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2000 ATP Tour World Championships – Doubles
Sébastien Lareau and Alex O'Brien were the defending champions, but failed to qualify as a team that year, as they did not compete together in 2000.
Lareau failed to qualify with another partner, while O'Brien qualified with Jared Palmer, but lost in the round robin.
Donald Johnson and Piet Norval won in the final 7–6(10–8), 6–3, 6–4, against Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes.
Seeds
Draw
Finals
{{4TeamBracket-Tennis35
| RD1=Semifinals
| RD2=Final
| RD1-seed1=7
| RD1-team1= Simon Aspelin Johan Landsberg
| RD1-score1-1=4
| RD1-score1-2=7
| RD1-score1-3=3
| RD1-seed2=5
| RD1-team2= Donald Johnson Piet Norval
| RD1-score2-1=6| RD1-score2-2=5
| RD1-score2-3=6| RD1-seed3=8
| RD1-team3= Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes
| RD1-score3-1=6
| RD1-score3-2=7
| RD1-score3-3=
| RD1-seed4=1
| RD1-team4= Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach
| RD1-score4-1=3
| RD1-score4-2=5
| RD1-score4-3=
| RD2-seed1=5
| RD2-team1= Donald Johnson Piet Norval
| RD2-score1-1=710| RD2-score1-2=6| RD2-score1-3=6| RD2-score1-4=
| RD2-score1-5=
| RD2-seed2=8
| RD2-team2= Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes
| RD2-score2-1=68
| RD2-score2-2=3
| RD2-score2-3=4
| RD2-score2-4=
| RD2-score2-5=
}}
Red Group
| match-w/l-4=3–0| set-w/l-4=6–1| game-w/l-4=41–25| standings-4=1|color-row-1= | 1v2=4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–2) |1v3=6–1, 5–7, 5–7 |1v4=1–6, 6–3, 1–6
|color-row-2= |2v1=6–4, 3–6, 6–7(2–7) | 2v3=6–1, 3–6, 6–4 |2v4=5–7, 6–7(4–7)
|color-row-3= |3v1=1–6, 7–5, 7–5 |3v2=1–6, 6–3, 4–6 | 3v4=2–6, 4–6
|color-row-4= |4v1=6–1, 3–6, 6–1 |4v2=7–5, 7–6(7–4) |4v3=6–2, 6–4}}Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision.
Gold Group
{{4TeamRR-TennisWide
| title-1=
| title-2=RR W–L
| title-3=Set W–L
| title-4=Game W–L
| title-5=Standings
| seed-1=2
| team-1-abbrev= Haarhuis Stolle
| team-1= Paul Haarhuis Sandon Stolle
| match-w/l-1=1–2
| set-w/l-1=2–5
| game-w/l-1=34–39
| standings-1=3
| seed-2=3
| team-2-abbrev= O'Brien Palmer
| team-2= Alex O'Brien Jared Palmer
| match-w/l-2=1–2
| set-w/l-2=3–5
| game-w/l-2=39–47
| standings-2=4
| seed-3=5
| team-3-abbrev= Johnson Norval
| team-3= Donald Johnson Piet Norval
| match-w/l-3=2–1| set-w/l-3=4–2| game-w/l-3=35–31| standings-3=2| seed-4=8
| team-4-abbrev= Bhupathi Paes
| team-4=Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision.
External links
Draw
Doubles
Category:2000 in Indian sport
Category:Sports competitions in Bangalore
Category:Tennis tournaments in India | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Cathy Dawson
Catherine Dawson (née White) is a British former 800 metres runner. Representing Wales, she finished fourth in the 800m final at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, in a career-best time of 2:03.17. She also twice won the Welsh 800m title (1993–94).
International competitions
References
Category:Living people
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
Category:British female middle-distance runners
Category:Welsh people
Category:Year of birth missing (living people) | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Lawrence Osborne
Lawrence Osborne is a British novelist who is currently residing in Bangkok. Osborne was educated at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and at Harvard, and has since led a nomadic life, residing for years in Poland, France, Italy, Morocco, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and Istanbul.
He is the author of the novel Ania Malina; a book about Paris, Paris Dreambook; the essay collection The Poisoned Embrace; a controversial book about autism called American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome; and three subsequent travel books published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux between 2004 and 2009: a book about wine, The Accidental Connoisseur; The Naked Tourist; and an account of expatriate life in Bangkok called Bangkok Days. His short stories have appeared in many American magazines. His story "Volcano", originally published in Tin House, was selected for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories 2012. His novel The Forgiven was published in 2012 to widespread acclaim. It was selected by The Economist as one of the Best Books of the Year for 2012.
Osborne's next book, The Wet and the Dry, a travelogue about Islam and alcohol, was published in 2013. It was included in the Top 10 Books of 2013 by The New York Times Book Review critic, Dwight Garner.
Reception
Osborne has been published widely as a long-form journalist in the United States, most notably in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Gourmet, Salon, Playboy, and Condé Nast Traveler. He has also been an occasional Op-Ed columnist at Forbes.com and is a frequent contributor to Newsweek International, The Daily Beast, and The Wall Street Journal Magazine. His feature for Playboy, "Getting a Drink in Islamabad", won a 2011 Thomas Lowell Award for Travel Journalism.
A novel, The Ballad of a Small Player, was published by Hogarth in spring 2014 to considerable critical acclaim, both in the United States and the United Kingdom. The New York Times selected it as one of its 100 Notable Books of 2014. NPR also included it in its Year's Best Books of 2014. Paul French in the Los Angeles Review of Books wrote that "Osborne's novel is the best on contemporary China since Malraux's." Neel Mukherjee picked it as one of his Books of the Year in The New Statesman. In the London Sunday Times, Robert Collins wrote : "A modern Graham Greene.... into this relatively quiet period for British fiction, someone remarkable and unexpected has emerged fully armed with a formidable, masterly grip on the British novel. At precisely the point where most novelists start to show signs of flagging, Osborne has hit his creative, fictional stride...and has arrived as a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape."
His third novel, Hunters in the Dark, was published by Hogarth in May 2015 and received glowing reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Arifa Akbar, literary editor of The Independent in London, selected it as one of her 15 Best Novels of 2015, and the novel was notably praised by Neel Mukarjee in The Guardian and by Lee Child in The New York Times Book Review. Nishant Dahiya reviewed it for NPR. British critic David Sexton wrote in the Evening Standard: "Those comparisons with Graham Greene aren't even flattering any more." Anita Sethi reviewed it in The Guardian with praise for its stylistic finesse.
Beautiful Animals was published by Hogarth in July 2017 and was featured on the cover of The New York Times Book Review with a review by the Japanese-American novelist Katie Kitamura. In her long review of the novel in The Washington Post Lionel Shriver wrote: "So let's not mince words. This is a great book."
Osborne was asked by the Raymond Chandler estate to write the next Philip Marlowe novel, released in 2018. Widely and favorably reviewed, Only to Sleep was selected by philosopher John Gray as his Book of the Year in the New Statesman, and was included in The New York Times''' 100 Most Notable Books of 2018 and NPR's Best Books of 2018. It was selected by William Boyd in the same category in The Guardian.
Films
Screen adaptations of all five of his novels are currently underway.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Osborne sat on the jury of the 2017 Macau Film Festival. The screen version of The Forgiven was announced at Cannes in 2018 with director John Michael McDonagh and Ralph Fiennes attached. Beautiful Animals is currently under development with producer John Lesher and Amazon, while Hunters in the Dark is being adapted by Bad Penny Productions and is slated to shoot in Cambodia.
BibliographyAnia Malina (1989)American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome (2002)The Forgiven (2012)The Wet and the Dry (2013)The Ballad of a Small Player (2014)Hunters in the Dark (2015)Beautiful Animals (2017)Only to Sleep'' (2018), a Philip Marlowe novel
References
External links
Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Category:21st-century English novelists
Category:English male journalists
Category:Living people
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:English male novelists
Category:21st-century British male writers
Category:1958 births | {
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Toppers, Oklahoma
Toppers is an unincorporated community in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, on Fort Gibson Lake.
References
Category:Unincorporated communities in Oklahoma
Category:Unincorporated communities in Wagoner County, Oklahoma | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Schloss Krumbach
Schloss Krumbach is a castle located in the market town of Krumbach in the state of Lower Austria in Austria.
History
The building was constructed as a fortress in the 11th century. In 1192 "Gerhardus de Chrumpach" was mentioned in documents for the first time. The fortress was destroyed by the Magyars in 1260. It was later owned for over 200 years by the family of Pálffy von Erdöd. Sold to an Austrian lawyer 1875, the castle changed private owners several times. It was converted into an hotel in 1993 and has been owned by the Austrian investor Mirko Kovats and his Artis Hotel Group since 2009.
External links
Krumbach municipal website
Category:Castles in Lower Austria | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Elton, West Virginia
Elton (also Hutchinsons Mill) is an unincorporated community in Summers County, West Virginia, United States. It lies to the northeast of the city of Hinton, the county seat of Summers County. Its elevation is 1,749 feet (533 m). Elton had a post office, with the ZIP code of 25965, until it closed on July 11, 2009.
The name Elton most likely was derived from the name of a local family.
References
Category:Unincorporated communities in Summers County, West Virginia
Category:Unincorporated communities in West Virginia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Legal Advisor
A Legal Advisor is a person who provides legal advice, often in an official capacity. Government officials that qualify as lawyers (jurist) in certain countries can get the title Legal Adviser.
Legal Advisor, as a proper noun, may refer to:
Legal Advisor (Office for the Administrative Review of the Detention of Enemy Combatants), the legal adviser to the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants in the United States
Legal Adviser of the Department of State, a position in the government of the United States
lt:Teisės patarėjas | {
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November 2015 Kidal attack
A MINUSMA base in Kidal, northern Mali, was attacked on 28 November 2015. Two Guinean soldiers and a Burkinabe contractor were killed, with 20 more injured. Ansar Dine claimed responsibility for the attack.
Background
Following the Libyan Civil War, Tuaregs fighting in the Libyan Arab Republic's Libyan army fled to northern Mali with weapons. The ensuing insurgency quickly led to the self-declared independence and consequent armed Islamist insurgency by MOJWA and Ansar Dine against the secular MNLA. This led to Operation Serval by France.
The UN base in Kidal was targeted in March as well, resulting in the deaths of two children and a Chadian peacekeeper. In the days preceding the November 2015 attack, the Radisson Blu was attacked in Mali's capital, Bamako. The attack was claimed by three Islamist militant groups — al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, its splinter group, the secular named al Mourabitoun and Massina Liberation Front.
MINUSMA has had over 50 deaths, making it the most fatal UN mission since the 1993-95 UNOSOM II in Somalia.
Attack
According to MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado, the attack happened in Kidal at about 04:00 when "four or five rockets landed inside the base." After the rockets landed,
bursts of gunfire occurred. Mortar fire also emanated from inside the camp. At least 2 Guinean troops and a civilian contractor were killed, 14 others were wounded. The camp had received a warning two days before the attack from an unnamed Islamist group. A local government official, Ahmoudene Ag Ikmasse, blamed radical Islamists.
Responsibility
Ansar Dine claimed responsibility for the attack.
Reactions
MINUSMA chief Mongi Hamdi issued a statement that read the attacks "would not dent the determination of the UN to support the Malian people and the peace process, including assisting in the implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali." The UN issued a statement that read: "The members of the Security Council called on the Government of Mali to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, and stressed that those responsible for the attack should be held accountable" and that it may constitute war crimes.
References
Kidal
Category:Terrorist incidents attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Category:Mass murder in 2015
Category:Kidal Region
Category:November 2015 events in Africa | {
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Roger Camp
Roger Camp is a photographer, poet and educator. Initially self-taught, he began photographing in earnest on a transcontinental bicycle trip he planned and executed at age 15 (1961). Accompanied by his twin brother, Roderic Ai Camp, the political scientist, they rode from Orange, California to Dayton, Ohio and the following year to Victoria, B.C., Canada. The trips are chronicled in a two-part article in The American Geographical Society's Focus (Fall & Winter, 1990).
Biography
Roger Camp is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in English (1967) and a master's degree in English (1969) from the University of Texas, Austin. He also holds
a masters and master's of fine arts degree (1973,1974) from the University of Iowa in photography.
He started teaching English at Eastern Illinois University (1969) followed by a dual teaching position in English/Photography at the Columbus College of Art & Design (1974). Camp taught American students at the Cite Universitaire de Paris (1990) and directed the photography program at Golden West College, Huntington Beach, CA (1977).
Camp served as a book reviewer for Library Journal (1981) and a contract photographer for Black Star, New York (1990).
Camp was a Danforth Fellow in Black Studies (1969), a Visual Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown (1982), held a summer seminar Fulbright to Brazil (1988) and is the recipient of the Leica Medal of Excellence in Photojournalism 1987. He was twice awarded the NISOD Excellence Award, the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, University of Texas,
Austin, for innovation in teaching and learning. In 1992 The City of Huntington Beach, California awarded him the Outstanding Artist of the Year Award for service to the community.
Upon his retirement from teaching in 2010 he began writing poetry full time. His work has appeared in numerous journals including The North American Review, Southern Poetry Review, Poetry East and Nimrod International Journal Award 40.
Publications
Camp is the author of three books.
Butterflies in Flight, Thames & Hudson, released in 2002 (selected by American Photo, The Associated Press, NBC Today Show in their recommended photo books of the year).
It was award a "Benny" The International Printing Industry's highest award in book design ("the book must be flawless").
500 Flowers, Dewi Lewis Media, released in 2005.
Roger Camp: Heat, Charta/DAP, released in 2008.
"Ascension,"Nimrod International Journal, Fall, 2018.
"To the nurse who spoke the language of the heart," Poetry East, Fall 2017.
"The breeze in the high branches sings," Natural Bridge A Journal of Contemporary Literature, Fall 2017.
"Baby on a Train," Southern Poetry Review, 2016.
"Bonfire of the Valentines," Gargoyle, 2016.
"Photographing in Amazonia," Spillway, Summer 2015.
"The green machine is now your mother," Atlanta Review, Fall 2012.
"My wife, the raven," North American Review Spring 2010.
"Index of American Periodical Verse 1979," Sander Zulauf, Scarecrow Press 1980
An Index to American Photographic Collections, George Eastman House, 1982
MacMillan Biographical Encyclopedia of Photographic Artists & Innovators, Macmillan, 1983
''Security Pacific Collection 1970-1985: Selected Works," Security Pacific Corp.,1985
"At the Galleries," Robert McDonald, Los Angeles Times, August, 1987)
"At the Galleries," Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, (July, 1987)
"At the Galleries," Robert Pincus, Los Angeles Times, ( May 1983)
"At the Galleries," Suzanne Muchnic, Los Angeles Times, (May, 1980)
"At the Galleries," Robert McDonald, Los Angeles Times, (January, 1987)
"A Sense of Wonder: The Photography of Roger Camp," Darkroom Photography, (September, 1987)
"Work of Two Artists Contrasts Pier Life," Los Angeles Times, (November, 1987)
"Three Shows of Subtleties, Icon and Fauna," William Zimmer, The New York Times (December, 1999)
Swimmers: Seventy International Photographers, Aperture, 1988
Graphis Alternative Photography, Graphis, 1995
"World Press Photo 1995,"Thames & Hudson, New York & London, 1995
Shoreline: The Camera at the Water's Edge, Graphis, 1996
Flora: A Contemporary Collection of Flora Photography, Graphis, 2002
"Summertime," Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2014
Category:Living people
Category:Columbus College of Art and Design faculty
Category:American photographers
Category:Twin people from the United States
Category:Year of birth missing (living people) | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
May 1909 Barcelona City Council election
The May 1909 Barcelona City Council election was held on Sunday, 2 May 1909, to elect half of the Barcelona City Council. 28 out of 50 seats were up for election (3 were vacant seats).
Electoral system
The number of seats of each council was determined by the population count, according to the 1877 Municipal Law. As Barcelona had more than 200,000 inhabitants, the number of seats composing the city council was 50. The municipal law also established that half of the seats had to be renewed every two years. Therefore, in these elections 25 seats had to be renewed. Additionally, any vacant seat would also be renewed.
The municipality was divided in 10 multi-member constituencies, corresponding to the city districts. Seats were elected using limited partial block voting. Candidates winning a plurality in each constituency were elected. In districts electing.
Voting was on the basis of universal manhood suffrage, which comprised all national males over twenty-five, having at least a two-year residency in a municipality and in full enjoyment of their civil rights.
The Municipal Law allowed the King of Spain to elect directly the Mayor of Barcelona.
Results
Results by district
References
1909
Category:1900s in Barcelona
Category:1909 in Catalonia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Syrian Republic (1946–1963)
The Syrian Republic ( ; ) was recognized as a sovereign state in 1945 and became de facto independent in April 1946 from the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon. In 1958, Syria joined with the Republic of Egypt in forming the United Arab Republic, though Syria withdrew from the union in 1961 and adopted the name Syrian Arab Republic. In 1963, the Syrian Ba'athist Party came to power in a bloody military coup, which laid foundations for the political structure in Syria for the next decades.
Background
French Mandate prior to the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence
The project of a new constitution was discussed by a Constituent Assembly elected in April 1928, but as the pro-independence National Bloc had won a majority and insisted on the insertion of several articles "that did not preserve the prerogatives of the mandatary power", the Assembly was dissolved on August 9, 1928. On May 14, 1930, the State of Syria was declared the Republic of Syria and a new Syrian constitution was promulgated by the French High Commissioner, in the same time as the Lebanese Constitution, the Règlement du Sandjak d'Alexandrette, the Statute of the Alawi Government, the Statute of the Jabal Druze State. A new flag was also mentioned in this constitution:
The Syrian flag shall be composed as follows, the length shall be double the height. It shall contain three bands of equal dimensions, the upper band being green, the middle band white, and the lower band black. The white portion shall bear three red stars in line, having five points each.
During December 1931 and January 1932, the first elections under the new constitution were held, under an electoral law providing for "the representation of religious minorities" as imposed by article 37 of the constitution. The National Bloc was in the minority in the new Chamber of deputies with only 16 deputies out of 70, due to intensive vote-rigging by the French authorities. Among the deputies were also three members of the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Xoybûn (Khoyboun) party, Khalil bey Ibn Ibrahim Pacha (Al-Jazira province), Mustafa bey Ibn Shahin (Jarabulus) and Hassan Aouni (Kurd Dagh). There were later in the year, from March 30 to April 6, "complementary elections".
In 1933, France attempted to impose a treaty of independence heavily prejudiced in favor of France. It promised gradual independence but kept the Syrian Mountains under French control. The Syrian head of state at the time was a French puppet, Muhammad 'Ali Bay al-'Abid. Fierce opposition to this treaty was spearheaded by senior nationalist and parliamentarian Hashim al-Atassi, who called for a sixty-day strike in protest. Atassi's political coalition, the National Bloc, mobilized massive popular support for his call. Riots and demonstrations raged, and the economy came to a standstill.
Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence
After negotiations in March with Damien de Martel, the French High Commissioner in Syria, Hashim al-Atassi went to Paris heading a senior Bloc delegation. The new Popular Front-led French government, formed in June 1936 after the April–May elections, had agreed to recognize the National Bloc as the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people and invited al-Atassi to independence negotiations. The resulting treaty called for immediate recognition of Syrian independence as a sovereign republic, with full emancipation granted gradually over a 25-year period.
In 1936, the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence was signed, a treaty that would not be ratified by the French legislature. However, the treaty allowed Jabal Druze, the Alawite region (now called Latakia), and Alexandretta to be incorporated into the Syrian republic within the following two years. Greater Lebanon (now the Lebanese Republic) was the only state that did not join the Syrian Republic. Hashim al-Atassi, who was Prime Minister during King Faisal's brief reign (1918–1920), was the first president to be elected under a new constitution adopted after the independence treaty.
The treaty guaranteed incorporation of previously autonomous Druze and Alawite regions into Greater Syria, but not Lebanon, with which France signed a similar treaty in November. The treaty also promised curtailment of French intervention in Syrian domestic affairs as well as a reduction of French troops, personnel and military bases in Syria. In return, Syria pledged to support France in times of war, including the use of its air space, and to allow France to maintain two military bases on Syrian territory. Other political, economic and cultural provisions were included.
