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Q7388974 | SBP-tag
Discovery
The Streptavidin-Binding Peptide was discovered within a library of seven trillion stochastically-generated peptides using the in vitro selection technique of mRNA Display. Selection was performed by incubating with streptavidin-agarose followed by elution with biotin. The SBP-Tag has been shown to bind streptavidin with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 2.5nM and is readily eluted with biotin under native conditions.
Protein purification
Because of the mild elution conditions (biotin plus wash buffer) SBP-Tagged proteins can be generated in a relatively pure state with a single purification step. There are several relatively abundant mammalian proteins that inherently associate with the IMAC matrices that bind to the more commonly used Polyhistidine-tag (His-tag). For this reason non-IMAC purification protocols, including with the SBP-Tag, are often preferred for proteins that are expressed in mammalian cells.
Protein complex purification
Complexes of interacting proteins may also be purified using the SBP-Tag because elution with biotin permits recovery under conditions in which desired complexes remain associated. For example, the Condensin Complex was purified by Kim et al. [2010] and complexes with the TAZ transcriptional co-activator were purified by Zhang et al. [2009]. The SBP-Tag has also been incorporated into several Tandem Affinity Purification (TAP) systems in which successive purification steps are utilized with multiple tags, for example GFP fusion proteins and BTK-protein complexes were purified using a TAP protocol with the SBP-Tag and the His-Tag, HDGF-protein complexes were purified using a TAP protocol with the SBP-Tag and with the FLAG-tag and Wnt complexes were purified using a TAP protocol with the SBP-Tag and with the [Calmodulin-Tag]. TAP is generally used with protein complexes and several studies report significant improvements in purity and yield when the SBP-Tag TAP systems are compared to non-SBP-Tag systems. Commercial TAP systems that use the SBP-Tag include the Interplay® Adenoviral and Mammalian TAP Systems sold by Agilent Technologies, similar products are sold by Sigma-Aldrich.
Proteomics
Screens for biologically relevant protein-protein interactions have been performed using Tandem Affinity Purification (TAP) with the SBP-Tag and Protein A, for interaction proteomics and transcription factor complexes with the SBP-Tag and Protein G, for proteins that interact with the Dengue Virus protein DENV-2 NS4A with the SBP-Tag and the Calmodulin Tag. and for proteins that interact with protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) with the SBP-Tag and the hemagglutinin (HA)-tag.
Imaging
The SBP-Tag will also bind to streptavidin or streptavidin reagents in solution. Applications of these engineered associations include the visualization of specific proteins within living cells, monitoring of the kinetics of the translation of individual proteins in an in vitro translation system, control of the integration of a multi-spanning membrane protein into the endoplasmic reticulum by fusing the SBP-Tag to the N-terminal translocation sequence and then halting integration with streptavidin and restarting integration with biotin. Fluorescent streptavidin reagents (e.g. streptavidin-HRP) can be used to visualize the SBP-tag by immunoblotting of SDS-PAGE. Additionally, antibodies to the SBP-tag are available commercially.
Surface plasmon resonance
The SBP-Tag has been used to reversibly immobilize recombinant proteins onto streptavidin-functionalized surfaces thereby permitting interaction assessment such as by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques with re-use of the functionalized surface. SPR has also been used to compare the SBP-Tag with other streptavidin-binding peptides such as Strep-tag. | 15559778539776546372 | SBP-tag | 845 |
Q843526 | Honduran cuisine
Breakfast spice
Hondurans usually have a large, hearty breakfast. It typically consists of fried eggs (whole or scrambled), refried beans, Honduran salty sour cream (mantequilla), hard olancho cheese, avocado, sweet fried plantains, and tortillas. It is common for most households to first prepare tortillas, a staple for nearly every dish, which are used throughout the rest of the day.Other breakfast favorites include carne asada (roasted meat) and Honduran spicy sausages (chorizo). A good breakfast will be accompanied with hot, dark—in this case Honduran-grown—coffee. Honduran coffee is renowned for its delicate qualities, being grown on the slopes of the Honduran mountains in rich soils of volcanic origin. A specific brand famous for its flavour comes from the Honduran region of Marcala; others are the Copán coffee and the coffee grown in Ocotepeque.Street vendors often sell breakfast baleadas made of flour tortillas, toppings such as eggs, meat, and even pickled onions, and small tamales made of sweet yellow corn dough, called tamalitos de elote, eaten with sour cream; fresh horchata and posole is also common."I have also seen the street side vendors sell hot I mean very hot tomatoes with chili peppers in the middle; you should try oneof them someday."Another food that can be eaten for breakfast as a dessert is rosquillas. Rosquillas can be considered as a Hondurian doughnut and are made from corn (masa, cheese and yeast).
Sopa de caracol
Sopa de caracol (conch soup) is one of the most representative dishes of the Honduran cuisine. This soup was made famous throughout Latin America because of a catchy song from Banda Blanca called "Sopa de Caracol." The conch is cooked in coconut milk and the conch's broth, with spices, yuca (cassava), cilantro, and green bananas known as guineo verde. Other varieties including crab, fish or shrimp are known as sopa marinera.
Sopa de frijoles
This traditional soup is made by boiling black or red beans with garlic in water until soft. Once they are soft, the beans are blended, and added to a pot filled with water and with pork bones to serve as the base of the soup. Once the soup base has taken a chocolate color and has boiled enough, the bones are removed, and water is added to the pot, along with the rest of the ingredients, which may include yuca, green plantains, eggs, and many other ingredients. The soup is served with rice and tortillas, and may be accompanied with sour cream, smoked dry cheese, avocados and lemons.
Carneada
Carneada is considered one of Honduras' national dishes, known as plato típico when served in Honduran restaurants. While it is a type of dish, a carneada or carne asada, like its Mexican counterpart, is usually more of a social event with drinks and music centered on a feast of barbecued meat. The cuts of beef are usually marinated in sour orange juice, salt, pepper and spices, and then grilled.The meat is usually accompanied by chimol salsa (made of chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro with lemon and spices), roasted plátanos (sweet plantains), spicy chorizos, olanchano cheese, tortillas, and refried mashed beans.
Rice and beans
Rice and beans is a popular side dish in the Honduran Caribbean coast. It is often called Casamiento. Every country that their own signature bean and in Honduras they are red beans ( frijoles cheles). Typically in Honduras the beans are refried and served with green fried bananas (tajadas).
Fried Yojoa fish
Fried Yojoa fish is a famous Honduran dish that is served all over the country. The fish often has a more savory flavor compared to other types of fish served in the region. Yojoa fish is salted, spiced, and later deep fried. It is then oftentimes served with pickled red cabbage, pickled onions and deep fried sliced plantains called tajaditas.
Baleada
The baleada is one of the most common street foods in Honduras. The basic style is made of a flour tortilla which is folded and filled with refried beans, quesillo or cheese and sour cream (mantequilla). Many people add roasted meat, avocado, plantains or scrambled eggs as well. There are Honduran Fast-food chains that serve different kinds of Baleadas. | 9943286356488490396 | Honduran cuisine | 963 |
Q7082065 | Okkadunnadu
Plot
Kiran arrives in Mumbai to sell his guest house through a real estate agent Gautami. When he helps a man in need of the Bombay blood Group, he is asked for help by Sona Bhai, an ailing gangster with the same blood group. When Kiran goes to donate blood, Sona's nephew secretly tells him that he would be killed. A sedated Kiran falls asleep and as he's taken to the operation theatre, Sona's blood pressure increases uncontrollably, making the doctors decide to wait till the next 24 hours. Upon waking up, Kiran is told by Jayadev to first donate and then leave the next day, but realizing their true intentions, Kiran fights off all the henchmen and escapes, much to the disappointment of Sona. Kiran is later contacted by Sona's nephew who tells him that his heart is needed for a transplantation and not just his blood, and that it's Sona Bhai who wants it. He also tells him to leave Mumbai. Jayadev visits Gautami's office to buy Kiran's guest house but is told that it's sold and the seller has gone to Hyderabad. Upon exiting, Jayadev finds Kiran in front of him and a chase ensues, resulting in a fight where Kiran beats up Jayadev's henchmen all by himself. While having the drinks with Gautami, Kiran explains how he had a luxurious life thanks to his father, an honest private bank owner, who was arrested when the bank had fallen into losses and failed to pay the depositors. The company's auditor told Kiran the bank suffered as the other board of directors provided large amounts as loans to VIPs who later failed to repay, but Kiran's father still tried to help by selling most of his property. Kiran got his father out on bail and promised to clear the payment issues. For financial help, they met RBI official Janakiram who demanded 4 crore rupees as bribe. Thus, Kiran came to Mumbai in order to get payment for the guest house before 6 months. Back to present, Sona's henchmen and Kiran engage in a violent fight where Kiran gets injected with a sedative that would put him to sleep within 4 minutes. Kiran uses improvised weapons and kills everyone within 3 minutes, escapes with Gautami and later reveals everything about Sona to her. The Seth who purchased the guest house tells Kiran that he doesn't want it anymore, due to which Kiran beats up his men and orders him to pay the amount within the next 30 minutes. Kiran and Gautami wait for him at the beach, where Sona's nephew turns up and reveals that Seth won't pay him. Realizing Seth has left due to the fear of getting killed by Sona, Kiran asks Gautami to arrange for a new buyer. He then meets Sona's nephew who reveals Sona's a threat to him as long as he's alive, and the only way to kill him now is by killing Kiran. A fight ensues, and Kiran beats up everyone but spares Sona's nephew as he had helped him earlier. Kiran then contacts his father and learns that a company named Jayadev Investments from Mumbai is ready to invest 200 crore rupees in their bank. Kiran is shocked to realize it was Sona who called his father and would pay him in exchange for his heart. Kiran asks for some time to think about it.Kiran asks Gautami to still look for a buyer for his guest house, and she contacts Jayadev who agrees to buy it. He however vandalizes her office and tells her to inform Kiran that Sona would pay him 200 crore rupees. Before she can reach Kiran, he goes to meet Sona, who purchased the guest house, and threatens to rip his pipes if he doesn't pay him for it. After getting 4 crore rupees, Kiran goes to meet Janakiram, who's arrived in Mumbai, at a hotel where he finds a CD and a player. The footage reveals Janakiram had joined hands with Jayadev but still got killed. Jayadev had promised him 10 crore rupees to not do Kiran's job. Kiran arrives at Sona's place and gets into a fight with his goons. During the fight, Sona's nephew secretly tells him the room number where he would find the money. Kiran acquires the money and destroys Sona's life support carrier. Sona's nephew is exposed when the room number written on his hand is seen by Sona and Jayadev. He then reveals he wanted him to die because he wanted his power, following which he's killed and Sona dies. Kiran engages in a gunfight and at the end survives an explosion while others die. Eventually, Jayadev shoots himself and Kiran flees with the money.
Reception
The film received the positive response from the critics. idlebrain.com gave a review of rating 3.25/5 terming it a "Blood Chase". IndiaGlitz gave a review stating "Chandrasekhar Yeleti, a champion of gripping screenplay passes yet again with flying colours. The director was able to carry the whole film on action and was able to cater to the masses." Oneindia Entertainment gave a review stating "The film might run well in B, C centres because of its mass appeal with good action scenes. Can be recommended to watch once only if you are interested in action films." Sify gave a review stating "Technically Okkadunnadu is brilliant with Gummadi Jaya Krishna excellent photography, and editing is slick. MM Keeravani's music is not great, but he scores in re-recording. In a nutshell, the film is an average flick which caters to urban audiences."
Trivia
Krishna Vamsi choreographed two songs in the film. This is Neha Jhulka's debut film. | 17538901944717451956 | Okkadunnadu | 1,244 |
Q17276 | 7 Wonders (board game)
7 Wonders: Leaders (2011)
This expansion introduces the white-backed leader cards, which can be recruited to aid a player's city. The 36 leader cards are based on real historical figures, some of which are well-known, such as Caesar and Midas, others less so. There is a brief biography of each leader in the rulebook.Playing with the Leaders expansion changes the game mechanic, as the second thing done in the game after choosing a Wonder board is to choose leaders. Four leader cards are dealt to each player, and the cards are drafted. At the start of each Age, players may recruit one leader, paying its coin cost and putting it into play. To compensate for this extra expense, with the Leaders expansion, players start with six coins instead of three. As with the Age cards, instead of recruiting a leader, a player may choose to discard the card to gain three coins or build a Wonder stage with it.The leaders grant various abilities, including additional means of gaining victory points, resources or coins, resource cost reductions, commerce benefits, additional shields and scientific symbols. For example, the 'Caesar' card grants two shields and 'Midas' grants one extra victory point per three coins held at the end of the game.The expansion comes with four additional guild cards and one extra Wonder board – the Colosseum of Rome, which, appropriately enough, grants abilities related to the new leader cards.
7 Wonders: Cities (August 2012)
The Cities expansion introduces nine city cards (with a black background) to each of the Age card decks. The number of city cards that are shuffled into each age's deck is equal to the number of players. This means that each age now consists of seven play of cards.The city cards can have quite an impact on gameplay, as many of them are more powerful versions of other cards; for example, the Age III 'Contingent' card provides five shields as opposed to the three provided by Age III red cards. The cards also introduce some new concepts, such as diplomacy, which allows a player to avoid military conflict for one Age, and monetary loss, which forces the player's opponents to pay coins to the bank, or lose victory points if they do not have sufficient coins.The addition of city cards takes the total number of cards playable in each age to 56. This means that eight-player games – or team games with four teams of two – are possible. In the team game, partners are allowed to see each other's cards and discuss which ones to play, and the effect of diplomacy is modified.The Cities expansion also contains three new guild cards, six leader cards and two Wonder boards: the Hagia Sophia of Byzantium and Al Khazneh of Petra. Many of these new additions have abilities specific to city cards or to the new concepts introduced.
7 Wonders: Wonder Pack (May 2013)
This expansion adds four Wonder boards: Abu Simbel, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge and the Manneken Pis of Brussels (the makers' home town.) All four offer new abilities.
7 Wonders: Babel (December 2014)
Babel consists of two expansions that can be added separately or together. The first expansion is Tower of Babel, in which players can choose to construct the tower. By discarding a card, players can place a tile on the tower that affects play (for example, taxing the construction of Wonders or granting a monetary bonus for building certain cards) until it is covered by a subsequent tile. Players score points for the number of tiles they play. The second expansion is Great Projects of Babel. A building of a certain color is put into play. Whenever a player plays a card of the same color, they may choose to pay a cost to participate in the building of the Great Project. If the project succeeds, all players who participated get a reward, and non-participants get nothing. If the project fails, participants get nothing and non-participants receive a penalty.
7 Wonders: Leaders Anniversary Pack & Cities Anniversary Pack (2017)
These expansions add new Leaders cards and new Cities cards, with new effects.
7 Wonders: Armada (October 2018)
Armada adds a naval board for each player, and four ships: red, blue, yellow, and green. When playing a card of one of these colors, players may pay an additional cost to advance the corresponding ship along the board. Advancing each ship grants different bonuses: the red ship grants naval strength, which is compared to all players at the end of the Age, not just neighbors; the yellow ship grants money; the blue ship grants victory points; and the green ship allows players to discover islands, which grant extra bonuses.
7 Wonders: Duel (October 2015)
7 Wonders: Duel is a two player version of 7 Wonders in which players alternate drafting from an overlapping pyramid of cards.
7 Wonders: Duel — Pantheon (October 2016)
An expansion to 7 Wonders: Duel that adds new abilities to the game via a rotating pantheon of gods. It also adds two new wonders to the game. | 15757042366207639142 | 7 Wonders (board game) | 1,057 |
Q4863565 | Barrie Thorne
Barrie Thorne (born 1942) is a Professor of Sociology and of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.Her work focuses on the sociology of gender, feminist theory, the sociology of age relations, childhood, and families, and ethnographic methods. She is perhaps best known as author of the widely read book Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School which has been cited in over 170 books and over 500 publications.In 2002, she received the American Sociological Association’s Jessie Bernard Award for lifelong achievement in opening sociology to the role of women in society.Thorne is part of the generation of academic feminists who brought attention to women and gender into traditional fields of study and who created interdisciplinary programs and departments in gender and women's studies. She also helped bring the study of children and childhoods into the field of sociology, in her own research and teaching, as an editor of Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, and, from 1995 to 2003, as a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Pathways through Middle Childhood.
Biography
Born in Utah, Thorne attended Stanford University, receiving her bachelor's degree with Great Distinction and with Honors in Anthropology and Honors in Social Thought and Institutions in 1964. Thorne received her M.A. in Sociology in 1967 and her Ph.D. in Sociology in 1971, both from Brandeis University. She also conducted graduate work in Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics from 1964-1965.From 1971 to 1985, Thorne was a member of the Sociology faculty at Michigan State University, moving from assistant to associate to full Professor; she also helped create the MSU Women's Studies Program. During those years, she was also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1976–1977 and 1980–1981) and at Stanford University (1981–1982).In 1987, she moved to the University of Southern California with an appointment as the Streisand Professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Men in Society and as a Professor of Sociology. In 1995, she moved to University of California, Berkeley, to become Professor of Sociology and of Gender and Women's Studies, a position which she still holds today. She was appointed Chair of the Gender and Women's Studies Department in 2003 and, from 1998–2002, served as Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Working Families. She was elected to membership in the honorary society, Sociological Research Association, in 1993. She was also Vice President of the American Sociological Association from 1993-1994.Thorne's late husband, Peter Lyman, was a Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information until he retired in 2006. They have two children, Dr. Andrew Thorne-Lyman, a nutrition scientist at WorldFish and Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Abigail Thorne-Lyman, Principal Planner at BART. They also have four grandchildren.
Teaching
Thorne is well known for her upper division undergraduate courses in the gender and women’s studies and sociology departments that focus on the division of gender and on feminist theory. She also teaches courses on the sociology of childhood, family, and the practices of ethnography. She has won awards for her teaching and mentoring, including Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the Graduate Assembly at the University of California, Berkeley in 2011, the Mentor of the Year Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction in 1998, the Sociologists for Women in Society Outstanding Mentorship Award in 1993, and the University of Southern California Raubenheimer Award for Outstanding Teaching, Research, and Service to the University in 1992. | 12021300926856266038 | Barrie Thorne | 803 |
Q11884822 | Novita (company)
Organization
Novita's head office is in Helsinki. The company has about 100 employees and its yearly turnover is about 25 million euros. Almost all of the staff members are interested in handicrafts and they are often knitting also during their meetings. The yarns are mainly spun in Kouvola, where the Koria factory employs about 60 persons.
Board
Novita's board of directors includes Daniela Yrjö-Koskinen (CEO), Ernst Gylfe (chairman of the board) and Denis Gylfe, Patricia Gylfe, Matti Luukkainen and Ville Tolvanen.
