turns out to have been for Cameron and Mitchell, so the relieved and elated Jay and furious Gloria have to leave again. Back at their house, the two have a fight and Gloria refuses to go inside. She is so angry she wants to get in her car and take a drive to cool down. Jay has no choice but to carry the screaming Gloria into the house for her surprise dinner. When the two finally go into the house, however, Jay is stunned to find the house empty. Gloria goes to the garage to take her car out for her drive with Jay following. As the garage door opens we see the romantic surprise dinner is, for some reason, taking place in the garage. Gloria reveals that she had figured out Jay's secret plan, moved it to the garage, and bought him a new motorcycle which sits beside the dinner table. ## Production "Bixby's Back" was written by Danny Zuker, his sixth writing credit for the series. The episode was directed by Chris Koch, his third credit for the series. The episode is considered a sequel to the first season episode, "My Funky Valentine". Many plots of the episode were revealed before the episode's airdate by TV Guide writers Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams. It originally aired on February 9, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company. "Bixby's Back" was filmed between January 5, and January 17, 2011. The episode also featured the return of Reid Ewing's character, Dylan, after he broke up with Haley. Julie Bowen said in an interview with TV Guide at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards that, "This year's Valentine's Day episode is pretty insane, It's different than last year's. Clive and Julianna are back, but Clive is in the more compromising position this time instead of Julianna." ## Reception ### Ratings In its original American broadcast, "Bixby's Back" was viewed by an estimated 13.16 million viewers according to the Nielsen Media Research, and received a 5.1 rating/13% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 5.1% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 13% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode of Modern Family saw an increase of 9 percent from the previous episode, "Caught in the Act". The episode became the highest-rated episode of the series, tying with "The Old Wagon" and "Halloween". The episode also ranked first in its timeslot and became the second highest-rated program on Wednesday after American Idol. "Bixby's Back" was the most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49, and the ninth most-watched show among all viewers. ### Reviews "Bixby's Back" received mixed reviews from critics with many critics saying it didn't live up to its predecessor, "My Funky Valentine". The A.V. Club writer John Teti gave the episode a mixed review calling it "fine". Teti wrote that he felt like the producers "was doing Valentine’s Day [episode] out of obligation" and that the writers did not have a "great idea" for this episode like "My Funky Valentine". He ultimately gave the episode a B−. Entertainment Weekly writer Lesley Savage gave the episode a more positive review saying the cast "proved why they truly deserved the award in tonight's Valentine's Day themed episode." Rachael Maddux of New York magazine said the episode was a great sequel to "My Funky Valentine" calling it "a solid episode, start to finish". Meredith Blake of the Los Angeles Times said the episode was below the show's usual quality writing that "it didn't quite have the usual zing". CNN writer Henry Hanks gave the episode a more positive review and praised Ty Burrell's performance calling him the "MVP of the week". He later went on to criticize Mitchell and Cameron's sub-plot calling it "another sub-par storyline". Despite the mixed reviews, many praised Ty Burrell's performance. Teti praised both the writing and the acting in the bar scene writing that "There is a fantastic run of writing during Clive and Juliana’s rendezvous at the bar, as every smooth Clive Bixby utterance stumbles out of Phil’s mouth with just the right amount of awkwardness". Maddux called his performance "comedic mastery".

Edwin Donayre

Peruvian general (born 1952)

General Edwin Donayre (born January 8, 1952) is a Peruvian politician, a former Congressman and a retired military officer who is wanted by the police on corruption charges. Donayre previously served as Commanding General of the Peruvian Army, commander of the Center Military Region, the Southern Military Region, and the 2nd Infantry Brigade. He assumed the role of commanding general on December 5, 2006, replacing General César Reinoso, who resigned amid accusations of corruption. During his tenure, Donayre was accused of corruption and obstructing inquiries into human rights violations. He was also at the center of an international controversy when a video surfaced in the media showing him making anti-Chilean remarks at a private party. He retired on December 5, 2008, and was replaced by General Otto Guibovich. ## Military career Edwin Donayre was born on January 8, 1952, in the city of Ayacucho in the highlands of Peru. He attended San Juan Bosco school, a Salesian institution in his hometown, and studied at a seminary for two years before studying two years of Chemical Engineering at the San Cristóbal of Huamanga University. Donayre's military career started at the Chorrillos Military School, where his first year grades earned him a scholarship to continue his formation in Argentina. At the National Military College in Buenos Aires he graduated with honors as a military engineer. In active duty Donayre has served four times in regions under state of emergency due to Shining Path guerrilla activity and five times in frontier regions. He has held several command posts, among them commander of the 20th Combat Engineer Battalion, director of the Army Engineer School, commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, commander of the Southern Military Region, and commander of the Central Military Region. ## Commanding General Donayre's tenure as Commanding General of the army was controversial from the start due to corruption allegations and an international incident with Chile. Opposition leader Ollanta Humala criticized Donayre's designation as irregular because at that time he was not serving as general of any of the three major army divisions as stipulated by Peruvian law. As commander of the Army, Donayre was also accused of acquiring 50,000 American-made MREs — military rations — to supply troops deployed against Shining Path guerrillas in the Apurímac and Ene river valleys, instead of acquiring cheaper, locally-made alternatives. An attempt to buy 50,000 more rations led to an inquiry by the Ministry of Defense. The general's stance on human rights issues has also been quite controversial. It has been reported that he was behind the Army's refusal to provide any information on the 1984 Putis massacre. Requests issued in June 2008 by prosecutor Rubén López for a detailed report on the military personnel deployed there at that time were answered the following month by the Defense Ministry stating that the Army did not have any information on the subject in its archives. Donayre also joined a campaign to raise funds to defend armed forces personnel accused of committing human rights abuses during the internal conflict in Peru. ## Political career In the 2011 general elections, he presented himself as a candidate to Congress representing the Ayacucho Region. Although he received the highest vote in his region, he was not elected, since his Radical Change party was not able to pass the 5% electoral threshold. In the 2014 regional elections, he would once again try his hand in Peruvian politics by being a candidate for the Regional Presidency of Ayacucho by the Alliance for Progress Ayacucho party. Donayre ended up with almost 28% of the votes, surpassed only by his opponent, Wilfredo Oscorima, who would obtain 32% of the vote. In the 2016 general election, Edwin Donayre was elected as Congressman, representing the Ayacucho Region, running as independent within the Alliance for Progress party. ## Controversy ### Corruption charges According to a report by the army inspector general, Francisco Vargas, Donayre requested 80,000 gallons of fuel without clear justification when he was commander of the Southern Military Region, between January and September 2006, and diverted part of it to army headquarters in Lima. This led to an investigation by the anti-corruption prosecutor, Marlene Berrú, but, despite being summoned six times, Donayre did not show up at her office. He finally attended her request on November 25, 2008; in his testimony he denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the Southern Military Region actually received less fuel under his command than in the previous year. On August 27, 2018, Donayre was found guilty (along with 40 people) of the crime of peculation in the case of fuel trafficking. the second liquidation room of the Court of Justice of Lima sentenced him to five years and six months of effective prison. The court requests the lifting of immunity since he was serving as a Congressman and thus had parliamentary immunity. On May 2, 2019, with 102 votes in favor, 0 against and 1 abstention, the request to lift Donayre's parliamentary immunity was approved by Congress. The judicial police went in search of the former soldier in his residence located in Santiago de Surco but was not found although his lawyer mentioned to the media that he would hand himself over to justice in the next few hours. He is currently wanted by the Peruvian authorities. ### International controversy Donayre became the center of an international controversy on November 24, 2008, when Peruvian media showed a YouTube video in which the general said "We are not going to let Chileans pass by (...) [A] Chilean who enters will not leave. Or will leave in a coffin. And if there aren't sufficient coffins, there will be plastic bags". The video, dated to 2006 or 2007, was recorded during a party at a friend's house attended by army officials and civilians. These comments caused widespread indignation in Chile, making headlines in the El Mercurio newspaper. The Peruvian president, Alan García, called his Chilean counterpart, Michelle Bachelet, to explain that these remarks did not reflect official Peruvian policy. Bachelet declared herself satisfied with the explanations. On November 28, in response to this incident, a Chilean government spokesman stated that a scheduled visit to Chile by the Peruvian defense minister, Ántero Flores Aráoz, might be inopportune given the circumstances. The following day, Flores Aráoz announced his decision to postpone his trip after conferring with the Foreign Affairs Minister, José Antonio García Belaúnde. Several members of the Peruvian government commented on the spokesman's remarks including president García who said the country "did not accept pressure or orders from anybody outside of Peru". Donayre defended the video, declaring that Peruvian citizens have a right to say whatever they want at private gatherings and that even though he is scheduled to retire on December 5 he will not be forced to resign early under external pressure. As a consequence of these exchanges, tensions between Peru and Chile rose again; president Bachelet met with top aides on December 1 to discuss the matter and possible courses of action. Meanwhile, in Lima, Congressman Gustavo Espinoza became the center of attention as the main suspect of leaking the video to Chilean press and politicians. Donayre ended his tenure as Commanding General of the Army on December 5, 2008, as expected; president Alan García appointed General Otto Guibovich as his replacement. ## See also - Peruvian Army

SS Panaman

American cargo ship

SS Panaman was a cargo ship built in 1913 for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. The ship was sometimes incorrectly referred to as SS Panamanian. During World War I she was known as USAT Panaman in service for the United States Army and USS Panaman (ID-3299) in service for the United States Navy. Late in her career she was known as SS Marcella for the Italian government. She was built by the Maryland Steel Company as one of eight sister ships for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, and was employed in inter-coastal service via the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Panama Canal after it opened. In World War I, USAT Panaman carried cargo and animals to France under charter to the U.S. Army. When transferred to the U.S. Navy in August 1918, USS Panaman continued in the same duties, but after the Armistice, was converted to a troop transport and returned over 11,000 American troops from France. Returned to American-Hawaiian in 1919, Panaman resumed inter-coastal cargo service. During World War II, Panaman was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and initially sailed between New York and Caribbean ports, but with two trips to African ports mixed in. Beginning in mid 1943, Panaman sailed from New York or Boston to ports in the United Kingdom. In late 1946, she was sailing in the Pacific Ocean. In July 1947, American-Hawaiian sold Panaman to the Italian government. Renamed Marcella at that time, she was scrapped in September 1954 at Baltimore. ## Design and construction In November 1911, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company placed an order with the Maryland Steel Company of Sparrows Point, Maryland, for two new cargo ships—Panaman and Washingtonian. The contract cost of the ships was set at the construction cost plus an 8% profit for Maryland Steel, but with a maximum cost of \$640,000 each. The construction was financed by Maryland Steel with a credit plan that called for a 5% down payment in cash with nine monthly installments for the balance. Provisions of the deal allowed that some of the nine installments could be converted into longer-term notes or mortgages. The final cost of Panaman, including financing costs, was \$70.29 per deadweight ton, which came out to just over \$715,000. Panaman (Maryland Steel yard no. 128) was the first ship built under the contract. The ship was 6,535 gross register tons (GRT), and was 407 feet 7 inches (124.23 m) in length (between perpendiculars) and 53 feet 8 inches (16.36 m) abeam. She had a deadweight tonnage of , and her cargo holds, which had a storage capacity of 492,255 cubic feet (13,939.1 m³), were outfitted with a complete refrigeration plant so that she could carry perishable products from the West Coast—like fresh produce from Southern California farms—to the East Coast. Panaman had a single steam engine powered by oil-fired boilers that drove a single screw propeller at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h). ## Early career When Panaman began sailing for American-Hawaiian, the company shipped cargo from East Coast ports via the Tehuantepec Route to West Coast ports and Hawaii, and vice versa. Shipments on the Tehuantepec Route would arrive at Mexican ports—Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, for eastbound cargo, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, for westbound cargo—and would traverse the Isthmus of Tehuantepec on the Tehuantepec National Railway. Eastbound shipments were primarily sugar and pineapple from Hawaii, while westbound cargoes were more general in nature. Panaman sailed in this service on the west side of North America. After the United States occupation of Veracruz on 21 April 1914 (which found six American-Hawaiian ships in Mexican ports), the Huerta-led Mexican government closed the Tehuantepec National Railway to American shipping. This loss of access coupled with the fact that the Panama Canal was not yet open, caused American-Hawaiian to return in late April to its historic route of sailing around South America via the Straits of Magellan. With the opening of the Panama Canal on 15 August, American-Hawaiian ships switched to taking that route. In October 1915, landslides closed the Panama Canal and all American-Hawaiian ships, including Panaman, returned to the Straits of Magellan route again. Panaman's exact movements from this time through early 1917 are unclear. She may have been in the half of the American-Hawaiian fleet that was chartered for transatlantic service. She may also have been in the group of American-Hawaiian ships chartered for service to South America, delivering coal, gasoline, and steel in exchange for coffee, nitrates, cocoa, rubber, and manganese ore. ## World War I At some point after the United States declared war on Germany, the United States Army chartered Panaman for transporting pack animals to Europe in support of the American Expeditionary Force. Although there is no information about the specific conversion of Panaman, for other ships this typically meant that passenger accommodations had to be ripped out and replaced with ramps and stalls for the horses and mules carried. Details about Panaman's first two animal transport journeys are not known, but her third trip began 1 April 1918 when she sailed from Newport News, Virginia, with 180 animals for Saint-Nazaire. All 180 animals arrived in good health; none had died, fallen ill, or been injured during the trip. Further details of Panaman's Army service are not known. On 12 August, Panaman was transferred to the United States Navy at New York, and was commissioned into the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) the same day. Panaman was loaded with a cargo of general supplies, beef, and a deck-load of trucks and sailed in a convoy from New York on 21 September, arriving at its destination of Saint-Nazaire 6 days later. Back in New York on 7 October, Panaman was outfitted with 821 stalls for horses, and took on a load of horses, general cargo, and 78 officers and men. Sailing in her next convoy on 19 October, she reached Bordeaux on 6 November, five days before the Armistice. After sailing from France on 16 November, she arrived at Newport News eleven days later and underwent repairs. Panaman sailed on 8 December for New York, where the Board of Survey found her fit for conversion to a troop transport and transferred her from the (NOTS) to the Cruiser and Transport Force. Though sources do not indicate the specific modifications Panaman underwent, typical conversions for other ships included the installation of berths for troops, and adding greatly expanded cooking and toilet facilities to handle the large numbers of men aboard. Similar modifications on Panaman's sister ship Minnesotan took three months, but it is not known how long Panaman's refit took. After her conversion, she made six roundtrip voyages to France and brought home 11,393 American personnel. USS Panaman was decommissioned on 18 September 1919, and returned to American-Hawaiian the same day. ## Interwar years Panaman resumed cargo service with American-Hawaiian after her return from World War I service. Though the company had abandoned its original Hawaiian sugar routes by this time, Panaman continued inter-coastal service through the Panama Canal in a relatively uneventful career. Hints at cargos she carried during this time can be gleaned from contemporary news reports from the Los Angeles Times. In April 1923, for example, the newspaper ran a report provided by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce that went into great detail listing the contents of the 2,651,042-pound (1,202,492 kg) cargo that Panaman had unloaded. The items included items such as 90,372 pounds (40,992 kg) of iron conduit pipe, 73,486 pounds (33,333 kg) of paper towels and toilet tissue, and 40,873 pounds (18,540 kg) of canned hominy. In June 1926, the newspaper ran a photograph that showed the loading of a \$1,000 prize bull that was beginning its journey from Los Angeles Harbor to Guatemala City aboard Panaman. In 1940, Panaman made the news when eleven crewmen mutinied, according to the ship's captain. The ship was held up in San Diego for 18 hours because the men refused to obey the captain's orders. When an agreement brokered by Harry Lundeberg of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific was reached, the men followed orders to get the ship to Los Angeles where the union would attempt to settle the issue. But on arrival in Los Angeles Harbor, the ship was boarded by three FBI agents and two representatives of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. After interviewing the captain behind closed doors aboard the ship, the FBI turned the investigation over to the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, whose two investigators conducted a hearing for the eleven men. ## World War II After the United States entered World War II, Panaman was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and frequently sailed in convoys. Though complete records of her sailings are unavailable, partial records indicate some of the ports that Panaman visited during the conflict and some of the cargo. From August 1942 to April 1943, Panaman sailed primarily between New York and Caribbean ports, calling at Trinidad, Key West, Hampton Roads, and Guantánamo Bay. One exception to this pattern was in November 1942 when Panaman sailed on one roundtrip to Durban, South Africa, returning by way of Bahia. In late April 1943, Panaman sailed from Hampton Roads to Algiers and back, returning to the former in late June. Beginning in July, Panaman sailed from either Boston or New York to Halifax and Liverpool for some eight round trips between then and October 1944. Panaman also visited Belfast Lough in March 1944, Falmouth and Seine Bay in June, and Southampton and Belfast Lough again in July. In October, Panaman sailed from New York to Guantánamo Bay. According to personal letters sent from the Philippines by a crewman to family members, "Panaman" served in the Pacific Theater in the summer of 1945. ## Later career After the war's end, American-Hawaiian continued operating Panaman for about two more years. In December 1946, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that Panaman was speeding to Manila with two men ill with polio. The news article reported that the ship had one man die in Saigon from the disease two months prior. In July the following year, the company sold the Panaman to the Italian government. The ship operated under her new name of Marcella and remained in Italian hands until she was scrapped on 15 September 1954 at Baltimore.

OS MX3000

Electric multiple unit used on the Oslo Metro

MX3000 is an electric train used on Oslo Metro in Oslo, Norway. The multiple units are produced by Siemens Mobility, who started serial delivery in 2007. Seventy-eight three-car units were ordered by Sporveien, and five by Akershus County Municipality. They replaced the older T1000 and T1300 stock that was used on the Oslo Metro since 1966. By 2010, the last T1000 and T1300 trains had been retired and replaced by 83 three-car units. 32 additional sets were ordered, and the final train set was delivered in 2014, increasing the fleet to 115 units. The trains are built as 3-car units, though they often operate 2 coupled units in regular service. The units are 54.34 metres (178 ft 3 in) long, and weigh 98 tonnes (96 long tons; 108 short tons) empty. They have twelve 140-kilowatt (190 hp) traction motors, allowing speeds of 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph). Seated capacity is 138 seats, and total capacity is 493 passengers. The first series of 33 units were ordered in 2003, followed by an additional order for 30 in 2005, 15 in 2008, and 32 in December 2010. Financed by Oslo Package 2, each unit cost about . ## History In 1966, the Oslo Metro opened as an upgrade of two existing suburban tramways, the Østensjø- and Lambertseter Lines (Lines 3 and 4). By 1970, the system was supplemented by the Grorud- and Furuset Lines. They only operated to the eastern suburbs. In 1987, the system was expanded to connect to the western network, that remained a suburban tramway with overhead wires, two-car platforms and an inferior signaling system. In 1993, the Sognsvann Line was converted to metro standard, with the Røa Line following two years later. When the order for the MX3000 trains was placed, the Kolsås- and Holmenkoll Lines still used overhead wires, and would not be able to use the new stock. Both systems were at the time being considered for conversion to light rail systems, that would connect to the Lilleaker- and Ullevål Hageby Line, respectively. The old fleet of T1000 and T1300 consisted of 195 cars in eight series. The T1000 was the original series delivered between 1966 and 1978, while the T1300 was a later adoption built until 1987. The T1000 series had only a third rail shoe, while the T1300 also had a pantograph, and could be used on the Kolsås- and Holmenkoll Lines. In 1995, six two-car T2000 units were delivered for the Holmenkoll Line. They were, at the time, proposed as a possible replacement for all the T1000 and T1300 stock, but were prone to technical problems. They featured both third rail shoes and pantographs. In 1996, the work to establish a financing package for new investments in public transport in Akershus and Oslo started. It was passed, in 2001, by the city and county councils, as well as the Norwegian Parliament. Oslo Package 2 allowed municipal and state grants to be supplemented by increased fare and toll road revenue to finance, among other things, new trains for the metro. The initial order by Oslo Sporveier was for 33 units (or 99 cars), and was approved by the board on 28 June 2003. The initial order cost NOK 1.6 billion, and included options for further orders. Five other manufactures had been rejected during the procurement process. Combined with other investments in the network, the new trains will allow faster travel times on the metro. In 2005, the city council voted to replace all existing T1000 and T1300 stock with the MX3000, increasing the quantity by another 30 units. With the second order, the price had increased to NOK 2.5 billion. Two test units were delivered in October 2005, and the serial production started in April 2006, with the first deliveries in April 2007. With the delivery of the new trains, Oslo Sporveier received criticism that they had been disloyal to the old red color of the metro, and that they did not follow up on their former design concept from the 1960s through the 80s. During the first 30 days, two errors occurred: one in the closing mechanism of the doors, and one with a switch in the cab that was not water tight. However, it turned out that Oslo Sporveier had not been accurate enough in specifying the energy consumption of the trains, and the rectifiers on parts of the line needed to be upgraded to supply sufficient power to the trains. During 2007, there were four incidents where the trains were not able to brake at stations. The worst incident occurred when a train slid 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) from Blindern down to Majorstuen. Following the 2006 decision to convert the Kolsås Line to metro standard, Akershus County Council announced that they would order five units. In November 2006, the city government proposed that the maintenance of the new trains be privatized. This resulted in protests from the employees, who performed a partial strike by refusing to work overtime. As a result, after a few weeks, the company lacked 57 trains to provide adequate service. The issue was solved when the socialist opposition parties along with the Liberal Party agreed to postpone the matter until after all the new trains were delivered in 2009. As part of the agreement, a new limited company, Oslo Vognselskap, wholly owned by Sporveien, would take ownership of all metro trains and trams used by the operating companies Oslo T-banedrift and Oslo Sporvognsdrift, the latter being the operator of the tramway. Responsibility for the debt accumulated after buying the trains was to be managed by Oslo Vognselskap, while operation and management of the maintenance contracts was transferred to Oslo T-banedrift. In January 2008, an additional 15 units were ordered by Oslo Municipality, with an option for further orders later. This would allow all the eastern lines to have a 7-minute-30-second headway on their services into the city center, instead of the current 15-minute headway. Trains would start using the balloon loop located at Stortinget, and the western lines would continue to have a 15-minute headway. Additionally, the trains serving the Ring Line were extended to six cars, with a double train set. The order cost NOK 675 million. In addition, Akershus finalized their order for five units, costing NOK 240 million. Unlike the Oslo-owned units, Akershus' five units are owned by the transit authority Ruter. The same year, the city council in Oslo decided to upgrade the Holmenkoll Line to metro standard, to allow six-car MX3000 trains to be the main mode of transport to Holmenkollen during the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011. This allowed 9,000 people per hour to be transported to the sports venue. In 2009, the T2000 units were taken out of service, and on 22 April 2010 the last T1300 was taken out of service, making the MX3000 the only units in traffic on the Oslo Metro. The city council was considering ordering 15 additional MX3000 to replace the T2000, as an alternative for a NOK 50-million renovation. In November 2010, the Accident Investigation Board Norway criticized the braking system of the trains. In 2009, there were 83 incidents where trains with locked wheels slid down steep sections of track. The Accident Investigation Board found that the metro had conducted insufficient testing of the braking system on steep slippery lines, had not adjusted the brakes satisfactorily, and had not maintained the trains and tracks sufficiently. In December 2010, Oslo Vognselskap ordered another 32 three-car units, bringing the total order up to 115 three-car units. The last trains would be delivered by 2012. There was political disagreement regarding the final purchase, with the Liberal Party and socialist opposition securing a majority for the purchase, while the right-winged parties voted to order 19 units. The extra trains will make it possible to run all lines except the Holmenkollen Line (Line 1) with six-car lines, compared to a situation with only three-car trains on the Lambertseter Line, the Ring Line and the Kolsås Line (lines 4, 5 and 3) would only use three-car trains. ## Specifications The MX3000 is a three-car electric multiple unit built exclusively for the Oslo Metro by Siemens in Vienna, Austria. It is a modification of trains used on the Vienna U-Bahn. The units are designed by Porsche Design Studio. Unlike the red predecessors, the trains are painted white with black and grey detailing. The chassis is in aluminum. A three-car train is 54.34 meters (178 ft 3 in) long; the end cars are 18.21 meters (59 ft 9 in) long each, while the center car is 17.92 meters (58 ft 10 in) long. The cars are 3.16 meters (10 ft 4 in) wide and 3.68 meters (12 ft 1 in) tall. An empty three-car unit weighs 98 tonnes (96 long tons; 108 short tons), while it with full payload weighs 147 tonnes (145 long tons; 162 short tons). This gives a maximum axle load of 12.5 tonnes (12.3 long tons; 13.8 short tons). Each three-car unit has 138 seats, and a total capacity of 493 passengers. The height of the floor is 1.12 meters (3 ft 8 in) above the track, allowing step-free access to the platforms. There are three doors on each side of each car, measuring 1,300 millimeters (51 in) wide and 1,960 millimeters (77 in) high. Unlike the older T1000 trains, the triple-car configuration allows passengers to walk between the cars. Combined with a better spatial design, it reduces the feeling of crowding. The MX3000 also introduced air conditioning in the driver's cab. The units run either in single configuration (with three cars) or in multiple (with six cars). Each car is equipped with four three-phase asynchronous 140-kilowatt (190 hp) motors, giving each three-car unit a power output of 1,680 kilowatts (2,250 hp). In each car, the four motors are fed by the car's own insulated-gate bipolar transistor. They transform the 750 volt direct current collected from the third rail shoe to the three-phase alternating current used in the motors. The frequency and amplitude of the current fed to the engines varies depending on the train's speed. The MX3000 introduced regenerative brakes, that allow the electromagnetic brakes to feed power back to the power supply when braking. In addition, there is a back-up disc brake on each axle. Acceleration in the range 0 to 40 kilometers per hour (0 to 25 mph) is limited to 1.3 meters per second squared (4.3 ft/s²). In this phase, the fully loaded train uses 5.0 kiloampere. For use in areas without a third rail, such as at depots, the trains are equipped with a 110 V battery. This removes the need for shunting at the depots, and makes maintenance more cost efficient. Energy usage is reduced by 30%, estimated to save the operating company NOK 13 million per year, compared to using the old stocks. There are two bogies per car, each with two axles. The wheel diameter is 850 millimeters (33 in) for new wheels, and 770 millimeters (30 in) when fully worn-down. The center distance between the bogies is 11.00 meters (36 ft 1 in). The primary suspension is steel coil spring between the axles and the bogies, with a secondary air suspension between the frame and the bogies. The latter, which the MX3000 was the first to use on the metro, gives reduced noise, better comfort and makes it possible to adjust the height with changed passenger weight. The units are controlled by a distributed system connected by a double multifunction vehicle bus. It has two vehicle control units, that monitor and control all main functions of the train; in addition, there are systems for controlling the brakes, traction, doors, ventilation, passenger information system and compressor. Like the older stock, the train's speed is controlled by an automatic train protection (ATP) system. The speed codes are transferred from the ATP points in the infrastructure, using 75 hertz pulses in the tracks. The trains pick up the signals via antennas. The speed codes are 15 km/h (9.3 mph), 30 km/h (19 mph), 50 km/h (31 mph) and 70 km/h (43 mph). They are informed to the engineer via signals in the driver's cab; in addition, the system will automatically reduce the speed, should the limit be exceeded. The driver can put the trains in an automatic mode, where the train itself adjusts the trains speed to the speed limit. The driver is always responsible for starting and halting the train at stations. The driver's cabs are more ergonomic than in the T1000, and the mirrors to monitor the platforms have been replaced with cameras and screens. ## Formation The MX3000 carriage numbers range from 3x01–3x99 (first 99 sets) and continued with 3x100–3x115 upon delivery of the 100th set. Many of the train sets have also been given a girls' name.

North Carolina Highway 54

State highway in North Carolina, US

North Carolina Highway 54 (NC 54) is a 55.0-mile-long (88.5 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway serves the Research Triangle area, between Burlington and Raleigh, connecting the cities and towns of Chapel Hill, Durham, Morrisville and Cary. The highway also links the campuses of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. NC 54 runs from US 70 in Burlington along Chapel Hill Road through the downtown area of Graham. Turning to the southeast the route runs through some of the outskirts of Burlington before moving through a predominantly rural area. Approaching Chapel Hill, the highway follows the NC 54 "Bypass" around the town and runs concurrently with US 15/US 501 until reaching Raleigh Road. At Raleigh Road, NC 54 continues to the east crossing I-40 and running through the outskirts of Durham. The road parallels I-40 as it enters into Research Triangle Park. From Morrisville, NC 54 follows Chapel Hill Road until reaching the downtown area of Cary where it uses Maynard Road as a bypass. On the eastern side of Cary, NC 54 turns back onto Chapel Hill Road and follows the road until reaching Hillsborough Street near Raleigh. At Hillsborough Street, NC 54 turns to the east to follow the street through west Raleigh and along the NC State Fairgrounds. The highway ends at I-440/US 1 west of downtown Raleigh. NC 54 first appeared as an original state highway running from NC 75 in Pittsboro to Moncure. However, by 1928 the route was recommissioned as a secondary road which remains today as Moncure Pittsboro Road. The current NC 54 was signed in 1929 from Graham to US 70 south of Durham. In 1930 it was further extended through Rockingham to the Virginia border, however in 1940 much of that routing was renumbered as NC 87. The route was further extended in 1953 where it ran concurrent along US 70A until reaching US 1 in Cary. The Chapel Hill Bypass was completed in 1956 and NC 54 was rerouted from its downtown Chapel Hill routing to the new bypass. The last major change to the routing occurred in 1963 when NC 54 was extended along Hillsborough Street to the then-new US 1 freeway (present day I-440). ## Route description ### Burlington to Chapel Hill NC 54 east begins in western Burlington at the intersection of US 70/NC 62 (Church Street) and Chapel Hill Street. This intersection is a right-in/right-out intersection with US 70 eastbound; access to and from westbound US 70 is provided through South O'Neal Street. NC 54 is also signed along this sub-500-yard (460 m) segment of O'Neal Street. NC 54 follows Chapel Hill Road to the intersection of NC 49/NC 100 (Maple Avenue) in downtown Graham. NC 54 joins NC 49 north on Harden Street through downtown. The route roughly parallels I-40 to the south as it enters into the downtown area of Graham. NC 49/NC 54 turns to the northeast before intersecting NC 87 (West Elm Street). After the intersection, the road turns east and follows along a concurrency with NC 49 and NC 87. NC 87 turns off at Main Street in downtown Graham. Three blocks to the east, NC 49 exits at East Elm Street. NC 54 begins its turn southeast and crosses I-40/I-85 at its exit 148. NC 54 remains on Harden Street until it crosses the Haw River and is known from that point solely as NC 54. After crossing the Haw River, NC 54 remains relatively parallel to the river. The route passes east of Swepsonville, where it also passes by a country club along with a large manufacturing plant. Immediately after passing the plant, the road intersects the southern terminus of NC 119 at an intersection with East Main Street. After the intersection the road turns more toward the east and runs through an area which is primarily rural with multiple neighborhoods surrounding the route. After passing through the unincorporated community of Oaks, the road makes a gradual turn from its southeastern direction towards an eastern direction. Several farms lie adjacent to the road as most of the neighborhoods dissipate. NC 54 finishes its eastern turn as it enters another unincorporated community, White Cross. The route briefly turns northeasterly, then turns back to a gradual southeastern direction after passing by a quarry. As the road nears Carrboro, several neighborhoods and businesses are found adjacent to the highway. Before intersecting Old Fayetteville Road, the highway begins to widen from a two-lane road, to a four-lane divided highway. The highway passes by a strip mall immediately after passing Old Fayetteville Road, and intersects Main Street before turning to the south. NC 54 follows a limited access highway known as the NC 54 Bypass, along the south side of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. The highway has diamond interchanges at Jones Ferry Road, South Greensboro Street, and South Columbia Street, where NC 86 has its southern terminus and US 15/US 501 joins NC 54. The road becomes Fordham Boulevard, where the highway begins to turn north to head toward Durham. ### Chapel Hill to Morrisville NC 54 exits east on Raleigh Road on the east side of Chapel Hill. Multiple strip malls and neighborhoods are located adjacent to the route as it heads southeast towards Durham. After passing by a developed area east of Chapel Hill, the route turns east and becomes the Nelson-Chapel Hill Highway, a divided highway connecting Fordham Boulevard and I-40. The route crosses I-40 at a partial cloverleaf interchange. After an intersection with Leigh Farm Road, the road narrows to a two-lane road and continues east toward Durham. As NC 54 approaches NC 751 (Hope Valley Road), it widens again to a four-lane road with a turning lane. Once reaching Hope Valley Road, a group of stores are found congregated around the intersection. The road has another immediate intersection with Garrett Road and then begins a slow turn toward the southeast before turning back into a two-lane road and completing its southeasterly turn. After passing Rollingwood Drive, the road again widens up to a four-lane road. Several shopping centers appear as the road nears an intersection with Fayetteville Road. Directly after the intersection, the road narrows back down to a two-lane road and passes under I-40 at a diagonal. The route somewhat parallels the freeway and forms the northern border for the Wellington Forest neighborhood. The route briefly widens at the intersection of Barbee Road before passing by several houses and a park. Just before reaching NC 55 (Apex Highway), NC 54 once again widens to a four-lane road. Passing NC 55, the road crosses a railroad track before entering into Research Triangle Park. Several office buildings are found both adjacent to and along roads that branch off of NC 54. The road intersects TW Alexander Drive before crossing over NC 147 (Triangle Expressway). NC 54 approaches South Miami Boulevard after crossing under another railroad. At the intersection, NC 54 turns right to follow Miami Boulevard to the south towards Cary. Miami Boulevard crosses Page Road and passes by several office buildings and stores. At Surles Court, the road makes a shift to turn more toward the east, directly paralleling the railroad NC 54 previously crossed under. An interchange with NC 540 marks the road's entrance into Morrisville and the road's name change to Chapel Hill Road. ### Morrisville to Raleigh Chapel Hill Road begins by running through a primarily residential area of Morrisville. However, after passing McCrimmon Parkway, the area shifts to more industrial-style commerce, including several warehouses. The road intersects Airport Boulevard, which provides access to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The road runs directly through the middle of Morrisville at intersections with Aviation Parkway/Morrisville Carpenter Road. As Chapel Hill Road bears further to the east, the highway splits from the railroad track that it had been previously running alongside of. Entering into Cary, the road serves as access to the Park West Village Shopping Center and the surrounding apartment complexes. Briefly after intersecting Northwest Cary Parkway, the road narrows back down from a four-lane road to a two-lane road. Continuing further, the road meets back up with the railroad that it had previously broken away from and roughly begins to parallel it again. Chapel Hill Road makes a turn towards the east to meet up with Maynard Road. At the intersection, NC 54 turns left to follow along Maynard Road to the east. The four-lane road passes by West Cary Middle School and Robert Godbold Park before entering into a mixed residential/commercial section north of the center of Cary. Continuing east along Maynard Road, the highway runs along a residential area north of downtown Cary. The road turns toward the southeast and meets up with Reedy Creek Road. Maynard Road meets back up with Chapel Hill Road on the eastern side of downtown Cary. NC 54 turns left onto Chapel Hill Road to continue heading east towards Raleigh. Chapel Hill Road intersects Trinity Road briefly before meeting I-40 at exit 290. Entering into Raleigh, the road name continues as Chapel Hill Road. Chapel Hill Road intersects the southern terminus of Edwards Mill Road, providing access to Carter-Finley Stadium and the PNC Arena. Briefly after the intersection, NC 54 widens to a four-lane divided road and continues that way until reaching Hillsborough Street. At the intersection, NC 54 continues east onto Hillsborough Street and once again closely parallels the same railroad. NC 54 provides multiple accesses to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds before intersecting Blue Ridge Road. Continuing east, NC 54 runs along the south side of NC State's Centennial Biomedical Campus. NC 54 reaches its eastern terminus at I-440/US 1 at exit 3, a folded diamond interchange. Hillsborough Street continues east to access NC State's North Campus and Downtown Raleigh. ## History The routing for the original NC 54 was included on the 1916 map of the planned state highway system in North Carolina. However, NC 54 was not officially marked on any state highway maps until 1924; it was routed from NC 75 in Pittsboro southeast to NC 50 in Moncure, connecting the town to US 1. By 1929, the first NC 54 was decommissioned and was redesignated as a secondary road. At the same time, NC 54 was signed along a new routing beginning at US 70/NC 10 in Graham and running along its current routing to US 70/NC 10 in Nelson. In 1930, the route was extended north to Virginia. NC 54 was placed onto a concurrency with NC 100 to Burlington, where it then followed a new routing through Ossipee to NC 703 near Thompsonville. The road followed along a brief concurrency with NC 703 to the west into Thompsonville, where it then was extended back onto a new routing north to Reidsville. It then replaced NC 709 north to the Virginia border. By 1940 the routing of NC 54 north of Graham was replaced by NC 87. The route was then extended along a section of NC 93 to connect with US 70 on the western side of Burlington. NC 54 was extended along US 70A between 1952 and 1953, and then placed onto Chapel Hill Road to Cary where it ended at US 1. By 1955, NC 54 was placed from its routing through downtown Chapel Hill along its current bypass around Carrboro and Chapel Hill. The previous routing was signed as NC 54A and, by 1959, became NC 54 Business before being decommissioned in 1985. The route was extended along Hillsborough Street by 1963 to US 1, which later became Interstate 440. Between 2000 and 2002, NC 54 was routed onto the northern loop of Maynard Road around Cary. ## Future Currently, the town of Morrisville is building an extension to McCrimmon Parkway along the eastern side of NC 54 and the center of town. The road, which is scheduled to be completed between 2018 and 2021, would serve as a bypass NC 54, which is mostly two lanes through the town. However, there has been no official word from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) if the highway will be routed onto McCrimmon Parkway. In October 2015, the towns of Cary and Morrisville held a joint meeting over the future of NC 54 between the towns. NC 54 currently has 16,000 to 20,000 vehicles using the road each day. By 2040, the towns project that nearly 45,000 vehicles will be using the road daily. NCDOT, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Town of Morrisville teamed up on the study of the six-mile (9.7 km) corridor from NC 540 to Maynard Road. Ideally, the road would become a four- to six-lane superstreet from the Durham County line southeast into Cary. Besides the study, the NCDOT has yet to allocate money to make improvements to NC 54. ## Major intersections ## Related route North Carolina Highway 54 Alternate (NC 54A) was a renumbering of NC 54 through Carrboro (via Main Street) and Chapel Hill (via Franklin Street, Columbia Street, South Road and Raleigh Road). The route was commissioned in 1955 after NC 54 was shifted from its downtown Chapel Hill routing to the new Carrboro and Chapel Hill bypass. NC 54A served as a connection into Chapel Hill and to the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The route was redesignated NC 54 Business (NC 54 Bus.) in 1959. In 1985, the route was decommissioned and became secondary streets.

Rebel Heart (song)

2015 song by Madonna

"Rebel Heart" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her thirteenth studio album of the same name (2015). Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song with Avicii, Arash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Magnus Lidehäll and Vincent Pontare. An early demo of "Rebel Heart" as well as the final version, both leaked to the internet prior the album's scheduled release. The final version was made available on March 6, 2015 when Rebel Heart was released. While the demo was a dance song, the album version of "Rebel Heart" is acoustic and composed in a major key. The recording was generally well received by music critics, who admired the autobiographical nature of the composition where Madonna acknowledges her musical legacy. The song was included on the set list of the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016), where Madonna performed it in front of a backdrop displaying fan art. She also performed it during a concert in support of Hillary Clinton. ## Background and release For working her thirteenth studio album, Madonna enlisted a large team of songwriters and producers. In March 2014, she uploaded a photo on her Instagram account of a sunset, along with the words "Rebel Heart" and the caption "Day turns into night. I wont give up the fight. Don't want to get to the end of my days... saying I Wasn't amazed! \#revolutionoflove", which prompted speculation that she was preparing to release a new album or single. In mid 2014, she uploaded a picture that revealed her playing the guitar alongside Swedish electronic musician Avicii. In November 2014, the demo of a song called "Rebel Heart" leaked onto the internet, resulting in Madonna taking to Instagram and posting a picture of a smashed iPod and explaining, "This broken ipod is a symbol of my broken heart! That my music has been stolen and leaked! I have been violated as a human and an artist! \#fuckedupshit". She described the situation as "terrorism" and a form of "artistic rape". The unintended leaks led the singer to release six completed tracks through iTunes as a pre-order for the album on December 20, 2014. The album, also titled Rebel Heart, was leaked online in its entirety on February 3, 2015, more than a month in advance to its scheduled release. The final version was subsequently released only on the deluxe and super deluxe editions of the album on March 6, 2015. ## Recording and composition The final version of "Rebel Heart" included in the album was changed drastically from the leaked demo, by incorporating an acoustic sound. It was written by Madonna with Avicii, Arash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Magnus Lidehäll and Vincent Pontare and was produced by all of them, except Pournouri. It is sung in a major key, starting off with bright, upbeat guitar sounds according to Amy Pettifer of The Quietus. The song's instrumentation consists of finger claps and a violin. In the autobiographical lyrical content, Madonna acknowledges her legacy in the music business, singing lines like "Hell yeah, this is me, Right where I'm supposed to be", followed by the chorus. According to Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, "Rebel Heart" hearkens back to the folk-rock music Madonna had done in the past, but differs due to the usage of finger claps and some "brisk strings". Kot found that with the lyrics "addressing character flaws and missteps with unprecedented candor, [the singer] suggests how a onetime provocateur can mature and still remain interesting, if not remain at the center of pop culture as she once was." Calling it the album's "most successful pop moment", Evan Sawdey from PopMatters observed that Madonna made numerous references to her past with the lyrics. He listed instances like Madonna's strained relationship with her father, to the singer's narcissistic image in the media. Sawdey also believed that instead of being "self-referential", the lyrics rather portrayed a more humane side of the singer. ## Critical reception "Rebel Heart" received positive reviews from music critics. Pettifer wrote: "The last song on the album feels like the first to properly spring into aural life in an unapologetically major key [...] The song relates the story of its singer — who she was and how she became who she is – which is really the record's underlying conceit". Pettifer also wrote that the lyrics were "more auto-biographical and therefore more interesting". Bradley Stern, an editor and publisher for MuuMuse, also praised the song's autobiographical lyrics; "The message is sincere, vulnerable and undoubtedly true to Madonna's story, the music is strong and that chorus is utterly anthemic. Madonna hasn’t had a truly rich, singer-songwriter, sing-along friendly record in a while — maybe since Music? — so it's kind of unbelievable to hear such a strong melody from the Queen again". He called it "one of her best songs in a long time". Stern preferred the leaked demo over the final original version. Rolling Stone's Caryn Grant wrote that "the album is at its strongest when Madonna shoves everyone to the side and just tells it to us straight. So it's fitting that she wraps up the deluxe edition with the title track [...] Deep down, she does have a rebel heart — and you can't fault her for reminding us that pop music is all the better for it". Of the leaked demo, Daniel Welsh from The Huffington Post, wrote that "it's taken the best parts of Avicii's sound and blended them with Madonna, rather than giving us an ear-assaulting "Avicii feat. Madonna" number about 'putting your drinks up' and 'getting down on the floor'". Spin said it was the singer's "sweetest melody since 'What It Feels Like for a Girl', with her register dropped an octave or two until it resembles the Liz Phair of 2005's (underrated) Somebody's Miracle". Q magazine called it a "movingly autobiographical title track, where Madonna reflects at length on her career and her motivation. It makes you wonder what she thinks she has to prove in 2015 with a song like 'Bitch I'm Madonna' when she proved it all and we’ve been paying attention for years". In 2018, Billboard picked it as the singer's 72nd greatest song, calling it "a sentimental sing-along that looks back on her bumpy road to stardom, adding some shrugged-off self-awareness ("I spent some time as a narcissist...trying to be so provocative/ I said, 'Oh yeah, that was me'") to keep things from getting too schmaltzy". ## Live performances The song was included on the setlist of the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016). It closed the show's third segment and featured Madonna, dressed in a gypsy inspired dress created by Alessandro Michele for Gucci, consisting off a shawl, flamenco hat, lace, skirts and jacquard bodysuit, playing the acoustic guitar while the backdrop screens depicted a morph of fan art depicting many images of the singer throughout time. Madonna had previously launched an online contest calling her fans to submit their art for a digital gallery; those chosen winners would have their work displayed as backdrops during the tour. Jordan Zivitz from the Montreal Gazette, wrote that "In the concert's second category, none stood out more than Rebel Heart's uplifting title track, presented as a statement of identity and gratitude". Conversely, Joshua Ostroff from The Huffington Post found that only few people could sing-along to the track on the tour, thereby proving that the new songs from the album had not connected with the audience. The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour (2017). On November 7, 2016, Madonna performed "Rebel Heart" as part of an impromptu acoustic concert at Washington Square Park in support of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. ## Credits and personnel Credits and personnel adapted from Madonna's official website. ### Management - Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP) / EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI) o/b/o EMI Music Publishing Scandinavia AB (STIM) - Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI) o/b/o Sony/ATV Music Publishing Scandinavia AB (STIM) / Universal Polygram International (ASCAP) o/b/o Universal Music Publishing AB (STIM) - Warner-Tamerlane Pub Corp. o/b/o itself and Papa George Music (BMI) / Please Gimme My Publishing c/o EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI)/Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI). ### Personnel - Madonna – vocals, songwriter, producer - Tim Bergling – songwriter, producer - Tommy Brown – songwriter - Demacio "Demo" Castellon – engineer, audio mixer - Salem Al Fakir – songwriter - Noah Goldstein – engineer, audio mixer - Magnus Lidehäll – songwriter - Zeke Mishanec – additional recording - Vincent Pontare – songwriter, additional backing vocals - Ron Taylor – additional PT editing

Sorry Mrs. Carter

"Sorry Mrs. Carter" is a song recorded by American rapper Liv. The song was released on August 4, 2014, through her YouTube and SoundCloud accounts. Promoted as an "open letter" to American singer Beyoncé, Liv wrote and recorded the song in response to Nicki Minaj's remix of the single "Flawless" (2013). It is an uptempo, hip hop song with lyrics that revolve around Liv's alleged relationship with rapper Jay Z and Beyoncé's image as a wife and role model. The track's lyrical content portrays Liv as the victim of Jay Z's advances and the object of Beyoncé's jealousy. "Sorry Mrs. Carter" has received primarily negative feedback from critics, who found its message to be confusing, and viewed it as a marketing ploy. In the single's accompanying music video, Liv raps the lyrics while wearing risqué clothing. The video had over two million views in less than a week after its release. "Sorry Mrs. Carter" was listed by HipHopDX in the top ten of the most popular hip hop singles for two weeks in 2014. ## Background American rapper Liv self-released "Sorry Mrs. Carter" on August 4, 2014 through her YouTube and SoundCloud accounts. She wrote the song as an "open letter" to American singer Beyoncé. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Liv explained that the she recorded the song and its accompanying music video after hearing the remix of Beyoncé's single "Flawless" (2013) featuring Nicki Minaj. Liv uploaded her song shortly after the release of the "Flawless" remix. Prior to the single's release, tabloids had frequently identified Liv as Jay Z's mistress. Despite being phrased as an apology, the song was described as a diss track against Beyoncé by media outlets. Liv had previously criticized other celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar, in her series of songs entitled "The Invasion". Bryan Goldberg of Bustle wrote that "The Invasion" portrays Liv as pursuing a "quest to dominate the hip-hop world and vanquish all of the celebrities she hates." ## Composition and lyrics "Sorry Mrs. Carter" is an uptempo, hip hop song that lasts three minutes and 44 seconds. It features a sample from Outkast's single "Ms. Jackson" (2000). Tim Surrette of TV Guide noted that the song heavily relies on the sample. In the lyrics, Liv details her alleged relationship with rapper Jay Z. She also criticizes Beyoncé as a poor wife and role model for young women. Throughout the song, she portrays herself as a victim of Jay Z's flirtations and Beyoncé's jealousy. According to HipHopDX, the track consists of "sharp-edged criticism" towards both artists. The song opens with spoken word prelude, which includes: "I was gonna respect you, but since you crossed over into my lane, it's time to check it." The lyrics contain references to Jay Z's songs "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" (2000), "99 Problems" (2004), and "Girls, Girls, Girls" (2001), as well as Beyoncé's "Flawless", "Run the World (Girls)" (2011), "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008), and "Drunk in Love" (2013). Liv also alludes to rumors that Jay Z had a relationship with British singer Rita Ora. On the track, the rapper denies having an affair with Jay Z, but claims they share an emotional intimacy by rapping lyrics such as "F–k f–king to the top, me and Jay never screwed" and "We were attracted like magnets, us crossing paths was no accident." During the chorus, she sings "Sorry Mrs. Carter, this is for real" before criticizing Beyoncé's influence on women; the lyrics include, "Why don't you tell these girls how to be wives? Why don't tell these girls how to act around yo' husband?" The song ends with a second spoken word section, in which Liv advances that she could replace Beyoncé and says: "The invasion has begun." ## Critical reception "Sorry Mrs. Carter" received primarily negative responses from music critics upon its release. Courtney Carter of The Huffington Post cited the song and its music video as examples of society's glorification of the side chick. She criticized Liv for promoting an alleged encounter with a married man as "her claim to fame" and "claim to self-esteem." TV Guide's Tim Surette described Liv's performance as worse than "a bunch of pots and pans clanging together." The single was described as "embarrassing" and a "trainwreck" by In Touch Weekly and Bustle. Critics have also commented on the song's message. Ariana Bacle of Entertainment Weekly was confused over Liv's intentions for the song, questioning if the rapper was apologizing to Beyoncé about her flirtation with Jay Z or his alleged, inappropriate behavior with other women. Bacle chose the lyrics, "You got a good girl, why she messing with a bad guy?" as a point of confusion, in which the song transitions to become more "directed at Mrs. Carter-Knowles' decisions." In Touch Weekly's Carly Sitzer viewed the track as "ultra-confusing", and cast doubt on Liv's claims of being a victim and the object of Beyoncé's jealousy. Echoing this thought, Bustle's Kaitlin Reilly was critical of Liv's interpretation of herself as a victim in the song's lyrics. The single has been considered a publicity ploy by media commentators. Inquisitr's Addam Corré expressed doubts over the authenticity of the song, and equated it to a publicity stunt. The recording was described as Liv's attempt to gain wider exposure by Boston Herald'''s Kevin O'Leary, who called her a "small-time rapper." The Miami Herald wrote that releasing a song about Beyoncé was "one surefire way to get publicity for your song." Beyoncé's fans reacted negatively to the single on social media. Following the release of Beyoncé's "Sorry" in 2016, it was speculated that Liv was the "Becky with the good hair" referenced on the track in response to "Sorry Mrs. Carter". "Sorry Mrs. Carter" did earn some positive reviews. Amy Zimmerman of The Daily Beast called the song a "fantastic Garage band gem", and jokingly described Liv as either "totally insane or the future first female president". HipHopDX included it on the list of the top ten most popular hip hop singles for the weeks of August 9, 2014, and August 23, 2014. ## Music video An accompanying music video for the single premiered on Liv's YouTube account on August 4, 2014. According to Sharifa Daniels of Vibe, the video was homemade, with the rapper being the main person behind its production. In the video, Liv wears risqué clothing while applying lip gloss and examining herself in a mirror. She is also shown dressed in a bikini and shawl, and drinking wine to symbolize the breakdown of Beyoncé's marriage to Jay-Z. She performs an "exaggerated eye roll" while mocking the "Surfbort" lyric from Beyoncé's "Drunk in Love". Images of tabloid covers featuring Liv, and headlines about her alleged affair with Jay-Z, are shown prominently throughout the video, with one of them including her interview with Life & Style. The clip ends with a panning shot across Liv's body. The video had over two million views in less than a week following its release. Critical reception of the music video was negative. It was described as a "cringe video" by SPIN 1038's Georgie Crawford, and "that godawful video" by Cate Sutherland of Life & Style. Lauren Weigle of Heavy.com viewed the video as "just another log on the fire for the already fueled divorce rumors surrounding Jay Z and Beyoncé." It was called "such an obvious publicity stunt that it's cringeworthy" by Bustle'''s Kaitlin Reilly, who concluded by comparing the music video to a celebrity's sex tape. ## Release history

Thriller (song)

1983 single by Michael Jackson

"Thriller" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records in the UK in November 1983, and in the US on January 23, 1984, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller. It is a funk song featuring a repeating synthesizer bassline and lyrics evoking horror films, with sound effects such as thunder, creaking doors and wolf howls. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by the horror actor Vincent Price. It was produced by Quincy Jones and written by Rod Temperton, who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson's love of film. "Thriller" received positive reviews and became the album's seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number four. It reached number one in Belgium, France and Spain, and the top ten in many other countries. "Thriller" is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. In the week of Jackson's death in 2009, it was Jackson's bestselling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart. It charted on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two, and remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks. It appears on several of Jackson's greatest-hits albums and has been covered by numerous artists. The "Thriller" music video was directed by John Landis and premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983. In the video, Jackson becomes a zombie and performs a dance routine with a horde of the undead. Many elements of the video have had a lasting impact on popular culture, such as the zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket, and it was the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry. It has been named the greatest music video of all time by various publications and readers' polls. In 1984 at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, the song "Thriller" won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. ## Composition "Thriller" is a disco-funk song. Set in the key of C# minor, it has a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute. The instrumentation consists of a LinnDrum drum machine, ARP 2600 synthesizer bassline, a Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer, an electric guitar, a Rhodes piano, an organ, and a horn section consisting of trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn, saxophone, and flute. The introduction features sound effects such as a creaking door, thunder, feet walking on wooden planks, winds and howling wolves. ## Writing "Thriller" was written by the English songwriter Rod Temperton, who had previously written "Rock with You" and "Off the Wall" for Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall. Temperton wanted to write something theatrical to suit Jackson's love of film. He improvised with bass and drum patterns until he developed the bassline that runs through the song, then wrote a chord progression that built to a climax. He recalled: "I wanted it to build and build – a bit like stretching an elastic band throughout the tune to heighten suspense." Temperton's first version was titled "Starlight", with the chorus lyric: "Give me some starlight / Starlight sun". The production team, led by Quincy Jones, felt the song should be the title track, but that "Starlight" was not a strong album title. Instead, they wanted something "mysterious" to match Jackson's "evolving persona". Temperton considered several titles, including "Midnight Man", which Jones felt was "going in the right direction". Finally, he conceived "Thriller", but worried that it was "a crap word to sing ... It sounded terrible! However, we got Michael to spit it into the microphone a few times and it worked." With the title decided, Temperton wrote lyrics within "a couple of hours". He envisioned a spoken-word sequence for the ending, but did not know what form it should take. It was decided to have a famous voice from the horror genre perform it, and Jones' then-wife, Peggy Lipton, suggested her friend Vincent Price. Temperton composed the words for Price's part in a taxi on the way to the studio on the day of recording. ## Recording Along with the rest of the album, "Thriller" was recorded over eight weeks in 1982. It was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The engineer Bruce Swedien had Jackson record his vocals in different approaches, doubling takes and recording at different distances from the microphone. Some background vocals were recorded in the Westlake shower stall. The bassline was performed on an ARP 2600 synthesizer, and the verse pads were performed on a Roland Jupiter-8 and a Yamaha CS-80. The percussion was created with a LinnDrum drum machine modified with sound chips from two other drum machines: a snare hi-hat and congas from an LM-1 and a clap from a TR-808. "Thriller" also features Rhodes piano performed by Greg Phillinganes and guitar performed by David Williams. To record the wolf howls, Swedien set up tape recorders up around his Great Dane in a barn overnight, but the dog never howled. Instead, Jackson recorded the howls himself. For the creaking doors, Swedien rented doors designed for sound effects from the Universal Studios Lot and recorded the hinges. Price recorded his part in two takes; Jones, acknowledging that doing a voice-over for a song is difficult, praised Price and described his takes as "fabulous". ## Release The album Thriller was released in November 1982 on Epic Records and spent months at the top of the Billboard 200. "Thriller" was not initially planned for release as a single, as Epic saw it as a novelty song. the Epic executive Walter Yetnikoff asked: "Who wants a single about monsters?" By mid-1983, sales of the album had begun to decline. Jackson, who was "obsessive" about his sales figures, urged Yetnikoff and another Epic executive, Larry Stessel, to help conceive a plan to return the album to the top of the charts. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo suggested releasing "Thriller", backed by a new music video. It was the final single from the album, released in the UK in November 1983 and in the US in January 1984. Alternative versions of "Thriller", including the "Starlight" demo, were released on the anniversary Thriller reissue Thriller 40 (2022). ## Music video The music video for "Thriller" references numerous horror films, and stars Jackson performing a dance routine with a horde of the undead. It was directed by the horror director John Landis and written by Landis and Jackson. Jackson contacted Landis after seeing his film An American Werewolf in London. The pair conceived a 13-minute short film with a budget much larger than previous music videos. Jackson's record company refused to finance it, believing Thriller had peaked, so a making-of documentary, Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, was produced to receive financing from television networks. Michael Jackson's Thriller premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983. It was launched to great anticipation and played regularly on MTV. It doubled sales of Thriller, and the documentary sold over a million copies, becoming the bestselling videotape at the time. It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, and popularizing the making-of documentary format. Many elements have had a lasting impact on popular culture, such as the zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket, designed by Landis's wife Deborah Nadoolman. Fans worldwide re-enact its zombie dance and it remains popular on YouTube. The Library of Congress described it as "the most famous music video of all time". In 2009, it became the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. ## Chart performance "Thriller" entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number 20. It reached number seven the following week, number five the next, and peaked the next week at number four, where it stayed for two weeks. It finished as the \#78 single on Billboard's Hot 100 for the 1984. "Thriller" charted at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. On March 10, 1984, it reached its peak at number 3. "Thriller" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on November 19, 1983, at number 24, and the following week peaked at number ten; it appeared on the chart for 52 weeks. Beginning on February 5, 1984, "Thriller" peaked on the French Singles Chart at number one and topped the chart for four consecutive weeks. "Thriller" also topped the Belgian VRT Top 30 Chart for two weeks in January 1984. Following Jackson's death in 2009, his music surged in popularity. In the week of his death, "Thriller" was Jackson's best-selling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart. On July 11, 2009, "Thriller" charted on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two (its peak), and the song remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks. In the United Kingdom, the song charted at number 23 the week of Jackson's death. The following week, the song reached its peak at number 12 on the UK Single Chart. On July 12, 2009, "Thriller" peaked at number two on the Italian Singles Chart and was later certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. "Thriller" reached at number three on the Australian ARIA Chart and Swiss Singles Chart and topped the Spanish Singles Charts for one week. The song also placed within the top ten on the German Singles Chart, Norwegian Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart, at number nine, number seven and number eight respectively. "Thriller" also landed at number 25 on the Danish Singles Chart. In the third week of July "Thriller" peaked at number 11 in Finland. The song has returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart multiple times since its initial release due to its popularity around the time of Halloween. "Thriller" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2013 at number 42, number 31 in November 2018, and number 19 in November 2021, marking its highest placement since its original chart run in 1984. This accomplishment means Jackson now has at least one Top 20 hit across 7 consecutive decades from 1969 to 2021 in the Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 4, 1989, for sales of over one million physical units in the U.S. As of August 2016, the song had sold 4,024,398 copies in the US. By August 2022, it had sold a further 10 million download copies in the US. ## Critical reception Ashley Lasimone, of AOL's Spinner.com, noted that it "became a signature for Jackson" and described "the groove of its bassline, paired with Michael's killer vocals and sleek moves" as having "produced a frighteningly great single." Jon Pareles of The New York Times noted that "'Billie Jean', 'Beat It', 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ' and "the movie in the song 'Thriller'", were the songs, unlike the "fluff" "P.Y.T.", that were "the hits that made Thriller a world-beater; along with Mr. Jackson's stage and video presence, listeners must have identified with his willingness to admit terror." Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times described "Thriller" as "adequately groovy" with a "funked-out beat" and lyrics "seemingly lifted from some little kid's 'scary storybook'". ## Personnel - Written and composed by Rod Temperton - Produced by Quincy Jones - Michael Jackson: lead and background vocals, LinnDrum drum machine - Featuring: Narration by Vincent Price (Not featured on original edited single version) - Rod Temperton and Brian Banks: synthesizers - Greg Phillinganes: synthesizers, Rhodes piano - Anthony Marinelli: synthesizer programming - David Williams: guitar - Jerry Hey, Gary Grant: trumpets, flugelhorns - Larry Williams: saxophone, flute - Bill Reichenbach: trombone - Vocal, rhythm and synthesizer arrangement by Rod Temperton - Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey - Effects by Bruce Cannon and Bruce Swedien ## Charts ### Weekly charts ### Year-end charts ## Certifications ## See also - List of best-selling singles - List of best-selling singles in the United States - List of most expensive music videos - Michael Jackson's Thriller - Thriller (viral video) - Thrill the World

Martinus (son of Heraclius)

Byzantine caesar from c. 639 to 641

Martinus (Greek: Μαρτίνος, translit. Martínos) or Marinus (Greek: Μαρίνος, romanized: Marínos; died possibly in 641) was caesar of the Byzantine Empire from c. 639 to 641. Martinus was the fifth son of Emperor Heraclius and Empress Martina, who was Heraclius' second wife and niece. Martinus was elevated to caesar, a junior imperial title that placed him on the line of succession, at some point between 638 and 640 by his father. Heraclius died on 11 February 641, leaving the Byzantine Empire to Martinus's half-brother Constantine III and his elder full brother Heraclonas; Constantine III soon died of tuberculosis, although some of his partisans alleged that Martina poisoned him. One such partisan, Valentinus, led troops to Chalcedon, across the Bosporus strait from the imperial capital, Constantinople, to force Martina to install Constans II, the son of Constantine III, as co-emperor. Valentinus seized Constantinople and forced Martina to install Constans II in September or October 641, and deposed Martina, Heraclonas, and Martinus. Martinus was mutilated and exiled to Rhodes. He died soon after, possibly during or immediately after the mutilations. ## Life Martinus was born to Byzantine Emperor Heraclius and Empress Martina, Heraclius's niece and second wife, at an unknown date; he was likely named after his mother. Prior to taking the throne in 610, Heraclius had been married to Fabia Eudokia, with whom he had had a daughter, Eudoxia Epiphania, and a son, Constantine III. After she died in 612, to further secure the succession, Heraclius remarried, wedding his niece Martina in either 613 or 623, with the latter date considered more likely. Although this marriage was very unpopular and offended the clergy, it was very fruitful. The number and order of Heraclius's children by Martina is unsure, with sources estimating nine, ten, or eleven children. Their first two sons were disabled and therefore unable to inherit, but Heraclonas was born healthy in 626, David Tiberius in 630, and Martinus at some later time. Constantine III was raised to co-emperor in 613 (aged 9 months), and Heraclonas in 638 (aged 12 years). Martinus received the high courtly title nobilissimus under Heraclius, while his elder brother David was made caesar (a junior imperial title which placed him on the line of succession) on 4 July 638. According to the Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras, Martinus was also made caesar on the same day, but the later historian Emperor Constantine VII mentions only Tiberius. A partially preserved papyrus letter known as SB VI 8986, and another papyrus document, CPR XXIII 35, shows that Martinus was definitely promoted to caesar at some point between 639 and 640, although the exact dating is debated: the German papyrologist who restored SB VI 8986, Fritz Mitthof [de], and the Byzantine historian Nikolaos Gonis argue for a date range between October 639 and September 640, whereas Byzantine scholar Constantin Zuckerman argues for a range between 4 January 639 and 8 November 639. According to the 7th-century historian John of Nikiu, Martinus and his brother David were involved in the banishment of Ecumenical Patriarch Pyrrhus of Constantinople (r. 638–641) to the Exarchate of Africa. However, the two princes were too young at the time to have taken an active role in any banishment and the account by John of Nikiu is so contradictory that no safe conclusions can be drawn from it. ### Reign of Constantine III and Heraclonas When Heraclius died on 11 February 641, he declared in his will that Constantine III (aged 28) and Heraclonas (aged 15) would equally co-rule the empire, but should consider Martina as their mother, and empress. The Byzantine Senate accepted Constantine III and Heraclonas as co-emperors, but rejected Martina as regent for Heraclonas. On 20/24 April or 26 May 641, Constantine died of an advanced case of tuberculosis. However, some of his supporters alleged that Martina had him poisoned, leaving her son Heraclonas as the sole ruler under her regency. In August 641, Valentinus, a general who had been loyal to Constantine before his death, led his troops to Chalcedon to force Martina to elevate Constans II, the son of Constantine, to co-emperor. A mob rose up in the city, demanding that Patriarch Pyrrhus crown Constans II as emperor, and then abdicate, to be replaced by his steward Paul II (r. 641–653). Martina, now in a truly desperate situation, offered the military further donatives (monetary gifts to the army to secure their loyalty), and attempted to negotiate with Valentinus, recalling an influential patron of his, Philagrius, from exile in Africa, and offering him the title of comes excubitorum (a very influential post that entailed command over the imperial bodyguard). ### Valentinus's revolt and Martinus's death In late September or October, Martina elevated Constans to co-emperor, but also raised Heraclonas's brother Tiberius to co-emperor alongside them. Despite these overtures, Valentinus entered Constantinople shortly thereafter, deposed Heraclonas and Martina, and then elevated Constans to sole emperor. Heraclonas, Martina, Tiberius, and Martinus are said by John of Nikiu to have been "escorted forth with insolence". Valentinus had Martinus's nose cut off, emasculated him, and then banished him and his family to Rhodes, where they remained until their deaths. According to some sources, these mutilations either killed Martinus immediately or soon afterwards. ## Primary sources [Heraclian dynasty](Category:Heraclian_dynasty "wikilink") [Medieval child monarchs](Category:Medieval_child_monarchs "wikilink") [Monarchs deposed as children](Category:Monarchs_deposed_as_children "wikilink") [Year of birth unknown](Category:Year_of_birth_unknown "wikilink") [640s in the Byzantine Empire](Category:640s_in_the_Byzantine_Empire "wikilink") [Heraclius](Category:Heraclius "wikilink") [Byzantine exiles](Category:Byzantine_exiles "wikilink") [Caesars (heirs apparent)](Category:Caesars_(heirs_apparent) "wikilink") [Nobilissimi](Category:Nobilissimi "wikilink") [Castrated people](Category:Castrated_people "wikilink") [Sons of Byzantine emperors](Category:Sons_of_Byzantine_emperors "wikilink")

Keith (song)

"Keith" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Kaylee Bell from her first extended play, The Red EP (2021). Written by Bell with Phil Barton and Lindsay Rimes and produced by the latter, Bell recorded the song in 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. It was independently released on 15 February 2019. A country song, it makes reference to several songs by Australian singer Keith Urban, which led music critics to consider it as a tribute song to him. "Keith" peaked at number 22 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart. In April 2022, Bell sang it on The Voice Australia which made all coaches turn, including Urban himself. Bell was applauded by all coaches for her performance. She also performed the song in 2019 at Jesse Mulligan and Mike Hosking's radio shows. It was further promoted by an accompanying live video and a music video. In the second visual, a woman is shown alongside her partner while Bell is seen singing. ## Background and release "Keith" was written by Bell with Phil Barton and Lindsay Rimes, with Rimes producing it. Bell recorded the song in 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she brought the idea to Barton and Rimes while staying there. In a July 2019 interview with CMT, Bell revealed that she came up with the idea to use song titles from Keith Urban to "tell the story of falling in love for the first time and how music and songs take you back". She had already met Urban in 2013, and performed on his Light the Fuse Tour in Australia in 2014 and on his Ripcord World Tour in New Zealand in 2016. "Keith" was independently released as a single on 15 February 2019 in various countries for digital download and streaming. A pop remix of the song was also issued in March 2022 for the same formats. On 22 August 2022, it was serviced to American country radio stations. ## Composition Musically, "Keith" is a country song which references 12 of Urban's tracks, such as "Somewhere in My Car", "Long Hot Summer" and "Raise 'Em Up". Bell told TimeOut she came up with the song's concept in the middle of the night and was on her phone for a year before she decided to make it into the song. According to The New Zealand Herald, it is a love song "based around some the biggest songs released by Urban". The New Zealand Herald and Triple M deemed the track "an ode to [Urban]", while Peter Tuskan of The Music Network and Stuff's Joanne Holden opined that Bell pays tribute to Urban due to the references to his song titles. The New Zealand Music Commission called it "an ode to the significance of music as it ties into our past". Triple M also asserted that Bell using Urban's song titles "inspire[s] a simple relatable story of young love". ## Reception and promotion Tuskan called "Keith" a "clever country banger" and a "jam enviable of the country legend himself". The staff of Triple M stated that Bell "issue[d] the ultimate tribute" with the song. For the week dated 16 May 2022, "Keith" re-entered the New Zealand Hot Singles chart and peaked at number 22. On 20 April 2022, Bell performed the song on The Voice Australia, being accompanied by a guitar. All four coaches turned their chairs, with Urban being the first to do so. Bell was applauded by all coaches for her performance. Urban affirmed that he already knew the song, calling it "touching" and saying that he "couldn't believe how catchy it was". Fellow coach Rita Ora further labeled it a "smash" and commended Bell for "[taking] a huge risk" by choosing to perform the song. Upon its release, the song was accompanied by a live performance video, which contains footage of Bell performing at music festival Top Paddock. An official music video for the single was issued on Bell's YouTube channel on 27 June 2019. It depicts a woman spending her time with her partner. Bell is shown in interspersed shots either singing at a bar or in front of a screen. According to CMT, Bell "looks back fondly on her time with a former love" in the visual. On 25 February 2019, she performed "Keith" on Jesse Mulligan's radio program Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan. Bell gave a rendition of the song during Mike Hosking's show at Newstalk ZB in March 2019. ## Track listing - Digital download 1. "Keith" – 2:51 - Digital download (Pop Remix) 1. "Keith (Pop Remix)" – 2:52 ## Charts ## Release history

4-D (The X-Files)

"4-D" is the fourth episode of the ninth season and the 186th episode overall of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on December 9, 2001, on the Fox network. It was written by Steven Maeda and directed by Tony Wharmby. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 5.38 million households. It received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, a vicious murderer named Erwin Lukesh, capable of jumping between parallel universes, shoots Doggett using Reyes' gun. Brad Follmer opens an investigation to figure out the truth. They eventually deduce that Lukesh is the real murderer. Maeda wrote the episode after being inspired by the situation of a real-life French journalist, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who had been paralyzed and could only communicate by blinking his left eyelid. The character of Lukesh was in part inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and was created by Maeda in the hopes that he would go on to be a memorable villain. Effects expert Mat Beck created the unique visual sequence that showed Doggett and Lukesh traveling between the different universes. To create the effect of a parallel universe, every scene in the episode's teaser was flipped so that the mirror image was shown. ## Plot Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) monitors Erwin Lukesh, a suspected serial killer who cuts out his victims' tongues. While pursuing him, Reyes goes into an apartment building and is attacked by Lukesh with a razor. John Doggett (Robert Patrick), observes the pursuit electronically and hears a scream. He rushes to help Reyes and finds her dying, her throat cut. Doggett chases Lukesh into an alleyway, where the killer seemingly vanishes. Lukesh then appears behind Doggett and fires at him with Reyes' gun. The setting then changes; Doggett arrives at Reyes' new apartment with a housewarming gift. Neither seems to be aware of the previous events. Reyes then receives a phone call from Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), who informs her that Doggett has been shot and is being taken to the hospital. Reyes tells Skinner that Doggett is in her apartment, but then finds that he has vanished. The FBI matches the bullet surgically removed from Doggett with Reyes' gun and she is questioned by Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes), but she insists that Doggett was with her at the time of the shooting. Meanwhile, Lukesh watches the interrogation and identifies Reyes as the shooter. Doggett regains consciousness, but is breathing with the help of a respirator. Meanwhile, Lukesh goes to his apartment where he lives with his disabled mother. As he prepares to fix her lunch, he goes to his freezer and pulls out a bag containing a human tongue, intending to surreptitiously feeding it to her, as he has many times before. Reyes performs a background check on Lukesh, and becomes convinced that he is in fact responsible for the shooting. Reyes goes to Doggett, and through a computer setup that enables him to tap out words on a screen, Doggett tells her that Lukesh shot him but that Doggett also saw her with her throat cut. Lukesh then returns to the alleyway where Doggett was shot and vanishes. Based on the contradictory evidence, Reyes concludes that Lukesh can travel between parallel universes in order to kill. She also concludes that the unharmed Doggett disappeared because two versions of the same person cannot exist in the same universe. Follmer and Skinner question Lukesh, who becomes agitated when his mother is mentioned. Noting this, Skinner decides to hint that his mother will be questioned, which leads Lukesh to become more uncomfortable. Lukesh returns home to find his mother has found the gun with which he shot Doggett. After she threatens to talk to the FBI, Lukesh kills her. Doggett tells Reyes that, in order to resolve the situation, she must turn off his respirator and allow him to die, but she refuses. Suspecting that Lukesh plans to kill Reyes next, Skinner convinces Reyes to go back to her apartment while he, Scully, and Follmer monitor her. She returns and is attacked by Lukesh. The team rush to her aid and Follmer shoots Lukesh in the head, killing him. Reyes then returns to the hospital, closing her eyes as she shuts off Doggett's respirator. As she opens her eyes, the scene changes back to her apartment at the moment Doggett had disappeared earlier. Reyes, stunned and fighting back tears, embraces Doggett as he, evidently unaware of any of the previous events, asks her what is wrong. ## Production ### Writing Writer Steven Maeda had previously written the eighth season episodes "Redrum" and "Vienen"; due to their success, Maeda was asked to pen a ninth season standalone episode. His efforts were hampered by the fact that, due to the departure of David Duchovny, the show had changed considerably. Maeda was inspired to write the episode after learning the story of a French journalist named Jean-Dominique Bauby, who had been paralyzed and could only communicate by blinking his left eyelid. Maeda thought the ailment was interesting and initially wanted to give it to a guest character for this purpose. However, he eventually felt it would be more successful if it affected a regular character, such as Doggett. Maeda employed the theory of parallel universes in order to explain the logistics of the episode. The character of Lukesh was in part inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho. Maeda later noted that he wished to create a villain that would be as memorable as other antagonists in The X-Files, such as Eugene Victor Tooms and The Flukeman. "4-D" expounded upon the budding relationship between Doggett and Reyes. Most of the two's romantic interactions were limited to "flirtatious undercurrents" because, according to Annabeth Gish, series creator Chris Carter "was never big on the flamboyant big performances." Robert Patrick later claimed that he came up with the scene in which Reyes shaves a wounded Doggett. He noted, "I'd read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and I believe there's a part of that in the book where the character gets shaved, and I thought, 'Wow, that's really an intimate kind of moment.'" ### Effects and cultural references Effects expert Mat Beck was instructed to create a visual sequence that showed Doggett and Lukesh traveling between the different universes. Various effects were tested, including characters disappearing into black holes as well as phasing through the air in a more "exaggerated" and "watery" way. Beck ultimately decided to use a combination of both effects. Separate shots of a morphing scene were taken: one of the actors, and one of the background. Beck then used software to morph the two together to make it appear as if they had vanished. Later, artistic touches were added in post-production editing to give a more futuristic effect. To create the effect of a parallel universe, every scene in the episode's teaser was flipped so that the mirror image was shown. In order to render words correctly, letters had to be re-written backwards so that they yielded the correct spelling. Monica Reyes' Georgetown apartment address is 67 Bennett Avenue. This is a reference to Rod Serling's address in Binghamton, New York. Furthermore, her apartment number 6, is a reference to Patrick McGoohan's number in the 1967 television series, The Prisoner. ## Reception ### Ratings "4-D" first aired in the United States on December 9, 2001. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1, meaning that it was seen by 5.1% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.38 million households. "4-D" was the 62nd most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending December 9. The episode was later broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on November 25, 2002. ### Reviews "4-D" received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five. The two noted that, while the episode's premise "doesn't seem as well thought through" as Maeda's past efforts, "4-D" is "worth it". Shearman and Pearson concluded that the episode "earns its stripes by at last restoring to the series a pulse." Furthermore, they praised Gish's performance, noting that she "finally [is] given a showcase that makes Reyes so much more than a New Age fanatic". Christina Urban, in an editorial review of the ninth season for Barnes & Noble, praised the episode, calling it "by far the best of the season". Jessica Morgan of Television Without Pity awarded the episode a "B". Morgan slightly criticized the episode's resolution, writing that it "explained nothing. I mean, how do these other universes work?" In a season review, Michelle Kung from Entertainment Weekly wrote that "4-D" was one of the few ninth-season episodes "worthy" of praise, but that it was overshadowed by the show's "ludicrous conspiracy plots". Other reviews were more mixed. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "C" and called it a "mediocre to bad hour of television", but one that could have been better had more effort been applied to it. Handlen was particularly critical of the editing, structure, and sense of urgency. He wrote that "'4-D' shows what happens when this creative team has a legitimately cool concept: it wastes the opportunity." M.A. Crang, in his book Denying the Truth: Revisiting The X-Files after 9/11, felt that the interactions between Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish were the "highlights" of the episode, but he was critical of the ending for wrapping things up "far too conveniently."