Atassi returned to Syria in triumph on September 27, 1936 and was elected President of the Republic in November.
In September 1938, France again separated the Syrian Sanjak of Alexandretta and transformed it into the State of Hatay. The State of Hatay joined Turkey in the following year, in June 1939. Syria did not recognize the incorporation of Hatay into Turkey and the issue is still disputed until the present time.
The emerging threat of Adolf Hitler induced a fear of being outflanked by Nazi Germany if France relinquished its colonies in the Middle East. That, coupled with lingering imperialist inclinations in some levels of the French government, led France to reconsider its promises and refuse to ratify the treaty. Also, France ceded the Sanjak of Alexandretta, whose territory was guaranteed as part of Syria in the treaty, to Turkey. Riots again broke out, Atassi resigned, and Syrian independence was deferred until after World War II.
World War II and aftermath
With the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, Syria came under the control of the Vichy Government until the British and Free French invaded and occupied the country in July 1941. Syria proclaimed its independence again in 1941 but it wasn't until 1 January 1944, that it was recognized as an independent republic.
In the 1940s, Britain secretly advocated the creation of a Greater Syrian state that would secure Britain preferential status in military, economic and cultural matters, in return for putting a complete halt to Jewish ambition in Palestine. France and the United States opposed British hegemony in the region, which eventually led to the creation of Israel.
On 27 September 1941, France proclaimed, by virtue of, and within the framework of the Mandate, the independence and sovereignty of the Syrian State. The proclamation said "the independence and sovereignty of Syria and Lebanon will not affect the juridical situation as it results from the Mandate Act. Indeed, this situation could be changed only with the agreement of the Council of the League of Nations, with the consent of the Government of the United States, a signatory of the Franco-American Convention of April 4, 1924, and only after the conclusion between the French Government and the Syrian and Lebanese Governments of treaties duly ratified in accordance with the laws of the French Republic.
Benqt Broms said that it was important to note that there were several founding members of the United Nations whose statehood was doubtful at the time of the San Francisco Conference and that the Government of France still considered Syria and Lebanon to be mandates.
Duncan Hall said "Thus, the Syrian mandate may be said to have been terminated without any formal action on the part of the League or its successor. The mandate was terminated by the declaration of the mandatory power, and of the new states themselves, of their independence, followed by a process of piecemeal unconditional recognition by other powers, culminating in formal admission to the United Nations. Article 78 of the Charter ended the status of tutelage for any member state: 'The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have become Members of the United Nations, relationship among which shall be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality.'" So when the UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, after ratification of the United Nations Charter by the five permanent members, as both Syria and Lebanon were founding member states, the French mandate for both was legally terminated on that date and full independence attained.
On 29 May 1945, France bombed Damascus and tried to arrest its democratically elected leaders. While French planes were bombing Damascus, Prime Minister Faris al-Khoury was at the founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco, presenting Syria's claim for independence from the French Mandate.
History
Independence
Syrian independence was attained on 24 October 1945, with recognition of the international community. Continuing pressure from Syrian nationalist groups and British pressure forced the French to evacuate their last troops on 17 April 1946. Although rapid economic development followed the declaration of independence, Syrian politics from independence through the late 1960s was marked by upheaval. The early years of independence were marked by political instability.
Early years
In 1948, Syria was involved in the Arab-Israeli War with the newly created State of Israel. The Syrian army was pressed out of the Israeli areas, but fortified their strongholds on the Golan Heights and managed to keep their old borders and occupy some additional territory. In July 1949, Syria was the last Arab country to sign an armistice agreement with Israel.
On 29 March 1949, Syria's national government was overthrown by a military coup d'état led by Hussni al-Zaim. The cause of this coup was the shame that the Syrian Army experienced following the Arab-Israeli War. An example of this shame can be seen in what we will call the Samneh Scandal of 1948. According to Patrick Seale, "President Shurki al-Quwatli and his new Prime Minister set off on a tour of front-line positions and supply points. The story has it that the two politicans noticed a pungent smell coming from a field kitchen. On making inquiries they were told that it came from burning cooking fat. Quwatli demanded that a new tin be opened and an egg cooked before him. The fat once more gave off a nauseating smell: the President tasted it and pronounced it of inferior quality. Samples were sent for testing and revealed that the fat was made from bone waste". Afterwards, Quwatli ordered the arrest of colonel for profiteering. Following this incident, officers became enraged when the common folk held their noses at them, a reference to the smell of the cooking fat. On 14 August 1949, Zaim was overthrown by his colleague Sami al-Hinnawi. A few months later, in December 1949, Hinnawi was overthrown by Colonel Adib al-Shishakli. The latter undermined civilian rule and led to Shishakli's complete seizure of power in 1951. Shishakli continued to rule the country until 1954, when growing public opposition forced him to resign and leave the country. The national government was restored, but again to face instability, this time coming from abroad. After the overthrow of President Shishakli in the February 1954 coup, continued political maneuvering supported by competing factions in the military eventually brought Arab nationalist and socialist elements to power. From 1946 to 1956, Syria had 20 different cabinets and drafted four separate constitutions.
During the Suez Crisis of 1956, after the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula by Israeli troops, and the intervention of British and French troops, martial law was declared in Syria. Later Syrian and Iraqi troops were brought into Jordan to prevent a possible Israeli invasion. The November 1956 attacks on Iraqi pipelines were in retaliation for Iraq's acceptance into the Baghdad Pact. In early 1957, Iraq advised Egypt and Syria against a conceivable takeover of Jordan.
In November 1956, Syria signed a pact with the Soviet Union, providing a foothold for Communist influence within the government in exchange for planes, tanks, and other military equipment being sent to Syria. This increase in the strength of Syrian military technology worried Turkey, as it seemed feasible that Syria might attempt to retake Iskenderon, a formerly Syrian city now in Turkey. On the other hand, Syria and the USSR accused Turkey of massing its troops at the Syrian border. During this standoff, Communists gained more control over the Syrian government and military. Only heated debates in the United Nations (of which Syria was an original member) lessened the threat of war.
Joining the United Arab Republic
Syria's political instability during the years after the 1954 coup, the parallelism of Syrian and Egyptian policies, and the appeal of Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nasser's leadership in the wake of the Suez crisis created support in Syria for union with Egypt. On February 1, 1958, Syrian president Shukri al-Kuwatli and Nasser announced the merging of the two countries, creating the United Arab Republic, and all Syrian political parties, as well as the Communists therein, ceased overt activities. The merger was approved in a 1958 referendum.
1961–1963
Discontent with Egyptian dominance of the UAR led elements opposed to the union under Abd al-Karim al-Nahlawi to seize power on 28 September 1961. Two days later, Syria re-established itself as the Syrian Arab Republic. Frequent coups, military revolts, civil disorders and bloody riots characterized the 1960s. The 8 March 1963 coup resulted in installation of the National Council of the Revolutionary Command (NCRC), a group of military and civilian officials who assumed control of all executive and legislative authority. The takeover was engineered by members of the Ba'ath Party led by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar. The new cabinet was dominated by Ba'ath members; the moderate al-Bitar became premier.
References
Category:Modern history of Syria
Category:Former countries in the Middle East
Category:Former republics
Category:States and territories established in 1946
Category:States and territories disestablished in 1963
Category:1946 establishments in Syria
Category:1963 disestablishments in Syria | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Here for You
Here for You may refer to:
"Here for You" (FireHouse song), 1995
"Here for You" (Gorgon City song), 2014
"Here for You" (Kygo song), 2015
"Here for You" (Maraaya song), 2015 | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Minamikawa Dam
) is a concrete gravity arch dam on the Naruse River in the town of Taiwa, Kurokawa District Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, completed in 1987 by Kumagai. The dam supports a 220 KW hydroelectric power station.
Design
Minamikawa Dam is a hollow-core concrete gravity dam intended for flood control, irrigation water and hydroelectric power. The dam is accompanied by a 19.6 meter high saddle dam to increase its water level.
References
Category:Dams in Miyagi Prefecture
Category:Dams completed in 1987
Category:Taiwa, Miyagi
Category:Gravity dams | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area
The Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Nebraska, anchored by the city of Lincoln. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 302,157 .
Counties
Lancaster
Seward
Communities
Places with more than 250,000 inhabitants
Lincoln – 258,379 inhabitants (Principal City)
Places with 1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants
Hickman – 2,264 inhabitants
Milford – 2,210 inhabitants
Seward – 6,964 inhabitants
Waverly – 3,277 inhabitants
Places with 500 to 1,000 inhabitants
Bennet – 570 inhabitants
Firth – 564 inhabitants
Utica – 844 inhabitants
Walton – 561 inhabitants
Places with 250 to 500 inhabitants
Hallam – 276 inhabitants
Malcolm – 413 inhabitants
Panama – 253 inhabitants
Staplehurst – 270 inhabitants
Places with fewer than 250 inhabitants
Bee – 223 inhabitants
Cordova – 127 inhabitants
Davey – 153 inhabitants
Denton – 189 inhabitants
Garland – 247 inhabitants
Goehner – 186 inhabitants
Pleasant Dale – 245 inhabitants
Raymond – 186 inhabitants
Roca – 220 inhabitants
Sprague – 146 inhabitants
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 266,787 people, 105,200 households, and 64,917 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 90.56% White, 2.66% African American, 0.61% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.23% of the population.
The median income for a household in the MSA was $42,275, and the median income for a family was $52,745. Males had a median income of $33,469 versus $23,972 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $19,822.
See also
Nebraska census statistical areas
References
Category:Lancaster County, Nebraska
Category:Seward County, Nebraska | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Rubin Statham
Rubin Statham (born 25 April 1987), often referred to by his nickname of "Jose," is a professional tennis player from New Zealand. His twin brother Mikal is also a professional tennis player, although he only played a couple of tournaments between 2011 and his return to the ITF tour in 2018.
Career
In June 2005, Statham's second year on the professional tour, he made his first final at the Japan F8 tournament. He lost in the final to Go Soeda of Japan 4–6, 3–6. In November 2008, Kyu Tae Im of Korea defeated him 6–7(3), 1–6 in the final of the Malaysia F2 event. This was the second time he had made a final in over three years. In May 2009 Statham won his first tournament, at Australia F3, defeating Australian Greg Jones 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 in the final. In his next tournament, Australia F4, he lost in the final to Jones 5–7, 6–7(6). He won his next tournament in Egypt F7 by defeating Jean-Noel Insausti of France in the final 7–5, 6–2. He made it four finals in a row in his next tournament at Egypt F8, losing to Karim Maamoun of Egypt in the final 2–6, 2–6.
In October 2009 Statham won another Futures title at Thailand F4. He defeated Roman Jebavý of the Czech Republic 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 in the final, having also won the doubles title the day before. He also won the Vietnam F1 title in the same month, defeating Amir Weintraub of Israel 6–7(4), 7–6(4), 6–1 in the final, and again made it a special event by winning the doubles as well. He was do it again in Korea in May 2013. In October 2010, Statham was the only New Zealand representative in the Men's Singles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and was the sixth seed. He lost in the quarterfinals to top-seeded and eventual champion Somdev Devvarman of India 3–6, 4–6.
ATP/ITF Tour Finals
Singles: 24 (12 titles, 12 runners-up)
Doubles: 65 (21 titles, 44 runners-up)
References
External links
Category:1987 births
Category:Living people
Category:New Zealand male tennis players
Category:Tennis players from Auckland
Category:Tennis players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Hollygrove, West Virginia
Hollygrove is an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
References
Category:Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
Category:Unincorporated communities in Kanawha County, West Virginia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Juan Portela
Juan Antonio Portela Muñoz (born 22 October 1984) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a left defender.
Club career
Born in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, Portela graduated from Xerez CD's youth system, making his senior debuts with the reserves in the regional championships. Also in the 2003–04 season he made his professional debut, coming on as a late substitute of a 0–1 away loss against Polideportivo Ejido on 19 June 2004, for the Segunda División championship. Portela continued to appear with the B-team in the following seasons, however.
On 3 June 2007 Portela returned to first-team duties, starting in a 0–0 away draw against Albacete Balompié. A month later he signed a new two-year deal with the Andalusians, but was released two seasons later.
In the following years Portela competed in Segunda División B, representing AD Ceuta, Écija Balompié, CD Puertollano and Atlético Sanluqueño CF.
References
External links
Category:1984 births
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Jerez de la Frontera
Category:Spanish footballers
Category:Andalusian footballers
Category:Association football defenders
Category:Segunda División players
Category:Segunda División B players
Category:Tercera División players
Category:Xerez CD B players
Category:Xerez CD footballers
Category:AD Ceuta footballers
Category:Écija Balompié players
Category:CD Puertollano footballers
Category:Atlético Sanluqueño CF players | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Crypt Lake Trail
The Crypt Lake Trail is one of the premium hikes in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is accessed by a dedicated ferry service operating from the Waterton Park Townsite.
The first part of the trail offers the choice of two alternate routes for ascent and return running through forest, the longer of which passes the impressive Hellroaring Falls. After that the trail becomes an open walk through a valley crossing small mountain streams and leading up to the views of Crypt Falls. The cascading Crypt Falls are over high and are fed by Crypt Lake in the hanging valley above the falls. The last part of the trail is the ascent to Crypt Lake. This part is more challenging; in parts the walk runs at the edge of steep drops, secured by cable and also involves crawling through a narrow, but short, tunnel. Finally the trail reaches the shores of Crypt Lake through a small forest.
Crypt Lake
Crypt Lake is a pristine alpine lake occupying a cirque that often has ice into August. Most of the area around the lake is covered in scree and/or snow, and hiking around the circumference of the lake requires approximately 45 minutes. Wildlife can be spotted in the mountains towering above including mountain goat and bighorn sheep. From Crypt Lake it is only a short walk to the edge of Crypt Falls with views over the valley below.
Hiking
The Crypt Lake Hike was voted "Canada's Best Hike" in 1981. The hike is accessed via the local ferry service, and begins with a gradual climb through shaded forests. As visitors progress into the hanging valley, the forest begins to thin out, and the strenuous section of the hike begins. Immediately after Burnt Rock Falls, the hike steadily climbs up onto the open alpine mountain side. This section of the hike, offers views of the Crypt Valley as well as that of the cascading Crypt Falls. After hiking along the mountain side, hikers arrive at the Crypt Lake Campground. This camping area was provided for overnight backpackers and was equipped with an outhouse and fireplace. However, the campground is now permanently closed and is no longer equipped with a fireplace. After continuing over the alpine creek adjacent to the campground, hikers follow the trail towards the ledge and tunnel. The ledge is about wide, and continues over to a steel ladder and access to the tunnel. For nearly , hikers crawl through a natural mountain tunnel before arriving at the cable transverse. This section of the hike involves a scramble along a sheer cliff, with the assistance of a steel cable. After the scramble, the route passes through a shaded forest before arriving at Crypt Lake. The hike is a total of round trip, with a gradual elevation gain.
The southern tip of Crypt Lake skirts Canada's international border with the United States, and the trail enters the United States for less than , meaning that hikers technically enter the United States illegally. However, there is no border-related signage or warnings, and no legal consequences for hikers, as entry any further into the United States at this location is impossible due to sheer mountain cliffs at the south end of the lake.
Wildlife
The slopes along the Crypt Lake Trail serve as primary bear country. Both grizzly bear and black bear can be seen on this trail. It is important to check with the visitor information centre and/or ferry service regarding recent bear sightings on the trail. Other large mammal species that call the Crypt Valley home include bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat, mule deer and white-tailed deer. It is not uncommon to see striped or least chipmunk frequenting the trail, as well as other rodent species, such as hoary marmot, yellow-bellied marmot, red squirrel and Richardson's ground squirrel. Crypt Lake itself is stocked with cutthroat trout and is one of several destinations for local fishermen in the park.
Ferry service
Ferry service from the Waterton townsite brings hikers to the trail head twice in the morning and returns to pick them up, twice in the late afternoon (off of peak season [May–June, Sept-Oct], ferry services only make 1 round trip per day.) The time span is reasonable to perform the whole trail, but it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the time. There is no potable drinking water provided at the trail head (ferry landing site) or anywhere along the trail. There is an outhouse at the start of the trail where the ferry docks, and near the top of the trail at the designated campground before crossing to the cave entrance, however hikers are advised to bring their own toilet paper.
References
External links
Parks Canada: Crypt Lake Trail
Waterton Park Information Services: Crypt Lake Trail
Detailed Review of Crypt Lake Trail
Category:Hiking trails in Alberta
Category:Waterton Lakes National Park
Category:Lakes of Alberta
Category:Canada–United States border | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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2005 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2005 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl was the 14th edition of the annual college football bowl game. It featured the California Golden Bears and the BYU Cougars.
Game summary
Cal scored first on a 3-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch to take a 7-0 lead with 11:56 left in the 1st quarter. He would finish the game with 194 yards rushing on 24 carries. Just 1 minute into the second quarter, BYU notted the equalizer, by a 19-yard touchdown pass from John Beck to Curtis Brown. Beck would finish the game 35 for 53 passing for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns.
With 12 minutes left in the half, Marshawn Lynch found the end zone for the second time, scoring from 23 yards out. With 38 seconds left in the half, Naufahu Tahi punched it in from 3 yards out to help BYU tie the game at 14. It appeared as though the game would be tied at halftime, but Cal came back quickly. With just 3 seconds in the half, Steve Levy threw a 42-yard bomb to star receiver DeSean Jackson helping Cal take a 21-14 lead to intermission.
In the third quarter, Marshawn Lynch scored on a long 35 yard touchdown run, as Cal increased its lead to 28-14 with 10:47 remaining in the third quarter. Cal appeared to blow the game wide open when Steve Levy and DeSean Jackson connected for the second time of the game, leading Cal to a 35-14 lead with only 4 minutes left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, BYU made a bit of a comeback, as John Beck threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jonny Harline, cutting the lead to 35-21. With 5:35 left in the game, Beck threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Todd Watkins, making it just 35-28. However, Cal was able to maintain that lead and win their first ever Las Vegas Bowl crown.
References
External links
Review of game by USA Today
Las Vegas Bowl
Category:Las Vegas Bowl
Category:BYU Cougars football bowl games
Category:California Golden Bears football bowl games
Las Vegas Bowl
Category:December 2005 sports events in the United States
Category:21st century in Las Vegas | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Livin' la Vida Loca Tour
The Livin' La Vida Loca World Tour was the first major world concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin to support his first English-language album Ricky Martin. The tour started in October 1999 and continued until October 2000.
The tour covered four continents, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. According to 2000 year-end report, Ricky Martin had the 10th highest-grossing tour in the US, with 44 shows grossing $36.3 million and drawing an audience of 617,488. That October, attendance and sales data reported from 60 concert dates in the United States, Canada and Mexico show the tour grossed $51.3 million and drew 875,151 fans, according to Billboard Boxscore, International dates, not reported to Boxscore would push Martin's grosses higher.
Opening act
Jessica Simpson (North America, 1999 dates)
Setlist
This setlist represents concerts held Summer 2000
"Livin' la Vida Loca"
"Love You for a Day"
"Bombón de Azúcar"
"Spanish Eyes"
"Lola, Lola"
"Vuelve"
"She Bangs"
"Loaded"
"Marcia Baila"
"Private Emotion"
"I Am Made of You"
"Shake Your Bon-Bon"
"La Bomba"
"Por Arriba, Por Abajo"
"María"
"She's All I Ever Had"
"The Cup of Life"
Tour dates
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
Box office score data
References
Category:1999 concert tours
Category:2000 concert tours
Category:Ricky Martin concert tours | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Ano Pala
Ano Pala, (born 15 September 1952) is a Papua New Guinean politician. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since 2007, representing the electorate of Rigo Open (in Central Province). He is Minister for Justice and Attorney-General in the government of Peter O'Neill.
He was elected to the National Parliament at the 2007 election and was initially a member of the National Alliance Party. In May 2010, he was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Prime Minister Michael Somare's Cabinet, replacing Allan Marat who had resigned after breaching Cabinet solidarity by criticising government policy. Pala had, until then, served as parliamentary secretary to Dr Puka Temu, the Minister of Lands and Physical Planning and Mining. In July 2010, he was one of four ministers to defect to the Opposition in an unsuccessful attempt to bring down the government, but later rejoined the government ranks and was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs.