History
Novita was founded by Ernst Gylfe in 1928. He had previously led the largest spinning mill in Finland in Klingendahl and while working there he was dreaming of another kind of spinning mill which would produce smoother and softer yarn. In the age of 50 he went to Bradford to study a new spinning technology for worsted spun yarn and when he came back to Finland he started his own company called Helsingin Villakehräämö Oy.Enrst's son Bosse Gylfe, a textile engineer, continued his father's work. His aim was to make the production as effective as possible. In 1974 the yarn factory moved from Helsinki to Koria, Kouvola. The marketing, procurement and product design stayed at Lauttasaari factory.After Bosse the next CEO was Ernst Gylfe's grandchild Ernst Gylfe who had started his career at IBM. When his siblings wanted to sell the family business he took a big loan and bought the company for himself. The first CEO outside the family was Kalevi Luukkainen, who was hired in 2001.In 2007 the ownership of the company was moved from Ernst Gylfe to his kids Daniela Gylfe, Patricia Gylfe and Ernst Fredrik Gylfe. Daniela Yrjö-Koskinen started as the company's deputy CEO in 2008 and as a CEO in 2010. She had studied international marketing and had worked as Novita's marketing manager since 1998.In 2012 the company's net sales were 27 million euros and net income was 2.84 million.In 2016 5 percent of the revenue came from export, the biggest market area outside Finland was Sweden.In ten years Novita's net sales grew 50 per cent and in 2017 it was 23 million euros. More than 90% of net sales came from Finland and about 5% of Sweden, Norway and the Baltic countries.In the spring of 2018, Novita signed a exclusive dealership agreement with the British department store chain John Lewis. From the fall 2018 onwards the Novita yarns are sold in 30 department stores and online stores in England, Scotland and Wales.
Products
Novita has over 20 products designs and 150 different colours. It uses dyes which are hypoallergenic and biodegradable, and their yarn meet the ISO quality standard. Their wool is from the Northern Hemisphere. The oldest products are Novita Nalle and Novita 7 Veljestä which got its name from Aleksis Kivi's book called Seitsemän veljestä.
Co-operation
Novita and Rovio have made 3 crocheting books together about Angry Birds character patterns.In 2012 Novita created the biggest blanket in the world together with Tekstiiliopettajaliitto and Martat.In January 2019 Novita told about the co-operation with Finnish Moomin Characters: they started to sell Moomin yarn collection and Moomin inspired pattern bookazines. Novita had initially made Moomin yarns for babies already in the 1970s. Moomin yarns are used in entering the Asian markets, especially in Japan where Moomins are very popular.
Marketing
Novita has their own magazine called Novita which was in 2012 and 2016 it the most valued hobby magazine in Finland in brand comparison made by Markkinointi & Mainonta magazine and Taloustutkimus.In Finland Novita is seen as a pioneer in social media usage – they set up their own knitting community Knittery in 2004. In 2018 it had over 100 000 members world wide.By 2018 Novita's biggest customer group changed from ladies over 50 years to women between 25 to 35 years in just five years. This happened with help of social media About 10% of the customers are male.
Prizes
In 2013 CEO Yrjö-Koskinen was in the final of Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year competition.
Social responsibility
It is using wind power produced by EKOenergy and the heat from their dyeing process is re-used in warming the water needed in dyeing and in the finishing process is used biogas. | 8366424959610615447 | Novita (company) | 1,021 |
Q19877798 | Sheldrake River
Geography
From its origin, the river flows south through a medium-density upscale residential neighborhood. The river then enters a culvert running partly under Fenway Golf Course, where it re-surfaces and drains into Fenway Pond. From the pond, the river flows south/southwest past the Heathcote Five Corners intersection from Scarsdale to New Rochelle, eventually ending up in Carpenter Pond. The river flows over the dam at Carpenter Pond, where it widens to an average width of 15 feet and then flows south under the Hutchinson River Parkway and along Pine Brook Boulevard for approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) where it enters Sheldrake Lake. The river is fed from the reservoir over a spillway into the adjacent Goodliffe Pond.A dam and spillway at the south end of Goodliffe Pond drains into a seven-foot-wide (2.1 m) channel that flows east through the Bonnie-Briar Golf Course. From Goodliffe Pond, the Sheldrake River flows through Mamaroneck Town nearly parallel to Weaver Street and south to Valley Stream Road. At this point, the Sheldrake River is joined by the east branch. The Sheldrake River flows through a series of small waterfalls to Gardens Lake (also known as the Duck Pond); Gardens Lake is circular in shape and approximately 200 feet (61 m) wide. Downstream from Gardens Lake, the river turns northeast through an industrial section of Mamaroneck Village and carried in culverts underneath the Interstate 95, joining the Mamaroneck River just south of the interstate at Columbus Park in Mamaroneck Village business district.The East Branch of the Sheldrake River originates in Scarsdale and flows south through the Bonnie-Briar Country Club to meet the east tributary at Fenimore Road. Below Fenimore Road, the east branch flows through Rockland Avenue to meet the Sheldrake River below Valley Stream Road.The Sheldrake River and east branch have been classified by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as Class C. According to this state water quality classification, Class C watercourses should be suitable for fishing and fish propagation and discharges to these watercourses must meet standards that enable those uses. Class C watercourses also are suitable for primary and secondary contact recreation even though other factors may limit the use for that purpose. Water quality standards for Class C watercourses include limitations on fecal coliform, pH, total dissolved solids, and dissolved oxygen.
Tributaries
Two principal tributaries enter the Mamaroneck River, one from the east and one from the west. The East Branch of the Mamaroneck River is the furthest upstream tributary along the Mamaroneck River and originates in north Harrison near the intersection of Westchester Avenue and Anderson Hill Road. The West Branch originates just south of the Hutchinson River Parkway near Mamaroneck Avenue.
East Branch
The East Branch of the Mamaroneck River is 3.3 miles long. The main stem is 1.9 miles long north of its junction with the east branch. The east branch originates from a small pond in north Harrison at about 400 feet above sea level and then flows southeast 0.7 miles into Forest Lake. South of Forest Lake, it flows westerly to its confluence with the main stem. Spring Lake, also known as Croker Pond, is approximately 900 feet above the confluence of the east branch and main stem.
West Branch
The West Branch of the Mamaroneck River is the smallest of the river's two primary tributaries, draining an area of 2.3 square miles just south and southeast of downtown White Plains. The west branch originates from a wetland and pond and flows about 2.75 miles south / southwest through several storm water management basins to its confluence with the main stem near the intersection of Mamaroneck Avenue and Hutchinson River Parkway. | 4163350781791206119 | Sheldrake River | 824 |
Q888219 | Bob Roberts
Plot
Bob Roberts takes place in Pennsylvania, U.S. in 1990. It depicts a fictitious senatorial race between a conservative Republican country singer, Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins), and the incumbent Democrat, Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal). The film is shot through the perspective of Terry Manchester (Brian Murray), a British documentary filmmaker who is following the Roberts campaign. Through his lens we see Roberts travel across the state, performing songs about drug users, lazy people and the triumph of traditional family values over the rebelliousness of the 1960s. As the campaign continues, Paiste remains in the lead until a scandal arises involving him and a young woman who was seen emerging from a car with him. Paiste claims that she was a friend of his granddaughter whom he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations. Throughout the campaign, reporter Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito) attempts to use the documentary being made about Roberts as a way to expose him to the public as a fraud. Raplin believes that Roberts' anti-drug charity, Broken Dove, is connected to an old Central Intelligence Agency drug trafficking scheme. As the election approaches, Roberts is asked to appear on a network's sketch comedy show. When Roberts announces that he will not be playing the song he had originally proposed, a dispute breaks out between the cast and producers of the show. This new song turns out to be nothing more than a thinly veiled campaign endorsement, and an angry staff member of the network pulls the plug mid-performance. As Roberts is leaving the studio, he is seemingly shot by a would-be assassin. Raplin, who has been causing problems for the campaign, is initially linked to the shooting, but he is later cleared when it is found that due to constrictive palsy in his right hand he physically could not have fired the gun. Following the incident, Raplin contends that Roberts was never actually shot and that the gun was fired into the ground.The campaign is boosted by public support following the assassination attempt, and Roberts wins the election with 52 percent of the vote. Although Roberts claims that his wounds have left him paralyzed from the waist down, he is seen tapping his feet at a celebration party. While Terry Manchester is interviewing Roberts' supporters outside the new Senator's hotel, a boy runs up shouting, "He's dead, he's dead, they got him!" When Manchester asks him what he is talking about, the boy shouts, "Bugs Raplin! He's dead! They got him!" A joyful celebration breaks out among Roberts' supporters, the shot changes to an image of his hotel room, and an upright walking shadow suggesting Roberts' profile passes the window before the lights go out. The film ends with a radio news report about Raplin's death at the hands of a right-wing fanatic and a shot of Manchester standing in the Jefferson Memorial, looking at the words, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man", inscribed there.
Style
The film's style is drawn from a number of real and mock documentaries, and its shots are crafted to create this effect, in many cases through the use of hand-held cameras. Not only does Roberts' character draw from 60s era iconography of Bob Dylan, it also contains scenes inspired by the 1967 documentary, Dont Look Back, made about the singer, employing a similar (although consciously constructed) cinema verité style. The film also draws from Rob Reiner's 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap which Robbins states is one of his favorite films, and directly references this during the scene in which Roberts gets lost in an auditorium attempting to find the stage before his performance. In the case of Gore Vidal's character, the majority of the lines were not scripted, and instead Vidal based his role upon his own political beliefs, and his real-life positions on many of the fictional election topics.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 97% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 70% based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F.Roger Ebert praises the film "I like "Bob Roberts" - I like its audacity, its freedom to say the obvious things about how our political process has been debased - but if it had been only about campaign tactics and techniques, I would have liked it more" but says the thread about the investigative journalist doesn't work. He gives the film 3 out of 4 stars.While critics and audiences have responded to this film by connecting Roberts’ character to various political figures, such as George H. W. Bush and Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, Robbins has said that the film related more to the political system in general than any specific politician. Much of Robbins' commentary is addressed at the role of the media in election campaigns. Some have critiqued Robbins for his approach toward political satire, stating that his references to Reagan-era politics and the rebelliousness of the 1960s are simply too anachronistic in the context of the 1990s, but others have praised it for framing political commentary as a Hollywood comedy. In 2018, Robbins said "'Bob Roberts' came true," referring to president Donald Trump. | 14933606315679386116 | Bob Roberts | 1,128 |
Q7498871 | Shirley Timm-Rudolph
Shirley Timm-Rudolph is a former politician in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She was a city councillor from 1986 to 1992 and again from 1995 to 2002, and served on the city's Executive Policy Committee from 1997 to 1998. Timm-Rudolph ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1988 federal election, and for Mayor of Winnipeg in a 2004 by-election.
Early life and private career
Timm-Rudolph was raised in north-end Winnipeg, and was an interior designer before entering public life. She became a salesperson after leaving council in 1992, and established a consulting business in 2002. In 2004, she organized the charity Gold Spike Golf Tournament.
Councillor
Timm-Rudolph first ran for Winnipeg City Council in the 1983 municipal election as a New Democrat in the Springfield Heights division, and narrowly lost to Jim Ragsdill. She ran again in 1986 as an independent, and was elected in a crowded field . She ran for the Canadian House of Commons in 1988 as a Liberal, and finished second against New Democratic Party incumbent Bill Blaikie in Winnipeg—Transcona.Re-elected to a second term in 1989, Timm-Rudolph lost to fellow councillor Rick Boychuk in 1992 after redistribution forced the two incumbents to face one another. The 1992 contest was marked by extreme bitterness, with Boychuk accusing Timm-Rudolph of being in a conflict of interest situation. She was later cleared by a provincial investigation.Timm-Rudolph served on the provincial Municipal Board after her 1992 defeat. She ran for re-election in 1995, and defeated Boychuk in a rematch. During this campaign, she proposed the creation of an auxiliary police force that would take care of simple tasks and allow officers to focus on more important matters. When asked about her political ideology, she responded "dead centre". A subsequent survey of voting patterns in early 1997 found her to be one of council's most independent members, voting with or against Mayor Susan Thompson's governing coalition depending on the issue.Thompson appointed Timm-Rudolph as acting deputy mayor in November 1995, and named her to the executive policy committee (i.e. the municipal cabinet) in March 1997. She was initially the chair of the planning and services committee, and was reassigned as chair of the public works committee in November 1997. She voted against a bus fare reduction in 1998, arguing that it would lead to higher property taxes.Timm-Rudolph was expected to face a difficult re-election contest in 1998, but instead won without difficulty after Russ Wyatt, her main opponent, decided to withdraw at the last minute. After the election, she became a prominent figure in the council's unofficial opposition to new mayor Glen Murray. She served on the board of the Winnipeg Convention Centre and remained a member of the public works committee, but was no longer its chair. Timm-Rudolph also served on several national boards in this period, including those of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Yellowhead Highway. She was a critic of Winnipeg's restrictive anti-smoking legislation, and was one of only two councillors to vote against the 2001 operating budget.Timm-Rudolph decided not to seek re-election in 2002, saying that she found it difficult to work with Glen Murray. She indicated that she wanted to start a consulting business and write children's books. She later said that her greatest accomplishment in office was facilitating the construction of a storm water retention basin in southeast Transcona, an area often plagued by flooding.
Mayoral campaign
Timm-Rudolph was one of the first declared candidates for a 2004 mayoral by-election, which was called after Murray resigned to run for the House of Commons. She was initially considered a viable candidate, but did not establish a strong campaign organization. She finished a distant seventh against Sam Katz. | 11861513454515898554 | Shirley Timm-Rudolph | 860 |
Q6241237 | John J. Peck
Early life
Peck was born on January 4, 1821 in Manlius, New York. His father, John W. Peck, who had served in the War of 1812, was among the earliest and most active settlers of Onondaga County. The family home was at 312 Seneca Street, Manlius and is one of the oldest residences in Manlius village, having been built by Finley McLaren prior to 1807. Today the home is marked by a New York State Education Department historic marker commemorating it as the birthplace of Gen. John J. Peck. His mother was Phebe Peck.Peck entered the United States Military Academy at age 18 and graduated eighth from a class of 39 on July 1, 1843 along with Ulysses S. Grant and many other soon to be famous military officers. He served in the artillery as a second lieutenant and was stationed in New York until 1845.
Mexican–American War
In 1846 he was promoted second lieutenant and fought in Zachary Taylor's Army of Occupation during the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Monterrey. He then joined Winfield Scott's army and landed at Vera Cruz and fought in all the battles of Scott's campaign culminating in the fall of Mexico City. He was brevetted captain for gallantry and meritorious conduct in the battles of Contreras and Churubusco and again brevetted to major for his services at the battle of Molino del Rey and received the praise of his division commander, William J. Worth. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War he was said to have been an intimate friend of Generals Robert E. Lee, Joseph E. Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard.Returning to the U.S. after the war he served in the quartermasters department and against the Apache Indians on the frontier. Peck resigned from the army on March 1, 1853 and became the treasurer of a railroad project from New York to Syracuse, New York. In 1856 he stood as the Democratic candidate for Congress in the Onondaga district. At the time of Peck's reenlistment and appointment as brigadier general he held the position of cashier at the Burnett Bank of Syracuse of which he was one of the founding members. Peck also served as president of the Syracuse board of education, which position he continued to hold while on active service and only resigned in 1862.
The Peninsula Campaign
The outbreak of the Civil War brought Peck back into the army. He accepted a commission as brigadier general of volunteers on August 9, 1861. He was given command of a brigade defending Chain Bridge and the Northern defenses of Washington at Tennallytown and soon after joined George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac in Virginia. He commanded the 3rd Brigade, (55th NY, 62d NY, 93d Pa, 98th Pa & 102Pa) Couch's 1st Division, Keyes' IV Corps during the Peninsula Campaign. He served in the siege of Yorktown, and distinguished himself in the battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks. He was placed in command of the 2nd Division, IV Corps during the Seven Days Battles where he again distinguished himself. On July 25, 1862 he was promoted to major general of volunteers to rank from July 4, 1862 for his services in the Battle of Malvern Hill.
Suffolk
When McClellan's forces began evacuating the peninsula, Peck was left in command of a Union garrison stationed at Yorktown. In September he was given command of all Union troops in Virginia south of the James River. In 1863 during James Longstreet's Tidewater Campaign the attention of both armies in southern Virginia turned to the city of Suffolk. Suffolk guarded the western land approaches to the naval yards at Portsmouth and Norfolk which were in Union control. Peck took command of a force designated the Suffolk Detachment, VII Corps. Peck and his staff maintained Union Army staff headquarters at the Riddick House. This force would eventually amount to three divisions commanded by Michael Corcoran, George W. Getty and George H. Gordon. Peck received a captured message informing him of the Confederate intentions against Suffolk with enough time to take appropriate measures. Longstreet's besiegers gained some initial advantages during the siege of Suffolk at the battle of Norfleet House cutting off the Union supply route. Yet Peck mounted a counter offensive and retook the lost positions in the battle of Hill's Point. The Confederates lifted the siege, and Longstreet's corps returned to northern Virginia for the upcoming Gettysburg campaign. Peck received the praise of his superior, General John A. Dix for his competent defense of Suffolk.In the summer following the siege of Suffolk, Peck was transferred to command the District of North Carolina where he was involved in little action. Due to health reasons he went on sick leave. At the request of General Dix, he returned to command the Canadian frontier for the remainder of the war. His Chief of Staff was Colonel John Watts de Peyster Jr., son of a prominent New York family.
Post-war career
After the close of the war, Peck returned to Syracuse where he became president of the New York State Life Insurance Company. His health deteriorating, he died on April 21, 1878, at his home in Syracuse. | 15816561632767129592 | John J. Peck | 1,140 |
Q2446211 | Christmas Eve (opera)
Performance history
The premiere took place on 10 December 1895 in St. Petersburg.The British premiere was in 1988 in London, at the English National Opera; it was conducted by Albert Rosen.
Act 1
The widow Solokha agrees to help the Devil steal the moon. The Devil is annoyed with Solokha's son Vakula, who painted an icon mocking him. The Devil decides to create a snowstorm to prevent Vakula from seeing his beloved Oksana. While the storm rages, Solokha rides up to the sky and steals the moon, while the Deacon and Oksana's father, Chub, are unable to find their way.Tableau 2: Interior of Chub's houseOksana is alone and lonely at home. She passes through several moods and the music follows her with gradually accelerating tempos. At one point, Vakula enters and watches her admiring herself. She teases him, and he says he loves her, but she replies that she will only marry him if he brings her a pair of the Empress's slippers. Chub comes back out of the storm, and Vakula, not recognizing him and taking him for a rival, chases him out by striking him. Seeing what he has done, Oksana sends Vakula away in a miserable state. Young people from the village come around singing Ukrainian Christmas carols. Oksana realizes she still loves Vakula.
Act 2
The Devil is just getting cosy at Solokha's hut when in succession the mayor, the priest and Chub arrive to seduce her each hiding in a sack when the next arrives. Vakula hauls the four heavy sacks to his smithy.Tableau 4: Vakula's smithyVakula puts down his sacks. Young men and women, including Oksana, gather singing Kolyadki and having fun. Vakula, however, is bored and dejected. Oksana taunts Vakula one last time about the Tsaritsa's slippers. Vakula gives his farewell to the lads and to Oksana, exclaiming that he will perhaps meet them in another world. He leaves the sacks - from which the four men emerge.