Semyon Sakhnov

Red army major general

Semyon Pavlovich Sakhnov (Russian: Семён Павлович Сахнов; 15 February 1900 – 8 March 1950) was a Red Army major general who commanded the 56th Rifle Division in the early stages of the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa). After fighting as an ordinary soldier in the Russian Civil War, Sakhnov graduated from an officer training school and served there during the 1920s before rising to division command in the late 1930s. He was commanding the 56th Rifle Division in Belarus when Operation Barbarossa was launched. Stationed close to the border, his unit was destroyed in the first days of the war. After more than two months behind German lines, Sakhnov reached the Soviet lines with a small group of other officers, but was expelled from the Communist Party for burying his documents when he was encircled by German units. As a result of this censure, he never held a combat command again and spent the rest of the war in command of a training unit. ## Early life and Russian Civil War The son of Ukrainian peasants, Semyon Pavlovich Sakhnov was born on 15 February 1900 in Samoylovka in the Saratov Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Saratov Oblast, Russia). He graduated from the village primary school. Drafted into the Red Army on 20 July 1919 during the Russian Civil War, he was sent to serve with a cavalry battalion of the 23rd Rifle Division on the Southern Front. With the latter, Sakhnov fought as a Red Army man in the suppression of revolts in the rear of the 9th Army, and in battles against the Armed Forces of South Russia in the advance on Novocherkassk, on the Manych River, and at Yekaterinodar. He was transferred to the 99th Railroad Detachment at Balashov in February 1920 and later that year became a cadet of the 34th Machine Gun Commanders' Courses at Saratov, which became the Saratov Infantry School in May 1921. With a cadet detachment from the school, Sakhnov fought in the suppression of peasant revolts in Saratov Governorate. ## Interwar period After graduating from the school in September 1922, Sakhnov remained there as a platoon commander. From October 1927 he was a class commander, and later became an assistant company commander at the school. After completing the Leningrad Armored Courses for the Improvement of Command Cadre in 1931, Sakhnov became a company commander at the tank school reorganized from the Saratov Infantry School, in April 1931. He transferred to the 245th Rifle Regiment of the 82nd Rifle Division at Sverdlovsk, east of the Ural Mountains, in February 1932, serving with it as a battalion commander and assistant regimental commander. He became commander of the 245th before being sent to the Vystrel course for advanced training in November 1937. After completing the course in August 1938, Sakhnov, by then a colonel, was appointed commander of the 71st Rifle Division at Kemerovo in October of that year. The division was disbanded to form an officer cadet school and training courses for commanders within a few months, and in January 1940 Sakhnov became commander of the 23rd Reserve Rifle Brigade, a training unit in the district. He became a major general on 4 June of that year when the Red Army introduced general officer ranks. Appointed commander of the 201st Rifle Division at Tyumen in March 1941, Sakhnov was quickly sent to the Western Special Military District in Belarus, where he took command of the 56th Rifle Division, part of the 4th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Army, on 12 June. ## World War II When Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June, the 56th came under attack from three divisions of the German VIII Army Corps in what became known as the Battle of Białystok–Minsk. Spread out over an area of 50 kilometers (31 mi) in camps near Grodno in Polish territory annexed by the Soviet Union, close to the border of German-occupied Poland, the division suffered heavy losses and by 10:00 its remnants began retreating to the east and southeast, although one regiment was surrounded defending the Augustów Canal. Sakhnov's communications with his units relied on telephone lines, which were soon cut, preventing him from controlling his forces. German tanks broke through to his command post by 09:00 and he began evacuating to the rear. In the chaos, the headquarters was scattered, and by 14:00 Sakhnov, with the guard platoon, the division's political commissar and chief of artillery, and other headquarters officers, made his way eastward, deep in the German rear. To cross the Neman, the group split up and Sakhnov, with five other officers and six enlisted men, crossed at Grandichi, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) north of Grodno on the night of 22–23 June. He proceeded to the Ozyory area on the next day, bringing his group to 25 people by collecting retreating troops. Sakhnov led his group to the Ozyory area on 24 June, having heard from another officer that Soviet troops were attempting to make a stand at Skidel. They arrived there in the afternoon, finding that the head of the operational department of the neighbouring 85th Rifle Division's staff had organized a defense from remnants of two regiments of the 56th and 85th with roughly 350 personnel. Skidel was surrounded by German tanks and infantry by the end of the day and Sakhnov, who had taken command, withdrew the troops across the Neman to the area of Most under the cover of darkness. On 25 June he and the staff officers went to Shchuchyn by staff car to retrieve rear units of the division there and shifted them and the remnants that could be collected to the area of Lida that night. Seeking the 3rd Army headquarters, supposedly at Lunno, Sakhnov and the division rear units met the commander of the 56th's 184th Rifle Regiment with 700 of his men while en route to Most and headed for Lunno on the morning of 27 June. German defenses in the area of Most on 27 June were porous and the 184th managed to overwhelm them at Rozhanka, capturing several prisoners who were shot, according to Sakhnov's postwar recollections. Later that day they slipped through the German lines to reach the south bank of the Neman at Most, but in the fighting Sakhnov and a group of around 50 people were separated from the regiment. After this engagement, Sakhnov's group gradually split into ever smaller groups that continued to move east over the next few days. Having to detour around German-occupied locations, Sakhnov and four other officers from his unit and the 3rd Army staff slowly made their way northeast on foot. He and the other officers reached Soviet lines on 6 September north of Andreapol in the sector of the 133rd Rifle Division of the 22nd Army, unarmed and dressed in civilian clothes, without his identity papers. For burying his party card with his papers while behind German lines, he was expelled from the Communist Party ten days later, a disgrace that ensured that he could not return to the front. After spending three months under NKVD investigation, Sakhnov was briefly assigned to the Vystrel course in October before being sent to the Siberian Military District under the direction of Lieutenant General Stepan Kalinin to work on raising new units in the district. In December he was appointed commander of the 23rd Reserve Rifle Brigade, a training unit, which was reorganized as a division with the same number in July 1944. Sakhnov spent the rest of the war in Siberia. In this capacity, he was responsible for the formation of new units and the dispatch of march battalions to provide replacements for the army. ## Postwar After the end of the war, Sakhnov continued to command the division. In October 1945 he became chief of the department of combat and physical training of the staff of the Western Siberian Military District. He was dismissed from the army and became chief of the military department of the Bashkir Agricultural Institute at Ufa in June 1948. Sakhnov died in Moscow on 8 March 1950, and was buried at the Vvedenskoye Cemetery. He was survived by a son, Vyacheslav, who coached basketball at Bashkir State University. ## Awards and honors Sakhnov was a recipient of the following decorations: - Order of Lenin (21 February 1945) - Order of the Red Banner (3 November 1944) Both awards were made as a reward for the length of his service in the Red Army.

Typhoon Pat (1985)

Pacific typhoon in 1985

Typhoon Pat, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Luming, was a powerful typhoon that struck Japan during the summer of 1985. Pat is also one of three storms in the Western Pacific which interacted with each other. Originating from a monsoon trough towards the end of August, Pat first formed on August 24 several hundred miles east of the Philippines. It gradually intensified, and two days later, Pat was upgraded into a tropical storm. The cyclone initially moved east-northeast while continuing to deepen. However, Pat leveled off in intensity on August 27. After turning northwest, Pat attained typhoon intensity on August 28. Pat accelerated towards the north, and reached its peak intensity of 80 mph (130 km/h) on August 30. The next day, the storm crossed the southern Japanese islands and entered the Sea of Japan. Gradually weakening, Pat transitioned into an extratropical cyclone later on August 31. Early the next day, the storm moved ashore along northeastern Japan. The system dissipated on September 2 after reentering the Pacific Ocean. A total of 23 perished due to Typhoon Pat and 12 others were rendered as missing. Additionally, 79 people were injured. Furthermore, 38 houses in Japan were demolished, 110 were damaged, and over 2,000 were flooded. More than 160,000 homes lost power. A total of 165 flights were cancelled. ## Meteorological history Typhoon Pat originated from an active monsoon trough located east of the Philippines in the last two weeks of August. Forming around the time as Typhoon Odessa and Tropical Storm Ruby, an area of enhanced convection was first noted towards the end of August. At 0600 UTC on August 24, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) started watching the system. Fifteen hours later, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) followed suit. At this time, the system was located within a favorable environment. The JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on the afternoon of August 25. Early the next day, the JMA upgraded the disturbance into Tropical Storm Pat. Later on August 26, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft reported winds of 70 km/h (45 mph) and a pressure of 999 mbar (29.5 inHg), but did not locate a surface circulation. That afternoon, the TCFA was re-issued. Following additional Hurricane Hunter reports, which noted evidence of a surface circulation, the JTWC declared the system Tropical Storm Pat. Initially poorly organized, Pat headed east-northeast, south of a subtropical ridge. At 0600 UTC on August 27, the JMA increased the intensity of the storm to 95 km/h (60 mph). Meanwhile, the JTWC anticipated the storm to move east-northeast and separate from the monsoon trough before turning west-northwest under a weakening ridge. Instead, Pat drifted northeast, but remained situated within the monsoon trough. As such, the JTWC revised their forecast, and now expected the storm to move northwest due to the presence of an eastward moving trough situated over Mongolia. Meanwhile, the JMA increased the intensity of Pat to 105 km/h (65 mph) early on August 28. Several hours later, both the JTWC and the JMA upgraded Pat to a typhoon. According to the JMA, the storm leveled off intensity for about a day. By midday on August 29, some tropical cyclone forecast models began to show Pat emerging into the Sea of Japan west of the ridge. However, this theory was not supported by the JTWC as they believed that the ridge was too narrow to be picked up a trough. That same day, the JTWC increased the intensity to 160 km/h (99 mph), equivalent to a Category 2 cyclone on the United States-based Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The next day, the agency finally revised its forecast and predicted the storm to enter the sea. Around this time, the JTWC estimated that Pat attained peak intensity, with winds of 170 km/h (105 mph). During the evening of August 30, the JMA reported that Pat reached its peak intensity of 135 km/h (85 mph) and a pressure of 955 mbar (28.2 inHg). By this time, the ridge was gone, though a trough was now located near South Korea. Shortly after its peak, Pat moved ashore along the southern tip Kyushu on August 31. Overland, Pat began to weaken, and early the next day, the JMA downgraded Pat to a severe tropical storm. Meanwhile, Pat began to interact with Odessa, as the systems were approximately 500 km (310 mi) apart. As Odessa moved east-northeast, Pat accelerated towards the north, and then emerged into the Sea of Japan later on August 31. That evening, the JTWC downgraded Pat into a tropical storm. At 2100 UTC that day, the JTWC noted that Pat had transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. By this time, all the convection activity was restricted to the northeast quadrant of the system. Early on September 1, Pat made landfall in Hokkaido along northeastern Japan. At that time, the JMA estimated winds of 110 km/h (70 mph). At midday, the JTWC stopped watching the system, although the JMA continued to do so until 1800 UTC on September 2. ## Preparations, impact and aftermath While crossing Japan, a peak rainfall total of 374 mm (14.7 in) was recorded in Ebino, including 271 mm (10.7 in) in a day. A peak hourly storm total of 107 mm (4.2 in) was measured at Gokaharadake on Nagasaki. Pat was responsible for strong winds, including a 69 km/h (43 mph) wind speed in Yakushima. The island of Kyushu sustained the worst affects from the typhoon. Twenty-three people were killed by the typhoon while 12 others were listed as missing. A 61-year-old man who died when knocked over by a street sign in Izumi. A 35-year-old woman was crushed to death in Kagoshima when her home was demolished. A total of 179 people were injured due to Pat, including 23 on Honshu and 156 on Kyushu. In Aomori, a tent fell on 400 people attending a sporting event, injuring 18. In the nearby Yamagata prefecture, a signboard at a school ground fell due to strong winds, injuring four students. Nearby, in the Kumamoto prefecture, one man was struck and killed by a flying tin plate, another was swept out to sea, and a man died when a ladder fell on him. Elsewhere, twelve fisherman perished at sea, seven of whom were not confirmed dead until September 2. A total of 38 houses in Japan were destroyed, 110 were damaged, and more than 2,000 were flooded. Landslides were observed at 56 locations. Power was lost to 160,000 families. A total of 165 flights were cancelled, delaying 15,000 passengers. A total of 160 trains were cancelled. Two bullet train lines experienced delays in Kyushu; ferry and air service were also delayed there. Offshore, ten fishing boats sunk, including one Japanese cargo ship. An additional 12 ships were rendered as missing. Ninety-five other boats took refuge in North Korea, though 59 left on September 2 to return to Japan. ## See also - Typhoon Bess (1982) - Typhoon Forrest (1983) - Typhoon Namtheun (2016)

Magnum P.I. (2018 TV series, season 3)

Third season of the crime and action drama Magnum P.I. on CBS

The third season of the crime and action drama Magnum P.I. premiered on December 4, 2020, on CBS, for the 2020–21 United States network television schedule. The series is a remake of the 1980 series of the same name and centers on Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL who works as a private investigator and solves mysteries with his business partner Juliet Higgins and other friends. It stars Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Amy Hill, and Tim Kang. The season was ordered on May 8, 2020. It was later revealed that the season would only consist of 16 episodes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Multiple Hawaii Five-0 stars appeared as their Hawaii Five-0 characters in minor crossover events throughout the season and a possible crossover between the series and MacGyver was discussed by the writers. Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and MacGyver are collectively referred to as the Lenkov-verse. This is the first season not to feature co-developer Peter M. Lenkov as co-showrunner and executive producer after he was fired over allegations for a toxic work environment. Eric Guggenheim, who also co-developed the series and served as co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Lenkov, took over the main day-to-day operations of the series. In addition, Gene Hong, a writer and executive producer for the series, also became a co-showrunner. Production crew from Hawaii Five-0, including a writer, a line producer, and a cinematographer, moved to the series after Hawaii Five-0's cancellation. The season premiere, "Double Jeopardy," was watched by 5.50 million viewers. ## Cast and characters ### Main - Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL who is a security consultant for the successful novelist Robin Masters, living in the guest house on his estate, while also working as a private investigator - Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins, a former MI6 agent who is majordomo to Robin Masters; she and Magnum bicker but become allies - Zachary Knighton as Orville "Rick" Wright, a Marine veteran and former door gunner, who runs his own tiki bar and is also a playboy - Stephen Hill as Theodore "T.C." Calvin, a Marine veteran and helicopter pilot who runs helicopter tours of Hawaii and is a member of Magnum's team - Amy Hill as Teuila "Kumu" Tuileta, the cultural curator of Robin Masters' estate - Tim Kang as Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Detective Gordon Katsumoto, who dislikes Magnum but usually comes to the team's aid when needed ### Recurring - Jay Ali as Dr. Ethan Shah - Christopher Thornton as Kenny "Shammy" Shamberg - Lance Lim as Dennis Katsumoto - Betsy Phillips as Suzy Madison ### Notable guests - Paola Nunez as Helen - Brian Letscher as Bruce - Juan-Pablo Veizaga as Max Martinez - Hayden Szeto as Det. Pono Palima - Dominic Hoffman as USCIS Tenney - Eric Ladin as Freddie - Eddie Lee Anderson as HPD SWAT Commander Fong - Leith Burke as CIA Officer Grayson - Roger E. Mosley as John Booky - Janel Parrish as Maleah - Bobby Lee as Jin Jeong - Corbin Bernsen as Francis "Icepick" Hofstetler - Kelen Coleman as Gina Gow - Steven Michael Quezada as Uncle Bernardo - Grace Victoria Cox as Chloe Dawson - Alex Carter as Henry Sellers ### Crossover - Kimee Balmilero as Dr. Noelani Cunha - Shawn Mokuahi Garnett as Flippa - Dennis Chun as HPD Sergeant Duke Lukela ## Episodes The number in the "No. overall" column refers to the episode's number within the overall series, whereas the number in the "No. in season" column refers to the episode's number within this particular season. Numerous episodes are named after similarly named episodes from the original series. "Production code" refers to the order in which the episodes were produced while "U.S. viewers (millions)" refers to the number of viewers in the U.S. in millions who watched the episode as it was aired. ### Crossovers Following the cancellation of Hawaii Five-0 in early 2020, numerous actors from the series still made appearances throughout the season, most notably Kimee Balmilero who recurred in the season as Dr. Noelani Cunha. In addition Shawn Mokuahi Garnett appeared in two episodes of the season as Flippa and Dennis Chun appeared as Honolulu Police Department Sergeant Duke Lukela in the seasons fourth episode. ## Production ### Development `On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed Magnum P.I. for a third season, along with eighteen other series including MacGyver, the second and only other remaining series from the Lenkov-verse after the cancellation of Hawaii Five-0. On July 7, 2020, it was revealed that co-showrunner, executive producer, and co-developer Peter M. Lenkov would not have any involvement in the season after being fired from CBS over toxic work environment allegations. Lenkov was originally expected to continue work on the series for another year after signing a three-year deal with CBS Television Studios in 2018. Lucas Till who portrays the title character of Angus MacGyver on MacGyver stated that Lenkov made him suicidal and constantly body shamed him. Lenkov's lawyers initially denied all allegations. Lenkov later responded to the situation by stating "It's difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better." Lenkov still received writing credits for various episodes throughout the season written prior to his termination. Numerous production staff moved to the series also following the cancellation of Hawaii Five-0 including co-showrunner of its final season, David Wolkove, a line producer, and editors. Eight different writers wrote episodes throughout the season. Gene Hong replaced Lenkov as co-showrunner joining other co-showrunner Eric Guggenheim who also co-developed and executive-produces for the series. On October 27, 2020, it was reported that the season would have a reduced episode order of sixteen-episodes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The season's main storylines revolved around a post-pandemic world; however, its effects continue to play a part in storylines throughout the season.` ### Filming On July 1, 2020, it was revealed that the series was eyeing a delayed mid-August start date to begin filming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous seasons had begun filming in July. In August 2020, it was announced that the series had been given permission to begin filming but had yet to set a start date; September 14, was later stated as a tentative start date to filming. Filming for the season began two days later on September 16, 2020, with a traditional Hawaiian blessing. COVID-19 protocols were required on set including the wearing of masks, social distancing, COVID testing, and reduced cast and crew on set. Due to the limited numbers of extras allowed on the set, crowd replication visual effects were used as a replacement. Kurt Jones, a cinematographer for the season, who also worked on Hawaii Five-0, directed the fifteenth produced episode of the season. Filming on the season concluded on March 4, 2021. ### Casting On October 16, 2020, it was announced that Jay Ali had been cast in a recurring role for the season as Dr. Ethan Shah, a love interest for the character of Juliet Higgins. It was later revealed that Lance Lim would also recur throughout the season as Dennis Katsumoto, the son of Detective Gordon Katsumoto. Roger E. Mosley, who portrayed Theodore Calvin on the original Magnum, P.I. reprised his role as John Booky from the first season of the rebooted series. Dennis Chun, who portrayed various minor characters on the original series also returned as Honolulu Police Department Sergeant Duke Lukela. Christopher Thornton, Kimee Balmilero, and Shawn Mokuahi Garnett continue to recur in the series after being introduced in the first season. Bobby Lee and Janel Parrish also reprised their roles after both being introduced as characters in the second season. ## Release When CBS revealed its fall schedule for the 2020–2021 broadcast season it was revealed that Magnum P.I. would keep the timeslot it held in the previous season of Friday's at 9:00 PM ET. In October 2020, CBS announced premiere dates for its scripted series; Magnum P.I. and its Friday evening counterparts Blue Bloods and MacGyver remained absent from the schedule. In November 2020, CBS gave the season a premiere date of December 4, 2020; delayed from its usual late-September premiere date as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The season aired three episodes in December 2020 before taking its regular mid-season break and returned in January 2021. "The Lies We Tell," the seasons eleventh episode was originally scheduled to air on March 12, 2021. When CBS chose to air a rebroadcast of Oprah with Meghan and Harry in its place the episode was rescheduled to be broadcast on March 26. In March 2021, CBS announced that the season would conclude on May 7, 2021. In Canada, CTV aired the series in simulcast with CBS. In the United Kingdom, the third season began airing on Sky One on January 3, 2021. ## Ratings ## Home media

Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout

Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout (stylized in all lowercase) is a compilation album by Nettwerk Records. It was released on June 15, 2004 as the fourth volume in Nettwerk's The Ultimate Chillout series. The album features popular releases from Nettwerk-signed artists and groups. Some of the acts on the installment include the Alpinestars, Goldfrapp, Sarah McLachlan, and Radiohead. The compilation was released in two unique CD formats on June 15, 2004 in Canada and the United States. Critically, the album received a mixed response. Despite praise for featuring singles like "Angels" by Wax Poetic and Andain's "You Once Told Me", the inclusion of songs by Starsailor ("Four to the Floor") and Bonobo ("Pick Up") were criticized for straying away from the typical boundaries of the chill-out genre. One critic used Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout as an example of the growing popularity of chill-out music in the United States. ## Background and composition On March 31, 2001, Nettwerk Records released Chillout 2001: V.1, the first volume of Chillout, a CD installment series featuring compilations of chill-out songs and music by Nettwerk-signed artists. Additional installments were created over the years, including Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout, which was released by Nettwerk on June 15, 2004. It is the fourth overall volume in The Ultimate Chillout portion of Nettwerk's Chillout franchise. Two separate releases occurred for the album: one in the United States where Nettwerk's main offices are located and one in Canada; the album was only made available as a CD. Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout was fronted by A&R and project coordinator George Maniatis, who co-authored the album's liner notes. Producer and Nettwerk executive Craig Waddell provided the mastering for the album's twelve songs. Some of the Nettwerk artists featured on Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout include Goldfrapp and Delerium. The collection opens with "Do You Realize?", a 2002 single by The Flaming Lips. Both "Do You Realize?" and Radiohead's "No Surprises" are of the atmospheric rock genre. Lesser known songs from Nettwerk artists like Wax Poetic ("Angels") and Andain ("You Once Told Me") are also included on the album. "Angels" was mixed by Thievery Corporation and features guest vocals from jazz artist Norah Jones while "You Once Told Me" was described as similar in sound to the works of Massive Attack. The compilation also includes several previously unreleased remixes of singles; the Marius de Vries mix of Sarah McLachlan's "World on Fire" and Carmen Rizzo's Chillout mix of Tiësto and Kirsty Hawkshaw's collaboration "Just Be" are exclusive to Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout. ## Critical reception Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout received a mixed rating from David Jeffries, a senior editor for AllMusic. Ultimately, he awarded the compilation three out of five stars. He wrote: "[I] can't blame you if you're cautious about a collection that claims to contain 'the ultimate chillout' and is already up to volume five, but you can't beat Nettwerk's licensing muscle and their taste ain't [sic] bad either." Although he praised the additions of "All That You Give", "Angels", and "You Once Told Me" in the collection, he disregarded "Four the Floor" and "Pick Up" for being hectic and not within the means of the chill-out genre. Jody Rosen, a journalist and music writer for Slate featured the album on a list of chill-out compilations that were popular in the United States. She attributed the popularity of chill-out collections like Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout and others due to the introduction of satellite radio channels and outdoor concert festivals devoted to chill-out music debuting throughout the country. ## Track listing Adapted from AllMusic and the album's official liner notes. ## Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Chillout 05/The Ultimate Chillout. - A&R/final mixing/project coordinator – George Maniatis - Art direction/CD design – Little C - Legal – Michelle Dubuc - Makeup/hair – Shanly McDermid - Mastering – Craig Waddell

Slipping rib syndrome

Pain in the false ribs due to the partial dislocation of the costal cartilage

Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is a condition in which the interchondral ligaments are weakened or disrupted and have increased laxity, causing the costal cartilage tips to subluxate (partially dislocate). This results in pain or discomfort due to pinched or irritated intercostal nerves, straining of the intercostal muscles, and inflammation. The condition affects the 8th, 9th, and 10th ribs, referred to as the false ribs, with the 10th rib most commonly affected. Slipping rib syndrome was first described by Edgar Ferdinand Cyriax in 1919; however, the condition is rarely recognized and frequently overlooked. A study estimated the prevalence of the condition to be 1% of clinical diagnoses in a general medicine clinic and 5% in a gastroenterology clinic, with a separate study finding it to be 3% in a mixed specialty general medicine and gastroenterology clinic. The condition has also been referred to as Cyriax syndrome, clicking rib syndrome, painful rib syndrome, interchondral subluxation, or displaced ribs. The term "slipping rib syndrome" was coined by surgeon Robert Davies-Colley in 1922, which has been popularly quoted since. ## Symptoms The presentation of slipping rib syndrome varies for each individual and can present at one or both sides of the rib cage, with symptoms appearing primarily in the abdomen and back. Pain is most commonly presented as episodic and varies from a minor nuisance to severely impacting quality of life. It has been reported for symptoms to last minutes to hours. One of the commonly reported symptoms of this condition is the sensation of "popping" or "clicking" of the lower ribs as a result of subluxation of the cartilaginous joints. Individuals with SRS report an intense, sharp pain that can radiate from the chest to the back, and may be reproducible by pressing on the affected rib(s). A dull, aching sensation has also been reported by some affected individuals. Certain postures or movements may exacerbate the symptoms, such as stretching, reaching, coughing, sneezing, lifting, bending, sitting, sports activities, and respiration. There have also been reports of vomiting and nausea associated with the condition. ## Risk factors The causes of slipping rib syndrome are unclear, although several risk factors have been suggested. The condition often accompanies a history of physical trauma. This observation could explain reports of the condition among athletes, as they are at increased risk for trauma, especially for certain full-contact sports such as hockey, wrestling, and American football. There have also been reports of slipping rib syndrome among other athletes, such as swimmers, which could plausibly result from repetitive upper body movements coupled with high physical demands. Reported incidents in which no history of traumatic impact to the chest wall has been described are considered a gradual onset. Slipping rib syndrome may also result from the presence of a birth defect, such as an unstable bifid rib. Generalized hypermobility has also been suggested to be a possible further risk factor. ## Diagnosis Diagnosing slipping rib syndrome is predominantly clinical, with a physical examination of the affected rib being the most commonly utilized. A technique known as the "hooking maneuver" is commonly used amongst medical professionals to diagnose slipping rib syndrome. The examiner will hook their fingers under the costal margin, then pull in an anterior (outward) and superior (upward) direction, with a positive result when movement or pain is replicated during this action. Plain radiographs, CT scans, MRI, and standard ultrasound, are all unable to visualize the cartilage affected by SRS; however, they are often used to exclude other conditions. Dynamic ultrasound is occasionally used to evaluate the dynamic laxity or displacement of the cartilage; however, it has been said to be not much superior to that of a physical examination from an experienced physician, as a diagnosis is dependent on the technician's expertise and knowledge of the condition. A positive result of a dynamic ultrasound for slipping rib syndrome requires an observed subluxation of the cartilage, which may be elicited with the Valsalva, crunch, or other maneuvers. Nerve blocking injections have also been utilized as a diagnostic method by noting the absence of pain following an injection to the intercostal nerves of the affected ribs. ### Differential diagnosis Slipping rib syndrome is often confused with costochondritis and Tietze syndrome, as they also involve the cartilage of the thoracic wall. Costochondritis is a common cause of chest pain, consisting of up to 30% of chest pain complaints in emergency departments. The pain is typically diffused with the upper costochondral or sternocostal junctions most frequently involved, unlike slipping rib syndrome, which involves the lower rib cage. Tietze syndrome differs from these conditions as it is often associated with swelling and swelling of the costochondral, sternocostal, and sternoclavicular joints, whereas individuals with slipping rib syndrome or costochondritis will exhibit no swelling. Tietze syndrome typically involves the second and third ribs and is usually a result of infectious, rheumatologic, or neoplastic processes. A condition referred to as twelfth rib syndrome is similar to slipping rib syndrome; however, it affects the floating ribs (11-12) which do not have any attachments to the sternum. Some researchers classify slipping rib syndrome and twelfth rib syndrome into a group referred to as painful rib syndrome, others classify twelfth rib syndrome as a subtype of slipping rib syndrome, and some considering the two to be separate conditions altogether. The two disorders have different presentation and diagnostic criteria, such that a diagnosis for twelfth rib syndrome does not include the hooking maneuver and typically presents as lower back, abdominal, and groin pain. Other differential diagnosis includes pleurisy, rib fracture, gastric ulcer, cholecystitis, esophagitis, and hepatosplenic abnormalities. ## Treatment Treatment modalities for slipping rib syndrome range from conservative measures to surgical procedures. ### Conservative measures Conservative measures are often the first forms of treatment offered to patients with slipping rib syndrome, especially those in which symptoms are minor. Often the patients will be reassured and recommended to limit activity, use ice, and take pain medication such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Further measures such as osteopathic manipulation treatment (OMT), physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and acupuncture, are other non-invasive methods that have been used to treat SRS, with the goal of these treatments typically being relief or symptom management. Topical medications are occasionally used, such as Diclofenac gel and lidocaine transdermal patches, which have been noted to provide temporary relief of symptoms. ### Nerve blocking injections Minimally invasive procedures have been used for individuals with moderate slipping rib syndrome. Nerve blocking injections consisting of steroidal or local anesthetic agents have been commonly reported as a treatment to avoid surgical intervention. This minimally invasive intervention is seen as temporary, with repeated injections necessary to prevent the resurgence of symptoms. ### Surgical procedures Surgical intervention is often performed in cases where other treatment modalities have failed to provide a solution. There are 4 types of surgical procedures noted in current literature: costal cartilage removal, rib resection, laparoscopic costal cartilage removal, and rib stabilization with plating. Costal cartilage removal, or excision, was first attempted in 1922 by Davies-Colley and has been the technique used by several surgeons since then. This method of surgical repair includes removal of the cartilage affected from the sternum to the boned portion of the rib, with or without preserving the perichondrium. Rib resection differentiates from costal cartilage removal as it removes a small bone portion of the affected rib(s). Laparoscopic costal cartilage removal is a minimally invasive, intra-abdominal approach to treating the condition. The affected cartilage is excised from the sternocostal junction to the costochondral junction. It is to be noted that within studies that have performed these procedures, some individuals may experience recurrence of symptoms. An alternative technique known as rib stabilization with plating is used to prevent subluxation of the affected rib(s) while preserving thorax mobility. It was first used to treat individuals who have undergone previous resection surgeries but experienced a recurrence of symptoms. In this procedure, the ribs are stabilized using a bio-absorbable plate that is anchored onto a stable non-affected rib located above the affected rib(s). The plates are vertically placed onto the ribs and secured using non-absorbable sutures. A more recent technique of rib stabilization with suturing, colloquially known as the Hansen Method after its creator, is used to bring the affected rib(s) to their normal anatomy. The method uses an orthopedic tape suture to tie the slipped rib around a higher, unaffected rib(s) to stabilize it. This method is similar in concept to the aforementioned method of stabilization with plating; however, the suture is not bioabsorbable. ## Epidemiology Slipping rib syndrome is considered to be underdiagnosed and frequently overlooked. Past literature has noted the condition to be rare or uncommon, but one 1980 study estimated SRS to have 1% of clinical diagnoses in new patients at a general medicine clinic and 5% at a specialty gastroenterology clinic, with the prevalence being even higher for patients referred to the specialty clinic after multiple negative investigations. A separate study from 1993 found that slipping rib syndrome accounted for 3% of new referrals to a mixed specialty general medicine and gastroenterology clinic. It is unclear whether SRS is more common in women as some studies report an equal gender distribution while others report the condition to occur more often in females. It has been suggested by some researchers that there is a hormonal connection between hormones and the increased ligament laxity observed in females during pregnancy, though this theory has yet to be upheld or explored. ## History Slipping rib syndrome was first mentioned in 1919 by Edgar Ferdinand Cyriax, an orthopedic physician and physiotherapist, who described a chest pain associated with a "popping" or "clicking" sensation. The condition was originally named after him, Cyriax syndrome, but has used multiple names since then, including clicking rib syndrome, painful rib syndrome, interchondral subluxation, and displaced ribs. The name "slipping rib syndrome" was first used by surgeon Robert Davies-Colley and gained popularity, becoming the most commonly quoted term for the condition. Davies-Colley was also the first to describe an operation for slipping rib syndrome, a costal cartilage removal. The "hooking maneuver" was noted in 1977 by Heinz & Zavala to be useful for slipping rib syndrome as an accurate diagnostic method.

Remixed & Revisited

Remixed & Revisited is a remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 24, 2003, by Maverick Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album contains four songs, in remixed form, from her 2003 ninth studio album American Life and a previously unreleased song, "Your Honesty", originally written and recorded for her 1994 sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. The other tracks included are the live performance of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" on the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards—which ended with Madonna kissing co-performers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera—and a remix of 1985 single "Into the Groove". The release peaked at number 115 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, while reaching the number one in Portugal and top-five in Denmark, Greece and Italy. It received mixed reviews from critics; "Your Honesty" was generally the only song to receive praise. The remix album also marked the closing release under her contract with Maverick Records. ## Background In 2003, Madonna planned to release a special commemorative box set to celebrate her twentieth anniversary in the music business and the release of her first studio album, Madonna, in 1983. The plan for the box set was eventually cancelled and Remixed & Revisited was conceived in its place. The compilation contains remixed versions of four songs from American Life and a previously unreleased song called "Your Honesty"; co-written and co-produced by Dallas Austin, the track is from Madonna's sixth studio album Bedtime Stories era (1994). "Nobody Knows Me" was remixed by performance artist Mount Sims, Headcleanr mixed "American Life" and "Love Profusion". DJ Jason Nevins remixed "Nothing Fails", while "Into the Hollywood Groove" was created by The Passengerz. On December 9, 2003, Warner Music France released a box set version containing both the remix collection and the original album American Life in a cardboard sleeve entitled Édition Spéciale 2CDs: American Life + Remixed & Revisited. ### 2003 MTV VMA performance The medley track "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" was performed during the opening of the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards on August 27, 2003, where Madonna was joined by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott. The performance started with Spears appearing on stage on top of a giant wedding cake while wearing a wedding gown and veil; she sang the first few lines of "Like a Virgin" before Aguilera appeared from behind the cake and joined her. Madonna then emerged from the cake wearing a black coat and a hat and started singing "Hollywood" before proceeding to kiss Spears and Aguilera on the lips. Missy Elliott came out from a wedding chapel to sing her song "Work It" halfway through the performance. The kiss generated strong reaction from the media. Feminist author Camille Paglia described the moment as great; she noted that the kiss was like Madonna saying to Spears, "I'm passing the torch to you." However, according to her, Spears could not take advantage of the kiss as later her career and lifestyle came under immense media scrutiny and criticism. Paglia said that "literally from that kiss, from that moment onward, Britney has spiraled out of control. It's like Madonna gave her the kiss of death!" Madonna commented on the kiss; "I am the mommy pop star and she is the baby pop star. And I am kissing her to pass my energy on to her." This performance was listed by Blender magazine as one of the twenty-five sexiest music moments on television history. MTV listed the performance as the number-one opening moments in the history of MTV Video Music Awards. ## Critical reception Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that the presence of a "strong hook and a strong sense of fun" was missing from the compilation, except for the song "Your Honesty", which he declared as the best track despite feeling its beats to be a little outdated. He compared the work of the remixers as "as subtle as a jackhammer, whether it's on the metallic-flaked "American Life" by Headcleanr or the '90s-retro Nevins mix of "Nothing Fails". On all these mixes, Madonna sounds as if she's out of step with the music of 2003". Erlewine also compared Spears' vocals with that of Madonna's during her early days and Aguilera's with that of Cher's. Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone commented that the release "improves upon American Life's standout single "Love Profusion", but the rest botches an opportunity to revive interest on its parent album". Fabian from Daily Breeze commented that Remixed & Revisited "is an amusing collection of novelties." Sarah Crompton from Boston Herald proclaimed the album to be "more fun than her full-length 2003 offering American Life." The Malay Mail said that the remixes from the album are for "true blue Madonna fans." Phil Udell from Hot Press called it an "impressive seven-track collection". An editor from The Journal Gazette expressed "It's a bundle of energetic fun, even if Madonna sounds a little shaky". A writer for The Miami Herald was negative towards the release saying that "Madonna's latest misstep is this pointless Remixed & Revisited seven-track EP in which she tries to resell five songs from her recent American Life CD to an audience who deserve far better efforts from the queen, than this." Ricardo Baca from The Denver Post compared Madonna to actress Drew Barrymore on the cover of the EP, feeling that the singer looked foolish and that the tracks were weak attempts at "spicing up" the already non-commercial songs from American Life. Kevin C. Johnson from St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that with the remixes, Madonna "put some life" back into the songs of American Life, complementing "Your Honesty" and wondering why it was left from the Bedtime Stories sessions. Keith Caulfield of Billboard was impressed with "Your Honesty" and the remixes of "Love Profusion" and "Nobody Knows Me". He said, "Die-hard fans, even those unenamored of American Life will dig this EP." New Straits Times's Christie Leo, said "the remixes are more vivid and fleshed out, especially 'Nothing Fails' and 'Love Profusion'". In his book The Essential Rock Discography, Martin Charles Strong called the release as "equally dispensable as its parent album". ## Commercial performance In the United States, Remixed & Revisited debuted at number 115 on the Billboard 200, selling 22,000 copies in its first week. It also debuted and peaked at number 128 on the Top Comprehensive Albums chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the EP has sold 114,000 copies as of August 2005 in the United States. The Nevins' mix of "Nothing Fails" charted on the Canadian Singles Chart at seven and topped the Hot Dance Club Play chart. It also debuted on the album charts of Belgium, in Flanders and Wallonia, and Switzerland. The album charted in Italy as a single, reaching a peak of number two. It also charted in Finland and Denmark as an EP on the singles charts. ## Track listing ## Personnel Adapted from the Remixed & Revisited AllMusic credits Production - Madonna – producer - Mirwais Ahmadzaï – producer (except "Your Honesty") - Dallas Austin – producer ("Your Honesty") - Ray Carroll – additional production; remixer ("American Life", "Love Profusion") - Mount Sims – additional production; remixer ("Nobody Knows Me") - Jason Nevins – additional production; remixer ("Nothing Fails") - Vin Nigro – additional production ("Nothing Fails") - Joe "Magic" – additional production ("Nothing Fails") - Soul Diggaz – remixer ("Into the Hollywood Groove") - The Passengerz – editor ("Into the Hollywood Groove") - Chris Griffin – mixing ("Into the Hollywood Groove") - Pat Kraus – mastering Additional musicians - Missy Elliott – "Into the Hollywood Groove", "Like a Virgin"/"Hollywood" - Christina Aguilera – "Like a Virgin"/"Hollywood" - Britney Spears – "Like a Virgin"/"Hollywood" Design - Bret Healey – art direction - Kevin Reagan – art direction - Regan Cameron – photography ## Charts ### Weekly charts ### Year-end charts ## Sales

Maryland Route 12

State highway in Worcester and Wicomico Counties, Maryland, US

Maryland Route 12 (MD 12) is a state highway on the Eastern Shore in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs 30.57 mi (49.20 km) from the Virginia border south of Stockton, Worcester County, where it continues into Virginia as State Route 679 (SR 679), north to Main Street in the city of Salisbury in Wicomico County. The route is known as Snow Hill Road for most of its length and passes mostly through areas of woods and farms as well as the communities of Stockton, Girdletree, and Snow Hill. MD 12 intersects several roads including MD 366 in Stockton, U.S. Route 113 (US 113) and US 113 Business (US 113 Bus.) in Snow Hill, MD 354 in Indiantown, and US 13 near Salisbury. Portions of MD 12 near Snow Hill and Stockton existed as unnumbered state roads by 1910. When the first state highways in Maryland were designated by 1927, MD 12 was assigned to run from Stockton north to Salisbury. By 1940, the route was extended south to the Virginia border and a small incomplete portion between Snow Hill and Salisbury was finished. A dumbbell interchange is planned at the US 113 intersection; however, this project is currently on hold. ## Route description MD 12 heads north from the Virginia border on Snow Hill Road, which is a two-lane undivided road. The road continues south into Virginia as SR 679 (Fleming Road). From the border, the route passes through a mix of woodland and farmland with a few residences in southern Worcester County before reaching Stockton. Here, MD 12 passes by homes and crosses MD 366 (Stockton Road/George Island Landing Road). Upon leaving Stockton, the roads heads back into rural areas and passes near the E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area before reaching the residential community of Girdletree. Past Girdletree, the road continues to the east of a tract of the Pocomoke State Forest as it approaches the town of Snow Hill, the county seat of Worcester County. Just south of Snow Hill, the route intersects US 113 (Worcester Highway). Past this intersection, the road enters Snow Hill, where it becomes Church Street, and heads into inhabited areas with some businesses, passing west of Snow Hill High School. In the center of town, MD 12 intersects US 113 Bus. (Market Street) and turns east to form a concurrency with that route, passing through the downtown area. Within the downtown, the road passes by the Julia A. Purnell Museum and the Worcester County Courthouse. Here, MD 12 turns north to follow Washington Street, crossing the Pocomoke River out of downtown Snow Hill on a drawbridge. From here, the route becomes Snow Hill Road again and turns northwest. The road heads into agricultural areas with some residences before Indiantown, where MD 12 intersects the southern terminus of MD 354 (Whiton Road), which runs north to Willards. Past this intersection, the route turns more to the west and heads through a mix of farmland and woodland with occasional homes. The road turns to the northwest again and runs to the northeast of more tracts of the Pocomoke State Forest. The Pocomoke State Forest is known for its loblolly trees and cypress swamps and is popular with fishing and hunting. MD 12 crosses into Wicomico County, where it continues north through woods and farms with some residences. The route turns northwest again before heading into a mix of residential areas and farm fields on the outskirts of the city of Salisbury. The road comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 13 (Salisbury Bypass), where the route briefly becomes a four-lane divided highway. Past US 13, MD 12 crosses into Salisbury at the Johnson Road intersection. Here, the route heads north through commercial areas, becoming a six-lane road with a center left-turn lane, two southbound travel lanes and one northbound travel lane. In addition, there is one lane in each direction devoted to right turns. At the intersection with College Avenue/Beaglin Park Drive, the road narrows to four lanes with each direction consisting of one travel lane and a right-turn lane. This configuration eventually ends and MD 12 becomes a two-lane road again, leaving the corporate limits of Salisbury. Upon entering Salisbury again, the route becomes municipally maintained and continues past a mix of residences and businesses with some industrial establishments. MD 12 crosses over a branch of the Wicomico River west of the Salisbury City Park, which contains the Salisbury Zoo, before ending at Main Street a short distance to the east of US 13 Bus. (Salisbury Boulevard) near downtown Salisbury. MD 12 is a part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from Nutters Cross Road south of US 13 near Salisbury north to Main Street in Salisbury. ## History The portion of MD 12 south of Snow Hill was part of an old post road from the 18th century that ran the length of the Delmarva Peninsula. The section of the state highway north of Snow Hill is the descendant of the Old Snow Hill Road from Salisbury whose original bridge across the Pocomoke River dates to 1878. The Maryland State Roads Commission designated the highway from Stockton to Snow Hill as one of the original state roads in 1909. By 1910, the highway was paved within Stockton, between Snow Hill and Indiantown, and for about 2 miles (3.2 km) south from the city limit of Salisbury. The highway was paved from Snow Hill to a point north of Girdletree by 1917. The all-weather road between Snow Hill and Stockton was completed by 1921. The Snow Hill–Salisbury road was under construction by 1923. By 1927, MD 12 had been assigned to the highway despite a 4-mile (6.4 km) gap remaining from just north of the Wicomico–Worcester county line south toward Snow Hill. That gap was filled by 1930. In addition, MD 12's present northern terminus at Main Street, including the bridge across the South Prong of the Wicomico River, was constructed in 1928 and 1929. The highway had previously entered Salisbury along Lincoln Avenue and Division Street. The final portion of MD 12 was completed between Stockton and the Virginia state line by 1933. In addition, the present bridge across the Pocomoke River was completed in 1932. MD 12 was widened and straightened from Stockton to Salisbury between 1951 and 1954. ## Future An interchange is planned between MD 12 and US 113 south of Snow Hill in order to improve safety and traffic flow as a follow-up to widening US 113; however, the project is currently on hold. This proposed interchange is to be a dumbbell interchange, a variation of the diamond interchange with two roundabouts on MD 12 where it intersects the ramps to US 113. The proposed cost needed to build this interchange is \$24.2 million, which includes engineering, acquisition of land, and the actual construction. ## Junction list ## Auxiliary route - MD 12A runs along an unnamed road from MD 12 east to a dead end in Girdletree, Worcester County. The route is 0.02 mi (0.032 km) long. ## See also

Regina Margherita-class battleship

Pre-dreadnought battleship class of the Italian Royal Navy

The Regina Margherita class was a class of two battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina between 1898 and 1905. The class comprised two ships: Regina Margherita and Benedetto Brin. The ships were designed by the latter's namesake, Benedetto Brin, who died before the ships were completed. They were armed with a main battery of four 12 in (305 mm) guns and could steam at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). Both ships saw extensive service with the Italian fleet for the first decade of their careers. They saw action in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, where they participated in the seizure of Cyrenaica in North Africa and operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. They were reduced to training ships by World War I, and both ships were lost with heavy death tolls during the conflict. Benedetto Brin exploded in Brindisi in September 1915, and Regina Margherita struck a mine and sank in December 1916. ## Design After the negative experience with the preceding Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class, which were too weak to engage foreign battleships, and too slow to catch cruisers, the Italian navy wanted a new battleship that returned to a larger, more effective size. In particular, they wanted to be able to challenge the new Habsburg-class battleships being built in neighboring Austria-Hungary. They returned to the 12-inch (305 mm) gun that was standard in most other navies of the day, but sacrificed armor protection to achieve high speed. As such, the ships represented a hybrid type that merged the firepower of the slow battleships and the speed of a cruiser. Benedetto Brin initially wanted to arm the ships with only two of the 12-inch guns and twelve 8 in (203 mm) guns, but after his death, Admiral Ruggero Alfredo Micheli altered the design to double the number of 12-inch guns, at the expense of eight of the medium-caliber pieces. ### General characteristics and machinery The Regina Margherita-class ships were 130 meters (430 ft) long at the waterline and 138.65 m (454.9 ft) long overall. They had a beam of 23.84 m (78.2 ft); Regina Margherita had a draft of 8.81 m (28.9 ft), while Benedetto Brin drew slightly more, at 9 m (30 ft). They displaced 13,215 long tons (13,427 t) at normal loading and at full combat load, Regina Margherita displaced 14,093 long tons (14,319 t) while Benedetto Brin, slightly heavier, displaced 14,737 long tons (14,973 t). Their hulls were equipped with a double bottom. The vessels had a fairly large superstructure, which included an unusual pair of conning towers with bridges, one forward and one aft. The ships were built with a ram bow and had a raised forecastle deck. They had two masts, both with fighting tops; the foremast was located directly behind the forward conning tower and bridge. The ships' crew varied over the course of their careers, ranging from 812 to 900 officers and enlisted men. The ships' propulsion system consisted of two triple-expansion steam engines, which drove a pair of screw propellers. Steam for the engines was provided by twenty-eight coal-fired water-tube Niclausse boilers in Regina Margherita. Benedetto Brin meanwhile was equipped with the same number of Belleville boilers. The boilers were vented into three funnels, two of which were placed side by side. The lead ship's engines were rated at 21,790 indicated horsepower (16,250 kW), while Benedetto Brin's were slightly less efficient, at 20,475 ihp (15,268 kW). The two ships had a top speed of 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) and a range of approximately 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph). ### Armament and armor The ships were armed with a main battery of four 12 in (305 mm) 40-caliber guns placed in two twin gun turrets, one forward and one aft. They were also equipped with a secondary battery of four 8 in (203 mm) 40-cal. guns in casemates in the superstructure at the corners, two firing forward and two astern. The ships carried a tertiary battery of twelve 6 in (152 mm) 40-cal. guns, also in casemates in the side of the hull. Close-range defense against torpedo boats was provided by a battery of twenty 3 in (76 mm) 40-cal. guns. The ships also carried a pair of 47 mm (1.9 in) guns, two 37 mm (1.5 in) guns, and two 10 mm (0.39 in) Maxim guns. The Regina Margherita-class battleships were also equipped with four 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes placed in the hull below the waterline. The ships of the Regina Margherita class were protected with Harvey steel manufactured in Terni. The main belt was 6 in (152 mm) thick, and the deck was 3.1 in (79 mm) thick. The conning tower and the casemate guns were also protected by 6 in of armor plating. The main battery guns had stronger armor protection, at 8 in (203 mm) thick. Coal was used extensively in the protection scheme, including a layer intended to protect the ships' internals from underwater damage. ## Ships of the class ## Service history Both Regina Margherita and Benedetto Brin served in the active duty squadron for the first few years of their careers, and participated in the peacetime routine of fleet training. Regina Margherita frequently served as the fleet flagship before the completion of the new Regina Elena-class battleships. On 29 September 1911, Italy declared war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the Italo-Turkish War. The two ships saw action during the war in the 3rd Division in the 2nd Squadron. Benedetto Brin took part in the attack on Tripoli in October 1911, and both were involved in the campaign to seize Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Italy initially remained neutral during World War I, but by 1915, had been convinced by the Triple Entente to enter the war against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Both the Italians and Austro-Hungarians adopted a cautious fleet policy in the confined waters of the Adriatic Sea, and so the two Regina Margherita-class battleships did not see action. Benedetto Brin served as a training ship based in Brindisi until she was destroyed in an internal explosion in the harbor on 27 September 1915 with heavy loss of life; 454 men of the ship's crew died in the explosion. Regina Margherita, also serving as a training ship, served for somewhat longer, until she struck a mine laid by the German submarine SM UC-14 on the night of 11–12 December 1916. Some 675 men were killed in the sinking.

Isidore van Kinsbergen

Dutch engraver

Isodorus "Isidore" van Kinsbergen (3 September 1821 – 10 September 1905) was a Dutch-Flemish engraver who took the first archaeological and cultural photographs of Java during the Dutch East Indies period in the nineteenth century. The photographs that he produced during his visit to the colony in 1851 ranged in subject from antiquities and landscapes to portraits, court-photography, model studies and nudes. His monograph was published in black and white with a coloured quire of nearly 400 photographs. His photograph of Borobudur was the first picture of the monument that showed the results of the first restoration c. 1873. ## Early life Isidore van Kinsbergen was born in Bruges in 1821 (at that time, Bruges was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands). Having studied painting and singing in Paris, he joined a French opera group that travelled to Batavia (the present day Jakarta) in 1851. After several performances the group left the Dutch East Indies, but Van Kinsbergen decided to stay there. He became interested in the new medium of photography, particularly in using the albumen print technique. He opened the first albumen print processing shop in Batavia. ## Commissions In 1862, the General Secretary of East Indies Alexis Loudon invited van Kinsbergen to join the government mission to Siam (present day Thailand) in February 1862 to cover the 1860 Treaty of Friendship, Trade and Navigation between the Netherlands and Siam. It was van Kinsbergen's first government assignment and he used the occasion to capture a number of curiosities in the country. During that period, the Batavia Society of Arts and Sciences, whose main interests were in archaeological research and conservation, became interested in the newly invented albumen print medium. The society felt that the world should know more about Javanese culture as expressed in the old inscriptions, statues, customs and temples. The Society arranged an archaeological tour around Java, headed by J.F.G. Brumund, a priest of the Batavian Evangelic Community and a specialist in Javanese. The Society also commissioned van Kinsbergen to accompany Brumund during his tour in order to illustrate Brumund's publication of Javanese culture and antiquities. The government granted permission for this tour, with the restriction that all wet-prints (cliches) would be government property and that extra printing would only be allowed with permission from the government. As part of his contract with the Batavian Society, van Kinsbergen had to take photographs of Borobudur, which had just been cleaned and restored. However, when he went to photograph the Panataran Hindu temple complex in East Java in 1867, he ran out of chemicals. In his enthusiasm for photographing the many reliefs of the temple complex, he used up so many glass slides that he could not go to Borobudur as he had intended to. The Society was nervous about van Kinsbergen's delay, so they did not grant his request to supply new slides. However, van Kinsbergen's photographs satisfied the Society and he became renowned as "the Society's Photographer". His work on repairing the system for managing water flow during his trip in the Dieng Plateau in order to photograph the Javanese Hindu temple there was avidly praised by the Society. The board then decided that van Kinsbergen was no longer obliged to follow Brumund's directions, but should pursue his own vision. Brumund published his work in 1868, but without the full illustrations of van Kinsbergen. Later in 1872, van Kinsbergen published photographs of monuments in Java, but he was criticized for missing some important ruins, for instance, those in the east of Kediri. Although Brumund's publication included drawings of Borobudur, the Batavia Society still felt that it was incomplete. In April 1873, van Kinsbergen set off to the monument. Cleaning, digging and other technical difficulties delayed his start in taking pictures until August that year. The wet monsoon season further hampered his work, resulting in a series of only 43 photographs taken between August and December. The Society was disappointed with the number of photographs, although satisfied with the printing and artistic quality. ## Photographic styles Isidore van Kinsbergen was known as a perfectionist. During his work in Borobudur, he selected the statues and panels which had been preserved best to take pictures of. He preferred a non-frontal angle, which shows a better depth of the relief and the skills of the relief maker. To stress its timeless beauty, van Kinsbergen blocked out the original background in the negative film instead of putting up a black curtain during photographing. There are some criticisms of van Kinsbergen's photographs. He missed some details and sometimes his series was unbalanced. Trained as an artist, his works lacked archaeological descriptions, the main purpose of his contract. The printing quality, however, is beyond question and he had success showing the beauty of classical Javanese arts. His photographs were shown to the public both in the 1873 International Exhibition in Vienna and the 1878 World Exhibition in Paris. His works can be seen in several places, including the National Museum in Amsterdam. ## Gallery

Galaxy Game

1971 arcade game

Galaxy Game is a space combat arcade game developed in 1971 during the early era of video games. Galaxy Game is an expanded version of the 1962 Spacewar!, potentially the first video game to spread to multiple computer installations. It features two spaceships, "the needle" and "the wedge", engaged in a dogfight while maneuvering in the gravity well of a star. Both ships are controlled by human players. Created by Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck, the initial prototype cost to build. It consisted of a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11 minicomputer attached by a cable to a wooden console with a monitor, controls, and seats. It charged players 10 cents per game or 25 cents for three, and drew crowds "ten-deep". This was one of the first coin-operated video games; the prototype was installed in November 1971 at the Tresidder student union building at Stanford University, only a few months after a similar display of a prototype of Computer Space, making it the second known video game to charge money to play. The pair built a second prototype, replacing the first in Tresidder in June 1972. It featured the capability to play multiple games simultaneously on four monitors, though due to space restrictions only two consoles with monitors were actually installed. These consoles had a blue fiberglass casing, and the PDP-11 was housed inside one of the consoles. By the time of its installation, the pair had spent on the project, but were unable to make the game commercially viable. The second prototype remained in the student union building until 1979, when the display processor became faulty. It was restored and placed in the Stanford computer science department in 1997, then moved to the Computer History Museum in 2000, where it remains . ## Background At the beginning of the 1970s, video games existed almost entirely as novelties passed around by programmers and technicians with access to computers, primarily at research institutions and large companies. One of these games was Spacewar!, created in 1962 for the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) PDP-1 minicomputer by Steve Russell and others in the programming community at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The two-player game has the players engage in a dogfight between two spaceships, set against the backdrop of a starfield, with a central star exerting gravitational force upon the ships. The game was copied to several of the early minicomputer installations in American academic institutions after its initial release, making it potentially the first video game to be available outside a single research institute. Spacewar was extremely popular in the small programming community in the 1960s and was widely recreated on other minicomputer and mainframe computers of the time, later migrating to early microcomputer systems. Early computer scientist Alan Kay noted in 1972 that "the game of Spacewar blossoms spontaneously wherever there is a graphics display connected to a computer," and contributor Martin Graetz recalled in 1981 that as the game initially spread it could be found on "just about any research computer that had a programmable CRT". Although the game was widespread for the era, it was still very limited in its direct reach: the PDP-1 was priced at and only 55 were ever sold, most without a monitor, which prohibited the original Spacewar or any game of the time from reaching beyond a narrow, academic audience. The original developers of Spacewar considered ways to monetize the game, but saw no options given the high price of the computer it ran on. In 1966, Stanford University student Bill Pitts, who had a hobby of exploring the steam tunnels and buildings of the campus, broke into a building he found out to be the location of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Project, which held a DEC PDP-6 time-sharing computer system with 20 Teletype consoles connected to it. Fascinated by the computer and having taken several introductory computer classes, Pitts convinced the head of the project, Lester Earnest, to let him use the computer after hours. Soon, Pitts had ceased going to classes, instead spending his nights in the computer lab interacting with the graduate and postgraduate students and playing Spacewar on the PDP-6. Pitts often played against Hugh Tuck, a student at California Polytechnic State University who was a friend from high school. During one Spacewar session that took place, depending on the source, between 1966 and 1969, Tuck remarked that a coin-operated version of the game would be very successful. Such a device was still unfeasible due to the cost of computers, and the pair did not pursue the project. In 1971, however, Pitts, who by then had graduated and was working at Lockheed as a PDP-10 programmer, learned of the 1970 DEC PDP-11, which was sold for around US\$14,000. While this was still too high for a commercially viable product, as most electronic games in arcades cost around US\$1,000 at the time, Tuck and Pitts felt it was low enough to build a prototype to determine interest and optimal per-game pricing. ## Gameplay The gameplay of Galaxy Game, like Spacewar!, involves two monochrome spaceships called "the needle" and "the wedge" (though their appearances have been modified for the coin-op version) each controlled by a player, attempting to shoot each other while maneuvering on a two-dimensional plane in the gravity well of a star, set against the backdrop of a starfield. The ships fire torpedoes, which are not affected by the gravitational pull of the star. The ships have a limited number of torpedoes and a limited supply of fuel, which is used when the player fires his thrusters. Torpedoes are fired one at a time, and there is a cooldown period between launches. The ships follow Newtonian physics, remaining in motion even when the player is not accelerating, though the ships can rotate at a constant rate without inertia. Each player controls one of the ships and must attempt to shoot down the other ship while avoiding a collision with the star. Flying near the star can provide a gravity assist to the player at the risk of misjudging the trajectory and falling into the star. If a ship moves past one edge of the screen, it reappears on the other side in a wraparound effect. A hyperspace feature, or "panic button", can be used as a last-ditch means to evade enemy torpedoes by moving the player's ship to another location on the screen after disappearing for a few seconds, but the reentry from hyperspace occurs at a random location, and there is an increasing probability of the ship exploding with each use. Player controls include clockwise and counterclockwise rotation, forward thrust, firing torpedoes, and hyperspace. Galaxy Game features, as improvements over the original, optional modifications to the game to have faster ships, faster torpedoes, to remove the star and its gravitational field or reverse the gravity to push away from the star, and to remove the wraparound effect. The movement of the ships was controlled with a joystick, while the torpedoes, hyperspace, and game options are controlled via a panel of buttons. ## Development After deciding to begin work on a coin-operated version of Spacewar, the pair, with assistance from Tuck's family, bought a PDP-11 and started working on a prototype. They spent a total of to build a single arcade machine for two players, like the original Spacewar, deciding to price the game at ten cents per play or 25 cents for three games, with the winner of a match given a free game. They used a PDP-11/20 version of the PDP-11 (14,000), a Hewlett-Packard 1300A Electrostatic Display (3,000), and spent the remainder on the coin acceptors, joysticks, wiring, and casing. Pitts build the computer hardware and handled the programming, while Tuck, a mechanical engineer, designed the enclosing cabinet. The display adapter for the monitor was built by Ted Panofsky, the coin acceptors were sourced from jukebox manufacturer Rowe International, and the joysticks found at a military surplus store as remainders from B-52 bomber controls. The code for the game was based on a version of Spacewar running on a PDP-10 in the Stanford artificial intelligence lab, but modified with additional features. Pitts and Tuck renamed their product from Spacewar to Galaxy Game due to anti-war sentiment and founded a company called Mini-Computer Applications in June 1971 to operate the game as it neared completion. The development of the prototype machine took around three and a half months. By August, they were well into development and had gotten permission to place the machine at the Tresidder student union building at Stanford as a test site. It was then that they received a call from Nolan Bushnell, who had heard of their project and wanted to show them his similar project he was working on. Bushnell had also played Spacewar during the 1960s and wanted to make an arcade game version of it, but had gone in a different technological direction. He and Ted Dabney had initially started with a US\$4,000 Data General Nova computer which they thought would be powerful enough to run multiple simultaneous games of Spacewar; when it turned out to not be, they had started investigating replacing the computer hardware with custom-built parts. They had soon discovered that while a general-purpose computer cheap enough for an arcade game would not be powerful enough to run enough games of Spacewar to be profitable, a computer purpose-built for solely running one game could be made for as low as US\$100. By August 1971 when Bushnell called Tuck and Pitts, he and Dabney had already displayed a prototype of their Computer Space game in a bar near Stanford and had found a commercial manufacturer for the game in Nutting Associates. They were curious about what Tuck and Pitts had done to make a commercially competitive version of the game, but were relieved, though also somewhat disappointed, to find that they had not solved that problem yet. Tuck and Pitts, on the other hand, while impressed with Bushnell's hardware were not impressed with the game itself. They felt that Computer Space, a single-player game without the central gravity well of the original game, was a pale imitation of Spacewar, while their own Galaxy Game was a superior adaptation of the game. In November 1971, the Galaxy Game prototype debuted. The veneered walnut console, complete with seats for players, was located on the second floor of the building and connected to the PDP-11 in the attic by a 100-foot cable. It was very successful; Pitts later said that the machine attracted crowds of people "ten-deep" watching the players. They briefly attached a second monitor hanging above the console so that the watchers could more easily see the game. The low prices meant that they did not come close to making back the price of the PDP-11, but they were excited by the game's reception and had not intended the prototype to be profitable. As the initial Galaxy Game prototype was displayed to the public a few months after the first Computer Space prototype, it is believed to be the second video game to charge money to play. As a result of the reception to Galaxy Game, Pitts and Tuck started work on an expanded prototype. For the second machine, they built a full blue fiberglass casing for the consoles, improved the quality of the joysticks with the help of a machine shop, and modified the computer with a newer display processor to support up to four games at once on different monitors—either multiple simultaneous separate games or up to four players playing the same game on two screens. They also placed the PDP-11 inside one of the consoles rather than in a separate location. While the original plan had been to work on driving down the development costs after the initial prototype, the popularity of the game convinced the pair to instead focus on making a better machine that could run multiple games to recoup the upfront investment. The new version was installed in a cafe in the student union building in June 1972, though with only two monitors due to space restrictions. The original Galaxy Game prototype was displayed at several locations around the area, but was not as successful as it had been at the student union building. By the time the second prototype was completed the pair had spent US\$65,000 on the project and had no feasible way of making up the cost with the machine or commercial prospects for a wider release. Pitts later explained that he and Tuck had been focused on the engineering and technical challenges of producing a faithful coin-operated Spacewar game and paid little attention to the business side of the project; he felt that Computer Space had been more commercially successful because Bushnell had focused more on the business side of his idea than the technical. ## Legacy The second Galaxy Game prototype remained on display in the Tresidder building until May 1979, when it was removed due to the display processor becoming unreliable. Throughout its time on display, it remained popular, with "ten to twenty people gathered around the machines most Friday and Saturday nights when school was in session." Pitts later claimed that by the time the machine was removed, it had managed to make back the original investment. After its removal, the machine was dismantled, with the computer parts stored in an office and the casing outdoors. The unit was restored in 1997 with a recreated display processor and put on display for several years in the computer science department at Stanford with two consoles attached for free use by students. Due to issues with space and maintenance, in 2000 it was moved into the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, in the displayed storage section. In August 2010, the museum loaned the console to Google to be placed at their headquarters campus at the request of Pitts—who wanted the game to be played as well as displayed—due to a discussion with senior vice president Jonathan Rosenberg, who had been hired as a 13 year old by Tuck and Pitts in the mid-1970s to keep the machine cleaned. It has since returned to the museum as a playable exhibit.