At the start of August 2011, he again defected to the Opposition, and this time helped to successfully bring down the government in a parliamentary motion of no confidence. Peter O'Neill became Prime Minister, and appointed Pala as his Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration.
Pala had previously served as parliamentary clerk, but resigned that position to stand (successfully) for Parliament in the 2007 general election.
In 2009, he publicly supported Eastern Highlands Provincial Governor Malcolm Smith Kela who petitioned the government to "intervene to protect our citizens of [sic] the action of Asian businessmen", whom he claimed had "exploited locals" by selling "cheap goods and counterfeit products", and by forcing employees to work long hours for low wages. Pala added that locals should be assisted in setting up their own businesses: there was a "need to support our education system, to create some of the basics of how to make money, how to run a business and how to understand the commercial and business system in the schools".
In January 2012, he joined Don Polye's new Triumph Heritage Empowerment Rural Party.
References
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
Category:1952 births
Category:Government ministers of Papua New Guinea
Category:National Alliance Party (Papua New Guinea) politicians
Category:Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party politicians | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Looted art
Looted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property may be an opportunistic criminal act or may be a more organized case of unlawful or unethical pillage by the victor of a conflict. The term "looted art" reflects bias, and whether particular art has been taken legally or illegally is often the subject of conflicting laws and subjective interpretations of governments and people; use of the term "looted art" in reference to a particular art object implies that the art was taken illegally.
Related terms include art theft (the stealing of valuable artifacts, mostly because of commercial reasons), illicit antiquities (covertly traded antiquities or artifacts of archaeological interest, found in illegal or unregulated excavations), provenance (the origin or source of a piece of art), and art repatriation (the process of returning artworks and antiques to their rightful owners).
History
Art looting has a long history, the winning party of armed conflicts often plundering the loser, and in the absence of social order, the local population often joining in. The contents of nearly all the tombs of the Pharaohs were already completely looted by grave robbers before the invasion of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. There have been a total of seven sackings of Rome. The Old Testament includes several references to looting and to the looting of art and treasures; in the Book of Chronicles it is said: "King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the Lord's temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made", and in the Book of Jeremiah 15:11 the Lord says: "Jerusalem, I will surely send you away for your own good. I will surely bring the enemy upon you in a time of trouble and distress ... I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder. I will give it away free of charge for the sins you have committed throughout your land." Other famous examples include the Roman Sack of Corinth in 146 BC, the Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, the Sack of Baghdad in 1258, Hernán Cortés and the looting of the Aztec gold. In only some of these was the removal of artworks for their own sake (rather than the value of their materials for example) a primary motivation.
Since the rise of an art market for monumental sculpture, abandoned monuments all over the world have been at risk, notably in Iran, the old territories of Mesoamerican culture and Cambodia.
After the looting of Europe by Napoleon, others copied the institutionalized model of systematic plunder and looting. During the American Civil War, legal frameworks and guidelines emerged that justified and legalized the plunder and looting of opposing parties and nations. Henry Wager Halleck, a United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer argued: "No belligerent would be justifiable in destroying temples, tombs, statutes [sic], paintings, or other works of art (except so far as their destruction may be the accidental or necessary result of military operations.) But, may he not seize and appropriate to his own use such works of genius and taste as belong to the hostile state, and are of a moveable character?".
In July 1862, Francis Lieber, a professor at Columbia College, who had worked with Halleck on guidelines for guerrilla warfare, was asked by Halleck, now General-in-Chief of armies of the Union, to develop a code of conduct for the armed forces. The code of conduct, published as General Orders No. 100 on April 24, 1863, signed by United States President Abraham Lincoln, later became known as the Lieber Code and specifically authorized the Armies of the United States to plunder and loot the enemy – a mindset that Hitler's armies copied one century later. The Lieber Code said in Article 36: "If such works of art, libraries, collections, or instruments belonging to a hostile nation or government, can be removed without injury, the ruler of the conquering state or nation may order them to be seized and removed for the benefit of the said nation. The ultimate ownership is to be settled by the ensuing treaty of peace." Russian and American forces relied on similar frameworks when they plundered Germany after the defeat of the Nazis.
The Lieber Code further defined the conditions of looting and the relationship between private plunder and booty and institutionalized looting "All captures and booty belong, according to the modern law of war, primarily to the government of the captor." (Article 45), "Neither officers nor soldiers are allowed to make use of their position or power in the hostile country for private gain, not even for commercial transactions otherwise legitimate." (Article 46) and "... [I]f large sums are found upon the persons of prisoners, or in their possession, they shall be taken from them, and the surplus, after providing for their own support, appropriated for the use of the army, under the direction of the commander, unless otherwise ordered by the government." (Article 72)
Massive art looting occurred during World War II; see art theft during World War II.
Looting of countries
Looting of Afghanistan
Many art pieces and artifacts from Afghanistan were looted during several wars; scores of artworks were smuggled to Britain and sold to wealthy collectors. "There are also fears that the bulk of the collection once in Kabul Museum, ... is now in smugglers' or collectors' hands. The most famous exhibits were the Begram ivories, a series of exquisite Indian panels nearly 2,000 years old, excavated by French archaeologists in the Thirties (1930s)". In November 2004, much of the missing collection numbering 22,513 items was found safely hidden. Over 200 crates had been moved downtown for storage at the end of the Soviet occupation including the Bactrian gold and Bagram Ivories. Some 228 of these treasures, including pieces of Bactrian Gold and many of the Bagram Ivories, were exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., from May 25 to September 7, 2008.
Looting of Cyprus
Following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 by Turkey and the occupation of the northern part of the island, churches belonging to the Cypriot Orthodox Church have been looted in what is described as “one of the most systematic examples of the looting of art since World War II”. Several-high-profile cases have made headline news on the international scene. Most notable was the case of the Kanakaria mosaics, 6th-century AD frescos that were removed from the original church, trafficked to the US and offered for sale to a museum for the sum of US$20,000,000. These were subsequently recovered by the Orthodox Church following a court case in Indianapolis.
The northern part of the island is where the church and art looting was concentrated. It is rumored that the Turkish-Cypriot leaders did not feel an obligation to preserve the artifacts and monuments in the north because they felt that the Greek-Cypriot government had oppressed them for too long.
Archaeological sites, museums, churches, monasteries, castles, libraries, and private art collections have all been affected by the looting of the northern area of Cyprus; icons, frescoes, archaeological artifacts, and cultural heritage have been stripped from areas around the island and have been taken to places all over the world or simply destroyed. Some believe that this has been done to ‘Turkify’ the northern region of the country and erase the characteristics of the Cypriot predecessors, while people like Aydin Dikmen have been working to make money off of cultural heritage artifacts by selling them in international markets. It was one of the most systematic examples of the looting of art since World War II.
Non-Christian places of importance
Many non-Christian sites have been affected by the looting and destruction of northern Cyprus. During the time of the invasion, work on archaeological sites was halted. While the projects on the Greek-Cypriot southern area were started again after a short period of delay, the projects in the Turkish north were never started again. Many of the houses and workshops associated with archaeological projects in the north were looted, so the work that had been done was lost to the researchers. Many areas on the island of Cyprus were damaged by bombing and machine gun fire, and because of these issues, the pavement mosaics of the House of Dionysos in Paphos suffered extensive damage. The fighting not only was destroying Byzantine and Christian cultural heritage, but it was even destroying culture that had been in existence for far longer. There have been appeals filed with UNESCO, ICOM, and ICOMOS to help with the preservation of the remaining cultural heritage on the island, and a representative of UNESCO was appointed to help by 1976.
Looted religious sites and icons
On the island of Cyprus before the invasion, the majority of the inhabitants were Greek-Cypriots, and for these citizens, the Greek Orthodox Church was and continues today to be central to their identity and faith. In the north, there is a fear that Christianity is dying out because the churches and monasteries have been destroyed, transformed, or are falling into ruin. The northern Turkish inhabitants have transformed some former religious sites into mosques, army barracks, stables, night clubs and hotels, and it has been documented that only 3 churches and 1 monastery are currently in a dignified state out of the 520 churches and monasteries that were in the northern area of the country before the Turkish invasion. At least 55 churches have been converted into mosques, while another 50 churches and monasteries have been converted into other structures to serve the Turkish-Cypriots’. A spokesman for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus stated that the transformations of buildings happened because the buildings were falling into ruin, and he also stated that it is an Ottoman custom to transform buildings attributed to other religions into mosques; this idea can be linked to other Islamic sites, like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel.
Yannis Eliades, the director of the Byzantine Museum of Nicosia, has estimated that 25,000 icons have disappeared since the Turkish military initially invaded the island in 1974, while others estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 icons are missing, along with dozens of frescoes and mosaics dating between the 6th and 15th centuries, thousands of chalices, wood carvings, crucifixes, and Bibles. However, there have been some case in which the Church of Cyprus was able to reclaim icons or mosaics, and this is a great step forward for the reformation of their cultural heritage.
The transformations of religious sites have also spurred lawsuits from the few hundred Greek-Cypriots that are still living in the northern area. The Greek Orthodox Church has taken Turkey to the European Court of Human Rights because they were preventing practicing Christians from worshiping at previously religious, but currently transformed buildings. Even though the buildings have been destroyed or converted, the Greek-Cypriot citizens still want to be able to worship at these places to keep continuity with their faith without regard to the destruction.
For more examples of the transformations of the Christian sites in the north see: Magister, Sandro. ”Cyprus: Portrait of a Christianity Obliterated”. Chiesa News. Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso Spa. 3 September 2006. Web. 9 February 2012. <http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/46544?eng=y>.
Aydin Dikmen considered a key suspect
Aydin Dikmen is a 60-year-old man who has been arrested in relation to the looting and selling of looted goods from the island of Cyprus. He had been suspected of being involved in the selling of looted art since 1982, but he kept a low profile and fell off the radar for some time. His involvement was cemented when Peg Goldberg was sued by the Church of Cyprus in 1989 because she knew that she bought the mosaics from Dikmen; he claimed that he found the remains in the rubble of a church that had been forgotten and basically destroyed while he was working as an archaeologist in the northern part of Cyprus. We also have documentation of another transaction where Dikmen worked with art collectors in the United States; Dominique de Menil, of the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, bought two 13th-century frescoes from Dikmen on behalf of the Church of Cyprus in 1983.
Those two previous cases are only two cases in which Dikmen’s presence has been suggested; he has been implicated in many more transactions, but those accusations have yet to be proven. However, in 1997, former colleagues of Dikmen helped the authorities arrest Dikmen and raid his many apartments. In these apartments, some of which Dikmen rented under false names and used as storage space, the authorities found a surplus of icons, frescoes, early Bibles, ancient pottery, statues, and coins from Cyprus. After learning of another residence of Dikmen’s, the authorities found 30 to 40 more crates filled with icons, frescoes, mosaics, and artifacts. Also in one of the residences, the authorities found drawings containing information on how to cut out mosaics to keep the faces of the religious figures intact, while still taking the piece away from the original space; this shows how systematic and planned out the looting of the churches and monasteries was for Dikmen and his associates in the northern part of Cyprus. The organization and the intense planning involved brings up the issue of possible aid coming from Turkish authorities in the northern part of Cyprus; there are rumors that the government and military knew about the looting and chose to not do anything about it. This discomforting idea is continually straining the ties between Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus.
Since Dikmen’s arrest in 1998, the Antiphonitis frescoes and the Kanakarian mosaics have been returned to Cyprus, and soon the 13th-century frescoes currently housed by the Menil Collection in Houston will be returned to the island, as well. The search for the looted art of Cyprus continues, and there seems to be more and more evidence of Dikmen’s presence in other transactions of international looted art. Many think that Dikmen is just a middle man who is working on behalf of more knowledgeable and rich patrons, but the mystery is still not solved. Hopefully the truth will be discovered in the future, and these beautiful artifacts, icons, mosaics, and frescoes can be returned to Cyprus to enhance their cultural heritage and identity.
Cases of repatriation
The Menil Collection and 13th-century frescoes
One case of repatriation for the Church of Cyprus is associated with the Menil Collection, based in Houston, Texas. This particular collection is one of the most important collections of icons, which have originated in areas such as Greece, the Balkans, and Russia and span a diverse range of times from the 6th to 18th centuries. Dominique de Menil, the founder of the Menil Collection, found the three 13th-century Byzantine frescoes for sale in 1983, by which time they had been separated into 38 different pieces. De Menil bought the frescoes on behalf of the Church of Cyprus, with whom she made an agreement to exhibit the frescoes in a purpose-built chapel until 2012; the collection offered to keep the frescoes longer, but the Archbishop of Cyprus has instead agreed to have an iconographer recreate the frescoes on the Houston chapel’s dome and apse and give the Houston chapel a 19th- and a 20th-century icon in return for the safekeeping of the 13th-century icons.
The original Cypriot chapel in the Church of Saint Euphemianos in the village of Lysi, in the northern part of Cyprus was a small limestone structure, with a central dome and pointed barrel vaults; the original was mostly used for prayer because of its small size. When the de Menil collection was granted temporary possession of the frescoes, they constructed a chapel to house the frescoes and keep them safe. This specially built chapel was designed by De Menil’s husband, François de Menil, who studied traditional Byzantine architecture and spatial arrangement from the original chapel at Lysi; the layout and the placement of the mosaics mirrors the arrangement from the original chapel. The interior of the chapel has black walls which are illuminated to create a sense of vastness and infinity; the black walls help to focus the attention of the viewer on the frescoes and create a divine experience for the viewer.
Icons are important because they depict images of greater significance, and they are used to instruct and inspire worship. These particular Cypriot frescoes have been identified with three different religious images: Christ Pantocrator surrounded by a frieze of angels, the Preparation of the Throne attended by the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, and the Virgin Mary flanked by Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The collection announced that March 4, 2012 would be the last day to see the frescoes in their place in Houston after being on long-term exhibit for 15 years. The frescoes in this collection are the largest intact Byzantine frescoes that can be seen in the Western Hemisphere.
Boy George and the Gold Icon of Christ
One Cypriot artifact that has been found was in the home of pop singer Boy George, also known as George O’Dowd. The artifact, a golden icon of Christ, had been hanging above the singer’s fireplace for 26 years, until the piece was recognized by a patron watching a TV interview of O’Dowd, which was taped in the singer’s living room. The icon is thought to have been stolen around 1974, during the chaotic time of the Turkish invasion of the Northern part of Cyprus, and there is documentation to believe that the icon was once housed in The Church of St. Charalambos in Neo Chorio-Kythrea. O’Dowd was unaware that the icon had been stolen because he bought the artifact “with good faith” from an art dealer in 1985. The singer is glad that the piece is going back to its original home because he wants everyone to see it on display in its rightful place. However, it will not be going back to the original Church in the northern part of Cyprus; it is being held in Brussels, Belgium, and it will return to Cyprus at a later date when The Church of Cyprus has an appropriate space in which it can be stored. This case has contributed to the Church of Cyprus and their efforts to repatriate “stolen spiritual treasures” that have come from their homeland of Cyprus.
Peg Goldberg and the Kanakaria mosaics
This case study outlines the events that occurred in 1989 between Peg Goldberg, a local art dealer in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Church of Cyprus when Goldberg gained “ownership” and then tried to sell Cypriot mosaics from the 6th century. These mosaics have been looted from the Church of the Virgin of Kanakaria in the village of Lythrangomi in Northern Cyprus after surviving the 8th and 9th century. These mosaics had survived the 8th- and 9th-century iconoclasm in the Byzantine world and were considered to be finer than other mosaics, even the mosaics found in Ravenna, Italy and the mosaics in St. Catherine’s monastery in Sinai. The Kanakaria mosaics were cut into pieces when they were looted from the original church, and Peg Goldberg was able to purchase four segments of these early mosaics from Aydin Dikmen. These mosaics are important to the cultural, artistic, and religious heritage of Cyprus because they are some of the few remaining Byzantine mosaics from the island; when and how these mosaics were taken from Cyprus is unknown because there is documentation to show that they were still intact in 1976, two years after the initial invasion by the Turkish troops.
These mosaics first came into the view of the Church of Cyprus when Goldberg approached the Getty Museum to purchase the mosaic pieces. The Getty Museum recognized them as the lost Kanakaria mosaics and informed Cyprus that they were in the United States. Shortly afterward, the Church of Cyprus filed a claim at the district court to try to reclaim the mosaics. The federal court in Indiana made a verdict in favor of the Church of Cyprus, and the mosaics were returned in 1991 to the Byzantine Museum in Nicosia, Cyprus. The verdict showed that Goldberg could not own the pieces because Dikmen had stolen the mosaics and had no right to pass on the ownership of the stolen mosaics. Goldberg stated that the pieces had been bought “in good faith” from a “Turkish antiquities dealer” who found the mosaics in an abandoned church, but the judge ruled that not looking into the background and workings of the dealer was unacceptable because it was her responsibility to look into the people she was working with. This case called in the multilateral treaty of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which calls for all available parties to help recover and return items that have been requested by the country of origin; using this international decree helped to show the importance of these artifacts which needed to be sent to their home land of Cyprus. People have been happy with this verdict for the Kanakaria case because they want others to realize that cultural heritage of the world is not for sale, and hopefully discourage further selling of looted art in the international market.
The mosaic pieces that were involved in the Kanakaria case have four different religious images. They depict Jesus as a young boy, the archangel Michael, Matthew and James; the final two are images of apostles from the 1st century. The mosaics were named after the Church in which they were placed originally around 530. These mosaics have fallen into destruction because of the damage that they experienced through the process of removal from the church, shipping around the world, and during the restoration work that Goldberg commissioned. It is unlikely that these mosaics will ever be reinstalled in their original home, even if there are changes in the political situation on Cyprus, because they would most likely not make it through the re-installation process in the state that they are currently in.
Looting of Germany
After World War II, Germany was looted by Allied and Soviet forces; the systematic pillaging and looting by the Allies (particularly the Soviet Union) is still causing disputes and conflicts between Germany, Russia and the United States, as many of the objects have never been returned to Germany.
The Soviet plunder of Europe's art treasures constituted institutionalized revenge, while the American military's role in the stealing of Europe's treasures mostly involved individuals looting for personal gain.
The looting of Germany by the Soviet Union was not limited to official Trophy Brigades, but included many ordinary soldiers and officials who plundered for personal reasons. At least 2.5 million artworks and 10 million books and manuscripts disappeared in the Soviet Union and later in Russia, including but not limited to Gutenberg Bibles and Impressionist paintings once in German private collections. According to Time magazine, the Soviets created special "hit lists ... of what the Soviet Union wanted" and followed the historical "examples" given by Napoleon, Hitler, British and American armies. Other estimates focus on German artworks and cultural treasures supposedly secured against bombing in safe places that were looted after World War II, detailing 200,000 works of art, three kilometers of archival material and three million books.
Germany's collections lost 180,000 artworks, which, according to cultural experts are "being held in secret depots in Russia and Poland". The stolen artworks include sculptures by Nicola Pisano, reliefs by Donatello, Gothic Madonnas,
paintings by Botticelli and Van Dyck and Baroque works rendered in stone and wood. In 2007, Germany published a catalog of missing artworks to document the extent, prevent the resale, and speed up the return of the war booty. Berlin's State Museum alone lost around 400 artworks during World War II. The German state (Land) of Saxony-Anhalt still maintains a list entitled Beutekunst ("Looted Art") of more than 1000 missing paintings and books believed confiscated by the US or the Soviet Union.
Poland is also in possession of some collections that Germany evacuated to remote places in Eastern Germany (the Recovered Territories that are part of Poland since 1945) as well as in occupied Poland. Among those there is a large collection from Berlin, which in Polish referred to as Berlinka. Another notable collection in Polish possession is Hermann Göring's collection of 25 historic airplanes (Deutsche Luftfahrt Sammlung) – ironically, it contains two Polish planes captured by Germans during their invasion of Poland (including a PZL P-11c of Army Kraków). Poland refuses to return those collections to Germany unless Germany returns some of the collections looted in Poland and still in its possession in exchange.