Act 3
Patsyuk makes magic vareniki jump into his mouth. Vakula has come to request assistance from him. Patsyuk advises him that in order to obtain the help of the devil, he must go to the devil. Vakula puts down his sack, and the devil jumps out and tries to get his soul in exchange for Oksana. Vakula, however, grabs him by his neck, and climbs on his back. He forces the devil to fly him to St. Petersburg.Tableau 6: Space. Moon and starsWe witness the charming "Games and Dances of the Stars". This is followed by the "Diabolical Kolyadka" in which Patsyuk, riding a mortar, and Solokha, on her broom, attempt to stop Vakula. He succeeds, however, in getting through, and the lights of St. Petersburg become visible through the clouds.Tableau 7: A palace. A sumptuous room, brightly litThe Devil puts down Vakula in the tsaritsa's court and disappears into the fireplace. Vakula joins a group of Zaporozhian Cossacks who are petitioning the tsaritsa. A chorus sings the tsaritsa's praises in a magnificent polonaise. The tsaritsa addresses the Cossacks. Vakula requests the tsaritsa's boots to the music of a minuet, and his wish is granted because of its unusual and amusing nature. The Devil takes Vakula away as Russian and Cossack dances commence.Tableau 8: Space. NightVakula returns home on the devil's back. We witness the procession of Kolyada (young girl in a carriage) and Ovsen (boy on a boar's back). On approaching Dikanka, we hear church bells and a choir.
Act 4
Oksana listens to some women exchanging gossip about Vakula, who is believed to have committed suicide. Alone, Oksana sings an aria expressing her regret that she had treated Vakula harshly, and wishing for his return. He appears with the boots, followed by Chub. Vakula asks Chub for Oksana's hand in marriage and Chub assents. Vakula and Oksana sing a duet. Other characters enter and ask Vakula about his disappearance.Epilogue: In memory of GogolVakula announces that he will relate his story to the beekeeper Panko the Gingerhead (i.e., Gogol), who will write a story of Christmas Eve. There is general rejoicing. | 338215263844836751 | Christmas Eve (opera) | 1,006 |
Q7699294 | Ten Pound Poms
Assisted Passage Migration Scheme
The Assisted Passage Migration Scheme was created in 1945 by the Chifley Government and its first Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell, as part of the "Populate or Perish" policy. It was intended to substantially increase the population of Australia and to supply workers for the country's booming industries. In return for subsidising the cost of travelling to Australia—adult migrants were charged only ten pounds sterling for the fare (hence the name; in 1945 pounds, equivalent to £424 in 2018), and migrant scheme children travelled free of charge—the Government promised employment prospects, affordable housing and a generally more optimistic lifestyle. Upon arrival, migrants were placed in basic migration hostels and the expected job opportunities were not always readily available. It was a follow-on to the unofficial Big Brother Movement and attracted over one million migrants from the British Isles between 1945 and 1972, representing the last substantial scheme for preferential migration from the British Isles to Australia. In 1957, more migrants were encouraged to travel following a campaign called "Bring out a Briton". Coming to an end in 1982, the scheme reached its peak in 1969; during this year over 80,000 migrants took advantage of the scheme. The cost to migrants of the assisted passage was increased to £75 in 1973 (equivalent to £891 in 2018).While the term "Ten Pound Pom" is in common use, the scheme was not limited to migrants from the United Kingdom. Persons born in the Irish Free State or in the southern counties of Ireland prior to the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1949 were also classified as British subjects. In fact most British subjects were eligible and, at the time, that included not only those from the British Isles but also residents of British colonies such as Malta and Cyprus. Australia also operated schemes to assist selected migrants from other countries, notably the Netherlands (1951), Italy (1951), Greece (1952), West Germany (1952) and Turkey (1967).Assisted migrants were generally obliged to remain in Australia for two years after arrival, or alternatively refund the cost of their assisted passage. If they chose to travel back to Britain, the cost of the journey was at least £120 (in 1945 pounds, equivalent to £5,087 in 2018), a large sum in those days and one that most could not afford. It was also possible for many British people to migrate to Australia on a non-assisted basis before the early 1970s, although most travelled as Ten Pounders. This was part of the wider White Australia policy. An estimated quarter of those British migrants returned to the UK within the qualifying period, however, half of these—the so-called "Boomerang Poms"—returned to Australia.Before 1 December 1973, migrants to Australia from Commonwealth countries were eligible to apply for Australian citizenship after one year's residence in Australia. In 1973 the residence requirement was extended to three years, then reduced to two years in November 1984. However, relatively few British migrants—compared to other post-war arrivals, such as Italians, Greeks and Turks—took up Australian citizenship. Consequently, many may have lost their Australian residency status later on, usually through leaving Australia.
New Zealand scheme
The Government of New Zealand initiated a similar immigration scheme in July 1947. The first immigrants arrived on the RMS Rangitata later that year. The scheme was administered by the Department of Labour under the guidance of Bert Bockett, and was expanded to include the Netherlands in 1950. The Dutch immigration scheme finished in 1963, with just over 6,000 immigrants to New Zealand; with Bockett receiving the Olivier van Noort medallion from the Dutch government in the following year. The British immigration scheme lasted until 1971, with 76,673 immigrants. From 1957 to 1971, the scheme applied to further European countries, with a total of 1,442 immigrants.
Well-known participants
Prime Minister Julia Gillard migrated with her family from Barry, Glamorgan, Wales in 1966. Her parents hoped the warmer climate would help cure her lung infection.Another Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, migrated in 1960 under the scheme, although his father had already lived in Australia after arriving at the beginning of the Second World War on a Blue Funnel Liner, and his mother was an Australian expatriate living in Britain at the time of his birth. England fast bowlers Harold Larwood (in 1950) and Frank Tyson (in 1960) also took advantage of the scheme when they retired from cricket.The Bee Gees (Gibb brothers) spent their first few years in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, then moved in the late 1950s to Redcliffe in Queensland, where they began their musical careers.The five original members of the Easybeats migrated independently to meet in Sydney and take Australia by storm with 'Easyfever'. Lead singer Stevie Wright migrated from Leeds, England. Meanwhile, Harry Vanda migrated from the Hague, Netherlands and George Young migrated from Glasgow, Scotland to become the twin guitars and later the songwriting team that took the Easybeats to the world with "Friday on My Mind". George's younger brothers Malcolm Young and Angus Young formed the twin guitars of AC/DC, with another immigrated Scotsman Bon Scott who, after his death, was replaced by UK transplant Brian Johnson (not an assisted passage participant). Malcolm (after being diagnosed with a severe memory loss disorder) was replaced by nephew Stevie Young, who had travelled on the same flight to Australia in 1963 as his uncles George, Malcolm and Angus.Grace McNeil (née Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman, a Cambridge-trained accountant, migrated to Australia in 1967 where their son, Hugh Jackman, was born in Sydney, New South Wales.Businessman Alan Bond moved to Australia with his family in 1950.Rugby League Player and actor Ian Roberts moved to Sydney with his family in 1967. According to Roberts, he "was brought up in an English household and Australia existed outside the front door.” Actor Nicholas Hope, best known for his role in the 1994 film Bad Boy Bubby, was born in Manchester on Christmas Day 1958 and migrated to Whyalla shortly after. | 49387343555011532 | Ten Pound Poms | 1,325 |
Q1080993 | Love to Love You Baby (album)
History
In the summer of 1974, Summer approached producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte with an idea for a song. A re-issued 45 of "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg was back on the charts, prompting Summer to pen her own 'racy' song. She had come up with the lyric "love to love you, baby" as the possible title for the song. Moroder in particular was interested in developing the new disco sound that was becoming increasingly popular, and used Summer's idea to develop the song into an overtly sexual disco track. The original three-minute single was released several times before it had any success – and later edited versions of the re-recorded much longer track were the versions which became a major international hit, almost a year later. He had the idea that she should moan and groan orgasmically, but Summer was initially reticent. Eventually she agreed to record the song as a demo for other singers to hear and possibly record and release. She stated she was not completely sure of some of the lyrics, and parts of the song were improvised while recording. She stated on a VH1's Behind the Music program that she pictured herself as Marilyn Monroe acting out the part of someone in sexual ecstasy. Moroder liked Summer's recording and insisted it should actually be released. Summer reluctantly agreed and the song, titled "Love to Love You", was released to modest success in Europe.The song, however, still did not have a US release after modest success in Europe. Moroder took it to Casablanca Records and label president Neil Bogart eventually decided to release it, but requested Moroder produce a version near twenty minutes. Summer, Moroder, and producer Pete Bellotte returned with a seventeen-minute version. Casablanca signed Summer and issued the single in November 1975 as "Love to Love You Baby". Casablanca distributed Summer's work in the US while other labels distributed it in different nations during this period."Love to Love You Baby" was Summer's first single and first hit in America, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976. It also became her first number-one Hot Dance Club Play Chart hit. The album (side one of which was completely taken up with the full-length version of the title track) was also released in late 1975 and was soon certified gold for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US. The song was branded "graphic" by some music critics and was even banned by some radio stations for its explicit content. Time later reported that a record twenty-two orgasms were simulated by Summer in the making of the song. In some areas of the music press, Summer would later begin to be dubbed 'The First Lady of Love'. The album made the Top 20 in both the US and the UK.The other songs on the album had a more soul/R&B feel to them. Side two consisted of four more original songs, plus a reprise of one of them. Two of the songs, "Full of Emptiness" (which was taken from her previous album Lady of the Night) and "Whispering Waves" were ballads, while "Need-a-Man Blues" was in a slightly more pop/disco vein, and "Pandora's Box" was more mid-tempo.The track listing for side B differs in some European nations. In the Netherlands the album was released with the single "Virgin Mary" replacing the first version of "Full of Emptiness". On some releases in Germany, "Whispering Waves" and both versions of "Full of Emptiness" were removed. They were replaced by "Lady of the Night" and "The Hostage", both taken from the Lady of the Night album. In France, "The Hostage" was added as a bonus track at the end of side B. It appears that neither "The Hostage", "Lady of the Night", or "Virgin Mary" appear on any CD releases of the album. | 5714258111322655979 | Love to Love You Baby (album) | 847 |
Q16203275 | Benjamin Hafner
Benjamin (Ben) Hafner (March 24, 1821 – 1899) known as "The Flying Dutchman" and "Uncle Ben," was an American locomotive engineer, who worked for the Erie Railway, and at the end of his life known as the oldest engineer in point of service in the United States.
Biography
Benjamin Hafner, who departed this life in the spring of 1899, was at that time the oldest engineer - in point of service - in the United States. "Uncle Ben," as he was affectionately and familiarly known on the Erie, was born in Baden, Germany, on March 24, 1821, and came to the United States with his parents in 1832. His father was Valentine Hafner, one of Napoleon's soldiers, serving as a first lieutenant, and was in the march to Moscow.Mr. Hafner began railroading as a fireman in 1839, and in 1840 commenced running as engineer on the old slab-rail road between Baltimore and Cumberland, Maryland. He came to the Erie in 1848, and was one of the pioneer engineers running between Piermont and Port Jervis. Later he ran on the Illinois Central, and in 1857 made a business trip to Europe. On his return he re-entered the employ of the Erie and continued in active service until March, 1892, when he quit running, and was given the position of depot master at Port Jervis, in which capacity he acted until his death.He was married February 14, 1858, to Miss Mary Catherine Goetz of Baltimore, and eleven children were born to them, five of whom are living. Mr. Hafner was an honored member of the B. of L. E., and stood high in the esteem of the Erie's officials, while every railroad man on the two divisions had a tender regard for the aged engineer, who was one of the best in his day.
The 1854 strike at Erie
In a way Hafner triggered the 1854 strike at the Erie Railroad. It all started early in 1854, when Daniel McCallum then superintendent of the Susquehanna division, had drafted a renewed code of rules regulating the running of trains, which he submitted to the Directors of the Company. They were pleased with it, and officially adopted it as supplementary to the existing rules. Charles Minot was then the general superintendent. The McCallum rules were adopted March 6, 1854, and Minot was directed to put them in force. He did not approve of some of them. He refused to promulgate the new code, and resigned.McCallum took charge as general superintendent May 1, 1854, and his new rules were at once put in force. Trouble was not long in following. The engineers objected to the new order of things, particularly to Rule 6 of the McCallum code, which declared that every engineer would be held responsible for running off a switch at a station where he stopped, whether he should run off before or after receiving a signal to go forward from a switchman or any other person. The engineer, under this rule, was expected to see for himself whether the switch was right or not, and take no person's authority for the same at stations where trains stopped. The engineer, however, had a right to run past stations where he did not stop at a rate he was willing to hazard on his own account, the Company reserving the right to decide whether such running was reckless or not. " The road must be run safe first and fast afterward," the management declared.The engineers also protested against the alleged " posting rule " of the Company, under which notices of dismissal of engineers was at once posted with other railroad companies to the injury of the men. An abrogation of the distasteful rules was requested, June 15, by a committee, consisting of John Donohue, William Schrier, and John C. Meginnes. Superintendent McCallum's explanation and reply not being satisfactory, the engineers struck on June 17 - the first strike in the history of the railroad. This strike on the Erie was settled after ten days' paralysis of the business of the railroad, and a loss of many thousands of dollars to the Company.The engineer over whose case the strike resulted was Benjamin Hafner of the Eastern Division. On the evening of June 10 ran off a switch at Turner's. He was dismissed. After he was dismissed Hafner was sent for by Superintendent McCallum to talk about the incident. Hafner refused to go unless he was reinstated first. McCallum declined to reinstate him without a consultation. The matter was taken up by all the leading engineers on the Delaware and Eastern divisions, with the above result. | 9068384335059576095 | Benjamin Hafner | 1,008 |
Q50819363 | Neomanila
Plot
In modern Manila amid the war on drugs, street orphan Toto (Timothy Castillo) raises money in an effort to bail out his imprisoned brother Kiko, who is terrified that the gang involved in an illegal drug trade he is running might be plotting to kill him. When Toto finds out that, indeed, he and his brother have become targets of assassination by local gangsters as well as corrupt officers, he is rescued by Irma (Eula Valdez), a professional hitwoman who introduces herself as a friend of his dead mother, with whom she spent time as a hawker of counterfeit goods. Irma's assignments are set up by a corrupt police officer named "Sarge". Although occupied with another assignment, Irma offers Toto refuge and she trains him to become an assassin; Toto, then, comes to see Irma as a surrogate mother.
Production
Neomanila was the third feature film of writer-director Mikhail Red, the first two being Rekorder (2013) and Birdshot (2016). According to Red, he had the idea for Neomanila after watching an interview conducted by the BBC, which had gone viral, of a married couple who both worked as hitmen at night. He added that his research mainly involved visiting Manila Police District precincts and recording violent events late at night: "We would hang around near the police station—Nightcrawler level. We would go to the actual crime scenes, and I recorded a lot on my phone." Principal photography on the film began August 2017 and lasted 11 days, which is a relatively short schedule compared to the two-year period Red spent completing Birdshot. Although Red believes that shooting for two years is optimal for a production schedule, he elected releasing Neomanila immediately that year because he felt that extrajudicial killings (EJK), especially during the Philippine Drug War, were a "very relevant" subject tackled in the film, and shooting in that period would eliminate its significance. The film was photographed by Birdshot cinematographer Mycko David, whom Red compared favorably to Roger Deakins. Aesthetically, Red shot the film with the Arri Alexa utilizing the cinéma vérité technique, emphasizing mostly hand-held camera movements. He prefers that his films deliver a "strong social commentary" by using genre, explaining that "It's a better way of reaching more people and getting your message across". Red insists that Neomanila is devoid of any political statement, and he believes that whether the characters' decisions are "moral" is best left for audiences to contemplate:I guess what makes it different from most EJK-themed films—and there's a lot being done now—is the perspective. It's basically about people caught in the middle of the drug war, literally, because they're the middlemen. They're morally ambiguous. I'm always interested in that, where you have very likable criminals, going up against corrupt cops. It's very gray. You don’t know: Who’s good? Who’s bad? Is this justified? I wouldn't say it's political because even the characters themselves, they're unaware, oblivious to the politics of it. They don't talk about the politics of the whole situation. They just do it for the money. It's like a lens, looking at the whole situation, and it keeps throwing questions at the audience. It's up to you to decide: is this moral? It's up to you to question yourself.
Release and reception
Neomanila premiered at the 2017 Quezon City International Film Festival from October 20–28, and had a Philippine wide release on March 13, 2019. The review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 100 percent (based on five reviews) and a weighted average of 8 out of 10. Clarence Tsui for The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "slick thriller", extending praise to Eula Valdez's against-type role and Tim Castillo's "nuanced performance". Wanggo Gallaga of InterAksyon.com wrote, "It's a powerful film that doesn't pull its punches". | 10590542082779508279 | Neomanila | 846 |
Q2718231 | Kári Árnason
Early years
Born in Gothenburg, Kári began his career as a youngster in 1999 with Víkingur at his home town of Reykjavik, where he spent the first five years in his career. Arnason also played for the Gonzaga University Bulldogs in Spokane, Washington from 2002 to 2003. He brought a different style of football to Spokane, the likes of which Bulldog legends Steve Owens and Trevor Conrad had never seen. During a candid interview with Gonzaga Bulletin reporter Ryan McAteer he did admit "Americans though, are in much better shape and can run forever." He also played one season for Adelphi University in 2004. After putting together a string of impressive performances in midfield with Víkingur at an early age in the 2004 season, Kári was signed by Swedish Allsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF in 2004, where he won the Swedish league and cup double in 2005. He was signed by Danish club AGF Aarhus in 2007 and spent two years with the club, along with a spell on loan at fellow Superliga club Esbjerg fB.
Plymouth Argyle
Kári had a trial at English Football League Championship side Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 2009, and after impressing in a couple of friendly matches he signed a one-year contract with the club. He made his debut in August 2009 against Derby County and established himself as a first-team regular at the heart of the club's defence. He scored his first goal for the club against Reading on 28 December 2009 at Home Park, to become the 500th player to score a league goal since the club became professional in 1903. Kári signed a two-year contract extension in January 2010, after a string of consistent performances, to keep him at the club until the summer of 2012.
Aberdeen
Kári joined Heart of Midlothian on trial during their pre-season trip to Italy in June 2011, having been released by Plymouth's administrator after refusing to defer his wages for June. He was not offered a contract by Hearts and then began a trial with fellow Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen. He signed for Aberdeen on 18 July and received international clearance four days later. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against St Johnstone on 23 July and scored his first goal for Aberdeen on 15 October, the opener in a 3–1 win against Dundee United. In the return New Firm fixture on 2 January 2012, Árnason scored the winning goal from 35-yards at Tannadice. He was offered a new contract in December to extend his stay with the club beyond the 2011–12 season.His goal against Rangers in a 1–1 draw at Ibrox Stadium took his tally for the campaign to three. Kári rejected Aberdeen's offer of a new contract towards the end of January and manager Craig Brown said that he expected him to leave in the summer. "We made Kári an exceptionally good offer. However, the player believes he can earn a better deal elsewhere," said an Aberdeen spokesperson.