Murano (skyscraper)

Residential skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia

The Murano is a residential skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia. Part of a condominium boom occurring in the city, the Murano was announced in 2005 and was developed jointly by Thomas Properties Group and P&A Associates. The building, named after Murano, Italy, was completed in 2008 at a cost of US\$165 million. The site, previously occupied by a parking lot, was the location of the Erlanger Theatre from 1927 to 1978. The blue glass and concrete, 43-story, 475 feet (145 m) skyscraper was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Associates. Murano's condos range between 740 square feet (69 m²) and 2,625 square feet (240 m²) and were designed to be loft-like with each featuring a balcony. The building features ground level retail space and an adjacent parking garage. Located in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City, in a part that first saw residential development in 2002, the building struggled to fill its units during the late-2000s recession. In July 2009 the Murano's owners held a successful auction on forty of the building's units. Thomas Properties Group lowered the price for the remaining unsold units based on what the forty units went for at the auction. ## History The Murano was announced in 2005 when Philadelphia was experiencing a condominium boom that had begun in the late 1990s; between 1998 and 2004 more than 70 Center City office and manufacturing buildings had been converted into rental and condominium apartments. The project was jointly developed by Thomas Properties Group of Los Angeles and P&A Associates of Philadelphia. The planned site of the Murano was on West Market Street in Center City, an area which had not had any residential development until 2002 when 2121 Market Street was converted into apartments. Construction began around the end of 2005. Built by construction firm Turner Construction Company, the US\$165 million Murano was completed in 2008 with residents first moving in on June 18. The building was completed with seventy percent of its units sold. As of December 31, 2008, sales on 111 units had been closed and an additional 14 units were under contract of sale. In 2008 and 2009 the late-2000s recession hurt the condominium market, with citywide sales declining 64 percent and high-end condo sales declining 24 percent. Analysts believed the Murano was overpriced based on the neighborhood, with potential buyers unwilling to take a chance on the developing West Market Street neighborhood during a recession. In 2009, Thomas Properties Group was looking to quickly fill up the tower to help pay for condo fees and maintenance costs. On June 27, Thomas Properties Group auctioned off 40 units in the tower. The 40 units went for between US\$335,000 and US\$796,000, priced at nearly 20 percent less than the units sold before the auction. Thomas Properties Group priced the 137 remaining unsold units according to what similar units went for during the auction. ## Architecture and features Located at 21st and Market Streets, the 43-story, 475 feet (145 m) Murano is named after Murano, Italy, a town famous for its glass. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Associates, the Murano has 302 condos that include one to three bedroom condos that range from 740 square feet (69 m²) to 2,625 square feet (240 m²). Also included are penthouses that range from 1,660 square feet (150 m²) to 2,625 square feet (240 m²). The condominiums are designed to be loft-like and each feature a balcony. The curved facade features floor-to-ceiling blue windows separated at intervals by bands of white concrete. The Murano contains 570,000 square feet (53,000 m²) including 9,000 square feet (840 m²) of ground floor retail space. Adjacent to the building on 21st Street is a parking garage. The developers planned to put ground level retail in the parking garage but say they were dissuaded by residents who feared the shops would attract the homeless. Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron praised how the concrete bands break up the glass and "serve as a bridge, linking the Murano visually to its older neighbors". However, she criticized how the building doesn't connect physically to its neighbors, such as lack of access to John F. Kennedy Boulevard and lack of shops on the ground floor of the parking garage. Saffron believed shops in the parking garage would have helped create a connection between West Market Street and the Logan Square neighborhood. ## See also - List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia

The Boat Race 1876

The 33rd Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 8 April 1876. Six of the Oxford crew had Boat Race experience while Cambridge's crew contained three Blues. Umpired by Joseph William Chitty, Cambridge won the race "easily" in a time of 20 minutes 20 seconds, following confusion as to the positioning of the finish. The victory took the overall record to 17–16 in Oxford's favour. ## Background The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Cambridge by ten lengths in the previous year's race, and led overall with seventeen wins to Cambridge's fifteen. Cambridge were coached by Constantine William Benson who had rowed for Cambridge in the 1872, 1873 and 1875 races, and James Brooks Close who had represented the Light Blues in the 1872, 1873 and 1874 races. There is no record of who coached Oxford. Joseph William Chitty was the umpire for the race. He had rowed for Oxford twice in 1849 (in March and December) and the 1852 race. The starter was Edward Searle. ## Crews Both crews weight an average of 11 st 13.875 lb (76.0 kg). The Cambridge crew contained three former Blues: William Brooks Close, cox George Latham Davies and Herbert Rhodes (rowing in his fourth Boat Race). Oxford saw six Blues return, including H. J. Stayner who was making his third Boat Race appearance. Author and rower G. C. Drinkwater stated that the placement of Tom Edwards-Moss, described as "one of the best sevens that ever rowed", at stroke was a mistake. In contrast, Cambridge were "considered by many to be the finest seen at Putney up to that time." ## Race Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Cambridge. Weather conditions were warm but with a "foul wind" in Corney Reach (about 3 miles (4.8 km) along the course), and the race commenced at 2:02 p.m. The crews remained almost level for the first four minutes of the race, after which Cambridge began to pull ahead. By Hammersmith Bridge they had a clear water advantage and were three lengths up by Chiswick Eyot. Extending their lead, the Light Blues were five lengths ahead by The Ship pub. When Oxford finally passed the pub, they stopped, "apparently unaware that they had not completed the course". Author and former Oxford rower Dickie Burnell suggested the course was approximately 60 yards (55 m) too long. Cambridge, having sprinted to the finish, received the finishing gun while eight lengths ahead. As a result of the confusion, the judge declared the winning distance as four lengths. However, official records state that Cambridge won the race "easily", in a time of 20 minutes 20 seconds. It was their sixth win in seven years and took the overall record to 17–16 in Oxford's favour.

Beyond Blunderdome

"Beyond Blunderdome" is the eleventh season premiere of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on September 26, 1999 and was watched in around 8.1 million homes during the broadcast. In the episode, the Simpsons are given free tickets to a preview screening of Mel Gibson's new film, a remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Gibson laments his current non-violent role and wants someone to give him criticism. When Homer sees Gibson talking with Marge, he gives him a brutal review, leading Gibson to believe that Homer is the only man brave enough to give suggestions. As a result, he hires him to create a better ending. However, when the ending proves to be too controversial, Gibson and Homer end up on the run from studio executives with the film. The episode was written by then-showrunner Mike Scully and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The story was a parody of the film industry and its practice with test screenings and overly violent films. It featured several references to various films as well as other popular culture. Gibson guest starred as himself, and Jack Burns voiced a film studio executive named Edward Christian. Since airing, the episode has received generally mixed reviews from critics, but Gibson was praised for his performance. It was released on the DVD collection The Simpsons Film Festival in 2002, and The Simpsons – The Complete Eleventh Season in 2008. ## Plot Homer test drives (and destroys) a new electric car so that he can get a free gift, which turns out to be—to his disappointment—free tickets to a preview screening of the new Mel Gibson film, a remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Homer is also disconcerted to discover that Marge thinks Mel is very attractive. At the screening, which Gibson attends unannounced, the audience members are given comment cards to fill in. Homer, incensed by Mel's apparent flirting with Marge, makes the only critical comment; Gibson thinks Homer is the only person brave enough to tell the truth. Gibson invites Homer and his family to come with him to Hollywood to improve the film. Homer and Gibson work together while the rest of the family explores Hollywood, but Homer's ideas are not useful, and Gibson begins to wonder whether he made a mistake. However, he is enthusiastic when Homer tells him his ideas for the famous "filibuster" scene at the end. The next day, they show the producers the new ending, in which Mr. Smith slaughters not only the President but also every member of the United States Congress in a mindless action movie sequence. The producers are horrified at this, saying that the film was meant to be the studio's prestige picture. They attempt to burn the new ending, but Homer and Gibson, determined to save their film, run away with it. They meet up with the rest of the family at a car museum, where they steal a replica of the main villain's car from The Road Warrior and engage in a car chase through the streets of Hollywood, with the film executives on their trail. Homer, taking an idea he believes to be from Braveheart, moons the executives along with Gibson so that they will stop their car out of disgust. Homer and Gibson then attend the film's premiere in Springfield, but at the end the entire audience walks out disgusted, and Jimmy Stewart's granddaughter threatens to sue them. Homer then tries to apologize to Gibson, who does not blame him, concluding there is no place for violence-lovers like themselves in Hollywood; however, after Homer suggests too many more worthless film ideas, Gibson kicks him out of his limousine. ## Production and themes "Beyond Blunderdome" was written by then-showrunner Mike Scully and directed by Steven Dean Moore, airing as part of the eleventh season of The Simpsons (1999–2000). It was Scully's first writing credit since he took over as showrunner for the show. In comparison with other episode scripts, the staff writers did not change much of the original writing. The plot revolves around Mel Gibson doing a remake of the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Karma Waltonen and Denise Du Vernay analysed the episode and wrote in the book The Simpsons in the Classroom: Embiggening the Learning Experience with the Wisdom of Springfield that "the episode is able to critique the practice of test screening, violence in film, and one of movies' favorite standards – the car chase", calling it "a ridiculous parody of an action-film violence orgy". Staff writer Tom Gammill came up with the idea for the violent version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Gibson throwing his Senator badge away at the end of the film, is a reference to the ending of the film Dirty Harry from 1971. The idea for the set piece with electric cars at the beginning of the episode came from Kevin Nealon, who was a friend of former showrunner David Mirkin. One day, he came by and demonstrated his electric car for the writing staff. The episode featured Mel Gibson as a guest voice. Scully had previously met him while writing jokes for a school fundraiser along with his wife Julie Thacker. Gibson and Daniel Stern were the hosts and needed jokes for the event. It turned out that Gibson was a fan of the show and watched it with his children. With that knowledge, it did not take Scully long to invite him to do a part. Gibson was willing to do the job and even came in on three separate occasions to do retakes – mostly because he knew his children would be watching. Unlike most guest voices, Gibson recorded the show along with the cast. On one occasion, it turned out that a joke written for Gibson actually did happen in real life. The writing staff wanted Gibson to say that he would urinate behind a dumpster, because it sounded like it would not be a classy thing to do for a movie star. He had, however, already done that during a couple of film premieres because he can feel trapped in a public toilet with a lot of fans. Gibson was surprised the writers knew about the story, but it turned out to be a coincidence. Otherwise, the episode frequently references films Gibson appeared in. After the studio cart crashes, Gibson says to Homer, "I'm getting too old for this crap," a reference to a line said by Danny Glover's character Roger Murtaugh to Gibson's character Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon film series. A poster for his film Braveheart is on the wall in the editing room and the Road Warrior car from the 1981 film Mad Max 2 is also featured. In addition to Gibson, Jack Burns guest starred in the episode, voicing a film studio executive named Edward Christian. His frequent use of the terms "Huh?" and "You know what I mean?" is a reference to a comedy routine performed by Burns and Avery Schreiber. The episode also features John Travolta, in whose private jet Gibson flies to Springfield, but his voice was imitated by Dan Castellaneta. ## Cultural references The Elec-Taurus car used the name of the Ford Taurus though its design and concept is more similar to the General Motors EV1 an electric car that was leased by General Motors between 1996 and 1999 in select U.S. markets. In the episode, there are many references to popular culture. The character Rainier Wolfcastle is seen filming Saving Irene Ryan, which is a reference to the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, with The Beverly Hillbillies actress Irene Ryan. Homer says, "You had me at 'hello'," a quote from the film Jerry Maguire (1996), when Gibson asks for his help on his film. The airport is called "George Kennedy Airport", which is a reference to actor George Kennedy, and his role in the film Airport (1970) and its three sequels; Airport 1975 (1974), Airport '77 (1977) and The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979). When Homer asked Gibson to drive, He said to him. "I'm tired of running away. Did Braveheart run away? Did Payback run away? Did Ransom run away? It's time we showed those suits what we're made of." When Homer and Gibson are being hunted by the executives they enter a car museum. The museum features the Batmobile from the television series Batman, General Lee from the series The Dukes of Hazzard, Herbie the Love Bug from the 1968 film The Love Bug and later films, the Monkeemobile from the series The Monkees, the Munster Koach from the series The Munsters, and the car from the series The Flintstones. At one point, Marge notices Robert Downey Jr. shooting at the police and thinking he's filming a new action movie before Bart points out that he doesn't see any cameras, alluding to how, at the time the episode was made, Downey was repeatedly in trouble with the law. Both Nine Months and the Brown Derby were alluded to during the tour. Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres also make a cameo, where they declared their lesbianism, alluding to DeGeneres coming out a few years earlier. Marge also briefly expresses disgust when the tour guide mentions an infamous spot involving Hugh Grant prior to her making clear she's referring to the filming of Nine Months, indirectly referencing Grant's scandal involving Divine Brown at Sunset Boulevard. ## Release and reception The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 26, 1999, as the premiere of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. In its original broadcast, "Beyond Blunderdome" finished 48th in the ratings for the week of September 20–26, 1999, with a Nielsen rating of 8.0—equivalent to approximately 8.1 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating shows such as Futurama and King of the Hill. In comparison, the previous season premiere episode, "Lard of the Dance", drew a Nielsen rating of 7.2 points with 7.1 million households watching. The episode had a lower rating than the overall rating for the entire eleventh season, which averaged 8.2 million households. On March 12, 2002, the episode was released in the United States on a DVD collection titled The Simpsons Film Festival, along with the episodes "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" (season four), "22 Short Films About Springfield" season seven) and "A Star is Burns" (season six). On October 7, 2008, "Beyond Blunderdome" was released on DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Eleventh Season. Staff members Scully, George Meyer, Ron Hauge, Matt Selman and Moore participated in the DVD audio commentary. The episode had an alternate ending in which Apu suggests that they sell the failed film to India, since the people of India love violent, action-packed American films. This ending was included on the eleventh season DVD set. Since airing, the episode has received generally mixed reception from critics. The day after the premiere, Mark Lorando of The Times-Picayune wrote that while it was "not the laugh riot The Simpsons have spoiled us to expect – our appetite for showbiz parodies is waning – the episode did have its moments." He further added that he especially liked "the sign posted outside the movie studio gate: 'No Artistic Integrity Beyond This Point.'" While reviewing the eleventh season of The Simpsons, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented on the episode, writing that "Gibson actually does a good job here, and it’s amusing to see Homer’s terrible movie ideas. This isn’t classic Simpsons, but it starts the season on a pretty good note." However, an article in Salon magazine from 2000 points to "Beyond Blunderdome" as the greatest precursor to that Homer would be more predominant as "Jerkass Homer" in the Scully era as showrunner, a Homer who "is not only dumb, but [has also become] disgusting and semi-sociopathic. This is the Homer who, in the season opener ['Beyond Blunderdome'], showed Marge's wedding ring to Mel Gibson and stated, 'This is a symbol that as per our marriage, she's my property and I own her.'" Gibson's performance has generally been praised. Simon Crerar of The Times listed his performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show. Similarly, Total Film'''s Nathan Ditum ranked Gibson's performance as the seventh best guest appearance in the show's history in a list of twenty people, calling it "Another ace self-effacing appearance from a Hollywood high-flyer". Ford reportedly pulled advertising from the premiere of the episode yet did not give a reason as to why they did so. The ad instead aired during that night's episode of King of the Hill''.

The Vital Question

2015 book by Nick Lane

The Vital Question is a book by the English biochemist Nick Lane about the way the evolution and origin of life on Earth was constrained by the provision of energy. The book was well received by critics; The New York Times, for example, found it "seductive and often convincing" though the reviewer considered much of it speculative beyond the evidence provided. The Guardian wrote that the book presented hard evidence and tightly interlocking theory on a question once thought inaccessible to science, the origin of life. New Scientist found the book's arguments powerful and persuasive with many testable ideas; that it was not easy to read was compensated by the "incredible, epic story" that it told. The Telegraph wrote that the book succeeded brilliantly as science writing, expanding the reader's horizons with a gripping narrative. ## Context Early theories of the origin of life included spontaneous generation from non-living matter and panspermia, the arrival of life on earth from other bodies in space. The question of how life originated became urgent when Charles Darwin's 1859 On the Origin of Species became widely accepted by biologists. The evolution of new species by splitting off from older ones implied that all life forms were derived from a few such forms, perhaps only one, as Darwin had suggested at the end of his book. Darwin suggested that life could have originated in some "warm little pond" containing a suitable mixture of chemical compounds. The question has continued to be debated into the 21st century. Nick Lane is a biochemist at University College London; he researches "evolutionary biochemistry and bioenergetics, focusing on the origin of life and the evolution of complex cells." He has become known as a science writer, having written four books about evolutionary biochemistry. ## Book ### Synopsis In the book, Lane discusses what he considers to be a major gap in biology: why life operates the way that it does, and how it began. In his view as a biochemist, the core question is about energy, as all cells handle energy in the same way, relying on a steep electrochemical gradient across the very small thickness of a membrane in a cell – to power all the chemical reactions of life. The electrical energy is transformed into forms that the cell can use by a chain of energy-handling structures including ancient proteins such as cytochromes, ion channels, and the enzyme ATP synthase, all built into the membrane. Once evolved, this chain has been conserved by all living things, showing that it is vital to life. He argues that such an electrochemical gradient could not have arisen in ordinary conditions, such as the open ocean or Darwin's "warm little pond". He argues instead (following Günter Wächtershäuser) that life began in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, as these contain chemicals that effectively store energy that cells could use, as long as the cells provided a membrane to generate the needed gradient by maintaining different concentrations of chemicals on either side. Once cells similar to bacteria (the first prokaryotes, cells without a nucleus) had emerged, he writes, they stayed like that for two and a half billion years. Then, just once, cells jumped in complexity and size, acquiring a nucleus and other organelles, and complex behavioural features including sex, which he notes have become universal in complex (eukaryotic) life forms including plants, animals, and fungi. The book is illustrated with 37 figures taken by permission from a wide variety of research sources. They include a timeline, photographs, cladograms, electron flow diagrams and diagrams of the life cycle of cells and their chromosomes. ### Publication history The book was first published by Profile Books in 2015. The British edition was subtitled with the question of the title, "Why is Life the Way it is?", whereas the American edition was subtitled with the explanation "Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life". A paperback edition came out in 2016. The book has been translated into at least seven languages: Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, and Turkish. ## Reception Tim Requarth, reviewing The Vital Question for The New York Times, finds the book "seductive and often convincing, though speculation far outpaces evidence in many of the book’s passages. But perhaps for a biological theory of everything, that's to be expected, even welcomed." Peter Forbes, reviewing The Vital Question in The Guardian, noted that the origin of life was once thought to be "safely consigned to wistful armchair musing", but that in the past 20 years new research in genomics, geology, biochemistry and molecular biology have transformed thinking in the field. "Here is the book that presents all this hard evidence and tightly interlocking theory to a wider audience.", writes Forbes. Michael LePage, reviewing the book in New Scientist, writes that the fact that complex cells only evolved once is "very peculiar when you think about it", but it is just one of many large mysteries that Lane addresses, including aging and death, sex, and speciation. LePage finds Lane's arguments "powerful and persuasive", with many testable ideas. The book is not, he writes, the easiest to read, but "it does tell an incredible, epic story", from the dawn of life to the present day. Caspar Henderson, in his book review in The Telegraph, writes that Lane's book "succeeds brilliantly" as good science writing can, expanding the reader's horizons "in ways not previously imagined." Lane explains why the counterintuitive idea "that cross-membrane proton gradients power all living cells" is no mere technical detail: per gram, he notes, the power is 10,000 times denser than the sun, and it is conserved across every form of life, telling us something about how life began and how it was constrained to evolve. Henderson recommends the book as amazing and gripping, only criticising the publisher for the "pedestrian" quality of the design and printing. The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, reviewed the book under the heading "This Biology Book Blew Me Away". It moved him to read two of Lane's other books, and to bring him to New York to interview him. Gates noted that "As much as I loved The Vital Question, it's not for everyone. Some of the explanations are pretty technical. But this is a technical subject, and I doubt anyone else will make it much easier to understand without sacrificing crucial details." Lane won the Michael Faraday Prize in 2016 for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences".

Santa-Fe (Bob Dylan song)

"Santa-Fe" (sometimes spelled "Santa Fe" or "Santa Fé") is a song that was recorded by Bob Dylan and the Band in the summer or fall of 1967 in West Saugerties, New York. It was recorded during the sessions that would in 1975 be released on The Basement Tapes but was not included on that album. These sessions took place in three phases throughout the year, at a trio of houses, and "Santa-Fe" was likely put on tape in the second of these, at a home of some of the Band members, known as Big Pink. The composition, which has been characterized as a "nonsense" song, was copyrighted in 1973 with lyrics that differ noticeably from those on the recording itself. In the decades following this collaboration, the over 100 tracks recorded at these sessions were at different stages obtained by collectors and released on bootlegs. The first batch of these leaked to the public beginning in the late 1960s; the second in 1986; the third, which included "Santa-Fe", in the early 1990s; and a fourth batch of Basement Tape tracks became public in 2014. The song was released officially on the Columbia album The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991. It has been subject to mixed opinions by critics and biographers, with some praising it for its expressiveness, and others regarding it unmemorable, while criticizing its inclusion on The Bootleg Series at the expense of more worthy candidates. ## Background ### Recording near Woodstock In 1965 and 1966, Dylan was touring with the Hawks—Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm, although Helm quit the group in late November or early December 1965. In July 1966, Dylan suffered a motorcycle accident and spent several months recuperating at his house in Byrdcliffe, near Woodstock, New York. By spring 1967, all of the members of the Hawks, except Helm, had joined Dylan in the Woodstock area, with Danko, Manuel and Hudson living in nearby West Saugerties in a house nicknamed Big Pink. Dylan and the four Hawks began recording informal music sessions, first at Dylan's house in what was known as "the Red Room", followed by the basement of Big Pink. Earlier on they recorded mostly covers and traditional music, but later moved onto original material written largely by Dylan. In total, over 100 songs and alternate takes were put on tape. Helm returned to the group in October 1967 and performed on some final Woodstock-area collaborations between Dylan and the Hawks, these ones at a different house that some group members had moved to. In the fall of that year, the Hawks, who soon renamed themselves the Band, continued writing and rehearsing songs for their debut album, Music From Big Pink. Dylan biographer Sid Griffin has noted that, because no written records were kept of these 1967 recording sessions, "the world will have to live with the fact that it will never know exactly which Basement Tapes tune was recorded when and where". Nonetheless, using clues such as the sound quality of different batches of songs, and where they appear on the original reels of tapes, attempts have been made to place the songs into a rough chronology and guess the locations at which they were likely recorded. Biographer Clinton Heylin places "Santa-Fe" in the summer of 1967 at Big Pink. The liner notes of The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 date it in the fall of that year. Griffin lists it among the probable Big Pink recordings, and in a group of songs from around July, but concedes it is also "unlikely [but] possible" it came from the Red Room. ### Circulation of Basement Tape songs In late 1967, an acetate of fourteen of Dylan's compositions was made, from which demos circulated among music groups who might be interested in recording some of the songs. Artists including Peter, Paul and Mary, Manfred Mann and the Byrds eventually did. Dylan's demo tapes were soon heard by music journalists, including Rolling Stone'''s Jann Wenner, who wrote a front-page story in that magazine entitled "Dylan's Basement Tape Should Be Released". This made the general public hungry to hear the music, and in July 1969 a bootleg called Great White Wonder, which included some of the Big Pink songs, came out. Other Basement Tape bootlegs followed. In 1975, the Columbia album The Basement Tapes was compiled, mainly by Robertson and engineer Rob Fraboni. Robertson and Fraboni put thirty-five of the songs onto composite reels of tape, and Heylin believes these represented a short list of candidates for the album. "Santa-Fe" was included on these composite reels, but was not ultimately chosen for the album. The Basement Tapes included sixteen Dylan songs recorded at Big Pink in 1967, as well as eight Band demos from various times and locations between 1967 and 1975. One Dylan song on the album, "Goin' to Acapulco", had not appeared on his 1967 fourteen-song acetate or on bootlegs, and this alerted the world to the possibility that there might be more Basement Tape songs in existence. In 1986, at least twenty-five previously unknown 1967 songs by Dylan and the Band passed into collectors' hands by way of a former roadie of the Band's. In the early 1990s, a third batch of songs, these ones from Garth Hudson's archives, came to light around the time Columbia was preparing The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3; "Santa-Fe" comes from this group. In his liner notes for The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3, John Bauldie commented on these second and third stages in which groups of Big Pink songs had come to light: "Despite the ... emergence [in 1986] in collectors' circles of a further couple of hours of Basement Tapes, it seems as though there's a good deal left unheard. 'Santa-Fe' is just one example of a batch of previously unsuspected Basement tracks". By 1992, the "Santa-Fe" batch of songs had been obtained by bootleggers, and almost all known Dylan Basement Tape songs were assembled onto the 5-CD bootleg The Genuine Basement Tapes. "Santa-Fe" was also included on the 2014 compilations The Basement Tapes Raw and The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete; the latter album officially released a fourth batch of previously uncirculating Basement Tape songs. ## Personnel The liner notes for The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 list the song's personnel as Dylan, guitar and vocals; Robertson, guitar; Hudson, organ; Manuel, piano; Danko, bass; and Helm, drums. However, Griffin argues that Helm did not arrive in Woodstock until after the song is believed to have been recorded. Furthermore, the drumming sounds to Griffin more like Manuel's style. Heylin and biographer Greil Marcus similarly do not include "Santa-Fe" among the songs they believe were recorded after Helm's arrival. Griffin also argues that no organ is audible on the track and proposes the following musician line-up as being more likely: Dylan, acoustic guitar and vocals; Robertson, electric guitar; Hudson, piano; Danko, bass; Manuel, drums. ## Copyright and lyrics Different Basement Tapes songs were copyrighted in stages between 1967 and 1975, with "Santa-Fe" being registered in September 1973; still other songs from the sessions were not copyrighted until the 1980s. Researcher Tim Dunn indicates that in the original 1973 copyright the song was registered as "Santa-Fe" with a hyphen, but that some later documents relating to the renewal of the copyright omit the hyphen. The liner notes of The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 print the title as "Santa-Fe", while Dylan's official website, Bobdylan.com, spells it without the hyphen but with an accent on the e: "Santa Fé". Heylin has noted that, as is the case with a number of other of Basement Tapes tracks, Dylan's copyrighted, published "Santa-Fe" lyrics differ from what can be heard on the song. Heylin speculates that the "dramatic reworking" in the later version arose from Dylan's "1973 musing in Malibu", where Dylan had moved to, and that new lines like "build a geodesic dome and sail away" and "My shrimp boat's in the bay" sound like the work of "someone sitting on the dock of the bay, not up on Meads Mountain [in Woodstock]". Heylin also notes that the website maintained by Olof Björner, Words Fill My Head, contains a transcription of the song as Dylan performed it. The 1973 copyrighted lyrics are printed on Bobdylan.com. In his notes for The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3, Bauldie describes the song as "a typical combination of nonsense and fun, just for the hell of it, really ..."; author Oliver Trager likewise describes it as a "nonsense" song. Heylin writes that the lyrics "revolve around 'dear, dear, dear, dear, Santa Fe'—intended to be both a woman's name and the town in New Mexico. After five verses of rolling said words around, he moves on." ## Appraisal Opinions about the song have been mixed. AllMusic critic Thomas Ward calls it "one of the great good-time songs in Dylan's canon". Ward comments that "Dylan sings it as if he is having the time of his life", adding that "rarely has he sung with such expressiveness". Anthony Varesi, author of The Bob Dylan Albums, similarly praises the song's "breadth of feeling" and "unparalleled expressiveness", noting that "it appears Dylan simply improvised the song on the spot, and the passion within him allows the song to flow forth naturally". Biographer John Nagowski has described the song as "delightful", while a New York Times review rates it one of the highlights of Volume 2 of The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3, commenting that it is one of only a couple of mid-60s songs on the compilation that "live up to their vintage". Griffin describes it as "catchy but slight" and "a slight if charming little ditty", but criticizes the decision to include it on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 rather than the "masterpiece" composition "Sign on the Cross". Heylin concurs, characterizing "Santa-Fe" in 1995 as a "pleasant enough throwaway" but suggesting that "Sign on the Cross" or another 1967 composition, "I'm Not There", would have been much better choices ("I'm Not There" was eventually released in 2007 on the I'm Not There soundtrack, and both it and "Sign on the Cross" were included on The Basement Tapes Raw and The Basement Tapes Complete in 2014). By 2009, Heylin's opinion had changed little and he writes that "of all the 'missing' basement-tape originals that appear on that three-CD set, 'Santa Fe' hardly represented an A-list candidate. Just another discarded ditty, it relies on the usual wordplay and slurred diction to obscure any pretense to a deeper meaning". Marcus dismisses it as no more than "a riff", while a review in Stereophile magazine calls it "the most lightweight tune on all three CDs, with indecipherable lyrics". Author Peter James, referring to Dylan and the Band's Woodstock output, writes that "many great songs were written and recorded in [Big Pink's] basement in 1967, unfortunately 'Santa-Fe' is not one of them." He goes on to describe the song's inclusion on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 as "little more than a joke". ## Cover versions The song has been covered by Howard Fishman on his album Performs Bob Dylan & The Band's The Basement Tapes Live at Joe's Pub. Fishman played more than sixty songs from Dylan and the Band's Basement Tapes sessions over three nights, of which selected tracks were included on the CD and an accompanying DVD. "Santa-Fe" has also been covered by Steve Gibbons. On November 7, 2007 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, J Mascis and the Million Dollar Bashers performed the song at a special concert featuring numerous music artists celebrating the release of Todd Haynes's film I'm Not There''. Thomas Ward notes that Dylan himself has never played the song live.

It's Alive! (Dexter)

"It's Alive!" is the second season premiere and thirteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on September 30, 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and was directed by Tony Goldwyn. In the episode, which takes place five weeks after the first-season finale, Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King) is following Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) at all times, but when he gets his first opportunity Dexter finds himself unable to kill. Meanwhile, his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) returns to work after her ex-fiancé Brian tried to kill her, and his girlfriend Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) refuses to believe that Dexter sent her ex-husband Paul (Mark Pellegrino) to prison in spite of the evidence in front of her. Although Dexter's first season was adapted from Jeff Lindsay's novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the show's writers decided not to follow Lindsay's second novel, Dearly Devoted Dexter, in the second season. Filming of the episode began in May in Los Angeles, California, marking the show's permanent move from Miami, Florida, where the show takes place. A small crew flew to Miami to film short pieces of Dexter which were integrated into "It's Alive!" and other episodes, but the bulk of filming took place in San Pedro and Long Beach. With 1.09 million viewers, Dexter became the first Showtime series to attract over a million viewers with a season premiere. The episode received mostly positive reviews. ## Plot Since murdering the Ice Truck Killer five weeks previously, Dexter Morgan has been followed by the suspicious Sgt. James Doakes and thus cannot satisfy his urge to kill. Trying to act "relentlessly normal", he goes bowling almost nightly with his co-workers. Dexter is finally left alone when Doakes gives up and takes a night off; he pursues a blind voodoo priest named Jimmy, but finds himself ultimately unable to kill him. At a crime scene, the victim's mother pleads with Dexter to kill her son's murderer, gang lord "Little Chino". Seeing the woman's young daughter, he is reminded of having witnessed his own mother's brutal death as a child. After leading Doakes to believe that he is bowling for the night, Dexter brings Chino to Jimmy's killing room. However, Chino wakes up in the middle of Dexter's procedure and manages to escape. Meanwhile, Dexter's sister Debra exercises incessantly and is barely able to sleep as she struggles with memories of her ex-fiancé, Brian Moser, trying to kill her. When she returns to work, Sgt. María LaGuerta expresses concern about her emotional stability. However, Debra is determined to resume her life. When she takes Dexter's girlfriend Rita out to a bar, a man recognizes Debra as the fiancé of the Ice Truck Killer. She instinctively punches him when he touches her shoulder, certain that he was trying to grab her. Rita takes her children Astor and Cody to see the imprisoned Paul, who continues to insist that he was framed by Dexter and that his missing shoe would prove his innocence. Rita tells him that there is no shoe, despite having found it over a month ago. She later admits that she found the shoe, but refuses to acknowledge that Dexter is involved. That night, she receives a call from the prison and learns that Paul has been killed by another inmate. Flashbacks show the attempts of a teenaged Dexter to feel his heartbeat. In the present, Dexter and Debra watch a news report showing a team of scuba divers recovering thirty garbage bags from Biscayne Bay, each containing parts of Dexter's mutilated victims. As he watches, his heart races. ## Production The first season of Dexter followed the same storyline of Jeff Lindsay's novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the first in the series of novels on which the television show is based, albeit with many additional elements and altered characters. When writing the second season, Daniel Cerone said that the writers "didn't see the opportunity in the second book" to continue on the path that they hoped to go down and chose to depart from Lindsay's second Dexter novel, Dearly Devoted Dexter. Instead, they chose "to turn our biggest card up - "What if Dexter's bodies were discovered?" - and just chart that course throughout the season." According to executive producer Clyde Phillips, they decided to resume the second season storyline five weeks after season one's finale "so all of the emotional resonance of what each [character] went through [...] will continue as if that were the actual passage of time, so they're still dented and rocked by what has happened." Cerone added that "The nice thing with Dexter is it's actually the lack of emotional resonance." Speaking about Dexter's situation at the beginning of the second season, Hall said, "I think his world is pretty rocked. He encountered [his brother], a person he never anticipated encountering, someone who sees him for who he is, accepts him as such, and he really has no choice but to do him in ... he's still reeling from that, and any footing he's able to establish for himself is pretty much immediately pulled out from under him." With filming beginning on May 21, 2007, "It's Alive!" marked the permanent relocation of production from Miami to Los Angeles. Five episodes of the first season were shot on location in Miami, which Cerone said was "a bigger hassle than it was worth". Showtime programming chief Robert Greenblatt said that "It just became impossible, production-wise, to shoot the whole show [in Miami]", because of the overlap between Dexter's production window and Florida's hurricane season, making property insurance costly. A small crew flew to Miami with Hall and filmed, according to producer Sara Colleton, "a lot of pieces—not just Dexter walking in and out of his door or car, but also scenes that we know we'll need and can use", which the writers then worked into the episode and others. For the episode, Biscayne Bay was substituted with a set in Los Angeles, while most on location scenes were filmed in and around San Pedro and Long Beach, California. ## Reception "It's Alive!" brought in 1.09 million viewers in the United States, making Dexter the first Showtime series to attract over a million viewers with a season premiere, while an additional 414,000 people watched the late-night encore. The ratings were 67 percent higher than the series pilot and 40 percent above the first season's average. The episode attracted 471,000 Australian viewers on its first free-to-air broadcast. In the United Kingdom, the episode drew 348,000 viewers, an increase of 50,000 from the pilot. Production sound mixer Patrick Hanson and re-recording sound mixers Elmo Ponsdomenech and Joe Earle, received a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Award nomination, in the category Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour), but lost to the sound mixers of the Lost episode "Meet Kevin Johnson". Stewart Schill, the editor of "It's Alive!", received an Eddie Award nomination for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television. However, the eventual recipient of the award was Sidney Wolinsky, for The Sopranos. The episode was positively received. Writing for Variety, Brian Lowry called the second season's opening "a bloody winner" and said that Hall's performance "remains a towering achievement". IGN's Eric Goldman thought that the episode's biggest problem was "having to follow up such a great first season", but called "It's Alive!" "a solid episode". He praised Dexter's flashbacks and Dexter and Debra's storylines, though he said that Doakes' following Dexter was "ridiculous" and that LaGuerta's overhearing Lt. Esmee Pascal's private conversation was "a bit contrived". Keith McDuffee of TV Squad "love[d] the flashbacks to a young Dexter and living Harry". Regarding the episode's end, he wrote that "just as Dexter's heart beats out of his chest, as does ours." Paula Paige, writing for TV Guide, said that the episode "made for some exciting, heart-pounding fear" and called the discovery of Dexter's corpses "a fantastic storyline". She commended Benz for "develop[ing] her character, Rita, into a person instead of just the shell of one she appeared to be". Blogcritics' Ray Ellis commented, "If ['It's Alive!'] is any indication, Dexter's second season looks to delve deeper into the psyches of its characters. It certainly sets up a number of plot complexities [...] and new devices that offer a myriad of new developments." The A.V. Club critic Scott Tobias stated that "the writers have done a solid job setting the table for season two".

Afrasia djijidae

Eocene fossil primate from Myanmar

Afrasia djijidae is a fossil primate that lived in Myanmar approximately 37 million years ago, during the late middle Eocene. The only species in the genus Afrasia, it was a small primate, estimated to weigh around 100 grams (3.5 oz). Despite the significant geographic distance between them, Afrasia is thought to be closely related to Afrotarsius, an enigmatic fossil found in Libya and Egypt that dates to 38–39 million years ago. If this relationship is correct, it suggests that early simians (a related group or clade consisting of monkeys, apes, and humans) dispersed from Asia to Africa during the middle Eocene and would add further support to the hypothesis that the first simians evolved in Asia, not Africa. Neither Afrasia nor Afrotarsius, which together form the family Afrotarsiidae, is considered ancestral to living simians, but they are part of a side branch or stem group known as eosimiiforms. Because they did not give rise to the stem simians that are known from the same deposits in Africa, early Asian simians are thought to have dispersed from Asia to Africa more than once prior to the late middle Eocene. Such dispersals from Asia to Africa also were seen around the same time in other mammalian groups, including hystricognathous rodents and anthracotheres. Afrasia is known from four isolated molar teeth found in the Pondaung Formation of Myanmar. These teeth are similar to those of Afrotarsius and Eosimiidae, and differ only in details of the chewing surface. For example, the back part of the third lower molar is relatively well-developed. In the Pondaung Formation, Afrasia was part of a diverse primate community that also includes the eosimiid Bahinia and members of the families Amphipithecidae and Sivaladapidae. ## Etymology The name Afrasia derives from the continental names "Africa" and "Asia", and refers to the occurrence of eosimiiform primates on both continents. The species, A. djijidae, was named in memory of a young girl from Mogaung village in central Myanmar. ## Evolutionary history Afrasia djijidae was first described in 2012 on the basis of isolated teeth from the 37-million-year-old Pondaung Formation, which is close to the village of Nyaungpinle in Myanmar. Prior to the discovery of A. djijidae, early Asian simians were typically classified in two families, Eosimiidae and Amphipithecidae. While eosimiids are generally considered the most basal simian clade (a stem group of simians), the phylogenetic placement of amphipithecids is more disputed. Amphipithecids are usually considered to share affinities with either eosimiids or crown simians (those simians that are part of the smallest clade that contains the living simians); the latter view is favored. Eosimiids were first described from findings in China in 1994 and are still best known there (two genera are now known, Eosimias and Phenacopithecus), but have also been recorded in Pakistan (Phileosimias) and Myanmar (Bahinia). All species had a small body size and a mix of primitive (ancestral) and derived traits. The largest eosimiid, Bahinia, is from the Pondaung Formation, the same stratum as Afrasia, and the morphology of its molars bridges the gap between the more primitive molars of Eosimias and the more derived molars of the later Eocene African simians. Afrasia, on the other hand, is more comparable in size to the eosimiids from China. The upper molars of Afrasia are nearly identical in morphology and size to those of Afrotarsius, an animal known from 38- to 39-million-year-old deposits in Libya (species Afrotarsius libycus) and about 30-million-year-old deposits in Egypt (A. chatrathi). Afrotarsius was originally described as a tarsier, but later suggested to be related to primitive simians. Because of their close similarities, Afrasia and Afrotarsius are together placed in the family Afrotarsiidae. A phylogenetic analysis placed Afrasia as a sister group to Afrotarsius, forming the family Afrotarsiidae. Afrotarsiidae was found to be most closely related to Eosimiidae, and unrelated to tarsiers. The clade formed by Afrotarsiidae and Eosimiidae was designated as the infraorder Eosimiiformes by Chaimanee et al. in 2012. Eosimiiformes are the sister group of crown simians. However, the classification of Afrotarsius as a stem simian is not accepted by all researchers, and the phylogenetic claims and their implications rest on only the four molars of Afrasia initially discovered. ### Biogeography Several hypotheses compete to explain the geographic origins of simians. Of the two most popular views, one hypothesis states that simians originated in Asia, while the other favors Africa as their place of origin. Both their ancient origins and the sparse fossil record in Africa and Asia complicate the debate. Convergent evolution also makes it difficult for researchers to determine the relationships between fossils. Also, the earliest fossils, which do not match up with molecular clock estimates for simian origins, have been found in both Afro-Arabia and Asia. At the time, both landmasses would have been separated by the Tethys Sea. The oldest undisputed simians from Africa also date to the late middle Eocene. Afrotarsius was found in the Dur At-Talah escarpment in Libya, which dates to 38–39 million years ago and also contains the parapithecid Biretia and the oligopithecid Talahpithecus. Although diverse, these primates were all very small in size, much like eosimiids. Simian classification for older fossils from Africa are more contested. Altiatlasius, the oldest suspected fossil primate known from the late Paleocene of Morocco, is too fragmentary to ascertain its true affinities. Algeripithecus was popularly considered an early middle Eocene simian; however, less fragmentary remains uncovered between 2003 and 2009 suggest it was a type of azibiid, a group of strepsirrhine primates likely related to lemuriform primates (lemurs and lorisoids). According to the team who discovered Afrasia, headed by Jean-Jacques Jaeger, the similarities in tooth morphology, body size, and age suggest a phylogenetic relationship with Afrotarsius despite the geographic separation. They suggested that afrotarsiid simians from Asia dispersed across the Tethys Sea to Africa around the middle Eocene, giving rise to Afrotarsius. A reverse migration—as suggested by the hypothesis of the African origin for simians—is not favored due to the close phylogenetic relationship between the older Asian eosimiids and Afrasia. However, to explain the origins of Proteopithecidae, Parapithecidae, and crown simians from the African fossil record, a higher simian clade also needed to disperse from Asia to Africa before the late middle Eocene since neither Afrasia nor Afrotarsius could have given rise to this group. Such dispersals from Asia to Africa were not uncommon, since hystricognathous rodents, anthracotheres, and possibly other mammalian fauna from Asia arrived around the same time. ## Anatomy Afrasia is known from four isolated teeth: a first upper molar (M1), with a length of 2.13 mm and width of 3.06 mm; a second upper molar (M2), the holotype, of 2.27 mm by 3.35 mm; a second lower molar (m2) of 2.09 mm by 1.41 mm; and a third lower molar (m3) of 2.05 mm by 1.27 mm. Like other eosimiiforms, it was a small primate that weighed around 94 or 108 g (3.3 or 3.8 oz), which is estimated based on the measurements of its m2 and M1, respectively. It is generally similar to other eosimiiforms in general and Afrotarsius in particular; some distinguishing features are the well-developed small cusps (conules) on the upper molars, the variable development of the lingual cingulum (a shelf on the inner, or lingual, side of the tooth) of the upper molars, and the unreduced talonid (posterior portion) on the m3. Its teeth are smaller than those of the eosimiids Phenacopithecus, Bahinia, and Phileosimias. The M2 is similar to that of eosimiids and almost identical to that of Afrotarsius libycus. It shows well-developed small accessory cusps (the paraconule and metaconule) that are connected to equally well-developed crests. The conules are stronger than in Eosimias and Bahinia, but weaker than in Phileosimias. The stylar shelf, the outer area of the tooth, is broad, particularly at the metacone cusp. However, the shelf is better developed near the paracone cusp in Afrasia than in Afrotarsius, which makes the ectoflexus (an invagination in the outer wall of the tooth) more symmetrical in the former. The parastyle, a small cusp in the outer front corner of the tooth, is located more buccally (towards the outer side of the tooth) than in Afrotarsius and is larger. The stylar shelf is larger than that of Bahinia and Phileosimias, but smaller than that of Eosimias. The parastyle is also less developed than in Eosimias, but the protocone, the main cusp on the lingual side of the tooth, is more expansive. The lingual cingulum is incomplete; it is stronger in Phenacopithecus. M1 is similar to M2, but somewhat smaller. The ectoflexus is less apparent, the stylar shelf is narrower, there is no crest behind the metaconule, and the lingual cingulum is continuous. The condition of the parastyle more closely resembles that in Afrotarsius. In m2, the trigonid (the front portion of the tooth) consists of three very distinct cusps: the paraconid at the front, and behind it the paired protoconid (on the buccal side) and metaconid (on the lingual side). These three cusps are less discrete in Afrotarsius. The paraconid is distinct from the paracristid, the crest that connects it to the protoconid, and is located more lingually than in Afrotarsius. Between this cusp and the metaconid behind it, the central basin of the trigonid is open towards the lingual margin of the tooth. The protoconid has a V shape, with one arm reaching towards the metaconid and the other towards the paraconid. The back portion of the tooth, the talonid, is broader; Eosimias has a narrower talonid. The main cusps, the buccal hypoconid and lingual entoconid, are opposite each other on the margins of the tooth (the entoconid is further to the front in Phenacopithecus). A crest, the cristid obliqua, connects the front side of the hypoconid to the protoconid. It is nearly in line with the main axis of the tooth, contrasting with its more diagonal position in Eosimias and Phenacopithecus. A crest, the postcristid, descends from the hypoconid along the back margin of the tooth and almost reaches the entoconid, which is separated by a notch. It incorporates the third talonid cusp, the hypoconulid, which is indistinct in Afrasia. In Afrotarsius and eosimiids (except the Pakistani Phileosimias), this crest reaches the entoconid. There is a cingulum, or shelf, on the buccal side of m2. The last lower molar, m3, is smaller and has a longer talonid, with a well-developed hypoconulid lobe at the back, and generally resembles that of Phenacopithecus, but the trigonid is smaller. The paraconid is distinct. The hypoconulid lobe is longer than in Afrotarsius and the entoconid is located further to the front. Unlike on m2, there is no notch between the hypoconulid and entoconid, though a shallow valley is present. ## Range and ecology Afrasia has only been found in the Eocene Pondaung Formation of central Myanmar, a rock unit which has been dated to about 37 million years ago using magnetostratigraphy and fission track dating. This places it at the end of the Bartonian stage, near the Middle–Late Eocene boundary. Although many tons of sediments in the area have been screened for fossils, Afrasia is still known only from four teeth, suggesting that it was a rare species. Since fossils were first discovered there in 1916, a rich fossil fauna has been recovered in the Pondaung Formation. In addition to Afrasia, primates found there include the eosimiid Bahinia; the amphipithecids Pondaungia, Ganlea, and Myanmarpithecus; and the sivaladapids Paukkaungia and Kyitchaungia.

Sonnet 18

Sonnet by William Shakespeare

"Sonnet 18" is one of the best-known of the 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. In the sonnet, the speaker asks whether he should compare the Fair Youth to a summer's day, but notes that he has qualities that surpass a summer's day, which is one of the themes of the poem. He also notes the qualities of a summer day are subject to change and will eventually diminish. The speaker then states that the Fair Youth will live forever in the lines of the poem, as long as it can be read. There is an irony being expressed in this sonnet: it is not the actual young man who will be eternalized, but the description of him contained in the poem, and the poem contains scant or no description of the young man, but instead contains vivid and lasting descriptions of a summer day, which the young man is supposed to outlive. ## Structure Sonnet 18 is a typical English or Shakespearean sonnet, having 14 lines of iambic pentameter: three quatrains followed by a couplet. It also has the characteristic rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The poem reflects the rhetorical tradition of an Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet. Petrarchan sonnets typically discussed the love and beauty of a beloved, often an unattainable love, but not always. It also contains a volta, or shift in the poem's subject matter, beginning with the third quatrain. The couplet's first line exemplifies a regular iambic pentameter rhythm: × / × / × / × / × / So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, (18.13) / = ictus, a metrically strong syllabic position. × = nonictus. ## Context The poem is part of the Fair Youth sequence (which comprises sonnets 1–126 in the accepted numbering stemming from the first edition in 1609). It is also the first of the cycle after the opening sequence now described as the procreation sonnets. Some scholars, however, contend that it is part of the procreation sonnets, as it addresses the idea of reaching eternal life through the written word, a theme they find in sonnets 15–17. In this view, it can be seen as part of a transition to sonnet 20's time theme. ## Analysis "Complexion" in line six, can have two meanings: 1. The outward appearance of the face as compared with the sun ("the eye of heaven") in the previous line, or 2. The older sense of the word in relation to the four humours. In Shakespeare's time "complexion" carried both outward and inward meanings, as did the word "temperate" (externally, a weather condition; internally, a balance of humours). The second meaning of "complexion" would communicate that the beloved's inner, cheerful, and temperate disposition is constant, unlike the sun, which may be blotted out on a cloudy day. The first meaning is more obvious: a negative change in his outward appearance. The word, "untrimmed" in line eight, can be taken two ways: First, in the sense of loss of decoration and frills, and second, in the sense of untrimmed sails on a ship. In the first interpretation, the poem reads that beautiful things naturally lose their fanciness over time. In the second, it reads that nature is a ship with sails not adjusted to wind changes in order to correct course. This, in combination with the words "nature's changing course", creates an oxymoron: the unchanging change of nature, or the fact that the only thing that does not change is change. This line in the poem creates a shift from the mutability of the first eight lines, into the eternity of the last six. Both change and eternity are then acknowledged and challenged by the final line. "Ow'st" in line ten can carry two meanings, each common at the time: "ownest" and "owest". "Owe", in Shakespeare's day, was sometimes used as a synonym for "own". However, "owest" conveys the idea that beauty is something borrowed from nature—that it must be paid back. In this interpretation, "fair" can be a pun on "fare", or the fare required by nature for life's journey. Other scholars have pointed out that this borrowing and lending theme within the poem is true of both nature and humanity. Summer, for example, is said to have a "lease" with "all too short a date". This monetary theme is common in many of Shakespeare's sonnets, as it was an everyday theme in his budding capitalistic society. ## Recordings - Paul Kelly, for the 2016 album, Seven Sonnets & a Song - Chuck Liddell - David Gilmour - Bryan Ferry, for the 1997 album Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute

Alexander Lindsay (East India Company officer)

Scottish army officer in the East India Company

General Sir Alexander Lindsay KCB (14 January 1785 – 22 January 1872) was an officer in both the British and East India Company armies. Commissioned into the British Army at the age of nine, he was placed on half-pay after the 104th Regiment of Foot (Royal Manchester Volunteers) was disbanded in 1795. After passing out from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Lindsay joined the Bengal Army of the East India Company as an artillery officer in 1804. He served in a number of sieges and on campaign in Bundelkhand before joining David Ochterlony's army in the 1814–16 Anglo-Nepalese War, in which he was wounded in the hand and leg. Lindsay recovered to fight in the 1817–18 Third Anglo-Maratha War and later had responsibility for telegraphs and gunpowder manufacture in part of Bengal. He commanded the artillery of Joseph Wanton Morrison's division during the 1824–26 First Anglo-Burmese War. Lindsay was promoted to major-general in 1838, to lieutenant-general in 1851 and to general in 1859. His general's commission was transferred to the British Army when the East India Company armies were absorbed in the 1860s. Because of this he was in the unusual position of holding two British Army commissions, one as a lieutenant (from his service in the 104th Regiment) and one as a general. ## Early life Alexander Lindsay was born on 14 January 1785, the second son of Ann and James Smyth Lindsay of the Dowhill branch of the Lindsay family. His elder brother was Colonel Martin Lindsay, who commanded the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot from 1819 to 1837. On 9 January 1795, at the age of nine, Alexander Lindsay was appointed an ensign in Meyrick's Independent Company of Foot of the British Army. He transferred to the 104th Regiment of Foot (Royal Manchester Volunteers) on 3 March 1795 and at the same time was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. The regiment was on garrison in Ireland but army inspections found it to be failing to reach minimum standards and it was disbanded towards the end of 1795. Upon its disbandment Lindsay was transferred, for administrative purposes, into a previous 104th Regiment, that had been disbanded in 1783. Lindsay would remain a half-pay lieutenant in the British Army for the rest of his life. ## East India Company career ### Early roles Lindsay studied at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, from January 1800. The academy primarily trained engineer and artillery officers for the British Army but during this period around 40% of places were allocated to candidates for commissions in the presidency armies of the East India Company. Lindsay passed out in February 1804 and joined the East India Company's Bengal Army as a first lieutenant of artillery on 14 August 1804. Lindsay first served with the Company's garrison at Calcutta but was posted out on 15 March 1805 for duty at Cawnpore (modern Kanpur), arriving there in July. In September Lindsay was attached to a company of artillery serving in a campaign against the Jat Rana of Gohad, Kirat Singh. Gohad had been disputed between Singh and the Maratha Empire. It had been regained by Singh with the assistance of East India Company troops during the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805) but had been granted to Maratha leader Daulat Rao Sindhia in the subsequent peace treaty. Singh refused to vacate his territory and the Company acted to forcibly evict him. Lindsay served with the foot artillery at the February 1806 siege of Gohad Fort. The artillery succeeded in breaching the fort's walls, allowing the infantry to take the defences by assault. During the remainder of the campaign the artillery was not required and Lindsay was sent to Agra and then Cawnpore, arriving there in June. The Company forces were victorious; Singh was deposed but given new territory as Rana of Dholpur. Lindsay was afterwards posted to command a detachment of four 6-pounder artillery pieces at Lucknow. He was promoted to captain-lieutenant on 28 February 1806 and given command of a company at Agra in October. Lindsay deployed with his unit to a campaign in Allyghur district (modern Aligarh), part of the 1807-1808 campaign against Gopal Singh in the Bundelkhand region. Lindsay took part in the siege of Cummonah (modern Kamona, Uttar Pradesh), where the East India Company's infantry suffered heavy losses in an attempted storming. Lindsay's artillery was afterwards required to continue a month-long bombardment before the fort surrendered. The army proceeded to attack another fort in the district at Gunnowrie (modern Ginauri, to the north of Shikarpur, Bulandshahr) which surrendered after a two-week siege. Lindsay returned to Agra in January 1808. In July 1808 Lindsay commanded five companies of Indian infantry and two 6-pounder cannon in an expedition against some minor forts in Candoulee (modern Kandali, Uttar Pradesh). He succeeded in capturing the forts. Lindsay was posted to Muttra (modern Mathura) in November 1808 to command a detachment of eight 6-pounders. He was posted to Futtehghur (modern Fatehgarh) in October 1809 to command the artillery there. Lindsay was posted to the Bengal Artillery's headquarters at Dum Dum on 1 January 1813. ### Anglo-Nepalese War Lindsay was promoted to captain on 26 March 1813. He was appointed to command an artillery company and joined Major-General Bennett Marlay's division for the 1814 campaign of the Anglo-Nepalese War. Marlay's force entered the Nepalese Terai in November but otherwise carried out no significant action before it returned to the Dinapur Cantonment in May 1815. Lindsay remained with a detachment of troops left to guard the frontier. The campaign was renewed in the following season with Major-General David Ochterlony leading a force that was three times the size of Marlay's. Lindsay was assigned to one of the three columns of Ochterlony's army, the Dinapur Division led by Brigadier-General William Kelly. Lindsay commanded the artillery of that column and also acted as its field engineer, there being no engineers assigned to it. Lindsay led a reconnaissance to Hurrechurpoor (Hariharpurgadhi) in February 1816 and selected a site for a battery to fire upon the Nepalese fort there. The British occupied the site, driving off a small Nepalese force, but faced a significant counter-attack by troops who sallied from the fort. The Nepalese were driven back in an eight-hour battle but the British suffered heavy casualties of 250 men killed or wounded. Lindsay was one of five officers wounded, being hit by a musket ball that shattered the forefinger and thumb of his right hand and continued into his right hip. In March 1816 a peace treaty was signed ending the war. Lindsay was moved to Dinapur in May 1816 and to Allahabad in August. Lindsay had recovered sufficiently from his wounds by January 1817 to be put in command of an artillery train being assembled for an East India Company campaign again Daya Ram, the Zaminder of Hathras, who was in rebellion. Lindsay took part in the March 1817 Siege of Hathras during which the fortress was bombarded and captured. The territory was annexed to the Company's domains. ### Anglo-Maratha War and senior roles Lindsay was appointed superintendent of materials used for the manufacture of gun carriages and other equipment for the Bengal Presidency in September 1817. With the coming of the Third Anglo-Maratha War he obtained permission to join the army in the field. Lindsay commanded the artillery of the army's left division from 30 September. The division pursued the Marathas without success until a siege train arrived in February 1818 which allowed it to capture several forts. After the capture of Saugor (Sagar), Lindsay left the army and returned to Cawnpore to take up his appointment with the presidency in October 1818. On 12 August 1819 Lindsay was appointed to the brevet rank of major and in November he was appointed as superintendent of telegraphs between Calcutta and Chunar. Lindsay married Flora Loudon Mackenzie, the daughter of a British Army officer, at Government House in Calcutta on 1 January 1820. The couple had no children. In October 1820 he became the Company's agent for the manufacture of gunpowder in Allahabad. Lindsay was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 1 May 1824. He left his position at Allahabad in June and returned to Dum Dum before being appointed to command the artillery on the Burmese border. During the 1824-26 First Anglo-Burmese War Lindsay commanded the artillery of Brigadier-General Joseph Wanton Morrison's division. The Army List of 1863 notes this was Lindsay's last period of wartime service. Lindsay was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 26 September 1831. He was promoted to colonel and colonel-commandant on 2 July 1835. Lindsay received promotion to major-general in the Bengal Army on 28 June 1838 and to lieutenant-general on 11 November 1851. He was awarded the equivalent brevet rank in the British Army on 21 November 1851, the rank being local to the East Indies only. Lindsay was promoted to general in the Bengal Army on 11 September 1859. ## Return to the British Army and later life When the presidency armies came into the control of the British government in 1860 (in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny) Lindsay became colonel-commandant of the Bengal Artillery, an honorary, non-active service appointment. His appointment as colonel-commandant transferred to the Royal Artillery on 29 April 1862, being antedated to 2 July 1835. His general's commission was also transferred and his commission in the 104th not cancelled so Lindsay was in the unusual position of holding both a general's and lieutenant's commission in the British Army at the same time. He had continued to draw his British Army half-pay throughout and was listed twice in the Army List. Lindsay was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 9 November 1862. His wife died in 1863, and Lindsay died of bronchitis at home in Perth, Scotland, on 22 January 1872. Lindsay's nephew Alexander Hadden Lindsay also served in the Bengal Artillery and became a major-general in the British Army.

KGCW

CW TV station in Burlington, Iowa

KGCW (channel 26) is a television station licensed to Burlington, Iowa, United States, serving as the CW network outlet for the Quad Cities area. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside regional CBS affiliate WHBF-TV (channel 4). Nexstar also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KLJB (channel 18) under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. The stations share studios in the Telco Building on 18th Street in downtown Rock Island, Illinois, while KGCW's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois. Channel 26 began broadcasting as KJMH, a local station for Burlington, in January 1988 and became a Fox affiliate that July. It was owned by local businessman Steve Hoth, who named it for his wife, JoEllen M. Hoth. In May 1994, the station lost access to Fox programming after the network moved to strip KJMH of its affiliation. It then went off the air that November. Grant Communications acquired the station and returned it to the air on March 1, 1996, rebroadcasting KLJB-TV in Davenport. In January 2001, channel 26 was split from channel 18 to become the affiliate of The WB in the Quad Cities, where it was seen on cable and a subchannel of KLJB, and its transmitter was relocated from Burlington to a site that offered increased coverage of the Quad Cities. The station became affiliated with The CW in 2006 when The WB and UPN merged. Nexstar acquired the Grant stations in 2014, coinciding with the separate purchase of WHBF-TV. ## History ### KJMH: The Hoth years Burlington Broadcast Company, which was owned by local businessman Steve Hoth, obtained a construction permit for a new television station in Burlington in 1984. The station went unbuilt for three years. An intended November 1987 launch was scrapped because of equipment problems. KJMH—named for JoEllen M. Hoth, Steven's wife—began broadcasting on January 5, 1988. The station, airing a mix of independent station programming and (for a time) a local newscast, represented a \$1 million investment. It broadcast with an effective radiated power of 200,000 watts from a transmitting facility at Roosevelt Avenue and Winegard Drive in Burlington, sufficient only to reach the Burlington area: Mount Pleasant sat on the edge of the contour, and cities such as Keokuk and Muscatine were outside of its signal range. Even though KJMH affiliated with Fox on July 31, 1988, financial precarity was a major issue in the station's early history. Amid reports that the station's payroll checks were bouncing, the general manager resigned in 1991. Two years later, in November 1993, Fox moved to strip KJMH of its affiliation. Hoth hired a Chicago law firm to fight the disaffiliation in court but was unsuccessful, and KJMH ceased airing Fox programming in May 1994. The station then aired programming from home shopping service ValueVision and Channel America, which had historically catered to low-power stations. In November 1994, Hoth announced the sale of 80 percent of the station to Kelley Broadcasting for \$405,000; Kelley, a consortium of investors based in Texas, planned to affiliate KJMH with the forthcoming UPN network. Additionally, it was announced that the station would leave the air for four to six weeks for equipment installation and refurbishing. Channel 26 did not return after the four-week period of silence, and financial questions continued to swirl. In February 1995, the law firm that had been hired to fight KJMH's disaffiliation sued for nonpayment. Hoth would later file bankruptcy for Burlington Broadcasting and a related company in October 1996; the then-former licensee of the station owed more than \$444,000 against \$38,000 in assets. ### Grant Broadcasting ownership The Kelley sale was never filed with the FCC; instead, in March 1995, Grant Broadcasting filed to purchase KJMH from Hoth for \$400,000. The station was restored to service on March 1, 1996, as a full-time rebroadcaster of Grant-owned KLJB-TV, the Fox affiliate in Davenport. Grant Broadcasting intended to eventually air separate programming on the station from the start. KLJB-TV had previously acquired the rights to programming from The WB in the Quad Cities market in September 1999 as a result of Superstation WGN ceasing carriage of WB programming nationally; selected WB shows aired in late night time slots on channel 18. In January 2001, The WB programming moved from a secondary affiliation on KLJB–KJMH to channel 26 alone, which was added to Quad Cities cable systems and changed its call sign to KGWB-TV. Initially, KGWB-TV broadcast its own programming for half of the broadcast day, continuing to air KLJB-TV's programming in other time slots. While branded as channel 26, the Burlington signal was so far from the Quad Cities that another station was allowed to operate on the channel: low-power WBQD-LP debuted in 2002 as the Quad Cities area's UPN affiliate. KGWB-TV programming was made available over-the-air in the Quad Cities as early as 2003 as a subchannel on KLJB-TV's digital signal. After splitting channel 26's programming, Grant invested in a relocation of the KGWB-TV transmitter facility from Burlington to Seaton, Illinois, midway between Burlington and the Quad Cities, to increase the station's availability in the more populous Quad Cities area. KGWB-TV became the local affiliate of The CW in 2006, upon the merger of The WB and UPN, under new KGCW-TV call letters. ### Nexstar ownership Grant Broadcasting announced the sale of its stations for \$87.5 million to Nexstar Broadcasting Group in November 2013. It was the second acquisition by Nexstar involving a Quad Cities-market television station in six weeks; in September, Nexstar had announced the acquisition of WHBF-TV in Rock Island, Illinois. The Grant purchase closed in December 2014, along with the acquisition of KLJB by Marshall Broadcasting Group under a deal in which Nexstar continued to provide services via a shared services agreement; Nexstar could own WHBF-TV with KGCW outright but not with KLJB, which was one of the top four-rated stations in the market. In May 2015, KGCW's Quad Cities simulcast—still needed to serve some viewers who could not receive a strong signal from Seaton—moved from a subchannel of KLJB to a subchannel of WHBF-TV as a consequence of the ownership change, a move that had been anticipated for months. Another effect was that KLJB and KGCW could no longer share syndicated programming. In 2020, KGCW moved its transmitter to a new tower at Orion, from where other Quad Cities stations are broadcast. This coincided with the repack from the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction, which moved the station to channel 21. As a result, the WHBF-TV subchannel simulcast was discontinued. ## Technical information ### Subchannels The station's digital signal is multiplexed: ### Analog-to-digital conversion KGCW was the only Quad Cities-market station to cease analog broadcasts on February 17, 2009, the original date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 41, using virtual channel 26.