Entire libraries and archives with files from all over Europe were looted and their files taken to Russia by the Soviet Trophy Brigades. The Russian State Military Archive (Rossiiskii Gosudarstvenni Voennyi Arkhiv- RGVA) still contains a large number of files of foreign origin, including papers relating to Jewish organisations.
Berlin's Gemäldegalerie at Friedrichshain lost 441 major paintings, among them seven works by Peter Paul Rubens, three Caravaggios and three Van Dycks. The looted artworks might still be in "secret depositories ... in Moscow and St Petersburg". Veteran BBC foreign correspondent Charles Wheeler, then Berlin correspondent of the BBC's German Service, received a small painting as a wedding present in 1952 from an East German farmer, given in return for some potatoes. The portrait of Eleonora of Toledo (1522–1562), the daughter of the Neapolitan viceroy and wife of the first Duke of Florence, Cosimo di Medici I, which he found from the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, had been looted from the Gemäldegalerie. The gallery had photographed the picture by Alessandro Allori (1535–1607) before closing down and, in 1939, putting its collection in secure storage areas, which Soviet troops broke into at the war's end. Wheeler covered the process in It's My Story: Looted Art for BBC Radio 4, contacting the Commission for Looted Art, the identification of the painting's rightful owner in Germany and the hand-over in Berlin. On May 31, 2006, the commission, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, representing the Berlin state museums, announced the return of the painting.
The Eberswalde Gold Treasures and German Merovingian Art Treasures were taken from Berlin to Soviet Russia.
British troops and the Naval War Trophies Committee also looted artworks from Germany, including several pictures by marine artist Claus Bergen ("Wreath in the North Sea in Memory of the Battle of Jutland", "The Commander U-boat", "Admiral Hipper's Battle Cruiser at Jutland" and "The German Pocket Battleship Admiral Von Scheer Bombarding the Spanish Coast"), Carl Saltzmann ("German Fleet Manoeuvres on the High Seas") and Ehrhard ("Before the Hurricane at Apia Samoa" and "During the Hurricane at Apia"). The pictures were looted from Naval Academy at Flensburg-Mürwik, as documented by a 1965–66 Ministry of defense file in the UK National Archives. The trophies were sent to British museums, five remain in the National Maritime Museum in London (NMM), and one picture ("Before the Hurricane at Apia") was lent to HMS Calliope in 1959, lost, and formally written off in 1979. The National Maritime Museum admitted in January 2007 that "the documentation at the NMM and the National Archives is not complete"; according to spoliation guidelines, the pictures should be regarded as having been "wrongly taken".
On 25 August 1955, the Soviet functionaries handed over to the representatives of East Germany 1240 paintings from the Dresden Gallery, including the Sistine Madonna and Sleeping Venus, which had been saved and restored by the Soviets after the Battle of Berlin. According to Irina Antonova, famous long standing Director of the Pushkin Museum, more than 1,500,000 items of cultural value (including the frieze reliefs of the Pergamon Altar and the Grünes Gewölbe treasures) were restituted to German museums at the behest of the Soviet government in the 1950s and 1960s. "We have not received anything in return," Antonova observed in 1999.
The reasons for the Soviet looting of Germany and the subsequent Russian attempts are revealed in an interview that Irina Antonova gave to the German Die Welt newspaper; the interview specifically focuses on the Russian notion of looting, using the historical example of Napoleon as a direct reference for the Russian justification of the Plunder of Germany: "Three quarters of all the Italian art in the Louvre came to Paris with Napoleon. We all know this, yet the works remain in the Louvre. I know the place where Veronese's large painting used to hang in the monastery of Vicenza. Now it's in the Louvre where it will stay. It's the same with the Elgin Marbles in London. That's just the way it is."
At the 1998 conference, Eizenstat was "impressed ... almost overwhelmed" when Boris Yeltsin's government promised "to identify and return art that was looted by the Nazis and then plundered by Stalin's troops as 'reparations' for Germany's wartime assault." Alarmed by these negotiations, the State Duma of the Russian Federation promulgated a law (15 April 1998) whereby "the cultural valuables translocated to the USSR after World War II" were declared national patrimony of the Russian Federation and each occasion of their alienation was to be sanctioned by the Russian parliament. The preamble to the law classifies the remaining valuables, such as Priam's Treasure, as a compensation for "the unprecedented nature of Germany's war crimes" and irreparable damage inflicted by the German invaders on Russian cultural heritage during the war.
Following the law adopted by the State Duma on 17 April 2002, the Hermitage Museum returned to Frankfurt an der Oder the looted medieval stained-glass windows of the Marienkirche; six of the 117 individual pieces, however, still remain missing. Andrei Vorobiev, the former Academic Secretary of the Museum, confirmed in 2005 the assumption that they are still in Russia (in the Pushkin Museum.) According to the Hermitage, "As a gesture in return, the German company Wintershall paid for the restoration of a church destroyed during the Second World War, Novgorod's Church of the Assumption on Volotovoe Pole". In addition, the Hermitage did demand and receive a compensation of USD 400,000 for "restoring and exhibiting the windows".
A silver collection consisting of 18 pieces was plundered by the NKVD after World War II from the German Prince of Anhalt, who suffered under both the Nazis and Bolsheviks alike, before he was posthumously rehabilitated. In a so-called "good will gesture", the collection was returned to the descendants of the Prince by the Ministry of Culture even though the Russian prosecutor originally refused the request of the children of the rehabilitated prince.
Lev Bezymenski, a Russian officer and translator who became a controversial historian and professor at Moscow's military academy, died on June 26, 2007, at age 86 in Moscow. He was a military intelligence officer of the 1st Belorussian Front under Marshal Georgy Zhukov, participated in the interrogation of German Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus, and translated the message confirming Adolf Hitler's death for Stalin. After the Red Army captured Berlin in 1945, he investigated Adolf Hitler's death and headquarters. In his many articles and books (Bezymenski, L. Stalin and Hitler (2002), Bezymenski, L. (1968). The Death of Adolf Hitler: Unknown Documents from Soviet Archives. Harcourt Brace. ), he failed to mention that he looted several containers filled with around 100 gramophone records from the Reich Chancellery, recordings performed by the best orchestras of Europe and Germany with the best soloists of the age. The collection stolen by Bezymenski, who himself was Jewish, included many Russian and Jewish artists. Bezymenski brought the looted collection of the Führer's favourite discs to Moscow, where he felt "guilty about his larceny and hid the records in an attic, where his daughter, Alexandra Besymenskaja, discovered them by accident in 1991." Bezymenski understood the political implications of his actions and "kept quiet about the records during his lifetime for fear that he would be accused of looting." The collection still remains in Russia.
Baldin Collection
In another high-profile case, Viktor Baldin, a Soviet army captain in World War II and later directed the Shchusev State Scientific Research Museum of Architecture in Moscow, took 362 drawings and two small paintings on May 29, 1945, from Karnzow Castle in Brandenburg which had been stored there by the Kunsthalle Bremen. Russian Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi estimates the worth of the Baldin Collection at USD 1.5 billion. From the entire collection of the Kunsthalle, more than 1,500 artworks are still missing; in 1991 and 1997, the Kunsthalle published printed catalogues of the works of art from the lost during the evacuation in the Second World War.
Looting of Iraq
More recently, the term is used to describe the looting in Iraq after the American-led invasion, including, but not limited to, the National Museum of Iraq. Following the looting during the chaos of war, the British and American troops were accused of not preventing the pillaging of Iraq's heritage. Furthermore, many U.S. military and civilian personnel were subsequently caught in U.S. airports trying to bring in stolen artifacts. The occupying forces, busy with combat missions, failed to protect the National Museum and Library in Baghdad from Iraqi thieves. While the Iraqi Ministry of Oil building was quickly and famously secured in the hours following the invasion for its reported wealth of geological maps, U.S. troops were busy with combat missions as museums, national archives and government offices were vandalized by the Iraqis themselves. The troops were criticized: "American officials came under sharp criticism from archaeologists and others for not securing the museum, a vast storehouse of artifacts from some of civilization's first cities."
After the U.S. troops entered Baghdad on April 9, 2003, at least 13,000 artifacts were stolen during the looting by Iraqis, including many moved from other sites into the National Museum for safekeeping. U.S. troops and tanks were stationed in that area but, concerned with defending themselves from attack and without orders to stop the looting, "watched for several days before moving against the thieves." Sergeant Jackson of the 1st Marine Battalion explained that "...our orders were to avoid engaging religious Muslims who were unarmed. So when groups of Imams demanded to remove religious items to prevent them from being defiled by the infidels, how were we supposed to know that they were thieves? Our captain didn't want to create an international incident by arresting religious leaders."
The Boston Globe writes: "Armies not of fighters but of looters, capitalizing on a security vacuum after war, have pillaged Babylon." Donny George, the curator of Iraq's National Museum says about the art looting:
George's comments followed widespread reporting that 100 percent of the museum's 170,000 inventoried lots (about 501,000 pieces) had been removed by Iraqi looters. In fact, about 95 percent of the museum's contents never left the museum. According to investigators of the thefts, about two percent of the museum pieces were stored elsewhere for safekeeping. Another two percent were stolen, in an apparent "inside job", just before U.S. troops arrived; about one percent, or about 5,000 items, were taken by outside looters. Most of the looted items were tiny beads and amulets.
The horror of art looting in general is made clear by Hashem Hama Abdoulah, director of the museum of antiquities in Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdish-controlled zone of northern Iraq.
Many other looted art objects ended up in black markets with rich art collectors and art dealers, mostly in the United States, Great Britain, Italy and Syria; in 2006, the Netherlands returned to Iraqi authorities three clay tablets that it believed had been stolen from the museum. One of the most valuable artifacts looted during the plunder of the National Museum of Iraq, a headless stone statue of the Sumerian king Entemena of Lagash, was recovered in the United States with the help of Hicham Aboutaam, an art dealer in New York. Thousands of smaller pieces have remained in Iraq or been returned by other countries, including Italy and the Netherlands.
Some of the artifacts have been recovered, custom officials in the United States intercepted at least 1,000 pieces, but many are still advertised on eBay or are available through known collectors and black markets. "U.S. troops, journalists and contractors returning from Iraq are among those who have been caught with forbidden souvenirs." The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs maintains a list and image gallery of looted artworks from Iraq at the Iraq Cultural Property Image Collection.
Despite public announcements and temporary efforts by the Iraqi and American administrations, the situation in Iraqi Museums and archaeological sites did not improve. Donny George, the curator of Iraq's National Museum, the first person who raised his voice and alarmed the world about the looting in Iraq after the American invasion and publicly stated his opinion about the "ongoing failure of Iraqi leaders and the American military to protect the sites", left the country and resigned in August 2006. Before he left, he closed and sealed the museum and plugged the doors with concrete. In an article in Newsweek, he even said that the stolen items should not be returned to Iraq under the given circumstances: "We believe this is not the right time now to have them back. Since we know all about them and are promised them back whenever we want them, it is better to keep them in these countries."
Looting of Italy
The looting of Italian art was not limited to Napoleon alone; Italian criminals have long been, and remain, extremely active in the field, and Italy's battle to recover the antiquities it says were looted from the country and sold to museums and art collectors worldwide is still ongoing. The Italian government and the Art Squad of the Carabinieri, Italy's military police force, made special efforts to "[crack] the network of looters, smugglers, and dealers supplying American museums," collecting "mountains of evidence—thousands of antiquities, photographs, and documents—seized from looters and dealers in a series of dramatic raids." According to the BBC, Italian authorities have for several years insisted on the return of stolen or looted artworks from wealthy museums and collectors, particularly in America. Italy has successfully fought numerous lawsuits that have resulted in the repatriation of many items of looted art and antiquities from many famous American institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Princeton Museum of Art, the Toledo Museum of Art, and the private collection of Leon Levy and his wife, Shelby White.
As the result of lawsuits filed by the Italian and Turkish governments, as well as the work of investigative journalist Peter Watson and archaeologist Vernon Silver, both the Metropolitan Museum and the J. Paul Getty Museum have been repeatedly exposed as two of the world's biggest institutional recipients of looted and stolen Mediterranean artefacts, and the museums benefited from the illegal antiquities trade, both through direct acquisition, and via donations and bequests from major private collectors. A significant number of Met and Getty acquisitions over a period of at least 40 years were everntually shown to have been sourced from a major international illegal antiquities trading network that centred on Italian art dealer Giacomo Medici. From the late 1960s, Medici rose to become the central figure in a large criminal conspiracy, acting as the middleman between gangs of tombaroli (tomb robbers) - who systematically looted tens of thousands of important artefacts from Italian and other Mediterranean archaeological sites, as well as stealing objects from museums, churches and private collections - and an elite group of American and British dealers who helped Medici to "launder" his contraband and sell it to major buyers like the Met, the Getty and leading American private collectors.
Medici typically paid the tombaroli small sums for the looted and stolen goods, and then smuggled them out of Italy to Switzerland, where they were restored. Taking advantage of the lax attitudes and practices of 'cooperative' auction houses - notably Sotheby's in London - Medici built up an elaborate network of front companies and elite antiquities dealers and galleries, including the British dealer Robin Symes, Rome-based American dealer Robert E. Hecht, and Hollywood dealer and producer Bruce McNall. A major investigation by the TPC (the art crimes division of the Carabinieri) beginning in the 1990s, which eventually resulted in Medici's conviction, recovered tens of thousands of looted artefacts, and extensive documentary evidence, including thousands of sequential photographs that showed the journey of these looted objects from excavation, through restoration, to their final placement in museum collections, as well as a crucial handwritten 'organigram' (organisational chart) that named and linked all the members of Medici's operation. TPC investigations also revealed that Medici used front companies to anonymously sell and then buy back many items, often multiple times, in order to manipulate the market, as well as allowing him to acquire the all-important Sotheby's provenances. In February 2016, TPC officials announced that a raid on Robin Symes' warehouse in the Geneva Freeport had uncovered a huge collection of 17,000 looted antiquities, nearly all of which are thought to have been sourced from Medici, and which Symes secretly placed there ca. 2000 in order to conceal their existence from the executors of the estate of his former lover and business partner, Christo Michelaides, who died in 1999.
In 2006, the Metropolitan Museum of Art finally agreed to relinquish ownership of a 2,500-year-old Greek vase known as the Euphronios krater, a krater painted by Euphronios, after the TPC was able to establish that the object had been looted from an Etruscan tomb and smuggled out of Italy by the Medici gang. The Met also surrendered 15 pieces of Sicilian silver and four ancient vessels in exchange for long-term loans of other antiquities. According to the New York Times, the case, "of its kind, perhaps second only to the dispute between Greece and Great Britain over the Elgin marbles," "became emblematic of the ethical questions surrounding the acquisition of ancient art by major museums."
The Metropolitan Museum has been involved in several other major controversies involving antiquities believed or proven to have been looted or stolen, including:
the Cloisters Cross, a large Romanesque cross carved from walrus ivory, said to have been carved in England, but possibly made in Germany. It was initially offered to the British Museum in 1961 by its then owner, a shady Yugoslav 'collector' called Ante Topić Mimara, who is now widely believed to have acquired as part of a huge collection of art and antiquities that he stole at the end of WWII from the Central Collecting Point in Munich, the Allied clearinghouse for the repatriation of material looted by the Nazis. The British Museum eventually declined to buy the cross because Topić Mimara would not provide proof that he had full title to the object, but immediately after the British Museum's option expired in 1963, the cross was purchased for the Met by curator Thomas Hoving for GBP£200,000. The Cross is currently still in the collection of the Met, at its Cloisters Museum annexe.
the Karun Treasure, also known as the Lydian Hoard, is a fabulous collection of 200 gold, silver, bronze and earthenware objects, dating from the 7th Century BCE. It formed part of a larger haul of some 450 objects that were looted by local tomb robbers from ancient four royal tombs near Sardis, in Turkey in 1966-67. The contents of the tombs, including painted pieces of the walls, were stripped and sold (via Swiss and American middlemen) to the Metropolitan Museum between 1966 and 1970 for a total of US$1.5 million, but they were kept hidden in storage for more than 20 years. The Treasure was eventually put on display in 1984 in a major exhibition, where it was seen by Turkish journalist Özgen Acar, who had been investigating the looting of the tombs for many years. Although the Met intentionally mislabeled the objects as part of an “East Greek treasure,” Acar immediately recognised them as the Lydian artefacts, from the descriptions he had been given by the looters. He alerted the Turkish government, and in 1986, they officially requested the hoard be returned. The Met refused, so Turkey began legal action to recover it. After a six-year legal battle which reportedly cost the Turkish government UK£25 million the case ended dramatically after the minutes of the Met's own acquisition committee revealed that a curator had actually visited the looted burial mounds in Turkey to confirm the authenticity of the objects. The Met was forced to concede that staff had known the objects were stolen when it bought them, and the collection was repatriated to Turkey in 1993.
the Morgantina treasure, a 16-piece hoard of 3rd century BCE Roman silver, valued at US$100 million. Acquired in the early 1980s, it was later shown to have been looted from an important archaeological site in Morgantina, Sicily. After another protracted law suit, the Met was also forced to relinquish the treasure, and it was repatriated to Sicily in 2010.
In an interview with Archaeology, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, investigative journalist Peter Watson wrote in June 2006 that according to the Italian public prosecutor Paolo Ferri, 100,000 tombs have been looted in Italy alone, representing a value of US$500 million. He estimates that the overall monetary value of looted art, including Greece, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, West Africa, Central America, Peru, and China, is at least four times the Italian figure. Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini authored The Medici Conspiracy, a book that uncovers the connection between looted art, the art and antiquities markets, auction houses, and museums.
In 2007, the Los Angeles J. Paul Getty Museum, at the center of allegations by Italian officials about the pillaging of cultural artifacts from the country and other controversies, was forced to return 40 artifacts, including a 5th-century BC statue of the goddess Aphrodite, which was looted from Morgantina, an ancient Greek settlement in Sicily.
The Getty acquired the statue in 1988 for $18 million USD from an anonymous collector fully aware about the controversy focusing on the unclear provenance and origin. The Getty resisted the requests of the Italian government for nearly two decades, only to admit later that "there might be 'problems' attached to the acquisition." In 2006, Italian senior cultural official Giuseppe Proietti said: "The negotiations haven't made a single step forward", only after he suggested the Italian government "to take cultural sanctions against the Getty, suspending all cultural cooperation," did the Getty Museum return the antiquities. According to the New York Times, the Getty confirmed in May 2007 that the statue "most likely comes from Italy."
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston was forced to return 34 stolen artifacts – including Hellenistic silverware, Etruscan vases and Roman statues. The aforementioned institutions have agreed to hand over the artworks in exchange for loans of other treasures.
In 2005 Marion True, former curator of the Getty Museum, and art dealer Robert E. Hecht were placed on trial in Rome; Italy accused them of buying and trafficking stolen and illicit artworks (including the Aphrodite statue). Evidence against both emerged in a 1995 raid of a Geneva, Switzerland, warehouse that contained many stolen artifacts. In September 2007, Italy dropped the civil charges against True. The court hearings against True ended in October 2010, and against Hecht in January 2012, as under Italian law the statute of limitations, for their alleged crimes had expired.
The warehouses were registered to a Swiss company called Editions Services, which police traced to an Italian art dealer, Giacomo Medici. The Carabinieri stated that the warehouses contained 10,000 artifacts worth 50 billion lire (about $35 million). In 1997, Giacomo Medici was arrested; his operation is believed to be "one of the largest and most sophisticated antiquities networks in the world, responsible for illegally digging up and spiriting away thousands of top-drawer pieces and passing them on to the most elite end of the international art market." Medici was sentenced in 2004 by a Rome court to ten years in prison and a fine of 10 million euros, "the largest penalty ever meted out for antiquities crime in Italy."
In another, unrelated case in 1999, the Getty had to hand over three antiquities to Italy after determining they were stolen. The objects included a Greek red-figure kylix from the 5th century BC signed by the painter, Onesimos, and the potter, Euphronios, looted from the Etruscan site of Cerveteri; a torso of the god Mithra from the 2nd century AD; and the head of a youth by the Greek sculptor Polykleitos. According to the New York Times, the Getty refused for several years to return the antiquities to their rightful owners.