Rotherham United
Kári Árnason joined Rotherham United in June 2012. He played over 100 games for the club, where he earned back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship. He played the majority of the games in defense, the others in midfield.
Malmö FF
On 29 June 2015, Kári returned to his country of birth, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Malmö FF. Malmö FF sold their two starting centre-backs in the same transfer window, and he formed a new centre-back pairing with Rasmus Bengtsson. The team continued to struggle in their league campaign, but qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League group stage. In a team with many newly signed players, Kári had quickly become a leader and was appointed vice-captain by Åge Hareide. The team was able to get back to its winning ways during the 2016 season. With captain Markus Rosenberg injured, Kári wore the armband during the final title run and led the team to secure the Allsvenskan title with two games to play.
AC Omonia
On 30 January 2017, Kári joined AC Omonia. He had 8 appearances with the club. He was given a transfer to Aberdeen after expressing his wish for the transfer and an agreement based on the demands of Omonia Nicosia.
Return to Aberdeen
On 14 July 2017, Kári rejoined Aberdeen, for whom he had played in the 2011–12 season. He was released by Aberdeen in May 2018, at the end of his contract.
Gençlerbirliği
On 24 July 2018 Kári agreed terms with Turkish First League side Gençlerbirliği, signing a one-year deal.
Return to Vikingur
At the end of his contract at Gençlerbirliği, Kári rejoined the club he played for as a youth, Víkingur, signing a two-year deal until the end of the 2020 season.
International career
Kári Árnason was called up to the senior Iceland squad in March 2005 for the game against Croatia and he made his debut four days later against Italy. He scored his first goal for his country seven months later in October 2005 against Sweden at Råsunda.He was selected by Lars Lagerbäck for UEFA Euro 2016 where Iceland made their first ever appearance in a major tournament. In the first game he marked Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game in their draw with Portugal, the team that eventually won the entire tournament. In their last group stage game Iceland were able to beat Austria to advance to the knock-out stages, and he notched an assist and was selected as man of the match. He once again assisted a goal in Iceland's upset victory over England in the round of 16.In May 2018 he was named in Iceland’s 23 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. | 7795824197262743811 | Kári Árnason | 1,300 |
Q324118 | Dave Hunt (Christian apologist)
Early life
David Charles Haddon Hunt was born on September 30, 1926, in Riverside, California, to Lillie and Albert Hunt. He was raised in a Christian family, with two other siblings. As a young man, he also spent time in the military, at the end of World War II. He was an alumnus of UCLA. From June 24, 1950, until his death, Hunt was married to his college sweetheart, Ruth Klaussen (1926–2013), who together raised four children: David Jr., Janna, Karen and Jon. He worked as a CPA before his entry into full-time ministry.
Positions
Hunt believed occult or pagan influences are pervasive in modern culture - this includes evolution, as well as all forms of psychology, some forms of entertainment, yoga, and some forms of medicine. His book Occult Invasion is dedicated to this area, while several other books mention it in part.
Creationism
Hunt was a strict Biblical Creationist - refutations of evolution and theistic evolution were a frequent topic of his radio programs, Search the Scriptures Daily and According to God's Word....I think you’ve got to be very stubborn to reject God and to say evolution—it all happened by chance. No rational person could support that thesis. And I would challenge anybody....—you know the more they get down—when we discovered electron microscopes and we got down to the molecular level of life, we found that it was far more complex than Darwin realized.
Calvinism
Hunt addressed Calvinism in a book called What Love is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God, published in 2002 and revised in 2004 and 2006. He sought to refute many alleged misconceptions of Calvinism without taking an Arminian stance. He outlined a theological middle ground between Calvinism and Arminianism, where, according to Hunt, one can believe in eternal security but reject Calvinistic teaching. Also published in 2004 was Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views, co-written in a point-counterpoint debate format by Hunt and Calvinist apologist James White.
Catholicism
In A Woman Rides the Beast, he identified the Roman Catholic Church as the Whore of Babylon from the prophecies in chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation.
Mormonism
The book The Godmakers (1984), which Dave Hunt co-wrote with Ed Decker, and the accompanying film The God Makers (1982) by Jeremiah Films were an exposé of Mormonism, highlighting the Mormon belief that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer and many other disturbing facts. The book and film have been criticized not only by Mormons themselves as inaccurate portrayals of their religion but also as inaccurate by other non-Mormon groups that are critical of Mormonism.
Prophecy
Dave Hunt regularly spoke on Bible prophecy, including his book A Cup of Trembling which warned against the then-current peace process.
Other
In 1973 he wrote the screenplay for Time to Run, a Christian film produced for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Hunt later criticized Graham's ministry for its open ecumenism).The Seduction of Christianity (co-written with Tom A. McMahon), which categorized Word of Faith teachings, meditation, and psychology-based counseling as New Age heresies, generated much debate in the 1980s. Responses from meditation proponents and from Calvinist re-constructionist writers include Seduction?? A Biblical Response and The Reduction of Christianity. Hunt has written a rejoinder to the latter critics in his Whatever Happened to Heaven?Hunt wrote about Y2K with the intent of refuting the fearful predictions being made by other Christian fundamentalist writers (Y2K: A Reasoned Response To Mass Hysteria).In his final book, "Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny", Hunt supported the Creationist viewpoint and alleged that there were deficiencies in both the Big Bang theory and the theory of evolution. | 15864870154367477797 | Dave Hunt (Christian apologist) | 829 |
Q6310791 | Jumani Johansson
Jim Jumani Johansson (legally Jim Jumani Immanuel Masauko Kamuzu Banda) (2 May 1973 – 26 January 2019) was a Malawian-Swedish man who claimed to be the son of the late Malawian President Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898-1997). He changed his name to Jim Jumani Immanuel Masauko Kamuzu Banda. Johansson says that it was after Banda died in 1997 that 'some government officials' told him about who his father really was. Officially, Banda died childless and unmarried. His claim and resemblance to the former dictator opened up many unanswered questions about the legacy of Banda. Johansson became a celebrity overnight in Malawi owing to his uncanny resemblance to the former president and his measures to seek legal means of proving his identity. Malawians were divided on whether he was the true heir but the public demanded a right to know as well. Focus Gwede, the head of Banda's Special Branch of Secret Police Services, came out in support of Johansson, claiming in 2010 that Banda had fathered three children.
Muhammad Jogee
Johansson's adoptive mother, Miriam Kaunda, claims that Jumani's father is Muhammad Jogee, an Indian-Malawian living outside of Malawi. Jogee, or proof of his existence, however, cannot be located. Banda's family also claim that Jogee is the real father.
Kamuzu Banda
Johansson went to the cabinet to have his name changed officially to Jim Jumani Immanuel Masauko Kamuzu Banda and this was legally granted by the courts, who stated that he had the right to call himself any name he wanted in spite of attempts to block this move by the Banda family.
Preliminary DNA testing
Kamuzu’s DNA was secretly taken from the College of Medicine for the purpose of preliminary tests with the help of an unnamed Malawian doctor. Preliminary DNA tests conducted in a private lab in South Africa show that Jim Jumani Johansson was the biological son of Kamuzu Banda. Jumani was still seeking official DNA testing with permission of the Banda estate to prove or disprove his paternity, up until his death.
Maternity claims
Banda was not known to be in any relationships that resulted in heirs, but there is evidence of affairs which have mainly been kept confidential.
Cecilia Kadzamira
The official hostess was Cecilia Kadzamira, but it is believed it was not a sexual relationship by Malawian historians like John Lwanda.According to Lwanda, Kadzamira cannot be the mother.
Merene French
There is also the relationship with a married British confidant, Merene French, with whom Banda had an affair.
Miriam Kaunda
Miriam Kaunda raised Johansson, but Jumani insisted that she was not his mother, notably due to her refusal to take a DNA test for maternity. Kaunda continues to insist that Banda was not Johannson's father.
Court case
Although Johansson was seeking a high court to order DNA testing, Banda’s family denied the use of DNA samples to prove or disprove the claim. Banda’s family was skeptical about his claims because of the property claims that his heritage would mean. A grand-niece of Dr. Banda, Jane Dzanjalimodzi, noted that “many people will come out of the woodwork to make claims because they know Banda’s vast estate is about to be distributed”. In tense court battles, they have attempted to block Johansson from legally changing his name to Kamuzu Banda, and from visiting the family estates. The family also claims that Johansson was a Swede and not a Malawian citizen and could not make any claims in Malawian courts without paying court costs.Jumani, however, wanted court-supervised DNA testing where both himself and family representatives were present. Lawyers from the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) were hired to assist late Jumani in his claims.
Presidential threats and arrest
Johansson was arrested for asking a presidential guard (at the private residence of the president, Kamazu Palace) why he was protecting a ‘stupid’ president (Bingu wa Mutharika) who ‘killed people’ and for then adding that he could ‘kill Mutharika’ himself which was seen as a threat against the president. He was defended by Zeros Matumba in first grade magistrate Richard Gomani’s court. He was granted bail against the wishes of the police, and his hearing was adjourned until September 21, 2011.
Deportation from Malawi
On September 27, 2011, immigration authorities took Johansson in for overstaying his allotted time in the country and started processing his deportation. According to The Nation which broke the Jumani story, he acquired a Swedish passport after his adoption by his step-father, Matt Johansson.Johansson was deported on September 28, 2011, for overstaying his visit in Malawi. He had a Malawian passport and had applied for reinstatement of his Malawian citizenship His lawyer, Zeros Matumba, had been trying to fight his deportation.
Death
On January 26, 2019 it was reported that Jumani had died. There is considerable suspicion as to the cause of his death. He was 45. | 5772331821851869015 | Jumani Johansson | 1,159 |
Q729819 | Eimsheim
Location
The municipality lies in Rhenish Hesse.
Land use
The municipality's area is 451 ha, of which some 100 ha is given over to vineyards.
History
Finds unearthed from the Bronze Age suggest that there were settlers in the time between 1800 and 1000 BC. The remains of a column capital from a Jupiter temple have also been found.About 500, the Franks settled here; the placename Uminisheim goes back to the tribal elder Umin. Eimsheim, at the time belonging to the Wormsgau (a county), had its first documentary mention in 762 in a donation document in which Egilolf transferred a vineyard in the Huminsheimer Marca to the Lorsch Abbey.In the early 11th century Eimsheim belonged to the Bishopric of Worms, which later ceded it to the “Weidas” Cistercian convent near Dautenheim. In 1485, half of the village was handed over to the Elector Palatine Philipp “the Gallant”, while the other half only passed to the Electorate of the Palatinate in 1551 under Philipp's son Friedrich “the Wise”.In 1780 the new Catholic church was completed. Shortly thereafter, Eimsheim fell under French administration. Eimsheim citizens, too, fought in the Napoleonic Wars. As a memorial to this time, the so-called Napoleonstein was put up at the old graveyard in 1852 in memory of the veterans.In a phase of great building activity between 1890 and 1906 arose, among other things, the Old School, the New School, the Town Hall and the Evangelical church. The population had reached some 600 by this time.In 1982, Eimsheim won first prize in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden (“Our Village Should Be Lovelier”).
Religion
There are two churches, St. Pirmin for the Catholic community and Christ the Redeemer for the Evangelical community.
Ortsbürgermeister
The Ortsbürgermeister – Mayor of the Ortsgemeinde – is Hans-Joachim Eller (SPD).The 2004 municipal election was run on the majority vote principle, without lists; each councillor was directly elected.
Coat of arms
The municipality's arms might be described thus: Per fess sable a demi-lion rampant Or armed, langued and crowned gules, and azure from base issuant a spring basin of the second masoned of the first from which a stream of water argent surmounting a crozier of the second bendwise sinister.Eimsheim belonged from 1565 until Napoleonic times to the Electorate of the Palatinate, explaining the Palatine Lion in the upper part of the escutcheon. The Catholic Church is consecrated to Saint Pirmin, who therefore appeared in a court seal known from 1546. Another court seal with the same composition comes from 1769. In both seals, the saint's full figure is shown, and he is clothed as a bishop with a mitre and a crozier. Beside the saint is a small spring basin on the ground with a stream of water coming forth from it. This motif recalls that Saint Pirmin, according to legend, made a spring come forth with a blow from his bishop's crozier. The spring's water was said to have healed eye complaints and rheumatic illnesses. The spring itself water was said to have been on Reichenau Island in Lake Constance, where Pirmin founded his well-known monastery – and indeed where he got rid of all the venomous snakes. The saint, who died in Hornbach near Zweibrücken – his last place of work – was one of Southwest Germany's most important missionaries. In the Middle Rhine area he seldom appears as a church's patron saint, and that he is such a thing for a church in Eimsheim can be explained by the municipality's former allegiance to the Palatinate, where his name often cropped up. Furthermore, to this day, springs can still be found in Eimsheim giving forth water from slopes, and they are also to be seen on many farms. As late as 1906, the municipality got its water supply from ten municipally owned springs. | 16800883301597761454 | Eimsheim | 900 |
Q561213 | Xavier Bettel
Early life
Bettel was born on 3 March 1973 in Luxembourg City. His father, Claude Bettel, was a wine merchant and his mother, Aniela, is French of Russian descent and a grandniece of the composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. After completing his secondary school studies at the Lycée Hélène Boucher in Thionville, Bettel obtained a master's degree in Public and European Law and a DEA in Political Science and Public Law from Nancy 2 University in Nancy, France. He also studied maritime law as well as canon law at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. He participated in the Erasmus Programme. For four years in the early 2000s he hosted Sonndes em 8, a weekly talkshow, on the now-defunct private T.TV television network. In 2017, he also received an Honorary doctorate from Sacred Heart University Luxembourg
Municipal politics
In the 1999 communal elections, Bettel was elected to Luxembourg City's communal council, finishing sixth on the DP's list. On 12 July 2001, he qualified as a lawyer. By the time of the 2004 legislative election, Bettel had significantly consolidated his position, and finished fourth (of the five DP members elected), giving him a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. On 28 November 2005, after the communal elections in which he was placed fourth on the DP list, Bettel was appointed échevin in the Council of Luxembourg City.Following municipal elections on 9 October 2011, at the young age of 38, Bettel was sworn in as Mayor of Luxembourg on 24 November 2011.
National politics
Bettel ran for the Chamber of Deputies in the 1999 legislative election, and finished 10th amongst DP candidates in the Centre constituency, with the top seven being elected. However, the DP overtook the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) as the second-largest party, and its members formed the majority of the new government as the Christian Social People's Party's (CSV) coalition partners. Thus, with Lydie Polfer and Anne Brasseur vacating their seats to take roles in the government, and Colette Flesch not taking her seat so as to focus on her role as Member of the European Parliament, Bettel was appointed to the Chamber, starting 12 August 1999.
First term
In 2013, Bettel was elected leader of the Democratic Party, and in the 2013 election, led the party to a third-ranked position in parliamentary seats. On 25 October, Bettel was designated by Grand Duke Henri as the formateur for the next government. He assumed his post as Luxembourg's Prime Minister on 4 December 2013. In the government's coalition of the Democratic Party, Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party and The Greens, he also holds the functions of Minister of State, Minister for Communications and the Media, and Minister for Religious Affairs.His policies were expected to include reforms on same-sex marriage, replace religious instruction in schools with general ethics classes and cut spending to maintain Luxembourg's AAA credit rating.
Second term
Following the 2018 Luxembourg general election, he became the first openly gay prime minister in the world to be re-elected for a second term. He leads the cabinet with Co-Deputy Prime Ministers Étienne Schneider and Félix Braz. He began his second term when his government was formed on 5 December 2018. The government is a continuation of the traffic light coalition between the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), and The Greens from the First Bettel–Schneider Ministry, with minor changes.On 16 September 2019, following a short bilateral meeting on the status of Brexit negotiations, Bettel continued a press conference without British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after Johnson abruptly pulled out due to an anti-Brexit protest held by British citizens living in Luxembourg. Bettel gestured towards Johnson's empty podium and confirmed that the UK government had not tabled any concrete proposals for amendments to the UK's Withdrawal Agreement, particularly the "Irish backstop" that Johnson wishes to replace. This being despite the public pronouncements of Prime Minister Johnson and the UK's departure date from the EU fast approaching. Pro-Brexit UK media reported the matter as an ambush, whilst other UK and international media outlets largely saw the incident, and the reaction of pro-Brexit UK media outlets to it, as confirming the empty bravado and rhetoric of Johnson's premiership, the reduced status of the UK post-Brexit, and the increasing hypersensitivity and aversion of pro-Brexit pundits and politicians to criticism.
Personal life
Bettel is openly gay, and has stated that increasingly in Luxembourg "people do not consider the fact of whether someone is gay or not". Bettel is Luxembourg's first openly gay Prime Minister and, worldwide, the third openly gay head of government following Iceland's Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (2009–2013) and Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (2011–2014). As of 2017, he is one of three openly gay world leaders in office, the others being Leo Varadkar, the Taoiseach of Ireland; and Ana Brnabić, the Prime Minister of Serbia.Bettel has been married to Gauthier Destenay since 2015, the same year that same-sex marriage was introduced to Luxembourg. | 8729239551996418627 | Xavier Bettel | 1,144 |
Q1474877 | Hypercalcaemia
Causes
Primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy account for about 90% of cases of hypercalcaemia.
ECG changes
Abnormal heart rhythms can also result, and ECG findings of a short QT interval suggest hypercalcaemia. Significant hypercalcaemia can cause ECG changes mimicking an acute myocardial infarction. Hypercalcaemia has also been known to cause an ECG finding mimicking hypothermia, known as an Osborn wave.
Treatments
The goal of therapy is to treat the hypercalcaemia first and subsequently effort is directed to treat the underlying cause.
Hypercalcaemic crisis
A hypercalcaemic crisis is an emergency situation with a severe hypercalcaemia, generally above approximately 14 mg/dL (or 3.5 mmol/l).The main symptoms of a hypercalcaemic crisis are oliguria or anuria, as well as somnolence or coma. After recognition, primary hyperparathyroidism should be proved or excluded.In extreme cases of primary hyperparathyroidism, removal of the parathyroid gland after surgical neck exploration is the only way to avoid death. The diagnostic program should be performed within hours, in parallel with measures to lower serum calcium. Treatment of choice for acutely lowering calcium is extensive hydration and calcitonin, as well as bisphosphonates (which have effect on calcium levels after one or two days).
Other animals
Research has led to a better understanding of hypercalcemia in non-human animals. Often the causes of hypercalcemia have a correlation to the environment in which the organisms live. Hypercalcemia in house pets is typically due to disease, but other cases can be due to accidental ingestion of plants or chemicals in the home. Outdoor animals commonly develop hypercalcemia through vitamin D toxicity from wild plants within their environments.
Household pets
Household pets such as dogs and cats are found to develop hypercalcemia. It is less common in cats, and many feline cases are idiopathic. In dogs, lymphosarcoma, Addison’s disease, primary hyperparathyroidism, and chronic kidney failure are the main causes of hypercalcemia, but there are also environmental causes usually unique to indoor pets. Ingestion of small amounts of calcipotriene found in psoriasis cream can be fatal to a pet. Calcipotriene causes a rapid rise in calcium ion levels. Calcium ion levels can remain high for weeks if untreated and lead to an array of medical issues. There are also cases of hypercalcemia reported due to dogs ingesting rodenticides containing a chemical similar to calcipotriene found in psoriasis cream. Additionally, ingestion of household plants is a cause of hypercalcemia. Plants such as Cestrum diurnum, and Solanum malacoxylon contain ergocalciferol or cholecalciferol which cause the onset of hypercalcemia. Consuming small amounts of these plants can be fatal to pets. Observable symptoms may develop such as polydipsia, polyuria, extreme fatigue, or constipation.