Donkey Kong Land

1995 video game

Donkey Kong Land is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It condenses the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country (1994) for the handheld Game Boy with different level design and boss fights. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they defeat enemies and collect items across 30 levels to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool. Development began in 1994, before Donkey Kong Country's completion, and lasted a year. Rare's Game Boy programmer, Paul Machacek, developed Land as an original game rather than as a port of Country after convincing Rare co-founder Tim Stamper it would be a better use of resources. Like Country, Land features pre-rendered graphics converted to sprites through a compression technique. Rare retooled Country's gameplay to account for the lower quality display, and David Wise and Graeme Norgate converted the soundtrack to the Game Boy's sound chip. Donkey Kong Land was released in mid-1995. It sold four million copies and received positive reviews. Critics praised it as successfully translating Country's gameplay, visuals, and music to the Game Boy, though they disagreed over whether it was an equal experience. Land was followed by Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996), Donkey Kong Land III (1997), and a Game Boy Color version of Country (2000), which attempted to replicate the SNES Country games more closely. Land and its sequels were rereleased for the Nintendo 3DS via the Virtual Console service in 2014. ## Gameplay As a handheld companion to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country (1994), Donkey Kong Land features similar gameplay: it is a side-scrolling platform game in which the player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong across 30 levels. Donkey is stronger, Diddy is faster, and the player can swap between them at will. They jump between platforms, stomp on enemies, swing on vines, and avoid obstacles. The story begins after Cranky Kong challenges Donkey and Diddy to replicate Donkey Kong Country's success on the Game Boy's 8-bit hardware and coaxes King K. Rool and the Kremlings into stealing their banana hoard again. The player travels through four worlds, their progress tracked by a world map. Land retains some level themes from Country, such as jungles and coral reefs, but introduces others, such as cliffs and clouds. It also features different level design, enemy varieties (such as flying pigs), and bosses. Levels are populated by collectible bananas, barrel-shaped cannons, hidden bonus stages, throwable items, and letters spelling K–O–N–G that save the player's progress. Some levels feature one of two animal companions, the rhino Rambi and the ostrich Expresso, who provide the Kongs with special abilities. Each world ends in a boss fight. The player starts with a limited number of lives, which are lost if they fall down a bottomless pit or are damaged by an enemy. The player can earn extra lives by collecting balloons or a hundred bananas. ## Development Rare began working on Donkey Kong Land in 1994, alongside Donkey Kong Country and shortly before the cancellation of a Battletoads Arcade Game Boy port. Rare's co-founder, Tim Stamper, asked their Game Boy programmer Paul Machacek to port Donkey Kong Country to the Game Boy. Machacek convinced Stamper it would be better to develop a similar but original game, as he had with the Game Boy version of Battletoads (1991). He reasoned it would not take much more effort and would expand the audience beyond those who had not purchased Donkey Kong Country. After Machacek spent roughly three weeks updating the Game Boy Battletoads game engine to handle a Donkey Kong game, development began and lasted a year. Like Country, Land features pre-rendered graphics converted to sprites through Rare's Advanced Computer Modelling (ACM) compression technique. Although the Game Boy is considerably less powerful than the SNES, its basic architecture is similar; this allowed Machacek to easily transfer Country artwork to Land and the artists to use the same PowerAnimator tools for new ACM assets. The project pushed the Game Boy to its limits because of its graphics. Particularly, constructing levels with slopes and animating collectibles, both uncommon in Game Boy games, required a greater ROM size. The limitations meant only one player character could appear on-screen at a time and that Rare had to reduce the number of bonus stages and animal companions. Land's team started as just Machacek but grew to over 15. They worked separately from the teams that developed the Country games for the SNES, and designed levels using a spare Silicon Graphics workstation with a custom level editor. Machacek spent considerable time trying to authentically re-create Country's gameplay. Because the Game Boy's small, slow, and monochromatic display made reacting to obstacles more difficult, the team did not re-use level layouts from Country, made boss fights more predictable, and gave Expresso the ability to defeat enemies. They turned the K–O–N–G letters into a save feature, rather than having them provide an extra life as in Country, to make completing the game easier. The team sought to distinguish Land from Country with new game mechanics. Machacek said that replicating Country did not stop Rare from introducing new worlds and design elements in a similar way to the teams developing the SNES sequels, Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) and Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996). The soundtrack was composed by David Wise and Graeme Norgate, who worked to convert Wise's Country soundtrack to the Game Boy's sound chip. Norgate, who described Land as his most upbeat work, wrote original tracks to fit the new locales' atmosphere. It was his first Game Boy project and the system's technical restrictions forced him to focus on melodies. He said Wise helped teach him as they worked together: "He'd drip feed me little tricks to improve the overall sound. 'You can repeat the melody three steps forward at a third of the volume to emulate an echo', and voila, your lead melody now has a lovely tight delay that makes it sound a lot wider and smoother." ## Release Donkey Kong Land was the second Donkey Kong game for the Game Boy, following Donkey Kong (1994). Like Donkey Kong Country, Land was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago in June 1994 and promoted through Nintendo's Play It Loud! marketing campaign. It was released in North America on 26 June 1995, in Japan on 27 July, and in Europe on 24 August. In Japan, the game was released under the title Super Donkey Kong GB. Nintendo distributed Land in banana yellow cartridges, unlike other Game Boy games, which came in grey. Land was one of several games optimised for the Super Game Boy, a peripheral allowing Game Boy cartridges to be played on a SNES; playing it through the Super Game Boy adds colour palettes and a jungle-themed border. Donkey Kong Land sold four million copies, making it the bestselling Donkey Kong game for a Game Boy console. ## Reception Donkey Kong Land received positive reviews and was named the best Game Boy game of 1995 by GamePro. Critics considered it a successful translation of Country's gameplay to the Game Boy and wrote that players who enjoyed the SNES game would also enjoy Land. Diehard GameFan and Electronic Gaming Monthly highlighted the new levels, mechanics, and locales, and The Electric Playground said the controls were tight and responsive. GamePro said that despite the technical limitations and smaller scope, Land was "a formidable effort considering what it accomplishes on a portable system", with lengthy levels and challenging gameplay. Reviewers praised the visuals, impressed by Rare's effort to preserve Country's pre-rendered art style. GameFan and Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine called it one of the best-looking Game Boy games with detail unprecedented for the system, and Computer and Video Games (CVG) said the visuals and animations were still excellent despite lacking Country's fidelity. The Electric Playground said the visuals, though great, highlighted the Game Boy's limitations, as its monochromatic screen occasionally made it difficult to comprehend the gameplay. GamePro agreed that the Game Boy's screen did not do the visuals justice. Some critics recommended playing Land on the Super Game Boy for adding colour and making the visuals easier to discern. Opinions differed as to how Land compared to Country and the rest of the Game Boy's library. Some critics considered Land equal to Country (CVG called it superior on the basis of its gameplay); others called it lesser. Game Players felt that both featured quality gameplay, but Land lacked the visual fidelity that made Country special. Several called Land one of the best Game Boy games, but The Electric Playground said it was not as inventive, satisfying, or original as the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong. Still, they felt it was one of the Game Boy's best platformers and an essential purchase. The music and sound were praised as among the Game Boy's best. The Electric Playground believed they were near-perfect translations of Country's, and GameFan said they sounded on par with a SNES game when played through the Super Game Boy. ## Legacy Michael Teitelbaum wrote a children's book adaptation of Donkey Kong Land, Rumble in the Jungle, following its release. Land received three follow-up games: Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996), based on Diddy's Kong Quest; Donkey Kong Land III (1997), based on Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!; and a Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country (2000), which re-creates the SNES game using Land's graphics and audio. The follow-ups attempted to replicate the SNES games more closely; unlike Land, they do not introduce new level archetypes or enemies. The Land trilogy was rereleased for the Nintendo 3DS via the Virtual Console in 2014. Retrospective reviewers considered Donkey Kong Land a technical achievement. Nintendo Life felt Rare successfully replicated Country's art style on the Game Boy and praised the music, which they considered among the Game Boy's best. However, Polygon wrote that the developers "were so preoccupied with whether they could [replicate Country's graphics] they forgot to ask if they should. The rich visuals of the Super NES games become completely illegible on Game Boy... a blurry grey soup of pixel-junk." Nintendo Life said that enemies blending with the background made Land needlessly difficult and lamented the absence of the Super Game Boy enhancements in the 3DS rerelease. Polygon ranked Donkey Kong Land and its sequels among the lesser Donkey Kong games; Nintendo Life ranked it towards the middle. In a 2018 interview, Machacek said that of the games he worked on, Donkey Kong Land remained among his favourites. Some of Land's levels, such as K. Rool's pirate ship, would be featured in subsequent Donkey Kong games. It also established a tradition of Donkey Kong games being distributed on yellow cartridges, which its sequels and Donkey Kong 64 (1999) would continue.

The Face (EP)

The Face is the second extended play of British electronic music duo Disclosure, consisting of Guy and Howard Lawrence. It was released on 4 June 2012, by the Greco-Roman label, its remix EP, which features a re-cut of "Control" by Hot Chip's Joe Goddard, distributed in September 2012. The four-track record, which contains musical styles of balearic beat, UK garage, dubstep and techno, features vocal contributions from Sinéad Harnett and Ria Ritchie. It was described by one reviewer as more a "youthful" release of a dubstep and techno scene consisting of artists like James Blake and Little Dragon. The EP is a big departure from their previous works in terms of musical style, its few post-dubstep elements to be the only ones that were also present on their past releases. Promoted one single, "Boiling", and one music video for "Control", The Face garnered critical acclaim, major praises being towards the quality of the EP's musical style and song structures. ## Composition The Face fuses the styles of balearic beat, UK garage, dubstep and techno. A DIY magazine critic, described The Face as a more "youthful" part of a dubstep and techno scene consisting of acts like James Blake and Little Dragon. XLR8R reviewer Glenn Jackson, noted that the EP's post-dubstep elements were the only ones on the record to have also been included on the duo's earlier works. "Boiling", which starts The Face, opens with a R&B-infused landscape of "bruised color" synths, which are mostly associated with the works of future garage artists such as Jacques Greene, backing alto vocals by Sinéad Harnett. Big keyboard sounds, a deep house bassline, percussion including finger snaps and hi-hats commonly found in early 1990s garage music then pop into the song, as well as reverb effects on the vocals, before some bubbly synth textures "unravel" the song. "What's In Your Head" contains chops of high-pitched voice samples, a "distorted-beyond-recognition orgasm sample," and "spacey" "sun-bleached" synthesizers. The later part of the track consists of a harsh drum beat, stuttering vocal chops and "vamping" synth lines. According to The 405's James West, the song includes pop music elements similar to those in Be Strong, an album by duo The 2 Bears. Writing for Resident Advisor, Phillip Sherburne described the song's vocal snippets as cleaner versions of those found in the 1997 track "Fly Life" by Basement Jaxx. "Control", with its main instrumental element identical to that of the beginning of "What's in Your Head", contains an "ethereal" arrangement of restrained synth sounds, bass drops mostly associated with those in tracks by El-B and M. J. Cole, "fidgety" drums, and staccato note singing from Ria Ritchie. The track starts flowing into a "widescreen reverb heavy fog" containing sustained and echo-filtered vocals before the instrumental turns minimalist again, a structure compared by Simon Edmunds of contactmusic.com to the "old loud/quiet/loud trick" that was prominent in many tracks by rock band Nirvana. "Control" is the only cut on the release to have a 2-step drum rhythm, unlike the EP's three other tracks that are driven by four-on-the-floor drum beats. The Face closes with the most playful cut on the EP, the balearic techno song "Lividup". Including chopped voice samples similar to those of artists like XXXY and Hot City, West analyzed the track's "upbeat euphoria is pasted over a backdrop of endless sunsets and bleary winkless nights." ## Release and promotion "Boiling" was released as The Face's only single on 13 April 2012. The extended play was released on 4 June 2012 worldwide, by the Greco-Roman label. The remix EP features four re-cuts of songs from The Face, one of them being a remix by Hot Chip's Joe Goddard. On 29 June 2012, Noisey premiered the music video for "Control", directed by Ben Murray and Ross McDowell and produced by Drew O'Neill. Pigeons & Planes described the video as a "sort of stylish instructional video" in how to dance. The song was also played on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show as the "Hottest Record in the World". ## Critical reception The Face garnered generally positive reviews from music journalists upon its release, later landing at number two and nine on the year-end lists of publications Beats per Minute and Pretty Much Amazing, respectively. Edmunds said that "releasing music of this quality at such an early age and so early into their career only makes one excited as to what the future holds for them", concluding his review that "The Face acts as a reminder to other producers to stay at the top of their game, because the kids are coming up from behind". Will Ryan, writing for Beats per Minute, called the record's four songs to be the some of the best club tracks of all time, labeling it a "complete statement that overloads all possible cylinders, as vital as the ages of the producers behind it might suggest, delivered by a duo whose rise can only just qualify as meteoric". Sherburne, when interviewing Disclosure for Spin magazine, honored the EP as the duo's "best and most varied" release, noting its production to be "yielding a high-end that’s filigreed with crystal and compression so pneumatic that it seems to suck the air from your lungs". DIY magazine highlighted the "effortless" aspect in how Disclosure made the tracks, stating that "there is a coherence that flows throughout without becoming stagnant which personifies the understanding the Lawrence brothers have not only for their desired results but for each other". West wrote that The Face was on the same level as the works of Jamie xx, Bobby Tank and SBTRKT, making Disclosure "the country's most exciting new producers". He also honored the EP for being one of the few releases to combine different styles together "cleverly". Jackson also compared The Face to SBTRKT's material, given that the record successfully works for both a club environment and a mainstream pop audience. However, his major criticisms were that all the tracks were too similar to each other, a problem further hurt by the EP's longer-than-20-minute runtime, and the vocal features were "underwhelming". One negative review from a Drowned in Sound critic called The Face a "disappointing miscalculation of overegged trends with little real personality of its own" that could only be enjoyed in a club setting, writing that the same "soulfulness" that was a major part of music by Joy Orbison was hard to find on the EP. ## Track listing and credits All tracks written, mixed and produced by Disclosure and mastered by Miles Showell at Metropolis Mastering in London. Mastered for vinyl by Shane McEnhill at Finyl Tweek in London. Additional writing credits are noted in the track list. ## Release history

Hurricane Estelle (1986)

Category 4 Pacific hurricane in 1986

Hurricane Estelle was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused minor damage and two deaths in Hawaii in July 1986. Estelle was the sixth tropical cyclone, fifth named storm, third hurricane, and first major hurricane of the above-average 1986 Pacific hurricane season. It formed as a tropical depression formed well southwest of the Baja California Peninsula on July 16, and strengthened into a tropical storm within 24 hours. Located within a favorable environment, Estelle intensified into a hurricane on July 18. It attained major hurricane status (Category 3 intensity or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale) two days later. After peaking in intensity at Category 4 strength, Estelle slowly weakened. By July 24, Estelle was no longer a hurricane while passing south of Hawaii. It completely dissipated on July 26 after further deteriorating to a tropical depression. The arrival of the hurricane prompted a hurricane watch for Hawaii, and 200 people evacuated from their homes. Hurricane Estelle produced high waves offshore Hawaii, causing \$2 million in damage and two deaths. The remnants of the storm also produced intermittent showers across the state, though there was no major damage. ## Meteorological history Based on data from satellite imagery and weather reports from the cargo ships Hamburg Express and Aleksander Vermishev, the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center (EPHC) upgraded a tropical disturbance into a tropical depression. At this time, the depression was located 390 mi (630 km) west of Clipperton Island, a small remote island in the Pacific Ocean, at 1200 UTC July 16. Moving towards the west beneath a high pressure area, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Estelle 12 hours after formation. Upon being named sea surface temperatures along the storm's path were 84 °F (29 °C), and thus Estelle began to rapidly intensify. The EPHC reported that Estelle had intensified a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale on 1200 UTC July 17, 24 hours after first forming. Shortly after attaining hurricane intensity, an eye began to appear on weather satellite imagery. Based on this, the EPHC re-assessed the intensity of the system at 85 mph (135 km/h). Continuing to intensity, Hurricane Estelle became the first major hurricane of the 1986 Pacific hurricane season on 0000 UTC July 18. As its motion accelerated, Estelle peaked intensity at 135 mph (215 km/h). Moving west, Hurricane Estelle emerged into the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility while still a major hurricane. Shortly thereafter, Estelle's forward motion increased to close to 25 mph (40 km/h). As such, forecasters noted the path of a potential landfall on the Big Island. Due to a shearing environment from a trough, Estelle weakened as it continued to approach Hawaii. A possible re-curve towards the island never materialized, and the hurricane veered to west and passed south of the islands. Estelle weakened to a tropical storm on July 23 while passing south of Hawaii, and two days later it weakened to a depression. The tropical cyclone dissipated on July 27. ## Preparations, impact, and observation On July 22, the National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch and high-surf advisory for the Island of Hawaii as the storm was anticipated to produce life-threatening waves throughout the island chain. Gale warnings and small craft advisories were also issued. Hurricane Estelle was described by meteorologists as "small but dangerous". More than 200 people evacuated from their homes near the shoreline, but others refused to leave. However, the hurricane watch was dropped on July 24 when Estelle weakened to a tropical storm. Due to its rapid motion, Estelle kept pace with a large swell of water that it generated. In combination with a high spring tide and peripheral winds generated by Estelle, 15 ft (4.6 m) to 20 ft (6.1 m) waves crashed on the shores of the Big Island on the afternoon of July 22. Five homes were destroyed and another five sustained extreme damage. Twelve other homes received minor damage. Three beachfront divisions were destroyed. Dozens of other places in Vacation Land were also damaged. On Maui, waves washed away a dirt road on the eastern part of the island between Kipahulu and Kaupo. After Estelle passed by the islands, moisture related to the tropical cyclone caused heavy rainfall in the Ka'u and Puna districts on the Big Island. On July 22, a wind gust of 55 mph (89 km/h) was recorded near Kalapana Sand Beach. The total damage was around \$2 million (1986 USD). Two drownings were reported on Oahu that occurred on July 23, due to rough surf caused by Estelle. Although isolated showers were initially recorded in the southern portion of the state, after Hurricane Estelle dissipated, its moisture became entrapped in a trough over the islands, causing significant rainfall and thunderstorms over the archipelago. Some areas in Hawaii received 5 in (130 mm) to 10 in (250 mm). The rains in Hawaii had cleared up by July 29. Estelle was a well-observed storm, with Reconnaissance Aircraft flying into the hurricane to provide a fix on its location. It also passed near NOAA Buoy 51004 on July 22, providing valuable meteorological data for its future path. ## See also - List of Pacific hurricanes - List of Category 4 Pacific hurricanes - Hurricane Iselle

Edward M. Cotter (fireboat)

Fireboat for the Buffalo Fire Department

Edward M. Cotter is a fireboat in use by the Buffalo Fire Department at Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally named William S. Grattan, it was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey. Due to age, it was rebuilt in 1953 and renamed Firefighter upon its return to service. The following year it was renamed Edward M. Cotter. its namesake, Edward Cotter, was a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union who had recently died. Edward M. Cotter is considered to be the oldest active fireboat in the world and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996. Along with its firefighting duties, during the winter Edward M. Cotter is used as an icebreaker on Buffalo's rivers. Edward M. Cotter mounts five fire monitors that are capable of pumping 15,000 US gallons per minute (0.95 m³/s; 12,000 imp gal/min). It can often be seen sailing out of its berth and south-west to Lake Erie, returning north through the breakwall and firing its fire monitors. ## Construction The ship that was to become Edward M. Cotter was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey. She was originally named William S. Grattan after the first paid fire commissioner for the city of Buffalo. Construction was started on March 24, 1900 and she was christened on September 1, 1900 by Lucia Virginia Malone, the nine year old daughter of one of the city's fire commissioners. The final construction cost for the ship was \$91,000. The completed ship was 118 ft (36 m) in length, had a beam of 24 ft (7.3 m), and drew 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m). A 1.5 in (38.1 mm)-thick belt-line of Swedish steel was included around the hull for icebreaking duties. William S. Grattan was powered by two Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers with steam engines rated at 900 horsepower (670 kW). A single propeller provided propulsion. The rated speed of the ship was 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). The ship was also equipped with three double action steam pumps that supplied water at 9,000 US gallons per minute (0.57 m³/s; 7,500 imp gal/min) to the three fire monitors used for firefighting. Two of the fire monitors were mounted on the forward section of the ship and one was on the stern section. ## History At the beginning of the twentieth century, Buffalo's waterfront was an extremely busy center of commerce. Grain elevators, warehouses and shipping traffic had overtaxed the two existing fireboats: John T. Hutchinson (Engine 23) and George R. Potter (Engine 29). Also, the city of Buffalo had shoreline hookups to allow the fireboats to serve as floating pumping stations supplying high pressure water to a fire hydrant system that covered the downtown area. The decision was made by city officials to order a third boat that would also have icebreaking capability along with her normal firefighting duties. Upon completion she traveled up the Atlantic coast, down the St. Lawrence River, across Lake Ontario, through the Welland Canal and finally across Lake Erie in an uneventful trip that took 14 days. She was met 3 miles (4.8 km) out of the harbor by her sister fireboats and escorted in. ### 1928 fire On July 28, 1928 William S. Grattan responded to the oil barge James F. Cahill, loaded with 5,000 barrels of crude oil, that was aflame in the Buffalo River at Elk Street while docked at the Atlas Refinery. Thirty-five fire companies, the Grattan and another fireboat battled the blaze. After burning 17 hours, the barge's mooring lines gave way and the barge began to drift following a series of four explosions. William S. Grattan's crew attempted to attach tow lines to the drifting barge but it struck a dock at an oil company where the empty oil tanker B.B. McColl was moored. The fumes on the B.B. McColl ignited causing an explosion and fire that engulfed William S. Grattan. Captain Thomas Hylant along with his crew abandoned ship and swam through the flames to shore. Chief Engineer Thomas Lynch of William S. Grattan lost his life after abandoning ship and seven other crew members were injured. The unattended boilers on William S. Grattan soon ran dry and exploded, leaving the ship burned out to the waterline and heavily damaged. William S. Grattan sat boarded-up for eighteen months while city and fire department officials decided whether to replace her at a cost of \$225,000 or rebuild her for \$99,000, which was \$8,000 more than her original cost. The decision was made to rebuild and in 1930 she was rebuilt at the Buffalo Dry Dock Company of Buffalo, New York. During this refit some improvements were made to William S. Grattan. One improvement was that her boilers were converted from burning coal to burning oil. The engines were rebuilt and her firefighting system was updated and could now handle foam fire retardant. Also, the pilot house was raised to the upper boat deck level and a fixed turret tower with a fire monitor was constructed on the stern of the ship. A fourth fire monitor was added to the top of the pilot house of the ship as well. As part of her acceptance ceremony she participated in a race against the harbor tug Kentucky, which was considered to be one of the fastest tugs on the Great Lakes. ### 1953 refit In the early 1950s, it was noticed that William S. Grattan was showing signs of age. Her boilers were only able to operate at 40 percent capacity and an engine room steam leak in 1951 injured part of her crew. During November 1952, William S. Grattan was sent to the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for a refit. During this refit her boilers and steam engines were replaced by diesel engines, the pumps for the firefighting system were replaced, the single propeller was replaced with twin propellers, the fixed firefighting platform was replaced with a hydraulically operated platform and the twin funnels were replaced with lower dummy funnels. Upon her return in 1954, she was renamed Firefighter. In 1955 she was renamed again in honor of Edward M. Cotter, a respected Buffalo firefighter and the leader of the local firefighters union, who had recently died. After the refit Edward M. Cotter mounted five fire monitors capable of pumping 15,000 US gallons per minute (0.95 m³/s; 12,000 imp gal/min). ### International firefighting On October 7, 1960 Edward M. Cotter came to the aid of firefighting authorities in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. Two days previously, on October 5, 1960, a set of grain elevators caught fire at the eight-story Maple Leaf Milling Company. The Port Colborne Fire Department did not have its own fireboat and they were unable to bring the fire under control. The Buffalo Fire Department was asked to send Edward M. Cotter to lend assistance. Escorted by a United States Coast Guard cutter, because she had never needed navigational equipment of her own, Edward M. Cotter proceeded across the international border. The voyage to Port Colborne took two hours with an additional four hours needed to bring the fire under control. This mission is said to have been the first instance that a United States fire boat had crossed an international border to help authorities in another country. ### Notable rescues In 1978 USS Little Rock, a retired United States Naval guided missile cruiser on display at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, began taking on water and listing. Edward M. Cotter and several Buffalo Fire Department fire engines pumped water out of Little Rock for five days keeping the ship afloat and level while repairs were made. Edward M. Cotter also assisted the disabled United States Coast Guard cutter Ojibwa during the winter of 1983. Ojibwa, while on Lake Erie, had lost her steering and was taking on water. Edward M. Cotter towed Ojibwa to her base in Buffalo and helped keep her afloat while repairs were made. Another rescue occurred on July 31, 1984 when Edward M. Cotter towed the Polish tall ship Zawisza Czarny off a sand bar during the ship's visit to Buffalo. ## Heritage As commerce declined on Buffalo's waterfront, Edward M. Cotter was transferred from the Buffalo Fire Department to the Public Works Department in 1992 for icebreaking duties. In 1996 Edward M. Cotter was designated a National Historic Landmark. and was transferred back to the Buffalo Fire Department in 1997. A non-profit group named "Friends of the Cotter", founded in 2005, has been running fund-raising events to overhaul Edward M. Cotter. Along with her normal duties Edward M. Cotter has been sent to various festivals and boat shows around the Great Lakes. On March 24, 2023 a proclamation was issued by Buffalo mayor Byron Brown and the City of Buffalo Common Council declaring March 24 to be recognized as "Edward M. Cotter Day" in recognition of the fireboats 123 years of service. A fund raising campaign with a goal of six million dollars was announced by Fireboat E.M. Cotter Conservancy President Larry Cobado to restore the Cotter to full operational condition. ## Other fire boats Edward Cotter is one of a few fireboats to ply the Great Lakes: - William Lyon Mackenzie is operated by Toronto Fire Services and operates in Lake Ontario. - Curtis Randolph is operated by Detroit Fire Department and operates in the Detroit River. - Anthony J. Celebrezze is operated by Cleveland Fire Department and is stationed in the Cuyahoga River and operates in Cleveland Harbor. ## See also - List of National Historic Landmarks in New York - List of U.S. National Historic Landmark ships, shipwrecks, and shipyards - History of Buffalo, New York - SS Canadiana - USS Sable (IX-81)

Ratatoskr

Norse mythical animal

In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr (Old Norse, generally considered to mean "drill-tooth" or "bore-tooth") is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the eagles perched atop Yggdrasil, and the serpent Níðhöggr, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree. Ratatoskr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. ## Etymology The name Ratatoskr contains two elements: rata- and -toskr. The element toskr is generally held to mean "tusk". Guðbrandur Vigfússon theorized that the rati- element means "the traveller". He says that the name of the legendary drill Rati may feature the same term. According to Vigfússon, Ratatoskr means "tusk the traveller" or "the climber tusk." Sophus Bugge theorized that the name Ratatoskr is a loanword from Old English meaning "Rat-tooth." Bugge's basis hinges on the fact that the -toskr element of the compound does not appear anywhere else in Old Norse. Bugge proposed that the -toskr element is a reformation of the Old English word tūsc (Old Frisian tusk) and, in turn, that the element Rata- represents Old English ræt ("rat"). According to Albert Sturtevant, "[as] far as the element Rata- is concerned, Bugge's hypothesis has no valid foundation in view of the fact that the [Old Norse] word Rata (gen. form of Rati\*) is used in Háv[amál] (106, 1) to signify the instrument which Odin employed for boring his way through the rocks in quest of the poet's mead [...]" and that "Rati\* must then be considered a native [Old Norse] word meaning "The Borer, Gnawer" [...]". Sturtevant says that Bugge's theory regarding the element -toskr may appear to be supported by the fact that the word does not appear elsewhere in Old Norse. However, Sturtevant says that the Old Norse proper name Tunne (derived from Proto-Norse \*Tunþē) refers to "a person who is characterized as having some peculiar sort of tooth" and theorizes a Proto-Germanic form of -toskr. Sturtevant concludes that "the fact that the [Old Norse] word occurs only in the name Rata-toskr is no valid evidence against this assumption, for there are many [Old Norse] hapax legomena of native origin, as is attested by the equivalents in the Mod[ern] Scandinavian dialects." Modern scholars have accepted this etymology, listing the name Ratatoskr as meaning "drill-tooth" (Jesse Byock, Andy Orchard, Rudolf Simek) or "bore-tooth" (John Lindow). ## Attestations In the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál, the god Odin (disguised as Grímnir) says that Ratatoskr runs up and down Yggdrasil bringing messages between the eagle perched atop it and Níðhöggr below it: Ratatoskr is described in the Prose Eddas Gylfaginning's chapter 16, in which High states that > An eagle sits at the top of the ash, and it has knowledge of many things. Between its eyes sits the hawk called Vedrfolnir [...]. The squirrel called Ratatosk [...] runs up and down the ash. He tells slanderous gossip, provoking the eagle and Nidhogg. ## Theories According to Rudolf Simek, "the squirrel probably only represents an embellishing detail to the mythological picture of the world-ash in Grímnismál. Hilda Ellis Davidson, describing the world tree, states the squirrel is said to gnaw at it—furthering a continual destruction and re-growth cycle, and posits the tree symbolizes ever-changing existence. John Lindow points out that Yggdrasil is described as rotting on one side and as being chewed on by four harts and Níðhöggr, and that, according to the account in Gylfaginning, it also bears verbal hostility in the fauna it supports. Lindow adds that "in the sagas, a person who helps stir up or keep feuds alive by ferrying words of malice between the participants is seldom one of high status, which may explain the assignment of this role in the mythology to a relatively insignificant animal". Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell theorize that "the role of Ratatosk probably derived from the habit of European tree squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) to give a scolding alarm call in response to danger. It takes little imagination for you to think that the squirrel is saying nasty things about you." ## In popular culture Ratatoskr appears in his natural habitat in American Gods by Neil Gaiman. A fragment of Ratatoskr, nicknamed “Bitter” and voiced by Troy Baker, appears in the 2018 video game God of War, where he has the ability to provide the player with healing items. The actual Ratatoskr appears in the 2022 sequel, God of War Ragnarök (alongside Bitter), tending to the world tree Yggdrasil; this version of the character is voiced by SungWon Cho. He also appears as a playable character in the game Smite. In the 2010 video game Young Thor, Ratatoskr is depicted as an ally of Hel, who serves as the game's antagonist. Ratatoskr also appears in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla, where he engages the player in flyting, a poetic duel, in the mythical realm of Jötunheimr. In the comic book series The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Ratatoskr is featured as a villainous female squirrel god from Asgard who wants to destroy all of humanity. She was defeated by Squirrel Girl after she teamed up with Thor and Loki. However, she later teamed up with Squirrel Girl to fight the Frost Giants. Ratatoskr appears in the trading card game Magic: The Gathering as 'Toski, Bearer of Secrets'; a homage to the mythical creature. The card's effects connote Toski's tenacity to exchange information between the many realms of Kaldheim. Ratatoskr can be cast as the spell "Ratatoskr's Spin," as of 2019, in the video game Wizard101, where he climbs down the world tree, digging up a giant acorn and damaging all enemies with it. Ratatosk appears in the novel Hellboy: The Bones of Giants (2001) by Christopher Golden. In the novel Hammered, Atticus rides Ratatoskr to the top of Yggdrasil on his quest to steal the golden apples of Iðunn. Ratatosk is referenced in Larry Niven's novel Rainbow Mars. Plans were made to capture a giant squirrel that ran up and down the World Tree (Yggdrasil). Although called "Batatosk" in the story, it is clearly referring to the mythical creature Ratatosk. Ratatosk is the name of the Summon Spirit of Monsters in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, though his role is quite a bit different from Norse myth. He is responsible for managing the distribution of mana through the world (via monsters). He resides in Ginnungagap, and also acts as the guardian of the gate to Niflheim. Much of the story of the game is centered around him. The Ratatosk Express is the name given to the train in The Mechanisms' album, 'The Bifrost Incident', which is the setting for the majority of the events in the album. Ratatoskr is a recurring enemy in the video game La-Mulana 2. He is first found at the roots of the tree of Yggdrasil near Níðhöggr (stylized in-game as Nídhogg) and, later in the game, can be found near Veðrfölnir (stylized in-game as Vedfolnir). He plays a prominent role both in both gameplay and plot, and his appearances culminate into a boss battle which occurs in Hel (location) and opens the pathway to fight Hel (mythological being). Ratatosk appears in Walter Simonson's Ragnarok comic, which takes place in an alternate mythos in which the forces of evil won the final battle. Ratatosk appears as the name of a cave system in the video game Guild Wars 2. In that context, the name may also be punning on the numerous "Rata-" cities such as "Rata Sum" and "Rata Novus", which instead derive their names from Latin. Ratatoskr appears in the video game, Jotun, where it spends its life carrying messages between Vethrfolnir and an unnamed eagle who are perched at the top of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, and Nidhogg, the dragon that lives in the roots of the tree. Ratatoskr is massive, being many times the size of a human, and can be spotted a few times in the Vethrfolnir's Perch level, scurrying up and down the trunk of Yggdrasil.

Postgame Mortem

"Postgame Mortem" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American mystery television series Veronica Mars, and the fifty-seventh episode overall. Written by Joe Voci and directed by John T. Kretchmer, the episode premiered on The CW on February 13, 2007. The series depicts the adventures of Veronica Mars as she deals with life as a college student while moonlighting as a private detective. The episode is the first of two episodes to deal with the murder of the basketball coach at Veronica's school Hearst College, Tom Barry (Matt McKenzie). In this episode, Veronica tries to clear the coach's son, Josh (Jonathan Chase) of charges of his murder. Meanwhile, Logan (Jason Dohring), heartbroken from his breakup with Veronica in "There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill", ends up babysitting the eleven-year-old sister (Juliette Goglia) of one of his friend Dick's (Ryan Hansen) paramours, and they begin to emotionally connect with each other. In addition, Veronica and Keith find out that two of the main suspects' alibis do not match. "Postgame Mortem" was one of series creator Rob Thomas's favorite episodes of the season. In particular, a scene in which Logan and Heather run into Veronica in an elevator was Thomas's favorite of the year, praising Goglia's performance in the scene and episode. In addition, Dohring contacted Rob Thomas to discuss his character's development. The episode received 2.37 million viewers and mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the case-of-the-week and being more mixed on the Logan–Heather subplot. Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club referred to Heather as a non-sexualized Manic Pixie Dream Girl, while Alan Sepinwall believed that it worked well comedically and dramatically. ## Plot synopsis The Hearst basketball coach, Tom Barry, berates his team, including Wallace (Percy Daggs III), after a game, and the coach's son quits as a result. One of Logan's teachers tells Dick that Logan must start attending classes. Dick sneaks into Logan's apartment for the hotel staff and finds it a mess. Veronica works at Mars Investigations for the day and walks in to find the Coach's family in the office, as the Coach has died. The son who quit, Josh, is the prime suspect, but the family suspects Mel Stolz (Jeremy Roberts) or one of the PCH bikers. Dick tries to set up Logan on a double date before realizing that one of the "twins" is actually eleven years old. Dick and the older sister leave, leading Logan to babysit the other sister, Heather (Juliette Goglia) although Logan just goes to bed. Keith talks to Mel Stolz, who says that he was on a plane at the time. Dick calls Logan and says he is in Las Vegas, leaving Logan to babysit Heather for another day. Weevil (Francis Capra) organizes a meeting between Veronica and the PCHers, and the new leader says that they would not kill someone over a bad car like the Coach's vehicle. Mason (Robert Ri'chard), one of the team's former star basketball players, testifies to Sheriff Lamb (Michael Muhney) that Josh is responsible for his father's death. The Sheriff arrests Josh, and Veronica learns that the Coach's car was found in the water. Logan and Heather begin to actually enjoy each other's company. Keith speaks to Mindy O'Dell (Jaime Ray Newman), stating that he will continue to search for Dean Cyrus O'Dell's killer. Veronica questions Mason, but he ends up angrily walking away. Veronica and Keith recuperate, and Keith says that Cyrus's car was taken out within the timeframe of the murder. Heather sends a radio request to play a special song from Logan to Veronica, while Veronica interrogates the hotel staff. One of them says that he heard two men yelling in the room. Veronica and Logan have a chance meeting in the elevator. Hank Landry (Patrick Fabian) tells Veronica that she has successfully applied for the first part of an FBI internship with the help of a recommendation from the Dean. Keith questions Mrs. O'Dell heavily, and she subsequently fires him from the case, although he says that he will not stop investigating. Veronica visits Josh in jail, who suspects Mason. Dick returns, getting a divorce from the older sister, and Logan and Heather remain friends. In Veronica's criminology class, she is arrested for aiding Josh to escape from prison. ## Production "Postgame Mortem" was written by Joe Voci and directed by John T. Kretchmer, marking Voci's first writing credit and Kretchmer's thirteenth directing credit. The episode was one of series creator Rob Thomas's favorite episodes of season three, along with "Of Vice and Men", "Show Me the Monkey", "Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves", and "Mars, Bars". The DVD for the season contains one deleted scene of the episode. It depicts Veronica going into the police station and asking Sheriff Lamb about Josh's recent arrest. Thomas explained in his introduction to the scene that while it was initially written for its comedic value, it became "an example of staging killing the comedy". He explained that Lamb had to frequently turn all the way around to speak to Veronica and Deputy Sacks (Brandon Hillock), a fact which he thought made the scene awkward. Thomas described the scene in which Veronica encounters Logan and Heather in an elevator before Heather tells her that Logan is in love with her as his favorite scene of the season and that it lived up to high expectations. In writing this subplot, Thomas and the crew started with this scene and "wrote backwards" in order to make it fit in with the rest of the episode's story. Knowing the scene's importance to the writers, Kretchmer used more lighting setups than would be typically used in an elevator scene. Thomas also enjoyed Juliette Goglia's performance in both the scene and the episode, referring to her as "a star". Immediately prior to this episode, Thomas received a call from Jason Dohring, the actor of Logan, who was confused about the character's continual state of grief following his breakup with Veronica. Thomas responded that that part in his character arc was all setup to the subplot involving Heather. ## Reception ### Ratings In its original broadcast, "Postgame Mortem" received 2.37 million viewers, ranking 102nd out of 104 in the weekly rankings. This was a slight decrease from the figures of the previous week's episode, "There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill", which earned 2.40 million viewers. ### Reviews BuddyTV lauded the episode, writing that it was one of the best Veronica Mars episodes in months, mainly due to the reappearances of Wallace, Weevil, and Cliff, leading to what the reviewer called "an old school Veronica Mars feel".Logan and Heather's subplot also garnered praise: "It's a nice departure from the oft repeated scenario of Logan exercising indiscretion." Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club gave a positive review, praising the case of-the-week and the episode's development of the Dean O'Dell mystery. He argued that this story arc was the best of the series so far, writing "What makes this third season's second mystery work is that it is so balanced. [...] It's a closed system with multiple possibilities." He was also intrigued by the case-of-the-week, noting that it stood out from others because it was not resolved within the episode. However, he was negative towards the Heather–Logan subplot and dynamic, referring to Heather as a type of Manic Pixie Dream Girl who is not sexualized. "Heather is so ridiculously contrived as a way to help Logan out of his funk that it's almost embarrassing." Television Without Pity graded the episode an "A", stating that "I'm all for anything that gets Veronica and Keith working together on a big case." Reviewer Alan Sepinwall, on his blog What's Alan Watching?, praised the decision to include a multiple-week mystery. He thought that spreading the case out allowed the episode to focus on the main story arc and Logan's subplot as well as allow the main mystery time to finish. He was also complimentary towards the Logan–Heather plotline, lauding Goglia's performance; he also stated that the episode gave him renewed interest in the Dean O'Dell case. Eric Goldman, writing for IGN, rated the episode a 7.7 out of 10, indicating that it was "good". He was highly critical of the subplot involving Logan and Heather, stating that it "rode the line of insufferable". While opining that it had some good comedic moments, he thought that the majority of the subplot involved heavy use of clichés. However, he was more mixed to positive towards the case-of-the-week. The reviewer felt a sense of anticipation that this storyline did not resolve itself in the episode: "it's hard not to be anxious to see where this is going."

A Passion for Churches

1974 BBC television documentary by Edward Mirzoeff

A Passion for Churches is a 1974 BBC television documentary written and presented by the then Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman and produced and directed by Edward Mirzoeff. Commissioned as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed 1973 documentary Metro-land, the film offers Betjeman's personal poetic record of the various rituals taking place throughout the Anglican Diocese of Norwich and its churches in the run-up to Easter Sunday using the framing device of the Holy sacraments. Created with the approval of the Bishop of Norwich, Maurice Wood, the 49-minute film was shot on location in Norfolk and parts of Suffolk throughout the spring of 1974 on 16 mm colour film by cameraman John McGlashan. For the film, John Betjeman wrote an original poetic commentary consisting of blank verse, free verse, and prose and he appeared on-screen in several segments to describe features of ecclesiastical buildings and to reminisce about his lifelong "passion for churches". The programme was praised by critics upon its original BBC 2 screening in December 1974 and gained high audience appreciation figures. It has since been repeated on BBC Four in 2006. It was released on a limited-edition DVD in 2007. ## Production ### Background Following the success of the 1973 film Metro-land, which documented life in suburban London, Edward Mirzoeff was commissioned to create a new documentary with John Betjeman. Mirzoeff noticed that aside from suburban themes, the Church of England was the other major influence on Betjeman's poetry. His proposal to the poet was for a study of the Church of England to be titled Failed in Divinity, a line derived from Betjeman's poetic autobiography Summoned by Bells, in which the poet relates how he was sent down from the University of Oxford after failing a compulsory examination on divinity. In Mirzoeff's first treatment, Betjeman would have embarked on a journey around Britain studying fine cathedrals, churches and their congregations. Betjeman ruled against the title, but liked the idea, although he was keen that the film should be primarily about the Church and its people, and not himself. Following this early proposal, Mirzoeff and Betjeman realised that a study of the whole Church would be too ambitious, and instead decided to set the film within one diocese. Betjeman initially suggested the Diocese of Southwark, owing to a friendship with the then-Bishop of Southwark, Mervyn Stockwood. Mirzoeff was not keen, given that Southwark was primarily an urban diocese. A disastrous meeting with the bishop (who was "high-handed, arrogant and very, very rude") led to that idea being scrapped. Film editor Ted Roberts suggested the Diocese of Norwich, as Norfolk is noted for the density of its medieval churches in a variety of urban, coastal and rural locations. In addition, Betjeman was close friends with Lady Wilhelmina "Billa" Harrod (to whom he had once been engaged), who resided at The Old Rectory, Holt. She was greatly involved with saving redundant churches and was personal friends with the Bishop of Norwich, Maurice Wood, and was also able to provide the crew with accommodation. Early location-scouting proved fruitful, and the production was bolstered by a meeting with Bishop Wood in March 1974, during which the bishop, after initial reluctance, gave the production his blessing. Filming began in April 1974. ### Filming The documentary was shot on 16 mm colour film by cameraman John McGlashan, who had also worked on the BBC's M.R. James series of adaptations A Ghost Story for Christmas, of which the early installments were entirely filmed in Norfolk (Betjeman was a fan of Jamesian ghost stories, and often read them to the crew while travelling to locations). McGlashan was also a part-time priest for a Liberal Catholic church, and was able to bring to the production additional knowledge of the Sacraments. After deciding against the original "Failed in Divinity" preface, it was decided to open the film with Betjeman remembering a Norfolk rowing holiday from his youth in which his father pointed out the tower of St Peter's church in Belaugh. This moment, he said, led to his lifelong "passion for churches", a phrase that would eventually form the title of the film. The crew decided to film Betjeman revisiting this location on the River Bure, although on several occasions the poet nearly capsized his rowing boat. The production work was exhaustive, involving the filming of numerous churches in Norfolk, both ancient and more modern. Many of the clergymen featured in the programme were discovered by accident or by word-of-mouth. For example, the production researcher managed to find, on request, a vicar who had an extensive model railway in his rectory, another whose ministry was based on water (the Chaplain of the Broads) and a vicar whose congregation at the time numbered zero. Several of the services featured in the film were one-off events. For example, the wedding was shot at Lyng, where the bride's father was the rector. The bridegroom, Nigel McCulloch, went on to become the Bishop of Manchester. The production encountered difficulties with obtaining some footage; while filming a Seaman's Mission from Great Yarmouth, a wave flooded the boat, ruining the sound-recording equipment, and a sequence featuring an open-air service taking place at daybreak on Easter Sunday at the most easterly point of the UK – at Ness Point, Lowestoft – was nearly missed after the sound recordist overslept. ### Poetry The commentary alternates between blank verse, free verse, and prose. Although Betjeman had accompanied the production on most of its shoots, his poetic commentary was only written in the weeks after the film had already been edited by Roberts. According to Mirzoeff, he would run sequences from the film for hours, searching for inspiration in the rhythm of the editing, sometimes sitting in a small cupboard to help himself concentrate. Betjeman's daughter, Candida Lycett Green recalls that "JB put everything into it that he could muster: the film was about all that he loved about England - its people, its church and its architecture. Throughout his life he had been able to find poetry where others had never thought to look." Mirzoeff notes that he found writing the text for A Passion for Churches more of a strain than for his previous film since he had to take into consideration both his own beliefs and those of his friends. Sometimes members of the crew would help him by writing their own verses for him to use or modify. One particular sequence proved so difficult to write that Betjeman flew into a rage after the director pressured him to hurry the composition along. Mirzoeff suggests that several sequences, such as the scene about redundancy and death, provoked verse of much greater "complexity and depth" than any heard in his previous screen appearances. ## Synopsis > What would you be, you wide East Anglian sky, > Without church towers to recognise you by? The film is roughly based on themes suggested by the Anglican sacraments. It opens with Betjeman's recollection of how a boating holiday by Belaugh in Norfolk inspired his "Passion for Churches". After a montage of church architecture with the musical accompaniment of the barrel organ of Bressingham, the focus shifts to St Margaret's, Cley next the Sea, where Betjeman introduces the viewer to its features. The scene then switches to a baptism in Trunch and later a children's service in Mattishall. Also seen are the restoration of the medieval screen at Ranworth and examples of surviving Norwich glass at East Harling. Betjeman then journeys to Norwich, which has more surviving medieval churches than London, Bristol and York combined. At Norwich Cathedral, the centre of the diocese, he attends a Mothers' Union meeting with the Bishop, and later the institution of a new rector to the living of Holt. Betjeman tells the viewer about the Elizabethan vicarage of Great Snoring. Later seen are a vicar busily writing his newsletter at Weston Longville, a parish meeting at Letheringsett and a fête at South Raynham. Betjeman presents the three-storey pulpit of St Mary's Bylaugh and the brass-rubbing at Felbrigg. A wedding takes place in Lyng and in the tower of Wiveton, change ringers explain their addiction to bell-ringing. Betjeman explores the ruins of St Benet's Abbey before seeing its modern equivalent at a convent of Anglican nuns at the Community of All Hallows, Ditchingham. Betjeman then takes the North Norfolk Railway to Walsingham to see the Anglican pilgrims going to the church of Our Lady of Walsingham. After a look at the Queen's church in Sandringham and the unusual Victorian church at Booton, choir practices are seen in progress at Martham and Wymondham Abbey. Exulting the work of Sir Ninian Comper at Lound, Suffolk, Betjeman recalls that he looked like Colonel Sanders. As Easter Day approaches, Betjeman reflects on the furthest reaches of the diocese - a parish church in Flordon that no one attends, as well as the fate of those churches declared redundant; conversion into hospitals, an artists' studio, a shoe store and dereliction (St Peter, Corpusty). We see the water-borne ministries of the Chaplain of the Missions to Seamen, Great Yarmouth, visiting the crew of Smith's Knoll Lightship, and the Chaplain of the Broads invites holidaymakers to Easter service at Ranworth. Easter Day breaks at Ness Point Lowestoft with a service to greet the rising sun. Ladies from the Almshouses in Castle Rising process to church in their Jacobean uniform. The film concludes back in Norwich as parishioners of St Peter Mancroft, and parishioners from churches all around the county summoned by bells, walk to worship. ## Reception and release Mirzoeff recalls that A Passion for Churches created a minor internal disagreement at the BBC since the film, produced by the General Features Department, discussed a subject considered to be the territory of the Religious Broadcasting Department. The head of the department insisted on a screening, but was placated by the presence of the poet and Prime Minister Harold Wilson's wife, Mary, at a private showing held in November 1974, and he gave the film his approval. Critical reception to the film was generally very positive: The Times Literary Supplement named it "Sir John's masterpiece to date" and the Financial Times described it as "extremely good". Television playwright Dennis Potter was also highly complimentary, writing his New Statesman review in verse as a tribute. Only the Eastern Daily Press felt that the film was too short and lacking in detail. But it responded favourably to the repeat, claiming that its original criticisms had led to the film being much improved. In fact not one single frame had been changed. Audience response was recorded as "exceptionally enthusiastic" and Betjeman himself was pleased with the result, although of his films he still favoured Metro-land. A Passion for Churches was revived by BBC Four in 2006 to mark the centenary of the poet's birth. It was subsequently released on a limited-edition DVD in 2007 with notes by the producer and two additional short films by the poet.

Zara Yaqob

Emperor of Ethiopia from 1434 to 1468

Zara Yaqob (Ge'ez: ዘርዐ ያዕቆብ; 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty who ruled under the regnal name Kwestantinos I (Ge'ez: ቈስታንቲኖስ, "Constantine"). He is known for the Ge'ez literature that flourished during his reign, the handling of both internal Christian affairs and external wars with Muslims, along with the founding of Debre Birhan as his capital. He reigned for 34 years and 2 months. The British historian, Edward Ullendorff, stated that Zara Yaqob "was unquestionably the greatest ruler Ethiopia had seen since Ezana, during the heyday of Aksumite power, and none of his successors on the throne – excepted only the emperors Menelik II and Haile Selassie – can be compared to him." ## Early life Born at Telq in the province of Fatajar, Zara Yacoq hailed from the Amhara people, he was the youngest son of Emperor Dawit I by his wife, Igzi Kebra. His mother Igzi lost her first son and having been sick during her second pregnancy, prayed fervently to the Virgin Mary to keep her new child alive. Her prayers were answered and she gave birth to Zara Yaqob, who had this miracle recorded in the Ta'ammara Maryam, one of Zara Yaqob's chronicles. Paul B. Henze repeats the tradition that the jealousy of his older brother Emperor Tewodros I forced the courtiers to take Zara Yaqob to Tigray where he was brought up in secret, and educated in Axum and at the monastery of Debre Abbay. While admitting that this tradition "is invaluable as providing a religious background for Zara Yaqob's career", Taddesse Tamrat dismisses this story as "very improbable in its details". The professor notes that Zara Yaqob wrote in his Mashafa Berhan that "he was brought down from the royal prison of Mount Gishan only on the eve of his accession to the throne." Upon the death of Emperor Dawit, his older brother Tewodros ordered Zara Yaqob confined on Amba Geshen (around 1414). Despite this, Zara Yaqob's supporters kept him a perennial candidate for Emperor, helped by the rapid succession of his older brothers to the throne over the next 20 years, which left him as the oldest qualified candidate. David Buxton points out the effect that his forced seclusion had on his personality, "deprived of all contact with ordinary people or ordinary life." Thrust into a position of leadership "with no experience of the affairs of state, he [Zara Yaqob] was faced by a kingdom seething with plots and rebellions, a Church riven with heresies, and outside enemies constantly threatening invasion." Buxton continues, In the circumstances it was hardly possible for the new king to show adaptability or tolerance or diplomatic skill, which are the fruit of long experience in human relationships. Confronted with a desperate and chaotic situation he met it instead with grim determination and implacable ferocity. Towards the end of his life, forfeiting the affection and loyalty even of his courtiers and family he became a lonely figure, isolated by suspicion and mistrust. But, in spite of all, the name of this great defender of the faith is one of the most memorable in Ethiopian history. ## Reign Although he became Emperor in 1434, Zara Yaqob was not crowned until 1436 at Axum, where he resided for three years. During his first years on the throne, Zara Yaqob launched a strong campaign against survivals of pagan worship and "un-Christian practices" within the church. According to a manuscript written in 1784, he appointed spies to search and "smell out" heretics who admitted to worshipping pagan gods such as Dasek, Dail, Guidale, Tafanat, Dino and Makuawze. These heretics were decapitated in public. The spies also revealed that his sons Galawdewos, Amda Maryam, Zar'a Abraham and Batra Seyon, and his daughters Del Samera, Rom Ganayala and Adal Mangesha were heretics and thus they were all executed as a result. He then issued a royal edit ordering every Christian to bear on his forehead a fillet inscribed "Belonging to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." And fillets had to be worn on the arms, that on the right being inscribed "I deny the Devil in [the name of] Christ God," and that on the left, "I deny the Devil, the accursed. I am the servant of Mary, the mother of the Creator of all the world." Any man who disobeyed the edict had his property looted and was either beaten or executed. The Ethiopian Church had been divided over the issue of Biblical Sabbath observance for roughly a century. One group, which was loyal to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, believed that the day of rest should be observed only on Sunday, or Great Sabbath. Another group, the followers of Ewostatewos, believed with its founder that both the original seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday, or Lesser Sabbath) and Sunday should be observed. Zara Yaqob was successful in persuading two recently-arrived Egyptian Abuna, Mikael and Gabriel, into accepting a compromise aimed at restoring harmony with the House of Ewostatewos, as the followers of Ewostatewos were known. At the same time, he made efforts to pacify the House of Ewostatewos. While the Ewostathians were won over to the compromise by 1442, the two Abuns agreed to the compromise only at the Council of Debre Mitmaq in Tegulet (1450). Garad Mahiko, the son of the Hadiya ruler Garad Mehmad, refused to submit to Abyssinia. However, with the help of one of Mahiko's followers, the Garad was deposed in favor of his uncle Bamo. Garad Mahiko then sought sanctuary at the court of the Adal Sultanate. He was later slain by the military contingent "Adal Mabrak," who had been in pursuit. The chronicles record that the "Adal Mabrak" sent Mahiko's head and limbs to Zara Yaqob as proof of his death. Zara Yaqob invaded Hadiya after they failed to pay the annual tribute exacted upon them by the Ethiopian Empire, and married its princess Eleni, who was baptized before their marriage. Eleni was the daughter of the former king of the Hadiya Kingdom (one of the Muslim Sidamo kingdoms south of the Abay River), Garad Mehamed. Although she failed to bear him any children, Eleni grew into a powerful political person. When a conspiracy involving one of his Bitwodeds came to light, Zara Yaqob reacted by appointing his two daughters, Medhan Zamada and Berhan Zamada, to these two offices. According to the Chronicle of his reign, the Emperor also appointed his daughters and nieces as governors over eight of his provinces. These appointments were not successful. After hearing about the demolition of the Egyptian Debre Mitmaq monastery, he ordered a period of national mourning and built a church of the same name in Tegulet. He then sent a letter of strong protest to the Egyptian Sultan, Sayf ad-Din Jaqmaq. He reminded Jaqmaq that he had Muslim subjects whom he treated fairly, and warned that he had the power to divert the Nile, but refrained from doing so for the human suffering it would cause. Jaqmaq responded with gifts to appease Zara Yaqob's anger, but refused to rebuild the Coptic churches he had destroyed. The Sultan would then encourage the Adal Sultanate to invade the province of Dawaro to distract the Emperor, but Zara Yaqob managed to defeated Badlay ad-Din, the Sultan of Adal at the Battle of Gomit in 1445, which consolidated his hold over the Sidamo kingdoms in the south, as well as the weak Muslim kingdoms beyond the Awash River. Similar campaigns in the north against the Agaw and the Falasha were not as successful. He then established himself at Hamassien and Serae to strengthen the imperial presence in the area, he settled a group of warriors from Shewa in Hamassien as military settlers. These settlers were believed to have the terrified the local population and it is said that the earth "trembled at their arrival" and the inhabitants "fled the country in fear". It is during this time that the title of the coastal regions' ruler, Bahr Negash, first appears in records and according to Richard Pankhurst the office was likely introduced by Zara Yaqob. After observing a bright light in the sky (which most historians have identified as Halley's Comet, visible in Ethiopia in 1456), and believing it to be a sign from God, indicating His approval of the execution by stoning of a group of heretics 38 days earlier, Zara Yaqob established Debre Berhan as his capital for the duration of his reign. He ordered a church built on the site, and later constructed an extensive palace nearby, and a second church, dedicated to Saint Cyriacus. He later returned to his native village of Telq in the province of Fatager and built a church dedicated to Saint Michael. He then built two more churches, Martula Mikael and 'Asada Mikael, before returning to Debre Berhan. In his later years, Zara Yaqob became more despotic. When Takla Hawariat, abbot of Dabra Libanos, criticized Yaqob's beatings and murder of men, the emperor had the abbot himself beaten and imprisoned, where he died after a few months. Zara Yaqob was convinced of a plot against him in 1453, which led to more brutal actions. He increasingly became convinced that his wife and children were plotting against him, and had several of them beaten. Seyon Morgasa, the mother of the future emperor Baeda Maryam I, died from this mistreatment in 1462, which led to a complete break between son and father. Eventually relations between the two were repaired, and Zara Yaqob publicly designated Baeda Maryam as his successor. Near the end of his reign, in 1464/1465, Massawa and the Dahlak archipelago were pillaged by emperor Zara Yaqob, and the Sultanate of Dahlak was forced to pay tribute to the Ethiopian Empire. According to Richard Pankhurst, Zara Yaqob was also "reputedly an author of renown", having contributed to Ethiopian literature as many as three important theological works. One was Mahsafa Berha "The Book of Light", an exposition of his ecclesiastical reforms and a defence of his religious beliefs; the others were Mahsafa Milad "The Book of Nativity" and Mahsafa Selassie "The Book of the Trinity". Edward Ullendorff, however, attributes to him only the Mahsafa Berha and Mahsafa Milad. In the sixteenth century Adal leader Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi ordered the destruction of his former palace in Debre Birhan. ## Foreign affairs Zara Yaqob sent delegates to the Council of Florence in 1441, and established ties with the Holy See and Western Christianity. They were confused when council prelates insisted on calling their monarch Prester John. They tried to explain that nowhere in Zara Yaqob's list of regnal names did that title occur. However, the delegates' admonitions did little to stop Europeans from referring to the monarch as their mythical Christian king, Prester John. He also sent a diplomatic mission to Europe (1450), asking for skilled labour. The mission was led by a Sicilian, Pietro Rombulo, who had previously been successful in a mission to India. Rombulo first visited Pope Nicholas V, but his ultimate goal was the court of Alfonso V of Aragon, who responded favorably. Two letters for Ethiopians in the holy land (from Amda Seyon and Zara Yaqob) survive in the Vatican library, referring to "the kings Ethiopia."

HMS Seadog

Submarine

HMS Seadog was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in September 1942, she spent most of her career in Arctic waters, off Norway, but sank only one German ship in 13 patrols. In January 1945, she was redeployed to the Far East, meeting more success. On her first patrol in the area, the submarine rescued four American airmen. After two patrols, she and her sister ship HMS Shalimar sank five sailing vessels, two coasters, a barge, a tugboat and a Japanese tank landing ship. After the war ended, Seadog was sent back to England, placed in reserve, then sold for scrap in December 1947. She was ultimately broken up in August 1948. ## Design and description The S-class submarines were designed to patrol the restricted waters of the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The third batch was slightly enlarged and improved over the preceding second batch of the S class. The submarines had a length of 217 feet (66.1 m) overall, a beam of 23 feet 9 inches (7.2 m) and a draught of 14 feet 8 inches (4.5 m). They displaced 865 long tons (879 t) on the surface and 990 long tons (1,010 t) submerged. The S-class submarines had a crew of 48 officers and ratings. They had a diving depth of 300 feet (91.4 m). For surface running, the boats were powered by two 950-brake-horsepower (708 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 650-horsepower (485 kW) electric motor. They could reach 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) on the surface and 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) underwater. On the surface, the third batch boats had a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and 120 nmi (220 km; 140 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged. The boats were armed with seven 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. A half-dozen of these were in the bow and there was one external tube in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for the bow tubes for a grand total of thirteen torpedoes. Twelve mines could be carried in lieu of the internally stowed torpedoes. They were also armed with a 3-inch (76 mm) deck gun. The third-batch S-class boats were fitted with either a Type 129AR or 138 ASDIC system and a Type 291 or 291W early-warning radar. ## Construction and career HMS Seadog was a third-batch S-class submarine and was ordered by the British Admiralty on 2 April 1940. She was laid down in the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead on 31 December 1940 and was launched on 11 June 1942. On 22 September 1942, Seadog, under the command of Lieutenant Anthony Daniel, sailed to Holy Loch, where she was commissioned into the Royal Navy two days later. The submarine was named after a term for old seasoned sailors; thus far, she has been the only ship to bear the name "Seadog". Between November 1942 and February 1943, Seadog conducted three patrols off Norway, protecting Arctic convoys to and from Northern Russia, but did not sight any potential targets. After her first patrol, the boat was commanded by Desmond Martin. Returning from these operations, the submarine docked in Ardrossan to have a 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon light anti-aircraft gun added aft of the conning tower and additional equipment installed. After her refit, Seadog departed port on 2 June 1943 on an anti-submarine patrol in Arctic waters, off Norway. After four days at sea, she sighted a Type IX submarine, probably the , but it dived before torpedoes could be launched. On 10 June, Seadog obtained an ASDIC contact with a U-boat and blindly launched a torpedo in its direction, but missed; it may have been the , which was sunk the next day by aircraft. Seadog returned from patrol on 18 June. The submarine conducted another patrol in the Arctic, taking part in Operation Corncrake, picking up Norwegian commandos on the island of Spitsbergen, and missed another German U-boat. Seadog commenced another anti-submarine patrol on 3 August, this time in the Bay of Biscay. On 13 August, the submarine stopped and boarded the small French fishing vessel St. Moquet, interrogated its crew, and examined its papers. They then released the ship and were given 12 tunas, which "made a nice meal". The submarine then returned to England on 17 August. Between mid-September and early December 1943, Seadog conducted three patrols off Norway, but was unsuccessful in spotting targets; during her first, she landed a relief force on Spitsbergen. The submarine departed on another patrol on 24 December, operating off Stadlandet, Norway, meeting more luck—after four days at sea, she sank the German transport Oldenburg with a full salvo of six torpedoes; a depth charge counter-attack by the ship's escort followed, but did not cause damage. Seadog later attacked two other convoys, but missed. Out of torpedoes, the boat returned to Lerwick, on 4 January 1944. ### Far East After two more patrols in the North, Seadog was redeployed to the Far East, passing through Gibraltar, Malta, and the Suez Canal. She arrived at Trincomalee, Ceylon on 17 January 1945, after which she briefly underwent training. A month later, the boat departed for a patrol in the Gulf of Bengal; on 26 February, she rescued four US airmen in the Bay of Bengal, and rendezvoused with a Consolidated PBY Catalina to transfer them. Seadog then damaged with gunfire and possibly destroyed a Japanese coastal trading vessel on 6 March, before returning to port on 12 March. On her next patrol, the submarine sank a coaster with torpedoes off Ulèë Lheuë, Sumatra, and a sailing vessel near Sigli. After an uneventful patrol in the Strait of Malacca, Seadog started another patrol in the area, together with HMS Shalimar, on 18 July. On the 24 and 26 July, she sank two Japanese sailing vessels, and the next day she attacked and destroyed a Japanese tank landing craft with Shalimar. There is also a report of Seadog sinking the Japanese minelayer Kuroshio No. 1 on 27 July, but this is not mentioned in the submarine's log book. After sinking another sailing vessel in the evening, the two submarines went on to sink two coasters, a barge, two sailing vessels, and a tugboat, all with their deck guns, before returning to port on 12 August. Three days later, Imperial Japan announced it would surrender, and Seadog was sent back to Great Britain, passing through Suez and Gibraltar, and arriving on 18 October. After the war, Seadog was placed in reserve, then was sold for scrap metal on 24 December 1947. She was broken up at Troon, Scotland, in August 1948. ## Career Summary During her service with the Royal Navy, Seadog sank 13 ships for a confirmed total of 8,537 gross register tons (GRT), plus an estimated 870 GRT of small Japanese ships.