Yet another case emerged in 2007, when Italy's art-theft investigation squad discovered a hidden cache of ancient marble carvings depicting early gladiators, the lower portion of a marble statue of a man in a toga and a piece of a column. Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli used the case to underline the importance of these artifacts for Italy.
Looting of South East Asia
During their occupation of Indochina, the French government removed various statues and other objects from the region. During its existence, the Khmer Empire was regularly raided by its neighbours, which resulted in its cultural heritage being distributed widely across the region. The major historian of the Khmer Empire, Lawrence Palmer Briggs, regularly mentions these raids—for example, the sack of Angkor in 1430–31 by the Siamese who carried off their loot to Ayutthaya, after which "people fled from the 'great and glorious capital' of Khmer civilisation as if it were ridden with plague". Consequently, the cultural heritage of the region was already widely spread by the time the French founded their protectorate in IndoChina in 1864. Briggs describes Preah Khan Kompong Svay as "shamefully looted" in the late 19th century by Louis Delaporte, "who carried the spoils away to French museums (thus beginning the systematic looting of Cambodian temples for the benefit of public and private collections of Europe and America)". He also describes how French tourists well into the 20th century carried off many statues. Therefore, by the early 20th century it was rare to find Khmer objects in situ and local and foreign collectors, particularly in France, had built up collections of Khmer objects. Many objects from the region were exported to Europe and elsewhere and ended up in museums such as the Guimet.
During the second world war, whilst France was occupied by Nazi Germany, the Indochina region was controlled variously by the Japanese, locally, and after the war, the French regained control. There followed a period of 35 years of disruption and warfare, including Dien Ben Phu and the Vietnam war. Thereafter Cambodia fell under the control of the notorious Khmer Rouge regime. Some objects left the country during that period, either to save them from destruction or for looting purposes. Reports have suggested that where objects have been moved, local officials and armed forces (both before and after the periods of turmoil) were responsible.
In 1992, a report in The Christian Science Monitor described art experts' concerns about a "rampant degradation of archeological sites and an accelerating trade in stolen artifacts sweeping Southeast Asia" as a consequence of war in Cambodia and instability in the region. Statues were being stripped from Angkor Wat and other sites by smuggling rings often working in collusion with military and political officials, including a major network in Chiang Mai run by a former government minister.
The British-born Thai-based collector Douglas Latchford says that when he and other collectors traversed Cambodia and Thailand in the 1960s, buying and trading Cambodian antiquities, they were not concerned about provenance, but regarded themselves as rescuers of artefacts that otherwise might have been neglected or destroyed. Many of the objects they purchased were later donated or sold to museums. In the 2000s, evidence that the artefacts had been looted persuaded a number of major museums around the world to return the objects to Cambodia.
Among the objects sold or donated to major museums by Latchford are a number of rare ancient Khmer statues, reportedly looted from the temple site of Koh Ker in Cambodia, and at least two Indian seated Kushan Buddhas, looted from the ancient Indian city of Mathura. One of the seated Buddhas was originally offered—via Manhattan dealer Nancy Wiener—to Canada's Royal Ontario Museum, but they ultimately declined to buy it, owing to its dubious provenance. In 2000 it was bought by the National Gallery of Australia, but subsequent investigations exposed the seated Buddha as a looted artwork, and it has since been repatriated to India. Other US museums reported to have received looted Asian artefacts from Latchford include the Denver Museum of Art, the Kimbell Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas, and the Norton Simon Museum.
In 2013, the Met announced that it would repatriate to Cambodia two ancient Khmer statues, known as "The Kneeling Attendants", which it had acquired from Latchford (in fragments) in 1987 and 1992. A spokesperson for the Met stated that the museum had received "dispositive" evidence that the objects had been looted from Koh Ker and illegally exported to the United States.
In 2015, the Cleveland Museum of Art voluntarily returned to Cambodia a 10th-century sculpture of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, after a curator from the museum uncovered evidence that it had been looted—the statue's head having appeared on the market in Bangkok in 1968 during the Vietnam War and its body having appeared on the market in 1972 during the Cambodian Civil War. The museum's director said, "Our research revealed a very real likelihood that it was removed from a site enormously important to the kingdom of Cambodia during a terrible time and its return was completely consistent with the highest legal and fiduciary standards." Tess Davis, an archaeologist and lawyer for the Antiquities Coalition, praised the museum's decision but said, “The Hanuman first surfaced on the market while Cambodia was in the midst of a war and facing genocide. How could anyone not know this was stolen property? The only answer is that no one wanted to know.”
Looting of Poland
The Załuski Library, the first public library in Poland, was founded by two brothers, Józef Andrzej Załuski, crown referendary and bishop of Kiev, and Andrzej Stanisław Załuski, crown chancellor and bishop of Cracow. The library was considered one of the most important libraries of the world, featuring a collection of about 400,000 printed items, manuscripts, artworks, scientific instruments, and plant and animal specimens. Located in Warsaw's Daniłowiczowski Palace, it was looted in the aftermath of the second Partition of Poland and Kościuszko Uprising in 1794 by Russian troops on orders from Russian Tsarina Catherine II; the stolen artworks were transported to St. Petersburg and became part of the Russian Imperial Library, which was founded one year later. Although some pieces were returned by the Soviet Union in 1921 and were burned during the Warsaw Uprising against German forces, other parts of the collection have still not been returned by Russia. Polish scientists have been allowed to access and study the objects.
The Polish Crown Jewels were removed by the Prussians in 1795 after the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
After the collapse of the November Uprising, literary and art treasures were removed from Poland. Poland regained some of the artefacts after the Treaty of Riga, comprising the furnishings of the Warsaw Castle and the Wawel Castle.
During the Second World War, Germany tried to destroy Poland completely and exterminate its population as well as culture. Countless art objects were looted, as Germany systematically carried out a plan of looting prepared even before the start of hostilities (see also Nazi plunder). Twenty-five museums and many other facilities were destroyed. The total cost of German theft and destruction of Polish art is estimated at 20 billion dollars, or an estimated 43% of Polish cultural heritage; over 516,000 individual art pieces were looted (including 2,800 paintings by European painters; 11,000 paintings by Polish painters; 1,400 sculptures, 75,000 manuscripts, 25,000 maps, 90,000 books including over 20,000 printed before 1800, and hundreds of thousands of other items of artistic and historical value). Soviet troops afterward contributed to the plunder as well.
Looting of Latin and South America
The looting of Central and South America by the conquistadors is one of the best-known plunders in the world.
Roger Atwood writes in Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World: "Mayan stonework became one of those things that good art museums in America just had to have, and looters in the jungles of southern Mexico and Guatemala worked overtime to meet the demand."
(See: Maya stelae#Looting)
Looting in Mesoamerica has a long tradition and history. Graves are often looted before the archaeologists can reach them, and the artifacts are then sold to wealthy collectors in the United States, Japan, or Europe. Guillermo Cock, a Lima-based archaeologist, says about a recent find of dozens of exquisitely preserved Inca mummies on the outskirts of Peru's capital city, Lima: "The true problem is the looters," he said. "If we leave the cemetery it is going to be destroyed in a few weeks."
Looting of Spain
Peninsular War
During Napoleon's invasion of Spain, Joseph I planned to host the best art of Spain in a museum, so he ordered to collect all possible art works.
In 1810, 1000 paintings were looted in Seville by the French Army. Most paintings came from religious buildings. Over 180 paintings were stolen by Marshal Soult, including some of Murillo.
El Escorial in Madrid also suffered from looting, were many precious artworks were amassed by the occupant army.
When Joseph I was leaving Spain, he abandoned more than 200 paintings from the Spanish royal collection. Some of these paintings were gifted to the Duke of Wellington by Ferdinand VII.
Best known looted piece is The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables. It was looted by Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult in 1813 and taken to France. Later, in 1852, it was bought by the Louvre. Vichy Regime made an exchange of artwork with Spanish Government and returned to Spain.
20th century
During the 1970s most of the looting was undetected and unpunished. There was no actual legislation that protected archaeological sites, nor there were enforcers of the law in that places. Since 1978, there has been a tremendous development in the framework of legal protection of cultural heritage.
21st century
In the decade of the 2010s there has been several cases of looters with metal detectors in archaeological sites.
Looting by perpetrator
Looting by the British Empire
The transformation of theft and plunder as an incentive for troops to institutionalized, indiscriminate looting following military conflict can be observed in the wake of British conquest in Asia, Africa and India. The looting of artifacts for "both personal and institutional reasons" became "increasingly important in the process of "othering" Oriental and African societies and was exemplified in the professionalism of exploration and the growth of ethnographic departments in museums, the new 'temples of Empire'." Looting, not necessarily of art, became a vital instrument for the projection of power and the British imperial desire to gather and provide information about the "exotic" cultures and primitive tribes. One the notable examples is the case of Elgin Marbles from Greek temple of Parthenon.
Famously, the Rosetta Stone and various other artefacts were forcibly taken from French archeologists and researchers during the war with Napoleon.
Looting by Napoleon
Napoleon's conquests in Europe were followed by a systematic attempt, later more tentatively echoed by Hitler, to take the finest works of art of conquered nations back to the Louvre in Paris for a grand central museum of all Europe. Napoleon boasted:
Many works were returned after his fall, but many others were not, and remain in France. Many works confiscated from religious institutions under the French occupation now form the backbone of national museums: "Napoleon's art-loot depots became the foundation of Venice's Accademia, Milan's Brera galleries. His brother Louis founded Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum; brother Joseph started Madrid's Prado" (for the Spanish royal collection).
Napoleonic commander and Marechal Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult stole in 1810 six large pictures painted by Murillo in 1668 for the Hospital de la Caridad in Seville. One painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son, is now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington; a second looted painting, The Healing of the Paralytic, is in the National Gallery in London; only two of the original paintings have returned to Seville.
Another French general looted several pictures, including four Claudes and Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross, from the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1806. The stolen goods were later bought by the Empress Josephine and subsequently by the tsar. Since 1918, when the Bolshevik government signed a peace treaty with Germany and Austria, have German negotiators demanded the return of the paintings. Russia refused to return the stolen goods; the pictures still remain in the Hermitage.
Looting by the Union and Confederate Armies during the American Civil War
On November 7, 1863, Edward D. Townsend of the Union army wrote General Order No. 360: “Satisfactory evidence having been produced to the War Department that a bronze equestrian statue, unlawfully taken from a private house in Fredericksburg, at the time of the capture of that place by the Union forces, was the private property of Mr. Douglas Gordon, of that city, it is— .Ordered: That it be restored to Mrs. Annie C. Thomas, the sister of Mr. Gordon, who has made application therefor.” Some of Gordon's works of art were recovered through Lafayette C. Baker, chief of the Union secret police.
The United States Congress enacted legislation allowing for claims to be filed for property losses on July 4, 1864. Claims were restricted to loyal citizens.
Looting by Nazi Germany
During World War II, the Nazis set up special departments "for a limited time for the seizure and securing of objects of cultural value", especially in the Occupied Eastern Territories, including the Baltic states, Ukraine, Hungary and Greece. The Russian imperial residences around St. Petersburg were thoroughly looted and deliberately blown up, so that their restoration is still under way. The Catherine Palace and Peterhof were reduced to smoldering ruins; among the innumerable trophies was the world-famous Amber Room. Medieval churches of Novgorod and Pskov, with their unique 12th-century frescoes, were systematically plundered and reduced to piles of rubble. Major museums around Moscow, including Yasnaya Polyana, Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, and New Jerusalem, faced a similar fate, with their architectural integrity irrevocably impaired.
The legal framework and the language of the instructions used by Germany resembles the Lieber Code, but in the Nuremberg Trial proceedings, the victorious Allied armies applied different standards and sentenced the Nazis involved as war criminals. Article 6 of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal of Nuremberg, detailing the Jurisdiction and General Principles, declares the "plunder of public or private property" a war crime, while the Lieber Code and the actions of the Allied armies in the aftermath of World War II allowed or tolerated the looting. The main objective of the looting is made clear by Dr. Muhlmann, responsible for the securing of all Polish art treasures: "I confirm that the art treasures ... would not have remained in Poland in case of a German victory, but they would have been used to complement German artistic property."
One inventory of 39 volumes featuring the looted art and antiques, prepared by the Nazis and discussed during the Nuremberg trials, lists "21,903 Works of Art: 5,281 paintings, pastels, water colors, drawings; 684 miniatures, glass and enamel paintings, illuminated books and manuscripts; 583 sculptures, terra cottas, medallions, and plaques; 2,477 articles of furniture of art historical value; 583 textiles (tapestries, rugs, embroideries, Coptic textiles); 5,825 objects of decorative art (porcelains, bronzes, faience, majolica, ceramics, jewelry, coins, art objects with precious stones); 1,286 East Asiatic art works (bronzes, sculpture, porcelains, paintings, folding screens, weapons); 259 art works of antiquity (sculptures, bronzes, vases, jewelry, bowls, engraved gems, terracottas)."
When Allied forces bombed Germany's cities and historic institutions, Germany "began storing the artworks in salt mines and caves for protection from Allied bombing raids. These mines and caves offered the appropriate humidity and temperature conditions for artworks." Much of this art was recovered by the Allied Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section of the Office of Military Government, United States, as detailed in a 1995 conference in New York and the published proceedings.
Looting by the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union engaged in systematic looting during World War II, particularly of Germany – seeing this as reparations for damage and looting done by Germany in the Soviet Union. The Soviets also looted other occupied territories; for example, looting by Soviets was common on the territories theoretically assigned to its ally, communist Poland. Even Polish Communists were uneasy, as in 1945, the future Chairman of the Polish Council of State, Aleksander Zawadzki, worried that the "raping and looting by the Soviet army would provoke a civil war." Soviet forces had engaged in plunder on the former eastern territories of Germany that were to be transferred to Poland, stripping it of anything of value. A recently recovered masterwork is Gustave Courbet's Femme nue couchée, looted in Budapest, Hungary, in 1945.
In 1998, and after considerable controversy, Russia passed the Federal Law on Cultural Valuables Displaced to the USSR as a Result of the Second World War and Located on the Territory of the Russian Federation, which allowed Russian institutions to keep art works and museum pieces looted during World War 2.
Case studies
A large number of institutions and museums have at various times been subject to both moral claims and legal claims concerning the provenance of their holdings subject to occasional review and challenge. One example of such a case study can be provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's reputation which has experienced a series of allegations and lawsuits about its status as an occasional institutional buyer of looted and stolen antiquities. Since the 1990s the Met has been the subject of numerous investigative reports and books critical of the Met's laissez-faire attitude to acquisition. The Met has lost several major lawsuits, notably against the governments of Italy and Turkey, who successfully sought the repatriation of hundreds of ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern antiquities, with a total value in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In the late 1990s, long-running investigations by the Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), the art crimes division of the Italian Carabinieri, accused the Metropolitan Museum of acquiring "black market" antiquities. TPC investigations in Italy revealed that many ancient Mediterranean objects acquired from the 1960s to the 1990s had been purchased, via a complex network of front companies and unscrupulous dealers, from the criminal gang led by Italian art dealer Giacomo Medici." The Met is also one of many institutional buyers known to have acquired looted artifacts from a Thai-based British "collector", Douglas Latchford." In 2013, the Met announced that it would repatriate to Cambodia two ancient Khmer statues, known as "The Kneeling Attendants" , which it had acquired from Latchford (in fragments) in 1987 and 1992. A spokesperson for the Met stated that the museum had received "dispositive" evidence that the objects had been looted from Koh Ker and illegally exported to the USA.
In addition to the ongoing investigations by the Italian police (TPC), lawsuits brought by the Governments of Italy, Turkey and Cambodia against the Metropolitan Museum of Art contend that the acquisition of the Euphronius krater may have demonstrated a pattern of less than rigorous investigation into the origin and legitimate provenance of highly desirable antiquities for the museum's collections. Examples include, the Cloisters Cross, a large Romanesque cross carved from walrus ivory, the Karun Treasure, also known as the Lydian Hoard, a collection of 200 gold, silver, bronze and earthenware objects, dating from the 7th Century BCE, and part of a larger haul of some 450 objects looted by local tomb robbers from four ancient royal tombs near Sardis, in Turkey in 1966–67. After a six-year legal battle that reportedly cost the Turkish government UK£25 million the case ended dramatically after it was revealed that the minutes of the Met's own acquisition committee described how a curator had actually visited the looted burial mounds in Turkey to confirm the authenticity of the objects. The Met was forced to concede that staff had known the objects were stolen when it bought them, and the collection was repatriated to Turkey in 1993.
The Morgantina treasure is a hoard of ornate Hellenistic silverware dated 3rd century BC, valued at perhaps up to US$100 million, acquired by the Met in the early 1980s. It was later shown to have been looted from the Morgantina archaeological site in Sicily. After a protracted lawsuit, the Met conceded that it was looted, and agreed in 2006 to repatriate it to Sicily, with the Met stating in 2006 that the repatriation "redresses past improprieties in the acquisitions process".
See also
Antiquities trade
Art theft
Art theft and looting during World War II
Interpol
List of artworks with contested provenance
Royal Casket
Polish Crown Jewels
War loot
List of missing treasure
United States restitution to the Soviet Union
References
Further reading
O'Connor, Anne-Marie (2012). The Lady in Gold, The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Alfred A. Knopf, New York,
External links
War-booty exhibition at Livrustkammaren, Stockholm, 22 November, 2007–28 February, 2009 (In English)
Commission for Looted Art in Europe
Lost Art Database Koordinierungsstelle für Kulturgutverluste, Magdeburg, Germany (In English)
Looted Art in the Netherlands/Roofkunst voor, tijdens en na WO II
Category:Art and cultural repatriation
Category:Art crime
Category:Art history
Category:Cultural heritage
Category:Museology
Art | {
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Black Canyon City, Arizona
Black Canyon City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2010 census, up from 2,697 in 2000.
Geography
Black Canyon City is located at (34.069719, -112.139466), at an elevation of 1,975 feet (602 m).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.
Black Canyon City is located in southern Yavapai County and is approximately 22 miles north of Phoenix. Included in the southern part of Black Canyon City is the community of Rock Springs. It is served by Interstate 17 which bisects the City. I-17 is the main north-south freeway between Phoenix and Flagstaff. The Agua Fria river runs right through the center of Black Canyon City and the river empties into Lake Pleasant to the southwest.
Black Canyon City is becoming a bedroom exurb of Phoenix with the continued rapid growth of Phoenix northward. The assessed value of Black Canyon City property more than doubled between 2000 and 2007.
History
Black Canyon City has been known by several names in the past, including Goddard or Goddards, Cañon, and Black Canyon. Goddard's was a stage stop on the Phoenix to Prescott line, a military stopover en route to Fort Whipple and Fort Verde during Territorial days, and a supply center for mines in the southern Bradshaw Mountains. The area was first settled by people of Anglo-European origin in the 1870s, and the first post office was established as Cañon in May 1894, with postmaster Charles E. Goddard, and was discontinued in October 1899. It was reestablished again from February 1903 to November 1906. An early settler was Jack Swilling and his wife Trinidad Swilling, who moved there in 1871. The walls of his ranch house, Swillings Cabin, the oldest building in the community, still stand.
In 2004, residents proposed incorporating the area as a town and submitted sufficient signatures to hold an election.
However, the initiative failed with 71.78% voting against incorporation.
Demographics
Black Canyon City first appeared on the 1990 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP).
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,697 people, 1,241 households, and 771 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 135.1 people per square mile (52.1/km²). There were 1,409 housing units at an average density of 70.6 per square mile (27.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.85% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 3.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,241 households out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.64.
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 17.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $32,908, and the median income for a family was $41,193. Males had a median income of $36,310 versus $22,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,117. About 7.6% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Superior water Quality standards
Black Canyon City, in common with such other Yavapai county communities as Camp Verde, Cornville, Rimrock and Village of Oak Creek, has well water exceeding the current maximum limit of 10 ppb arsenic. Two thirds of the Black Canyon City residents and most of the businesses are served by a water District. The remaining residents are served by a private water company. Both water systems have invested heavily in arsenic treatment facilities and the water in Black Canyon City fully meets all federal standards. Both are continuously monitored by ADEQ
Public safety
Police protection in the Black Canyon City area is the responsibility of the Southern Area Command of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.