Outdoor animals
In certain outdoor environments, animals such as horses, pigs, cattle, and sheep experience hypercalcemia commonly. In southern Brazil and Mattewara India, approximately 17 percent of sheep are affected, with 60 percent of these cases being fatal. Many cases are also documented in Argentina, Papua-New Guinea, Jamaica, Hawaii, and Bavaria. These cases of hypercalcemeia are usually caused by ingesting Trisetum flavescens before it has dried out. Once Trisetum flavescens is dried out, the toxicity of it is diminished. Other plants causing hypercalcemia are Cestrum diurnum, Nierembergia veitchii, Solanum esuriale, Solanum torvum, and Solanum malacoxylon. These plants contain calcitriol or similar substances that cause rises in calcium ion levels. Hypercalcemia is most common in grazing lands at altitudes above 1500 meters where growth of plants like Trisetum flavescens is favorable. Even if small amounts are ingested over long periods of time, the prolonged high levels of calcium ions have large negative effects on the animals. The issues these animals experience are muscle weakness, and calcification of blood vessels, heart valves, liver, kidneys, and other soft tissues, which eventually can lead to death. | 5266403226368057079 | Hypercalcaemia | 919 |
Q474127 | What to Do in Case of Fire?
Plot
Set in Berlin, the film opens in 1987 to show a group of radicals battling police, but soon moves to the modern day to present the same radical characters brought together once more by an act they carried out in their anti-establishment heyday.In 1987, the main characters of the film are anarchists squatting in an abandoned building in Kreuzberg and making propaganda films. In one of these films, they demonstrate how to make a homemade bomb out of a pressure cooker and chemicals available over the counter, and they plant the bomb in a vacant villa in Grunewald. However, the timer sticks, and the bomb does not go off until 12 years later, when it is jostled by a real estate broker and a potential buyer. They are injured in the blast, and the police are pressured to hunt down the "terrorists" responsible.Two of the original anarchists, Tim (Schweiger) and Hotte (Martin Feifel), still live in the original building and engage in anti-police graffiti, anti-gentrification protests and petty theft. The current owner of the building, a nouveau riche Turk named Bülent, cannot evict them, because Hotte is disabled, having lost his legs. (It is later revealed that they were crushed by a water cannon during a riot.) While Tim is out, the police raid the building in a sweep for clues to the bombing and confiscate their cache of old films, including the incriminating bomb-making film. They cart the films off to the fortresslike police headquarters, a former Prussian military barracks. One by one, Tim and Hotte visit the former members of their group to warn them of the bust. They are distressed by the news, having gone on with their lives: Nele (Nadja Uhl) is a single mother of two young children; "Terror" (Matthias Matschke) is an attorney; Maik (Sebastian Blomberg) runs an advertising agency that exploits radical imagery; and Flo (Doris Schretzmayer), Tim's former lover, has evidently gone bourgeois, although her circumstances are never fully explained, and is about to get married. They balk when Tim and Hotte propose breaking into the police headquarters and destroying the evidence, but Terror's counter-suggestion that they should turn themselves in is met with even stronger disagreement, and finally the former radicals devise the plan of infiltrating the headquarters by pretending to be a television news crew.A rift within the police department makes their plan possible: Manowsky (Klaus Löwitsch), an old-school Berlin cop, wants to use aggressive tactics and avoid press coverage, while Henkel (Devid Striesow), a technocrat from Bonn, prefers more modern, less intrusive methods and is eager to earn good public relations for the department. Henkel gives the "TV crew" a tour of the police headquarters, including the evidence room where the films are stashed. Manowsky interrupts the tour, and the former radicals barely manage to slip away.To destroy the films, the radicals decide to smuggle a second homemade bomb into the evidence room as a Trojan horse: all the evidence is stored alphabetically according to the street where it was found, so they need only plant the bomb in a suspicious-looking crate in their old building and entice the police into picking it up. What the other radicals do not know is that Hotte intends to smuggle himself into the evidence room inside the crate along with the bomb, to make sure it's placed correctly. Hotte, without his wheelchair (he uses a dolly), is trapped in the evidence room when the emergency exit door is jammed. Frantically, he uses the phone in the room to call his compatriots, but they are all away from their phones. In desperation he calls Bülent, who at that moment is trying to talk Tim into abandoning their apartment and accepting a payoff for their few remaining goods. Tim rushes to Hotte's aid. The others eventually get Hotte's message and come to rescue him as well, but meanwhile, Manowsky intercepts Hotte and Tim in the evidence room. After a taunting lecture on their inability to let go of past ideals, Manowsky prepares to arrest the two, but the others arrive just in time to distract him. Tim seizes Manowsky's handcuffs and shackles him to the evidence cage. He threatens to leave the bomb in Manowsky's lap, but the others persuade him not to commit outright murder. Tim tosses Manowsky the handcuff keys, and the radicals flee as an alarm sounds.Pursued by police through the headquarters, the former radicals stumble upon a water cannon and use it to drive back the police and escape. As Manowsky and Henkel observe their flight, Henkel confidently predicts that the evidence will lead to their capture. However, Manowsky – moved by the radicals' compassion, by his annoyance with Henkel and by reflection on his own long-held ideals – has left the bomb in the evidence room, and it destroys the evidence.The group of friends walk through the streets of Berlin and end up on the floor of an S-Bahn car. Tim then pulls the incriminating film out of his bag, holds a lighter to it, and asks aloud: "What do you do if there's a fire?", and the friends answer, "Let it burn!"The film contains mild nudity, mild drug use, and mature language. | 9992158435406380367 | What to Do in Case of Fire? | 1,136 |
Q5631078 | HMMER
Profile HMMs
A profile HMM is a variant of an HMM relating specifically to biological sequences. Profile HMMs turn a multiple sequence alignment into a position-specific scoring system, which can be used to align sequences and search databases for remotely homologous sequences. They capitalise on the fact that certain positions in a sequence alignment tend to have biases in which residues are most likely to occur, and are likely to differ in their probability of containing an insertion or a deletion. Capturing this information gives them a better ability to detect true homologs than traditional BLAST-based approaches, which penalise substitutions, insertions and deletions equally, regardless of where in an alignment they occur.Profile HMMs center around a linear set of match (M) states, with one state corresponding to each consensus column in a sequence alignment. Each M state emits a single residue (amino acid or nucleotide). The probability of emitting a particular residue is determined largely by the frequency at which that residue has been observed in that column of the alignment, but also incorporates prior information on patterns of residues that tend to co-occur in the same columns of sequence alignments. This string of match states emitting amino acids at particular frequencies are analogous to position specific score matrices or weight matrices.A profile HMM takes this modelling of sequence alignments further by modelling insertions and deletions, using I and D states, respectively. D states do not emit a residue, while I states do emit a residue. Multiple I states can occur consecutively, corresponding to multiple residues between consensus columns in an alignment. M, I and D states are connected by state transition probabilities, which also vary by position in the sequence alignment, to reflect the different frequencies of insertions and deletions across sequence alignments.The HMMER2 and HMMER3 releases used an architecture for building profile HMMs called the Plan 7 architecture, named after the seven states captured by the model. In addition to the three major states (M, I and D), six additional states capture non-homologous flanking sequence in the alignment. These 6 states collectively are important for controlling how sequences are aligned to the model e.g. whether a sequence can have multiple consecutive hits to the same model (in the case of sequences with multiple instances of the same domain).
Programs in the HMMER package
The HMMER package consists of a collection of programs for performing functions using profile hidden Markov models. The programs include:
The HMMER web server
In addition to the software package, the HMMER search function is available in the form of a web server. The service facilitates searches across a range of databases, including sequence databases such as UniProt, SwissProt, and the Protein Data Bank, and HMM databases such as Pfam, TIGRFAMs and SUPERFAMILY. The four search types phmmer, hmmsearch, hmmscan and jackhmmer are supported (see Programs). The search function accepts single sequences as well as sequence alignments or profile HMMs.The search results are accompanied by a report on the taxonomic breakdown, and the domain organisation of the hits. Search results can then be filtered according to either parameter.The web service is currently run out of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) in the United Kingdom, while development of the algorithm is still performed by Sean Eddy's team in the United States. Major reasons for relocating the web service were to leverage the computing infrastructure at the EBI, and to cross-link HMMER searches with relevant databases that are also maintained by the EBI.
The HMMER3 release
The latest stable release of HMMER is version 3.0. HMMER3 is complete rewrite of the earlier HMMER2 package, with the aim of improving the speed of profile-HMM searches. Major changes are outlined below:
Improvements in speed
A major aim of the HMMER3 project, started in 2004 was to improve the speed of HMMER searches. While profile HMM-based homology searches were more accurate than BLAST-based approaches, their slower speed limited their applicability. The main performance gain is due to a heuristic filter that finds high-scoring un-gapped matches within database sequences to a query profile. This heuristic results in a computation time comparable to BLAST with little impact on accuracy. Further gains in performance are due to a log-likelihood model that requires no calibration for estimating E-values, and allows the more accurate forward scores to be used for computing the significance of a homologous sequence.HMMER still lags behind BLAST in speed of DNA-based searches, however DNA-based searches can be tuned, such that an improvement in speed comes at the expense of accuracy.
Improvements in remote homology searching
The major advance in speed was made possible by the development of an approach for calculating the significance of results integrated over a range of possible alignments. In discovering remote homologs, alignments between query and hit proteins are often very uncertain. While most sequence alignment tools calculate match scores using only the best scoring alignment, HMMER3 calculates match scores by integrating across all possible alignments, to account for uncertainty in which alignment is best. HMMER sequence alignments are accompanied by posterior probability annotations, indicating which portions of the alignment have been assigned high confidence and which are more uncertain.
DNA sequence comparison
A major improvement in HMMER3 was the inclusion of DNA/DNA comparison tools. HMMER2 only had functionality to compare protein sequences.
Restriction to local alignments
While HMMER2 could perform glocal alignment (align a complete model to a subsequence of the target) and global alignment (align a complete model to a complete target sequence) as well as local alignment, HMMER3 only performs local alignment. This restriction is due to the difficulty in calculating the significance of hits when performing glocal/global alignments using the new algorithm. | 16653356429666660377 | HMMER | 1,210 |
Q16199242 | Thomas Atkinson (Australian politician)
Thomas Atkinson (6 July 1822 – 15 October 1906) was a pioneer farmer in the Willunga, South Australia and for nine years was a representative for that district in Parliament. In later life he was frequently referred to as "Captain Atkinson".
History
Thomas Atkinson was the fourth son of Robert Anderson, a farmer of Snitterby, Lincolnshire. His parents died when he was nine years old, and his oldest brother William for a while managed the farm but, suffering ill health and seeking a warmer climate, decided they should emigrate, so sold up and on 12 November 1839 arrived at Holdfast Bay on the barque Singapore under Captain Hamilton, with three experienced farmers as future employees.At first they settled in Kangarilla, but found the land at Willunga more fertile and moved again, founding a mixed farm while breeding sheep, dairy cattle and bullocks. At first the going was hard; their first livestock were expensive (the first 40 head of cattle which they purchased cost them from £16 to £20 each, and their horses from £65 to £95 per head), then recession hit and their progeny were virtually worthless and they were producing more butter than the market could bear, but then copper was found at Burra, and bullocks were in high demand so the brothers prospered. They dissolved their partnership and Thomas, who had received some instruction in architecture and bricklaying in England, built the Bush Inn at Willunga in 1840, and purchased Ashley Farm, where he and his wife (a daughter of Stephen Bastian) lived the rest of their lives.Thomas was a good farmer, an early adopter of improved farming techniques; he was one of the first to employ seed drills and manure drills, and paid attention to scientific breeding of his cattle. The only time he exhibited in the Adelaide Show he won first prize for his Durham bull. He was also keen on thoroughbred racing, but though he employed a jockey and trainer, his only real successes were in country meetings. He was a longtime member of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia and for many years a committee member. He was a fine judge of horses and cattle and was employed in that capacity in most of the Shows throughout South Australia until 1898, when at 76 years of age he resigned from all his commitments.He was one of South Australia's first Justices of the Peace, and was also appointed one of the first Road Commissioners (a predecessor of district councils) during Sir Henry Young's time, then was a member of the Willunga District Council for 28 years. He was a commissioner for the Sydney and Melbourne exhibitions, and for many years a member of the School Board of Advice. In 1860 he was appointed captain of the Willunga Rifle Volunteer Force, and in 1895 honorary captain of the Mounted Volunteer Force (both militias of the Colony in the years before Federation). He took Sir John Colton's place in Parliament as member for Noarlunga in September 1878, and continued as a member until 1887, when Dashwood beat him by 13 votes. Though an able raconteur, he was not fond of public speaking and was referred to in Parliament as the "silent member".
Family
Thomas's brothers who migrated to South Australia were: William (1814 – November 1840); Robert (1820 – 8 June 1862); Joseph (1824 – 25 September 1878). All died at Willunga. A sister Susanna (1828 – 31 May 1894) also made the trip and married James Holman (ca. 1827 – 1 May 1903) on 9 September 1852; they lived at Napperby, near Port Pirie.Atkinson married Jane Bastian (1 April 1824 – 24 July 1910) on 20 May 1847.Both died at "Ashley Farm" and were buried in St. Stephen's (Anglican) cemetery, Willunga.Their adopted son, Thomas Arthur Palmer, was born in 1868 and died on 7 March 1885. They had no other children. | 8390141500507039 | Thomas Atkinson (Australian politician) | 870 |
Q65030137 | Omar Navarro (politician)
Early life
Navarro was born and raised in Inglewood, California. He has spent a significant portion of his life in Hawthorne and Torrance. Navarro's parents are Mexican and Cuban immigrants, who came to the US for a better opportunity. Adapting to the American lifestyle and learning English, his parents opened small businesses. His father worked in the aerospace industry and mother in real estate. His passion for politics comes from his grandparents.Navarro never attended college although he claims he did. If Navarro was so smart then he would not have the criminal record that he has.
Career
Navarro is a former car salesman who has never sold a car and small business owner who has never owned a business and has thought about working for companies including Samsung and Sony. Navarro has also worked as an online marketeer.Navarro is a former volunteer traffic commissioner for Torrance, California but resigned in 2017 after the Torrance City Council began the process of removing him from his position.
2018
Navarro again challenged Waters for her seat in 2018. He was again defeated with a declining vote tally, with Waters gaining 77.7% of the vote, followed by Navarro with 22.3%.Navarro raised more than $450,000 in the third quarter and spent $110,845 on rental fees and meals at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes as well as multiple stays at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Prostitutes, drugs and cocaine, and a lavish playboy wanna be lifestyle.
2016
Navarro was defeated by Waters with 76.1% of the vote. The district includes parts of L.A., Torrance, Carson, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale and Lomita.
2014
Navarro ran for City Councilmember of Torrance in 2014. He finished 15th in a field of 15 candidates of an election where voters are requested to select up to four candidates. The top four candidates in the election are then selected for office. Navarro garnered 634 votes for 0.95% of the total.
Endorsements
Navarro touted endorsements from Michael Flynn, Joe Arpaio, Herman Cain, and Alex Jones, among others. He met Flynn in person in February 2018, while in Washington to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference.Navarro has repeatedly stated that he counts Roger Stone, who as of 2019 is currently under federal indictment for witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding, and making false statements, as his political advisor.
Pepper Spraying of Children
In 2017, while he was a volunteer for the Torrance Traffic Commission, Navarro was accused of being involved in the pepper-spraying of a child at a pro-sanctuary cities event in Cudahy, California. Video of the incident showed Navarro in the back seat of a car while the driver and another passenger sprayed the surrounding protestors. At first, he denied spraying the crowd, but resigned after the Torrance City Council began the process of removing him from his position. During his resignation statement to Torrance City Council, Navarro accused Mayor Patrick Furey of being a pawn of Maxine Waters.
Electronic Tracking Device
Navarro was convicted for attaching an electronic tracking device to his wife's car on February 14, 2016. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in Orange County and was sentenced to a day in jail and 18 months’ probation in September 2016. He was also ordered to take an anger management course. He was on probation until March 2018 but violated his probation and it was revoked on April 12, 2017.Navarro was found guilty only two weeks before the 2016 election. Before Navarro admitted to his own doing, he blamed the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the media for spreading fake news.
Forged Letter
Navarro released a fraudulent letter on his Twitter account that indicated Maxine Waters wanted to resettle tens of thousands of refugees into her LA district. The letter appeared to be on Waters’ House office stationery and looked as if written by her, bearing her signatures, alleging that she was in communication with CAIR-LA (a Los-Angeles-based chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations) and Hussam Ayloush (the executive director of CAIR-LA) to relocate refugees in Los Angeles. The letter contained several inaccuracies like referencing multiple committees and subcommittees that Waters does not serve on, and listing an address for a district office that has been closed for nearly a decade.Navarro was interrogated by the FBI and Capitol Police for the matter. He told The Los Angeles Times that he did not fabricate the letter and claimed that he received it from a person whose name he will not reveal and with whom he has not been in touch since the time he received the letter.
DeAnna Lorraine Restraining Order
On August 1, 2019, a restraining order was issued against Navarro for five years for his former girlfriend, self-proclaimed relationship expert and conservative activist, DeAnna Lorraine Tesoriero, who is publicly known as DeAnna Lorraine and has declared herself as a Republican challenger to Nancy Pelosi in California's 12th congressional district in 2020. In the ruling, the Judge cited Navarro's "harassing and stalking" behavior towards Tesoriero. This is Navarro's second restraining order against a former partner in two years as one was previously issued in 2017 for his ex-wife. | 12213968563458230202 | Omar Navarro (politician) | 1,156 |
Q707478 | Luis Egidio Meléndez
Life
Luis Egidio Meléndez de Rivera Durazo y Santo Padre was born in Naples in 1716 to Francisco Meléndez de Rivera Diaz (1682 – after 1758) and Maria Josefa Durazo y Santo Padre Barrille. Meléndez's father, a miniaturist painter from Oviedo, had moved to Madrid with his older brother, the portrait painter Miguel Jacinto Meléndez (1679–1734) in pursuit of artistic instruction.Whereas Miguel remained in Madrid to study and became a painter in the court of Philip V of Spain, Francisco left for Italy in 1699 to seek greater artistic exposure. Francisco took a special interest in visiting the Italian academies and settled in Naples where he married. Meléndez was a year old when his father, who had been a soldier in a Spanish garrison and lived abroad for almost two decades, returned to Madrid with the family. Meléndez, his brother José Agustín, and Ana, one of his sisters, began their careers under the tutelage of their father, who was appointed the King's Painter of Miniatures in 1725. After several years "painting royal portraits in jewels and bracelets to serve as gifts for envoys and ambassadors", he entered the workshop of Louis Michel van Loo (1707–1771), a Frenchman who had been made royal painter of Philip V. Between 1737 and 1742, Meléndez merely worked as a part of a team of artist dedicated to copy van Loo's prototypes of royal portraits for the domestic and overseas market but had a foothold in the palace. He had his artistic sights on a distinguished career as a court painter.When the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando was provisionally inaugurated in 1744, Francisco was made an honorary director of the painting section, and Meléndez was among the first students to be admitted, where he achieved outstanding results in drawing. The Academy was progressive in that it not only tolerated but also encouraged "lesser" genres, including still life.At this time, he was already an accomplished painter, as proven by his self-portrait signed in 1747 at the Louvre. However, a petty quarrel marred this opportunity; Francisco openly attacked the director of the Academy and claimed for himself the honor of being the founder. He had Meléndez personally deliver the inflammatory material to the Academy. Francisco was relieved of his teaching position and Meléndez formally expelled from the Academy on June 15, 1748. Unlike his father, Meléndez's professional status was precarious. Young and self-righteous, without the support of the Academy and his reputation at stake, he decided to go to Italy to get new opportunities, where he remained until 1752. He stayed in Rome and Naples to pursue other career possibilities. There he made some paintings, now lost, for Charles III of Spain, who was then King of Naples.