Trans Polar

Former Norwegian charter airline

Trans Polar A/S was a Norwegian charter airline which operated between June 1970 and May 1971. The airline operated a fleet of three Boeing 720s and had a close cooperation with Aer Lingus for maintenance. Trans Polar was established by Thor Tjøntveit, although he never held any management positions. The airline was headquartered in Oslo, although most of the flights operated out of Copenhagen, Denmark, which was the base of Spies Rejser, Trans Polar's largest customer. The airline held operating permission from Norway and Denmark, but not Sweden; nevertheless, they operated several illegal flights out of Stockholm. Trans Polar ceased operations on 16 May 1971 when Boeing Commercial Airplanes seized one of their aircraft for failing to pay installments. After the company's bankruptcy on 23 June, the police undertook a seven-year investigation of the company. The airline had operated eight months with insolvency; with a debt of 33 million Norwegian krone (NOK) it was at the time the largest bankruptcy case in Norwegian history. Tjøntveit was acquitted of charges of deceit in 1978. ## Establishment Trans Polar was a continuation of Tjøntveit's United States-based Trans Polar International, a retailer of general aviation aircraft. Born in Grimstad, Tjøntveit emigrated to the US in 1961 after receiving his pilot's license and became an American citizen in 1965. Trans Polar International agreed on 25 November 1969 to purchase two Boeing 720 jetliners from Eastern Air Lines. The original plans called for transporting new general aviation aircraft to customers around the world. Tjøntveit stated that the first aircraft would be delivered in May 1970 and followed by a second in December, and that Erik Sandberg would start working as vice president in May. The airline planned to hire ten pilots and had signed an agreement with Pan Am for ground handling services. Trans Polar International stated they had made agreements to operate the aircraft transport flights for at least five years. The plans changed dramatically and Trans Polar was instead incorporated in Norway. It took delivery of used Boeing 720 jetliners from Eastern Air Lines with registration on 4 June 1970. The airline received an operating license on 11 June to fly both cargo and passenger charter services from Norway. The original plans called for passenger flights in and around the weekends to the Mediterranean and freight and maintenance the other days, including transporting strawberries from Belgium to Norway. A maintenance contract was signed with Aer Lingus of Ireland. ## Fleet The airline operated a fleet of three Boeing 720s. The first aircraft was registered on 16 June 1970 and the last two on 16 October. They were named for famous aviators; the first aircraft was named Richard Evelyn Byrd and the last two Roald Amundsen and Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen. The aircraft had a seating capacity of 156 or 149. ## Operations ### Securing contracts Trans Polar made a demonstration trip to Stockholm on 13 June 1970—legal because it was without paying customers. The airline applied for permission to operate out of Sweden, but this was rejected by the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) and appeals were rejected by the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications. The reason was that it lacked a permanent organization, did not have sufficient experience in large-scale charter operations and could not document that its charter operations would be based on their own resources. Despite the lack of permission, Trans Polar sub-chartered a round trip from Stockholm to London on 28 June. It then operated four flights from Stockholm to Rhodes, Palma de Mallorca and London between 4 and 6 July. Trans Polar claimed that they were flying courtesy trips and that the passengers had agreed to be compensated the part of the package trip which would have been paid to Trans Polar. The arguments were rejected by the CAA, who stated that this was a typical post-excuse and that in case of a courtesy trip the airline should not be collecting the fare in the first place. The incident was investigated by both Norwegian and Swedish police. The airline started negotiating a charter contract agreement with the Danish tour operator Spies Rejser in July 1970. Trans Polar offered the operator the use of two Boeing 720s for 55 million Danish krone (DKK), 10 million lower than the incumbent Scanair was bidding, which would allow Spies to transport 140,000 of their annual 250,000 passengers. As the first aircraft was bound to existing operations, Trans Polar would have to procure two additional aircraft for the contract, as well as receive operating permission in Denmark. Trans Polar and Spies signed a contract in mid-August for one weekly service from Copenhagen to Gran Canaria, while another weekly contract was awarded to Maersk Air. Negotiations for the main contract started on 5 September; Scanair had stated a minimum price it could accept, largely based on the fact that Spies did not have an alternative operator. The successful negotiations with Trans Polar also included an agreement with Spantax, who each could offer Spies 70,000 seats for the season. The contract brought annual revenue of DKK 25 million to Trans Polar. To fly the operations, two ex-Aer Lingus Boeing 720s were registered on 16 October. The company later signed agreements with the Danish tour operators Karavan-rejser and Danmarks Internasjonale Studentkomite (DIS). Trans Polar issued new shares worth NOK 825,000 on 25 November 1970. At the same time, the airline's shareholders issued guarantees to the bank for NOK 1.2 million. This was increased by NOK 300,000 in December. The company was insolvent at this time, but the creditors chose to instate a lawyer as chairman and continue operations. The airline met with its largest creditors on 25 February in an unsuccessful attempt to refinance the company's debt. ### Demise Simon Spies, owner of Spies Rejser, speculated in February 1971 that he might merge his airline Conair of Scandinavia with Trans Polar, although he also stated that once his airline received new aircraft it would no longer necessarily need to charter aircraft from other airlines. Trans Polar was subject to a lawsuit by a laid-off pilot which the airline owed NOK 26,600 in pay and compensation for him paying his own connection flights to reach Trans Polar charters. The company had issued several cheques and bills of exchange that had bounced and the pilot threatened to bankrupt the airline unless he was paid. The company responded that he would have a very difficult time bankrupting them and the press should instead write about the airline's future, which they regarded as very bright. The airline also owed NOK 15 million in installments to Boeing Commercial Airplanes for the first Boeing 720 aircraft. Representatives from Boeing met up at Copenhagen Airport on the evening of 17 May 1971 and removed the altimeter from the aircraft and informed the airport police that they had seized the aircraft by making it not airworthy. The 170 passengers who had bought trips through Spies were only marginally delayed because Conair was able to ready one of their own aircraft in three hours. The preparedness was due to Spies' concern of the Norwegian airline's inability to perform. Trans Polar's managing director Knut Borgen called Boeing's seizure "a misunderstanding," but nevertheless Boeing took over formal ownership of the aircraft two days later, and the aircraft was re-registered on 24 May. The other two aircraft were at the time stationed at Dublin Airport where they were undergoing maintenance and could not be used as reserves. Spies canceled their contract with Trans Polar on 21 May 1971. Simon Spies stated that they had been "endlessly generous" towards the Norwegian airline, and that they had suffered numerous delays ultimately caused by the airline's financial shortcomings. Conair had taken delivery of five equivalent aircraft and the company was therefore able to operate its own flights. Trans Polar had plans to quickly return to operations: the two remaining aircraft would be returned to Aer Lingus and three new aircraft would be purchased. This would be financed through conversion of debt to share capital and new investments from various shipping companies. Borgen emphasized that the market price for leasing aircraft had fallen and that the airline therefore could operate at a lower cost with new leasing contract. Once the airline was back on its feet, he believed Spies would return as a customer. Trans Polar informed its remaining customers on 22 May that it would terminate its flights. The airline unsuccessfully scrambled to continue operations. A contract with Drammen-based Hercules and its Hamburg, West Germany-based subsidiary secured Trans Polar new operations, this time flying guest workers between West Germany and Turkey four times per week. Tjøntveit claimed on 2 June 1971 that he had secured new financing from British investors, who along with Norwegian shipping companies would purchase newly issued shares in the company. He also confirmed that the two Boeing 720s would return to Aer Lingus and plans for two new Boeing 707 aircraft to be purchased in time for planned operations to commence on 2 July. ## Bankruptcy Boeing issued a petition for bankruptcy 22 June 1971, which was carried out by Oslo District Court the following day. The two remaining Boeing aircraft were re-registered with Aer Lingus on 10 June. By late August the debt in the company had been assessed to NOK 30 million, making it the largest bankruptcy till then in Norwegian history. The largest creditor was Boeing, which was owed NOK 7 million. The creditors and shareholders lost all of their investments in the company because the airline's limited assets were used to pay outstanding wages. Tjøntveit stated on 8 September that he intended to sue Boeing for damages from the seizure of the aircraft, but by October no writ of summons had been received by the manufacturer. A police investigation was initiated in October 1971 to uncover any criminal action taken by the company. Tjøntveit announced in December 1971 that he had established a new airline—Norwegian Overseas Airways (NOA)—which intended to operate freight routes using the Lockheed L-100 Hercules. The police investigation quickly established that there were shortcomings in Trans Polar's bookkeeping and that there were several violations of aviation regulations. However, they police had difficulty establishing who was responsible in the company. As Tjøntveit was no longer a Norwegian citizen, he was prohibited from holding management and board positions in the airline. Still, it was obvious that he had been calling the shots. Because NOA could not obtain Scandinavian operating permits, it moved its operations to Bangladesh—hindering the police from interviewing Tjøntveit and other central managers in Trans Polar who had joined the new airline. The police also stated that the investigation took too long because they had too few investigators with expertise in financial crime. The long investigation time span was causing problems for the prosecutors as an increasing number of the counts were meeting their statutes of limitations. The police announced in September 1973 that they were working on indictments towards Tjøntveit and two of the creditors who placed their representatives on the board after the company was insolvent. The police investigation was concluded in May 1975. By then, the statutes of limitations for the accounting issues had passed, and the police focused on the more serious charge of debt manipulation. Tjøntveit and two board members were indicted in 1976. The managing committee for the winding-up released its report in November 1977; the report concluded that although the company's books showed assets of NOK 8.6 million, in reality it only had fifty Norwegian krone. The committee further criticized the company for having too low a share capital, lack of qualified management and insufficient competence in operation and management of large aircraft. The indictment against the two board members was dropped in 1977, and only a single issue, regarding the disappearance of NOK 1.8 million from the books though a cheque swindle, was retained against Tjøntveit. The long waiting time caused Verdens Gang to describe the case as a "justice scandal." The court case started at Oslo District Court on 13 November 1978. Only two of the seven counts were related to Trans Polar; the others regarded other business transaction undertaken by Tjøntveit, such as selling aircraft he did not own. During the court proceedings, the prosecutor withdrew all counts related to Trans Polar. Tjøntveit was acquitted on 30 November, but the court stated that the police had good reason to investigate the airline and had understanding of the long time frame, pointing to the fact that there were practically no accounts and difficulties interviewing the involved parties. The court also took into consideration that Tjøntveit was an aviator and had no education in management. Tjøntveit followed up by suing the state for NOK 2.8 million in damages, but the case was dismissed by Oslo District Court in September 1979.

Port Gaverne

Port Gaverne is a hamlet on the north coast of Cornwall, England, UK, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Port Isaac and part of St Endellion parish. Although it is a geographically discrete hamlet, some consider it as part of the larger village of Port Isaac located around the headland, upon which it relies for most services. Historically, Port Gaverne existed as a port for sand and slate from the local mine, and for the local fishing catch, particularly pilchards, and has little recorded history prior to the 19th century, when economic activity at the port was at its peak. In the 20th century these industries declined as railways supplanted transport by sea. The appearance of the hamlet has changed little in two centuries, with its stone and slate buildings recognised for their character and the rugged local coastline as a heritage coast. Nowadays the settlement relies almost entirely upon tourism. The parish has just over 1,000 residents, including a significant proportion of retired people, but the hamlet itself consists mostly of second homes and holiday lets. Along with Port Isaac it has become known as the filming location for ITV's Doc Martin television series. ## Etymology The name ‘Gaverne’ is thought to have come from 'Karn Hun', which in the dialect of Cornish local to the area means ‘rocky haven‘. It is believed the pronunciation evolved before being written down; the first written reference to the settlement from 1338 records it as "Porcaveran". In the 16th century, the English cartographer John Norden called it “Port-kerne", and indeed linked this name to the cove, suggesting that the natural harbour is the 'port' regardless of any settlement. Writing in 1833–4, Dr Frederick Trevan referred to the settlement as "Porth Karn Hun...now commonly called Port Gavern". It is still spelled 'Gavern' by some locals - pronounced 'gay-verne'. ## History Port Gaverne was a small port similar to many on the north coast of Cornwall, but there are few references to the settlement in history before the nineteenth century. In 1338 there is a reference to the fishing tithes levied by the Duchy of Cornwall, created the year before, in its accounts. Writing in 1584, Norden described "a litle cove for fisher-boates; and ther was somtymes a crane to lifte up and downe suche comodities as were ther taken in to be transported, or browght in and unloden: and ther have bene divers buyldinges, now all decayde since the growing of Portissick”. Fishing boats were launched from the beach, and it is thought that boats from Port Isaac moved here in the 1500s when a pier was constructed in that harbour. In 1762 there is a reference to a lease of some land for loading sand; sand from the sea was rich in lime and used as fertiliser on Cornish soils. Historian John Maclean mentioned in 1872 that women and children earned a good income by harvesting sand. This activity continued into the 20th century. The sand was also used to produce quicklime and there are the remains of a lime kiln and records of a further kiln of which the remains are lost. In 1802 Warwick Guy, of the family that owned much of the Port, leased land to build a fish cellar (a Cornish term for a building used to make and store fishing pots, nets, sails and equipment, and historically to process the catch), one of four eventually constructed by the Guy family, who continued to live and work in the area for the next hundred years. The fishing season was only two months long, but catches were large. In 1811 it was recorded that two of the fish cellars handled over 225 tons of fish during one week. There was also some shipbuilding at the Port. The port's principal trade was the export of slate from Delabole Quarry to the northeast, those sailing ketches being too wide for the harbour at Port Isaac from where much of the trade relocated during the early 19th century. In 1807 the Delabole Slate Company quarried out a road from the mine down to the harbour. Coal was imported and other local produce, particularly pilchards, but also sand for fertiliser, was exported. In 1833–4, Dr Trevan describes a "small unsafe cove where [the] principal business of parish [is] carried on chiefly in slate – 3000 to 4000 tons annually", with the Port then having five families of thirty five inhabitants total. In 1859, Murray's Handbook of Devon and Cornwall recorded that "the quarries present one of the most astonishing and animated scenes imaginable". About 1,000 men were employed, raising about 120 tons of slate per day. This was cut and hauled 6 miles (9.7 km) to Port Gaverne where it would be loaded onto ships. Thirty wagons, pulled by over a hundred horses, would load a sixty-ton ship. Loading slates was often done by women, as the men were out fishing, and women still helped with stowing the slates through to the 1890s. Some time between 1873 and 1880, the road to Port Isaac was dug up over the headland by convicts from Dartmoor Prison, to enable slate to be carried there by road rather than ferried around the headland. When the North Cornwall Railway line to Wadebridge (later absorbed by the London & South Western Railway) opened in 1895, the transport of Delabole slate switched to rail and Port Gaverne lost most of its trade. The pilchard trade continued, until the fishing catches reduced, forcing the boats to move away. The new railway made the area more accessible, and quickly the local economy adapted to cater for visitors. In 1897, sail lofts were converted to accommodation for school groups. By 1906 there were two cafes in the hamlet, and six bathing huts on the beach. The Union Inn, subsequently renamed the Port Gaverne Hotel, began to accommodate tourists, and ‘Headlands’ became a hotel. During the Second World War, Port Gaverne hosted evacuees, and the fish cellars were converted into homes for the children, along with the clifftop Headlands Hotel. Some of these cellars provide holiday accommodation. A series of tank traps were installed in the cove in case of German invasion. ## Geography The Draft Neighbourhood Plan describes the local coastline as "particularly rugged, unique and spectacular", "recognised as a heritage coast, whilst inland the area remains extensively unspoilt with prevailing rural characteristics". The hamlet lies within the Pentire Point to Widemouth Section of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. According to the AONB Management Plan, the local area has "a noticeable lack of tree cover due to the exposure to coastal winds". Land use is "mainly agricultural grazing in small to medium sized fields of medieval origin although modern farming practice has resulted in some larger fields being created". There is also coastal heathland with "rough and scrubby land leading inwards from the coast". The buildings of the hamlet have mostly remained unchanged for two hundred years. The steep hillsides enclosing the hamlet have forced developers to look at the flat, if exposed, land on the headland between Ports Gaverne and Isaac for new build. The AONB Management Plan describes slate as "the characteristic local building and hedging material, varying from the mid hues of Delabole slate to the darker shades sourced at Trebarwith". The Draft Neighbourhood Plan identifies Port Gaverne as a "Character Area" that contains a number of listed buildings including the former fish cellars, with planning restrictions to ensure that any development "respects and maintains the character of the area". ## Governance Port Gaverne is part of the Cornwall Council local authority area, covering the county of Cornwall. The council is a unitary authority; the local ward is St Minver & St Endellion, which was won at the last 2017 local election by the Conservative candidate Carole Mould, having previously been represented by an Independent, Andy Penny. This is part of the North Cornwall parliamentary constituency, represented since 2015 by Conservative MP Scott Mann. The local parish council is St Endellion. The parish takes its name from Saint Endelienta, who is said to have evangelised the district in the fifth century and to have been one of the children of King Brychan. The parish produced a Neighbourhood Development Plan proposal in 2019. ## Demography According to the 2011 census, the population of the parish was 1,029 in 480 households. Of these residents, 120 were aged under 16, and 320 aged 65 or over. 485 were recorded as economically active. In 2015 the magazine Cornwall Life reported that there were just twenty residents in Port Gaverne itself. The population of the parish is declining, as younger groups (particularly families) move away in search of job opportunities and more affordable housing. ## Economy and services The historic principal occupations within the parish of fishing and agriculture have been replaced by tourism, which has boomed, particularly since Port Isaac became the filming location for the ITV television series Doc Martin in 2004 and for the 2019 feature film Fisherman's Friends, both of which included shooting in Port Gaverne. A 2013 University of Plymouth study found that visitors had "clear destination images of Port Isaac prior to their visit", with the television series acting as "a display window for the village and surrounding area". The research indicated that it "acted as a key influence on intention to visit", particularly for more educated middle aged tourists. Port Gaverne is also known as a popular site for diving and for launching boats for fishing trips. The hamlet relies upon nearby Port Isaac for almost all of its services, except for the hotel, restaurant and bar at the Port Gaverne Hotel. The county council profiles the settlement as being associated with Port Isaac. The beach is maintained by the National Trust, having been bequeathed to it by a local family to protect the character of the cove. Port Gaverne mostly consists of holiday accommodation. In 2007/8 the housing affordability ratio (defined as median house prices as a ratio of median incomes) of the parish was recorded at 48.6, compared to the English average of 15.4. ## Transport The hamlet is accessible by narrow single track lanes, from Port Isaac and the B3267 from the west, and from the B3314 to the east. Parking is difficult in the hamlet itself, but there is a car park on top of the headland toward Port Isaac. The area is popular with walkers and for dog walking, with many local footpaths including the Cornish Coastal Path. The 96 bus service runs into Port Isaac, connecting to Wadebridge and Delabole.

Loot (2012 film)

2012 Nepali film by Nischal Basnet

Loot (Nepali: लूट) is a 2012 Nepali crime thriller film that was directed and written by Nischal Basnet in his debut. The film was produced by Madhav Wagle and Narendra Maharjan with Princess Movies and Black Horse Pictures. The film features an ensemble cast including Saugat Malla, Dayahang Rai, Karma Shakya, Prateek Raj Neupane, Sushil Raj Pandey, Reecha Sharma, Srijana Subba, Praveen Khatiwada and Sushma Karki. In the film, Haku Kale (Saugat Malla), suffers from poverty and he is inspired by a recent successful bank robbery, he plans to rob a bank in Kathmandu alongside four other criminals. The film was released on 13 January 2012 in Nepal, received critical acclaim with praise directed towards performances of the cast, screenplay, twists, climax and direction of Nischal Basnet. The film developed a cult following especially Saugat Malla's character Haku Kale became a cult character in Nepali cinema. With an estimated budget of 500,000 to 700,000 Nepalese rupees (NPR), Loot grossed 52 million NPR at the box office and went on to become the Highest Grossing Nepali movie of all time and broke several records at the box office. Loot is considered a landmark film in Nepalese critically and commercially. It is credited for bringing realism in Nepali cinema rather than focusing on larger than life routine masala Nepali film and brought a new wave of Cinema in Nepal. The film is also credit for reviving box office in Nepal attracting Nepali youth audience who at that time were attracted to Hollywood and Bollywood cinema more than Nepali routine cinema. The film won three National Film Awards. A sequel Loot 2 was released in 2017 and was huge success as well. ## Plot In Kathmandu, Nepal, Haku Kale lives in poverty and has an idea to get himself out of it. Inspired by a recent successful bank robbery, he plans to rob a bank within five months. He searches for accomplices who are in need of money and recruits gambler Naresh, drug dealer Khatri, and unemployed Golfe and Pandey. The group plan their bank robbery and decide what tasks each person will perform. The gang will go to the bank on three motorcycles; after arriving, Khatri will change the number plates. Haku will already be inside the bank; he will reconnoitre the bank then indicate to the others when it is safe to proceed. Golfe will deal with guards of the bank, Khatri and Pandey will get customers and employees inside a room, Naresh will force the bank manager to open the bank vault, then Khatri and Pandey will steal the money. The gang will then flee the bank. On the day of the robbery, the gang meet for the last time and tell each other that they will no longer know each other, whether or not the raid is successful. They rob the bank but the police arrive before they can escape. The police capture four members of the gang excluding Haku Kale, who runs away to another gang with whom he was also planning to rob the bank. Haku decides to flee with the money and the film ends with flashbacks as Haku remembers his plan. ## Cast - Saugat Malla as Haku Kale - Karma Shakya as Naresh/Nare - Dayahang Rai as Gopal/Gofley - Reecha Sharma as Ayesha - Prateek Raj Neupane as Khatri - Sushil Raj Pandey as Pandey - Srijana Subba as Putali; Haku Kale's wife - Praween Khatiwada as Mane - Sushma Karki Special appearance in the song "Udhreko Choli" - Bipin Karki (cameo) ## Production Before making Loot, Nischal Basnet said; "I wanted to make a film that I would want to watch, a film that I would enjoy. Not a film that audiences at large automatically expect from Nepali filmmakers." Basnet also said he never thought of a future for the film and he just wanted to make "a film about bank robbery". Initially, Loot was written as a short film was intended to be 40 minutes long. When Basnet and his colleagues collected 5 to 700,000 of Nepali rupees for a short feature, he said; "We basically knew that we weren't getting anything back if we made a short movie so we started asking ourselves why not develop it into a feature length?" The team decided to turn the film into a feature film. He later gave the script to Saugat Malla and Karma Shakya, who improvised it. While writing the script for Loot, Nischal Basnet based lead character Haku Kale on himself. He asked himself: "What would I do if I was in a situation like this?" In an interview, Basnet said Saugat Malla "brought the extra flavor and turned Kale into a Newari character plus added the name Haku (in production known as 'Kale')". When the script was being evaluated, the team wondered whether the film would ever be made because "history showed that experiments weren't taken kindly by the Nepali audience". In an interview, the film director Nischal Basnet said lead actor Dayahang Rai was not on his checklist and but that Rai had already heard about his film, so Basnet decided to approach him. Basnet did not know he "was supposed to talk about remuneration". Dayahang Rai told Basnet; "Give me rupee[s] for working in the film, anything more than that will be a bonus"; that day, Basnet was "truly ready to make a film". The character Rai was portraying is fat; every time the director and Rai met, he was "welcomed with a feast of noodles and eggs". Basnet was surprised by how Rai "gets into the character and comes off it. I could see his belly bulging. He fattened himself in almost no time!". Later, Sugust Malla was chosen to star in the film. Malla improvised the character and changed his name from "Kale" to "Haku Kale" but it took a while for Basnet to approve the name change. Bijaya Adhikari of the Living wrote; "a nickname that today generates an imagery of one of the most memorable characters in modern Nepali cinema". Whenever Basnet sent page of ideas to both Dayahang Rai, and Malla, Rai made a "few touch-ups here and there" but Malla was "brutal" with the ideas. Malla said when he sent a page of ideas but when he got them back "it would be more than what I [Basnet] would have sent him". When the cinematographer Purushottam Pradhan was engaged for the project, things "took a whole new turn". He suggested to Basnet; "Don't confine yourself ... Think big. People aren't going to watch this film in a 17-inch screen. Imagine a theater screen." Basnet wanted the film to be filmed in a guerilla style format but later it "exploded into a full-length film-making process backed up by professionals standing by at all levels". Basnet wanted to shoot Loot at locations that had never been filmed before. The production crew searched for "the dirt, the puddles, the dust and the gore of the city that is originally hidden from day-to-day life" because Basnet felt those locations would "do justice to the script". The crew faced several problems when filming in tall buildings. The crew had to "stand on ledges without any safety equipment while handling the camera" and Basnet also said they were very nervous while filming and at the same time they "were trying hard not to look down". Surendra Poudel, the film's editor, had "doubts about the ending of the film"; he said: "Will the 'nine minutes' of the film's ending put people on the edge of their seats? Can this mystery work?" Basnet replied with "If there is enough built-up for the story, people will stay back to understand the film". Load shedding was a major problem during the post-production phase. The power inverter only worked for about two to three hours, which "wasn't enough to edit and render the movie". ## Release Loot was released on 13 January 2012 throughout Nepal, where it grossed 52 million NPR (approximately \$453,000 in 2019). The film was screened in theatres for more than 100 days. Sophia Pandey of the Nepali Times criticized the script of Loot for not being "entirely original and more than a little derivative", and she added; "We must concentrate on writing stories that truly matter, and develop characters with more moral and psychological complexity". Nirajan Pudasaini of The Rising Nepal wrote that Loot changed "people's perception about Nepali cinemas". Raunak Niroula of XNepali praised Saugat Malla's performance in the film; he wrote, "Malla's performance can be considered the best". Avijit Thapa of My Republica said the film changed "the status of Nepali cinema". Xinhua News Agency said, "[the film] was appreciated for its storyline, natural dialogues and superb cinematography." Tsering Rhitar Sherpa speaking with Friday Weekly said; "The bold use of images and narrative techniques in films like "Loot" ... show the huge leap that the Nepali cinema has taken." Swapnil Acharya said Loot did not change anything, saying it "was a spark and that spark quickly faded away". Gokarna Gautam of Nepali Times said of the success of the film; "The film became an overnight hit and propelled [Dayahang] Rai into stardom. Every Nepali producer wanted to cast him in their films." The film has since developed a cult following. Director Nischal Basnet said; "happiness and the relief that the success of Loot brought is just unexplainable." Anand Nepal of Entertainment Magazine noted the film "established Sushma [Karki] in the film industry" and added that her appearance in "Udhreko Choli" made her a celebrity. In a cover story of Saugat Malla, The Nepali Man, wrote that after his performance in Loot, "people really started noticing him" and that "Loot was a culmination of talented people and ideas weaved into a tremendous film that set a benchmark amongst Nepali movies". Naman Ramachandran writing for Variety said the film "was a big hit among Nepalese youth". ## Accolades At the 2012 National Film Awards, Malla won Best Actor in a Leading Role, Nischal Basnet won Best Debut Director, and Purusottam Pradhan won Best Cinematographer.

Mississippi Highway 792

Highway in Mississippi, United States

Mississippi Highway 792 (MS 792) is a road in eastern Mississippi. It starts at U.S. Route 45 (US 45), and travels east. Near halfway of the route, SR 792 turns south and continues to its eastern terminus at MS 388. The highway was designated in 1998, and no major changes have been made since. ## Route description MS 792 is located in southern Lowndes and northern Noxubee counties. In 2012, Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) calculated as many as 1,800 vehicles traveling west of Trinity Road and Weyerhaeuser Road, and as few as 540 vehicles traveling south of Bluitt Road. The route is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3, and is maintained by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. MS 792 starts at a T-intersection with US 45, near the Black Prairie wildlife management area. It travels east along Carson Road, going through a small group of trees and farmland. At Gun Club Road, the landscape changes completely into farmland. Near 3.5 miles (5.6 km) later, Carson Road intersects Weyerhaeuser Road, that leads to cellulose fiber mills. MS 792 later turns southeastward at Old Macon Road, and crosses over a river. South of Plum Grove Road, the route shifts slightly to the west. Old Macon Road enters Noxubee County, while crossing over a small creek. MS 792 continues south for a few more miles, before ending at MS 388. ## History The route was constructed by 1998, connecting from US 45 to MS 388. MS 792 was fully paved, and no significant changes have happened on the route since. ## Major intersections

Barrington Court

Tudor manor house in Barrington, Somerset, England

Barrington Court is a Tudor manor house begun around 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular stable court (1675), situated in Barrington, near Ilminster, Somerset, England. The house was owned by several families by 1745 after which it fell into disrepair and was used as a tenant farm. After repair by architect Alfred Hoare Powell (1865–1960), it was acquired by the National Trust in 1907, on the recommendation of the antiquarian Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley (1851–1920). It has been described as the first house acquired by the National Trust, although Alfriston Clergy House, a more modest property, was acquired earlier. In the 1920s the house was renovated after Colonel Lyle and his wife 'Ronnie' agreed to take on a ninety-nine year repairing lease from the Trust, and work began in 1921. The stable block turned into a residence and several outbuildings, gardens and gateways were constructed. The house was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park and in the 17th century a formal garden was constructed. This had largely disappeared until a new garden was laid out by garden designer Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932) in an Arts and Crafts-style. It now contains walled kitchen gardens, fruit orchards and ornamental gardens. ## History The estate had been occupied since the 11th century and by the 14th century included a substantial house to the north east of the present building, where traces of a moat can still be seen. In 1446 the owner, Giles Daubeney, 6th Baron Daubeney, died at Barrington and left it to his son, another Giles Daubeney, Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney who was a courtier, diplomat and military commander under Edward IV and Henry VII. The manor was inherited in 1514 by Henry Daubeney, created Earl of Bridgewater for his services to Henry VIII. He spent much of his time in France and little time in Somerset. He may have begun the new house, but he went bankrupt. He married a Catherine Howard. It is unlikely that much, if any, of the current building was his work. The house was forfeit to the crown and then had various owners including Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who in 1552 sold it to William Clifton, a London merchant who had been assembling a Somerset estate. Clifton or his son John Clifton are thought to be responsible for most of the building at Barrington, possibly modeled on earlier work at Kirby Hall or East Anglian manors close to their roots at Kentwell Hall, Hengrave Hall or Channonz Hall at Tibenham. It passed down in the Clifton family including Gervase Clifton, who in 1605 sold it to his brother-in-law Sir Thomas Phelips of Montacute House. The house was then mortgaged and, in 1625, sold to Colonel William Strode, Jr. The house and estate were owned by the Strode family from 1625 until 1745 after which it was bought by several different owners but poorly maintained, becoming known as Court Farm. The interior of the house suffered from its demotion to a tenant farm and from a fire in the early 19th century; after being almost derelict it was repaired under the supervision of Alfred Hoare Powell. Barrington Court was acquired by the National Trust in 1907 and was leased to Col. Abram Arthur Lyle of Tate & Lyle in the 1920s. Abram Lyle and his wife, Elsie Ronalds Lyle (née. Crowdy and known as 'Ronnie') turned the house around and refurbished the court house and renovated Strode House (built by Colonel Strode's son, William III, in 1674) which was originally a stable and coach block. It was at this time that the Lyles contracted Gertrude Jekyll to design the three formal gardens on the property that are maintained by the head gardener. The house was one of the first large properties acquired by the National Trust; it was not anticipated just how expensive repairs and maintenance would be, and even thirty years later it was still used as an example of why the Trust should be wary of taking on other country houses. Barrington Court was occupied by a tenant, Stuart Interiors, that took the lease in 1986 from Andrew Lyle, grandson of Col. Lyle. The company sold reproduction furniture. Stuart Interiors left Barrington Court in December 2008, and although the building has no furniture, it is open to visitors. In 2014 it was the site of filming for the BBC's Tudor-era historical TV serial Wolf Hall. In May 2015 the house was the venue for the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow. ## Architecture Like many Elizabethan mansions, Barrington is built in an 'E' shape with large projecting wings with square projections that contain staircases. The house is not truly symmetrical as the hall has two lights and the buttery one. The south front has seven gables supported by octagonal buttresses and decorated with twisted finials with ogee scale-work caps and English Crockets. Its central entry porch leads into a screens passage with the hall on the left and, an innovation, a service passage leading to the kitchen wing that occupies the right wing. A long gallery stretches the entire length of the house on the upper floor. ### Strode House The stables – built in 1674 by William Strode III – were converted into a separate house around 1920, under plans drawn up by the architect J.E. Forbes, when the building was given a new west front. The two-storey brick building has Hamstone dressings and a hipped tile roof. Immediately in front of the building is the "fountain court". ### Outbuildings In the 1920s a "motorhouse" was constructed in a Tudor style to match the other buildings. It is a single-storey building with an attic. The front of the building is decorate with heraldic lions. The two-storey agent's house, known as Beechams, was also built in the 1920s. There are also row of six thatched cottages in Tudor style, a farmhouse and a barn dating from the same period. ### Gateways and walls There are multiple gateways around the estate and entrances to the house. The gateway to the west of the forecourt was rebuilt in the 1920s with tall piers and moulded stepped caps, permitting a full view of the symmetrical facade of the house. The gateways to the east of the forecourt and to the east of the south lawn have wrought iron gates. The wall around the forecourt is of the same vintage and has rectangular lily ponds at the base. ## Gardens In the 16th century the house was surrounded by a deer park. In the 1550s William Clifton took action, in the Star Chamber court, against local poachers who hunted deer in the park while he was away. The remains of the original gardens include a rectangular raised area or parterre 70 metres (230 ft) by 50 metres (160 ft) near a liner pond or canal which is 12 metres (39 ft) by 110 metres (360 ft). There is also geophysical evidence of a further 17th-century formal garden. Barrington Court is noted for its Arts and Crafts-style gardens for which garden designer Gertrude Jekyll provided planting plans. The gardens were laid out in 1917 by J. E. Forbes, of the partnership Forbes & Tate, for Lieut-Col. A. Arthur Lyle. There are a series of walled areas that include a white garden, a rose and iris garden and a lily garden. The original plans are being used to restore the gardens; however, the planting scheme has been changed from that designed by Jekyll to that designed by Mrs Lyle in the 1960s. The walls of the kitchen garden were built in the 1920s and include two gateways with neoclassical architraves. The gravel paths are laid out in a square with a cross at the centre enhanced by a fountain surrounded by fruit trees, vegetable plots and soft fruits. There are carriage openings with wrought-iron gates. The kitchen garden provides produce for the property's restaurant located in the adjacent Strode House; this includes many types of fruit and vegetables. The local St Mary & St Peter's CE VC Primary School, which has bases at Barrington and Ilton, has a vegetable plot where the children plant, tend and cook the produce; the walls are also strewn with apple, pear and plum trees. Attached to the garden is a squash court. About 20 metres (66 ft) south west of the house is an unusual multi-faced sundial. It was built of stone and bronze, on a stone column. It is a dodecahedron surmounted by a heraldic lion. It was imported from California by Colonel Lyle in 1920. The gardens are Grade II\* listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. ## See also - List of National Trust properties in Somerset

Mycena fuscoaurantiaca

Species of fungus

Mycena fuscoaurantiaca is a species of mushroom in the family Mycenaceae. First reported as a new species in 2007, the diminutive mushroom is only found in Kanagawa, Japan, where it grows on dead fallen twigs in lowland forests dominated by hornbeam carpinus and Chinese evergreen oak trees. The mushroom has a brownish-orange conical cap that has grooves extending to the center, and reaches up to 11 mm (0.43 in) in diameter. Its slender stem is colored similarly to the cap, and long—up to 60 mm (2.4 in) tall. Microscopic characteristics include the weakly amyloid spores (turning blue to black when stained with Melzer's reagent), the smooth, swollen cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill edges and faces, respectively) with long rounded tips, the diverticulate hyphae of the cap cuticle, and the absence of clamp connections. ## Taxonomy, naming, and classification The mushroom was first collected by Japanese mycologist Haruki Takahashi in 1999 and, along with seven other Mycena species, identified as a new species in a 2007 publication. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin words fusco- (meaning "dark") and aurantiaca ("orange-yellow"), and refers to the color of the fruit bodies. Its Japanese name is Taisha-ashinagatake タイシャアシナガタケ(代赭足長茸). Takahashi suggests that the species is best classified in the section Fragilipedes, as defined by Dutch Mycena specialist Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus. Within the section, the North American species M. subfusca appears to be closely related to M. fuscoaurantiaca. M. subfusca may be distinguished by its spindle- to broadly club-shaped cheilocystidia without a narrow neck, club-shaped to irregularly shaped caulocystidia, and lack of pleurocystidia. ## Description The cap, which reaches 8 to 11 mm (0.31 to 0.43 in) in diameter, is initially conical to convex to bell-shaped, but becomes flattened in age. It is radially grooved almost to the center, and somewhat hygrophanous (changing color as it loses or absorbs moisture). The cap surface is dry, minutely pruinose initially (that is, appearing as if covered with a fine white powder), but soon becomes smooth. The cap is brown to brownish-orange when young, with a somewhat darker center, and fades to paler toward the margin with age. The flesh is white, and up to 0.5 mm thick. It does not have any distinctive taste or odor. The stem is 30 to 60 mm (1.2 to 2.4 in) long by 0.5 to 0.8 mm (0.020 to 0.031 in) thick, cylindrical, centrally attached to the cap, slender, hollow, and dry. Its color is orange to brownish-orange, and it is initially pruinose, but later becomes smooth. The base of the stem is covered with coarse, stiff white hairs. The gills are adnexed (narrowly attached to the stem), and distantly spaced, with between 16 and 18 gills reaching the stem. The gills are up to 1.8 mm broad, thin, and pale brownish. The gill edges are pruinose, and the same color as the gill face. ### Microscopic characteristics The basidiospores are ellipsoid and measure 9–10.5 by 6–7 μm. They are smooth, thin-walled, colorless, and weakly amyloid. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are 19–30 by 7–9 μm, club-shaped, and two-spored. The cheilocystidia (cystidia on the gill edge) are thin-walled, smooth, 25–47 by 3–20 μm, abundant, spindle-shaped with a prolonged thickened tip, smooth, and colorless or pale vinaceous. The pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face) are 27–75 by 5–20 μm, scattered, and similar in shape and color to the cheilocystidia. The hymenophoral tissue (tissue of the hymenium-bearing structure) is made of thin-walled hyphae that are 10–22 μm wide, cylindrical, often somewhat inflated, smooth, colorless, and dextrinoid (turning reddish to reddish-brown when stained with Melzer's reagent). The cap cuticle is made of parallel, bent-over hyphae that are 2–7 μm wide, and cylindrical. These hyphae are smooth or covered with scattered, warty or finger-like thin-walled brownish diverticulae. The layer of hyphae beneath the cap cuticle is arranged in a parallel manner, hyaline (translucent), and dextrinoid, containing short and inflated cells that measure up to 34 μm wide. The cuticle of the stem is made of parallel, bent-over hyphae that are 2–4 μm wide, cylindrical, smooth, brownish, and thin-walled. The flesh of the stem is composed of longitudinally running, cylindrical hyphae that are 8–20 μm wide, smooth, colorless, and dextrinoid. The strigose (stiff or bristly) hairs at the base of the stem are 2–6 μm wide, and arise directly from the stem cuticle. They are bent-over or erect, cylindrical, with rounded tips, sometimes flexuous (winding from side to side), smooth, colorless, and thin-walled. Clamp connections are absent in all tissues of this species. ## Habitat and distribution Mycena fuscoaurantiaca is known only from Kanagawa, Japan. It is found growing solitary to scattered on dead fallen twigs in lowland forests dominated by hornbeam carpinus (Carpinus tschonoskii) and Chinese evergreen oak (Quercus myrsinifolia). Fruit bodies appear in November.

Digital HiNote

Laptops by Digital Equipment Corporation

The Digital HiNote was a series of laptop computers manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from 1994 until 1998 and by Compaq from 1998 until 2002. It was generally positively reviewed by technology journalists. The series consisted of the VP and Ultra models which were based on the i486, Pentium, Pentium MMX and Pentium II. After Digital was acquired by Compaq in 1998, the series was phased out. ## History Digital introduced the HiNote brand of laptops in November 1994 as a successor to their x86 laptops marketed under their DECpc brand. The HiNote was introduced simultaneously with the Venturis brand of desktop and towers, which similarly replaced those form factors of x86 computers that bore the DECpc name. The initial lineup comprised a full-sized laptop simply named the HiNote and a subnotebook named the HiNote Ultra; Digital later separated the two sub-brands by designating the former as VP units. Digital offered the initial lineup with either monochrome or color passive-matrix LCDs or color active-matrix LCDs, 33 MHz Intel 486SXs to 50 MHz 486DX2s, and a hard drive capacity between 120 and 340 MB. The standard HiNote included a built-in 3.5 inch floppy drive which could be removed and fitted with a second lithium-ion battery pack in its place, while the drive for the Ultra was external only. Both the original HiNotes proper and Ultras included built-in trackballs as its pointing device of choice. Technology journalists singled out the HiNote Ultra for its sleek industrial design and modularity, which attached the lithium-ion battery to the back of the laptop with a latching mechanism instead of being inserted in the bottom case as was customary for laptop designs. This battery could be rotated to prop up the Ultra at a position more comfortable for typing for long periods of time and allowed it to accommodate the external 3.5-inch floppy disk drive underneath it when placed on a desk. It weighed 4 lb (1,8 kg) and measured only an inch (2,54 cm) high. Digital advertised on television the Ultra's thin and light stature by pulling it out of a manila envelope—an approach replicated by Apple nearly 15 years later, when it advertised its MacBook Air in 2008. When Compaq acquired Digital in June 1998 for \$9.6 billion, they left the design intact but changed the name to Armada 6500. The HiNote-based series was phased out in 2002. Technology writer Brooke Crothers wrote on CNET that its discontinuation was ironic considering that the HiNote received high industry accolades and was "one of the best notebook designs ever and one of the technological gems that Compaq inherited from Digital Equipment." ## Models

Tesla and unions

Labor relations of the American car company

Tesla, Inc. is an American electric car manufacturer which as of January 2023 employs over 127,000 workers across its global operations, none of which are unionized. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has commented negatively on trade unions in relation to Tesla. Despite allegations of high injury rates, long hours, and below-industry pay, efforts to unionize the workforce have been largely unsuccessful. Tesla is the only major American auto manufacturer not represented by a union in the US as of 2023. Two American trade unions, the United Auto Workers and Workers United have unsuccessfully sought to unionize workers in California and New York respectively. Tesla responded by firing employees involved in both campaigns. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) deemed the California firings in 2017 illegal and retaliatory. In Germany, Tesla and Tesla Automation's non-union status and lower wages compared to industry standards weakens the power of the metalworkers' union IG Metall. Tesla concluded a pay-related works agreement with Tesla Automation's Works Council, while refusing to sign a collective agreement with IG Metall. In January 2023, IG Metall called for an investigation into Tesla over allegations of long working hours and forced non-disclosure agreements. ## United States As of February 2023, Tesla is the only major US auto manufacturer not represented by a union in the US. In 2010, Tesla acquired the formerly unionized NUMMI plant in Fremont, California, which became the Tesla Fremont Factory. In the fall of 2016, Jose Moran, a Tesla Fremont Factory employee, contacted the United Auto Workers (UAW), going public with a "Fair Future at Tesla" campaign in February 2017, citing high injury rates, long hours and below industry pay as motivations. In 2016, the UAW also indicated its interest in unionizing Tesla, spending over \$400,000 by 2018 on organizing, campaigning and filing NLRB complaints. In October 2017, Tesla fired Richard Ortiz who was organizing (alongside Moran, one of the unions organizers), which the NLRB later ruled to be illegal retaliation. In 2018, CEO Elon Musk tweeted "Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union. Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? ... ". Musk was ordered to delete that tweet (which implied workers would lose stocks if they formed a union), and offer Ortiz his job back with back pay. Additionally Tesla would have to put up a notice in all of its US factories addressing the unlawful tweet. The case was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which in 2023 affirmed the NRLB's order. In March 2022 Musk invited the UAW union to hold a vote at their convenience. UAW president Ray Curry responded that Tesla should recognize it broke the law if it was serious about supporting organizing. Later, in June 2022, a CNBC report found that Tesla paid public relations firm MikeWorldWide to monitor a Tesla employee Facebook group and to conduct research on Tesla union organizers on social media from 2017 to 2018. MikeWorldWide monitored discussions on social networks alleging unfair labor practices at Tesla and monitored discussions on a sexual harassment lawsuit. Former and current Tesla employees told CNBC that they believed the company continued to monitor its workers on social media as of 2022. In February 2023, workers at Gigafactory New York in Buffalo involved with labeling data for Tesla Autopilot announced a unionization effort with Workers United. Workers United is affiliated to Service Employees International Union. Workers United successfully led the union drive at a Starbucks store six miles away in Buffalo. A day after the announcement, a complaint was lodged with the NLRB against Tesla for allegedly firing over 18 employees who participated in the Workers United organization. ## Germany Tesla is one of the few auto manufacturers in Germany that have not signed any company collective agreements, nor joined the Employer Association Gesamtmetall [de] as of 2021. Electric vehicle production requires 30 percent fewer workers than traditional combustion-engine vehicles. As a result, a non-unionized Tesla weakens IG Metall's bargaining power in the overall automotive sector in Germany due to fewer union members and a higher labor supply. ### Tesla Automation In January 2017, Tesla acquired Grohmann Engineering (now Tesla Automation). IG Metall and the Works Council Chair Uwe Herzig of Grohmann Engineering stated that wages under Tesla were 25‒30 percent below the Metal Industry ("Gesamtmetall") collective agreements. Employees expressed concern after former CEO Klaus Grohmann was ousted and business contracts with other firms were cancelled. In early 2023, IG Metall threatened to go on strike if Tesla did not start negotiating with them and the Grohmann Engineering Works Council. In October 2017, management and the Works Council concluded a works agreement that set employee salaries on par with the Metal Industry trade union collective agreements without explicitly signing them. IG Metall still pushes for formal ratification, however, it indicated there have been "good negotiation results", crediting threats of strikes and internal pressure to bolster such agreements. ### Giga Berlin According to IG Metall, Tesla was offering employees at the new Giga Berlin facility wages 20 percent below the collective agreement standards provided at other automotive facilities in Germany. On November 22, 2021, seven non-union employees of Giga Berlin initiated the process of establishing a Works Council. IG Metall expressed a concern about the future Works Council being dominated by management, as only earlier employees would be eligible to run as candidates (due to the 6-months tenure requirement) and the majority of the first 1,800 hires were middle–management personnel. In total, Tesla planned to hire 12,000 employees. If the number of employees were to double, the next Works Council election would be two years later instead of the usual four. On March 2, 2022, a Works Council was established. Nearly half of the votes went to the manager friendly "Gigavoice" list. In January 2023, IG Metall called for an investigation after stating that workers had called the organization to report that they were being made to work longer hours, with less time between shifts. IG Metall also stated that workers were being forced to sign non-disclosure agreements alongside their regular work contracts and were therefore afraid of retribution if they openly discussed their work conditions. ## See also - Volkswagen worker organizations

Bela Talbot

Fictional character in Supernatural

Bela Talbot is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural, portrayed by Lauren Cohan. Appearing only in the third season, she uses knowledge of the supernatural world to her personal gain rather than to help those in need. Self-centered and a thorn in the side of the series' protagonists, Bela makes her living by stealing occult objects and selling them to wealthy clients. Critical reaction to the character was mixed, with negative responses from fans ultimately leading to her departure at the end of the season. ## Plot In her first appearance, "Bad Day at Black Rock", Bela Talbot hires two crooks to steal a cursed rabbit's foot from a storage container owned by the deceased John Winchester, a hunter of supernatural creatures. Anyone who touches the foot is granted good luck, but will die within a week if the foot is lost. She intends to sell it and shows no concern for the fate of the thieves. John's sons, series protagonists Sam and Dean, retrieve the foot but are cursed by it. Bela interferes when they attempt to destroy it, and shoots Sam in the shoulder. Dean, however, tricks her into touching it. She gives the foot up for destruction to save herself, but manages to steal \$46,000 in winning lottery tickets from Dean that he had purchased using the foot's granted luck. She next appears in "Red Sky at Morning", an episode in which the Winchesters track down a ghost ship responsible for local deaths. Bela fools them into helping her again, with the three of them working together to steal the precious and magical Hand of Glory. The Winchesters plan to destroy the artifact to end the curse, but Bela steals it from them to sell to a client. However, Bela then witnesses the ghost ship, which only appears to those who have spilled the blood of a family member. Condemned to death, she turns to the Winchesters for help. Dean is prepared to leave her behind to die, but Sam comes up with a plan to save Bela's life. This time, Bela gives them \$10,000 as a "thank you" before she leaves because she does not like being indebted to others. In "Fresh Blood", hunter and recently escaped felon Gordon Walker tracks Bela down and threatens to kill her unless she reveals the location of the Winchesters, as he plans to kill Sam. Bela agrees to find out their location in exchange for his priceless mojo bag, and has an unsuspecting Dean disclose their whereabouts to her. After Dean threatens to kill her, she uses a Ouija board to placate him by obtaining information on Gordon's location so the Winchesters can neutralize the other hunter first. In "Dream a Little Dream of Me", Bela returns when the Winchesters contact her for help in saving fellow hunter and family friend Bobby Singer after he falls into a mystical coma. They need dream root to enter Bobby's dreams and find out what is keeping him asleep. She claims nothing from them in compensation, explaining she is helping them in order to repay a debt to Bobby. However, the Winchesters discover after Bobby awakens that she was lying, having helped them only in order to gain access to the Colt, a mystical gun capable of killing any being. Enraged at the theft, Dean and Sam attempt to track her down in "Jus in Bello", but instead are led into a trap she has set up; police arrest the Winchesters and place them in jail. Though the demonic overlord Lilith sends her forces, Sam and Dean eventually make their escape. In "Time Is On My Side", Dean discovers Bela no longer has the Colt. He later gets her criminal record from England and learns her true name is Abbie. Almost ten years prior, when she was 14, she had her parents killed in exchange for her soul as part of a ten-year deal made with a Crossroads Demon; though Dean believes that she killed them to inherit their fortune and Bela supports this story, the audience is shown a flashback that suggests that she had actually agreed to the deal to escape abuse from her father. Now desperate because her time is running out, Bela tries to kill the Winchesters, but they anticipate her and escape ahead of time. Dean then calls her a few minutes before her deal is up and she confesses to him she tried to get out of the deal with the Crossroads Demon by trading the Colt. Once she gave it up, however, the deal changed so that she had to kill Sam as well. Though Dean refuses her pleas for help, she reveals to him that the demon Lilith holds all the contracts brokered by Crossroads Demons, including his own, hoping that Dean can kill Lilith. Bela's death and her soul's resulting descent into Hell is inevitable, but not shown with the hellhounds heard barking outside of the room she is in. In season 5's "The Real Ghostbusters," Becky Rosen reveals to Sam that in Chuck's book version of "Time Is On My Side," Bela had lied about giving the Colt to Lilith. Instead she had given it to Crowley, Lilith's right-hand man and possibly her lover. Learning who Bela had really given the gun to gives the Winchesters their first real lead on where to find the Colt. ## Characterization Described by her actress, Lauren Cohan, as "a female Humphrey Bogart", Bela is "a little bit manipulative" and she "always wants to be in control". According to series creator Eric Kripke, the writers conceptualized the character as "someone [the Winchesters have] really never come across before" because, though she moves throughout the supernatural world, Bela has no interest in the "altruistic or obsessed or revenge-minded motives of hunting". Writer and producer Sera Gamble summarized the writing team's characterization of Bela as a greedy "mercenary that [sic] just [doesn't] give a shit about the cause". Gamble believed that Bela "finds it quite amusing" that the Winchesters use their knowledge of the supernatural to help people. On this aspect, Gamble added, "I always suspect when someone is that blasé that there's something underneath, and we're finally getting into that". Cohan viewed Bela as "a young woman trying to make a living and find some kind of reason in her world" who was "a little damaged." The actress shared Gamble's opinion of Bela's behavior being a façade, and incorporated into her performance the idea of Bela hiding her true self, with Cohan feeling that her character created a persona to shield her from "real strong connections". This defensiveness prevented her from opening up to the Winchesters, with whom Cohan believed Bela "would have loved to be able to have a normal relationship". Contrary to Kripke and Gamble's assessment of Bela as amoral and uncaring, Cohan envisioned the character as having "fits of conscience" offscreen throughout the third season. In the actress's opinion, Bela "would have loved to go around fighting evil with those boys." ## Development Supernatural producers originally intended for Bela to be a recurring character. Having already created a new female lead in the form of the demon Ruby, they chose to upgrade Bela to series regular after Dawn Ostroff—at the time, the CW President of Entertainment—requested a second female lead for the season, because they "[loved Bela]" and already planned for her to return in future episodes. To avoid the "mistake" they had made in the previous season in introducing Jo Harvelle as a love interest, the writers planned to introduce Bela as "a character in [her] own right" who would act as an antagonist "with [her] own interests and [her] own motives". They were, however, willing to add in a romantic involvement with Sam or Dean should they and the fans both want it. The writers also planned for Bela to be "very separate and very different" from Ruby, and for the characters to "[serve] very different storylines." Cohan auditioned for Ruby, but ultimately received the part of Bela. Upon learning of Cohan's British accent, a "really psyched" Kripke reworked the character to be British. The actress herself later pictured Bela that way, feeling she "has some kind of cool shading and sneakiness, which fits the British accent". At the time of Cohan's casting, however, she had been given little exposure to the character script-wise, and was unaware she would play a "nasty person". It was not until The CW up-fronts that Kripke gave her a "good spiel" about Bela because she would be interviewed. The actress later turned down an offer from him to provide more of the character's backstory, and instead opted to learn it as the episodes were filmed. In order to prepare for her role, Cohan received training in weaponry to be "well equipped with swords and a lot of instruments—sharp instruments", and in kickboxing alongside Ruby's actress Katie Cassidy. Cohan and Cassidy also decided to catch up on Supernatural before filming for the third season began, by watching the first two seasons together. Due to "protective and occasionally nervous" fans, Kripke meant for Bela to be introduced in "small doses". He wanted fans to know the show would always be just about Sam and Dean Winchester, and stated, "[Ruby and Bela are] there for important plot elements, but it's not the Ruby and Bela show, nor is it about the four of them cruising around in the Impala together. It's about the guys." However, he felt the writers pushed it too far in the episode "Red Sky at Morning", stating his opinion that it "was by far the least successful episode this year because it really kind of became the Bela show". The writers also did not take the time to consider how to tie her into the Winchesters' storylines. As Kripke pointed out, "It's a road show and we're in a different town every week, so if you're going to run into the same character over and over again, you better have a damn good reason..." They were eventually "crushed under the weight of the absurdity of it" because it became more difficult to justify her reappearances within the narrative. Another key problem stemmed from their conceptualization of her as an antagonistic character rather than a potential love interest for the brothers. The writers, "so taken with a woman who could screw the boys over at every turn", ended up making Bela too antagonistic without establishing a balance. Any chance for a "funny effervescent episode where they all work together" was lost after the character attempts to have the Winchesters killed on multiple occasions. They eventually decided to drop the character from the series, opting to "send her off in an appropriate and dramatic way" which would "show a couple of cards [they have] been holding onto all season" by revealing her backstory "in a way that will surprise the audience and kind of tie her into the story." ## Reception Critical response to the character has been mixed. BuddyTV staff columnist Don Williams deemed the addition of Bela a "cheap ploy" to attract teen male viewers, believing the character distracts viewers from the "brotherly bond that made the show so special in the first place". As well, he felt her "sexy cat burglar act, coupled with her flirtation with one of our heroes, is clichéd and has been seen a thousand times before", and he likened her to a combination of Catwoman and "the equally annoying Electro-Gwen from Angel". However, he later admitted Bela was "a great comic foil". Diana Steenbergen of IGN became "increasingly frustrated" with the "unlikable and manipulative" Bela throughout her appearances. She found the character's tragic backstory to be "too little, too late", but was surprised the writers were able to make her feel "even a tiny bit sorry for [Bela]" during her death scene. Writing that "Bela had a hint of vulnerability that would have been intriguing had we glimpsed it more than 30 seconds before she died", Steenbergen wished the character had been written differently—"not either annoying or downright contemptible"—and deemed her "a wasted opportunity to give us an interesting female foil for the boys". Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune expressed similar sentiments, voicing her belief in her review of the third season finale "No Rest For The Wicked" that Bela "got gone just as [she was] getting interesting". In the same review, Peterson deemed the character to be a "decent traveling [companion]". Although TV Guide's Tina Charles was annoyed that Bela continuously steals from the Winchesters and makes them "look ridiculous", she "really liked" the character. Overall, she felt Cohan "did one hell of a job". From the start, fans were very wary of bringing in female characters to the male-dominated show; they feared Bela was brought on to be "arm candy or [a sidekick]". To make matters worse, when coming up with the scenes for the auditions for Bela, executive producer Robert Singer spent an hour writing a lackluster script not intended to be used in the show. Mere hours after the script was given to the casting director, the show's fans had found them on casting websites and were "obsessively going over these scenes". According to Kripke, the fan reaction was the characters "really look like they suck". Bela's overly-antagonistic actions throughout the season did not calm the viewers' fears. "[Bela screwed] over the boys so badly," Kripke explained, "that she became unlikeable to the fans because she was irredeemable". Kripke has confessed part of the decision to kill the character off was due to the negative reaction from the fans.

Ohio State Route 605

State highway in central Ohio, US

State Route 605 (SR 605) is a 9.38-mile-long (15.10 km) north–south state highway in central Ohio. The southern terminus of SR 605 is at a signalized intersection with U.S. Route 62 (US 62) in the northeastern Columbus suburb of New Albany. Its northern terminus is also at SR 37, a signalized intersection approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Sunbury. The route was designated in 1937, and the northern terminus was moved in 1994. ## Route description SR 605 runs through the northeastern corner of Franklin County and the southeastern portion of Delaware County. 5,470 vehicles travel the road on average daily near the southern terminus, and 3,840 near the northern terminus. It starts at a signalized intersection with US 62 in downtown New Albany. The route quickly leaves downtown New Albany and heads northward. SR 605 soon crosses over SR 161 using a bridge, and intersects Walton Parkway. Here, houses slowly transition to farmland. The road then intersects Bevelheimer Road and crosses into Delaware County, in the middle of large fields. A few miles into Delaware County, SR 605 crosses Center Village Road in the unincorporated village of Center Village. Soon after, SR 605 ends at the signalized intersection of SR 37 and continues as County Road 605. ## History A road from New Albany to north of Center Village first appeared on maps in 1924. In 1929, the road was extended to connect to Condit. SR 605 was designated in 1937, following the alignment from US 62, to a junction with the US 36/SR 3 concurrency in Condit. By 1994, jurisdiction of the portion of SR 605 between SR 37 and the US 36/SR 3 concurrency was transferred from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to Delaware County, who renamed the road to County Road 605. As a result of this move, SR 605 took on the routing that it does today. ## Major intersections

Lethal Inspection

"Lethal Inspection" is the sixth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 94th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 22, 2010. In the episode Bender learns that he suffers from a terminal manufacturing defect, effectively rendering him mortal. Bender must cope with his newfound mortality and enlists Hermes Conrad's help to track down the mysterious quality inspector, Inspector No. 5, whom he blames for allowing him to enter the world only to die. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Ray Claffey. From June 8 to June 15, as part of its "Countdown to Futurama" event, Comedy Central Insider, Comedy Central's news outlet, released various preview materials for the episode, including a storyboard of Bender's and Hermes' entry into the Central Bureaucracy and character designs for the war reenactment sequence. "Lethal Inspection" received positive reviews from critics, who viewed the emotional ending to be a return to form that the season had been missing. ## Plot After a reenactment of the "Sith-al War", Bender touts his perfection and "immortality", specifically citing his ability to download a backup copy of himself into a new working body should anything happen to his present one. Bender soon discovers that he suffers from a terminal manufacturing defect: he is built without a backup unit, making him mortal. He is devastated by the revelation of his mortality and of Inspector No. 5, believing the inspector's careless error resulted in him being sent out into the world only to die. He becomes determined to find Inspector No. 5 and demand an answer to why he allowed Bender to exist despite his fatal flaw. Hermes agrees to help Bender in his quest to discover the identity of Inspector No. 5, which is locked in the Central Bureaucracy. While at the Central Bureaucracy, Hermes logs into the computer system with his ID to look up Inspector No. 5's records. However, he and Bender find that the electronic record on Inspector No. 5 has been deleted and that the physical file is also missing. Bender calls Mom's Friendly Robot Company, who created him, and tells her he is defective. Mom attempts to have Bender destroyed to cover up the existence of a defective robot. The two flee from Mom's Killbots by train and arrive in Tijuana—where Bender was manufactured. The original manufacturing plant is abandoned, but Bender finds an old directory listing Inspector No. 5's address. However, upon reaching the home, they also find it abandoned. Realizing that he may never find the answers he seeks, Bender is forced to confront the reality of death. Hermes consoles him, telling him that now life is precious and he should not spend it bitter and angry. The two bond and soon the Killbots arrive and begin shooting into the house. Hermes tells Bender to flee while he attempts to hack into Inspector No. 5's old Central Bureaucracy computer and fake Bender's death. Successful, Hermes uploads false information to the Killbots claiming Bender has been eliminated, which ends their pursuit and he narrowly escapes the burning wreckage of the house. Leela has been asked to file incoming papers in Hermes’ absence. However, Leela proves to be inept at the job, hiding many incomprehensible alien-language papers in plants in the building. By the time Bender and Hermes return from Tijuana, the place is in complete chaos, with Scruffy attempting to cook Zoidberg and the ship being repossessed among other things. Hermes quickly returns Planet Express into good condition in one hour, burning many of the foreign papers in the fireplace, which he assures Leela he often does to make his job easier. Bender goes out to celebrate his new outlook on life with the other crew members. When the others have left, Hermes secretly burns Inspector No. 5's file, whose cover falls away to reveal that he was Inspector No. 5. A flashback reveals that he overrode the "defective" assessment on Bender to prevent him from being scrapped, then resigned from the company immediately afterward. Hermes' personnel file was deleted, and he stole his own physical file from the Central Bureaucracy during his and Bender's mission; the computer at the Tijuana house was his own, so he did not have to hack into it. In the present, Hermes smiles quietly over the burning file, happy in knowing he did the right thing. ## Production `From June 8 to June 15, as part of its 2010 "Countdown to Futurama" event, Comedy Central Insider, Comedy Central's news outlet, released various preview materials for the episode, including a storyboard of Bender's and Hermes' entry into the Central Bureaucracy and character designs for the war reenactment sequence. The episode is one of the few times where Hermes plays a major role and is key to the plot. The episode ends with "Little Bird, Little Bird", an American children's song, performed by Elizabeth Mitchell.` The cultural references in the episode include when Hermes and Bender enter "cubicle room 729", with cubicles set up in groups of nine, three rows across and three columns down. In order to get to Hermes' cubicle, the group rotates right and left and up and down in the same fashion as a Rubik's Cube. When Hermes's cubicle stops, he says, "This is mine, right next to the center square," also referencing the game show Hollywood Squares. The bureaucrat next to Hermes makes a comment and a red 'X' pops up on his desk. This is a reference to actor and comedian Paul Lynde, who was the regular "center square" on the show. The episode deals with the concept of realizing one's mortality and discovering that life is more precious because of it. Learning that he is in fact not immortal as he once thought, Bender initially feels that living a life that is anything less than immortal is worthless. He deals with the devastating news of his newfound mortality by trying to find the one person who he believes can answer his questions about the reason for his life and why he was allowed to "be born" only to die. Though Bender cannot find the answers to his mortality, he ultimately ends up developing a new outlook on life, believing it to be more precious than it was before now that it is finite, and he resolves that life is worth living no matter how brief it is. ## Reception "Lethal Inspection" originally aired on July 22, 2010 on Comedy Central. In its original American broadcast, it was viewed by an estimated 1.920 million viewers. The episode had a 1.3 rating/2% share in Nielsen ratings and a 0.9 rating/3% share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning 1.3% of households with televisions were watching the episode and 2% of television viewers during the half-hour were watching this episode. "Lethal Inspection" was down two tenths of a point from the previous week's episode "The Duh-Vinci Code". The episode received acclaim from critics. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave it an A−, praising the unlikely pairing of Bender and Hermes, writing: "If I had to name a character on the show least likely to pluck at my heartstrings, Bender and Hermes would be near the top of the list...and yet they pulled it off. I'm not sure if Baby Bender violates continuity or not, but I don't care. It worked." Handlen called the episode "more thoughtful" and also felt that the episode provided depth and growth to both Bender and Hermes without compromising characterization. In the case of Hermes, Handlen stated, "Hermes can be an obsessive, number-loving accountant, and still have that memory of his younger self saving Baby Bender from the trash heap. It works because the twist is the discovery of compassion in someone we liked and wanted to love." Danny Gallagher of TVSquad felt that the episode marked the return of the Futurama'''s "true sense of emotion," comparing it to previous episodes like season four's "Jurassic Bark". In particular, Gallagher noted the highly effective use of the Central Bureaucracy, stating that it allowed the show to use a Douglas Adams-feel. Merrill Bar of Film School Rejects stated that the episode worked "99.9%" and that it recovered what he felt had been lacking from the previous episodes of season six. While he disliked the opening Star Wars gag, he felt that the rest of the episode made up for it, stating that "Lethal Inspection" was "by far, the funniest episode since the shows[sic] return. If the writers can keep this up, then my faith will have been fully restored." Robert Canning of IGN was also pleased with the episode, noting that Hermes' and Bender's team-up worked well and that the ending was cathartic. He found the episode to be his favorite of the new season, giving it a 9/10 and stating, "after an okay start, [it] turned out to be my favorite episode of this comeback season so far. The more I think about it, the more pleasure I find in it. It was an episode full of laughs, action and the kind of emotional tug the series has been missing of late." Sean Gandert of Paste gave the episode a rating of 8.7/10 and wrote: "Judging from this episode and the last it seems like Futurama is intentionally straying away from its old groupings and trying new things. The sixth season is moving off from the repetition of its first two episodes and is all the better for it." Though he felt the episode was weaker with its jokes, he noted that this "is frequently the case in with episodes that deal more with the characters and less about making jokes in a wacky world. But this isn't something I think will bother real fans, as that's part of what's given Futurama'' its cult audience in the first place: that the show gives a damn about its characters." ## See also - Death - Stages of grief

George Mouzalon

Byzantine official (c. 1220 – 1258)

George Mouzalon (Greek: Γεώργιος Μουζάλων, romanized: Geōrgios Mouzalōn; c. 1220 – 25 August 1258) was a high official of the Empire of Nicaea under Theodore II Laskaris (r. 1254–1258). Of humble origin, he became Theodore's companion in childhood and was raised to high state office upon the latter's assumption of power. This caused great resentment from the aristocracy, which had monopolized high offices and opposed Theodore's policies. Shortly before Theodore's death in 1258, he was appointed regent of Theodore's under-age son John IV Laskaris (r. 1258–1261). He was assassinated only a few days later by soldiers, as the result of a conspiracy led by the nobles under the soon-to-be emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos (r. 1259–1282). ## Biography ### Early life and service under Theodore II The Mouzalon family is first attested in the 11th century, but produced few notable members until the mid-13th century, with exception of Nicholas IV Mouzalon, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1147–1151. George Mouzalon was born at Adramyttium on the western Anatolian coast in c. 1220. His family was considered as low-born, but he and his brothers became the childhood friends of the future Theodore II Laskaris, being raised with him in the palace as his paidopouloi (παιδόπουλοι, "pages"). It is assumed that they were also educated along with Theodore, sharing his classes under the scholar Nikephoros Blemmydes. There were also at least two sisters, one of whom was later married to a member of the Hagiotheodorites family. When Theodore became emperor in November 1254, he raised the Mouzalones to the highest state offices: George was made megas domestikos (commander-in-chief of the army) while two of his brothers, Andronikos and Theodore (the eldest brother), were made protovestiarios (grand chamberlain) and protokynegos (grand huntsman) respectively. According to the contemporary chroniclers, the emperor loved George "above all others"; in some letters he calls him "son" and "brother". During Theodore's reign, George was the Emperor's senior minister and his most trusted advisor. Little is known, however, about his personal involvement in the governance of the state, except for his participation in the council convened to discuss the proper reaction to the invasion of Nicaea's Macedonian holdings by the Bulgarians after the death of Theodore's father, John III Doukas Vatatzes. George Mouzalon supported the majority opinion that Theodore himself should campaign against the invaders. During Theodore's absence on campaign in 1255, George was left behind as regent of the state. Upon his return, Theodore raised George further, naming him protosebastos and protovestiarios and instituting the new title of megas stratopedarches for him. Andronikos Mouzalon succeeded George as megas domestikos. It was an extremely high honour: the combined title "protosebastos and protovestiarios" was normally conferred only to close kinsmen of the emperor, while the offices of protovestiarios and megas domestikos had always until then been the preserve of aristocratic families. The elevation of the Mouzalones was not only a mark of personal affection or favour, but also in line with Theodore's policies, which aimed to curb the influence and independence of the powerful nobility. The appointment of low-born "new men" to such high posts, and Theodore's often harsh and arbitrary treatment of the nobles, aroused the ire of the traditional aristocracy, and especially the capable and ambitious Michael Palaiologos. The aristocrats' hostility was further intensified when the emperor gave his low-born favourites noble brides: George Mouzalon wedded Theodora Kantakouzene, a niece of Michael Palaiologos, and Andronikos married a daughter of the former protovestiarios Alexios Raoul. After Mouzalon's murder, Theodora would marry the protovestiarios John Raoul Petraliphas (in 1261). A staunch opponent of her uncle's unionist religious policies, she was exiled and became a nun. After Michael's death, she restored the monastery of Saint Andrew in Krisei, to where she transferred the relics of Patriarch Arsenios Autoreianos, and was a prominent member of the capital's literary circles. ### Appointment as regent and assassination Shortly before Theodore II died on 16 August 1258, he left George Mouzalon as regent and guardian of his eight-year-old son John IV. Patriarch Arsenios Autoreianos may have shared guardianship of John: although the later historians Nikephoros Gregoras and Makarios Melissenos say the Patriarch was named in this context, the contemporary historians George Pachymeres and George Akropolites name only Mouzalon. This appointment further enraged the aristocracy, and Mouzalon's position became extremely precarious. Mouzalon was also unpopular with the clergy because he was associated with Theodore's high-handed treatment of the Church, and with the people, who feared that he would try to usurp the throne. Most importantly, however, he faced the hostility of the army, in particular the Latin mercenaries, who had apparently been denied the usual stipends and donatives. In addition, they probably resented Theodore's intention to raise a "national" army composed solely of Byzantine Greeks, and Mouzalon is recorded by Pachymeres to have taken such measures. Palaiologos, who as megas konostaulos held command over the Latins, was in a good position to exploit these grievances. To prevent any action against his testament's provisions for his son's succession and the regency, Theodore on his deathbed demanded an oath to be taken by Senate, army, people and clergy, both those present at court and those absent elsewhere in the state. Immediately after his death, George Mouzalon, aware of his vulnerability and his complete lack of support, called an assembly of the leading nobles, officials, and military commanders. He offered to resign from his post in favour of any person that the assembly chose, but the dignitaries, led by Michael Palaiologos, dissuaded him and encouraged him to stay on and even accepted to take an oath of loyalty to him as well as to the young emperor. It was a sham, as a conspiracy by the leading aristocratic families was well under way to depose him, in which Palaiologos apparently played a covert but leading role. Only a few days after the death of Theodore II (the sources disagree on the exact date, although 25 August is the widely accepted date), a memorial service was held at the Monastery of Sosandra in Magnesia, founded by John III Vatatzes and serving as his and Theodore's burial place. The entire court attended, while the army was encamped on the plain below the monastery. As soon as George Mouzalon, his brothers and his retinue arrived, the service began. Outside the church soldiers had assembled, many of them Latin mercenaries, and they began to clamour and demand to see the young emperor. John IV went outside and raised his hand to quiet them; the soldiers allegedly mistook this as a signal. Joined by a large mob, they stormed the church aiming to kill the Mouzalon brothers. They were warned of what was going on, but George only sent his secretary, Theophylact, to investigate. He was mistaken for Mouzalon and killed by the crowd. The mob soon realized its error (the secretary was wearing black shoes, while the protovestiarios wore the green ones appropriate to his rank) and entered the church, the soldiers with swords in hand. As the people inside the church scattered, the Mouzalon brothers tried to hide: George hid under the altar, Andronikos behind a door, and Theodore in a corner by the emperor's tomb. The mob proceeded to search the church for them, and George was discovered by a Latin soldier named Karoulos (a Hellenized form of "Charles"). Mouzalon was dragged from under the altar and, despite pleading to ransom his life, was killed. So great was the frenzy of the crowd that his corpse was repeatedly stabbed and hacked to pieces, so that the parts had to be gathered in a sack for burial afterwards. Andronikos and an unnamed brother-in-law too were slain, while Theodore's fate is uncertain: some scholars believe he survived and is to be identified with Theodore Mouzalon, a chief minister to both Michael VIII and Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328). The Mouzalon family's houses were then ransacked by the mob; and when George Mouzalon's wife fled to her uncle Michael Palaiologos and pleaded for her husband's life, she was brusquely told to be quiet or she would share his fate. Palaiologos's responsibility in the whole affair is further supported by the fact that none of the Mouzalon brothers' murderers were ever prosecuted. Indeed, the mercenary Charles appears later as Palaiologos's confidant. Mouzalon's death was followed by a purge of Theodore II's other prominent "new men", the protostrator John Angelos and the protovestiarites Karyanites: Angelos was recalled by Palaiologos, but died (or committed suicide) on the way, while Karyanites was imprisoned. Among Theodore II's protégés, only George Akropolites survived, apparently because he at the time was a prisoner of war in Epirus; eventually, he reached high office under Michael Palaiologos. Michael Palaiologos in the meantime consolidated his position, being named regent with the rank of megas doux. Soon he took the title of despotes, and in early 1259, he was crowned emperor. Ostensibly still the guardian and co-emperor of John IV, after the recapture of Constantinople in 1261 he sidelined and imprisoned John, being crowned sole emperor at the Hagia Sophia and founding the Palaiologan dynasty, the last ruling house of Byzantium. ## Treatment by historians Among the contemporary sources, the history of Akropolites is the most negative towards the Mouzalon brothers, whom he calls "loathsome little men, worthless specimens of humanity" and "false of tongue, nimble of foot, peerless at beating the floor in dance". Although otherwise reliable, Akropolites's account on this issue is suspect: on the one hand, he evidently tries to disassociate himself from Theodore II's "new men", to whom he too originally belonged, while on the other he is generally strongly biased in favour of Michael Palaiologos, whom he tries to exculpate from the assassination. Other historians of the time paint a more favourable picture. The account of the near-contemporary Theodore Skoutariotes, which otherwise generally follows Akropolites closely, notably fails to repeat the latter's negative comments, and even records that it was the assembled nobles who persuaded the Mouzalones to stay in the church during the riot on the day of their murder. George Pachymeres too, whose treatment of Theodore Laskaris's reign and the Laskarid emperors in general is far more favourable than Akropolites's, considers the Mouzalones to have been promoted on merit, condemns their murder, and names Palaiologos as directly responsible. The later historian Nikephoros Gregoras likewise avoids negative comments, as do most modern historians.

Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Sac & Fox Nation

Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Sac & Fox Nation, 508 U.S. 114 (1993), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that absent explicit congressional direction to the contrary, it must be presumed that a State does not have jurisdiction to tax tribal members who live and work in Indian country, whether the particular territory consists of a formal or informal reservation, allotted lands, or dependent Indian communities. The Sac and Fox Nation is an Indian (Native American) tribe that governs itself under the Indian Self-Determination Act and imposes taxes based on that authority. The State of Oklahoma sought to impose income and motor vehicle taxes on tribal members. The tribe brought suit to prevent the state from imposing those taxes. Both the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court held that Oklahoma, without a clear authorization from Congress, was prohibited from imposing taxes on tribal members in Indian country. This case, together with several other cases, are known as the "Oklahoma tax cases" in Native American case law. ## Background ### History The Sac and Fox Nation is an Indian tribe originally from the Great Lakes area. Following a series of treaties with the United States, in 1867 they moved to the Sac and Fox reservation of 480,000 acres (190,000 ha) in Indian Territory (in what is now Pottawatomie County in the State of Oklahoma). In 1887, Congress passed the Dawes Act which broke up the reservation and allotted land to the tribal members. In implementing this law, the United States entered into another treaty with the tribe in 1891, in which the tribe retained 800 acres (320 ha) as a tribal headquarters and tribal members were allotted 160 acres (65 ha) of land from the former reservation. The Sac and Fox Nation governs itself under the authority of the Indian Self-Determination Act and has its own tax commission. The tribe imposes a tax on earnings of any person working within tribal jurisdiction, regardless of whether that person is a tribal member. The tribe also provides for a motor vehicle tax and registration of any vehicle that are owned by a tribal member and garaged within tribal jurisdiction. The State of Oklahoma, through the Oklahoma Tax Commission, also administers income and motor vehicle taxes. The state considers that all income earned in the state is taxable, including on tribal land, and issues tax assessments against those who are delinquent. Oklahoma contends that anyone within the state had to register their vehicles with the state, while the Sac and Fox Nation required tribal members residing in tribal jurisdiction to register the vehicle with the tribe. The state viewed those members to be delinquent in their vehicle taxes, but made no effort to collect until the vehicle was sold to a new owner. At that time, Oklahoma would require that the delinquent taxes and penalties be paid in order to register the vehicle. ### Lower courts The Sac and Fox Nation then filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Tax Commission in U.S. District Court seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the state from taxing income earned within tribal jurisdiction or of those who reside within the tribe's jurisdiction, and from vehicle taxes on vehicles that were lawfully registered with the tribe. Both the Sac and Fox Nation and Oklahoma made motions for summary judgment and the district court, without determining reservation boundaries, held that while the state could collect income tax on non-tribal members, they could not collect income taxes from tribal members employed by the tribe on trust land. The district court also held that the state could not collect vehicle taxes for periods that the vehicle was properly registered with the tribe. Both sides appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Tenth Circuit Court affirmed the decision of the district court. First the court noted that the reservation boundaries were not relevant to the case, the issue instead being tribal immunity from state jurisdiction. The court noted the prior Supreme Court decision in Okla. Tax Comm'n v. Citizen Band, Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Okla. and stated that "It appears as though the State of Oklahoma persists in fighting a battle it has already lost." Since Oklahoma could provide no Congressional authority for collecting taxes from Sac and Fox tribal members it was clear that the state had exceeded its authority. On the income tax for non-tribal employees, the Sac and Fox Nation asserted that the Commerce Clause and treaty language granted it exclusive taxing authority on tribal land. The appellate court was not persuaded and ruled that the state could impose an income tax on non-tribal members. On the issue of tribal motor vehicle taxes and registration, the Tenth Circuit Court did not make a distinction between tribal and non-tribal members. The court held that the tribe could require the registration of vehicles on tribal land, regardless of whether the owner was a tribal member or not. The court noted that both Moe v. Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation prohibit such state taxation on tribal members. The state could enforce its vehicle tax on non-tribal members. Both parties appealed to the Supreme Court, which, after noting a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in the same area, granted certiorari and agreed to hear the case. ## Opinion of the court ### Arguments David Allen Miley argued the case for Oklahoma. Edwin Kneedler argued the case for the United States as amicus curiae on behalf of the tribe, with Solicitor General Ken Starr. G. William Rice argued the case for the Sac and Fox Nation. Amicus curiae briefs in support of Oklahoma were filed by Arizona, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Briefs in support of the tribe were filed by Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Navajo Nation. The state argued that the case law cited by the Tenth Circuit only dealt with established Indian reservations and that the appellate court erred since the Sac and Fox reservation had been disestablished in the 1890s. The Tax Commission's position was that there were no more reservations in Oklahoma. Oklahoma stated that without determining reservation boundaries, if any, the lower court would be unable to properly apply tribal immunity. The state also argued that the vehicle tax and registration fees were more akin to a sales tax and a use fee than an excise tax. ### Opinion Justice Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of a unanimous court. O'Connor stated that Oklahoma's argument that a tribal member must live on a reservation to be exempt from state taxes was incorrect. All that is required is that the member live in "Indian country", which Congress has defined to "include formal and informal reservations, dependent Indian communities, and Indian allotments, whether restricted or held in trust by the United States." O'Connor noted that the Tenth Circuit should have determined the residence of the tribal members as inside or outside of Indian country, not if they were within the reservation. She noted that in Potawatomi case, Oklahoma made exactly the same argument which was also rejected by the court. O'Connor also rejected the state's argument that the motor vehicle tax was not an excise tax and that the registration fee was a use fee. She stated that the tax strongly resembled the taxes prohibited by Colville and Moe, and noted that if the registration fee was a use fee, then non-residents of Oklahoma would not be exempt. The court upheld the decision of the Tenth Circuit Court. ## Subsequent developments This case, together with two other involving the Oklahoma Tax Commission have defined tribal sovereignty in a clearer manner. The case has been cited in numerous lower court opinions, as well as the Supreme Courts own opinions, as limiting the ability of state governments to act in Indian country. Sac and Fox, together with Potawatomi and Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Chickasaw Nation, have become known as the "Oklahoma tax cases". The decision is also unique in that it uses a federal criminal jurisdiction statute as the basis for civil jurisdiction.

Rebel Heart Tour (album)

Rebel Heart Tour is the fifth live album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, chronicling her tenth worldwide concert tour of the same name, recorded at Sydney's Allphones Arena. It was released on September 15, 2017 by Eagle Vision on DVD and Blu-ray formats and by Eagle Records for audio versions. Rebel Heart Tour also contains bonus content like excerpts from the Tears of a Clown show (2016) at Melbourne's Forum Theatre, as well as a 22-song double CD. Danny Tull and Nathan Rissman, who had worked on Madonna's previous concert films, directed Rebel Heart Tour. The album received generally positive feedback from critics, who picked Madonna's live singing, dancing and the production as highlights. Rebel Heart Tour reached the top of the DVD and video charts in most of the countries it charted in, and top ten of the album charts in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Spain. At the 32nd Japan Gold Disc Award, Rebel Heart Tour won in the category of Best Music Video for Western Artists. ## Background Madonna had embarked on the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016) to promote her thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart. Performed in 82 shows across 55 cities, the tour was a commercial success earning US\$169.8 million; it was attended by an audience of over 1.045 million. The performances at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia were recorded for the video release. In September 2016, Madonna announced on her Instagram that she had finished watching a "rough assembly" of the tour's film, and it would be out in the next two months. Entertainment Weekly subsequently announced that the concert film would premiere on December 9, 2016 on American cable channel Showtime. Titled Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour, it featured behind-the-scenes footage from the Australian performances of the tour, which had been exclusively previewed by Billboard on December 2, 2016. Danny Tull and Nathan Rissman, who had worked on Madonna's previous concert films, directed Rebel Heart Tour. Madonna explained in an interview with BBC News: > I was there every step of the way, every day for months and months. It's really hard to capture the true feeling of the excitement and the passion and the heat and the blood, sweat and tears. I'm pleased with the way it came out... [W]hen I look back at the DVD it almost brings a tear to my eye because everyone seems so in love. The film was released on September 15, 2017 on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital formats, containing bonus content like the Tears of a Clown show at Melbourne's Forum Theatre in 2016, as well as a 22-song double CD. The cover image was shot by fashion photographer Joshua Brandão. British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) listed the total running time of the album at over 138 minutes, with almost two hours for the main tour film and the rest for Tears of a Clown and a bonus performance of "Like a Prayer" (1989) during one of the shows. The release of Rebel Heart Tour was distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment. It was made available for pre-order on August 16, 2017, Madonna's birthday, in all physical and digital-file-based stores. Along with the pre-order, a live version of "Material Girl" was purchasable from the digital outlets. The Japanese edition of the DVD/ Blu-ray included a performance of "Take a Bow" (1994) as a bonus track. Five years after its original release, the album was reissued on vinyl format by Mercury Records on September 9, 2022, featuring the same 14 tracks as the single-CD format. ## Critical response Markos Papadatos from the Digital Journal gave the album a rating of A describing the release as a "must for any die-hard fan of Madonna". Jeffrey Kaufman from Blu-ray.com gave a rating of four stars out of five for the release, saying that Madonna knows "how to provide amazing visuals for a Blu-ray concert release to accompany an interesting if kind of random assortment of tunes from her by now pretty long career." He further complimented the production, the video and the audio quality of the album, recommending it for being "constantly over the top and often quite breathtaking". Writing for Decider, Benjamin H. Smith opined that "the 2017 concert film, Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour, shows the Material Girl hasn't lost any steps now that she's more a grande dame [...] what she debatably lacks as a vocalist, she has always made up for with her ability to craft her persona, like David Bowie, altering it to keep up with the latest trends, but always maintaining her singular identity", but pointed out that "it was her ‘80s songbook that got the biggest response". Daryl Deino from Inquisitr gave a positive review for the live album of the release, but criticized its DVD and Blu-ray versions for poor editing. He named Rebel Heart Tour Madonna's best live album to date and found it superior to the DVD and Blu-ray. He also complimented Madonna's live, unprocessed vocals on the album, praising in particular her cover of "La Vie en rose", calling it "the best vocal performance of her career so far [...] this is a song nobody could imagine [Madonna] covering at the beginning of her career. Now, it sounds natural". Although the singer's voice sounded "strained" to Deino during the dance sequences, it was not noticeable in the video versions since "Madonna's dancing is the key element in these performances". He ended his review saying that the "whole album makes you want to run to a Madonna concert, and that's exactly what a live album is supposed to do." Simon Button from Attitude commended the release, describing it as "a work of theatrical genius", complimenting the dancers, Madonna's camaraderie onstage and the "smoke-and-mirrors element" in the product. However, he criticized the inclusion of the Tears of a Clown show, finding it to be "as much a car crash as the two hours of the Rebel Heart Tour are a triumph". Writing for DVD Movie Guide, Colin Jacobson felt that "as a concert, Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour falls into the 'good but not great' category. As a video, it disappoints because it fails to effectively recapture the live experience". Roger Wink, from music portal Vintage Vinyl News, was critical of the CD release; "much of the allure of a Madonna show is the visual aspect which doesn't come across on CD, so the DVD/Blu-Ray is probably a much better experience but that doesn't excuse the low points, and there are many of them, in the listening experience". ## Commercial reception In the United Kingdom, Rebel Heart Tour sold 1,993 copies in its first week of release, and debuted at number 42 on the UK Albums Chart. In the United States, Rebel Heart Tour failed to chart on the Billboard 200, but reached numbers 20 and 45 on the Digital Album and Top Album Sales charts for one week each, respectively. The album also reached number two on the Top Music Video chart, being kept from the pole position by Alan Jackson's Precious Memories: Live at the Ryman (2009). Rebel Heart Tour had sold 3,848 copies in the US as of September 24, 2017. Rebel Heart Tour reached number one in Mexico, and placed at number 69 on the year-end chart. In France, the live album peaked at number 20 on the French Albums Chart selling 1,921 copies, while the video versions topped the French DVD Charts selling 5,044 units in its first-week. The Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) certified the video Platinum for selling over 15,000 units. Across the rest of Europe, the album reached the top ten of the charts in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Spain. At the 32nd Japan Gold Disc Award, Rebel Heart Tour won in the category of Best Music Video for Western Artists. ## Track listing Additional notes - "S.E.X." contains elements of "Justify My Love" written by Lenny Kravitz, Ingrid Chavez and Madonna, and performed by Madonna. - DVD / Blu-ray version also includes the a cappella performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend, written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin, performed between "La Vie en rose" and "Unapologetic Bitch". - "Holiday" contains elements of "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" written by Paul Simon and performed by Bob James. ## Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Rebel Heart Tour. - Madonna – creator, vocals, guitar, ukulele - Kiley Dean – backing vocals - Nicki Richards – backing vocals - Nathan Rissman – director - Danny B. Tull – director, lead editor - Jamie King – stage director - Al Gurdon – director of photography - Ric Lipson – stage designer - Arianne Phillips – costume designer - Alexander Hammer – lead editor - Sean Spuehler – vocal mixing engineer - Arthur Fogel – executive producer - Guy Oseary – executive producer - Sara Zambreno – executive producer - Geoff Kempin – executive producer for Eagle Rock Entertainment - Terry Shand – executive producer for Eagle Rock Entertainment - Brian Frasier Moore – drums - Monte Pittman – guitar, ukulele - Ric'key Pageot – keyboards, accordion - Kevin Antunes – music director, keyboards - Kevin Mazur – photography - Jonathan Lia – producer ## Charts ### Weekly charts ### Monthly charts ### Year-end charts ## Certification and sales !colspan="3"\|Album \|- !colspan="3"\|Video \|- ## Release history ## See also - List of number-one albums of 2017 (Mexico)

John Capper

British First World War general

Major-General Sir John Edward Capper KCB KCVO (7 December 1861 − 24 May 1955) was a senior officer of the British Army during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century who served on the North-West Frontier of British India, in South Africa and during the First World War, where he was instrumental in the development of the tank. He was the older brother of Major-General Thompson Capper, who was killed in action at the Battle of Loos in late 1915. An experienced engineer, Capper was involved in numerous building projects during his years in India and pioneered the development of airships in Britain. He helped establish and command several military training establishments in Britain, was involved in large-scale military planning during 1918 and 1919 and was pivotal in establishing the tank as an important feature of the British Army. Although Capper was sometimes described as pompous and possessing poor communication skills, earning the nickname "Stone Age" for his attitude towards the ideas of junior officers in the Royal Tank Corps (later the Royal Tank Regiment), he nevertheless played a vital role in the development and deployment of armoured vehicles in the British Army. ## India, Burma and South Africa John Capper was born in Lucknow, India to civil servant William Copeland Capper and his wife Sarah in December 1861. Returning to England at an early age for education, Capper attended Wellington College and upon leaving in 1880 enrolled in the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from where he went on to study at the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, before subsequently being commissioned into the Royal Engineers as a lieutenant. A capable engineering officer, Capper served in India and Burma for most of the first 17 years of his career, principally employed on military and public construction projects. He performed well in this position, being promoted to captain in 1889. In 1897, Capper was attached to the force dispatched to the Tirah Campaign on the North-West Frontier of British India. One of his tasks there was to supervise the construction of the first road for wheeled vehicles across the Khyber pass. At the campaign's successful conclusion, he was promoted to major and transferred to South Africa while his wife Edith Mary (née Beausire) and their son John Beausire Copeland Capper returned to England. Arriving in South Africa at the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Capper became deputy assistant director of railways, a vital job given the lengthy and dangerous supply routes along which the war was fought. In 1900, he received the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel and commanded several locally raised units, eventually becoming the commandant at Johannesburg. He returned to England in June 1902, following the end of hostilities the previous month, and on 22 August 1902 was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the October 1902 South Africa Honours list. ## Aeronautics In 1903 he settled with his family at Bramdean House in Alresford, and was appointed Commander of the Balloon Sections, based at Aldershot under the command of Col James Templer. In 1906, having briefly become the Balloon Companies, the organisation became the School of Ballooning with Capper as its Commandant. At about the same time the Balloon Factory was split off and moved to a new site nearby at Farnborough and, on Templer's retirement, Capper also became its Superintendent and was given the brevet rank of full colonel. Templer was retained at the factory under Capper to complete the development of Britain's first military airship, the Nulli Secundus ("second to none") in a purpose-built airship shed. Capper not only supervised the British Army's ballooning and airship activities, but took a wider interest in aeronautics. In anticipation of the new airship, he took up the civilian sport of ballooning, flying in competitions initially as assistant to the Hon. C.S. Rolls and later with his own balloon "Pegasus" and his wife as assistant. These included the man-lifting "war kites" developed by Samuel Franklin Cody and the early work on aeroplanes by both Cody and J. W. Dunne. He also conducted fact-finding visits to the US, where he and his wife befriended the Wright brothers and became involved in protracted but ultimately futile negotiations for the War Office to buy a Wright machine. Capper and Cody undertook the first successful flight of a British airship, the Nulli Secundus, over London in 1907. Capper went on to modify the airship as Nulli Secundus II, parodied by Punch as "second to none the second", and a smaller experimental airship called Baby. Neither was an immediate success, although Baby would later be modified and have a long and successful career. Capper oversaw the first Army aeroplanes. He briefly flew Dunne's first glider, the D.1, during secret trials at Blair Atholl in Scotland in 1907. The flight had lasted only a few seconds when the glider crashed into a wall, with Capper sustaining a cut to the head. The next year, Cody flew the first British-built aeroplane at Farnborough, which earned it the title British Army Aeroplane No.1. This was an ironic achievement for Capper's command, as he had pinned his personal hopes on Dunne, whose D.4 achieved no more than a few hops. That Autumn the government conducted a formal inquiry into military aviation. Capper had to return early from Blair Atholl in order to present his evidence. He argued strongly for a promising future of all forms of aeronautics and especially the aeroplane. However his Army superiors on the committee were against aeronautics in any form. It was decided that only small-scale airship experiments should continue and that aeroplane work should be stopped. It formally ceased when Dunne and Cody's contracts ran out at the end of March 1909. Soon afterwards the Balloon Factory was removed from the command of the Army and a new civilian superintendent, Mervyn O'Gorman, appointed. Capper remained in command of the Army Balloon School. When Dunne left Farnborough, Capper was one of several friends who offered support for his efforts. In 1911, one of Dunne's new aeroplanes was exhibited at the Olympia Aero Show, with a placard stating it was "Built to the order of Col. J. E. Capper, R.E." In 1910 Capper was transferred to command of the Royal School of Military Engineering at Chatham, marking the end of his aeronautical career. ## First World War Capper remained at Chatham until September 1914 when the lack of experienced officers forced his transfer to France in the early months of the First World War. As a brigadier-general, Capper was first made deputy inspector of the lines of communication before being given the post of Chief Engineer to the Third Corps. In July 1915 he was promoted to major-general and made chief engineer of the British Third Army. In October, following the deaths of several senior officers at the Battle of Loos, including Capper's younger brother Major-General Sir Thompson Capper, he was promoted to overall command of the 24th Division. Capper remained in command of the division for the next 18 months, including periods of heavy fighting at the Battle of the Somme, in which his son John was killed in action serving with the Royal Artillery. The division also spent extensive periods of time in other sections of the line and gained extensive battle experience at the cost of high casualties. As a reward for his service in command of the division, he was presented with the Commander's Cross of the Légion d'honneur by the French government. In May 1917, he was recalled to England, initially to run the Machine-Gun Corps training centre and from 28 July hold the position of Director-General of the newly formed Tank Corps at the War Office. Operational command of tanks at the frontlines was in the hands of Hugh Elles, the first commander of the Heavy Branch. Although tanks had first been introduced on the Somme the year before, their design and manufacture were both inadequate and the tactics of their deployment almost non-existent. Capper's job at the Tank Corps was to shape the organisation of the unit into an efficient battlefield force, improve mechanical reliability and develop effective tactics. It was in this role that Capper was given the nickname Stone Age, as his subordinates considered him to be unwilling to accept new innovations in tank tactics. In fact, Capper was an able tactician who worked with General J. F. C. Fuller to develop a plan for a large scale armoured assault on German lines in 1919 (known as Plan 1919): his subordinates' prejudices were based on Capper's rigid adherence to the military hierarchy and his consequent failure to communicate his ideas to those below his rank. For his services as Director General of the Tank Corps, Capper was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. ## Retirement In July 1918, Capper left the War Office and commanded the 64th Division in England until May 1919, when he took over command of Number 1 Area in France and Flanders. In September 1919, Capper became Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey and took over command of the island's military installations. He held the post for five years and during that time was made Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Tank Corps. On 11 July 1921, he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. Retiring in 1925, Capper remained associated with the Tank Corps and also became a governor of Wellington College, associations he retained until 1946. During the Second World War, Capper joined the Hampshire Home Guard and remained on duty with the unit until 1943. Post-War he retired fully to Bramdean House and remained there until shortly before his death. He was widowed in 1953 and died at Esperance Nursing Home in Eastbourne in May 1955, leaving a daughter. In 1971, his collected papers, and those of his brother Thompson, who had been an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley, were donated to the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives at King's College London where they are still available to researchers.

15th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom)

15th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (15th AA Bde) was an air defence formation of the Royal Artillery which saw service during the middle years of the Second World War. The brigade was formed in Gibraltar to control those anti-aircraft (AA) units based there and disbanded shortly after the air threat had been diminished in 1944. The brigade was later reformed in 1947 as part of the post-war regular army, but disbanded in 1957 following the end of the AA era. ## Second World War ### Background On the outbreak of war in September 1939 there had only been two batteries (bty) (9 and 19 AA Btys) manning the totally inadequate AA defences of Gibraltar, which consisted of four old QF 3-inch heavy AA guns and four new QF 3.7-inch heavy AA guns, split in two-gun sections to give the widest possible coverage, and two of the new Bofors 40mm light AA guns to protect the Royal Navy Dockyard, with the assistance of Royal Navy (RN) 2-pounder pom-pom guns. 10th AA Rgt was formed in December 1939 to command 9 and 19 AA Btys and train the anti-aircraft section of the new Gibraltar Defence Force (GDF), which took over the 3-inch guns. Apart from occasional shots fired at unidentified aircraft penetrating Gibraltar's airspace, there were no attacks on the fortress during the 'Phoney War' period. After the Fall of France, a group of AA detachments under 53rd (City of London) AA Rgt escaped from Marseilles aboard the SS Alma Dawson. A French dockyard strike prevented them from loading any of their 3-inch guns or vehicles, but they mounted Bofors guns on the ship's deck and put to sea on 18 June. On arrival in Gibraltar they reinforced 10th AA Rgt. 82nd (Essex) AA Regiment arrived on 27 June, and once it had unloaded its guns and equipment 53rd AA Rgt re-embarked for home. There followed a reorganisation of the AA units in Gibraltar: 19 AA Bty joined 82nd AA Rgt, together with the Gibraltar Defence Forces heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) battery, while 9 AA Bty took over all the Bofors guns. A searchlight battery arrived, and an AA Operations Room (AAOR) was established to control all the gunsites and to coordinate with AA-equipped ships in the harbour. 10th AA Rgt HQ was ordered to be transferred to Malta in July, but this did not occur until November when, as part of Operation Coat, a reinforcement convoy for Malta put in at Gibraltar and picked it up. The first serious air raid on Gibraltar came at 02.00 on 18 July, when two unidentified aircraft bombed the slopes of the rock, causing some fatalities. The attack was thought to be by the Vichy French Air Force in retaliation for the British attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir on 3 July (Operation Catapult), which had been carried out by Force H from Gibraltar. On 21 August the AA defences brought down a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bomber during a raid by the Italian Regia Aeronautica. On 24 and 25 September waves of Vichy bombers attacked Gibraltar again in retaliation for the British and Free French attack on Dakar (Operation Menace), and caused considerable damage. Several of these bombers were shot down by the combined AA fire. On other occasions the guns fired at single Italian reconnaissance aircraft, known to the garrison as 'Persistent Percy'. ### Formation Due to the increase in raids and the coming North African campaign, the War Office (WO) approved the formation of a new AA Brigade which would handle the increasing demands brought on CRA, Gibraltar. This new formation was to be known as the 15th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (15th AA Bde) which was to take over all AA matters on the rock. The brigade was then organised as; - Brigade Headquarters under Brigadier Duncan Alexander Learmonth - 142nd General Operation Post (Operations Room) - 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Regular) — raised in Woolwich 2 September, arrived in Gibraltar on 27 September 1941 - Regimental Headquarters - 9th, 114th, and 126th LAA Btys - 13th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Regular, composite) - Regimental Headquarters - 288th HAA Bty — from 94th HAA Regt, RA - No.1 Rocket AA Troop, Royal Artillery (AA Rockets) - 1st Radar Detection Finding Bty, RA - 82nd (Essex) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA) - Regimental Headquarters - 156th, 193rd, and 256th HAA Btys - Gibraltar Defence Force HAA Bty, RA - 3rd Searchlight Bty, RA — Formed 30 December 1939 in Gibraltar, formally administered by the 10th HAA Regt, RA ### Gibraltar 'Blitz' Among the many tasks facing 15th AA Brigade was the integration of AA fire in defence against sea or land invasion, in which it played an important part. Equally important was the careful distribution of gun and radar positions to ensure the most effective converge from the increased firepower and the constant practice of day and night barrages, in which live firing was regularly employed and closely recorded, to eliminate errors and weak spots. Aware of the vulnerability of positions to direct attack after opening fire, each AA position was given a Oerlikon 20mm light AA guns for self-defence. The basis of the plan for the revised layer was to bring the fire of 20 HAA guns to bear on a target travelling at 240 mph, approaching from any direction and at a typical height of 12,000 feet. In January 1942, the Governor of Gibraltar, General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (Lord Gort) wrote to the War Office asking for more HAA guns, preferably 5.25 inch heavy AA guns, for GLII sets with semi-automatic plotters and another 8 × Bofors 40 mm gun (LAA guns). Part of this request was due to 15th AA Brigade's wish to provide the North airfield with its own LAA defence; hitherto it had depended on the main layout for coverage. Nothing was sent, however, other than 3-inch rockets and their launchers and the airfield received only a small deployment of 20 mm Polsten and Bofors 40 mm guns together with some machine-guns, all withdrawn from other positions, and three searchlights. During the whole of 1942 there were six bombing raids on Gibraltar, two of which were unidentified, and 18 reconnaissance overflights, all but two of them German. Four aircraft were shot down and others crash-landed in Spain. Some of the Italian raids missed their targets and dropped their bombs in Spanish territory, and Spanish AA guns sometimes opened fire as a raid passed towards them. By the end of 1942, the AA defences of Gibraltar reached a peak of scale and efficiency, but the threat had dwindled. There were only two or three reconnaissance flights during 1943. ### Decrease in hostilities It was War Office policy that army units should be replaced after three years' service in Gibraltar. Accordingly, in May 1943, the brigade was re-organised: - Brigade Headquarters - 142nd General Operation Post (Operations Room) - 141st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Regimental Headquarters - 456th, 466th, and 467th LAA Btys - 175th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Regimental Headquarters - 1st Range and Detection Finding (Radar) Battery - 1st Anti-Aircraft 'Z' Troop (AA rockets) - 375th, 386th, 441st, and 228th (see note) HAA Btys - 3rd Searchlight Battery, Royal Artillery Finally in 1943 due to the reduction of raids by the Luftwaffe, the brigade was slowly placed into an effective suspended animation, and finally in February 1944 was disbanded. ## Post-war As part of the postwar reorganisation of the Royal Artillery, a new 15th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (15 AA Bde) was formed as the successor to the old TA 45th Anti-Aircraft Brigade originally based in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. The new brigade headquarters were established on 1 January 1947 in Woolwich. As part of Anti-Aircraft Command's 'Ten Year Plan on Air Defence', the 15 AA Bde was assigned to the new 1st Anti-Aircraft Group, tasked with guarding London, the Thames, Medway, Harwich, and Dover. The brigade's organisation was now as follows: - Brigade Headquarters, at Woolwich - 101st (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery — reduced to cadre 30 June 1948, S/A commenced 10 November 1948 (completed 30 November 1948) - Regimental Headquarters - 241 (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 296 (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 323 (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery — disbanded 10 October 1948 - 102nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Milton Barracks, Gravesend — commenced disbandment 10 October 1948 (completed 30 November 1948) - Regimental Headquarters - 278 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 290 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 293 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 103rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Horsham Barracks — commenced disbandment 6 September 1948 (completed 27 September) - Regimental Headquarters - 267 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 300 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery - 312 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery The 1947 plan was never fully implemented, and most of the Regular units assigned to AA Command were disbanded as part of postwar demobilisation. As the Cold War developed, there was a need for new weapons, leading to the rise of surface-to-air missiles and 'blind fire' radar control, with the consequent decline of HAA guns and searchlights. There was also political pressure for defence budget cuts. In March 1955 AA Command and its groups were disbanded and the remaining AA defence units in the UK came under control of the Home Commands and Districts. Therefore, the brigade headquarters was placed in suspended animation on 31 October 1955, and disbanded on 31 December 1957. At the time of disbandment, the brigade commanded no units.

Australian ringneck

Species of bird

The Australian ringneck (Barnardius zonarius) is a parrot native to Australia. Except for extreme tropical and highland areas, the species has adapted to all conditions. Treatments of genus Barnardius have previously recognised two species, the Port Lincoln parrot (Barnardius zonarius) and the mallee ringneck (Barnardius barnardi), but due to these readily interbreeding at the contact zone they are usually regarded as a single species B. zonarius with subspecific descriptions. Currently, four subspecies are recognised, each with a distinct range. In Western Australia, the ringneck competes for nesting space with the rainbow lorikeet, an introduced species. To protect the ringneck, culls of the lorikeet are sanctioned by authorities in this region. Overall, though, the ringneck is not a threatened species. ## Description The subspecies of the Australian ringneck differ considerably in colouration. It is a medium size species around 33 cm (11 in) long. The basic colour is green, and all four subspecies have the characteristic yellow ring around the hindneck; wings and tail are a mixture of green and blue. The B. z. zonarius and B. z. semitorquatus subspecies have a dull black head; back, rump and wings are brilliant green; throat and breast bluish-green. The difference between these two subspecies is that B. z. zonarius has a yellow abdomen while B. z. semitorquatus has a green abdomen; the latter has also a prominent crimson frontal band that the former lacks (the intermediate shown in the box has characteristics of both subspecies). The two other subspecies differ from these subspecies by the bright green crown and nape and blush cheek-patches. The underparts of B. z. barnardi are turquoise-green with an irregular orange-yellow band across the abdomen; the back and mantle are deep blackish-blue and this subspecies has a prominent red frontal band. The B. z. macgillivrayi is generally pale green, with no red frontal band, and a wide uniform pale yellow band across the abdomen. The calls of the Mallee ringneck and Cloncurry parrot have been described as "ringing", and the calls of the Port Lincoln ringneck and Twenty-eight parrot have been described as "strident". The name of the Twenty-eight is an onomatopoeic derived from its distinctive call, which sounds like "twenty-eight" (or the French equivalent, '"vingt-huit", according to one early description). ## Taxonomy and naming The Australian ringneck was first described by English naturalist George Shaw and drawn by Frederick Polydore Nodder in the 1805 in their work The Naturalist's Miscellany: Or, Coloured Figures of Natural Objects; Drawn and Described Immediately From Nature. He called it Psittacus zonarius "zoned parrot". A broad-tailed parrot, it is most closely related to the rosellas of the genus Platycercus, and has been placed in that genus by some authorities, including Ferdinand Bauer. Pre-existing names for the species, derived from the Nyungar language of Southwest Australia, are dowarn [pronounced dow’awn] and doomolok [dorm’awe’lawk]; these were identified from over one hundred records of regional and orthographic variants to supplement the names already suggested by John Gilbert, Dominic Serventy and others. Currently, four subspecies of ringneck are recognised, all of which have been described as distinct species in the past: (As of 1993, the Twenty-eight and Cloncurry parrot were treated as subspecies of the Port Lincoln parrot and the mallee ringneck, respectively.) Several other subspecies have been described, but are considered synonyms with one of the above subspecies. B. z. occidentalis has been synonymised with B. z. zonarius. Intermediates exist between all subspecies except for between B. z. zonarius and B. z. macgillivrayi. Intermediates have been associated with land clearing for agriculture in southern Western Australia. The classification of this species is still debated, and molecular research by Joseph and Wilke in 2006 found that the complex split genetically into two clades—one roughly correlating with B. z. barnardi and the other with the other three forms; B. z. macgillivrayi was more closely related to B. z. zonarius than to the neighbouring B. z. barnardi. The researchers felt it was premature to reorganise the classification of the complex until more study was undertaken. ### Subspecies ## Behaviour The Australian ringneck is active during the day and can be found in eucalypt woodlands and eucalypt-lined watercourses. The species is gregarious and depending on the conditions can be resident or nomadic. In trials of growing hybrid eucalypt trees in dry environments parrots, especially the Port Lincoln parrot, caused severe damage to the crowns of the younger trees during the research period between 2000–3. ### Feeding This species eats a wide range of foods that include nectar, insects, seeds, fruit, and native and introduced bulbs. It will eat orchard-grown fruit and is sometimes seen as a pest by farmers. ### Breeding Breeding season for the northern populations starts in June or July, while the central and southern populations breed from August to February, but this can be delayed when climatic conditions are unfavourable. The nesting site is a hollow in a tree trunk. Generally four or five white oval eggs are laid measuring 29 mm x 23 mm, although a clutch may be as few as three and as many as six. Fledgling survival rates have been measured at 75%. ## Conservation Although the species is endemic, the species is considered not threatened, but in Western Australia, the Twenty-eight subspecies (B. z. semitorquatus) gets locally displaced by the introduced rainbow lorikeets that aggressively compete for nesting places. The rainbow lorikeet is considered a pest species in Western Australia and is subject to eradication in the wild. In Western Australia, a licence is required to keep or dispose of more than four Port Lincoln ringnecks. All four subspecies are sold in the Canary Islands and in Australia, and they are traded via the CITES convention. The sale of the Cloncurry parrot is restricted in Queensland. The Australian ringneck can suffer from psittacine beak and feather disease, which causes a high nestling mortality rate in captivity.

Jack Newkirk

United States Navy officer

John Van Kuren "Scarsdale Jack" Newkirk (15 October 1913 – 24 March 1942) was a United States naval aviator and squadron leader with the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG), also known as the Flying Tigers, who may have led the first American offensive mission of World War II. Most of his combat experience was during the defense of Rangoon, Burma, from Japanese air attacks. After the fall of Rangoon, his unit was operating from within China when he set off on his final mission, as part of an attack on Japanese airfields in Thailand. ## Early life and education Newkirk was born in New York City on 15 October 1913. One year later his family moved to Scarsdale, New York, where his father, Louis Hasbrouck Newkirk, worked as an attorney. Newkirk was known within the extended family as "Scarsdale Jack," to distinguish him from a younger cousin with the same name. At age ten, Newkirk was awarded a vocal scholarship to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine where he sang in the boys choir and attended the Cathedral School until age 14. Thereafter, Newkirk attended Scarsdale High School from which he graduated in 1932. During this time he was also active in the Boy Scouts of America and received his Eagle Scout medal from Admiral Richard E. Byrd at a ceremony in White Plains, New York. In the fall of 1932, Newkirk entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, to study aeronautical engineering. However, he was unable to afford tuition during the height of the Great Depression and dropped out after only one year. Newkirk subsequently worked odd jobs in New York City and served a brief stint in the New York National Guard until the fall of 1937, when he returned to Rensselaer to continue his studies. ## U.S. Navy service Newkirk learned to fly while a student at Rennselaer, eventually accumulating two years of study which gave him the qualifications to become a cadet aviator in the US Navy. He joined the Navy in 1938 and after initial screening at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, he was transferred to Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida where his classmates included David Lee "Tex" Hill and Bert Christman. Newkirk earned his wings in 1939 and was assigned to the USS Yorktown at Naval Station Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, where he remained on active duty until the summer of 1941. While on leave, Newkirk visited his brother in Houston, Texas. Newkirk took a trip to the beach at Galveston where he met his wife to be, Virginia Jane Dunham. Born in Lansing, Michigan, she was known as Jane or Janie. The Yorktown left Pearl Harbor on 20 April 1941 and docked in Norfolk, Virginia. While on shore leave there, Newkirk was "approached by a man who introduced himself as Commander Rutledge Irvine - retired". His mission would be to fly American P-40 aircraft against Japanese forces occupying China. Already incensed by reports of Japanese atrocities against the Chinese people, Newkirk accepted the offer. On 15 June 1941 Newkirk told his sister that he had accepted an offer from the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO), for a year, at \$600 a month plus bonuses. After the contract was over he would be reinstated in the navy without any loss of rank or pay. The following day he carried out his final assignment for the U.S. Navy. He delivered a new Wildcat from the factory at Long Island to Norfolk, Virginia, where he signed his navy discharge papers. ## American Volunteer Group CAMCO had been selected in April 1941 to be the front for the AVG, as a way to get round the neutrality laws. CAMCO then formed an agreement with the Chinese government to recruit and pay the pilots and ground crew for "three advanced training and instruction units". Chennault, whose idea it had been to use a civilian company, was appointed the "American supervisor". The 1st AVG, also known as The Flying Tigers, was manned on a one-year contract basis by volunteers recruited from serving U.S. military personnel. Although naval aviators were, at that time, prohibited from marriage within two years of getting their wings, having left the navy, the marriage could go ahead. John and Jane were married on 5 July 1941 at the First Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas. After a two-day honeymoon in a Houston hotel, they flew to San Francisco to meet up with other AVG recruits and their wives. They parted company on 10 July 1941 at the docks, where Newkirk boarded the M.V. Jagersfontein, with some of the AVG recruits on their way to Singapore, whilst Janie stayed in Los Angeles. The AVG recruits were transported to Rangoon, Burma. In the latter half of 1941, AVG recruits were based at a British airfield in Toungoo undergoing training. Meanwhile, their aircraft were assembled and test flown by CAMCO staff at Mingaladon Airport outside Rangoon. Newkirk was the squadron leader of the 2nd "Panda Bears" Squadron by September 1941. He led his squadron on the AVG's first combat mission, on 20 December 1941, southeast of Kunming, but ordered his flight to break off before contact. Chennault described this action as "buck fever" (nervousness felt by novice hunters when they first sight game). On 30 December 1941, 2nd Squadron moved south from Toungou to Mingaladon with 18 fresh aircraft, relieving the 3rd Squadron, who had been there since 12 December. They shared the air defense of Rangoon with two British squadrons: 17 Squadron with Hawker Hurricanes and 67 Squadron with Brewster Buffaloes. ## First offensive mission On the morning of 3 January 1942, Newkirk led Christman, Hill, and Jim Howard across Burma's Dawna Mountain Range in an attack against the Japanese-held Tak airfield near Raheng, Thailand. Christman's aircraft developed engine trouble, forcing him to return to base and leave Newkirk without a wingman. Upon arrival at the Raheng Aerodrome, the three pilots observed numerous Japanese aircraft parked by the runway but did not immediately notice the Japanese Ki-27 "Nate" fighters already in the air. Howard began to strafe the airfield, apparently unaware that an enemy aircraft was on his tail. Hill shot down the Nate pursuing Howard, then took on an additional one. Newkirk, who had engaged and destroyed one airborne Nate by then, was also credited with the third that Hill had also been engaging. Howard destroyed four Nates on the ground. With multiple enemy aircraft destroyed and the Raheng airfield in flames, Newkirk, Howard, and Hill all returned safely to base. Military historian C. Douglas Sterner suggests this may have been the first planned American offensive mission of World War II, although the matter is open to debate. While Newkirk, Christman, Howard, and Hill had been U.S. Forces pilots, each had been required to resign his commission in order to join the Flying Tigers and thus were not U.S. military officers at the time. In 1991, a Pentagon special service review board ruled the Flying Tigers had indeed been on "active duty" during these battles and awarded them full veterans' status. The USS Enterprise's 1 February attack on the Marshall Islands, traditionally considered America's first World War II offensive, came several weeks after the Flying Tigers' Raheng mission. ## Loss of Rangoon and retreat to China Newkirk was credited with a Nate on 8 January 1942. The following day, Newkirk led another raid against the Tak airfield. Four 2nd Squadron and six RAF pilots took part and, between them, destroyed 24 Japanese aircraft. On 12 January 1942, the Japanese invasion of Burma began and Mingaladon was reinforced with a further eight aircraft. Another Ki-27 Nate was credited to him on 20 January, and three days later he achieved another victory but his aircraft was badly shot up and he had to crash land. The remainder of the 2nd Squadron were sent to Rangoon on 25 January. On 28 January 1942, Newkirk told Chennault that the "airplanes we have here are now are beginning to look like patchwork quilts for the holes in them. The engines are also getting tired" Newkirk left Rangoon on 10 February but, to get to the AVG base in Kunming, he had to go via India. By 7 March 1942, Rangoon had fallen and the defense of the Burma Road became the priority of the Flying Tigers. The AVG continued some of its operations from Magwe, which was heavily bombed by the Japanese. Chennault ordered retaliatory raids against Chiang Mai and Lampang on 23 March 1942. Because these bases were out of range of the P-40s, from their main base at Kunming, it was decided to go via Loi Wing (Leiyun), in China, then launch the raid from the RAF airstrip at Nam Sang, Burma. ## Death and controversy On 24 March 1942, the aircraft took off in darkness from Nam Sang and by 06:30 all were en route to Chiang Mai. Newkirk's part of the mission was to lead his flight past Chiang Mai to Lampang and, if no targets could be found there, return to help with the main raid on Chiang Mai. Arriving ahead of the main force over Chiain Mai, Newkirk's flight of four aircraft strafed the main railway depot in passing and then continued towards Lampang, approximately 45 miles (72 km) to the southeast. Newkirk's aircraft crashed in a ball of flame and he was killed instantly close to Lamphun. It was believed at the time that Newkirk's aircraft was hit by ground fire. Later investigations, including discussions with eyewitnesses, raised the possibility that Newkirk may have inadvertently hit a tree. His body was thrown clear of the wreckage and landed in a paddy field. He was buried locally by the Japanese. ## Aftermath Newkirk was credited with seven air-to-air victories, during his time with the Flying Tigers, and 10.5 kills overall by CAMCO. In 1942, the "Scarsdale Jack Unit" was named in his memory at the U.S. Navy pre-training camp in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross, posthumously, in August 1943. Newkirk's widow, Virginia Jane remarried after his death, marrying U.S. diplomat Charles Dudley Withers, who later became the U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, serving in that role from April 1963 until September 1966. She died on 16 July 1982 in Naples, Florida; leaving no children. After the war, Newkirk's body was disinterred by a joint Thai-American military team and reburied in Saint James the Less Cemetery, Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York on 11 May 1949. Newkirk was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, posthumously, in 2007, following the 1991 official recognition of the Flying Tigers as veterans of World War II. ## Popular culture The American press, eager for positive stories about U.S. involvement in the war effort, quickly turned "Scarsdale Jack" into one of the nation's most written-about fighter pilots during the first few months of the war. Broadcaster Lowell Thomas mentioned him by name on several occasions, as did Life Magazine, Time Magazine, the Associated Press, the United Press, and the Chicago Daily News and New York Times. The Walt Disney organisation created an official Flying Tigers insignia – a winged Bengal tiger with extended claws flying through a large blue V for victory – which Newkirk and other AVG members sewed on their flight jackets and painted on their aircraft. Zip Comics and Wings Comics each devoted full-color spreads to Newkirk and his aerial exploits.

Beaver Brook State Park

Undeveloped public recreation area in Connecticut

Beaver Brook State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area covering 401 acres (162 ha) in the towns of Windham and Chaplin, Connecticut. The state park encompasses Bibbins Pond, also known as Beaver Brook Pond, as well as the acreage northward as far as the Air Line State Park Trail, which forms the park's northern boundary. The park is a walk-in facility, open for hunting and trout fishing, managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. ## History The park's name may derive from a once-present beaver pond. It was one of multiple public recreation areas acquired in the 1950s using funds bequeathed for that purpose by George Dudley Seymour. When the gift was announced in 1955, it was reported that trout pools had already been developed north of Bibbins Pond. The annually produced State Register and Manual noted the park's acreage at 165 acres in 1955, at 391 acres in 1957, and at 401 acres in 1960. The state record for brook trout was claimed for Bibbins Pond from 1994 to 1998. ## Activities and amenities Bibbins Pond, known as Beaver Brook Pond, is the park's central feature, while Beaver Brook runs both north and south of the pond and continues beyond the park limits. Bibbins Pond's 20 acres (8.1 ha) offer a seasonal boat launch for non-motorized watercraft and trout fishing. The park also includes a geocache which can be accessed via three different routes.

Death in Small Doses (1995 film)

1995 television film by Sondra Locke

Death in Small Doses is a 1995 American true crime television film directed by Sondra Locke and written by Scott Swanton. It was produced by Robert Greenwald Productions and stars Richard Thomas, Tess Harper, Glynnis O'Connor and Shawn Elliot. The film is a dramatization of the 1991 death of wealthy Dallas resident Nancy Lyon (played by O'Connor) by arsenic poisoning, a crime for which her husband Richard Lyon (Thomas) was the police's main suspect. Locke was drawn to Swanton's script due to its ambiguity concerning Richard's guilt, which she thought would keep the audience guessing. Thomas similarly liked that the film does not give a definitive resolution to the crime unlike most other crime dramas. Marking her television directorial debut, Locke found the tight schedule to be a challenge and noted that the nature of the true crime genre limited the dramatic scope of the story. The film was shot on location in Charlotte and Monroe, North Carolina, in early 1993. After having its release date delayed for a year, Death in Small Doses premiered on ABC on January 16, 1995, to mixed reviews. Critics who found the film engaging mostly attributed its success to Locke's direction and Thomas' performance. Others criticized the underdeveloped and unsympathetic characters, while the ambiguous resolution drew mixed reactions. The film received a Nielsen rating of 11.0, making it the 40th-highest-rated prime time broadcast for its respective week. ## Plot On January 9, 1991, in Dallas, Texas, Nancy Lyon is rushed to the hospital where she eventually dies from arsenic poisoning. Detective Ortega and A.D.A. Sims investigate the case. The pair question Nancy's wealthy family, the Dillards, who tell them that Nancy and her husband, Richard Lyon, had recently gotten back together after Richard previously left to be with his mistress. According to the Dillards, Nancy had suspected that Richard was slowly poisoning her, but had been too embarrassed to get the police involved. Nancy's brother Bill is adamant that Richard killed Nancy so as to inherit her fortune. Ortega and Sims question the Lyons' nanny, Ellen, who describes Richard as a loving father to the couple's two children. Flashbacks reveal that while both Nancy and Richard were architects, Nancy's far more successful career often kept her away from her family and put a strain on their marriage. The couple also often argued over Nancy's family, who looked down on Richard. The police discover that Richard had recently purchased arsenic, which he says was for a fire ant infestation in the house. Richard suggests his lawyer, Guthrie, look into the possibility that Nancy may have committed suicide. Richard recounts how Nancy was full of life when they first met in college. He insists they were happily married until one particular family trip to Arizona, in which Nancy visited Bill who was in a treatment center for his drug and alcohol problems. After that trip, Nancy began isolating herself, quit her job and started seeing a therapist. Richard says it was at this time that he began an affair and filed for divorce, although he later returned to Nancy for the sake of their children. Meanwhile, the police receive anonymous letters claiming that Bill is responsible for poisoning Nancy. As they are unable to identify the sender, Richard remains the police's prime suspect. After a grand jury indicts Richard, he is arrested and put on trial for Nancy's murder. During the trial, Guthrie accuses the police of overlooking Bill as a suspect. It comes to light from Nancy's therapy sessions that Bill and Nancy had an incestuous relationship when they were children. Guthrie also presents handwritten notes that were found among Nancy's belongings, in which she writes about how grateful she is to Richard for saving her from Bill, and shares her fears that Bill might have sexual desires towards her daughters. Bill insists that he and Nancy were on good terms before her death, and that their past incest was the result of a lonely childhood. To prove his innocence, Bill agrees to take a polygraph test, the result of which is inconclusive. Ellen is called to the witness stand next and admits she had been concerned that Nancy was suicidal after Richard left her. Guthrie then produces an invoice for arsenic from a chemical plant with Nancy's signature on it. The owner of the plant is called to the stand where he testifies that while a woman did call to inquire about arsenic for a fire ant infestation, she never actually purchased any from him. Moreover, he is unable to confirm if Nancy was the woman in question as they never met in-person. When questioned about the invoice, the plant owner insists it is a forgery. A.D.A. Sims then brings in a handwriting expert who testifies that the aforementioned handwritten notes contain both Nancy and Richard's handwritings, suggesting that Richard had doctored the evidence. Despite Richard's insistence that he is innocent, the jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder and he is sentenced to life imprisonment. ## Cast - Richard Thomas as Richard Lyon - Tess Harper as A.D.A. Jerri Sims - Glynnis O'Connor as Nancy Lyon - Shawn Elliot as Det. Ortega - Gary Frank as Bill Dillard Jr. - Matthew Posey as Guthrie - Ann Hearn as Ellen Chandler - C.K. Bibby as Dillard Sr., Nancy's father - Mitchell Laurance as Dr. Langston, Nancy's doctor - Richard Olsen as Leonard Porter, a chemical plant owner - Collin Wilcox Paxton as Mrs. Dillard, Nancy's mother - Andrea Powell as Bridget Tyler, Richard's mistress - Susan Rohrer as Mary Helen Dillard, Bill's wife - Caroline Dollar as Allison, Richard and Nancy's older daughter - Evan Wood as Anna, Richard and Nancy's younger daughter ## Production Death in Small Doses is a dramatization of the 1991 death of wealthy Dallas native Nancy Lyon by arsenic poisoning, a crime for which her husband Richard Lyon was the police's prime suspect. The film was directed by Sondra Locke and written by Scott Swanton. It was produced by Robert Greenwald Productions for ABC, with Robert Greenwald and Carla Singer serving as the executive producers. The creative team also included director of photography William A. Fraker, editor John W. Wheeler, and composer Jeff Rona. Although Locke had already directed two theatrical films, Death in Small Doses is the actress-turned-director's television directorial debut. According to Locke, she had been struggling to get her next theatrical project off the ground when her agent suggested she try her hand at directing a television film instead. Locke read through a few scripts and picked Swanton's as her next project, citing the "mysterious quality" that set it apart from the other more straightforward scripts. She was especially drawn to the story's open-ended resolution which aligned with her own uncertainty about Richard's guilt. She explained: > I thought this will be interesting to tell a story as a director when I'm not quite sure as a director myself truly what he did or did not do. To the audience, then, it's like a game of, "Did he or didn't he?" Locke said she underestimated how difficult directing for television would be, with the tight schedule keeping her on her toes and leaving little room for error. The true crime aspect posed its own challenges for the filmmaker, as adhering to the real-life case meant having to limit the film's dramatic scope. Locke also noted the directorial challenge of finding ways to keep the story moving while covering nearly 30 pages of courtroom scenes that had been pieced together from the real-life court transcripts. Locke scheduled three days of rehearsals for the cast which enabled them to have extensive discussions about the source material. In the film, Richard and Nancy Lyon are played by Richard Thomas and Glynnis O'Connor respectively. Locke was keen to have Thomas portray the accused husband, feeling that the actor's "quality of innocence or directness" would play well into the ambiguity surrounding the character's guilt. For Thomas, he liked that the film set itself apart from other true crime dramas by leaving so much room for interpretation. Because her character mainly appears in sporadic flashbacks after dying at the start of the film, O'Connor described Nancy as "a real mystery" and felt that she had more creative freedom that usual in how she approached the role. O'Connor researched the physical effects of arsenic poisoning and worked with the production's makeup artist to ensure she looked the part. Death in Small Doses was filmed over 18 days in and around February 1993. It was shot on location in both Charlotte and Monroe, North Carolina, with specific locales including the VanLandingham Estate and the Union County Courthouse, the latter of which was used to recreate the courtroom scenes. Local celebrities such as radio personalities Robert D. Raiford and Don Russell were cast in minor roles. ## Release and reception Death in Small Doses premiered on ABC on January 16, 1995, in the 9:00–11:00 pm time slot. The film was originally scheduled to premiere one year earlier on January 10, 1994, but had its air date postponed by the network. According to a network representative, the delay was to avoid having a crowd of similar crime films airing around the same time. ### Ratings The film earned a national Nielsen rating of 11.0, where each ratings point represents 954,000 households, making it the 40th-highest-rated prime time broadcast for the week of January 16 to 22, 1995. ### Critical response Variety's Ray Loynd commended Locke's well-executed direction, Swanton's engaging story, and the cast's performance, with particular praise for the "utterly convincing" Thomas. However, Loynd found the lead characters unsympathetic and cold, which greatly detracted from his appreciation of the otherwise suspense-filled drama. Like Loynd, Faye Zuckerman's review in The Spokesman-Review credited the "high suspense" to Locke's direction and Thomas' performance. On the other hand, People's David Hiltbrand was not impressed by the lukewarm suspense, but nonetheless found the film engaging thanks mostly to Locke's confident visual command. In a positive review, the Sun-Sentinel's Tom Jicha wrote that Death in Small Doses breaks conventional wisdom by proving that true crime dramas "can be provocative and gripping without being exploitive and titillating." Jicha praised Thomas' compelling turn as the dubious husband, and predicted that the uncertainty over Richard's guilt by the film's end would stir up debate among audiences. The ambiguous resolution also drew mixed reactions from critics: Tom Maurstad of The Dallas Morning News felt it appropriately reflected "how elusive and unknowable 'the truth' can be," while Jeff Plass of The News-Press felt it undermined the rest of the otherwise well-paced and intriguing film. Meanwhile, The San Diego Union-Tribune's John Freeman and The Grand Rapids Press' Ruth Butler both praised the film. The former enjoyed the pacing, while the latter concluded that the film "keeps your interest, is short on histrionics and takes a dignified route to the finish." Other reviewers were more critical; Paul Droesch of TV Guide Magazine and Tammy C. Carter of The Times-Picayune both gave Death in Small Doses middling reviews. Droesch thought the film fumbled in its attempts to build suspense, while Carter thought it lacked substance despite a good performance from Thomas. John Koch's review in The Boston Globe found that the film spends too much time focusing on certain details of the investigation instead of building up the characters and human elements of the story. Overall, Koch was highly critical of Locke's direction, writing that she "makes a jumble of what might have been a fairly suspenseful, if all-too-familiar, network based-upon." John Voorhees of The Seattle Times thought the insufficient background on Nancy's life—seen only through flashbacks—was the script's undoing, as it ensures that the audience does not care about Nancy's death and thus the overall story. ## See also - Poisoned Dreams – a 1993 true crime book about the murder of Nancy Lyon

Battle of Kranji

Battle by Japan's invasion of Singapore during the Second World War

The Battle of Kranji was the second stage of the Empire of Japan's plan for the invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. On 9 February 1942 the Imperial Japanese Army assaulted the north-western front of Singapore, capital of the Straits Settlements. Their primary objective was to secure a second beachhead after their successful assault at Sarimbun Beach on 8 February, in order to breach the Jurong-Kranji defence line as part of their southward thrust towards the heart of Singapore City. Defending the shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway was the Australian 27th Brigade, led by Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, and one irregular company. On 10 February the Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses while moving up the Kranji River, which caused them to panic and nearly aborted the operation. However, a series of miscommunications and withdrawals by Allied forces in the ensuing battles allowed the Japanese to swiftly gain strategic footholds, which eventually led to the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. ## Background The terrain around Kranji was primarily mangrove swamps and tropical forest intersected by streams and inlets. The shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway, nearly four kilometers long, was defended by the Australian 27th Brigade, led by Australian Brigadier Duncan Maxwell. The 27th Infantry Brigade consisted of three battalions—the 2/30th, 2/29th, and 2/26th and was supported by the 2/10th Field Artillery Regiment, as well as one platoon from the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion. They were supported by one company from Dalforce (named after its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel John Dalley of the Malayan Police Special Branch), a local Chinese militia consisting of Communists, Nationalist supporters, and other volunteers. As the war intensified, the Dalforce volunteers were given only three to four days of training and sent to the war front with elementary weapons. Lacking uniforms, the volunteers improvised by wearing a red triangle on their blue shirts to avoid being mistaken for Japanese by the Australians. The Allied forces at Kranji were to be assaulted by the Imperial Guards Division led by Major General Takuma Nishimura. 400 Imperial Guards had landed and taken Pulau Ubin, an island in the north-east of Singapore, in a feint attack on 7 February, where they encountered minimal resistance. ## Battle ### 9 February 1942: Japanese landings On 9 February, two divisions of the IJA Twenty Fifth Army, led by Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita, landed on the northwestern coast of Singapore, in the Sarimbun area, where the Battle of Sarimbun Beach took place between predominantly Australian and Japanese troops. Yamashita's headquarters (HQ) was located at the Sultan of Johor's palace at Istana Bukit Serene, which offered him and his subordinate officers a bird's-eye view of virtually every key (both military and civilian) target in the northern part of the main island of Singapore, just only 1.6 kilometres (one mile) across the Straits of Johor. Sultan Ibrahim's palace was not ordered to be fired upon by British artillery, even when it was clear that the invading Japanese forces had their headquarters there, because any damage caused to the palace would have extensive negative repercussions for ties between Johor's royalty and their British colonial counterparts. The primary objective of the Japanese forces landing at Kranji was to capture Kranji Village, thus enabling them to repair the partially-destroyed Causeway in order to facilitate the easy flow of reinforcements and supplies down the roads of Woodlands and Mandai, and to the rest of the island for their vanguard force. Once the leading wave of Japanese was safely ashore, the massed Japanese artillery switched their fire to the defensive positions at Kranji. Telegraph and telephone communications were destroyed in the bombardment and communications between the front line and command HQ were broken. At 8:30pm that night, the men of the Imperial Guards Division began the crossing from Johor in special armoured landing-crafts, collapsible boats and by swimming. Shortly after midnight on 9 February, the 2/29th Battalion was detached from the 27th AIF Brigade and sent to defend the western outskirts of Tengah Airfield and subsequently came under the command of the 22nd AIF Brigade. Leaving Maxwell and the 27th Brigade with only two of its three battalions for the upcoming battle and no reserve. ### 10 February 1942: Heavy losses In the early hours of 10 February, Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses during the Battle of Singapore. While moving up the Kranji River, advance landing parties from the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Guard Division found themselves under heavy fire from Australian machine gunners and mortar teams. They also found themselves surrounded by oil slicks, which had been created by Allied personnel emptying the nearby Woodlands oil depot, to prevent its capture. A scenario feared by Yamashita came to pass by accident; the oil was set alight by Allied small arms fire, causing many Japanese soldiers to be burnt alive. Sustaining heavy losses, Nishimura requested permission to abandon the operation. However, Yamashita denied the request. Maxwell, who had limited communications with his division headquarters, was concerned that his force would be cut off by fierce and chaotic fighting at Sarimbun and Jurong to the south west, involving the Australian 22nd Brigade. Maxwell's force consequently withdrew from the seafront. This allowed the Japanese to land in increasing strength and take control of Kranji village. They also captured Woodlands, and began repairing the causeway, without encountering any Allied attacks. Japanese tanks, such as Type 95 Ha-Gos and Type 97 Chi-Has, which were regarded as light and having possessed relatively good buoyancy, were towed by IJA boats and water-craft across the straits towards Lim Chu Kang, where they soon joined the battle at dusk on Lim Chu Kang Road. With reinforced enemy forces and their supporting tanks rapidly advancing down Choa Chua Kang Road, the defending Australian troops were forced to retreat and fled southeast to the hills of Bukit Panjang. The IJA 5th Division captured Bukit Timah Village by the evening of 11 February. #### Jurong-Kranji defence line Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding of HQ Malaya Command, drew a defence perimeter covering Kallang Airfield, the MacRitchie and Peirce reservoirs and the Bukit Timah supply depot area to ensure the integrity of the city's defence. One line of the north-western defence perimeter was the Jurong-Kranji defence line, a narrow ridge connecting the sources of Sungei Jurong and the Kranji River, forming a natural defence line protecting the north-west approach to the Singapore Town. (Its counterpart was the Serangoon Line, which was sited between Kallang Airfield and Paya Lebar village in the eastern part of Singapore). The troops were to defend this Line strongly against the invading Japanese force. The Line was defended by the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade which covered milestone 12 on Jurong Road, the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade and the beleaguered 22nd Australian Brigade which guarded the northern part of the Line and maintained contact with the 44th Indian Brigade. The 15th Indian Infantry Brigade was re-positioned near Bukit Timah Road to guard the island's vital food and petrol supplies. A secret instruction to protect this area was issued to Percival's generals. #### Miscommunication Percival's secret orders to withdraw to the last defence line around the city only if necessary were misunderstood by Maxwell, who took this to be an order for an immediate withdrawal to the Line. As a result, the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade and the 22nd Australian Brigade, reinforced after their withdrawal from Sarimbun beach in the north-west, abandoned the Line on 10 February. Fearing that the large supplies depot would fall into Japanese hands should they make a rush for Bukit Timah too soon, General Archibald Wavell, Allied commander-in-chief of the Far East sent an urgent message to Percival: > It is certain that our troops in Singapore Island heavily outnumber any Japanese who have crossed the Straits. We must destroy them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out in the Bataan Peninsula against a far heavier odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans. The Chinese with an almost lack of modern equipment have held the Japanese for four and a half years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces. ## Aftermath By 11 February, the Jurong-Kranji Defence Line was left undefended which allowed the Japanese forces to sweep through the Line to attack Bukit Timah. On the same day, Percival finally moved his Combined Operations Headquarters in Sime Road to the underground bunker, The Battle Box at Fort Canning. Despite their fighting spirit, the Dalforce fighters suffered from poor training and the lack of equipment. A further blow was delivered when the 27th Australian Brigade withdrew southwards. As a result, the Japanese established a stronghold in the northern Woodlands area and secured a relatively easy passage into the island. General Wavell left Singapore for Java early on 11 February and sent a cable to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London on his assessment of the war front in Singapore: > Battle for Singapore is not going well... I ordered Percival to stage counter-attack with all troops possible... Morale of some troops is not good and none is as high as I should like to see... The chief troubles are lack of sufficient training in some reinforcing troops and an inferior complex which bold Japanese tactics and their command of the air have caused. Everything possible is being done to produce more offensive spirit and optimistic outlook. But I cannot pretend that these efforts have been entirely successful up to date. I have given the most categorical orders that there is to be no thought of surrender and that all troops are to continue fighting to the end... By 12 February, the Imperial Guards had captured the reservoirs and Nee Soon village. The defending troops, by this time, were badly shaken. Thousands of exhausted and frightened stragglers left the fighting to seek shelter in large buildings. On the same night, British forces in the east of the island had begun to withdraw towards the city. On 13 February, the Japanese 5th Division continued its advance and reached Adam and Farrer Roads to capture the Sime Road Camp. Yamashita moved his HQ forward to the bomb-damaged Ford Factory in Bukit Timah. Heading southwards, the Japanese 18th Division advanced into Pasir Panjang, where the last major battle of Singapore would be fought with the Malay Regiments at Bukit Chandu. ### Commemoration In 1995, the former battle sites of Kranji and the defence line were gazetted by the National Heritage Board as two of the eleven World War II sites of Singapore. ## See also - Ee Hoe Hean Club - Japanese order of battle during the Malayan campaign - Kent Ridge Park - Malaya Command - Malayan campaign

Sugar & Spice (Picket Fences)

"Sugar & Spice" is an episode of the CBS comedy-drama series Picket Fences. Written by series creator David E. Kelley and directed by Alan Myerson, the episode originally aired on April 29, 1993. The episode caused controversy because it depicted 16-year-old lead character Kimberly Brock engaged in same-sex kissing with her best friend and frankly discussing her sexuality. "Sugar & Spice" was an early entry on a list of American television episodes in which a lesbian or possibly lesbian character kisses a straight-identifying character. These lesbian kiss episodes often occurred during times of the year when networks were most concerned about generating ratings, and have come to be viewed by some critics as gimmicks to help secure those ratings. The controversy generated by "Sugar & Spice" and other lesbian kiss episodes led to a chilling effect on the non-sensationalized presentation of same-sex intimacy on network television through most of the rest of the 1990s. ## Plot Kimberly Brock (Holly Marie Combs) and her best friend Lisa Fenn (Alexondra Lee) exchange several experimental kisses during a sleepover at Kimberly's house, the first kiss being a chaste peck with the later kisses becoming more intimate. Kimberly's younger brother Matthew (Justin Shenkarow) eavesdrops on the girls the next day when they discuss the incident and their feelings. He goes to his mother, town doctor Jill Brock (Kathy Baker) and tells her that Kimberly is a "lesbo". A patient overhears and word of the kissing spreads through the town. Kimberly's father, Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerritt) and stepmother Jill react poorly to the idea that their daughter might be a lesbian, debating "nature vs. nurture" and "elective lesbianism" and even renting "hunk films" starring Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner. Kimberly turns to her birth mother, Lydia (Cristine Rose), who had had a lesbian relationship in college. Lydia advises her that her relationship with another woman was during the women's movement and that while she enjoyed her time with the woman she realized that she was confusing feelings of intimacy with sexuality. Lisa and Kimberly talk further. Lisa acknowledges that she is in love with Kimberly but Kimberly lets her know that she is unable to return those feelings. In a secondary plot, male Sheriff's deputy Kenny Lacos (Costas Mandylor) is given a promotion over female deputy Maxine Stuart (Lauren Holly) after she is asked in her interview about such things as whether she was planning to get married and get pregnant in the near future. She sues for sex discrimination and Kenny's promotion is reversed. She tells Kenny that she would be proud to serve under him but tells Sheriff Brock that his blatant bigotry has made her less proud to serve under him. ## Production Before "Sugar & Spice" aired, CBS, fearing sponsor pullouts and viewer backlash, demanded revisions to the kissing scene. According to Kelley in a Los Angeles Times interview, the network initially suggested fading to black before the second more intimate kiss, then suggested cutting away before the kiss to a shot of one of Kimberly's brothers eavesdropping. Eventually, the network and Kelley settled on reshooting the kissing scene in darkness. In the episode as aired, a line of dialog is inserted over a shot of the exterior of the Brock house to explain why the room is suddenly dark. ## Reception Network affiliate KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, which had earlier refused to air an episode dealing with polygamy, also refused to air this episode. In a move described by Stephen Tropiano of PopMatters as "a prime example of network hypocrisy", CBS released the original footage along with the reshot scene to Entertainment Tonight, which generated enormous publicity for the episode. Television critic John Martin described this episode as indicative of the way that Picket Fences deftly blended ethical and social issues with family concerns. ### The "lesbian kiss episode" Picket Fences was one of the first American television series to feature an intimate kiss between two women. Two years earlier, L. A. Law had aired an episode (also written by Kelley) that included a kiss between bisexual-identified character C. J. Lamb (Amanda Donohoe) and straight-identifying Abby Perkins (Michele Greene). The kiss led to complaints to the network and five sponsors pulled their ads from the episode. In reviewing incidents of lesbian kisses on network television programs, the New York Times noted that they tended to happen during "sweeps" periods, when the networks use Nielsen ratings to determine advertising rates. Noting lesbian kisses during sweeps periods on such shows as L. A. Law, Roseanne, Party of Five and Ally McBeal in addition to the Picket Fences episode and noting that they were occurring about once per year, the Times concludes that kisses between women are: > "Eminently visual; cheap, provided the actors are willing; controversial, year in and year out; and elegantly reversible (sweeps lesbians typically vanish or go straight when the week's over), kisses between women are perfect sweeps stunts. They offer something for everyone, from advocacy groups looking for role models to indignation-seeking conservatives, from goggle-eyed male viewers to progressive female ones, from tyrants who demand psychological complexity to plot buffs." The Guardian concurred in this assessment, calling the lesbian kiss episode "a clear sign of desperation and a show running out of ideas...Snogging The Friend is the new Jumping The Shark." Michele Greene confirmed in an interview with AfterEllen.com that her kiss with Amanda Donohoe's C. J. was a ratings ploy and that there was never any intention on the part of producers to seriously explore the possibility of a relationship between two women. During a period in network television history when producers were pushing the broadcast boundaries on sexually explicit content with such shows as NYPD Blue, the controversy over this and other television episodes that made inroads into presenting same-sex sexuality or affection led producers not to present any sexualization of their gay and lesbian characters. As noted by author Ron Becker, > "So viewers got to see Carol and Susan wed on Friends, but they didn't get to see them kiss. And fans of NYPD Blue could hear male hustlers talk about their johns, but the only sex they got to see involved the precinct's straight cops—naked butts and all. Clearly, chastity was the price gay characters paid for admission to prime-time television in the 1990s."