Notable people
Jacob Snively (1809-1871), a surveyor, civil engineer, officer of the Texian Army and the Army of the Republic of Texas, California 49er, miner, and Arizona pioneer.
John W. "Jack" Swilling (1830-1878), an early pioneer in the Arizona Territory, prospecter, Confederate soldier, and commonly credited as one of the original founders of Phoenix, Arizona
Fire district
The fire department was established in 1969 and was originally called "Canyon Community Volunteer Fire Department." In 1983, the department became a Fire District and the name was changed to Black Canyon Fire District.
See also
List of historic properties in Black Canyon City, Arizona
Notes
External links
Black Canyon City profile, by Arizona Department of Commerce
GODDARD(s) or CANYON
Swillings Cabin
Yavapai County Sheriff's Office
Category:Census-designated places in Yavapai County, Arizona
Category:Census-designated places in Arizona | {
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Blanco y Negro Records
Blanco y Negro Records (Spanish: "White and Black"), a subsidiary of WEA Records Ltd., was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records and Mike Alway of Cherry Red. Michel Duval of Les Disques du Crépuscule was also involved with the label. When Alway left, Alan McGee of Creation Records joined Blanco y Negro.
Blanco y Negro was the label of Queen Adreena, Bananarama, Everything but the Girl, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Eddi Reader, The Dream Academy, Dinosaur Jr., Sudden Sway, Bernthøler, A House, Catatonia, The Veils and, reportedly, Elizabeth Fraser, former vocalist of Cocteau Twins. It also signed folk super group Equation and Irish singer Cara Dillon also was signed to the label with partner Sam Lakeman.
See also
List of record labels
References
External links
http://www.discogs.com/label/Blanco+Y+Negro
Category:British record labels
Category:English record labels
Category:Record labels established in 1983
Category:Alternative rock record labels
Category:IFPI members
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Grevillea floripendula
Grevillea floripendula, also known as Ben Major grevillea, is a prostrate or spreading shrub which is endemic to a small area in central western Victoria in Australia. It grows up to 1 metre in height and 3 metres in width. The inflorescence is suspended on a long, thin peduncle. The individual flowers are green-grey to purplish-brown and appear between October and December (mid spring to early summer) in the species' native range.
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by botanist Raymond Smith in Muelleria in 1981.
Two forms of this species have been identified:
Ben Major form
Musical Gully form
Distribution
Grevillea floripendula occurs in dry sclerophyll forest within a localised area to the north
of Beaufort between Waterloo and Ben Major Forest .
Conservation status
In 1997 about 4000 plants remained in its native range, in 21 separate populations. The species is listed as "Vulnerable" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, "threatened" in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and "Vulnerable" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
See also
Bet Bet Creek
References
External links
floripendula
Category:Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Category:Proteales of Australia | {
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Recaptured Love
Recaptured Love is a 1930 early talkie pre-Code musical drama film based on the play Misdeal by Basil Woon about a man who experiences a mid life crisis that results in his divorce. It stars Belle Bennett and John Halliday.
Plot
In this drama, a 50-year-old married man (played by John Halliday) goes with his wife (Belle Bennett) and son (Junior Durkin) to a nightclub in a fancy hotel in Detroit. He meets a gold-digger (Dorothy Burgess) there, singing the theme song of the picture, and eventually ends up going out with her on a subsequent occasion and falls in love with her. His wife finally finds out and this leads to her leaving him and getting a divorce in Paris. He is married to the gold-digger but finds life with her and her "jazz friends" to be too much for him. He begins to long for his old wife when he finds her in a nightclub with another man (Richard Tucker, not the famous tenor) and becomes jealous.
Cast
Belle Bennett as Helen Parr
John Halliday as Brentwood Parr
Dorothy Burgess as Peggy Price
Richard Tucker as Rawlings
Junior Durkin as Henry Parr
Brooks Benedict as Pat
Preservation
The film survives complete. It was transferred on to 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in 1966 and shown on television. A 16mm copy is housed at the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research. It is also preserved in the Library of Congress collection.
External links
References
Category:1930 films
Category:Films made before the MPAA Production Code
Category:Warner Bros. films
Category:English-language films
Category:American comedy-drama films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:Films directed by John G. Adolfi
Category:American films | {
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Great Southern Group
Great Southern Group was a group of Australian companies that was notable as the country's largest agribusiness managed investment scheme (MIS) business.
The company was founded in 1987 and became a public company in 1999. It expanded its MIS business rapidly in the 2000s, supported by favourable tax regulations for these types of investments. Most of the Group's business was in plantation forestry to supply woodchips for the pulp and paper industry, but in the 2000s it diversified into high-value timbers, beef cattle, olives, viticulture, and almond production. The company's after-tax profit peaked at A$132 million in 2006, but by 2008 had deteriorated to a A$63 million loss.
The Great Southern companies attracted debate and criticism associated with the operation of managed investment schemes generally, and the environmental performance of their Tiwi Islands operation in particular. On 16 May 2009, as a result of worsening economic conditions and regulatory issues, the GSL, GSMAL, GSF and other subsidiaries of GSL entered into voluntary administration. Ferrier Hodgson was assigned as liquidator of Great Southern Group. The collapse of Great Southern Group, in conjunction with the failure of another high-profile agribusiness company, Timbercorp, led to three separate Australian parliamentary committee inquiries into the MIS industry.
Business activities
The Great Southern Group in 2008 formed Australia's largest managed agribusiness investment scheme operation. The company comprised a parent entity, Great Southern Plantations Limited (from 2007 renamed Great Southern Limited), and over forty subsidiaries, almost all wholly owned. Those subsidiaries held or operated Great Southern's businesses, including providing management services.
At the centre of Great Southern's operations were management investment schemes (referred to as MIS schemes). MIS schemes are a mechanism by which investors' funds are pooled to invest in a common business enterprise. A "responsible entity" (such as Great Southern) controls the routine administration of the investments. In primary production schemes such as those managed by Great Southern, investors are the growers of products (such as forestry plantations), with an agreement with the company to manage the investment "to plant, establish and maintain the trees until they are harvested at maturity". Investors in Great Southern generally purchased lots (typically of 1 hectare) on land owned or leased by Great Southern. Thus investors owned the plantations, but the land assets belonged to the company. While investors owned individual woodlots, risks and returns were distributed across all investors in individual projects, with growers sharing "the average yield at harvest for the entire Project...rather than the return from their individual woodlot". These were not high rates of return for the length of investment involved. Some of the schemes relied upon the rationale that investors would retire and therefore receive income from the scheme when their marginal tax rate was lower than at the time of initial investment. Based on this premise some schemes were claiming a rate of return after tax of eight to nine percent. Others suggested the schemes were a poor investment likely to achieve only six percent return.
Returns to investors comprised a tax deduction in the year in which they bought the products, and returns from the sale of produce over the life of the project, which was typically at the point of harvest 10–12 years later for plantations, "and up to 23 years for horticultural projects such as almonds". Great Southern would deduct management fees from the final sale value. A typical forestry investment in the early 2000s involved an initial payment of $3000 for one-third of a hectare woodlot, yielding a $2900 tax deduction at that time. Returns on harvesting depended on many variables; Great Southern forecast that investors would recoup their original investment and a further return of between $1923 and $4569 per woodlot, however early schemes did not achieve these figures on the basis of the timber sales, with some resulting in woodchip sales of only around A$1500, half the value of what was originally invested. Investors received their returns when the product (usually woodchip) was harvested and sold.
While the majority of Great Southern's activity was in the sale of managed investment schemes, in 2007 it diversified into funds management through the purchase of Rural Funds Management Ltd, retaining its diversified agricultural assets fund and offering a new share fund and a blended property fund. In addition to retailing MIS products to investors, Great Southern also provided loans to investors wanting to borrow to invest. By 2009 its loan book comprised 14,500 loans with an average value of approximately A$50,000.
Rise
The Great Southern Group began as the company Great Southern, co-founded in 1987 by accountant John Carlton Young, and microbiologist Helen Sewell. It began by managing South-east Australian plantations of Pinus radiata, but in 1992 shifted to Eucalytus plantations for woodchip production, dealing in blue gum woodlot investments. Through the 1990s it developed its plantation business in south western Western Australia including the Great Southern region (after which the company is named), leasing woodlots to investors on land owned by Great Southern. A related entity, Templegate Finance Pty Ltd, would also lend finance to investors.
Young was Great Southern's Executive chairman when it listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1999, and co-founder Sewell remained in a full-time role until her retirement in February 2001. When the ASX200, a new stock exchange index comprising the top 200 Australian companies by market capitalisation and liquidity, was instituted in March 2000, Great Southern was one of the stocks included.
By 2001, the Group had 66 000 hectares of forestry plantations in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Its performance on the share market was strong enough that it was Shares magazine's number one ranked stock in its table of top 50 stocks by yield in January 2002. However the business faced some turbulent times, with profits in 2001 and 2002 down on the levels of 2000. The company was delisted from the ASX200 for a period (from October 2002 to August 2003), although it was relisted and remained in the index until December 2008.
In 2004, the Group diversified into viticulture, planting vines in Western Australia. The company reported that it had been the ASX200's fourth-best performer in 2004, and second-best performer over the preceding two years. In November 2004, Young indicated to the company's annual meeting that harvesting of the first plantations had now commenced, and forecast further MIS sales growth. The shares in Great Southern peaked at A$4.76 at this time, and Young sold a significant proportion of his shareholding, netting him A$32.6 million.
In 2005 Great Southern expanded into organic olives, acquired some existing beef cattle MIS businesses, and bought forest products company Sylvatech, including its A$700 million of assets. The purchase of Sylvatech meant the company now also had forestry plantations in the Northern Territory, on the Tiwi Islands.
Great Southern's cattle properties included the 660,000-hectare Moola Bulla property in WA's East Kimberley region, the similar sized Wrotham Park, 300 kilometres west of Cairns, and the 196,000-hectare blue-ribbon station of Chudleigh Park near Townsville", as well as a further 2.4 million hectares of pastoral leasehold. In 2007, the company also diversified its MIS offerings to high value timbers, such as mahogany, the uses for which included furniture and flooring. The following table outlines the expansion of the Great Southern Group's operations.
Fall
In the mid-2000s, Great Southern's business was growing rapidly, with sales and market capitalisation increasing at more than 100 per cent per annum. However, in its 2005 Annual Report, the company disclosed that it was subsidising the returns to its 1994 forestry scheme by approximately A$3 million, and that it expected to have to similarly subsidise the 1995 and 1996 schemes by up to A$12 million in future years. Board chairman Peter Patrikeos and non-executive director Jeffry Mews both expressed concern about the way in which Great Southern was funding shortfalls on the sales of timber products, with the issue leading directly to Mews' resignation. Although the company continued to sell over A$800 million of MIS products in the two financial years after incurring losses on its early offerings, it was not meeting sales targets, and its share price was falling.
Underpinning Great Southern's decision to subsidise returns to its early investors was a looming problem: its forestry plantations were not performing to expectations. Timber yields were poorer than had been projected. Great Southern's baseline projection had been 250 tonnes of woodchips per hectare, but an assessment in 2003 suggested that in most plantations yield would be reduced: in some cases to less than half the planned figure. The company itself considered that yields were proving to be "disappointing", with actual yields for the woodlots planted in the period between 1994 and 1997 (and thus harvested by 2008) being between 120 and 200 tonnes per hectare. Plantation growth had been limited by drought conditions and issues with the site and seedling quality of early plantings.
The company's sales of MIS schemes, and its profits, both peaked in 2006, with over A$450 million in sales, and a net profit after tax of A$133 million. However, the 2006 harvest (of 1996 plantations) yielded a return of only A$1500 and $1750 for the woodlots that investors had bought for A$3000. These plantations had not been productive enough to yield a profit for investors, so Great Southern inflated the returns to A$4100 using its own funds.
In December 2007 Young announced he would step down as managing director, remaining as both non-executive director and major shareholder. Saying that he wanted someone younger to implement the company's five-year business plans, he handed over to Cameron Rhodes, one of Great Southern's existing senior management team.
In 2008, Great Southern had over 430 employees managing investment schemes on behalf of over 47 000 investors. Industry sectors in which investment occurred included beef cattle, forestry, wine grapes, almonds, and poultry production. Its plantation estate had grown to 179 000 hectares, the vast majority of which was for wood pulp production.
As MIS sales declined from their 2006 peak, the Group's debt levels rose. By October 2008, business analysts Austock Securities were describing the company as "excessively geared". The Group developed a proposal, known as Project Transform, to restructure the business, in particular through seeking the agreement of investors to swap their MIS investments for shares in Great Southern Limited. The intention was to free up capital to reduce debt, and make the business more attractive to investors. Analysts such as Austock Securities and Macquarie Research Equities supported the strategy.
The company reported a A$64 million loss in its 2008 financial year. By 2009, the global economic downturn, and regulatory uncertainty associated with MIS schemes, was putting the company under financial pressure, and it was seeking to improve its situation both through asset sales and refinancing of debt. Its debt levels had risen significantly: it had extended its debt financing with its banks from A$245 million to A$350 million in 2007. By September 2008 its total debt had ballooned to A$820 million, of which A$376 million was owed to its lead bankers, ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, BankWest and Mizuho. Great Southern had also been hoping to see a rise in the price obtained for its woodchips, but was unsuccessful in its 2009 negotiations with Japanese customers.
By early 2009, business analysts Lonsec Agribusiness Research considered Great Southern to be financially stressed, and that it was "hard to envisage a rapid turnaround in the outlook" for the company. They gave Great Southern as managers the second-lowest rating on their assessment scale, just short of stating that the investment would be "detrimental to an investor's...portfolio". Great Southern's banks refused a request in 2009 for a further $35 million loan. Great Southern's attempts to extract itself from financial trouble were unsuccessful and by May 2009, when a trading halt was called, the company's shares were worth just 12 cents. On 16 May 2009 administrators were appointed under the Corporations Act 2001, with the companies' assets passing into control of receivers McGrathNicol on 18 May 2009. The assets of the group were primarily its land holdings. By the time it went into administration, they were valued at A$1.8 billion, however, despite company expansion plans, its net assets had not grown for four years.
In July 2009 the receivers determined that the company was insolvent. With a complex business structure to unravel, some commentators expect it may take years for the company's collapse to be fully resolved. By April 2010, timber company Gunns had taken over as the responsible entity running most of Great Southern's pulpwood schemes, but the land on which they were being grown was yet to be sold.
Following its collapse, there was some speculation about whether Great Southern had disclosed to the market issues with the rate of return it was going to achieve on some of its timber investments. During parliamentary committee inquiries, these allegations were extended to the possibility that the auditors had been misled. It was also noted that, at the time that difficulties were emerging for Great Southern, its CEO sold some of his shares at the top of the companies' fortunes for $32.6 million.
One of Australia's other leading managed investment scheme companies, Timbercorp, had also gone into administration the previous month. The two corporate collapses prompted examination by three separate Parliamentary committee inquiries: the first by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, into Agribusiness Managed Investment Schemes, which reported in September 2009; the second by the Senate Select Committee on Agricultural and Related Industries; and the third by the Senate Economics References Committee, " Agribusiness managed investment schemes – Bitter harvest"; published in 11 March 2016.
In 2012, over 22,000 of Great Southern's investors commenced civil action suing for damages, claiming they had been misled by the company.
Great Southern and the regulation of managed investment schemes (MIS)
Great Southern and its nearest industry rival Timbercorp were estimated as having 43 per cent of all managed investment schemes (MIS) business in Australia. In contrast to other MIS industry participants, for which MIS activity is only a small part of their operations, managed investment schemes were 100 per cent of Great Southern Group and Timbercorp's business.
Agribusiness MISs offer certain advantages to investors, dispersing investment risks across a large pool of investors and, through tax concessions, sharing those risks between the private investor and the taxpayer. The schemes were intended to overcome failures in the market for risk, and in the area of forestry reflect the fact that Australia has always subsidised plantation development.
MIS schemes however have a long history of criticism. Reports from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) in 2000 and 2004 were reported to have found the schemes performed relatively poorly, in one case relating an analysis "of schemes offered to the public in 2002–03 [that] found that less than 10 per cent were sufficiently sound investments to warrant their recommendation". In 2006, another RIRDC report in 2006 observed:
Along with other studies, our analysis suggests that the MIS sector (but not all MIS) continues to
perform poorly with respect to realistic or actual rates of return versus marketed rates. There are
limited rights for investors. Issues arising from the large number and small economic size of the retail
investor population and those arising from asymmetric information dominate the economics of MIS.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) was also reported to have identified issues with inadequate disclosure of information to potential investors, poor performance of the investments, and high management fees for agricultural MIS schemes. In 2003, the commission commented that it "has deployed a disproportionate percentage of its resources to the regulation of this sector, which represents only a minority of funds under management". In 2010 it commenced revision of disclosure rules, prompted by "recent turmoil in the agribusiness scheme sector".
The Great Southern Group relied significantly on financial planners and accountants recommending their MIS products to investors. The company was paying commissions of ten percent – high by industry standards, and similar to those paid by other failed investment businesses including Westpoint Corporation and Storm Financial. It was also spending a lot of money on recruiting financial advisers to sell its products. One report indicated that A$137 million was spent on "commissions, marketing and promotion in two years to 2008". Some accountants, with Great Southern's support, were recommending the agribusiness investment schemes, though they did not have a financial services licence; one report suggested over half of Great Southern's MIS sales were coming through accountants, often tax specialists from small practices. These practices had been questioned for several years by the corporate regulator ASIC and some market analysts, and were widely criticised following Great Southern's collapse. Some experts were critical of the lack of knowledge and expertise of the investment advisers recommending agroforestry MIS schemes.
Taxation treatment of MIS schemes
Crucial to the attractiveness to investors of all MIS schemes is their taxation treatment. The Australian government had for many years been encouraging agricultural and forestry investment schemes by allowing investors to claim up-front tax deductions of the costs of investment. Investors paid Great Southern a fee to lease plantation woodlots. Great Southern managed the woodlot, and the investor could deduct the cost of the lease from the income they declared that year for tax assessment purposes. The tax deductible status of the investment was widely regarded as the main attraction of MIS schemes to investors.
The tax-driven nature of investment in the sector made it vulnerable to policy changes and court rulings interpreting tax law. Tax law reforms in the late 1990s resulting from a major review of tax policy (called the Ralph review) altered the way in which deductions could be claimed. These changes, together with company profit warnings, caused a decline in Great Southern's share price and its business prospects in 2000 and 2001. Although Great Southern survived the reforms, another company, Australian Plantation Timber, was driven into administration. In June 2001 a Senate committee report was critical of Australian Taxation Office (ATO) advice on forestry investments, and the ATO released a statement reassuring forest product investors that they had investment certainty. MIS schemes recovered in 2002, despite a further Senate Committee report critical of mass-marketed investment schemes, that recommended "that the government seek advice from both ASIC and the ACCC on the question of the adequacy of the current measures for monitoring the schemes market, with particular reference to agribusiness and franchise schemes".
Throughout the mid-2000s, MIS schemes, including those of Great Southern, attracted increasing investment, driven by tax advantages. Tax benefits for investors that had been due to expire in June 2006 were extended in the Howard government's 2005 budget to June 2008, and Great Southern was one of the beneficiaries of the decision.
Nevertheless, although Great Southern's business had continued to grow, the sector was unhappy about taxation uncertainty. The government moved to address this in 2007, through the Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No.3) Bill 2007. Forest industry peak bodies, the National Association of Forest Industries, Tree Plantations Australia, Treefarm Investment Managers Australia and the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council jointly supported the legislation, saying it would end "ten years of instability and uncertainty about the future ongoing taxation arrangements for retail forestry projects". Nevertheless, the bill attracted heated debate in the Parliament, and did not end taxation issues in the sector.
In 2007, the ATO moved to end the up-front tax deductions for non-forestry MIS investments. This announcement was a disappointment to Great Southern, although only 30 per cent of its business at that stage was non-forestry MIS that would be affected by the ATO ruling. The ATO's ruling was overturned in 2008, however it had created significant investor and lender uncertainty.