Career
After a fire at the Alcázar of Madrid in 1753 destroyed scores of illuminated choir books, Francisco coaxed his 37-year-old son to return to Spain to help paint new miniatures. Though Meléndez eventually executed scores of still lifes for the royal household, he did not secure an official appointment to serve the king.Meléndez worked out of Madrid and initially painted an array of subjects. In 1760 Meléndez's petition for the position of court painter was refused, despite the caliber of his early works. He painted some religious works but began specializing in still life after 1760, a decorative genre that could be produced without commission and was therefore lucrative for artists without royal patronage or the support of the Academy. Between 1759 and 1772, he created at least 44 still lifes for the private museum of natural history belonging to the Prince of Asturias, who later became King Charles IV of Spain. Of these paintings thirty nine are today in the Museo del Prado, and it is rare to find his work outside of Spain.Despite his talent, Meléndez lived in poverty for most of his life, and in 1772 in a letter to the king he declared that he only owned his pencils. Unappreciated in his time, when he died in Madrid in 1780, he was indigent.
Bodegón style
Meléndez updated and enriched the austere tradition of Spanish still life painting, which had been initiated by the 17th-century masters Juan Sánchez Cotán and Francisco de Zurbarán. Like them, Meléndez studied light's effects, texture and the color of fruits and vegetables as well as the earthenware, glass and copper pots beside which the fruit is displayed. Unlike the 17th-century masters, however, his subject matter is presented physically closer to the viewer, at a lower vantage point, encouraging the spectator to study the objects for themselves. This exploration was in keeping with the growing spirit of Enlightenment and the king's interest in natural history.Meléndez painted his still lifes with a serious sense of reverence. What attracted him was not grand themes but the ordinary stuff of everyday life, which he studied with an enormous visual interest in the everyday normality of form. Each still-life painting by Meléndez is visually arresting and compelling and reveals a wonderful technical skill at constructing compositions. Meléndez conveyed the solidity and precise texture of objects in artful compositions of great sophistication. He employed a low vantage point and close-up view of objects placed on a tabletop to give his forms an unprecedented monumentality. The use of strong lighting to bring out the volume of the objects enhanced his extraordinary descriptive skill.Meléndez seems to have spent more time lighting his scenes than preparing pigments for his palette. He loved painting reflections on the surfaces, edges, and rims of lemons, copper pots, ceramic bowls, plums, and melons. This contributes to the lively character and rhythm of his work. Meléndez described his works as "an amusing cabinet with all types of foodstuffs that the Spanish climate produces".His works outside the Museo del Prado are: Still life with Oranges, Walnuts and Boxes of Sweetmeats (National Gallery, London); Still life with a Plate of Plums, Pears and Fruit Basket (Masaveu Collection, Museo de Bellas Artes, Asturias); and Still life with Red Breams and Oranges (Private Collection). | 17715222887697742334 | Luis Egidio Meléndez | 1,361 |
Q42677365 | Haridas Shastri
Early life and career
Śrī Haridās Śāstrī was born in 1918 in Ropa, West Bengal to Śrīmatī Suśīlā Devī and Śrī Abhayacaraṇa Cattopādhyāya. His childhood name was Phaṇindra Nāth. In 1933, he journeyed to Mathura, where he lived under the care of Pandita Bābā Śrī Rāma Kṛṣṇadāsaji.Paṇḍita Bābā chose his only veṣa disciple Śrī Vinod Vihārī Goswāmī as Phaṇindra Nāth’s teacher. Phaṇindra received mantra dīkṣā from Śrī Vinod Vihāri Goswāmi and became his disciple, with the name Haridāsa. After a year, Śrī Haridās received babaji-veṣa dīkṣā from him. He lived withhis guru and served him with great devotion. He studied the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava works from his guru for several years. Besides studying from his guru, he studied from other renowned scholars of Vrindavan such as Pandita Amolakrama Shastri and Dhananjaya Dasa.Later, ordered by his guru, Śrī Haridāsa then went to Benares where he studied Indian philosophy for twelve years. He earned nine graduate degrees and three post-graduate degrees covering the six systems of Indian philosophy and theology. He studied under the top scholars of Benares, such as Vamacharan Shastri and Harerama Shastri.His different degrees are listed in his books (for example,): Kāvya-tīrtha, Vyākaraṇa-tīrtha, Sāṅkhya-tīrtha, Mīmāṁsā-tīrtha, Vedānta-tīrtha, Vaiśeṣika-tīrtha, Navya-nyāya-śāstra, Navya- nyāyācārya, Tarka-tīrtha (pratyakṣa), Tarka-tīrtha (anumāna), Tarka-tīrtha (śabda) and Vaiṣṇava-darśana-tīrtha.He established the Śrī Haridāsa Niwāsa āśrama at Kālīya-daha in Vṛndāvana in 1965. In the center of this āśrama was established the first major temple in Vṛndāvana to have deities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita.
Paramparā
Śrī Haridās Śāstrī is part of the Gadādhara parivāra. The Gadādhara parivāra is a lineage of guru-śiṣya which originated from Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita. Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita gave dīkṣā to several disciples including Śrī Bhugarbha Goswami. Śrī Haridās Śāstrī belongs to Śrī Bhugarbha Goswami's line.
Vedāntadarśanam
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had explained that the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is the natural commentary of the Vedanta-sūtras. But he had not explained how individual verses of the two scriptures related to each other. Sri Haridas Shastri addressed this key gap in the Gauḍīyā Vaiṣṇava literature, by writing and publishing his book Vedānta- darśanam. This book explains how a verse or verses of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam comment on a specific Vedanta-sūtra. This work is exceptional in its scholarship, and was honored with an award by the Nāgarī Pracāriṇī Sabhā of Benares.He was a great lover of cows and had a cowshed within his ashrama. He would personally take care of each cow and had a personal relationship with them. He started his cowshed around 1981 with just two cows and a bull, and by the time he left his body, the cowshed had grown to 250 cows and bulls. To ensure that the services that he started continued in his absence, he established Śrī Haridās Śāstrī Cow Institute with a board of trustees. | 12450704405968586577 | Haridas Shastri | 1,044 |
Q5886240 | Grupo Imagen
History
Grupo Imagen traces its roots to the foundation of XEDA-AM in June 1936. This station was acquired by José Luis Fernández Soto in 1962, and in the same year, Fernández Soto founded "Grupo Imagen Comunicación en Radio", which became the operator of XEDA-AM and XEDA-FM. In 1963, Grupo Imagen doubled in size with the acquisition of Radio Metropolitana and its XELA-AM-FM cluster. With these four stations, Grupo Imagen began to form a wide range of programming. While XEDA-FM remained Imagen's flagship with a talk format and XELA-AM continued with its longtime classical music programming, the other two stations changed programming concepts often. In the 1980s, XELA-FM became XHDL-FM "Dial FM", changing formats to rock as "Radioactivo" in the 1990s.The 1990s also saw the sale of XEDA-AM, then carrying rock music, to Radio S.A., which changed the format to talk. That same year also saw an alliance between MVS Radio and Imagen to operate their Mexico City stations: the group brought together Imagen's XELA-AM, XEDA-FM and XHDL-FM with MVS's XHMVS-FM 102.5 and XHMRD-FM 104.9. When this partnership ended in 2001, Imagen relaunched XEDA with a new news team. In 2002, Imagen dropped XELA's longtime classical format and flipped the station to sports as XEITE-AM (promptly selling it in August of that year), and 2004 saw Imagen drop XHDL's music format for the all-news "Reporte 98.5".Grupo Imagen was bought by Grupo Empresarial Ángeles, owned by Olegario Vázquez Raña, in 2003 for US $50 million. Under GEA's ownership, Imagen grew into one of the largest media conglomerates in the country: it bought stations nationwide, began distributing its talk programming to interior Mexico, and made a move into television with the acquisition of XHRAE-TV channel 28 Mexico City. XHRAE was rebranded XHTRES "cadenatres". Also in 2006, Imagen bought the Excélsior newspaper for 585 million pesos and refreshed its branding.
Radio
In Mexico City, Grupo Imagen owns XEDA-FM 90.5 Imagen Radio with a talk format and XHDL-FM 98.5, carrying its RMX rock format. Both formats are carried on other stations, both owned and operated by Imagen and affiliates.Two regional Mexican stations, branded as "La Caliente", and XHLTN-FM "Radio Latina" in Tijuana complete Imagen's radio portfolio.
Television
Imagen operates channel XHTRES-TDT channel 27 in the Valley of Mexico, which from 2007 to 2015 was the flagship channel for the now defunct cadenatres network. It currently sports the all-news channel Excelsior TV (27.1) and a simulcast channel of the radio station Imagen Radio (27.2).In 2015, Grupo Imagen won the IFT auction to build a new nationwide broadcast television network, which launched on October 17, 2016 under the Imagen Televisión name. Grupo Imagen will operate a network of 123 transmitters by 2020.
Newspaper
The Excélsior newspaper, owned by Grupo Imagen, is the second-oldest in Mexico City and boasts nationwide circulation.
Other holdings
In May 2014, Grupo Imagen bought Liga MX soccer club Querétaro FC out of government administration. This came after the previous owner of the team was investigated for bank fraud. | 14484035495032719254 | Grupo Imagen | 824 |
Q7206169 | Poarch Band of Creek Indians
History
The Poarch Band members descend from Muscogee Creek Indians of the Lower Towns who sided with the United States against the rebelling Northern Creek "Red Sticks" in the Creek War of 1813–1814. Their ancestors had adopted more European-American practices as they had closer working relationships with them. Many of these Creek remained in Alabama despite the Indian Removal Act of 1830, by which the majority of the tribe ceded their land and were forcibly moved to Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River. The Creek in Alabama had to give up their tribal membership, and were considered United States and state citizens, as a condition of remaining. The people maintained their community ties and culture, living in Alabama as an identifiable, distinct community for the last two centuries. They gained recognition as a tribe from the federal government in the 20th century, and re-established their own government under a written constitution. The Poarch Band represents only some of the descendants of those Muscogee who were not removed.Over the decades, many Indians in the Southeast have intermarried with African-American or European-American neighbors. Some of their descendants assimilated into those social and cultural groups. Others identified as Creek, particularly if born to Creek women. The Creek kinship system was historically matrilineal, with children considered born to the mother's clan and taking their social status from her. Descent and property passed through the maternal line. Such mixed-race children of Creek women are full members of the tribe.
Tribal membership requirements
To be eligible to enroll in the Poarch Band tribe, people must be descended from one or more American Indians listed on one of three rolls: the 1870 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama; 1900 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama; or 1900 U.S. Special Indian Census of Monroe County, Alabama. Besides being of direct Muscogee Creek heritage, they must have a minimum blood quantum of 1/4 American Indian blood (equivalent to one full-blooded Creek grandparent) and not be enrolled in any other tribe. Each federally recognized tribe has the right to make its own rules of citizenship.
Current status
The Poarch Creek Indian Reservation is located in southern Alabama near the city of Atmore, Alabama. Their current tribal chairwoman is Stephanie Bryan.
Gaming and racing
The Poarch Band has several casinos and racetracks, operating under Wind Creek Hospitality, a tribe-owned company. Three of its casinos are located on sovereign tribal land in Alabama: Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Montgomery, and Wind Creek Wetumpka. They have gradually expanded their gaming, resort and entertainment businesses beyond those on their reservation.Beyond its reservation, the tribe owns majority stakes in Mobile Greyhound Park in Alabama, and Pensacola Greyhound Park and Creek Entertainment Gretna in Florida. In the Caribbean, the tribe owns two hotel casinos operating under the Renaissance Hotels brand in Aruba and Curacao, which it purchased in October 2017.In Gardnerville, Nevada, the tribe financed and manages the Wa She Shu Casino, owned by the Washoe Tribe. The casino opened in May 2016. In D'Iberville, Mississippi, Wind Creek purchased land for a planned casino development in March 2016. In Pennsylvania, the tribe agreed in March 2018 to purchase Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem for $1.3 billion. The sale was approved in May 2019 and the casino was renamed to Wind Creek Bethlehem.In 2012 the tribe announced plans to expand their gaming operations at Hickory Ground in Wetumpka, Alabama. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma filed suit to prevent this, arguing that the expansion would require excavation and reinterment of remains from an historic Creek burial ground at the site.The tribe made a deal in 2016 to purchase the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana, which would have been rebranded as a Wind Creek casino. The sale was canceled, however, because of a dispute over licensing payments for the Margaritaville name. | 14372704975521068759 | Poarch Band of Creek Indians | 853 |
Q7483501 | Hallvard Devold
Biography
Hallvard graduated from the University of Oslo in 1920. He worked as a meteorological assistant at the Haldde Observatory in Alta until 1922. He went for the first time to the Arctic in the summer of 1922 as a coal mining technician in Svalbard.On the following winter he took a radio telegraphy course, and in the spring of 1923 he was hired as a meteorology assistant and radio telegraphist at the Kvadehuken station in Brøggerhalvøya by the director of the Geophysical Institute, along with his brother Finn Devold. Hallvard Devold remained on Kvadehuken until October 1924, when the station was wrapped up for financial reasons.Between 1925 and 1926 Hallvard was the head of the Norwegian radio and weather station at Jan Mayen, which was manned by three Norwegians, not including him. The island was considered no man's land at the time and the League of Nations had given Norway jurisdiction over the island. Hallvard decided to call for its annexation on behalf of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. He placed several signs around the island which read: "Property of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute". By this action the foundation was laid for the acknowledgment of Norway's right to the island of Jan Mayen in 1928. The island came under the sovereignty of Norway by royal decree of 8 May 1929 and finally became officially part of the Norwegian Kingdom on 27 February 1930.Together with geologist Adolf Hoel and jurist Gustav Smedal, Hallvard became one of the main leaders of the "Greenland case" (Grønlandssaken) that tried to bring large swathes of East Greenland under Norwegian sovereignty. With Hallvard's inspiration, based on his experiences in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, the movement began to build a network of Norwegian trapping stations, combined with surveys and explorations of the almost uninhabited area. By 1929 the Norges Svalbard og Ishavsundersøkelser (NSIU) —"Norwegian Svalbard and Arctic Ocean Survey", established by Hoel in 1928, sent well-organized research expeditions to East Greenland. Expedition vessels also supplied the trapping stations with equipment financed by the Arctic Trading Co. (Arktisk Næringsdrift), a company that Hallvard had helped to set up.In the period between 1926 and 1933 Hallvard wintered in Northeast Greenland for six years, mostly in Myggbukta Station, where he was a meteorology assistant, radio telegraphist and leader of expeditions that were undertaken with the station as a base. By 1932 about 80 cabins manned by Norwegian trappers and fishermen were built in different areas of East Greenland, including some in the distant King Frederick VI Coast and Storfjord Station in the Kangerlussuaq Fjord. In 1932 Norway staked sovereignty claims in areas of Northeast and Southeast Greenland where Norwegian stations had been built. The Norwegian flag was raised at Myggbukta and Finnsbu, and Helge Ingstad was named governor. Denmark protested and brought the case to the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague. Following the 1933 resolution of the court awarding Greenland to the Danish government, Norway's claims in Greenland were given up and most Norwegian outposts were closed. However some of the stations, such as Myggbukta and Torgilsbu continued operation for a few years under Danish jurisdiction and restrictions.After leaving Greenland, Hallvard travelled to Antarctica in 1933, where he took part in the expedition of Captain Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, together with renowned skier Olav Kjelbotn, who had formerly shared East Greenland experiences with him. The expedition attempted the exploration of the Princess Ragnhild Coast by dog sled. The venture, however, was a failure and ended dramatically when all their supplies and sled dogs were unloaded on an ice floe that broke up almost immediately and began to drift.At the time of World War II Hallvard volunteered for military service in the spring of 1940 and took part in the Battle of Narvik as an Allied soldier of the Foreign Legion in French uniform, but partly under Norwegian command. Between 1951 and 1957 he was involved in Norwegian fisheries, as head of the herring smoking plant at Gofarnes, north of Kopervik, exporting Norwegian smoked herring to a number of countries. He died in 1957 and was buried in the Kopervik Church graveyard in Karmøy, Rogaland. | 6189459928115883878 | Hallvard Devold | 965 |
Q4546073 | 1001 Nights (TV series)
Premise
Another day at King Shahryar's court and another problem presents itself. Does Shahryar have a toothache? Is Maymoon "borrowing" Shahzaman's pistachios? Scheherazade always has a delightful story that will entertain and teach everyone a great lesson. She will often use the court characters in her stories. There are also a number of recurring characters such as Sinbad and Dina, Mujab and Samir and Harun al-Rashid. A red herring is presented in each episode such as a flying carpet which leaves room for the stories to continue.
Scheherazade
Voiced by Nicole OliverConfident and older than her years, Scheherazade is savvy, quick-witted, and no nonsense in her dealings with Donyazad and Shahzaman. She is the wife of King Shahryar. She serves the role of mother, educator and peace-keeper and it is through her that we are told many captivating stories. Scheherazade lives in the palace and is the daughter of Majid, Shahryar's vizier.
Shahryar
Voiced by Colin MurdockShahryar is slightly older than his wife Scheherazade, and has little experience or knowledge of what it takes to make a good king. He is unintentionally selfish, arrogant, pompous, and spoiled. He is also innocent and childlike because he is a prince who has been catered to his entire life. He says whatever is on his mind, no matter how bumbling or stupid it might sound. Often when Scheherazade is telling a story to the kids, Shahryar is listening in and will draw the wrong message.
Donyazad
Voiced by Tabitha St. GermainDonyazad is Scheherazade's younger sister. She is ten years old, bright, independent, and feisty. She loves and respects her older sister who has essentially become her mother figure. Donyazad often tussles with Shahazman. Although they are not related, they have a typical brother-sister relationship. They are close to one another but are often at odds. Of the two, Donyazad is the smarter. She's also more sensitive and aware.