HMS Boreas (H77)

1929 British B-class destroyer

HMS Boreas was a B-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy around 1930. Initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, she was transferred to the Home Fleet in 1936. She then patrolled Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade during the first year of the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. She spent most of World War II on convoy escort duties in the English Channel and the North Atlantic, based at Dover, Gibraltar, and Freetown, Sierra Leone. Boreas also participated in Operation Husky and was later loaned to the Royal Hellenic Navy the next year after conversion into an escort destroyer. She was renamed Salamis and served in the Aegean for the rest of the war. Salamis became a training ship after the war until she was returned to Britain and scrapped in 1952. ## Description The ship displaced 1,360 long tons (1,380 t) at standard load and 1,790 long tons (1,820 t) at deep load. She had an overall length of 323 feet (98.5 m), a beam of 32 feet 3 inches (9.8 m) and a draught of 12 feet 3 inches (3.7 m). She was powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, driving two shafts, which developed a total of 34,000 shaft horsepower (25,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). Steam for the turbines was provided by three Admiralty 3-drum boilers. Boreas carried a maximum of 390 long tons (400 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 4,800 nautical miles (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ship's complement was 134 officers and ratings, although it increased to 142 during wartime. The ship mounted four quick-firing (QF) 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mk IX guns in single mounts, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from bow to stern. There were two forward and two aft, the latter of which were superfiring. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, Boreas had two 40-millimetre (1.6 in) QF 2-pounder Mk II single-mounted AA guns on a platform between her funnels. She was fitted with two above-water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes. One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after World War II began in September 1939. The ship was fitted with a Type 119 ASDIC set to detect submarines through sound waves beamed into the water that would reflect off the submarine. By October 1940, the ship's AA armament had been increased when the rear set of torpedo tubes was replaced by a 3-inch (76.2 mm) (12-pounder) AA gun and 'Y' gun was removed to compensate for the additional depth charges added. Boreas was converted to an escort destroyer in late 1943 with the replacement of the 12-pounder high-angle gun with additional depth charge stowage. The 2-pounder mounts were replaced during the war by 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon autocannon. Four additional Oerlikon guns were added in the forward superstructure for a total of six guns. ## Construction and service The ship was ordered on 22 March 1929 from Palmer's at Jarrow, under the 1928 Naval Programme. She was laid down on 22 July 1929, and launched on 11 June 1930, as the fourth RN ship to carry this name. Boreas was completed on 20 February 1931 at a cost of £221,156, excluding items supplied by the Admiralty such as guns, ammunition and communications equipment. After her commissioning, she was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Flotilla with the Mediterranean Fleet until September 1936 when she was transferred to Home Fleet. Her service in the Mediterranean was uneventful until in July 1936, when Boreas evacuated civilians at the start of the Spanish Civil War. After a refit at Portsmouth that lasted until 26 September, she conducted multiple patrols off the coast of Spain in 1937 and 1938 as part of the United Kingdom's policy of non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War. On 6 March 1938, she rescued survivors of the torpedoed Baleares, a heavy cruiser belonging to the Spanish Nationalists, off Cartagena, Spain with the destroyer Kempenfelt. Upon her return the following month, the ship began a refit at Portsmouth that lasted until 11 June. Boreas escorted the royal yacht Victoria and Albert during the royal tour of Scotland from 26 July to 4 August. The ship escorted the battleship Revenge and the ocean liner in September during the Munich Crisis. She remained with the 4th Destroyer Flotilla until April 1939. Boreas briefly served as a plane guard for the aircraft carriers of the Home Fleet later that year. In September 1939, during the beginning of World War II, the ship was assigned to the 19th Destroyer Flotilla and spent the first six months on escort and patrol duties in the English Channel and North Sea. While assisting the damaged minesweeper Sphinx on 4 February 1940 in the Moray Firth, Boreas's stern was damaged and she required repairs that lasted until the following month. The ship was attached to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla on 29 March until she was damaged in a collision with her sister ship Brilliant on 15 May. Her repairs lasted until 19 June and Boreas was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Flotilla at Dover upon their completion. On 25 July, the ship engaged German E-boats off Dover Harbour together with Brilliant and was badly damaged by German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers after she was ordered to withdraw. Her bridge was hit twice by bombs that killed one officer and twenty crewmen. Boreas was under repair at Millwall Dock until 23 January 1941; she was lightly damaged by German bomb splinters on 19 January. Around 1941, she was fitted with a Type 286 short-range surface search radar. After working up, the ship was briefly assigned to Western Approaches Command on escort duties before she was transferred to the 18th Destroyer Flotilla at Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she arrived on 28 April. Boreas remained there until she joined Convoy HG 70 on 10 August at Gibraltar. She rescued survivors from four ships and returned them to Gibraltar on 25 August and received a lengthy refit at South Shields from 19 September to 4 January 1942, after which she rejoined the 18th Destroyer Flotilla on 25 January. Boreas remained on escort duty in the eastern Atlantic until she arrived in Alexandria, Egypt on 11 November after escorting a convoy around the Cape of Good Hope. She was immediately assigned to escort the ships of Operation Stoneage that relieved the siege of Malta. The ship remained in the Mediterranean until January 1943 before she was briefly assigned to the 13th Destroyer Flotilla at Gibraltar. Boreas returned to Freetown in February; she remained there until June when she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet to participate in Operation Husky. She was converted into an escort destroyer in Liverpool from September 1943 to February 1944. As part of the conversion, a Type 271 target indication radar was installed above the bridge that replaced her director-control tower and rangefinder and her Type 286 radar was replaced by a Type 290. ### Greek service The ship was loaned to the Royal Hellenic Navy on 10 February 1944 and recommissioned by them on 25 March as Salamis. She was damaged while working up at Scapa Flow and was under repair at Hull from 28 April to 13 June. Salamis was assigned to escort duty at Gibraltar until October when she was transferred to the Aegean where she served with the 12th (Greek) Destroyer Flotilla for the rest of the war. Salamis was used as a training ship after the war until she was returned to the Royal Navy at Malta on 9 October 1951. She arrived at Rosyth under tow on 15 April 1952 to be broken up by Metal Industries, Limited.

Irving Crane

American pool player (1913–2002)

Irving Crane (November 13, 1913 – November 17, 2001), nicknamed "the Deacon", was an American pool player from Livonia, New York, and ranks among the stellar players in the history of the sport. Widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time, and a member of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame, he is best known for his mastery in the game of straight pool (14.1 continuous) at which he won numerous championships, including six World Straight Pool Championship titles. ## Early life Crane's fascination with billiards started at age 11, sparked by play on a toy pool table his brother received as a Christmas gift. When he showed interest and ability, his father Scott Crane, a trial lawyer and sportsman, and his mother, a high school teacher, soon replaced their dining room table with a 4' by 8' pool table. He soon ventured out of the home to practice a couple days each week at Olympic Billiards, a room that was part of a bowling alley in Scottsville, a suburb of Rochester, New York. Crane stated in 1998: "Other kids, you know they'd play for twenty minutes or half an hour and they'd say, 'let's do something else.' I could play all day and never get enough. I couldn't wait to get home from school to play." Crane's status as a wunderkind was quickly evident; although he was entirely self-taught, at 14 he ran 89 balls in straight pool at a local pool room, calling each shot in advance, as is mandatory in straight pool. Following this feat, his parents replaced the smaller table with a full size tournament table. Over the next ten years some of the best players of the era, including Willie Hoppe and Andrew Ponzi, came to practice with the promising champion. Despite consistent play throughout his teenage years, Crane did not enter any tournaments until he was 23 years old. In February 1939, at age 26, Crane 150 balls against his opponent in an exhibition straight pool match on a difficult 5' by 10' table in Layton, Utah. While this was impressive in and of itself, at the crowd's urging, he continued his run, ultimately pocketing 309 consecutive setting an official record at the time. ## World titles This coup was soon followed by his first world title in 1942. Over the following three decades, Crane won almost two dozen major championships, including the World Straight Pool Championship in 1942, 1946, 1955, 1968, 1970 and 1972, the Ballantine International Championship in 1965, the International Roundrobin championship in 1968, and the World Series of Pool in 1978. Of these triumphs, his win at the 1966 BCA U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship is one of the most celebrated, him running 150 and out in the finals, never letting his opponent back to the table after an early safety battle; an accomplishment that has never been equalled in the tournament. Crane also holds the record for the most runner-up finishes at the World Straight Pool Championship on 13 occasions. Despite his mastery and world renown, Crane found it hard to make a living solely playing pool, and in 1957 began working as a Cadillac salesman at Valley Cadillac Inc. 333 East Avenue in Rochester, New York. He continued there for 17 years. According to Crane's daughter, at Rochester's annual auto show his dealership's exhibit featured a pool table at which Crane would run balls while answering questions. "Working" for a living was purely a choice of survival. In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 1969, Crane said, "If I had to make a choice between selling cars and playing pool, I'd choose pool... The only time I've ever been really happy is when I was at a pool table." Described as a "tall, lean man with the imperial bearing of the headmaster of Eton," Crane earned the appellation "the Deacon" because of his gentlemanly ways, his very cautious approach to the game and his impeccable dress, never approaching a pool table except in a conservative suit. Los Angeles Times sports columnist Jim Murray once said Crane "would make Henry Fonda look furtive." Highlighting Crane's both cautious approach and mastery, Mike Sigel, one of pool's most illustrious players, reportedly asked Crane to play one day when Sigel was a young player. Crane assented and after Sigel broke, Crane ran 200 balls and then played a . ## Later life In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Crane's wife of 64 years, Althea, stated, "A lot of people, if it was a hot day and there was no air conditioning, they'd take off their coat to play. But not Irving Crane." Rudolph Wanderone, a/k/a Minnesota Fats, once opined, "Irv Crane would have been the only guy to notice the horse under Lady Godiva," while professional rival Willie Mosconi who had criticized Crane for his cautious style, stated in his 1993 autobiography, Willie's Game, that "Crane wouldn't take a shot unless his grandmother could make it." Crane was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's hall of fame in 1978. In 1999, Crane was ranked as number eight on Billiard Digest's fifty greatest players of the century. In his entry there, he is lauded as having been, along with Mosconi, the "best in the world, flat out" between 1941 and 1956. In 1980, Crane retired from professional play. He stopped playing entirely in about 1996. On November 17, 2001, at age 88, four days after entering a nursing home, Crane died of natural causes. He was survived by his wife Althea, son Irving, daughter Sandra, three grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. ## Career Titles ## See also

Hör klockorna med ängsligt dån

Song by the 18th century Swedish bard Carl Michael Bellman

Hör klockorna med ängsligt dån (Hear the bells with anxious thunder) or Fredman's Song no. 6 is one of the Swedish 18th century poet and performer Carl Michael Bellman's Fredman's Songs, written in 1769. It is subtitled Över brännvinsbrännaren Lundholm (About brandy-distiller Lundholm). It was originally one of the texts for Bellman's Order of Bacchus. It was first performed on 15 October 1769, and quickly became popular, spreading as a transcript. It is structured as a funeral oration for a member of Lundholm's Order, parodying the Swedish system of noble Orders. ## Context ## Song ### Music and verse form The song was written on 15 October 1769. The melody is based on an ariette from Justine Favart and Adolphe Blaise's 1763 French comic operetta Annette and Lubin. There are four stanzas, each of six lines, three long and then three short. The rhyming scheme is ABA-CCA. Its time signature is . ### Lyrics The song is a lament for brandy-distiller Lundholm, described in rococo terms as a member of the Order of Bacchus. It is subtitled Över brännvinsbrännaren Lundholm (About brandy-distiller Lundholm). ## Reception Bellman's English biographer, Paul Britten Austin, states that the song was first performed at Lissander's, late in 1769, at a meeting of the Order of Bacchus. Bellman founded the Order, according to one of the participants, the poet and aristocrat Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna, "in honour of Bacchus. To it he admits no one who in the sight of all hasn't twice lain in the gutter [drunk]". Lundholm was a knight of the Order, a faithful son of Bacchus, god of wine; he saw most of his days "through a bottle's end". Britten Austin calls the words of the song "memorable", writing that > Wedded to the antique and lugubrious air, the Swedish words, in all their striking simplicity, seem to take on a weird and moving dimension beyond anything either words or music, by themselves, could express. Remote and strange, they echo a primitive realm where Eros and Thanatos alone reign over human fate—one outpost, one might say, of Bellman's ever-shifting mood. Carina Burman writes in her biography of Bellman that in the second verse, Bellman mixes styles: the first line's dully-tolling bells would fit in an epitaph poem, whereas the second line's "lull lull" is in the mode of a lullaby; and then the love-god Cupid appears, only to find that Lundholm was a bad lover, so drunk that one could become intoxicated just by kissing his chin. The third verse, she comments, adopts the common trope in which a life is represented as a day, going from the morning of childhood via the noon of youth to the evening of old age, and transforming it: Lundholm is said seldom to have seen the morning sun, while an evening blush is seen on his red nose. The last verse parodies the Swedish system of noble Orders more directly, Lundholm's knightly insignia being destroyed after his death. Burman notes that the poem was probably part of the performance that so impressed the poet and diplomat Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna when he wrote a famous diary entry of 4 December 1769 about Bellman's performing arts, and that it has since become one of the most popular of Fredman's Songs. The Bellman biographer Lars Lönnroth sets the poem in the context of Bellman's Order of Bacchus, describing his Order chapter ceremony for the funeral of knight Lundholm as "a real song-cycle in miniature with choirs and soloists for both male and female voices". In Lönnroth's view, it is perhaps the finest of Bellman's Order of Bacchus pieces, and the first to combine burlesque situation comedy with magnificent music. "Hör klockorna" is one of the choral songs, accompanied by the ringing of bells. Lönnroth writes that its description of Lundholm's corpse parodies Favart's text, which amorously described the youthful beauty of the fifteen year old Annette. In place of the shepherdess's kissable mouth and fresh skin, Bellman portrays the aged brandy-distiller's crumbling state, stinking of alcohol. Lönnroth comments that this was the first time that Bellman had managed, as Oxenstierna had observed, to unite the "ridiculous" with the "sublime", parodying both the comic opera of the song's tune and Sweden's noble Orders. The song has been recorded by the singer and actor Sven-Bertil Taube on his 1959 album Carl Michael Bellman, reissued as part of his 1987 CD Fredmans Epistlar och Sånger, and by Per Chenon on his 1989 album Bellman.

Gott ist mein König, BWV 71

1708 cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach

Gott ist mein König (God is my King), BWV 71, is a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach written in Mühlhausen when the composer was 22 years old. Unusually for an early cantata by Bach, the date of first performance is known: at the inauguration of a new town council on 4 February 1708. The text is compiled mainly from biblical sources, three different sections from Psalm 74 and several other verses. In addition, one stanza from Johann Heermann's hymn "O Gott, du frommer Gott" is sung simultaneously with corresponding biblical text, and free poetry by an unknown poet of Bach's time which relates to the political occasion. The cantata in seven movements is scored festively with a Baroque instrumental ensemble including trumpets and timpani, "four separate instrumental 'choirs', set against a vocal consort of four singers, an optional Capelle of ripienists and an organ". Stylistically it shares features with Bach's other early cantatas. Bach, then organist in Mühlhausen's church Divi Blasii, led the performance on 4 February 1708 in the town's main church, the Marienkirche. Although the cantata was planned to be performed only twice, it was printed the same year, the first of his works to be printed and the only cantata extant in print that was printed in Bach's lifetime. ## History and words From 1707 to 1708, Bach was the organist at one of Mühlhausen's principal churches, Divi Blasii, dedicated to St Blaise, where he composed some of his earliest surviving cantatas. One or two early cantatas, for example Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150, may have been written at Arnstadt, his previous residence, for a performance at Mühlhausen. He composed Gott ist mein König for a church service that was held annually to celebrate the inauguration of a new town council. The librettist is unknown; it has been speculated that the text was written by Georg Christian Eilmar, minister of Marienkirche, who had earlier prompted the composition of Bach's cantata Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131. It has also been thought that Bach himself may have assembled the text, although the suggestion is unlikely since Bach's musical setting of the final part of the text departs from its bi-strophic form. There is no evidence either way to indicate the authorship of the cantata's text. Along with other early cantatas, Gott ist mein König is of a pre-Neumeister character, not featuring the combination of recitative and arias found in later cantatas. The service was held on 4 February 1708 in the Marienkirche, the town's largest church. The score indicates that Bach deployed his musicians in different locations in the building. He composed another cantata for the occasion the following year, but it is lost. ### Theme The text centres on Psalm 74, with additional material drawn from the 2 Samuel, Genesis, and Deuteronomy. Unusual for Bach's early cantatas, some contemporary unknown poet added free text that makes reference to the "new regiment" of office bearers and the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany, Joseph I, as Mühlhausen was an Imperial free city, thus subject immediately to the emperor. There are three quotations from Psalm 74 (): - Verse 12: "Gott ist mein König von Alters her, der alle Hülffe thut, so auf Erden geschicht." ("God is my Sovereign since ancient days, who all salvation brings which on earth may be found." – ASV version: "Yet God is my King of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.") - Verses 16–17: "Tag und Nacht ist dein. Du machest, daß beyde Sonn und Gestirn ihren gewissen Lauf haben. Du setzest einem jeglichen Lande seine Gräntze." ("Day and night are Yours. You have seen to it that both sun and planets have their certain courses. You set borders to every land." – ASV: "The day is thine, the night also is thine: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth.") - Verse 19: "Du wollest dem Feinde nicht geben die Seele deiner Turteltauben." ("You would not give the soul of Your turtledove to the enemy." – ASV: "Oh deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast.") It has been suggested that these themes include a number of distinct allusions of relevance to the inhabitants of Mühlhausen. First, the reference to Psalm 74 in general, and the inclusion of verse 19 in the cantata may be making an oblique reference, accessible to contemporary audiences, to the fire of May 1707 which had destroyed parts of the city. The importance of "borders" may be an allusion to the threat to the city's independence posed by the military campaigns of Charles XII. Movement 2 combines three texts, two biblical verses and stanza 6 from Johann Heermann's hymn "O Gott, du frommer Gott", which all make reference to old age. An older view suggested this was likely a reference to the septuagenarian Conrad Meckbach, a member of the city council who was connected to Bach. More recent research lead to thinking that it likely refers to Adolf Strecker, the former mayor who had just left office aged 83 years, since "details of his public and private life match extremely well with the texts chosen for the cantata, and it seems likely that hearers would have recognized Strecker in them". ## Structure and scoring Bach structured the cantata in seven movements. He scored the vocal parts for four soloists: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The choral writing is in four parts, and the work can be sung with just four singers, the so-called OVPP approach. Some performances deploy more singers in the choral sections. The use of a larger choir is partly a question of balance with the relatively large instrumental forces, but there is also supporting evidence for the use of more than four singers in the score, where a marking implies that Bach envisaged the option of a vocal ensemble that is separate from the four soloists. This was Bach's first cantata for festive orchestra, including trumpets and timpani. The instruments are divided into four spatially separated "choirs", placing the work in the polychoral tradition associated with composers such as Heinrich Schütz. The instruments required for the Baroque instrumental ensemble are three trumpets (Tr), timpani (Ti), two recorders (Fl), two oboes (Ob), bassoon (Fg), organ obbligato (Org), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), violoncello (Vc), viola da gamba (Vg) and basso continuo. In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The keys are taken from Christoph Wolff, the time signatures from Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown. ## Music With short movements that flow into each other, the cantata shows typical characteristics of traditional 17th-century cantatas. Unlike other early cantatas, it has no instrumental introduction. John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 and performed this cantata in the Mühlhausen church where Bach was organist, notes: > No other work of his is laid out on such a grand scale in terms of its deployment of four separate instrumental 'choirs', set against a vocal consort of four singers, an optional Capelle of ripienists and an organ. A model for such "theatrical splendour" were oratorios by Dieterich Buxtehude, performed in Bach's presence at the Lübeck in 1705. ### 1 The opening chorus, Gott ist mein König von altersher (God is my King from long ago), is based on Psalm 74:12. It begins with a chord in C major from the instruments. The first line is repeated separating sections and as a summary at the end, accompanied always by a trumpet fanfare. ### 2 An aria for tenor, Ich bin nun achtzig Jahr, warum soll dein Knecht sich mehr beschweren? (I am now eighty years old, why shall Your servant burden himself any more?) is complemented by a hymn, sung simultaneously by the soprano, Soll ich auf dieser Welt mein Leben höher bringen (Should I upon this earth carry my life farther). All texts deal with old age. The section begins with the image of a descending continuo line. The tenor melody expresses sadness about the condition of old age. The chorale tune, sung with embellishments is not the most usual one for the hymn, possibly chosen to match the theme. ### 3 Another choral movement, Dein Alter sei wie deine Jugend, und Gott ist mit dir in allem, das du tust (May your old age be like your youth, and God is with you in everything that you do) sets more biblical passages, assuring that God is with people both old and young. It is set as a permutation fugue. ### 4 A bass arioso sets two more verses from the psalm, Tag und Nacht ist dein (Day and night are Yours). In ternary form, the outer sections are a sarabande, dealing with day and night, while the middle section describes light and sun, with a joyful motif in the continuo and word-painting in the voice. ### 5 An alto aria, Durch mächtige Kraft erhältst du unsre Grenzen (Through powerful strength You maintain our borders) is based on contemporary poetry. Set in C major with the trumpets and timpani as the only obbligato instruments, it is in two sections: the first in triple time marked Vivace corresponds to God's power and glory, while the second in common time is a prayer for peace on Earth. ### 6 Another psalm verse is again set as a chorus, Du wollest dem Feinde nicht geben die Seele deiner Turteltauben (You would not give the soul of Your turtledove to the enemy). The voices are set in homophony on a cello in undulating motion. Gardiner notes that it is a very personal setting, "a movement of extraordinary reticence, delicacy and the utmost tonal subtlety". He notes an upward semitone as a feature to express both yearning and the sound of the turtledove. The instruments are grouped to achieve subtle colour: recorders and cello, reeds, and strings. ### 7 The last chorus Das neue Regiment (The new regime) expresses wishes for peace and well-being under the new council. ## Importance Gott ist mein König is a significant early work of Bach. It differs from the other extant cantatas from Bach's time in Mühlhausen by its elaborate instrumentation. It was so positively received that it was the first of Bach's works to be printed (paid for by the city council); it is the only cantata to have been printed in his lifetime, at least in a version which has survived to this day. The printing is all the more remarkable as Gott ist mein König appears to have been intended for not more than one repeat performance, and a new piece was commissioned the following year. Bach was commissioned to compose another cantata for the following year's council inauguration; there is evidence that the piece was composed and even printed, but no copies are known to survive. ## Recordings The selection is taken from the listing by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website. Green background indicates instrumental groups playing period instruments in historically informed performances.

The Homosexuals (CBS Reports)

"The Homosexuals" is a 1967 episode of the documentary television series CBS Reports. The hour-long broadcast featured a discussion of a number of topics related to homosexuality and homosexuals. Mike Wallace anchored the episode, which aired on March 7, 1967. Although this was the first network documentary dealing with the topic of homosexuality, it was not the first televised in the United States. That was The Rejected, produced and aired in 1961 on KQED, a public television station in San Francisco. Three years in the making, "The Homosexuals" went through two producers and multiple revisions. The episode included interviews with several gay men, psychiatrists, legal experts and cultural critics, interspersed with footage of a gay bar and a police sex sting. "The Homosexuals" garnered mixed critical response. The network received praise from some quarters and criticism from others for even airing the program. ## Production The program was initially proposed in 1964. The first version was produced by William Peters, with production supervised by executive producer Fred W. Friendly. Upon accepting the assignment, Peters began his research by reading books and consulting with experts in the field. Peters suggested that the program focus exclusively on gay men and that he cover lesbians in a second program, and Friendly agreed. Principal filming took place starting in the fall of 1964 and continued through early 1965. Peters interviewed men in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Charlotte and New York City, accumulating 30 hours of footage. The identities of several of the men were obscured in some fashion, either in shadow or, in one instance, behind a large potted palm tree. Also interviewed were psychiatrist Charles Socarides, who strongly advocated the position that homosexuality is a mental disorder, and fellow psychiatrist Irving Bieber, who shared Socarides' opinion of homosexuality as pathology. Interspersed with these interview segments was footage, described as being in the cinéma vérité style, of the inside of a gay bar along with shots of hustlers working a street corner and a teenager being arrested in a public sex sting. After assembling a rough cut, Peters approached Mike Wallace to anchor the hour. Wallace was initially reluctant but after viewing the program enthusiastically agreed. Despite his enthusiasm, Wallace's commentary disparaged homosexuals. > The average homosexual, if there be such, is promiscuous. He is not interested or capable of a lasting relationship like that of a heterosexual marriage. His sex life, his love life, consists of a series of one–chance encounters at the clubs and bars he inhabits. And even on the streets of the city — the pick-up, the one night stand, these are characteristics of the homosexual relationship. Friendly generally approved of the first version but believed that it was necessary to include information on same-sex sexual practices. When those practices were explained to him, however, he changed his mind. While the documentary was still in production, Friendly was promoted to the presidency of CBS News but left soon after over a disagreement over the network's coverage of the Vietnam War. He was replaced by Richard S. Salant, who was known for his cost-consciousness, which put the future of the documentary and the CBS Reports series in question. Salant did try to kill the documentary, but stories about it began appearing in the trade press, putting CBS into a potentially embarrassing situation were it not to air. In mid-1965, Salant gave Peters the go-ahead to complete the episode. Peters worked with the New York chapter of the Mattachine Society to secure interviews with two additional gay subjects, Lars Larson and Jack Nichols, both of whom were fully accepting of their sexuality. Nichols later recalled his encounter with Wallace: > [A]fter we finished and the camera was turned off, Mike Wallace sat down with me and talked for about half an hour. He said, "You know, you answered all of my questions capably, but I have a feeling that you don't really believe that homosexuality is as acceptable as you make it sound." I asked him why he would say that. "Because," he said, "in your heart I think you know it's wrong." It was infuriating. I told him I thought being gay was just fine, but that in his heart he thought it was wrong. Peters added more footage of psychiatrists espousing that model along with scenes from the 1965 convention of the East Coast Homophile Organizations. CBS gave final approval to "The Homosexuals" and scheduled it to air in the spring of 1966. Salant later pulled the episode from the schedule and assigned producer Harry Morgan to re-edit it. According to Wallace, Salant found the piece sensationalistic; however, C. A. Tripp, a psychologist who had put CBS in touch with his patient Larson, claimed that Salant felt the piece was pro-homosexuality. Morgan scrapped all but about 10 minutes of Peters' final cut. CBS felt that the self-accepting gay men made too favorable of an impression, so Morgan edited two of the interviews to make the men seem unhappier. According to Wallace, no sponsor would buy time during the episode because of the taboo nature of the subject matter. Commercial spots were filled by public service announcements for the Peace Corps and the Internal Revenue Service. ## Overview The first interview subject was a gay man, Lars Larson, who appeared undisguised and who spoke positively about his sexuality. Following his interview, Wallace gave the results of a CBS News poll that found that Americans considered homosexuality more harmful to the United States than adultery, abortion or prostitution, that two-thirds of Americans described their reaction to homosexuality as "disgust, discomfort or fear" and that one in ten described their reaction as "hatred". Just ten percent believed homosexuality was a crime but the majority still believed it should be criminally sanctioned. Following the poll, another gay man was interviewed from his psychiatrist's couch with his face obscured by shadow. He described coming out to his family, saying they treated him "like some wounded animal they were going to send to the vet." Following this man was another unobscured subject Jack Nichols (who had taken on the pseudonym "Warren Adkins" for the program), co-founder of the Washington, D.C. branch of the Mattachine Society. He contrasted the comments of the previous subject, saying that he had come out to his family at age 14 and, far from being treated like a sick animal, they treated him with warmth and understanding. After remarks from Socarides advocating the disease model of homosexuality, Wallace discussed the legal aspects of homosexuality, noting that England was preparing to de-criminalize homosexual acts. Federal judge James Braxton Craven, Jr. from North Carolina advocated a re-evaluation of United States law, commenting, "Is it not time to redraft a criminal statute first enacted in 1533?" Following footage of Nichols and Mattachine D.C. co-founder Frank Kameny picketing Independence Hall and the State Department, Kameny, under his real name, advocated a re-examination of federal law that placed a blanket ban on known homosexuals receiving security clearances. Next, Albert Goldman (then an English professor at Columbia University) and author and playwright Gore Vidal debated homosexuality, with an emphasis on the presence of homosexuals in the creative arts. Goldman asserted that homosexuality "is just one of a number of...things all tending toward the subversion, toward the final erosion, of our cultural values." Vidal, asserting that homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality, countered by saying "The United States is living out some mad Protestant nineteenth-century dream of human behavior....I think the so-called breaking of the moral fiber of this country is one of the healthiest things that's begun to happen." Wallace closed with an interview with a gay man, with a wife and two children, who claimed that the narcissism of gay men made it impossible for two men to form a long-term loving relationship. Wrapping up the hour, Wallace concluded: > The dilemma of the homosexual: told by the medical profession he is sick; by the law that he's a criminal; shunned by employers; rejected by heterosexual society. Incapable of a fulfilling relationship with a woman, or for that matter with a man. At the center of his life he remains anonymous. A displaced person. An outsider. Also discussed were religious attitudes toward homosexuality and the Boise homosexuality scandal, a sweeping investigation of a supposed "homosexual underground" in Boise, Idaho, in 1955. ## Critical reaction Critical response of the time to the program was mixed. The New York Times, The Washington Star, and the Chicago Daily News praised CBS for addressing the subject. George Gent of the Times, however, commented on the anti-gay bias of the show, noting that it would "have been better to give the minority viewpoint that homosexuals are just as normal as anyone else a chance to speak for itself." The Chicago Tribune titled its review "TV No Spot to Unload Garbage" and attacked CBS for presenting such material to young and impressionable viewers. More recent critical attention to "The Homosexuals" has also been mixed, trending to the negative. In one corner, anchor Mike Wallace is praised for debunking negative stereotypes about gay men. In the other, Wallace's commentary is condemned as "a string of gross generalizations and negative stereotypes [that] sounds as if it was scripted by Rev. Jerry Falwell." In noting that approximately 20% of television viewers in the United States saw the program, LGBT activist Wayne Besen labels the broadcast "the single most destructive hour of antigay propaganda in our nation's history." He says that the episode "not only had a devastating effect on public opinion but also was a nuclear bomb dropped on the psyches of gay and lesbian Americans, who, prior to this show, had never been represented as a group on national television." ## Participants' response and personal consequences Lars Larson, the first interview subject, was infuriated after seeing the finished program. He had been led to believe that the episode would present a far more positive picture of American gay life. Larson, whose interview had been altered to make him seem less happy, filed a formal fraud complaint and withdrew his release. "They had some rather nasty, angry anti-gay people on there who were treated as professionals," he said. "I had no problem with Harry Morgan or Mike Wallace because they were thorough. But obviously others in the decision-making process were truly upset with homosexuality. They saw it as a threat to the human race and were out to kill as best they could." Jack Nichols was fired from his job as a hotel sales manager the day after the program aired. For his part, anchor Mike Wallace came to regret his participation in the episode. "I should have known better," he said in 1992. Speaking in 1996, Wallace stated, "That is — God help us — what our understanding was of the homosexual lifestyle a mere twenty-five years ago because nobody was out of the closet and because that's what we heard from doctors — that's what Socarides told us, it was a matter of shame." However, Wallace was at the time of broadcast close friends with noted designer James Amster (creator of the landmark Amster Yard courtyard in New York City) and Amster's male long-term companion, men whom Wallace later described as "a wonderful old married couple" and "[b]oth people that [he] admired". Despite this personal knowledge, Wallace relied on the American Psychiatric Association's categorization of homosexuality as a mental illness rather than his own experience in creating the episode. As recently as 1995, Wallace told an interviewer that he believed homosexuals could change their orientation if they really wanted to.

Nordberg (station)

Former Oslo metro station

Nordberg was a station on the Sognsvann Line of the Oslo Metro in Oslo, Norway. It was opened on 10 October 1934, and was located between Østhorn and Holstein stations, in a level crossing with the steep road Borgestadveien. The station saw several accidents, and was closed on 5 May 1992 when the Sognsvann Line was upgraded to rapid transit standard. An underpass was constructed to allow pedestrians pass under the tracks. ## History Nordberg station opened on 10 October 1934 as a station on the Sognsvann Line. The line was built by the municipally owned company Akersbanerne. The line was double-tracked from Majorstuen to Korsvoll, and single-tracked from there to Sognsvann. In 1939, the section Korsvoll–Sognsvann was upgraded to double track, and the station Korsvoll had its name changed to Østhorn. Nordberg was part of Holmenkolbanen's operating network until 1975, when the municipality of Oslo bought all the company's stock. In the early 1990s, the stations on the Sognsvann Line were upgraded to metro standard, which involves a heightening and lengthening of the platforms, installation of third rail power supply and a new signaling system. The third rail made it impossible to cross the line in-grade, and under- or overpasses had to be built at all stations. The transport authorities decided to close Nordberg, arguing that the access roads to the station were steep and dangerous, and icy during the winter. The residents of Nordberg opposed the closure of the station, arguing that it had served the area well with its central position in the area. Nevertheless, the station was closed, along with the level crossing that formerly had allowed for car traffic to cross the tracks. An underpass for pedestrians was constructed. ## Accidents In 1951, two young lads rode a sled over the station's level crossing, and accidentally hit a truck that was parked on the other side of the station. In 1987, a 29-year-old man was attacked by a raging moose near the station. The man ran off to a shop 40 metres (130 ft) away, and left the accident with broken ribs and a punctured lung. The reason for the moose's rage is unknown, but it was seen a few days earlier with a calf, and it is assumed that the moose wanted to protect it from foreigners. The man was sent to Ullevål University Hospital shortly thereafter. ## Location Nordberg Station was located in the steep road named Borgestadveien, that passed the station in a level crossing. The station served the local senior center named Nordberghjemmet, and was the most used of all stations among residents living in Nordberg. After the 1992 closure, very little remains from the station, aside from a pedestrians' underpass.

Parliament railway station

Railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Parliament railway station is a commuter railway station adjacent to the border of both the suburb of East Melbourne and the Melbourne CBD in Victoria, Australia. The station has two island platforms in a two-floor configuration connected to street level via two underground concourses. Parliament station opened in 1983, and it was named after the Parliament House which is located just east of the station. During the station's construction, the platforms of the station were built through tunneling. When the station had originally opened it had the longest escalator in the Southern Hemisphere; however, in 2022, this was overtaken by the escalators at Airport Central station in Perth. Parliament station is one of the three underground stations in the City Loop which is served by eleven lines organised into four groups. The station is also served by two tram routes on Bourke Street, four tram routes on Macarthur Street and one tram route on Spring Street. ## Description Parliament railway station is located on the border of both the suburb of East Melbourne and the Melbourne CBD. East of the main entrance is Macarthur Street as well as Spring Street and Collins Street is to the south. The station is located nearby the Parliament House, hence the station's name. Parliament station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. The station is approximately 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi), or around a 7-minute train journey, from Flinders Street. Parliament station consists of two island platforms in a two-level configuration. The platforms are approximately 160 metres (520 ft) long, enough for a Metro Trains 7-car HCMT. In addition to the two platform levels, there are also two underground concourses. The northern concourse is connected to street level via an exit on Lonsdale Street whereas the southern concourse is connected to street level via an exit on Macarthur Street and two exits on Spring Street. The station has no available parking facilities. The station is compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 as there are lifts linking the concourse with both the platforms and street level. ## History Parliament station was one of three underground stations included in the construction plan of the new City Loop, overseen by the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority (MURLA) formed in 1971. The station platforms were constructed using tunnelling methods. A pilot tunnel was made, enabling the walls to be constructed ahead of the main excavation. Each platform is an individual tunnel and is linked to the other platforms at the same level by several cross tunnels. That choice of design left the remaining pillar of rock between the tunnels too weak to support the required loads, so it was replaced with concrete. The booking hall to the south was constructed "upside down", with the support columns being dug with augers from ground level, then filled with concrete. The roof was then constructed over the piles from ground level, during a series of staged road closures. Once complete, the excavation of the booking hall was carried out underneath, while road traffic continued overhead. During construction, the Parliament House fence had to be removed, stored then re-erected. The station opened on 22 January 1983. At the time of opening, the station had the longest escalators in the Southern Hemisphere, but it has since been surpassed by Airport Central railway station in Perth in October 2022. On 31 January 2021, a major timetable rewrite was done to allow for the operation of the High Capacity Metro Train as well as more frequent services on both the Northern and Caulfield Groups. This included the removal of Frankston, Sandringham and Werribee lines from the City Loop., However, the Victorian State Government plans for Frankston line to recommence operations in the City Loop in 2025, once the Metro Tunnel is opened. In 2022 and early 2023 works had begun to upgrade safety features at the three city loop stations. In 2022, work had been completed for the first stage which was the installment of a new intruder alarm system. On 6 February 2023, early works commenced for stage 2 at Parliament station and is expected to be complete by late 2023 by the Victorian State Government.These upgrades include: - Upgrading ventilation shafts - Replacing existing ceiling panels - Upgrading fire sprinkler systems - Installment of new fire detection systems ## Platforms and services Parliament station is served by 11 lines which are separated into four groups and are operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. Platform 1 is served by the Clifton Hill group which consists of the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines. Services run clockwise through the City Loop, first stopping at Jolimont and then travelling together until Clifton Hill where the line splits into two. Platform 2 is served by the Caulfield group which consists of the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines. Services operate counterclockwise through the City Loop, first travelling towards Flinders Street before travelling together towards Dandenong where the line splits into two. Services on both lines run express between South Yarra and Caulfield (Malvern during off-peak). From 2025 onwards, the Victoria State Government plans to remove the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines to be removed from the City Loop and will reroute them through the Metro Tunnel. As a result, services on the Frankston line will serve the loop instead. Platform 3 is served by the Northern Group which consists of the Craigieburn, Sunbury and Upfield lines. Service patterns alternate during the day between clockwise and counterclockwise operations. Services run through the loop together before splitting off at North Melbourne. From 2025 onwards, the Victoria State Government plans to remove the Sunbury line from the City Loop and will rerouted it through the Metro Tunnel. Platform 4 is served by the Burnley Group which consists of Alamein, Belgrave, Glen Waverley and Lilydale lines. Service patterns alternate during the day between clockwise and counterclockwise operations. Services on the Burnley group split off three times, first at Burnley where the Glen Waverley line breaks off, then at Camberwell where the Alamein line breaks off. and Ringwood where the Belgrave and Lilydale lines split into two. ### Station layout ## Transport links Parliament station is served by seven tram routes departing from three different tram stops. Route 35 serves the tram stop on Spring Street, routes 86 and 96 serve the tram stop on Bourke Street and routes 11, 12, 48 and 109 serve the tram stop on Macarthur Street. Spring Street \*: City Circle Bourke Street \*: Waterfront City (Docklands) – Bundoora RMIT \*: St Kilda Beach – East Brunswick Macarthur Street: \*: Victoria Harbour (Docklands) – West Preston \*: St Kilda – Victoria Gardens \*: Victoria Harbour (Docklands) – North Balwyn \*: Port Melbourne – Box Hill

Guitar Method

Guitar Method (subtitled 1996–1999) is the only album by indie supergroup Kid Kilowatt, initially released by Second Nature Recordings on vinyl in 2003, and later on CD by Hydra Head Records in 2004. It consists of material recorded over a period of three years, including after the band's breakup. Still, it did not see release as a whole for over four years after the last track was recorded. Kid Kilowatt was formed by members of Cave In and Converge as a side project; sessions together were sporadic and rare, and the process of writing, recording and release took seven years in all. Reviewers praised the band's musicianship and the depth and range of the sound; one "much mellower" than that of the members' main projects. ## Context and recording Kid Kilowatt was initially created as 'Ester of Wood Rosin' by Cave In's Stephen Brodsky in August 1996, "inspired by [his] love for Giants Chair and [his] need for an alter-ego to Cave In". Other influences upon Kid Kilowatt's sound, as stated by Brodksy, included Sunny Day Real Estate and "early" Promise Ring. Brodsky recruited Adam McGrath, also of Cave In, on bass guitar, along with local drummer Matt Redmond and Piebald guitarist and vocalist Aaron Stuart. Brodsky took the role of guitarist and lead vocalist, and with this line-up they, in the words of Brodsky, "began to formulate some good ol' sappy-but-not-too-sappy rock n' roll tunes". The first material destined for Guitar Method was written within the initial few months, including "Teg Nugent" and "the original, 9 minute long opus version" of "Tug of War". In Autumn 1996, they recorded a four-song demo with Kurt Ballou at his 8-track home studio, GodCity. Brodsky hand-crafted the demo inserts in his high school graphic arts room, with around 400 copies pressed. According to Brodsky, they were "gone in no time". In Spring 1997, Aaron Stuart left the band in order to concentrate on his primary project, Piebald. Ballou, of Converge, who had recorded and produced their prior four track demo, joined the band in his stead, and they renamed the band "Kid Kilowatt", inspired by a Guided by Voices song entitled "Cool Off Kid Kilowatt" from their 1993 album Vampire on Titus. Now with Ballou as a full-time member, the band re-developed songs written with Stuart, including "The Bicycle Song", "7th Inning Song Formation", "The Scope", "Peeping Tomboy" and "Red Carpet". They resumed writing fresh material with "Radio Pow for Now". In their first show as Kid Kilowatt, they performed with Brodsky's "heroes", Giants Chair, in his home town of Methuen, Massachusetts. For the following six to seven months, however, all the band members were prepossessed with other musical projects, resulting in infrequent rehearsal and intermittent live performance. They did occasionally play live during this period, however, performing with bands such as Piebald, Jejune, and Regulator Watts. They recorded as Kid Kilowatt only once before the official demise of the band, in July 1997. During this session, they recorded "Bicycle Song" and "The Scope" on Ballou's 8-track machine; this version of "Bicycle Song" appeared on Hydra Head Records CD sampler Volume 1. After Brodsky joined Converge, whilst still a member of Cave In, in 1997, the amount of time being devoted to Kid Kilowatt began to wane. Matt Redmond had moved to New Hampshire also, causing "enthusiasm for the band to fizzle". They played what would be their last show in January 1998 at the Met Café in Providence, Rhode Island. Soon after that show, Brodsky left Converge in order to devote all his time to Cave In, now as not only the guitarist, but as the vocalist. McGrath and Ballou continued their duties with Cave In and Converge, respectively, and Redmond joined a new band called Eulcid. As Brodsky eulogises: "There was simply no time left in our schedules for Kid Kilowatt and the band collapsed". In November 1998, the band decided to try to record everything they had written together. Recording continued at GodCity until October 1999, occurring "completely sporadically; a week night here and there, maybe a full day during one weekend of a month or two". Brodsky describes this as "quite evident from the sound of the record". During these sessions, some new material was composed, including "Memorial Drive", "Glass of Shattered Youth", "Cadence for a Rainy Day" and "Cadence for the Desert Sun". The last Kid Kilowatt song ever recorded was the album version of "Tug of War". The record was mastered at M-works in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ## Release Predating Guitar Method by three years, Second Nature Recordings released a 7-inch Kid Kilowatt single entitled Hit Single in 2001. It includes tracks "Peeping Tomboy" and "Glass of Shattered Youth", described as "a playful companion to their Guitar Method debut full-length". The vinyl saw two pressings. Second Nature also released the original version of Guitar Method on 12" on October 14, 2003, in slightly abridged form. The vinyl edit excluded the tracks "Glass of Shattered Youth", "Blue/Green Heart" and "Tug of War". These three tracks were credited as "bonus tracks" on the Hydra Head Records CD, released on March 9, 2004. ## Reception Critical reception to the album was largely positive; reviews specifically praised the band's musicianship and the range of material on the album. Adam Moore, writing for the Tufts Observer, posits that "[a]ll of the members bring their great musical abilities to Kid Kilowatt and make them more palatable to the listener who isn't into blast beats and Jake Bannon's [of Converge] distinctive voice". The album's sound is described as "more recent Cave In, but without the spacey effects and meandering songwriting". Moore likens the sound to that of Thursday, but concedes that "Kilowatt isn’t even that metallic or scream-oriented". Attempting to categorise that band, a ScenePointBlank review writes that "[o]ne could narrowly define Kid Kilowatt as either indie-rock or post-hardcore, both are accurate descriptions". Moore says that "[o]verall, the album sounds rather pop-y", and that their use of "pop hooks combined with post-pop chord progressions" gives the album a "very melodic feel". Chris Morgan, in a glowing review, writes that Guitar Method is "a sleeper classic of the modern underground". Several songs are selected as stand-outs throughout the album. "Tug of War" is labelled as "the strongest song on the album", with John D. Luerssen writing that "the cohesiveness of the material suggests the lads in Kid Kilowatt exited this side project as friends. After all, only buddies capable of putting their differences aside could craft the soaring, majestic "Tug of War," where Brodsky's wide-reaching pipes mesh brilliantly with KK's ace musicianship". He continues to say that "the disc shifts from roaring, expansive rockers like "Bicycle Song" to crunching anthems like "Ted Nugent" and on to lilting, near-ballads like "Memorial Drive" with inexplicable ease". Moore writes that "The Scope" "encapsulates what the rest of the album will sound like. It starts out sounding rather crunchy and smooths out as the album progresses, providing a good contrasting effect that runs throughout the album". Moore, however, writes that "Memorial Drive" is "only mediocre. It's the only song on the album over five minutes long. Playing slow just isn't this band's forte, although they have the ability to write poignant lyrics". Similarly, a ScenePointBlank review states that "Cadence for a Rainy Day" and "Memorial Drive" "often diverge and lead the listener off-course". ## Track listing ## Personnel Band members - Kurt Ballou – guitar - Stephen Brodsky – guitar, vocals - Adam McGrath – bass - Matt Redmond – drums - Aaron Stuart – guitar Other personnel - Aaron Turner – album artwork and design - Nick Zampiello – mastering

1906 Florida Keys hurricane

Category 3 Atlantic hurricane in 1906

The 1906 Florida Keys hurricane was a powerful and deadly hurricane that had a major impact on Cuba and southern Florida. The fifth hurricane and third major hurricane of the season, the storm formed from a system near Barbados on October 4. By October 8, it had intensified into a tropical storm, and made landfall as a hurricane in Central America. The hurricane traveled towards Cuba, making landfall and wreaking havoc on the island. The storm then made a third landfall in the Florida Keys during the evening of October 18. At least 240 people were killed as a result of the hurricane, and damages totaled at least \$4,135,000. Of the 240 people killed during the storm, 135 were workers on the Florida East Coast Railway. The hurricane eventually led to the end of pineapple production in the Florida Keys for commercial purposes in 1915, although this was amplified by two further hurricanes in the following years. ## Meteorological history The hurricane originated from a "cyclonic perturbation" near Barbados on October 4, as reported by local newspapers. On October 5, no closed circulation was evident in the system. In Colón, Panama, a report was sent to the Weather Bureau, reporting sinking barometric pressures on October 6. It was recognized as a tropical storm early on October 8, with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h), while located in the southwestern Caribbean. As the system continued to move west on October 9, it strengthened into a hurricane, and while it began to curve toward the west-northwest, further strengthening occurred, as it intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. The hurricane made landfall in Nicaragua on October 10 as a Category 3 hurricane. The system quickly weakened to a tropical storm as it traveled west-northwestward on October 11, later passing over the Gulf of Honduras. It later struck Belize on October 13 as a strong Category 1 hurricane on October 13, tracking north-northwestward. The system weakened into a tropical storm by October 14 but restrengthened into a Category 1 hurricane by October 16. As the hurricane began to turn northeastward, it continued to intensify, attaining Category 3 status by early October 17. The hurricane continued to approach Havana during the day, and the hurricane's center passed east of Havana during the evening. The hurricane passed over southern Florida on the morning of October 18 moving northeastward, and over the next few days turned north and slowed down to the east of South Carolina. The hurricane began to weaken as it was forced to curve south-southwestward, striking Florida again as the result of a high-pressure area. The system eventually weakened to a tropical depression over Florida, and traced southwestward into the Gulf of Mexico. On October 23, the remnants of the hurricane struck Central America and dissipated on October 23. ## Preparations and impact ### Central America The town of Bluefields suffered moderate damage during the hurricane, including downed trees and damage to roofs. In western Nicaragua, widespread flooding damaged roads and disrupted the construction of a port in Corinto. In Matagalpa, many plantations were severely damaged, in addition to the destruction of bridges and roads in the city. Several landslides occurred, leading to the destruction of many hills. In addition, local crops suffered much damage, including much of the local banana and rubber crops. A large wave measuring 15 feet (4.6 m) caused by the storm was described off Nicaragua, and caused brief disappearances of the Seal Cays. Along the Mosquito Coast, the town of Prinzapolka was nearly wiped out by the hurricane. Damage to fruit plantations in Costa Rica totaled \$1,000,000. ### Cuba Havana sustained major damage from the hurricane, with 50 houses destroyed, and cable operators in Miami, Santiago, and Jamaica were unable to reach telegraph services in the city. The wall of the American legation was blown down. Vedado's sea baths were severely damaged. Havana's streetcar service was temporarily disrupted by the storm. Trees were blown down in the parks of Havana. Twenty people were killed in the city, while in Batabanó, nine people were killed, with many others missing. In Matanzas, the location of the United States' 28th Infantry, tents were destroyed and there was widespread damage. However, nobody was killed or injured in the city. In San Luis, tobacco crops were ruined, and 150 tobacco barns in the Alquízar municipality were destroyed. The sugar crop in Pinar del Río Province survived well during the hurricane. In the La Guria section of Cuba, the banana crops were completely destroyed. Rivers topped their banks throughout the country. ### Florida In Miami, over 100 houses were destroyed, and the Episcopal and Methodist churches were completely destroyed. The jail in Miami was nearly completely dismantled, and the prisoners were evacuated. In Fort Pierce, the Peninsula and Occidental railcar sheds collapsed, with the roofs blown away. A two-story brick saloon was destroyed during the hurricane. The Miami telegraph office reported street flooding in the city, and that the telegraph office was flooded. Damage in Miami amounted to \$160,000. In Key West, houses and trees were knocked down. In St. Augustine, the tide was described as the "highest in ten years," where streets were flooded throughout the city. At least 70 passengers on the steamers St. Lucia and Peerless drowned during the storm near Elliott Key. The steamers Campbell and the Sara were destroyed near the Isle of Pines, and the Elmora sank. Telegraph lines were also down south of Jupiter. The effects of the hurricane were most severe on the Florida East Coast Railway, where at least 135 people died, 104 of them on Houseboat No. 4, one of the railway's boats. Many of the workers were swept to sea on barges and flatboats; however, the steamer Jenny rescued 42 workers, who were dropped off at Key West, while another 24 were sent to Savannah, Georgia. The railway's losses totaled about \$200,000. Construction was disrupted for a whole year by the storm, as equipment was reassembled and repaired. Many farmers on the Florida Keys suffered large losses; orange groves and fields of pineapples were devastated by the storm. Six people died on plantations in the Keys. At the government wharf, the Fessenden was damaged during the hurricane. ## Aftermath Following the hurricane, all workers of the Florida East Coast Railway were provided with wooden barracks on land, and several additional safety measures were enforced. The hurricane eventually led to the end of the commercial production of pineapples in the Florida Keys. In 1947, Project Cirrus attempted to use the method of cloud seeding in a hurricane. Approximately 180 pounds (82 kg) of crushed dry ice were seeded into the 1947 hurricane. The system was successfully seeded; however, soon after the seeding, the hurricane changed course and traced toward Charleston, South Carolina. Following the seeding, the project was cancelled and numerous lawsuits were filed as the result of the sudden change of the path in the storm. However, the similar path of this hurricane prevented the success of the lawsuits. ## See also - List of Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes - List of Florida hurricanes (1900–1949) - Florida East Coast Railway

K-17 (Kansas highway)

Former highway in Kansas

K-17 was a 21.138-mile-long (34.018 km) state highway in Kansas that served Kingman and Reno counties. The route originated at an intersection with U.S. Route 54 (US-54) and US-400 south of the unincorporated community of Waterloo and ended at K-96 south of South Hutchinson. The road was maintained by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), and was a two-lane road for its entire length. The entirety of this portion of the route is now designated as a part of K-14. The route was designated in 1932. When originally designated, K-17 ran north to an intersection with US-81 near McPherson. Between 1957 and 1962, a series of changes to the route shortened it and brought its northern terminus to an intersection with K-96 near South Hutchinson. The route was decommissioned in 2012. ## Route description K-17 began at a diamond interchange with US-54 and US-400 near Waterloo in Kingman County and ran north on a two-lane road. The route passed a cemetery just north of its southern terminus and continued north through level farmland, entering Reno County and passing a few miles east of the community of Pretty Prairie, which was accessible by a county road. North of here, K-17 crossed the north fork of the Ninnescah River and curved slightly to the northwest. The route bent back to the north and continued in that direction for approximately eight miles (13 km) before twisting to the east and reaching its northern terminus at an intersection with K-96. K-17 was maintained by KDOT. In 2012, KDOT calculated the route's average annual daily traffic to be about 1000 vehicles near its southern terminus, and approximately 1600 vehicles near the northern terminus. K-17 was not included in the National Highway System, a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility. ## History K-17 was commissioned by 1932. Originally, the route went through Hutchinson and ended at US-81 south of McPherson. Only the portion from just south of Hutchinson to the city of Medora was paved. The remainder of the route was gravel. Within a year, the segment from Medora to the route's northern terminus had been paved with a bituminous surface. Between 1933 and 1936, a stretch of the route in Reno County was also given a bituminous surface. In 1940, the route was extended north from its northern terminus along the route of US-81 to an intersection with K-4 in Saline County. By this time, all segments of the route had been paved. The majority of the route had a bituminous surface, but some segments had a hard surface. Between 1941 and 1945, the whole route was paved with a hard surface. In 1957, the portion of K-17 from its intersection with K-61 to its northern terminus was redesignated as an extension of K-61. This realignment removed K-17 from McPherson and Saline counties. In 1962, K-96 was realigned through Hutchinson and replaced a portion of K-17 south of the city. This shortened K-17 yet again to its final northern terminus at an intersection with K-96. In 1977, the southern terminus was upgraded to an interchange as US-54 was upgraded to a freeway in much of eastern Kingman County. In 2012, K-17 was decommissioned when KDOT realigned a number of state highways in Reno and Kingman counties. The former alignment of K-17 was re-designated as a segment of K-14. ## Major intersections

Crazier

2009 song by Taylor Swift

"Crazier" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from the soundtrack to the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. Swift wrote the song with Robert Ellis Orrall and produced it with Nathan Chapman. A country ballad, the song has lyrics about falling in love. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, Swift makes a cameo and performs the song. "Crazier" was released on Radio Disney and Disney Channel. The song peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also entered the singles charts in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. "Crazier" was praised by critics, many of whom named it the best song on the soundtrack. ## Background and release Swift co-wrote "Crazier" with Robert Ellis Orrall. The song is set in compound time with six eighth notes per bar. It is played in E major at a moderately fast tempo of 144 beats per minute. Swift's vocals span one octave, from E₃ to B₄. The chorus has the following chord progression, E—B—C#m—A. USA Today described it as a "pretty waltz". The song's appearance in Hannah Montana: The Movie came about after filmmakers approached Swift about using her music in the film. Film officials emailed her asking for a song "that was perfect to fall in love to" and "sort of a country waltz". Although it was not written intentionally for the film, Swift sent in "Crazier" and the filmmakers "loved it". In addition, Swift offered to perform the song in the film herself as a cameo appearance. In the film, Swift performs at an open mic fundraiser to save a small town's treasured park from developers. The quick scene was filmed in a single day, but Swift's performance impressed film members. Film director Peter Chelsom said, "I've made a very big mental check to work with her again." A music video for "Crazier", directed by Peter Chelsom, features excerpts from Hannah Montana: The Movie and premiered on March 28, 2009 on the Disney Channel. It features Swift playing the song on acoustic guitar and her backup band playing other instruments, intertwined with scenes of the movie characters Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) and Travis Brody (Lucas Till). ## Critical reception Warren Truitt of About.com complimented Swift's "chim[ing]" in the ballad. Heather Phares of Allmusic praised the track, calling it "the best song on Hannah Montana: The Movie". She complimented it for being "more genuine, more effortless, than any of [Cyrus'] or Hannah's tracks". James Berardinelli agreed, stating, "Arguably, the movie's biggest mistake is having Taylor Swift perform a song, since she can sing and the comparison is not flattering to the movie's star." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly described "Crazier" as "a pretty, yearning ballad". Premiere magazine reviewer Olivia Putnal referred to Swift's performance one of the film's "high points". Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle believed that Swift's cameo was enjoyable, but also calls it a mistake on the part of the filmmakers, explaining "Swift is so talented that she makes Cyrus seem bland by comparison." Perry Seibert from TV Guide wrote, "when genuine teen star Taylor Swift shows up to perform [...] she demonstrates all the spontaneity and authenticity that Miley Cyrus lacks." In June 2022, Insider ranked "Crazier" as Swift's fourth best soundtrack song. ## Chart performance "Crazier" made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number seventy-two on the week ending April 11, 2009. "Crazier" rose three spots to number sixty-nine in the following week, but jumped to number thirty-eight on the week ending April 25, 2009 due to an 87 percent increase in digital downloads. For the week of Saturday, May 2, 2009, the song reached its peak on the Hot 100 at number seventeen, selling 110,000 downloads. It also peaked at number twenty-eight on the Pop 100 chart. As of November 2014, "Crazier" had sold one million copies in the United States. As the song was not officially released to radio as a single, digital sales also accounted for its appearance on international charts. The song debuted at number seventy-nine on the week ending April 11, 2009. For the week ending May 2, 2009, it reached number thirty on Hot Canadian Digital Singles and number sixty-three on the Canadian Hot 100. "Crazier" reached number fifty-seven on the Australian Singles Chart. The song debuted and peaked at number one-hundred in the UK Singles Chart for the week ending May 16, 2009. ## Charts ## Certifications

390th Rifle Division

Soviet WW II infantry division

The 390th Rifle Division (Russian: 390-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. It was formed twice, first in August 1941, and after its destruction in 1942, re-formed in 1944. The division landed in eastern Crimea as part of the 51st Army during the Kerch–Feodosiya landing operation, which occurred in late-December 1941 and set off the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula. The landing operation sought to relieve Soviet forces trapped in Sevastopol in southwestern Crimea, but a German counterattack in mid-January forced the Soviets, including the 390th division, to retreat eastward; they eventually were cornered in the Kerch Peninsula. As a result of language problems due to lack of Russian speakers in the division, the 390th was made into an Armenian national division in February and given an Armenian commander. The division was destroyed in the final German offensive, Operation Bustard Hunt, in May, and officially disbanded soon afterwards. The division was reformed in the Far East in November 1944 and fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria before being disbanded postwar in late 1945. ## First formation ### Formation The division began formation as part of the Transcaucasian Front on 19 August 1941, under the command of Colonel Ivan Vinogradov at Makharadze. Out of 10,252 soldiers in the division at its inception, 8,979 had never handled weapons. Most of its troops could not speak or understand Russian. The enlisted personnel of the 390th were mostly Armenian and Azerbaijani peasants, while junior and political officers were Russian and Georgian. On 23 November, it joined the 51st Army, and by early December the division command post was located at Taman on the coast of the Kerch Strait. ### Kerch landing In December 1941 and January 1942, the division and the rest of the 51st Army fought in the Kerch–Feodosiya landing operation, which began the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula, an attempt to relieve the trapped Soviet garrison at Sevastopol. After the 44th Army finished landing on 31 December, the 51st Army began crossing over the frozen Kerch Strait. Both the 44th and 51st Armies were slated to commence an offensive on 16 January, which was expected to relieve Sevastopol and recapture the whole of Crimea. However, weather conditions thawed the ice and hindered the buildup of supplies between 6 and 9 January, resulting in the cancellation of the offensive. German troops launched a counterattack at the junction of the 51st and 44th Armies on 15 January. Positioned on the 51st's left flank, the 390th saw the heaviest fighting, but held against the German attack. However, the attack forced the 44th Army to retreat and Feodosiya was recaptured by the German troops. On the morning of 16 January, the division began its own counterattack and threw the German troops back 1.5 to 2 kilometers (0.93 to 1.24 mi). The 51st Army slowly gave ground over the next two days and by 18 January was holding a line along the Isthmus of Ak-Monay in conjunction with the 44th Army. ### Operations in February and March 1942 In February, the 390th Rifle Division became an Armenian national division as part of an attempt to overcome the language barrier, as the majority of its troops still could not speak Russian fluently. As a result of mass desertions of the Caucasian troops during the previous fighting, the Armenian officer Colonel Simon Zakian replaced Vinogradov as commander of the division on 24 February. The 51st Army launched an attack on 16 March, with the 390th and 398th Rifle Divisions in reserve. On the night of 17–18 March, the 390th and 398th were moved up to their jumping-off positions in the area of Korpech village. The attacks of the two divisions began at 10:00 on 18 March, and the 390th, advancing in conjunction with the 55th Tank Brigade, overcame German resistance and captured two trench lines of the German main defensive line. By the end of the day, they had dug in on the new positions. On the morning of 19 March, Zakian committed his reserve, the 784th Rifle Regiment, into the battle. However, the rest of the attacks were unsuccessful. After army commander Vladimir Lvov received reports of a German buildup, the offensive was halted. On 20 March, the Germans counterattacked with the 22nd Panzer Division, which had recently arrived in Crimea, and took the Soviet defenses by surprise in the early morning fog. They attempted to eliminate the penetration that the 390th and 398th Rifle Divisions had made into their lines and break through the hastily prepared forward defenses of the 51st Army. Parts of the 390th began to retreat towards Height 28.2, but the situation was restored by the personal intervention of the 143rd Rifle Brigade's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Kurashvili, who rallied the troops to defend Korpech. Major Mushegh Malkhasyan's 789th Rifle Regiment was the first hit by the German tank attack, but the regiment was able to separate the German tanks from their infantry and break up the counterattack. Major L.G. Akopov's 792nd Regiment also participated in heavy fighting against the German attack. German tanks, supported by a company of infantry, broke through the 390th's line and attacked the divisional command post, forcing Zakian and his chief of staff to lead rear units in a counterattack. The German assault was eventually repulsed, and Soviet sources claim 17 tanks were destroyed. A second attack against the 398th Division followed but also failed. The Germans then followed up with a more powerful assault at the junction of the 390th and the 83rd Marine Rifle Brigade on the division's right flank. This third German assault was repulsed by Soviet anti-tank fire. From 26 to 29 March, the division's 789th Regiment and the 143rd Rifle Brigade, with tank support, attacked the German strongpoint of Koy-Asan. The 789th advanced two kilometers, entered Koy-Asan, and opened fire on the railroad bridge. However, the Soviet troops were unable to completely take the strong point. On 31 March, Lvov ordered the army to transition to echeloned defense, and the 390th was placed in the rear echelon. Around this time, Zakian was mortally wounded by a shell fragment at his command post, and died on 2 April. Colonel Ivan Lyudnikov took command on 1 April, and seventeen days later was replaced by Colonel Hmayak Babayan. In late April the Chairman of the Presidium of the Armenian SSR Supreme Soviet, Matsak Papian, presented the division with a battle flag. Around this time, at the insistence of the Crimean Front commissar Lev Mekhlis, all troops were concentrated into one single defensive line with few reserves. ### Operation Bustard Hunt On 8 May, after days of heavy aerial bombardment, the final German offensive in the Kerch Peninsula, Operation Bustard Hunt, began. The 44th Army quickly collapsed, and the 51st Army was forced to fight off frontal attacks while also defending its open left flank. The 390th, in reserve, was sent into battle at Arma-Eli, and its 789th Regiment delayed the German advance, gaining time for the rest of the division to set up a defensive line in preparation for a counterattack. However, Lvov and his command staff were killed in an airstrike on the army headquarters, and no counterattack took place. Furthermore, on 13 May, division commander Babayan was wounded and evacuated, further diminishing the army leadership. By 14 May the German advance reached the shores of Kerch Bay, cutting off the troops retreating towards Eltigen and Kamysh-Burun. At this point, the 789th Regiment, now commanded by its commissar, S. Sargsyan, launched a counterattack, throwing the German troops back on the slopes of Mount Mithridat. For three days the regiment, suffering heavy casualties, held its positions and delayed the German advance. However, German troops advanced into Kerch from the southwest and the situation became hopeless. Upon orders from the Crimean Front command, from 14 to 20 May, the 51st Army covered the evacuation of the troops. The remnants of the division were among those evacuated across the Kerch Strait, but the fighting left the division nearly destroyed. It was officially disbanded on 14 June 1942, along with other divisions destroyed in Crimea, and its survivors were used to provide the experienced core of new formations. ## Second formation The division began re-forming from a cadre of rifle brigades on 22 November 1944 as part of the Far Eastern Front, commanded by Colonel Ivan Teplyakov. The division fought in the Sungari Offensive, part of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, which began on 9 August following the Soviet declaration of war on Japan after the American Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The division advanced as part of the 5th Separate Rifle Corps (an independent unit reporting directly to the front command) on the left of the 15th Army, with the objective of taking the towns of Raohe, Baoqing, and Boli in eastern Manchukuo, a Japanese puppet state in Manchuria in northeast China. Attacking alongside the 172nd Tank Brigade, the division crossed the Amur River and captured Raohe and its fortified area from troops of the Japanese 135th Infantry Division on 10 August. The division and its parent corps then advanced southwest towards Baoqing, which was taken by the 172nd Brigade on 14 August. On 19 August, the corps linked up with troops of the 35th Army at Boli. After reaching Boli the corps' role in the fighting was effectively over, as Japanese resistance in Manchuria collapsed. The division was disbanded in late 1945 along with its corps in the Far Eastern Military District. ## Commanders The division's first formation was commanded by the following commanders: - Colonel Ivan Vinogradov (19 August 1941 – 23 February 1942) - Colonel Simon Zakian (24 February – c. 31 March 1942) - Colonel Ivan Lyudnikov (1 April – 18 April 1942) - Colonel Hmayak Babayan (19 April – 14 June 1942) The division's second formation was commanded by the following officer: - Colonel Ivan Teplyakov (22 November 1944 – 3 September 1945) ## Composition The division's first formation included the following units: - 784th Rifle Regiment - 789th Rifle Regiment - 792nd Rifle Regiment - 954th Artillery Regiment - 147th Separate Destroyer Anti-Tank Battalion - 182nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery (formerly 678th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion) - 678th Mortar Battalion - 453rd Reconnaissance Company - 672nd Sapper Battalion - 842nd Separate Communications Battalion - 476th Medical-Sanitary Battalion - 469th Separate Chemical Defense Company - 506th Auto-Transport Company - 814th Field Bakery (formerly 241st Mobile Field Bakery) - 816th Divisional Veterinary Hospital - 1449th Field Post Office - 720th Field Cash Office of the State Bank The division's second formation included the following units: - 425th Rifle Regiment - 513th Rifle Regiment - 554th Rifle Regiment - 1042nd Artillery Regiment - 475th Separate Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion - 424th Separate Destroyer Anti-Tank Battalion - 106th Reconnaissance Company - 244th Sapper Battalion - 1025th Separate Communications Battalion - 354th Medical-Sanitary Battalion - 233rd Separate Chemical Defense Company - 716th Auto-Transport Company - 612th Field Bakery - 469th Divisional Veterinary Hospital - 3157th Field Post Office - 2001st Field Cash Office of the State Bank