Great Southern and Australian politics
Because Great Southern was involved in a controversial industry, it figured in policy debates throughout its life as a publicly listed company. At the centre of Great Southern's business was the development of new forest estates for commercial harvest. Australia's state and federal governments had agreed in 1992 to a National Forest Policy Statement, which included the goal of expanding Australia's plantation forests. On this foundation, in July 1996, the federal forests minister and his state and territory counterparts met and "endorsed the plantation industry's target of trebling the plantation estate from 1.1 million hectares to 3 million hectares by the year 2020". In October 1997 governments, the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council, the Australian Forest Growers, and the National Association of Forest Industries, jointly released Plantations for Australia: The 2020 Vision, known as "Plantations 2020".
The federal minister for forests from 1998 to 2001, Wilson Tuckey, was a strong advocate of Plantations 2020. He also held the federal seat of O'Connor in Western Australia, which included much of the Great Southern region and significant areas of plantation forests. Tuckey and the forest industry had a close relationship, to the extent that the industry paid for newspaper advertisements that reproduced a letter from Tuckey, following critical coverage of forestry MIS schemes in the media. Great Southern also reproduced Tuckey's letter in their 2000 Annual Report.
During the 2004 election year, Great Southern gave A$20,000 to each of the governing Liberal and National Parties, as well as to the Labor opposition. In the lead up to the 2007 federal election, Great Southern made A$40,000 of donations to the Labor opposition, including A$10,000 two days after the release of the party's primary industries policy. After Labor won the election, Great Southern's managing director John Young spoke positively of the change in government and of Labor's willingness to review policy toward managed investment schemes.
Environmental and land use issues
In acquiring the Acacia mangium plantations of Sylvatech on the Tiwi Islands, Great Southern Group had taken on responsibility for an investment that, while supported by the local Tiwi Land Council, was opposed by environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) and some individuals on the Tiwi Islands. The concerns expressed by NGOs related to loss of biodiversity and to greenhouse gas emissions.
Complaints were made that Great Southern Group's 2005 acquisition, Sylvatech, was conducting clearing and plantation activities in breach of environmental conditions set by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. These complaints led to a departmental investigation and an agreement between the company and the government that recognised there had been inadvertent breaches of environmental conditions by the company, where forestry operations had intruded into zones designed to protect sensitive rainforests and wetland areas. The company was required to "fix all incursions into the rainforest and wetland buffers", post a bond to ensure the works were completed, and provide over three years toward the Tiwi Land Council's Indigenous Rangers Program, a group of Indigenous land management staff funded by the Tiwi Land Council and Great Southern to conduct environmental works, including weed management and monitoring threatened species.
There had been criticism of MIS companies generally, and Great Southern Group (as the largest company in the sector) in particular, suggesting that their appetite for land for plantations and agribusiness was driving up land prices in some regions, and distorting some commodity markets. In 2004, Great Southern's leading competitor Timbercorp reported a rise in plantation land prices from around A$3,000 to around A$6,000 per hectare in just five years. The high demand for forestry MIS schemes led to plantations being expanded on to less suitable land, with timber growth and yield then falling below projections that were based on better quality plantations. Some farmers claimed that MIS were driving up prices in agricultural water markets. Opinion was also divided about whether the expansion of MIS properties in a region was causing shrinkage of towns or was, conversely, stimulating employment.
Analysing the Group's failure
Analysis of the MIS failures of Great Southern Group and Timbercorp focused on several factors. First, critics argued that some MIS investments resembled Ponzi schemes, where securing financial returns for existing investors relied on attracting new investors rather than on successful economic activity. Second, Great Southern Group's rapid expansion had been underpinned by high levels of debt, and in difficult economic circumstances in which new investment was diminishing and new borrowings were hard to obtain, that debt could not successfully be serviced. Third, some experts and Great Southern Group itself expressed concern that investor uncertainty caused by ATO rulings, and fuelled by reporting of taxation policy issues, had scared investors away from their MIS. This was a view that the Australian Taxation Office rejected, arguing that the administrators of both Timbercorp and Great Southern had not identified taxation uncertainty as an issue. Finally, a range of commentators considered that the MIS tax concessions were encouraging unsustainable business models, with companies focusing on selling the tax benefits of investments rather than focussing on profitable commodity production. This, it was argued, led them to underestimate business risks, overinflate land prices, and sell products at lower-than-optimal prices. The failure of MIS schemes for these reasons was predicted in 2008 by Ajani, who argued that "we know that investment driven by the demand for tax minimisation, and not market realities, is associated with collapse".
The Australian Financial Review (AFR) had for years carried stories critical of managed investment schemes. An AFR story had prompted the letter, supporting the forest industries, from federal government minister Wilson Tuckey in 2000. When Great Southern collapsed, Tuckey was asked for comment by the Sydney Morning Herald. He said "Everyone thought [a plantation strategy] was a good idea at the time". He argued investors would probably not lose their money, but "shareholders and lenders could be in a bit of trouble". With both Great Southern Group and Timbercorp under administration, the AFR continued its editorial attack on government MIS policy. An AFR journalist wrote, "as a general rule, MIS industries are inherently doomed to fail both from an investment and a social good perspective ... Taxpayers should ... not be surprised that they continue to fall over".
Great Southern Class Action
In May 2011 more than 2,000 of the estimated 8,000 investors who lost money in the collapse of GSL took legal action seeking damages from Great Southern. They said the company did not disclose the risks associated with managed investment schemes and the company's poor financial performance. The action also sought to question Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Javelin Asset Management and Great Southern Finance as to why they issued loans to investors in Great Southern.
The $23 million settlement, flagged in July, resolves a class action by 2000 investors led by Macpherson and Kelley Lawyers and targeting Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's involvement in Great Southern's schemes.
The class action had sought to void more than $300 million of loans taken out with Bendigo and Javelin Asset Management to fund the schemes on the basis that investors were misled by Great Southern, which collapsed five years ago.
The deed of settlement, however, confirms the loans are valid and enforceable, while waiving accrued penalty interest on overdue borrowings.
About $20 million of the $23 million will be paid to Macpherson and Kelley Lawyers to cover its costs, with just $3 million to be distributed among tens of thousands of investors who sunk nearly $2 billion into Great Southern.
Notes
References
Bibliography
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
(part 1); (part 3). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
Category:Forest products companies
Category:Investment companies of Australia
Category:Financial services companies established in 1987
Category:1987 establishments in Australia | {
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Dudley Wood
Dudley Wood (born 9 July 1946) is a British former racing driver.
Wood began his professional career in the World Championship for Drivers and Makes in 1981 and finished 13th in points. He then drove in the World Sportscar Championship from 1982 to 1990. He drove in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 and 1990 driving a Spice SE87C for GP Motorsport/Roy Baker Racing, finishing third and fourth in the C2 class those two years, respectively.
References
Category:1946 births
Category:Living people
Category:British racing drivers
Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Category:IMSA GT Championship drivers
Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers | {
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René Lavoie
René Lavoie (July 24, 1921 – December 12, 2000) was a Canadian politician from Quebec.
Background
He was born on July 24, 1921 in Disraeli, Chaudière-Appalaches.
Member of the legislature
Lavoie unsuccessfully ran as a Union Nationale candidate in the 1960 election in the district of Wolfe. He was elected in the 1962 election and was re-elected in the 1966 and 1970 elections.
He served as parliamentary assistant from 1966 to 1970 and as his party's House Whip from 1966 until 1973. He did not run for re-election in the 1973 election.
Local Politics
Lavoie also served as a school board member in Disraeli from 1964 to 1966.
Death
He died on December 12, 2000.
References
Category:1921 births
Category:2000 deaths
Category:Union Nationale (Quebec) MNAs | {
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Langdon Auger
Scott Langejan, better known by his stage name Langdon Auger, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Victoria, British Columbia. He has recorded six albums and a mixtape so far.
Early life and education
Auger grew up in Victoria, and graduated from Claremont Secondary School. His grandmother encouraged him to pursue his ambitions of becoming a musician. He moved to Vancouver in 2001. He studied at BCIT, earning a degree in sales and marketing.
Career
In April 2003, a virtually unknown rapper at the time, Auger won the Scorch the Mic battle, a freestyle emcee competition in Vancouver BC. In June of that same year, Auger gained attention for his song "Island Nights", from the Crisp Living album, recorded in his basement. It was the first time an independent song reached number one on The Beat 94.5's Top 7 at 7 request program. "Island Nights" was later named the fourth-best-written song about Victoria by the city's top music reviewer. He was an opening act on one of Maestro's tours. In 2004 Auger released the Wizard of Augz album which spawned another hit single, "Got You Caught", which went to number one on the Beat 94.5's Top 7 at 7 as well. Later the song won third place in the R&B/hip hop category for the 2005 International Songwriting Competition. From the same album, "Pat's Song" is a tribute to the brother of his old manager, broadcast personality Dylan "Big D" Willows. Pat died in a motor vehicle accident.
In 2008, he released the album Inaugeration, again independently to a sellout crowd in Victoria, BC
In 2009, Auger released "The AUG Ep", again independently.
2011 saw Auger release his 4th full-length album "The Illuminaugi" on 11/11/11. Auger's raps feature countless local references - Clover Point, the drivethru at Wendy's, the tennis bubble at Cedar Hill Recreation Centre - but they are also full of tributes to his fallen friends and family. Life has thrown Auger some curveballs, a journey he details in depth on The Illuminaugi.
Langdon was nominated as one of the best artists in Victoria in the "Times Colonist Music Awards" for 2011.
Discography
Songs from the Hills – 2001
Island Nights - The Mixtape – 2002
Crisp Living – 2003
The Wizard of Augz – 2004
Inaugeration – 2008
The Aug EP – 2009
The Illuminaugi - 2011
See also
Cory Bowles
Anodajay
Dàvid Record
Chuckie Akenz
References
Category:Date of birth missing (living people)
Category:1979 births
Category:Living people
Category:Musicians from Victoria, British Columbia
Category:British Columbia Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Canadian male rappers
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Deine Zärtlichkeit
"Deine Zärtlichkeit" () is the debut German single of Soviet singer-songwriter Sofia Rotaru, which was released in 1978 by Ariola / Sony BMG Music Entertainment. It does not appear on the planned German debut studio album Sofia Rotaru. The single consists of two songs. Two more songs for the planned studio album with Sony BMG were recorded, but were not released either in this single, or in the planned studio album.
Song history
The single is Sofia Rotaru's very first commercially available single on the Western market.
Track listing
Side A
Side B
References
Category:1978 singles
Category:Dance-pop songs
Category:Debut singles
Category:Sofia Rotaru songs
Category:Songs with lyrics by Michael Kunze
Category:1978 songs
Category:Ariola Records singles
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Love and Rage
Love and Rage may refer to:
Love and Rage (1998 film), British-Irish-German film
Love and Rage (2009 film), Danish film
Love & Rage (organization), American anarchist federation | {
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John Farr
John Farr may refer to:
John Farr (British politician) (1922–1997), Conservative Party politician
John R. Farr (1857–1933), Pennsylvania Congressman
John Farr, nom-de-plume of the novelist Jack Webb
See also
John N. Pharr (1829-1903), Louisiana businessperson and politician | {
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Chak Sher Muhammad railway station
Chak Sher Muhammad railway station () is a station in Chak Sher Muhammad village, Mandi Bahauddin district, Punjab, Pakistan.
References
Category:Railway stations on Shorkot–Lalamusa Branch Line
Category:Railway stations in Mandi Bahauddin District | {
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Burlak (surname)
Burlak () is a Russian surname that may refer to:
Dmitry Burlak (born 1983), Russian footballer
Svetlana Burlak (born 1969), Russian linguist
Taras Burlak (born 1990), Russian footballer
Category:Russian-language surnames | {
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Nowa Wieś, Gmina Ciechocin
Nowa Wieś is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ciechocin, within Golub-Dobrzyń County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.
References
Category:Villages in Golub-Dobrzyń County | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability (YES) is an international non-profit dedicated to fighting poverty through large-scale job creation and entrepreneurship for youth. YES is located out of Babson College in Wellesley, MA.
The Youth Employment Summit (YES) Campaign is a civil society response to the enormous global challenge of youth unemployment. The campaign was formally launched at the first Youth Employment Summit in September 2002, in Alexandria, Egypt. Co-chaired by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, this first Summit was attended by over 1600 delegates from 120 countries.
The YES Campaign has overseen the formation of youth-led networks in over 55 countries. These networks liaise with stakeholder groups (government, business, academics, non-governmental organizations, and UN agencies) to develop programs and policies for promoting youth employment. Through the networks, the YES Campaign plans, implements, and evaluates projects around the globe, keeping youth at the center of its efforts. The YES Campaign:
Views youth as true partners in development, rather than as beneficiaries
Encourages youth to organize multi-stakeholder, country networks
Builds the commitment of world leaders and institutions to confront the challenge of youth unemployment by developing strategic partnerships
Transforms that leadership commitment into tangible investments in innovative, employment-generation strategies
Maintains a web-based, Global Knowledge Resource – a free platform that disseminates labor market knowledge and best practices for individuals, networks, and partners through a range of traditional and new-media technologies (print, conferences, e-groups, CD ROM, and video)
Provides youth with opportunities to build leadership, management and entrepreneurial skills in the context of sustainable development
By enlisting youth participation in creating viable employment alternatives in their home countries, the YES Campaign has validated the concept that young people, if given access to the right resources, can effectively craft their own opportunities for advancement and growth in labor markets while simultaneously addressing development needs.
The YES Campaign works on behalf of millions of young people in the world who are clamoring for a better future and an opportunity for productive work. Young people are cognizant of the inequities of the global system, and are susceptible to association with the negative forces in their communities if help does not come their way. This initiative offers youth a chance to participate in a global campaign to make a difference in their countries and communities.
Target population: YES Campaign has taken the Commonwealth Secretariat's age group for youth, 14–35 years.
Background
In 1998 Youth Employment Summit (YES) was launched as a project of Education Development Center (EDC), an international, non-profit that manages over 400 projects all over the world, dedicated to enhancing learning and promoting health. The YES Campaign was launched in 2002, by 75 Ministers and over 1,600 delegates, youth leaders, UN agencies, and NGOs government officials from 120 countries at the 1st Global YES summit held at the Library of Alexandria, Egypt. The summit paved the way for a 10-year program designed primarily to place the issue of youth employment on the global agenda, develop and support in-country YES networks led by youth, design replicable youth-led entrepreneurship and employment generation programs, build youth capacity through training, and support in-country coalitions to develop national youth employment strategies.
In 2007, after 8 years of incubation at EDC, YES was launched as an independent nonprofit. Today, YES is recognized as an international leader in youth employment and entrepreneurship that has facilitated the creation of over 50 YES Country Networks, that has laid the foundation for promoting in-country youth employment and entrepreneurship programs. YES’ impact is demonstrated through the over 400 youth-led projects and programs in over fifty countries, primarily in developing nations in Africa, South America, and Asia. YES Networks have impacted about one million young people during their first decade, according to an independent study. YES has compiled more than 1,000 on-line resource documents on best practices and tools for youth employment, and commissioned over 150 original publications on youth employment.
Global vision
YES Design Principles
Three major principles underlie this mission.
First, the YES Campaign believes that every person is capable of leading and seeks to provide opportunities for youth to realize their leadership abilities. Next, the Campaign believes in the power of knowledge-sharing and is aware that many effective practices exist. The challenge is to identify these practices and to create opportunities for dissemination, replication, adaptation, and learning. Third, the YES Campaign strives to act as a catalyst that inspires fresh and innovative approaches to human development by connecting critical stakeholders in the private and public sectors. The Campaign focuses on youth, the creative change agents of today, to drive this effort
www.YesWeb.org www.YouthTrade.com
See also
Founder Poonam Ahluwalia
References
External links
Yesweb
Category:Development charities based in the United States
Category:Social entrepreneurship
Category:Non-profit organizations based in Massachusetts
Category:Organizations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Category:Organizations established in 1998
Category:Youth employment | {
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Stenkil
Stenkil (Old Norse: Steinkell) was a King of Sweden who ruled c. 1060 until 1066. He succeeded Emund the Old and became the first king from the House of Stenkil. He is praised as a devout Christian, however with an accommodating stance towards the old Pagan religion. His brief reign saw an armed conflict with Norway.
Family background
The Hervarar saga (13th century) describes Stenkil as the son of Ragnvald the Old and Astrid Njalsdotter, the daughter of Njal Finnsson from Hålogaland in Norway and a cognatic descendant of Harald Fairhair. Later historians have identified the father of Stenkil Ragnvald Ulfsson who was the earl of Staraja Ladoga and the grandson of the legendary Viking Skoglar Toste. But this presumed family-connection is not supported by any other sources and must therefore be regarded as very uncertain. The Icelandic sagas mention a wife and two sons to Ragnvald Ulfsson but none are identical with Stenkil and his mother Astrid. The contemporary chronicler Adam of Bremen says Stenkil was the nephew (nepos) or stepson (privignus) of the former King Emund the Old, while the Hervarar saga asserts that he was related to the previous dynasty by marriage to Emund's daughter.
Stenkil was probably from Västergötland rather than Uppland or the Mälaren area. The short chronicle appended the Westrogothic law (c. 1240) clearly states that he spent time in Levene in Västergötland where he was long remembered as the king who "loved West Geats before all his other subjects", and he was lauded as a great archer whose hit marks were long shown with admiration. The tradition that Stenkil was beloved by the Geats appears to be supported by Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla. In a speech by Thorvid, the lawspeaker (lagman) of Västergötland before a battle with Harald Hardrada (see below), the lawspeaker expresses the Geats' (Gautland people) loyalty to Stenkil:
The statement of the Hervarar saga that Stenkil was originally Jarl in Svíþjóð (in the first hand, the provinces around Lake Mälaren) nevertheless calls for some caution. Historian Peter Sawyer argues that the traditions associating Stenkil with Västergötland may not be reliable, but rather express a later need to advocate Västergötland as the hub of the Swedish kingdom. His active advocacy for a bishopric in Sigtuna may speak for a strong association with the Mälaren Valley.
Support for the Bremen mission
Stenkil appears in history around 1056, during the reign of Emund the Old. At that time he provided support and protection for a delegation from the Archdiocese of Bremen which had been turned away by King Emund and his bishop Osmundus. Later on a reconciliation between the king and Bremen took place, and Sweden received Adalvard the Elder as its new bishop. Emund died shortly after, in about 1060. As his son and heir Anund was already dead, Stenkil succeeded to the throne without any known commotion. Adam characterises Stenkil as God-fearing and pious. A much less flattering image of the new king is provided by the Icelandic manuscript Morkinskinna (c. 1220), which says: "King Stenkil was a portly man and heavy on his feet. He was much given to drinking parties and not much involved in the business at hand ... he himself liked to be left in peace."
The king duly supported the Christianization of Sweden and cooperated with bishops from the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. With the help of Stenkil's emissaries, Adalvard the Younger created the Sigtuna bishopric, one day's journey from the old cult center of Uppsala. According to a historically much-debated passage in Adam's chronicle, Uppsala was the site of a renowned pagan temple where sacrifices of humans and animals were performed every ninth year. After having formally converted the population around Sigtuna, Adalvard the Younger suggested Bishop Egino in Scania that they should proceed to raze or burn down the temple. This, they hoped, would have the effect of pushing the population into conversion. However, Stenkil apprehended that the people in the area resented the aim of the bishops, and managed to talk them out of the project. As he argued, the bishops would be executed and he himself deposed since he had allowed miscreants into the land. Moreover, those already Christian would surely revert to paganism. The fears were probably justified. According to the Hervarar saga, Stenkil's son Inge the Elder was deposed and exiled for wanting to cancel the pagan sacrifices at the temple. As it was, Adalvard and Egino reluctantly had to follow Stenkil's advice. Instead, they traversed the lands of the Geats which were apparently less resistant to the new faith, and broke any pagan idols they found, making thousands of converts in the process.