Shahzaman
Voiced by Cathy WeseluckShahzaman is Shahryar's eleven-year-old brother and therefore, he is a prince. He is a younger version of Shahryar, i.e. spoiled with a sense of entitlement. Even though he's a prince, he is like any other a boy who loves sports, games, sweets, and play time. He gets into mischief and he endlessly teases Donyazad. He's a practical joker and often insensitive to other people's feelings. Still, he's loveable and when faced with issues, he and Donyazad make a good team.
Majid
Voiced by Peter KelamisMajid is Shahryar's vizier, i.e. high counselor. He is also Scheherazade's father. He is about fifty years old and supposedly the wise and learned man of the court. Majid frequently finds himself trying to calm Shahryar down when the king is throwing a temper tantrum. He is sycophantic towards Shahryar whereas Scheherazade is smarter and subtler in her approach. She's often able to change Shahryar's behavior just by telling him a story. Whereas Majid is often afraid of his son in law, Scheherazade has no trouble standing up to him.
Maymoon
Voiced by Scott McNeilMaymoon is a mischievous pet monkey who belongs to Shahzaman. He is playful and loving and is a regular member of the court. He often outwits Shahryar and like all the other characters is used often as a character in Scheherazade's stories.
Production history
The idea for the show came to co-creator Shabnam Rezaei in a dream. Her father read stories from One Thousand and One Nights in her native country Iran. Together with partner Aly Jetha, Series and Creative Director Chad Van De Keere, story editor Randy Rogel as well as the Big Bad Boo team, they formulated the 1001 Nights TV series, which would be appropriate for a modern audience.
Reception
1001 Nights came in the # 1 show at the 2011 at the Mip Junior awards among 1027 other children's properties. It was a finalist in the 2010 Mip Junior Licensing Challenge and # 6 in the Top 30 that year. | 12412287442946778279 | 1001 Nights (TV series) | 967 |
Q24946267 | Nadipinayakanahalli
Geography
Nadipinayakanahalli is located 27 km south-east of Chikballapur, the district's headquarters, and 64 km from the state capital Bangalore. Surrounding cities and towns include Vijayapura to the west, Hoskote and Devanahalli to the south, and Sidlaghatta and Chintamani to the north.
Demographics
The population of the village ranges from 1000 to 1200. Most of the village inhabitants are farmers and are lower middle class. The literacy rate is above 80% thanks to the successful implementation of schemes such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and illiteracy eradication schemes. Most of the village children attend Navodaya school, a government-run school located in the village. Others attend schools in Jangamakote Cross, near Jangamakote, and Vijayapura.
Occupation
Sericulture and agriculture are the two major occupations, with 90% of the working population rearing silkworms. Men in this area are famously hard working. Ragi is the main crop during the rainy season. Edible fruits and vegetables such as beetroot, carrot, cabbage, grapes, potato, mango, banana, cucumber, watermelon, cashew nuts, papaya, jack fruit, and jambu are also farmed. Mulberry plants are prolific in the village.Water is scarce in Nadipinayakanahalli. Village inhabitants have invested in bore wells, and agricultural land has been converted to drought land because of the scarcity of water. Drip irrigation is commonly used to water plants.The lake at the end of the village covers an area of approximately 150 to 250 acres. The lake partially fills during the rainy season when rain water is collected, but is drained within days. Desperate farmers cultivate the land during the rainy season to produce ragi. This practice is strictly prohibited by the state government.
Domestic life
Dairy farming (cattle rearing) is widely practiced and is a secondary source of income for average middle-class families. Two non-indigenous breeds, Holstein Frisian and Jersey, are favored because of their high production of milk. Indigenous (desi) cows like hallikar are disappearing as farmers rely on tractors for the cultivation of the land. The number of hallikar cows in the village has fallen from several hundred to under ten, due to lack of food. Cows are worshiped yearly during the Sankranthi festival.Dogs play a prominent role in Nadipinayakanahalli. Dog ownership is high because of the belief that dogs are loving, affectionate and protective. They often accompany villagers when gardening and during routine walks. There are rare encounters between humans and snakes. Cobras sometimes enter houses looking for prey such as rats, frogs and hens. Snake bites are often reported but are successfully treated at nearby hospitals.
Transportation
Every family owns one or more vehicle, such as a bike, tractor or car. There is excellent road infrastructure. In addition to vehicle parking, cows, buffalo and goats are frequently tethered on the road frontage outside a home.
Forest Area
The village is surrounded by dry forest towards the east. Eucalyptus, tamarind, sandalwood, teak and other trees are grown, as well as bamboo. Forest guards patrol the boundary regularly to prevent villagers from taking trees. Tree poles from eucalyptus are in demand as building material, leading to the possibility of illegal logging. There is a forest reserve where wild animals are abundant. Forestry activities contribute to ground water level depletion.
Sports
Cricket is popular in the village, with volleyball, and kabbadi also played occasionally.
Village sights
There are several temples near the village, including temples to Hanuman, Gangamma, and Muneeswarar. Kaivara, the popular hill station is 10 km away via the forest road. There is a cave that was damaged by a landslide but is still visible. The Hanuman temple is also in poor condition.
Culture
Cultural events are held during Ganesh Chaturthi and Sankranthi. Fairs (ಜಾತ್ರೆ) are held every two years. Some villagers travel to religious destinations such as Tirupathi, Dharmasthala and the Nandi Hills.
Environmental issues
Depletion of ground water is a major challenge, with most bore wells having run dry. Rainfall is extremely low at 20 cm – 30 cm annually. A major reason for the water depletion is the absence of micro-irrigation systems and the intensive farming that occurred during the 1980s and 1990s. The state government has initiated the Gundia river/Yettinahole Project to bring new water to the district by diverting the west-flowing Nethravathi river to Chikkaballapura and Kolar, but the project has been delayed due to ecological concerns and protests.
Criticisms
The village has a poor reputation for dirty caste politics and factionalism, and fights between villagers are frequent. | 3322314668065253944 | Nadipinayakanahalli | 1,078 |
Q45297133 | Gustavus Murray
Early life and family
Gustavus (sometimes Gustavo) Murray was born at Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, in 1831, the youngest son of Edward Murray (c.1800–1874), registrar of slaves and later Marshal of Trinidad. Murray received his schooling mainly at private schools in England. His health was poor and he was twice forced to return to Trinidad for that reason.He married Fanny Tryphena Yearsley (born Trinidad) at St George's, Hanover Square, in 1856, daughter of John Yearsley of The Moors, Cheltenham. They had six sons and one daughter. In 1861 he was living in Green Street, Mayfair, in central London. In 1871 the family were in the same area but had no servants according to the census return. By 1881 they were living in Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone, and employed four servants. Their second son, Stormont Murray, became a physician who practiced in London.
Medical career
Murray enrolled in the medical school of King's College, London, when Arthur Farre was professor of obstetrics and became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1856. He studied at the Vienna General Lying-in Hospital where puerperal fever had been tackled by Ignaz Semmelweis. Subsequently, he received his M.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1860 for a thesis titled "On the Medico-Legal aspect of certain morbid conditions that may be mistaken for pregnancy".In 1858, Murray claimed, in a paper in The Lancet, to be able to tell the exact parts of a fetus, including each vertebra and the cleft between the buttocks, through feeling the abdomen of the pregnant woman. At the time, these women would have been examined only at labour and to be able to distinguish fetal parts during the antenatal period was felt to be unbelievable. His work was recognised by Adolphe Pinard, an eminent obstetrician and pioneer of listening to the fetal heartbeat, in Pinard's 1889 book on abdominal palpation in pregnancy, but his innovations in the examination of pregnant women were ignored in England.At the start of his career he had consulting rooms at his home at 17 Green Street, Mayfair, a fashionable location for doctors. He was physician-accoucheur and physician for the diseases of women and children to the St George's and St James's Dispensary. He was physician and later consulting physician-accoucheur to the St Pancras Provident Dispensary and was closely associated with the Establishment for Gentlewomen in Harley Street. He was also obstetric physician to the British Lying-In Hospital in Endell Street, London, where he was a governor, and then to the Great Northern Central Hospital, Caledonian Road, Islington.He was a fellow of the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society and elected a fellow of the Obstetrical Society of London in 1859. Towards the end of his career he was to become president of the London society but was unable to take up the position due to ill health.
The Doctor
Murray's professional demeanor may have been the inspiration for the attentive and concerned physician in Luke Fildes' painting The Doctor (1891) after he attended the artist's first child, Philip, when he became ill and died at Christmas 1877. Murray and Fildes were well known to each other and Murray had delivered all the Fildes children. The artist's son, also Luke Fildes, wrote in his biography of his father:"The character and bearing of their doctor throughout the time of their anxiety, made a deep impression on my parents. Dr Murray became a symbol of professional devotion which would one day inspire the painting of The Doctor." And: "The Doctor had been on my father's mind ever since Dr Murray watched over Philip".Fildes junior made it clear in his book, however, that the figure in the painting was a composite of several people, including Fildes' friend Dr Thomas Buzzard.
Death
Murray died on 7 August 1887 at 66 Great Cumberland Place, London, after becoming weak with stomach and liver problems. His death has been attributed to heart failure. He left an estate of £4,132. | 3154252744214742137 | Gustavus Murray | 897 |
Q21064085 | Jameill Showers
Early years
Showers attended Shoemaker High School in Killeen, Texas. As a junior, he registered 2,150 passing yards, 513 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. He received District 12-5A First Team, District 12-5A Offensive MVP, Central Texas 4A/5A Offensive Player of the Year and honorable-mention All-state honors. As a senior, he was lost for the year with a broken collarbone he suffered in a preseason scrimmage.
College career
Showers accepted a football scholarship from Texas A&M University. As a redshirt freshman during the 2011 season, he was the backup to Ryan Tannehill. The next year, he was the backup to eventual Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Against Auburn University, he was 8-for-8 for 59 yards, including a two-yard touchdown pass.In June 2013, he earned a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University. In his 2 seasons, he played in 11 games, making 31 out of 49 passes for 359 yards, 18 carries for 72 yards (4.0-yard avg.) and 2 passing touchdowns.In February 2013, he transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso. He was eligible to play immediately because he graduated from Texas A&M in June and was named the starter at quarterback. Although he missed the last 5 games due to a shoulder injury he suffered against Rice University on October 26, he still managed 1,263 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, 4 interceptions, 195 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. The next year, he started all 13 games, registering 1,858 passing yards, 12 touchdown passes, 6 interceptions, 312 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns.
Professional career
On May 9, 2015, Showers was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. Although he passed for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception in preseason, he made the coaches take notice with his special teams play and versatility on the scout team. On September 5, he was waived and signed to the practice squad two days later. On December 25, he was promoted to the active roster along with defensive tackle Casey Walker, after the Cowboys placed tight end Gavin Escobar and quarterback Tony Romo on the injured reserve list. He was declared inactive in the last 2 games.In 2016, he moved up on the depth chart when backup quarterback Kellen Moore broke his right tibia during the first week of training camp and the Cowboys couldn't reach an agreement with the Cleveland Browns to trade for backup Josh McCown.After Moore's injury, he competed with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott for the backup job behind starter Romo. Several reports from August, indicated that Showers outperformed Prescott, showing greater accuracy and a quicker release in training camp. However, the Cowboys coaching staff made the decision to start Prescott in the team's preseason opener at the Los Angeles Rams. Working with the Cowboys' first-team offense, Prescott completed 10 of 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns in one half of action. In that game Showers had a notable 45-yard pass to Vince Mayle, while escaping a certain sack, although Dallas would lose the game 28-24.After Romo suffered a vertebral compression fracture during the first quarter of the Cowboys' Week 3 preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, in light of Romo's projected 8- to 10-week recovery time, Prescott was named the starter for the beginning of the 2016 season. For the backup quarterback position, the Cowboys wanted to pair Prescott with a veteran, so they released Showers on September 4 to make room for Mark Sanchez, signing him to the practice squad the next day. On October 7, it was reported that Showers would be switching positions from quarterback to strong safety, in order to give him a better chance to make the team. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 16, 2017.On September 2, 2017, Showers was waived by the Cowboys and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 12, 2017, but was re-signed a week later. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 1, 2018.In 2018, he suffered a torn left ACL in the second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was placed on the injured reserve list on August 20.Showers was waived/injured with a hamstring injury during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 9. | 10044940629088716093 | Jameill Showers | 990 |
Q1982191 | The Haunted Palace
Plot
In 1765, the inhabitants of Arkham, Massachusetts, are suspicious of the strange phenomena surrounding the grand "palace" that overlooks the town. They suspect the palace's owner, Joseph Curwen, is a warlock.A young girl wanders up to the palace in a trance-like state. She is led by Curwen and his mistress, Hester, down into the dungeons. The girl is subjected to a strange ritual, in which an unseen creature rises up from a covered pit. The townspeople observe the girl wandering off, and they storm the palace to confront its owner. Though the girl appears unharmed, the townspeople surmise that she has been bewitched to forget what happened to her. They drag Curwen out to a tree where they intend to burn him. The mob leader, Ezra Weeden, insists that they do not harm Hester (to whom he had been previously engaged to marry). Before being burned alive, Curwen puts a curse on Arkham and its inhabitants and their descendants, promising to rise from the grave to take his revenge.In 1875, 110 years later, Curwen's great-great-grandson, Charles Dexter Ward, and his wife Anne arrive in Arkham after inheriting the palace. They find the townsfolk hostile towards them and are disturbed by the horrific deformities that afflict many of Arkham's inhabitants. Charles is surprised by how well he seems to know the palace and struck by his strong resemblance to a portrait of Curwen. He and Anne meet Simon, the palace caretaker, who persuades them to stay at the palace and to forget the townspeople's hostility. Charles becomes more and more obsessed with the portrait of Curwen, and at times seems to change in his personality.Charles and Anne befriend the local doctor, Marinus Willet. He explains the circumstances surrounding Curwen's death, and that the townspeople blame the deformities on the curse. He tells them of a black magic book, the Necronomicon, believed to have been in Curwen's possession, and which Curwen used to summon the Elder Gods Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth. Curwen's plan was to mate mortal women with these beings in order to create a race of super-humans, which led to the deformities. The townspeople are terrified that Curwen has come back in the form of Charles to seek his revenge. Dr. Willet advises Charles and Anne to leave the town.Charles seems to be falling under the control of something and insists that they stay in Arkham. One night, Charles is possessed by the spirit of Joseph Curwen. Curwen reunites with two other warlocks, Simon and Jabez, who also have possessed their descendants. They make plans to continue their work and resurrect Hester. Curwen's hold on Charles is limited, and he tells Simon and Jabez that Charles is fighting him.Curwen begins his revenge on the descendants. He kills Ezra Weeden's descendant Edgar by releasing Weeden's monstrously deformed son from his locked room and attacks Micah Smith's descendant Peter with fire. Curwen takes complete control of Charles and he attempts to rape Anne. Anne seeks help from Dr. Willet. Curwen and his associates succeed in resurrecting Hester. Curwen attempts to persuade Willet that Anne is insane.The townspeople discover Peter Smith's charred corpse and storm the palace. Dr. Willet and Anne try to rescue Charles and discover a secret entrance to the dungeons. They are ambushed by Curwen, Simon, Jabez, and Hester. Anne is offered as a mate to the creature in the pit, while the residents break in and begin to raze the palace. The portrait of Curwen is destroyed, breaking Curwen's hold over Charles. Charles releases Anne, then urges Dr. Willet to take her away from the palace. While Curwen's associates seize Charles, Dr. Willet shepherds Anne from the burning palace. He returns to rescue Charles, and finds that Simon, Jabez, and Hester have escaped and left him to die. Charles and Willet barely escape the flames. Charles and Anne fervently thank Willet for saving their lives. However, it is apparent that Joseph Curwen still inhabits Charles' body.
Production notes
After the 18th-century portion of the story, Vincent Price recites lines 41 through 44 of the final stanza of the eponymous poem: "And travelers now within that valley though the red-litten windows see vast forms that move fantastically to a discordant melody," and the film ends with lines 45 through 48: "...While, like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out forever and laugh - But smile no more."Producer and director Roger Corman, best known for his Poe horror film series for American International Pictures, wanted to do something different with The Haunted Palace and selected a Lovecraft story. AIP changed the film's name, against Corman's wishes, to suggest continuity with the popular Poe series. The only connection the film has with the Poe poem are two brief quotes read by Price. The credits misspell the author of the poem as by "Edgar Allen Poe"; in Corman's other Poe films, the author's middle name is spelled correctly.The film paired Price with Debra Paget and Lon Chaney Jr.; Paget retired from acting following completion of the film, and Chaney, famous for playing The Wolf Man, made only this one appearance in a Corman film. He had co-starred with Price in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein fifteen years earlier, but they didn't share any scenes; Price's participation was a voiceover role (as The Invisible Man) and he never appeared on-screen. Chaney's role in The Haunted Palace was originally meant to be played by Boris Karloff, but Karloff had contracted an illness while making Black Sabbath in Italy.The set for the village of Arkham was quite small, and used forced perspective to appear larger. Both the front of the palace and the underground dungeon later appeared in Corman's The Terror, which was shot on sets from other AIP films.Francis Ford Coppola provided additional dialogue for the film.Clips from The Haunted Palace are among the stock footage from various Corman features used for the Vincent Price film Madhouse (1974), in which Price plays a horror film actor. The clips are presented as the early work of Price's character. | 2861033774552641907 | The Haunted Palace | 1,343 |
Q1154312 | Video editing
Video editing is the manipulation and arrangement of video shots. Video editing is used to structure and present all video information, including films and television shows, video advertisements and video essays. Video editing has been dramatically democratized in recent years by editing software available for personal computers. Editing video can be difficult and tedious, so several technologies have been produced to aid people in this task. Pen based video editing software was developed in order to give people a more intuitive and fast way to edit video.
Background
Video editing is the process of editing segments of motion video production footage, special effects and sound recordings in the post-production process. Motion picture film editing is a predecessor to video editing and, in several ways, video editing simulates motion picture film editing, in theory and the use of linear video editing and video editing software on non-linear editing systems (NLE). Using video, a director can communicate non-fictional and fictional events. The goal of editing is to manipulate these events to bring the communication closer to the original goal or target. It is a visual art.Early 1950s video tape recorders (VTR) were so expensive, and the quality degradation caused by copying was so great, that 2 inch Quadruplex videotape was edited by visualizing the recorded track with ferrofluid, cutting it with a razor blade or guillotine cutter, and splicing with video tape. The two pieces of tape to be joined were painted with a solution of extremely fine iron filings suspended in carbon tetrachloride, a toxic and carcinogenic compound. This "developed" the magnetic tracks, making them visible when viewed through a microscope so that they could be aligned in a splicer designed for this task.Improvements in quality and economy, and the invention of the flying erase-head, allowed new video and audio material to be recorded over the material already present on an existing magnetic tape. This was introduced into the linear editing technique. If a scene closer to the beginning of the video tape needed to be changed in length, all later scenes would need to be recorded onto the video tape again in sequence. In addition, sources could be played back simultaneously through a vision mixer (video switcher) to create more complex transitions between scenes. A popular 1970-80s system for creating these transitions was the U-matic equipment (named for the U-shaped tape path). That system used two tape players and one tape recorder, and edits were done by automatically having the machines back up, then speed up together simultaneously, so that the edit didn't roll or glitch. Later, in the 1980-90's came the smaller beta equipment (named for the B-shaped tape path), and more complex controllers, some of which did the synchronizing electronically.There was a transitional analog period using multiple source videocassette recorders (VCR) with the EditDroid using LaserDisc players, but modern NLE systems edit video digitally captured onto a hard drive from an analog video or digital video source. Content is ingested and recorded natively with the appropriate codec that the video editing software uses to process captured footage. High-definition video is becoming more popular and can be readily edited using the same video editing software along with related motion graphics programs. Video clips are arranged on a timeline, music tracks, titles, digital on-screen graphics are added, special effects can be created, and the finished program is "rendered" into a finished video. The video may then be distributed in a variety of ways including DVD, web streaming, QuickTime Movies, iPod, CD-ROM, or video tape.