Mije (wrestler)

Mexican professional wrestler

Mije (real name unrevealed, born June 27, 1969) is a Mexican luchador, or professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion where he portrays a heel (known as a rudo in lucha libre, the antagonists of professional wrestling). He is one of the competitors in CMLL's Micro-Estrella ("Micro-Star") division where he competes with and against other wrestlers with dwarfism. He started his career working as a Mascota, a smaller version of a regular-sized wrestler, paired with El Alebrije, working under the name Cuije in AAA. Cuije and El Alebrije would on occasion team up and have collectively won the AAA Mascot Tag Team Championship and holds the record for the longest reign with that championship. The duo also competed in Chikara's King of Trios tournament. He began working for CMLL in 2010 as part of the Los Invasores group. His name was changed to Mije in 2012 following a lawsuit against AAA over the copyright of the characters Cuije and El Alebrije. ## Professional wrestling career ### AAA (1998–2009) In 1998, the Mexican professional wrestling promotion AAA introduced the wrestling character El Alebrije, a bright, colorful comedic character based on the Alebrije figures. AAA paired up El Alebrije with a mascota, a smaller version of the character portrayed by a little person, called Cuije. The duo was often paired up against Monsther and his diminutive sidekick Chucky for a long-running storyline feud between the two teams. During this period of time, Cuije rarely wrestled, with his first recorded match taking place in April 2002 in Monterrey, where he lost to Chucky. The colorful duo teamed up with Máscara Sagrada and Mascarita Sagrada as part of the 2003 Verano de Escándalo ("Summer of Scandal") show, where they lost to Los Headhunters (I and II) and Los Mini Head Hunters (I and II). On August 20, 2004 Cuije and El Alebrije won the AAA Mascot Tag Team Championship by defeating champions Máscara Sagrada/Mascarita Sagrada as well as Monsther/Chucky and Psicosis/Mini Psicosis to win the title. They would defend the championship in subsequent years, primarily against Chucky and Monsther. Their final official AAA Mascota Tag Team Championship match took place on December 2, 2007, where they defeated Chucky and Monsther and the team of Guapito and Scorpio Jr. ### Independent circuit (2009–2010) In April 2009 Cuije and El Alebrije left AAA, citing their dissatisfaction with the amount of opportunities they were given in recent years. After leaving AAA Alebrije, with Cuije at his side, began working on the Mexican independent circuit, especially for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and Perros del Mal Producciones. While Cuije and El Alebrije continued to use the names they were given by AAA, the company claimed that they owned the characters. To try and address this issue the team began working as "Pequeño Cuije" "Little Cuije") and "Gran Alebrije" ("Big Alebrije") when appearing for Extreme Air Wrestling. El Alebrije and Cuije made their first appearance for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Chikara as part of the 2010 King of Trios tournament that ran from April 23 to 25 at The Arena in Philadelphia. For the tournament Cuije wrestled alongside Alebrije El Oriental as Team Perros del Mal. After defeating "Team Delicioso" (Curry Man, El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream Jr.) in their opening round match, Team Perros del Mal was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals by Der Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (Ares, Claudio Castagnoli and Tursas). Cuije and El Alebrije were never officially stripped of the AAA Mascot Tag Team Championship and on November 23, 2011, the team lost a match to El Pulpito and El Pulpo in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipa where Los Pulpos were given the championship belts, even though the match was not officially recognized by AAA. ### Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2010–present) On April 12, 2010 a contingent of former AAA wrestlers including Cuije, El Alebrije, Histeria, Psicosis II and Maniaco appeared on a Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) show in Puebla, Puebla. The group drove into the arena in a black SUV and attacked La Sombra, El Hijo del Fantasma, and La Máscara after they just finished wrestling. Brazo de Plata, Místico and Jon Strongman tried to help out but were kept away by CMLL rudos Averno, El Texano Jr., and El Terrible. Following the attack, the former AAA wrestlers returned to the SUV and left the arena. After weeks of run-ins the group, dubbed Los Independientes or "The Independents" after the Independent circuit, wrestled their first match for CMLL. In their debut for CMLL on April 26, 2010, El Alebrije, Histeria, and Psicosis defeated El Hijo del Fantasma, La Máscara, and La Sombra as Cuije helped them cheat throughout the match. While Los Invasores disbanded the following year Alebrije and Cuije became a regular fixture on CMLL shows, often with Cuije clashing with fellow mascotas KeMonito and Zacarías el Perico, and brawls between any of the Mascotas usually drew a loud reaction from the crowd. In January 2012, CMLL repackaged Cuije, Alebrije, and Histeria with new ring characters. Alebrije returned to performing under the Kraneo gimmick, while Cuije was renamed Mije, which was done because AAA claimed the copyright ownership of the names and characters. In early 2017 CMLL recruited Mije and fellow mascota Zacarías to help establish a Micro-Estrellas ("Micro-Stars") division, featuring only wrestlers with dwarfism. The first match of the Micro-Estrellas division took place on April 30, 2017, which saw Microman and El Gallito defeat Mije and Zacarías in a special featured match. Mije and the Micro-Estrellas would appear on various CMLL shows, as well as making special appearances on the Mexican independent circuit, such as The Crash Lucha Libre, Promociones El Cholo, or Desastre Total Ultraviolento. For the first anniversary of the Micro-Estrellas division, CMLL held an eight-micros torneo cibernético elimination match, featuring the entire active Micro-Estrella division at the time. Mije, Angelito, Chamuel, and El Gallito take on Microman, Átomo, Guapito, and Zacarías. In the end, Microman pinned Chamuel to win the tournament while Mije was the third man eliminated from the match. For the 2018 Día de Muertos ("Day of the Dead") supercard show Mije, Chamuel, and Zacarías lost to Microman, Átomo, and El Gallito, two falls to one. Four weeks later the Micro-Estrellas also appeared at CMLL's Leyendas Mexicanas ("Mexican Legends") show where Mije, Chamuel, and Zacarías lost to Microman, El Gallito, and Guapito in the second match of the night. At the 2019 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to two legends") show Mije, Chamuel, Zacarías el Perico once again lost. ## Reception Súper Luchas magazine described the Micro-Estrellas division debut match between Microman and El Gallito vs. Mije and Zacarías, as "an encounter with a fall that literally stole the night." ## Championships and accomplishments - AAA \*AAA Mascot Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with El Alebrije

William Henry Sheppard

African-American missionary for the Presbyterian Church

William Henry Sheppard (March 8, 1865 – November 25, 1927) was one of the earliest African Americans to become a missionary for the Presbyterian Church. He spent 20 years in Africa, primarily in and around the Congo Free State, and is best known for his efforts to publicize the atrocities committed against the Kuba and other Congolese peoples by King Leopold II's Force Publique. Sheppard's efforts contributed to the contemporary debate on European colonialism and imperialism in the region, particularly among those of the African-American community. However, it has been noted that he traditionally received little attention in literature on the subject. ## Early life and education Sheppard was born in Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 8, 1865, to William Henry Sheppard, Sr. and Fannie Frances Sheppard (née Martin), a free "dark mulatto", a month before the end of the American Civil War. No records exist to confirm William Sr.'s status as a slave or freedman, but it has been speculated that he may have been among the slaves forced to serve the Confederacy as Union troops marched upon the South. William Sr. was a barber, and the family has been described as the closest to middle class that blacks could have achieved given the time and place. At age twelve, William Jr. became a stable boy for a white family several miles away while continuing to attend school; he remembered his two-year stay fondly and maintained written correspondence with the family for many years. Sheppard next worked as a waiter to put himself through the newly created Hampton Institute, where Booker T. Washington was among his instructors in a program that allowed students to work during the day and attend classes at night. A significant influence on his appreciation for native cultures was the "Curiosity Room", in which the school's founder maintained a collection of Native Hawaiian and Native American works of art. Later in life he would collect artifacts from the Congo, specifically those of the Kuba, and bring them back for this room, as evidenced by his letters home, such as "[i]t was on the first of September, 1890 that William H. Sheppard addressed a letter to General Samuel Armstrong, Hampton, From Stanley Pool, Africa, that he had many artifacts, spears, idols, etc., and he was '...saving them for the Curiosity Room at Hampton'". After graduation, Sheppard was recommended for admittance to Tuscaloosa Theological Institute, present-day Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which in 1959 dedicated its library in Sheppard's honor.) He met Lucy Gantt near the end of his time at Tuscaloosa Theological Institute, and the two became engaged but did not marry until ten years later. Sheppard developed an interest in preaching in Africa, and was supported in this endeavor by Charles Stillman, the institute's founder. The Southern Presbyterian Church, however, had yet to establish its mission in the Congo. ## Career Sheppard was ordained in 1888 and served as pastor at a church in Atlanta, but did not adapt well to the life of an urban black in a heavily segregated area of the Southern United States. After two years of writing to the Presbyterian Foreign Missionary Board in Baltimore, inquiring about starting a mission in Africa. Frustrated by the vague rationale in the rejection letters he received, Sheppard took a train to Baltimore, where he asked the chairman in person and was politely told that the board would not send a black man to Africa without a white supervisor. Samuel Lapsley, an eager but inexperienced white man from a wealthy family, intervened to offer his support, enabling Sheppard's journey to Africa. They "inaugurated the unique principle of sending out together, with equal ecclesiastical rights and, as far as possible, in equal numbers, white and colored workers". ### Mission with Lapsley Sheppard and Lapsley's activities in Africa were enabled by the very man whose atrocities Sheppard would later attempt to expose. The pair traveled to London in 1890 en route to the Congo; while there, Lapsley met General Henry Shelton Sanford, an American ally of King Leopold II and friend of a friend of Lapsley's father. Sanford promised to do "everything in his power" to help the pair, even arranging an audience with King Leopold when Lapsley visited him in Belgium. Neither the secular Sanford nor the Catholic Leopold were interested in the Presbyterians' work. Leopold was eager to make inroads into his newly acquired territory, both to begin the process of "civilizing" the natives and to legitimize his rule. The missionaries were, however, oblivious of Leopold's motives. The pair made their way to Leopoldville, and Sheppard's own writings as well as Lapsley's letters home suggest Sheppard viewed the natives in a markedly different manner from other foreigners. Sheppard was considered as foreign as Lapsley and even acquired the nickname "Mundele N'dom", or "black white man". Despite being of African descent, Sheppard believed in many of the stereotypes of the time regarding Africa and its inhabitants, such as the idea that African natives were uncivilized or savage. Very quickly though his views changed, as exemplified by a journal entry: > I grew very found of the Bakuba and it was reciprocated. They were the finest looking race I had seen in Africa, dignified, graceful, courageous, honest, with an open smiling countenance really hospitable. Their knowledge of weaving, embroidering, wood-carving and smelting was the highest equatorial Africa. The natives' resistance to conversion bothered Lapsley more than Sheppard, as Sheppard viewed himself more as an explorer than a missionary. While Lapsley was on a trip to visit fellow missionary–explorer George Grenfell, Sheppard became familiar with the natives' hunting techniques and language. He even helped to avert a famine by slaying 36 hippos. Sheppard contracted malaria 22 times in his first two years in Africa. ### Contact with the Kuba Sheppard became versed in the Kuba language and culture. In 1892, he took a team of men to the edge of the Kuba Kingdom. He originally planned to ask for directions to the next village under the guise of purchasing supplies, but the chief of the village only allowed one of his men to go. Sheppard used a variety of tricks to make his way further into the kingdom, including having a scout follow a group of traders and, most famously, eating so many eggs that the townspeople could no longer supply him and his scout was able to gain access to the next village to find more eggs. Eventually, however, he encountered villagers that would allow him to go no further. While Sheppard was formulating a plan, the king's son, Prince N'toinzide, arrived and arrested Sheppard and his men for trespassing. King Kot aMweeky, rather than executing Sheppard, told the village that Sheppard was his deceased son. King aMweeky declared Sheppard "Bope Mekabe", which spared the lives of Sheppard and his men. This was a political move on the part of the king; in danger of being overthrown, he encouraged interest in the strangers to direct attention away from himself. During his stay in the village, Sheppard collected artifacts from the people and he eventually secured permission for a Presbyterian mission. The king allowed him to leave on the condition that he return in one year. He would be unable to do so for several years, however, by which time Kot aMweeky had been overthrown by Mishaape, the leader of a rival clan. ### Documentation of Congo Free State atrocities In the late 19th century, King Leopold II started to receive criticism for his treatment of the natives in Congo Free State. In the United States, the main outlet of this criticism was the Presbyterian church. In 1891, Sheppard became involved with William Morrison after Lapsley's death. They would report the crimes they saw, and later, with the help of Roger Casement, would form the Congo Reform Association (CRA), one of the world's first humanitarian organizations. In January 1900, The New York Times published a report that said 14 villages had been burned and 90 or more of the local people killed in the Bena Kamba country by Zappo Zap warriors sent to collect taxes by the Congo Free State administration. The report was based on letters from Southern Presbyterian missionaries Rev. L. C. Vass and Rev. H. P. Hawkins stationed at Luebo and the subsequent investigation by Sheppard who visited the Zappo Zaps' camp. Apparently taken for a government official, he was openly shown the bodies of many of the victims. Sheppard saw evidence of cannibalism. He counted 81 right hands that had been cut off and were being dried before being taken to show the State officers what the Zappo Zaps had achieved. He also found 60 women confined in a pen. Sheppard documented his findings using a Kodak camera, taking a picture of three mutilated men and one of the captive women. The massacre caused an uproar against Dufour and the Congo Free State itself. When Mark Twain published his King Leopold's Soliloquy five years later, he mentioned Sheppard by name and referred to his account of the massacre. In January 1908, Sheppard published a report on colonial abuses in the American Presbyterian Congo Mission (APCM) newsletter, and both he and Morrison were sued for libel against the Kasai Rubber Company (Compagnie de Kasai), a Belgian rubber contractor in the area. The case went to court in September 1909, and the two missionaries were supported by the CRA, American Progressives, and their lawyer, Emile Vandervelde, who was Belgian socialist. The judge acquitted Sheppard on the premise that his editorial had not named the major company, but smaller charter companies instead. However, it is likely that the case was decided in favor of Sheppard as a result of international politics; the U.S., socially supportive of missionaries, had questioned the validity of King Leopold II's rule in the Congo. Morrison had been acquitted earlier on a technicality. Sheppard's reports often portrayed actions by the state that broke laws set by the European nations. Many of the documented cases of cruelty or violence were in direct violation of the Berlin Act of 1885, which gave Leopold II control over the Congo as long as he "care[d] for the improvements of their conditions of their moral and material well-being" and "help[ed] in suppressing slavery." ## Legacy Sheppard's efforts contributed to the contemporary debate on European colonialism and imperialism in the region, particularly among the African-American community. However, historians have noted that he has traditionally received little recognition for his contributions. Over the course of his journeys, Sheppard amassed a sizable collection of Kuba art, much of which he donated to his alma mater, Hampton University, which has his collection on display at the Hampton University Museum. He was possibly the first African-American collector of African art. This art collection was notable because it "acquired the art objects in Africa, from Africans at all levels in their society...in the context of their daily existence" and, as a whole, Kuba art is considered "one of the most highly developed of African visual art forms...." The collection, as a whole, is quite large; from the time of his arrival to Congo Free State in 1890 until his final departure 20 years later, in 1910, Sheppard was collecting art and artifacts from the cultures around him. Sheppard's collection was also useful to ethnologists of the time because the Kuba culture was not well known by the outside world, even by those well-versed with African studies. For example, the collection does not feature a large number of carved human figures or any figurine that could be connected to a deity of some sort. That could be taken as evidence that the Kuba either had no religion or had one that was not outwardly expressed through art. On the issue of the collection's scientific value, Jane E. Davis of the Southern Workman journal wrote that "it not only meets the requirements of the ethnologists, but those of the artist as well. Already it has been used by scientists to establish the origins of the culture of the Bakuba tribe." ## See also - George Washington Williams - Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley

U-50-class submarine

Planned Austro-Hungarian Navy submarines during WWI

The U-50 class was a class of four ocean-going submarines or U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine or K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) during World War I. The design of the boats was based on the Project 835 design purchased from the German firm of Germaniawerft in July 1915. The Navy authorized Ganz Danubius to begin construction of the submarines in Fiume in February 1916. Only two of the planned four boats were laid down, but neither were ever launched or completed. The two incomplete submarines were scrapped after the war ended. ## Design Austria-Hungary's U-boat fleet was largely obsolete at the outbreak of World War I, and, over the first two years of the war, the Austro-Hungarian Navy focused its efforts on building a U-boat fleet for local defense within the Adriatic. With boats to fill that need either under construction or purchased from Germany, efforts were focused on building ocean-going submarines for operation in the wider Mediterranean, outside the Adriatic. To that end, the Austro-Hungarian Navy purchased plans for the Germaniawerft Project 835 design on 11 July 1915 in order to build under license in Austria-Hungary. The plans called for a submarine that displaced 840 t (930 short tons) surfaced and 1,100 t (1,200 short tons) submerged. The boats were to be about 241 feet (73 m) long with a beam of 20 feet 8 inches (6.30 m) and a draft of 12 feet 11 inches (3.94 m). For propulsion, the design featured two shafts, with twin diesel engines of 2,300 bhp (1,700 kW) (total) for surface running at up to 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h), and twin electric motors of 1,200 shp (890 kW) (total) for submerged travel at up to 9 knots (16.7 km/h). The U-50 class boats were designed for a crew of 33 men. The U-50 design called for six 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes—four bow tubes and two stern tubes—and carried a complement of nine torpedoes. The original design specified two 10 cm/35 (3.9 in) deck guns, which were superseded by two 120 mm/35 (4.7 in) deck guns in plans for the third and fourth boats. ## Construction On 7 February 1916, Ganz Danubius of Fiume received authorization to build two boats of the class, U-50 and U-51. These first two boats, which comprised one-third of the six ocean-going submarines under construction in 1916, were followed by orders for U-56 and U-57 in September 1918. Shortages of skilled shipyard workers and materials slowed construction of the boats, and as a result, neither of the first two boats was ever launched, much less completed. The second pair was cancelled before either was laid down. U-50 was 90% complete at war's end, while U-51 was only 60% complete. Both boats had been scrapped in place in 1920.

Supergirl (Stefania song)

2020 single by Stefania

"Supergirl" (stylized as SUPERG!RL) is a song recorded by Greek-Dutch singer Stefania, digitally released on 1 March 2020. It was written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, lyricist Sharon Vaughn, and production team Arcade. The song was intended to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 before the event's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefania had been internally selected as the country's representative by Greek public broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT). The track is a dance-pop song that encourages teenagers to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. For promotion, Stefania released a music video of the song and appeared on talk shows in both Greece and the Netherlands. ## Background and composition On 3 February 2020, during a Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) newscast, Stefania was announced as the Greek entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Supergirl". "Supergirl" was written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, lyricist Sharon Vaughn, and production team Arcade, consisting of Anastasios Rammos, Diverno, Gabriel Russell and Pavlos Manolis. The song and its accompanying music video were released on 1 March 2020, during ERT's premiere of Eurovision Song Contest - Final Countdown, hosted by Mihalis Marinos. Given that Stefania was the youngest artist ever selected to represent Greece, at 17, Kontopoulos stated that it was difficult to find the right song for her, as he sought one that would fit both her age and personality. In a press release, ERT described "Supergirl" as an "up-tempo pop song with ethnic elements", while Stefania added that it's "a dance pop song in true Ariana Grande style". ERT also described that the song encourages teenagers to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams, inspired by Stefania's daily struggles to combine her duties as a student while pursuing her dream of singing. ## Music video and promotion The music video was released at the same time as the premiere of the song on 1 March 2020. Konstantinos Karydas directed the video, which was filmed over a two-day period at four locations in and around Athens. Karydas said: > "We created a story with surreal elements. We are following a young girl who finds the strength to embrace her specialty in a society that sees her as something foreign. It is a journey of exploration of power within it. The video comes to complement the song, which is dynamic and fresh. The whole team is made up of professionals, who in their field have given 100% to get a perfect result. We also had a great collaboration with Stefania, which surprised us with her hard work and acting skills". The video portrays Stefania as a supernatural being with the ability to fly and use telekinesis. Reluctant to exhibit her powers, she is seen helping a classmate avoid slipping on a banana and saves a cat from a tree. Throughout the video a classmate takes an interest in her and she eventually realizes that the "greatest power may well be love". Stefania has since been featured in both print and broadcast media in Greece and her native Netherlands. She appeared on the popular Dutch talk show Jinek speaking of her excitement about participating in the contest and was subsequently featured in a cover shoot for Gala magazine. The Dutch broadcaster VPRO was also recording her for a documentary. In Greece, Stefania's promotion began a year prior with her performance of the song "Con Calma" at the MAD Video Music Awards in June 2019. In advance of Eurovision, ERT sought to see if Stefania and the Greek audience had a connection. Following her selection and appearance on Greek television, she found that the Greek paparazzi would follow her and fans began to recognise her, which Stefania called "a very funny experience". An unplugged version of the song was performed in late March as part of Kontopoulos' initiative "Qsessions" during the COVID-19-related lockdown. It served as her first live performance of the song. ## Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was originally scheduled to take place at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands and consist of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, and a final on 16 May 2020. According to Eurovision rules, each country, except the host nation and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), would have been required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final would have progressed to the final. On 28 January 2020, the allocation draw was held, placing "Supergirl" into the first half of the second semi-final. Fokas Evangelinos was hired to organize the staging and choreography for the performance. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the contest was cancelled on 18 March 2020. The EBU announced soon after that entries intended for 2020 would not be eligible for the following year, though each broadcaster would be able to send either their 2020 representative or a new one. ERT responded that its intention was to continue its cooperation with Stefania for the next contest in 2021. During a Eurovision Song Celebration YouTube live stream, the EBU revealed that it would have opened the second semi-final, preceding Estonia's entry, which was also written by Vaughn. ### Alternative song contests Some of the broadcasters scheduled to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 have organised alternative competitions. Austria's ORF aired Der kleine Song Contest in April 2020, which saw every entry being assigned to one of three semi-finals. A jury consisting of ten singers that had represented Austria at Eurovision before was hired to rank each song; the best-placed in each semi-final advanced to the final round. In the third semi-final on 18 April, "Supergirl" placed seventh in a field of 13 participants, achieving 51 points. The song also partook in Sveriges Television's Sveriges 12:a in May, and was qualified for the final round, finishing 15th. ## Track listing - Digital download 1. "Supergirl" – 3:00 ## Credits and personnel Credits adapted from YouTube. Locations - Recorded at Vox Studios (Athens, Greece) - Mixed at Cinelab Studios (Moscow, Russia) - Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios (New York, New York, USA) Personnel - Lead vocals – Stefania - Songwriting – Dimitris Kontopoulos, Arcade, Sharon Vaughn - Production – Dimitris Kontopoulos, Arcade - Mixing – Andrei Konoplev - Mastering – Chris Gehringer - Recording – Aris Binis ## Charts ## Release history

Hurricane Elida (2002)

Category 5 Pacific hurricane in 2002

Hurricane Elida was the first hurricane of the 2002 Pacific hurricane season to reach Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Forming on July 23 from a tropical wave, the storm rapidly intensified from a tropical depression into a Category 5 hurricane in two days, and lasted for only six hours at that intensity before weakening. It was one of only sixteen known hurricanes in the East Pacific east of the International Date Line to have reached such an intensity. Although heavy waves were able to reach the Mexican coastline, no damages or casualties were reported in relation to the hurricane. The hurricane moved westward due to a high pressure ridge while undergoing two eyewall replacement cycles: the first was around peak intensity and was completed when the hurricane moved over cooler waters, and the second was a brief cycle shortly after the hurricane began to weaken. The last advisory was issued while the hurricane was west of Mexico, but it was not until the remnants were west of Los Angeles, California that they finally dissipated. Elida's rapid intensification and unsteady weakening after reaching its peak intensity caused large errors in the intensity forecasting of the hurricane. Although the intensity forecasts were off, the track forecasts were better than usual compared to the ten-year period prior to that year. ## Meteorological history Elida formed from a tropical wave that left the coast of Africa on July 13. The wave moved uneventfully through the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, emerging over the Pacific Ocean on July 21. The wave began organizing the next day, becoming Tropical Depression Six-E on July 23 while 350 mi (560 km) south-southeast of Puerto Escondido, Mexico. The depression was predicted to move westward due to the presence of a ridge of high pressure which was also controlling the movement of Hurricane Douglas. Due to low shear and warm ocean waters, it was predicted that the depression would reach hurricane strength in 48 hours. The depression began rapid intensification while moving westward, and only six hours after being recognized as a depression, the system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Elida while displaying banding features and a central dense overcast. The forecast was revised, now predicting the storm to attain hurricane strength the next day. The storm continued to rapidly intensify and gradually developed a banding eye feature and infrared satellite images showed a possible eyewall in the central dense overcast. After six more hours, a small eye had formed and Elida was upgraded to a high-end Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with 110 mph (180 km/h) winds on July 24, only eighteen hours after having first been initiated as a 35 mph (56 km/h) tropical depression. Elida continued to rapidly strengthen, breaking the Dvorak estimates and reaching 135 mph (217 km/h) six hours afterward, making it a Category 4 hurricane and resulting in a rare forecast for the hurricane to reach Category 5 intensity. The hurricane, moving at 16 mph (26 km/h), proceeded to make a west-northwestward turn while displaying an eye with an estimated diameter of 11 mi (18 km). On July 25, Elida reached the highest sustained wind speed of a Category 4 hurricane, at 155 mph (249 km/h), though the possibility that Elida was briefly a Category 5 hurricane just prior to the advisory issuance was indicated. Even though a later discussion mentioned that Elida had attained Category 5 status, it was not until the Tropical Cyclone Report that it was finally analyzed that Elida had maintained Category 5 strength for only six hours. At this time, Elida was observed to have formed concentric eyewalls, but it was not until the hurricane moved over cooler waters that the storm's eyewall replacement cycle was completed. Afterward, the hurricane began to weaken in an irregular fashion. After the inner eyewall dissolved, the intensity of the hurricane decreased to a low-level Category 3 storm, with winds of 120 mph (190 km/h). By this time, Elida had reached the edge of the ridge that kept the cyclone from turning northwest, and a turn to the northwest was beginning. The hurricane proceeded to undergo another eyewall replacement cycle, lowering its intensity to Category 2 intensity. Late on July 26, the eye disappeared from satellite. The weakening trend continued, and Elida weakened to a tropical storm on July 27. At this time, a weakness in the subtropical ridge allowed the storm to make a turn towards the north. Early on July 28, Elida began redeveloping, regaining moderate convection and possibly reintensifying, but eventually, the storm weakened back into a depression early on July 29. On the next day, Elida degenerated into a remnant low, and the last advisory was issued while an area of convection was displaced to the north of the center, with 12-foot (3.7 m) seas in the area. The center was 805 mi (1,296 km) from Punta Eugenia, Mexico when the last advisory was issued. The remnant low of Elida moved northeast and eventually dissipated on July 31, 535 mi (861 km) west of Los Angeles, California. ## Impact Although the winds and rains associated with the storm remained far offshore, the Tropical Cyclone Report issued by the National Hurricane Center mentioned the likeliness that Elida caused swells and waves to hit the Mexican shore, but no reports of damage or casualties linked to Elida were ever received and no land advisories were ever needed for the hurricane. The only report anywhere near the storm came from the "New Century 1" vehicle carrier ship (call sign "H9LA"), which was 230 mi (370 km) from the center of the hurricane. The ship reported winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a pressure of 1008.5. While the track errors associated with forecasting the hurricane were lower than the errors in the period between 1992 and 2001, Elida's intensity proved to be hard to predict, leading to large errors in NHC forecasts. The errors in the forecast period except for the 72‐hour period were worse than the long-term average. The large errors in intensity forecasts were blamed on the rapid intensification of the hurricane to 160 mph (260 km/h) winds and the unsteady weakening after reaching peak intensity. When the MERIS sensor aboard the European Space Agency's satellite Envisat observed and recorded Hurricane Elida at peak intensity, it was the first time that the sensor had observed a hurricane. The sensor was originally designed primarily for recording oceanic biology and water quality as well as land vegetation, clouds, and water vapor. ## See also - List of Pacific hurricanes - List of Category 5 Pacific hurricanes

Shannon Leto

American drummer (born 1970)

Shannon Leto (/lɛtoʊ/; born March 9, 1970) is an American musician best known as the drummer of rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He co-founded the group in 1998 in Los Angeles, California, with his younger brother Jared. Their debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars (2002), was released to positive reviews but only to limited success. The band achieved worldwide fame with the release of their second album A Beautiful Lie (2005). Their following releases, This Is War (2009) and Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013), received further critical and commercial success. As of September 2014, the band has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Leto has worked on several side projects during his career, including a collaboration with Antoine Becks, a recording with the short-lived supergroup The Wondergirls, and performing on occasional dates with Street Drum Corps. His creative contribution to music has received praise from musicians and critics. He is noted for his dynamic drumming style and his energetic live performances. ## Early life Shannon Leto was born in Bossier City, Louisiana, to Constance Leto (née Metrejon). His mother has Cajun ancestry. "Leto" is his stepfather's surname. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he and his younger brother, Jared, lived with their mother and their maternal grandparents, William Lee Metrejon and Ruby Russell. His father remarried and committed suicide when Shannon was ten years old. Leto moved frequently with his family from his native Louisiana around the country. He has two younger half-brothers from his father's second marriage. Leto's mother joined the hippie movement and encouraged her sons to get involved in the arts. Leto became interested in percussion from the moment he and his brother started playing music together at early age, and his models were artists of many different mediums. "I come from a pretty artistic family," he explained, "There were canvases and paint everywhere, instruments, and all sorts of stuff. It just kind of made sense. I started playing on pots and pans at a very early age, so I just kind of flowed into it. It was just a natural progression." He received his first drum kit when he was ten years old and began teaching himself, developing his own style. Shannon Leto has described his adolescence as a troubled time, in which he used drugs and dropped out of school. He said, "I was in a mess, I felt I didn't belong anywhere", calling himself as an "outsider" who hated conformity and rules, and "took any opportunity to break them." Ultimately, Jared helped him recover from drugs. ## Music career Leto formed the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars in 1998 in Los Angeles, California with his brother Jared. Their debut album had been in the works for a couple of years and was recorded in rural Wyoming during 2001 and early 2002. Their work led to a number of record labels being interested in signing Thirty Seconds to Mars, which eventually signed to Immortal Records. The band worked with producers Bob Ezrin and Brian Virtue on their debut album 30 Seconds to Mars, which was released on August 27, 2002, in the United States through Immortal and Virgin. It reached number 107 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top Heatseekers. Upon its release, 30 Seconds to Mars was met with mostly positive reviews; music critic Megan O'Toole felt that the band has "managed to carve out a unique niche for themselves in the rock realm." The album was a slow-burning success, and eventually sold two million copies worldwide as of March 2011. It took two years to record their next release A Beautiful Lie, with the band traveling to four different continents to accommodate Jared Leto's acting career. A Beautiful Lie was released on August 30, 2005, in the United States. It has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has reached platinum and gold status in several countries, with a sales total of over four million. The band heavily toured in support of the album and played at several major festivals, including Roskilde, Pinkpop, Rock am Ring, and Download. In August 2008, during the recording process of the band's third studio album, Thirty Seconds to Mars attempted to sign with a new label, prompting EMI (the parent label of Virgin), to file a \$30 million breach of contract lawsuit. After nearly a year of legal battles, the band announced on April 28, 2009, that the suit had been settled following a defence based on the De Havilland Law. Thirty Seconds to Mars then signed a new contract with EMI and released their third album This Is War in December 2009 to critical acclaim. This Is War reached the top ten of several national album charts and earned numerous music awards. The band began their Into the Wild Tour in February 2010 and was among the hardest-working touring artists of the year. In December 2011, they entered the Guinness World Records for most live shows during a single album cycle, with 300 shows. In September 2012, Leto released a remixed version of "Night of the Hunter", a track featured on This Is War. The musician explained that he wanted to "reinvent" the song, to "shed a different light on it by bringing a dance element to it." Thirty Seconds to Mars released their fourth album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, in May 2013 through Universal. It received generally positive reviews and reached the top ten in more than fifteen countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. The band promoted the album by embarking on their Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams Tour and the Carnivores Tour, co-headlining with Linkin Park. In April 2014, Thirty Seconds to Mars announced that they have parted from Virgin Records after tumultuous years with the label. ## Artistry Leto is known for his energetic live performances and his ability to blend traditional and experimental drum techniques. During the production of Thirty Seconds to Mars first studio album, he played almost exclusively electronic drums and drew influence from bands such as Pink Floyd, The Cure, Led Zeppelin, and The Who, which he considers "mostly big conceptional bands; bands that had depth; bands that were dynamic." Bob Ezrin, producer of the album, felt that Leto is "one of the most inventive drummers I've worked with. He isn't satisfied with simply adding a beat; his drum parts are an integral part of the orchestration of the record. He's also a great live drummer who is lots of fun to watch, with a presence and energy level that are mesmerizing." Leto switched to a mostly acoustic set-up on the band's next release A Beautiful Lie. His equipment consists of a hybrid kit that combines both acoustic and electric elements. His drum technician Joseph Ciccone, better known as Kentucky, stated that Leto's "sound is his technique. He's an animal behind that kit, so I love giving him tons of things to beat up." During the production of This Is War, Leto widened his style with an abundance of electronic sounds and synth textures created by himself. He wrote the instrumental track "L490" and played every instrument on it, including all guitars and a singing bowl. He experimented with different instruments and drew influences from a varied range of styles in Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams. Steve Lillywhite, who co-produced two band's albums, felt that Leto treats drumming "unlike most drummers do in rock bands. His cross rhythms explode in a guttural way ... very musical, extremely unique." Leto was largely an autodidact on drums; "I've always wanted to find my way of doing things," he explained, "Discovering what I can contribute with my own voice. There were so many styles that I was into at a young age. I didn't want to get locked into just one thing." During his youth, Leto had been a devoted fan of progressive rock and blues music, listening to artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Boz Scaggs. He is inspired by electronic music, including Depeche Mode and The Cure. His major influences also include jazz band Steely Dan, as well as heavy metal groups Mountain, Iron Maiden and Kiss. According to Leto, these artists were commercially viable but also respected for their statements and contributions. He explained that he "never focused on the drummers," saying that he felt more connected to music than a particular drummer. When Thirty Seconds to Mars first started, the Leto brothers experimented to try and create a specific sound, whose process was described as "very organic". They were attempting to produce a "feeling" rather than a sound, in order to recreate the sense of community that marked their childhood. Leto also stated that the band's concerts are a direct reflection of that period of his early life. Journalist Kelly King, a long-time contributor with Drumhead magazine, opined that Leto is "energy and grace behind the drums, stoking the fire that drives his band." He commented that the musician is both confident and aggressive on his kit, and felt that "his drive to push himself to the limit, to create and explore his own artistic capabilities is paramount." Ryan Jones, writing for Alternative Addiction, described Leto as one of rock's most dynamic drummers of present day. He received the Indie Drummer Award at the 2012 Drummies Awards. He was also nominated for Alternative Drummer in 2009 and 2011. ## Other work In 1994, Leto found a minor role on the television series My So-Called Life, in which his brother starred. He later appeared in the films Prefontaine (1997), Sol Goode (2001), and Highway (2002). Leto recorded the songs "Drop That Baby" and "Let's Go All the Way" with the short-lived supergroup The Wondergirls in 1999, which members included Scott Weiland, Mark McGrath, and Ian Astbury, among others. Since 2007, Leto has performed on occasional dates with American percussion band Street Drum Corps. In June 2008, he joined Habitat for Humanity to work with Thirty Seconds to Mars on a home being repaired and renovated through the Greater Los Angeles Area's "A Brush With Kindness" programme. Leto began producing American electronic band CB7 after meeting musician Antoine Becks in 2009. CB7 later supported Thirty Seconds to Mars on the North American leg of their Into the Wild Tour in 2011. The same year, Leto created a side project with Becks and toured worldwide with him until the summer of 2012, when the duo split. In 2014, Leto launched Black Fuel Trading Company, a lifestyle brand primarily focusing on responsibly sourced, direct-trade coffee. ## Discography Thirty Seconds to Mars studio albums - 30 Seconds to Mars (2002) - A Beautiful Lie (2005) - This Is War (2009) - Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013) - America (2018)

Saverne Tunnel

Rail tunnel in France

The Saverne Tunnel (French: Tunnel de Saverne), also known as the Ernolsheim-lès-Saverne Tunnel (French: Tunnel d'Ernolsheim-lès-Saverne), is a twin-bore 4-kilometre-long (2.5 mi), high-speed rail tunnel in western Bas-Rhin, France. It carries the LGV Est line of France's TGV high-speed rail network through the narrowest part of the Vosges mountain range, beneath Mont Saint-Michel and adjacent to the Saverne Pass. The tunnel consists of two bores, containing one rail track each, that are connected by passageways every 500 metres (1,600 ft). The LGV Est crosses the 270 m (890 ft) Haspelbaechel viaduct near the western end of the tunnel. The tunnel was excavated by a tunnel boring machine between November 2011 and February 2013. Civil engineering work on the tunnel ended in April 2014 and it opened with the rest of the second phase of the LGV Est on 3 July 2016. The total cost of the tunnel was approximately €200 million. ## Background The Saverne Tunnel was constructed as part of the second phase of the LGV Est européenne (often shortened to LGV Est). to connect Paris and Strasbourg—the principal city of the Grand Est region and home to several European institutions, including the Council of Europe. The first phase across 300 kilometres (190 mi) of relatively flat land from Vaires-sur-Marne (near Paris) to Baudrecourt (near Metz and Nancy) opened in 2007. The second phase traverses 106 km (66 mi) of rougher terrain from Baudrecourt to Vendenheim (near Strasbourg). Opened in 2016, it further reduced travel time between Paris and Strasbourg from 2h20min to 1h50min and reduced travel time from Luxembourg City to Strasbourg from 2h10min to 1h25min. The Saverne Tunnel crosses the northern Vosges at its narrowest point and is adjacent to the Saverne Pass, which already contains the A4 autoroute, Departmental Route 219, and remnants of an ancient Roman road. The line was originally built for Réseau Ferré de France (RFF), which owned and operated the infrastructure of the French national railway network. In a government restructuring of the French railroad network, RFF was merged into SNCF on 1 January 2015 and is now a subdivision of SNCF known as SNCF Réseau. ## Construction The tunnel was part of the Lot 47 segment of the LGV Est for the contracting and construction. Lot 47 consisted of the Saverne Tunnel, the adjacent Haspelbaechel viaduct, and an additional 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) of the LGV line through the communes of Danne-et-Quatre-Vents in Moselle and Eckartswiller, Saint-Jean-Saverne, and Ernolsheim-lès-Saverne in Bas-Rhin. In September 2010, RFF awarded a €184.3 million design-build contract for Lot 47 to a consortium of 13 companies, led by . The Saverne Tunnel was built by Spie Batignolles and Dodin Campenon-Bernard, at a cost of approximately €200 million. The two bores of the Saverne Tunnel were excavated with a 110 m (360 ft), 2,200-tonne (2,400-ton) tunnel boring machine (TBM), manufactured by Herrenknecht. The TBM was used to excavate 3,820 m (12,530 ft) of the 4,200 m (13,800 ft) tunnel, the remainder consisting of false tunnel constructed at both ends. The TBM was christened Charlotte—in honor of a girl from a nearby village—in a ceremony on 25 October 2011. It began excavation of the first bore on 10 November 2011 from the eastern side of Mont Saint-Michel and completed the first bore over a month ahead of schedule on 19 June 2012. For the first bore, 1932 rings were installed, using 15,456 precast concrete lining segments (8 per ring). The TBM excavated 307,000 cubic metres (10,800,000 cu ft) of earth at an average speed of 20 m (66 ft) per day. Excavation of the second bore began on 26 September 2012 and finished on 25 February 2013. The 730,000 m³ (26,000,000 cu ft) of earth excavated during tunneling was used to construct embankments in nearby sections of the LGV Est line. In total, 30,960 precast concrete lining segments were used. Concreting of the final interconnecting passage was completed on 24 June 2013, marking the end of construction of the tunnel walls. On 14 April 2014, civil engineering work on the tunnel was completed, but railroad signaling and equipment still needed to be installed. Service on the LGV Est line was originally scheduled to begin on 3 April 2016; however, a fatal accident that occurred elsewhere on the new line in November 2015 during commissioning tests delayed the opening of the line until 3 July 2016. ## Characteristics The tunnel lies beneath Mont Saint-Michel, beside the Col de Saverne, and within the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, a Natura 2000 site. It is located close to the border with the department of Moselle and within three communes of the department of Bas-Rhin: Eckartswiller, Saint-Jean-Saverne, Ernolsheim-lès-Saverne. The tunnel is part of the LGV Est high-speed rail line, which will connect Paris with Strasbourg. The line is also a part of the Main line for Europe trans-European high-speed rail line from Paris to Bratislava, Slovakia. The tunnel is 4,200 m (13,800 ft) in length and consists of two bores, each carrying one rail line flanked by a maintenance walkway and an emergency evacuation walkway. The two bores are connected every 500 m (1,600 ft) by an interconnecting passage. The tunnel has been built for a maximum speed of 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph)—320 km/h (200 mph) in commercial operation. It will be remotely monitored from the SNCF Réseau command center at Pagny-sur-Moselle. Adjacent to the western portal, the LGV Est traverses the 270 m (890 ft) Haspelbaechel viaduct, which travels up to 35 m (115 ft) above the Haspelbaechel valley.

The Lodger (Doctor Who)

Episode of Doctor Who

"The Lodger" is the eleventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 12 June 2010. It was written by Gareth Roberts, who based the story on his 2006 Doctor Who Magazine comic strip "The Lodger". The episode features the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) stranded on Earth and separated from his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), when an unknown force prevents his time travelling spaceship, the TARDIS, from landing. To investigate, he moves into the flat of Craig Owens (James Corden) and attempts to fit in with ordinary humans while unknowingly playing matchmaker for Craig and his good friend Sophie (Daisy Haggard). Showrunner Steven Moffat was a fan of Roberts' original comic strip and enthused him to adapt it into an episode for the series. While some elements of the comic strip remain, Roberts wrote most of it from scratch. "The Lodger" replaced a slot held by an episode that was pushed back due to budgetary constraints and was consequently one of the last to be filmed. The episode was watched by a final 6.44 million viewers, the least-watched episode of the fifth series of Doctor Who. However, it achieved the joint highest Appreciation Index of the series at the time of broadcast. ## Plot ### Synopsis After stepping out of the TARDIS in modern-day Colchester, the Eleventh Doctor is blown off his feet by a blast of air, and the TARDIS, with Amy still inside, is thrown into the time vortex and refuses to land. With Amy's help, the Doctor tracks the disturbance to the upstairs flat of a two-storey house. The Doctor opts to take a room for rent offered by the downstairs tenant, Craig Owens, in order to determine what is present on the upstairs flat without alerting whatever it is to his alien technology. The Doctor notices localised time loops and disturbances aboard the TARDIS that coincide with noises from the upstairs flat. Over two days, the Doctor attempts to adapt to human life. He learns about Craig, an office worker with little aspiration to move onward. Craig is stuck in a platonic relationship with his co-worker, Sophie. The Doctor encourages Sophie to follow her dream of travelling overseas to help animals. Craig, who has not yet professed his love for Sophie, becomes upset; he accosts the Doctor and demands that he leave, which forces the Doctor to reveal his history and his reason for being in the flat. Sophie arrives while they argue and is lured upstairs; the Doctor and Craig follow, learning from Amy that Craig's building has never had an upstairs flat. Instead, they find an alien ship housing a time engine. The ship crashed some time ago and has disguised itself as the upstairs flat. The ship's emergency holographic program has been drawing in all passersby desiring to escape in order to find a replacement pilot for itself, but they were killed in each attempt, since humans are incompatible with the ship's controls. The Doctor convinces Craig to touch the controls since he does not want to leave due to his love for Sophie, which will counteract the ship's protocols. Craig does so, and he and Sophie admit their love and share a kiss that breaks the ship's hold on themselves. The three escape as the ship implodes, leaving Craig's one-story flat below undamaged. Aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor directs Amy to write the note that led him to Craig's house; she rummages around the Doctor's jacket and finds the engagement ring from her fiancé Rory, whom she had forgotten after he was consumed by the crack in space and time and erased from existence. ### Continuity On Craig's fridge is a postcard advertising the Van Gogh exhibit at the Parisian Musée d'Orsay, which the Doctor, Amy and Van Gogh himself visited in the previous episode. At the end of the episode, the Doctor instructs Amy to leave him a note with Craig's address, which his younger self had at the start of the episode. Amy is shown leaving the note in the series finale, "The Big Bang", when the Doctor's timeline rewinds and he revisits points in his past. The spaceship control room reappeared in "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon", where it was connected to the Order of the Silence. Corden returned to play Craig in the episode "Closing Time" of the next series, Gareth Roberts' sequel to this story. ## Production "The Lodger" is based on a short comic strip of the same name, written by Gareth Roberts for Doctor Who Magazine issue 368 in 2006. The comic features the Tenth Doctor, who spends several days staying in Mickey Smith's flat, waiting for Rose Tyler and the TARDIS to catch him up in a few days, and by chance saving the Earth by hiding it from the passing space fleet of a violent alien race. The story was based on ideas that Roberts had since a child to imagine the Doctor experiencing everyday human life and his enjoyment of stories set on Earth rather than in space. Roberts' original comic strip appealed to new executive producer Steven Moffat, who enthused to Roberts that he had "got to do" "The Lodger" as an episode. Roberts had previously had the idea to make the television version, but he had never mentioned it. Roberts considered "The Lodger" less an adaptation than was previously done by Paul Cornell for "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood", taken from Cornell's novel, and instead wrote most of the episode from scratch. During the early writing stages, Roberts had initially planned to make the episode a sequel to the 1980 Doctor Who serial Meglos, with the eponymous antagonist of that story returning whilst disguised as on old woman (with the episode being facetiously referred to by some as "Mrs. Meglos" for this reason). However, this sequel idea would later be dropped due to several concepts within it having already been utilized in multiple other Doctor Who episodes written around the same time; Meglos' cactus-like appearance was deemed to be far too similar to the Vinvocci aliens featured in "The End of Time", and the idea of aliens disguising themselves as elderly people had already been written into "Amy's Choice". Elements of the comic's story carry over into the episode, such as his confusion between a sonic screwdriver and a toothbrush, and the Doctor's aptitude at football. However, Roberts said that the episode was "a completely different situation" from the comic strip, as the Doctor did not know Craig as he did Mickey, and there was the added enemy of the upstairs apartment. When Roberts began writing for the episode, he knew the series' overarching plot but was not aware who was to be cast as the Eleventh Doctor. Roberts based the Doctor's lines on those written in Moffat's completed scripts and further characterization was added by Matt Smith's reading of the lines. The episode also contains several cultural references. When the Doctor is having a shower, he is heard singing "La donna è mobile", which his third incarnation sang in Inferno. When the Doctor introduces himself to the time ship's Avatar, he claims to be "Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue," which is a reference to both Captain Troy Tempest from Stingray and International Rescue from Thunderbirds, both series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Steven Cooper of Slant Magazine also saw a reference to the Emergency Medical Hologram the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, as the Doctor continued "Please state the nature of your emergency." "The Lodger" made up the seventh and final production block of the series along with "Amy's Choice". The read-through for both episodes took place on 17 February 2010 in the Upper Boat Studios. The story replaced another one, "The Doctor's Wife", when the latter was pushed back to the next series due to budgetary constraints. Location filming took place in Cardiff in early March 2010. The house in which Craig has his flat is in Westville Road, and the location for the football match was Victoria Park; the play area there had previously been used as a location in "Forest of the Dead". Matt Smith performed his own athletics in the football match shots; he has had previous experience as a youth footballer, having played for the youth teams of Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City before a back injury turned him towards acting. As such, little choreography was needed for the sequence. ## Broadcast and reception "The Lodger" was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 12 June 2010. In the United States, it was broadcast on sister station BBC America on 10 July 2010. In the UK, overnight figures for the episode were 4.6 million, facing competition from the build-up to England's opening match in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. When final consolidated ratings were calculated, it showed that the episode was watched by an average of 6.44 million viewers, with 5.98 million on BBC One and a further 0.46 million on a simulcast on BBC HD. It was the sixth highest-rated programme of the week on BBC One, and the twenty-first highest-rated of the week across all channels. Although it was the second most watched programme of the day, it was the least watched fifth series episode of Doctor Who. However, it received an Appreciation Index of 87, considered "excellent" and the joint highest of the series at time of broadcast. ### Critical reception Gavin Fuller, writing for The Daily Telegraph, called the episode "a delight", "thoroughly enjoyable" and "often amusing". In particular he praised Corden and Haggard for avoiding the usual "cliches of romcom", and Smith's portrayal of The Doctor as almost-but-not-quite human. However, he expressed some disappointment that the origin of the lurking time machine was not explained. Dan Martin of The Guardian called it "one of the strongest episodes of the year". He praised the acting of Smith and Corden, but wondered why the Doctor did not use his usual alias of "John Smith" when posing as a human. Radio Times reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised Corden and Smith, but said it did not "quite tick [his] boxes". He was not engaged by the upstairs villain, wished for more "laugh-out-loud moments than good-humoured banter" and disliked that the Doctor seemed "diminished" when thrown into the everyday atmosphere. In a review for IGN, Matt Wales rated it 7 out of 10 and referred to it as "one of the fluffier episodes" in terms of plot, but he said it was an "enjoyable little duck-out-of-water adventure". He called Smith "an absolute joy to watch" and said that Corden and Haggard "[acquitted] themselves admirably". However, he criticised the "more traditional Who elements", such as the alien threat that the directing left "devoid of almost all tension", Amy's occasional appearances that did not seem to gel with the rest of the story, and the short resolution, where "the whole thing collapsed into an incomprehensible muddle". SFX magazine's Russell Lewin gave "The Lodger" three and a half out of five stars, saying it was "brimming with witty dialogue" and was a "pleasant diversion" before the finale. He ranked it "mid-table" among the other episodes of the series. Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club graded it an A−, saying it was a "funny outing" that allowed Smith to show comic depth as the Doctor, as well as praising the guest stars. Though he referred to the alien up the stairs as a "pretty standard-issue", he liked it for being a metaphor of "the trap of complacency and the ways staying in a rut can lead to safety, stagnancy, and ignorance of the peril encroaching just outside one's four walls". ## Home media A Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray containing the episode together with "Vincent and the Doctor", "The Pandorica Opens" and "The Big Bang" was released on 6 September 2010. It was then re-released as part of the complete series five DVD on 8 November 2010. ### In print Pearson Education published a photo-novelisation of this episode by Peter Gutiérrez for school literacy programs in May 2011.

Fly Me Away

2006 single by Goldfrapp

"Fly Me Away" is an electronic song performed by British group Goldfrapp. The song was written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory for the duo's third album Supernature (2005). The song features a synthesizer and orchestral arrangement and was written about the need to escape from the troubles of daily life. The song was released as the album's fourth single in May 2006 to positive reviews from music critics. It was a modest commercial success, reaching the top forty in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The song has been remixed a number of times and was featured in advertising campaigns for the US retail company Target. ## Background and writing "Fly Me Away" is a mid-tempo electronic song about the need to escape from the troubles of daily life. It was composed as a collaborative effort between Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory in late 2004 in a rented cottage in the countryside of Bath, England. The song was written and recorded while Goldfrapp and Gregory were "jamming in the recording studio, bouncing song ideas off each other". "Fly Me Away" is written in the common verse-chorus form and features instrumentation from synthesizers and an orchestra that was conducted by Nick Ingman. The North American digital EP featured a cover version of "Boys Will Be Boys" as its B-side. The song was originally performed by British rock group The Ordinary Boys. ## Marketing and release In late 2006, "Fly Me Away" was featured in Christmas advertising campaigns for the US retail company Target. The song, along with "Number 1", was featured in winter themed television commercials. An instrumental of the song was also featured in advertisements for L'Oréal Feria, which starred actress Scarlett Johansson. "Fly Me Away" was released as a various formats throughout the world. While most territories received a CD single and digital download release, the single was released as a limited edition 12-inch single in April 2006 in the UK. A DVD single was also issued and included the "Fly Me Away: Inflight Movies (Paris - New York - London)" film, directed by Hannah Holland, and Diane Martel's music video for "Ride A White Horse". The Chris Hopewell-directed music video for "Fly Me Away" was never released. Clips from the video have, however, leaked on to the internet, appearing on the video sharing website YouTube. Instead, Goldfrapp released a performance video on their MySpace page and an animated short film version, directed by Andreas Nilsson and titled "Jakko & the Poet", on the Supernature Limited Edition DVD. ## Chart performance "Fly Me Away" was released in the United Kingdom on 1 May 2006. Because it was released as the fourth single, success was very limited since many consumers had already purchased the album, which at the time had been certified platinum in the UK. The song entered the UK Singles Chart on 8 May 2006 at number twenty-six. The following week it dropped thirty-five positions to number sixty-one and exited the singles chart in its third week of release. In Ireland, the song entered at number forty, remaining on the singles chart for one week. In the US, "Fly My Away" became Goldfrapp's fourth song to chart within the top ten of the Billboard Dance Chart, reaching number six. ## Remixes Carl Craig made the most well-known remix of the song, titled the "C2 rmx 4", which was included on the limited edition CD single. The track uses Goldfrapp's original vocals over a heavy bass line and layered synths. Craig also created two other C2 remixes, which focus on Gregory's instrumentation. Ladytron's remix of "Fly Me Away" remained close to the original, but was called less "fun and bouncy" by About.com reviewer Mike Stier. Stier also disliked Filippo Moscatello's "Naughty rmx" writing that it did not contain the "zest and zing" that Craig's remixes had. ## Formats and track listings These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Fly Me Away". - CD single 1 1. "Fly Me Away" (Single Version) – 3:37 2. "Satin Chic" (Bombay Mix by The Shortwave Set) – 4:40 - CD single 2 1. "Fly Me Away" (C2 Remix 4) – 7:04 2. "Fly Me Away" (Ladytron Remix) – 5:27 3. "You Never Know" (Múm Remix) – 2:59 - DVD single 1. "Fly Me Away: Inflight Movies (Paris – New York – London)" – 3:10 2. "Ride a White Horse" (Video) – 3:15 3. "Time Out from the World" (Fields Remix) (Audio) – 6:01 - 12-inch single 1. "Fly Me Away" (C2 Remix 1) – 7:24 2. "Fly Me Away" (C2 Remix 2) – 7:16 3. "Slide In" (DFA Remix) – 12:59 - Digital single (2019) 1. "Fly Me Away" (Single Version) — 3:37 2. "Satin Chic" (Bombay Mix by The Shortwave Set) – 4:40 3. "Fly Me Away" (C2 Rmx 4) – 7:02 4. "Fly Me Away" (Ladytron Remix) – 5:26 5. "You Never Know" (Múm Remix) – 2:59 6. "Time Out from the World" (Fields Remix) – 6:01 7. "Slide In" (DFA Remix) – 12:59 8. "Fly Me Away" (C2 Rmx 1) – 7:24 9. "Fly Me Away" (C2 Rmx 2) – 7:16 10. "Fly Me Away" (Ladytron Dub) – 5:26 11. "Fly Me Away" (The Naughty Rmx) – 6:28 ## Personnel The following people contributed to Fly Me Away: - Alison Goldfrapp – lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizer - Nick Batt – synthesizer, programming - Will Gregory – synthesizer - Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing - Ted Jensen – mastering ## Charts

Putsy Caballero

American baseball player

Ralph Joseph "Putsy" Caballero (November 5, 1927 – December 8, 2016) was an American professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in parts of eight seasons, all for the Philadelphia Phillies, during the Whiz Kids era. He holds the record as the youngest person in MLB history to appear at third base.After graduating from Jesuit High School in New Orleans at age 16, the Phillies signed Caballero to a contract worth \$10,000. Following a few short stints at the major league level and playing parts of three seasons in the minor leagues, Caballero was named the Phillies starter at third base in 1948. In his only season as an everyday player, Caballero batted .245 in 380 plate appearances at age 20.After another stint in the minors in 1949, he was a backup infielder, pinch hitter, and pinch runner for the 1950 Phillies, and continued in that role through 1952. Following three more years in the minors, Caballero retired from baseball after the 1955 season. After his baseball career ended, Caballero worked as an exterminator. His Louisiana home was destroyed in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, whereupon he then lived in Lakeview, New Orleans. ## Early career and minor leagues Caballero attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he played baseball during the 1943 and 1944 seasons. During his first season, the Jesuit High team won both the city championship and the American Legion championship. The Philadelphia Phillies signed Caballero as an amateur free agent on September 9, 1944, the same year that fellow Whiz Kid shortstop Granny Hamner joined the organization. Caballero planned on attending Louisiana State University, where he had been offered a scholarship to play baseball and basketball. Mel Ott, a scout for the New York Giants and former outfielder, wanted Caballero to sign with the Giants, but counseled him to sign with "'whoever offers you the most money'". The Phillies offered Caballero a \$10,000 signing bonus (\$ today), and his father advised him to sign the contract offered by general manager Herb Pennock and owner Bob Carpenter. At 16 years and 314 days old, Caballero appeared in four games for the 1944 Phillies, getting four at-bats without reaching base. In so doing, Caballero became the youngest third baseman ever to play in Major League Baseball, a record he still held at his death. For the 1945 season, the Phillies sent Caballero to the Class-A Utica Blue Sox of the Eastern League, where he played in 130 games at third base, batting .272 with 132 hits, 9 doubles, and 10 triples. While there, he was managed by Eddie Sawyer, and played with Hamner and Richie Ashburn, with whom he lived for two seasons. Caballero appeared in nine games with the Phillies in 1945, scoring his first major league run and batting in a run as well. In 1946, Caballero lost playing time as he and Hamner were both summoned to military service; however, he did play in 76 games with the Terre Haute Phillies in the Class-B Three-I League and one game with the Blue Sox. That year, Caballero hit the first two home runs of his minor league career with Terre Haute, along with nine doubles and four triples. Most of Caballero's 1947 season was played at Utica as well, where he posted a .287 batting average, 114 hits, and 13 doubles while splitting time with Hamner at second base. His last cup of coffee with the Phillies came at the end of 1947, when he notched his first major league hit and first walk in eight at-bats. ## Major league career ### 1948–1949 1948 was Caballero's first full season in the major leagues, playing 79 games during the year at third base, where he was the regular starter over Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones, and also made 23 appearances at second base. At the plate, Caballero had a .245 batting average, the second-lowest among the team's starters that season—higher only than catcher Andy Seminick. He posted 86 hits (13 for extra bases) in 380 plate appearances. In the field, Caballero played 102 games, making 18 errors in 363 chances for a .950 fielding percentage. He started a triple play in a game against Cincinnati when Virgil Stallcup hit a sharp line drive to third base; Caballero forced Ted Kluszewski out at second base with a throw to Hamner and Danny Litwhiler was picked off first trying to return to complete the third out. Additionally, Caballero notched the team's only hit in a one-hit pitching performance by Brooklyn Dodgers starting pitcher Rex Barney. In the middle of the season, the Phillies promoted Caballero's former Utica manager Sawyer from their Triple-A farm team, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, to replace Ben Chapman at the helm. Teammate Robin Roberts described Caballero, as well as Hamner, Ashburn, and catcher Stan Lopata, as having "the highest respect for [Sawyer]"—all having played under his tutelage at Utica; Caballero himself gave Sawyer the credit for his development, along with that of several other Whiz Kids. Caballero regressed in 1949, playing in only 22 games with the Phillies, spending the majority of his season playing second base for the Maple Leafs in Triple-A. He played in 48 games, amassing a .318 batting average (the second-highest total on the team) and eight extra-base hits. ### 1950: The "Whiz Kids" Entering the Phillies' 1950 season at 22 years old, Caballero was described as having "great potential", but the Phillies wanted Mike Goliat to take over as the everyday second baseman. Caballero went to the major league club's spring training as a non-roster invitee; his .379 average in the Grapefruit League won him a roster spot and a utility infield role with the Phillies. Media reports speculated that the Phillies would challenge the Dodgers for the National League pennant, and one of Caballero's most valuable roles as a utility player was as a pinch runner off the bench. In the second game of a July 25 doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs at Shibe Park, starting pitcher Roberts batted in the bottom of the ninth in a scoreless shutout. With Bob Rush on the mound for Chicago, Roberts managed a walk and was replaced on base by Caballero, who promptly took second base on a hit and run groundout by first baseman Eddie Waitkus. A single to center field by Richie Ashburn allowed the speedy Caballero to score from second and completed the doubleheader sweep for Philadelphia—Bubba Church having pitched a three-hit shutout in the first game earlier in the day. As a pinch hitter, Caballero came through with hits in clutch situations, notably against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 30. Behind 6–3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, the Phillies sent Caballero to the plate to pinch hit in the top of the seventh inning. He led off the inning with a single, scoring the first run of a seesaw come-from-behind rally that ended with a 9–8 Phillies victory, closer Jim Konstanty's 13th of the season. Caballero displayed his running skills again in September, replacing Goliat in the ninth inning of another game against the Cardinals, and scoring a late-inning run in place of Lopata against the Cincinnati Reds several days later to tie a close game that the Phillies eventually lost in 18 innings. On September 26, Caballero scored another crucial run against the Boston Braves when he pinch-ran for outfielder Dick Sisler. Waiting on third base after advancing from first on a Del Ennis single to center field, Jones hit a high ground ball to Boston shortstop Sibby Sisti, who booted the ball and allowed Caballero to score the game-tying run; the Phillies won, 8–7. In the final game of the season, in which the Phillies defeated the Dodgers, Caballero appeared as a pinch-runner, replacing catcher Andy Seminick in the ninth inning. Philadelphia advanced to the 1950 World Series to play the New York Yankees, where they were defeated, four games to none. In the series, Caballero made three appearances: two as a pinch-runner—for Seminick in Game 2, and for Goliat in Game 3—and one as a pinch-hitter for Konstanty in Game 4, where he struck out. For the season, Caballero appeared in 46 games and posted a .167 batting average. ### 1951–1952 Caballero continued as a utility player after the Whiz Kids' defeat in the World Series, but those talented young players would never return to the Fall Classic with the Phillies. He played mostly second base during the 1951 season, fielding the position in 54 games. He posted only a .186 batting average at the plate and hit his only major league home run, along with 3 doubles and 2 triples in 84 games played. With 10 hits in 42 at-bats in what would be his final season in the major leagues, Caballero achieved a .238 average in the 1952 season, hitting three doubles. On June 15, Caballero had a three-hit game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader, one of the top performances of his career. He also batted in three runs in one game against the Giants on September 27. ## Return to the minors In 1953, Caballero played for the minor league Baltimore Orioles, where he batted .268 in 133 games, the most played in his professional career. He added 25 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 home runs to his total, but did not earn a promotion back to the major leagues. He returned to the Phillies system, playing for the Syracuse Chiefs. After batting .258 with 2 home runs and 41 runs batted in during the 1954 season and declining to a .225 average in 1955, Caballero retired from baseball after that season. ## After baseball After retiring from baseball, Caballero returned to Louisiana, where he worked as a salesman for an exterminating company, partnering with E.J. D’Arensbourg in 1963. Eventually, he opened his own company in Metairie, Louisiana. Caballero lived in Lakeview, New Orleans, where his home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He lost memorabilia signed by Babe Ruth, Eddie Mathews, and Pete Rose in the flood, calling the hurricane damage "a catastrophe". Caballero lived with his wife, Clare, and they had seven children and nine grandchildren. He rejoined some of his old teammates in 2008 to commemorate the Whiz Kids on an Alumni Weekend. He was inducted into both the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and the New Orleans Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. He died on December 8, 2016 at the age of 89.