Home video editing
Like some other technologies, the cost of video editing has declined over time. The original 2" Quadruplex system cost so much that many television production facilities could only afford a single unit, and editing was a highly involved process that required special training. In contrast to this, nearly any home computer sold since the year 2000 has the speed and storage capacity to digitize and edit standard-definition television (SDTV). The two major retail operating systems include basic video editing software - Apple's iMovie and Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker. Additional options exist, usually as more advanced commercial products. As well as these commercial products, there are opensource video-editing programs. Automatic video editing products have also emerged, opening up video editing to a broader audience of amateurs and reducing the time it takes to edit videos. These exist usually as media storage services, such as Google with its Google Photos or smaller companies like Vidify. | 11529563247544386067 | Video editing | 925 |
Q7125473 | Pakhi Tyrewala
Early life and family
Paakhi was born and brought up in Delhi. Born to a linguistics lecturer and a journalist, Paakhi completed her schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, but didn't pursue a college education as she was dyslexic.Paakhi is married to director Abbas Tyrewala. They fell in love during the shooting of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na in which she was the casting director.
Career
Paakhi A Tyrewala started off her career as a child artist in movies, serials, and theater in 1996. Her first ever performance was when she was two and a half years old. She made her debut as a child artist in 1997, in the film Dance of the Wind. Deep in her heart, she always knew she belonged to cinema. She came to Mumbai in the year 2000 where she started modelling for the biggest brands such as Ponds, Sunsilk, Dabur Vattika, Herohonda, Rayban, Organics etc. She starred in the film Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai in 2002, in which she played a Russian girl Stella.Since then, she has worked extensively behind the camera as well as in front of it, exploring various departments in the industry along her journey. She worked on a couple of films as a writer, actor and casting director. In 2010 she was cast opposite John Abraham in the film Jhoota Hi Sahi, which was directed by her husband Abbas Tyrewala. She played a suicidal woman called Mishka whose final call mistakenly connects to a man who gives her something to live for. The film received a decent review from the audience, but did not do as expected at the box office. In 2010, she went to TICSH, New York to study film making. In December 2011, Paakhi started working as an Assistant Director with Nagesh Kukunoor for his film, The Boxer, and then his documentary, Lakshmi, in 2012.Her stints as an actor, writer and casting director finally poised her to take flight towards her first love - direction. She helmed her first short film Kajal in 2017 and her first feature film 'Pahuna', produced by Priyanka Chopra's Purple Pebble Pictures is ready for release in December' 2018.
Director
Her first shot at direction was a song she directed in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. With Kajal, she started her journey as a film-maker. This short film Kajal received rave reviews from the critics and audience alike, premiering at the New York Indian Film Festival 2017 and picking the award for Best Film and Best Music at Feedback Female Film Festival 2017, Toronto and Best Actress award at Bangalore Shorts Film Festival.Paakhi moved to her first full-length feature film right after, choosing the much ignored and less covered North East region of India to base her story and shoot in. This was a script she wrote 10 years ago and decided to pick up again for her first story. Pahuna is the journey of three kids from Nepal who get separated from their parents and find a home for themselves in the beautiful Indian state of Sikkim. The film has been made in Nepali, a language unknown to Paakhi; proving her to be a fearless filmmaker. Her intentions found a partner in Priyanka Chopra, who decided to produce this unique story under her banner Purple Pebble Pictures.Recently, she has been in the news for the successful premier of Pahuna at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2017, where it was received with a standing ovation. The film also won the Best Film (Jury Choice) in The International Children's Film Festival in Germany and won the Best Film Award by the European Jury and a special mention in International Category at Schlingel Film Festival. The film is slated for a commercial release on 7 December 2018 in India.
Writer
Paakhi has four films credited to her as a writer including De Taali, Jhootha Hi Sahi, her first short film Kajal & full feature-film Pahuna.
Actor
She has worked in two films as the main lead - Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai (2002) and Jhoota Hi Sahi (2010).
Model
She has also been a model for various brands like Ponds, Ray-ban, Sunsilk, Dabur, Hero Honda, Rayban and Organics etc.
Other work
Paakhi is an Art of Living Teacher and has worked extensively in the North-East, India as part of numerous humanitarian projects. She has been associated with the Art of Living foundation since 20 years and has helped empower the youth to achieve their full potential by teaching them how to live a stress free life. | 2454383175002189464 | Pakhi Tyrewala | 1,019 |
Q26516217 | Abbotswood, Gloucestershire
Abbotswood is a country house and estate near Lower Swell in Gloucestershire, England. It is a grade II listed building and estate, of medieval origins and with remodelling and garden work to the designs of Sir Edwin Lutyens from 1901 onwards.
History
The ownership of lands in the manor of Lower Swell can be traced to the pre-conquest period, when one Ernesi possessed them. In 1086 the manor lands were divided between Raoul II of Tosny and William II, Count of Eu. Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall acquired much of the lands before 1257 for a parkland; in 1257 he endowed Hailes Abbey with the manor, which remained its owner until the English Reformation. In 1545 it passed to the Bishop of London, and in 1591 was conveyed back to the Crown, then passing to one John Carter, and later to his son Giles, who mortgaged it in 1638 to Sir William Courteen. Courteen had assumed ownership by 1659, for he sold the estate to Robert Atkyns, a lawyer and member of the Third Protectorate Parliament for Evesham. Atkyns descendants sold the estate in 1844 to one John Hudson. Hudsen split the estate in 1865, selling 400 acres (160 ha) to the owner of lands in Upper Swell, Alfred Sartoris. Within his now merged estate, Sartoris built in 1867 a new country house, Abbotwood, removed from and on land elevated above the estate farm buildings.In 1901 the estate was sold to Mark Fenwick, whose wealth derived from his involvement in mining and banking in Newcastle and Northumberland. Fenwick, a keen gardner, found the Abbotwood "far too ugly to live in" and against Lutyens' recommendation that he "blow it up, and start again!", engaged the architect to remodel the house and design gardens on what had been terraced lawns; Fenwick is credited with much of the planting within the estate. In 1946, the estate was sold to Harry Ferguson, the engineer and inventor noted for his role in the development of the modern agricultural tractor and, after the death of his widow, has been sold on a number of times.
House
Abbotswood house is the principal of the estate's buildings, a 22,000 square feet (2,000 m²) Cotswold stone L-shaped house dating back to the 1867 construction. Lutyens' external work on the house is concentrated on the north-side of the south-wing, where a projecting gabled roof falling to near ground level protects the main entrance; and on the west-side of the same wing where a series of narrow gables, terrace, ponds and a Loggia were added. Within, Lutyens created a new hall, grand staircase and reception rooms. Externally, Lutyens added a paved terrace with a linear central lily-pond extending from the west gable of the south wing. A large formal garden, subdivided into symmetric sections by hedges, paths and terrace walls, was planted to the south of the house; a terrace immediately to the south overlooks the garden and provides views of the surrounding park. The upper section of the garden is planted as a series of squares, four in the centre and three each at the east and west. The lower garden formed a sunken tennis lawn with a herbaceous border; more recently, a lily-pond has been sited in the centre of the lawn. A hexagonal open-sided garden house is sited at the south-west of the lawn; and a summerhouse is built beneath the upper garden, looking out across the tennis lawn and with access from a path on the west side of the gardens. A 'stream garden' of lawns, shrubs and trees with water and rock features is to the west of the house and formal gardens.
Estate
Abbotswood House sits towards the north-east of the estate's circa 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi) park, through which the River Dikler runs north-to-south. The estate's farm buildings, stables and staff housing are to the south-west of the house, and to the east of these is found an orchard and a walled garden with glasshouses, all associated with a long-demolished pre-1867 principal estate house. Features within the park include a river-fed pond, a well, and remains of a medieval moat. The park and a number of its buildings form part of the main listing for Abbotswood, and elements of the estate such as lodges, gates and walls, have distinct listings. | 4953651813772457442 | Abbotswood, Gloucestershire | 988 |
Q60574 | Artur Axmann
Early life
Axmann was born in Hagen, Westphalia, the son of an insurance clerk. In 1916, his family moved to Berlin-Wedding, where his father died two years later. Young Axmann was a good student and received a scholarship to attend secondary school. He joined the Hitler Youth in November 1928, after he heard Nazi Gauleiter Joseph Goebbels speaking, and became leader of the local cell in the Wedding district. He also joined the National Socialist Schoolchildren's League, where he distinguished himself as an orator.
Nazi career
In September 1931, Axmann joined the Nazi Party and the next year he was called to the NSDAP Reichsjugendführung to carry out a reorganisation of Hitler Youth factory and vocational school cells. After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, he rose to a regional leader and became Chief of the Social Office of the Reich Youth Leadership. Axmann directed the Hitler Youth in state vocational training and succeeded in raising the status of Hitler Youth agricultural work. In November 1934, he was appointed Hitler Youth leader of Berlin and from 1936 presided at the annual Reichsberufswettkampf competitions. On 30 January 1939 he was awarded the Golden Party Badge. Since October 1941, Axmann became a member of the Reichstag constituency of East Prussia.After World War II began, Axmann was on active service on the Western Front until May 1940. On 1 May 1940, he was appointed deputy to Nazi Reichsjugendführer Baldur von Schirach, whom he succeeded three months later on 8 August 1940. As a member of the Wehrmacht 23rd Infantry Division, he was severely wounded on the Eastern Front in 1941, losing his right arm.In early 1943, Axmann proposed the formation of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend to Heinrich Himmler, with servicemen drawn from the Hitler Youth. Hitler approved the plan for the combat division to be made up of Hitler Youth members born in 1926. Thereafter, recruitment and training began. In the last weeks of the war in Europe, Axmann commanded units of the Hitler Youth, which had been incorporated into the Home Guard (Volkssturm). His units consisted mostly of children and adolescents. They fought in the Battle of Seelow Heights and the Battle in Berlin.
Berlin, 1945
During Hitler's last days in Berlin, Axmann was among those present in the Führerbunker. During that time it was announced in the German Press that Axmann had been awarded the German Order, the highest decoration that the Nazi Party could bestow on an individual for his services to the Reich. He and one other recipient, Konstantin Hierl, were the only holders of the award to survive the war and its consequences. All other recipients were either awarded it posthumously, or were killed during the war or its aftermath.On 30 April 1945, just a few hours before committing suicide, Hitler signed the order to allow a breakout. According to a report made to his Soviet captors by Obergruppenfuehrer Hans Rattenhuber, the head of Hitler's bodyguard, Axmann took the Walther PP pistol that had been removed from Hitler's sitting room in the Fuehrerbunker by Heinz Linge, Hitler's valet, which Hitler had used to commit suicide; saying that he would "hide it for better times".On 1 May, Axmann left the Führerbunker as part of a breakout group that included Martin Bormann, Werner Naumann and SS doctor Ludwig Stumpfegger. Attempting to break out of the Soviet encirclement, their group managed to cross the River Spree at the Weidendammer Bridge.Leaving the rest of their group, Bormann, Stumpfegger, and Axmann walked along railway tracks to Lehrter railway station. Bormann and Stumpfegger followed the railway tracks towards Stettiner station. Axmann decided to go in the opposite direction of his two companions. When he encountered a Red Army patrol, Axmann doubled back. He saw two bodies, which he later identified as Bormann and Stumpfegger, on the Invalidenstraße bridge near the railway switching yard (Lehrter Bahnhof), the moonlight clearly illuminating their faces. He did not have time to check the bodies thoroughly, so he did not know how they died. His statements were confirmed by the discovery of Bormann's and Stumpfegger's mortal remains in 1972.
Post-war
Axmann avoided capture by Soviet troops and lived under the alias of "Erich Siewert" for several months. In December 1945, Axmann was arrested in Lübeck when a Nazi underground movement which he had been organising was uncovered by a U.S. Army counterintelligence operation.In May 1949, a Nuremberg denazification court sentenced Axmann to a prison sentence of three years and three months as a 'major offender'. He was not found guilty of war crimes. On 19 August 1958, a West Berlin court fined the former Hitler Youth leader 35,000 marks (approximately £3,000, or $8,300 USD) (equivalent to €74,527 in 2009), about half the value of his property in Berlin. The court found him guilty of indoctrinating German youth with National Socialism until the end of the war in Europe, but concluded he was not guilty of war crimes.
Later life
After his release from custody, Axmann worked as a businessman with varying success. From 1971 he left Germany for a number of years, living on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. Axmann returned to Berlin in 1976, where he died on 24 October 1996, aged 83. His cause of death and details of his surviving family members were not disclosed.
Portrayal in the media
Axmann was portrayed by Harry Brooks, Jr. in the 1973 British television production The Death of Adolf Hitler. | 9600150951935477031 | Artur Axmann | 1,290 |
Q5385586 | Eremophila scoparia
Description
Eremophila scoparia is a broom-like shrub which grows to a height of between 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft). Its branches and leaves are covered with yellowish or silvery-grey scaly hairs although individual scales are indistinct and the surface may appear glabrous. The leaves are mostly arranged in opposite pairs and are linear to almost cylindrical in shape, S-shaped in side view, mostly 4–25 mm (0.2–1 in) long, 0.8–2.5 mm (0.03–0.1 in) wide and have a hooked end.The flowers are borne singly or in pairs in leaf axils on a stalk 2–6 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long which has the same scaly covering as the leaves. There are 5 linear sepals which are 1.5–3.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long, covered with the same scaly covering on the outside but are hairy on the inside surface. The petals are 8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is blue, lilac, pink or white on the outside and white with yellow spots inside. The outside surface of the petal tube and its lobes are covered with scaly hairs, the inside of the lobes is glabrous except for branched hairs near their edges and the inside of the tube is densely filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens are enclosed in the petal tube. Flowering occurs throughout the year but mainly from August to October. The fruits are dry, woody, oval to cone-shaped, almost spherical, slightly fleshy, 3.3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and have a scaly covering.
Taxonomy and naming
This species was first formally described in 1810 by botanist Robert Brown who gave it the name Pholidia scoparia and published the description in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. In 1860, Mueller changed the name to Eremophila scoparia and published the change in Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of van Dieman's Land.The specific epithet is from the Latin scoparia meaning 'broom-like'.E.scoparia is also known by the common names broom bush, scotia bush, wax bush and broom emu bush.
Distribution and habitat
Silver emu bush occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. In Western Australia it is found between Merredin and Echuca in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Great Victoria Desert, Hampton, Mallee, Murchison and Nullarbor biogeographic regions. In South Australia it occurs in the North-Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty and Murray botanical regions. It is found in the north-western corner of Victoria and in New South Wales south from Wilcannia. It grows on a wide range of soils, is common in mulga, mallee and chenopod communities and is often the dominant shrub.
Conservation
Eremophila scoparia is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Use in horticulture
This eremophila has a broom-like shape and pale to deep lilac-coloured flowers. It can be propagated from cuttings or by grafting onto Myoporum rootstock and grows best in well-drained soil in either full sun or part shade. It is tolarant of drought and of the harshest frost and can be pruned to maintain its shape or to rejuvenate an old specimen. | 9713326934006892346 | Eremophila scoparia | 826 |
Q717829 | George Lam
Biography
Lam was born in Hong Kong. He was born to a family of physicians, with both his father and paternal grandfather being doctors. He attended Tak Sun Primary School, then Diocesan Boys' School, a predominantly English-language boys school, where he was a boarder. At the latter school, he chose to study French rather than Chinese.Lam started to pick up music at a young age. His grandfather often took him to movies, both Chinese and Western ones, which exposed him to film music. In addition, his mom loved to sing and dance while his dad loved listening to music and playing piano. All this constant music around him kindled his interest in this art form. He started to love listening to music on the radio when he was a teenager and taught himself to play guitar. In 1965, Lam left Hong Kong to further his studies in the U.K. During this time and his subsequent stay in the United States his musical horizon was further broadened by exposure to a great variety of musical genres in those countries.When he first went to the U.K. in 1965, he attended Dover College (he was a Leamingtonian there) under the headship of Timothy Cobb. His long time pal Ching Y. Wong, S.C. also went to the college from Diocesan Boys' School. After about a year, he transferred to Barcote School of Coaching to join his brother, Tony. There he formed a folk song group, The Midnighters, with two friends. Lam paid a return visit to both colleges in January 2019.After his studies in the U.K., Lam worked for a few years there before moving to California, where he coached tennis and worked in a stock brokerage firm. It was at this time he started writing his own songs. Not long thereafter, he returned to Hong Kong to launch his music career.Initially, Lam was one of the lead singers in a band called "Jade". In 1976, he went solo with his first English album,"Lam". His first Cantonese album came out in 1978. In 1980, both his own compositions《在水中央》and《分分鐘需要你》won the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards. Throughout the 1980s, Lam had 23 songs that topped the RTHK Chinese Pop Chart, second only to Alan Tam, who had 28. Lam has also hosted some TV music programs, acted in some TV dramas, and played lead roles in many films.In May 2003, Lam accidentally fell down a 2.5-metre deep floor opening while he was performing on stage at the Hong Kong Coliseum as a guest of Lisa Wang. This fall injured his right ear, which lost part of its hearing, particularly in high frequencies, and resulted in tinnitus. Thereafter, he could essentially only hear sounds in mono. A few months after his injury, he purposely put on a series of concerts in southern China to get used to his new hearing problems. Within a short period of time, he managed to adapt to this new reality and was able to perform very well on stage and resume his career in full.Lam has remained popular in Hong Kong for more than four decades. Over time, Lam has not only gained the recognition and respect of his peers such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and Paula Tsui, he has also played a part in shaping the Hong Kong music scene, as many of today's top singers such as Eason Chan, Hacken Lee, and Andy Lau were influenced by his music.Lam married Ng Ching Yuen in 1980. Together, they have a son, Alex Lam Tak Shun, who is also a singer and actor, and a daughter. Lam and Ng divorced in 1994. On 17 July 1996, he married singer and actress Sally Yeh.
Voice and timbre
Lam has a very wide tenor range. His highest notes could reach F5, D#6 in full head voice and volume rather than soft falsetto, and also a rock-like break in his voice. His lowest note is G2, ten notes below middle C (C4). | 908958195622556003 | George Lam | 866 |
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