The war with Harald Hardrada
The later Norse sagas relate that a brief but serious conflict flared up with the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada in 1064-65. One of Harald's foremost chiefs, Håkon Ivarsson Jarl, was married to the king's grandniece Ragnhild and followed Harald on his military expeditions against the Danish ruler Sweyn Estridsen. According to Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla the Norwegians were victorious at the Battle of Nissan in 1062, but Håkon Jarl secretly allowed the defeated Sweyn to escape alive. When this was later reported to Harald Hardrada, the enraged king gave orders to kill Håkon, who however managed to escape to Sweden. The escapee stayed with King Stenkil who made him Jarl of Värmland. According to another saga, Morkinskinna, Håkon Jarl left Norway for Denmark where he was created Jarl of Halland. Meanwhile, Harald Hardrada concluded peace with Sweyn Estridsen in 1064 and then started to harry in Stenkil's realm in Götaland. The worried Stenkil arranged a meeting with King Sweyn and asked for his support. Sweyn replied that he could not break the recent peace treaty, but advised Stenkil to appoint the valiant Håkon Jarl as sub-ruler of Västergötland, from where he could confront King Harald. This was arranged, and Håkon assembled men from Denmark as well as from the two Geatic provinces. He spoke to his troops at an assembly, where he self-assuredly said: "Even though I have a lesser title than King Stenkil, it may be that I will be of no less assistance, for he is used to an easy life, while I am accostumed to battles and hard conditions".
According to all the saga versions, Harald Hardrada reacted to Håkon Jarl's Swedish position by assembling a fleet and invading Stenkil's kingdom in the cold of the winter. At the entrance of the Göta älv, he took the lighter boats and brought them upriver, to Lake Vänern. The ships then rowed eastwards, to the place where he heard that Håkon's troops had assembled. With Håkon was the law-speaker (lagman) of the Geats, Thorvid. However, the Geats were lightly clothed, "as is always the case with the Geats", while Harald's troops were more numerous and better equipped. The Geatic law-speaker lost his head and took to his heels before the battle had begun. In the fight that followed, Håkon's troops were defeated with losses. Nevertheless, Harald did not push his advantage further, but returned to the lake shore with his men. The end of the expedition was inauspicious. Part of Harald's troops were led into a trap, ambushed and massacred by Håkon's men. As the Norwegians sailed down the Göta älv, some more were killed by Geatic archers. In the following year 1066 Harald Hardrada undertook his ill-fated invasion of England, which left the striking power of the Norwegian kingdom crippled. Håkon Jarl ended his life as a magnate in Denmark. It is not clear how much of the internally differing saga accounts can be regarded trustable, but a preserved scaldic verse by þjóðólfr Arnórsson confirms the outlines:
Stenkil's men who would
give support to the Jarl
have been assigned to death
the ruler caused this.
Håkon withdrew
quickly when support failed.
Thus says the one who wants
to depict this nicely.
Morkinskinna indicates that the relations between Stenkil and Sweyn Estridsen were amicable. It is likely that the Swedish ruler had an interest in supporting Sweyn against the attempts of Harald Hardrada to subjugate Denmark between 1047 and 1062. Historian Aksel E. Christensen has concluded that the Norwegian-Danish peace treaty of 1064 was a success for the Swedish policy to prevent one king from ruling the kingdoms to the north and the south of Skagerrak. Strangely, the Knytlinga Saga tells that "King Sweyn also had a dispute with the Swedish King Stenkil, who went with his army against King Sweyn, although he did not appropriate any of his territories".
Death and burial
Adam of Bremen, Snorri Sturluson and the Hervarar saga all state that Stenkil passed away at the time of the Battle of Hastings in England (1066). His death triggered a violent civil war, perhaps caused by rising tension between Christianity and adherents of the pagan religion. According to a legend Stenkil was buried in the "royal hill" near Levene in Västergötland. His two sons Halsten and Inge the Elder would both become kings of Sweden. In a letter to Halsten and Inge from c. 1081, Pope Gregory VII apparently praised Stenkil, since he expressed hope that they might compete with their "predecessor" in honourable lives and deeds.
The Hervarar saga has a great deal to tell about Stenkil:
Family
Stenkil was married to a daughter of Emund the Old, and had at least two children:
Halsten, King of Sweden, or parts of Sweden, died after 1081
Inge I, King of Sweden, died around 1110
It has been speculated that one of the two pretenders called Eric (around 1066-67) was his son, although there is nothing to support this assumption. A later king, Håkan the Red (1070s), is associated with Stenkil's abode Levene in Västergötland and might have been a close kinsman.
Notes and references
Category:11th-century Swedish monarchs
Category:1066 deaths
Category:Swedish monarchs
Category:Viking Age monarchs
Category:11th-century Swedish people
Category:House of Stenkil
Category:People from Västergötland
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:11th-century monarchs in Europe | {
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Archery at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics – Girls' individual
The girls' individual archery event at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics was held from 18 to 20 August 2010 at the Kallang Field in Kallang, Singapore. It was one of three recurve archery events which comprised the archery programme at the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics, and featured thirty-one archers from thirty-one countries. Entry was open to female archers born between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1993.
Qualification was conducted through a tournament held in parallel at the 2009 Archery World Youth Championships, as well as through five continental tournaments held in 2009 and 2010. The event was among the first to follow the new competition format adopted by the Federation Internationale Tir de l'Arc (FITA) for international tournaments earlier in 2010.
Kwak Ye-ji of South Korea, who was tipped as the favourite for gold medal, emerged as champion after winning in the final against Tan Ya-ting of Chinese Taipei, who received the silver medal as runner-up. Russia's Tatiana Segina finished in third place, winning the bronze medal ahead of Mexico's Mariana Avitia.
Format
The girls' individual recurve event was an outdoor recurve target archery event. Held to FITA-approved rules, the archers shot at a 122 cm-wide target from a distance of 70 metres, with between one and ten points being awarded for each arrow depending on how close it landed to the centre of the target. The competition took place over two days, with an initial ranking round being followed by a single-elimination tournament consisting of five rounds and concluding with two matches to determine the winners of the gold, silver, and bronze medals. The ranking round was held on 18 August and determined the seeds for the elimination rounds, which also began on 18 August and concluded two days later. Each of the thirty-one archers shot a total of 72 arrows. The archer with the highest scoring total from her 72 arrows received the number one seed, the archer with the second highest total receiving second seed, and so on. In the event of a tie between two or more archers, the number of arrows shot in the central 10-ring of the target was taken into account, with the number of arrows shot within the inner-10 (or X) ring used as a second tiebreaker if necessary.
The format of the elimination and medal-deciding rounds followed the Archery Olympic Round set system that had been recently introduced in international World Archery events. The elimination rounds began on 18 August with the 1/16 round and concluded two days later on 20 August, with the bronze and gold medal finals following afterwards. Each match consisted of a maximum of five sets, with archers each shooting three arrows per set. The archer with the greater score from their three arrows won the set, earning two set points. The archer with the lower score in each set received zero points. If the score was tied, each archer received one point. The first archer to reach six set points was declared the winner. If the match was tied at five set points each after the maximum five sets were played, a single tie-breaker arrow was used with the closest to centre of the target winning.
Schedule
Report
Pre-event
South Korea's Kwak Ye-ji was tipped as the favourite for gold medal, the world number seven entering as the most decorated archer at the Youth Olympics having won gold medal in the final of the 2009 Archery World Cup and silver medal at the 2009 World Archery Championships. At age 17, Mariana Avitia of Mexico became her nation's youngest athlete to compete in two Olympic games, the world number fifteen having competed in the women's individual event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The withdrawal of a competitor from Brazil before the start of the event led to only thirty-one archers taking part instead of the expected thirty-two. As the Brazilian archer was also set to compete in the mixed team event, which was contested by athletes paired from the girls' and boys' individual events, FITA and the International Olympic Committee granted an additional entry from Singapore to ensure the mixed team event had an even number of entrants. Elizabeth Cheok was selected as the replacement, although she was not permitted to compete in the individual event. The top seed from the ranking round was therefore given a bye to the second elimination round to compensate for the lack of a thirty-second seed.
Ranking round
The competition began on the morning of 18 August with the 72-arrow ranking round. Kwak was in dominant form, clinching the top seed by a comfortable margin of 22 points over Tan Ya-ting of Chinese Taipei and setting a new junior world record in the process. Her score of 670 – out of a maximum of 720 – beat the existing record set by compatriot Um Hye-rang in 2001 by four points. Choi Seung Sil, the South Korean coach, however reflected that Kwak's achievement was no cause for excitement, commenting that "[i]n practice she will score up to 680, so we don't really care about breaking the record." Behind Tan in second was Russia's Tatiana Segina on 639 points, with Mariana Avitia and India's Seema Verma placing fourth and fifth.
Elimination rounds
The knock-out rounds began on the afternoon of 18 August with the 1/16 elimination rounds. The top eight seeds each advanced to the 1/8 eliminations with ninth-seed Gloria Filippi of Italy the highest ranked archer failing to progress. After a break in play on 19 August, in which the mixed team competition was contested, the girls' individual event resumed for its final day of competition on 20 August, the morning session hosting the 1/8 elimination round. Kwak, Tan, Segina, and Avitia all advanced to the quarter-finals, Tan eliminating the bronze medalist from the mixed team event Turkey's Begünhan Elif Ünsal in the process. The round also saw Moldova's Alexandra Mîrca come back from two sets down to defeat Alice Ingley of Australia — a shot in the third set by the Australian which scored just four points was noted by FITA commentators Vanahé Antille and Didier Mieville as the turning point in the match. The weather intervened with a short rain shower during the fifth match of the morning between Miranda Leek of the United States and Isabel Viehmeier of Germany. The wet conditions appeared to affect Leek's form in particular, the American exiting the competition after failing to score higher than an eight until her eighth arrow of the match, by which time Viehmeier held a four set point lead. The rainfall ceased shortly after the beginning of the following match between China's Song Jia and Ukraine's Lidiia Sichenikova, Song winning by seven set points to three.
The quarter-finals kicked off the final day's afternoon session at 2:30pm, Kwak, Tan, Segina, and Avitia again successfully advancing to reach the semi-finals. The first match between Kwak and Mîrca was a tight affair, Kwak winning the first and third sets and Mîrca winning the second and fourth. The South Korean however clinched the fifth set by one point - thereby avoiding a one-arrow shoot-off - after a judge confirmed in a post-match review that Mîrca's first arrow of the set landed within the 8-ring rather than edging into the 9-ring. In the other quarter-final contests Tan and Segina dispatched Viehmeier and Song respectively in straight sets while Avitia dropped just one set in her victory against Belgium's Zoe Gobbels.
The two semi-final matches were held immediately after the quarter-finals. Kwak and Tan each overcame poor starts to progress to the gold medal final. Kwak lost the first two sets to Avitia, but with the Mexican failing to land an arrow in the central 10 ring for the rest of the match, Kwak prevailed in the next three sets to win by six set points to four. In the second semi-final Tan began with a six on her first arrow, gifting Segina a straightforward victory in the opening set. A perfect score of thirty in the second set however brought Tan back into contention. A narrowly won third set and a score of twenty-nine in the fourth was enough for Tan to win the match secure a spot in the final.
Medal matches
As the two losing archers from the semi-finals, Avitia and Segina met to contest the bronze medal final, which followed the semi-final matches at just before 4pm. After three sets Segina held the advantage, and when Avitia faltered with her final arrow in the fourth set, scoring just a seven, Segina shot into the 10 ring resulting in victory and the bronze medal for the Russian. Following the match Avitia said she was satisfied and not disappointed with a fourth-place finish, feeling she had put in a strong performance against Kwak in the semi-finals. She however stated that the quick turnaround between competing at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games and the Youth Olympics may have influenced her overall form, having not had sufficient time for rest before arriving in Singapore.
The gold medal final saw Kwak defeat Tan in four sets, posting a total score of 117 in her 12 arrows that would have been a new junior world record under the previous FITA competition format. Kwak's perfect scores of 30 in the first and third sets was met by Tan's own maximum score in the second, but Kwak's total of 29 in the fourth set was too much for Tan, the South Korean taking what the Yonhap News Agency described as a "widely expected" victory. Afterwards Kwak admitted she had felt nervous in the final after her tough semi-final victory over Avitia, but immediately set her sights on replicating her success at the 2012 Summer Olympics, stating her aim was to win two gold medals in London. As runner-up, Tan received the silver medal. The archer from Chinese Taipei said she had enjoyed the experience of the competition but had mixed emotions about the result, commenting that despite being pleased with her silver medal "I feel sorry for my family and friends that I didn't bring the gold medal home".
Results
Ranking Round
Elimination rounds
Top half
Bottom half
Note: An asterisk (*) denotes a win from a one-arrow shoot-off
Source:
Finals
Source:
See also
Archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's individual
Archery at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's individual
References
External links
Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games - Details at the World Archery Federation
Category:Archery at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Category:2010 in women's archery | {
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Liotia admirabilis
Liotia admirabilis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Liotiidae.
Description
The shell grows to a length of 1 mm and a diameter of 1.3 mm. The shell has a depressed globose shape. It is strongly sculptured and profoundly umbilicated. The shell contains 3½ whorls. The uppermost of the keels on the body whorl revolves up to the spire and forms the angle on the upper volutions. The lowermost carina borders the umbilicus and the next one occupies the middle of the under surface. The longitudinal lamellae are continuous on and between the keels. The aperture is round.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off St Helena
References
External links
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications)
To Encyclopedia of Life
To World Register of Marine Species
admirabilis
Category:Gastropods described in 1890 | {
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MVP Sports Stars
MVP Sports Stars were plush pillow dolls created by Ace Novelty Company released around 1991 and 1992 The sport for which they played was given a name (ie 'Tackling Dummies' for Football).
Plush pillow characters
Below is a list of these athletes who had plush pillow dolls made of them:
(Hoopster Heroes): Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing,
(Tackling Dummies): Troy Aikman, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon
(Power Skaters): Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky
(Super Sluggers): Nolan Ryan, Ryne Sandberg, Jose Canseco, Ken Griffey Jr
References
External links
https://inventively.com/search/trademarks/owner/ACE%20NOVELTY%20CO.,%20INC.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sports-Gretzky-Power-Skaters-Pillow/dp/B00O9CQP9U
Category:1990s toys
Category:Pillows
Category:Celebrity dolls
Category:Stuffed toys | {
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Pseudancylis
Pseudancylis is a genus of moths of the family Tortricidae.
Species
Pseudancylis percnobathra (Meyrick, 1933)
Pseudancylis rostrifera (Meyrick, 1912)
See also
List of Tortricidae genera
References
External links
tortricidae.com
Category:Tortricidae genera
Category:Taxa named by Marianne Horak
Category:Olethreutinae | {
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Zelgoszcz, Gmina Parzęczew
Zelgoszcz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Parzęczew, within Zgierz County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Parzęczew, north-west of Zgierz, and north-west of the regional capital Łódź.
The village has a population of 50.
References
Category:Villages in Zgierz County | {
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R325 road (Ireland)
The R325 road is a regional road in County Mayo and County Roscommon in Ireland. It connects the N83 and N17 roads at Glentavraun near Knock Airport in County Mayo to the R361 at Cloonarragh near Castlerea in County Roscommon, away (map of the route).
The government legislation that defines the R325, the Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2012 (Statutory Instrument 54 of 2012), provides the following official description:
Glentavraun, County Mayo — Cloonarragh, County Roscommon
Between its junction with N83 at Glentavraun in the county of Mayo and its junction with R361 at Cloonarragh in the county of Roscommon via Sonvolaun and Kilmovee in the county of Mayo: Crunaun, Kiltybranks and Loughglinn in the county of Roscommon.
See also
List of roads of County Mayo
National primary road
National secondary road
Regional road
Roads in Ireland
References
Category:Regional roads in the Republic of Ireland
Category:Roads in County Mayo | {
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Ciemino Małe
Ciemino Małe (German: Klein Zemmin) is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Borne Sulinowo, within Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland.
References
Category:Villages in Szczecinek County | {
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} |
Seven: The Street Prequel
Seven: The Street Prequel is the first mix tape by the Italian rapper Bassi Maestro, released in 2004 under Sano Business.
Track listing
External links
Category:2004 mixtape albums
Category:Bassi Maestro albums | {
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Ido Ekiti
Ido Ekiti is located in Ido-Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is situated in the northern part of the state were the routes from Oyo, Osun and Kwara states respectively converge. Ido-Ekiti is the headquarters of Ido-Osi local council. It is bounded in the east by Ipere and Iludun, in the south by Igbole and Ifinsin axis and in the north and northwest by Usi and Ilogbo Ekiti.
Category:Ekiti State | {
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Giuseppe Vermiglio
Giuseppe Vermiglio (c.1585 – c.1635) was a Caravaggist painter from Northern Italy, active also in Rome.
Our knowledge of Vermiglio's life is sketchy. It is probable that he was born in Alessandria. He spent the first two decades of the seventeenth century in Rome where, while training and working as an artist, he adopted a bohemian lifestyle with a tendency to become involved in brawls with fellow painters; for example, in 1604 he supported his master Adriano di Monteleone’s account of a dispute with two unknown artists which had led to Monteleone being wounded by his own wife. The following year Vermiglio was arrested and imprisoned after being discovered at the Monte di Brianza hostel bearing an unlicensed sword. In 1611, proceedings were brought against him for physically attacking the painter Silvio Oliviero. In 1618, still in Rome, he is recorded as a picture dealer.
Around 1620 he returned to northern Italy where he pursued his career as a painter in Piedmont (Novara and Alessandria) and in Lombardy (notably in Mantua and Milan).
His art was profoundly influenced by Caravaggio. Other painters to whom his work, on the basis of stylistic references, is thought to be indebted include the Bolognese Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni; it has been suggested that Vermiglio worked or studied in Bologna at some point. Luigi Lanzi acclaimed the painting of Daniel among the Lions, in the library of the Passione in Milan, as his masterwork.
Judgments of quality of his work have ranged from Alfred Moir’s ‘inconsequential craftsman’ to Lanzi's ‘the best painter in oils of which the ancient state of Piedmont could boast, and one of the best Italian artists of his times’
__NOTOC__
Works
Paintings by Vermiglio, or which have been attributed to him, include:
The Incredulity of St Thomas, signed and dated 1612. San Tommaso ai Cenci, Rome.
Crowning with Thorns / Mocking of Christ, formerly in the Palazzo Altieri, Rome
Cain and Abel. National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta.
Adoration of the Shepherds, signed and dated 1622. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
Last Supper, signed and dated 1622. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
The Sacrifice of Isaac. Musei Civici del Castello Sforzesco, Milan.
Saint James the Major. Repossi Gallery, Italy.
References
Lanzi, Luigi. The History of Painting in Italy. Translated by Thomas Roscoe. London, H. G. Bohn, 1847; Vol. 3, pp. 305–306.
Further reading
. (Described by Gash as a ‘groundbreaking article.’)
External links
Category:Italian Baroque painters
Category:16th-century Italian painters
Category:Italian male painters
Category:17th-century Italian painters
Category:Year of death unknown
Category:Year of birth uncertain | {
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Gymnopilus picreus
Gymnopilus picreus is a species of mushroom in the Cortinariaceae family.
Description
The cap is in diameter.
Microscopic characteristics
Habitat and distribution
Gymnopilus picreus grows on conifer wood and sometimes on hardwood. It has been found in the northern United States and Canada, and Tennessee; also Europe; fruit bodies appear in summer and autumn.
See also
List of Gymnopilus species
References
External links
Gymnopilus picreus at Index Fungorum
picreus
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"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Elvington
Elvington may refer to:
Elvington, Kent
Elvington, City of York
RAF Elvington, a deactivated RAF station | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Thorvald Krak
Elias Christian Thorvald Krak (12 June 1830 - 6 November 1908) was a Danish road engineer who headed the Department of Physical Planning (stadskonduktør) for 40 years in the City of Copenhagen and published the first City directory for Copenhagen.
Early life
Krak was born in Copenhagen to navigator Hans Andersen Krak (1789–1844) and Karen Sophie Lind (1800–77). His last name comes from his ancestors farm Krakkegård at the end of Røstadvej between Rø and Gudhjem on the island of Bornholm. Thorvald Krak used the spelling "Krack" until 1890 as a result of an error in the church records. He went to school in Maribo and later received a military education in Copenhagen where he became a lieutenant in the engineering troops in 1850 and a senior lieutenant in 1853.
Work for Copenhagen Municipality
In 1858, just 28 years old, he was appointed to stadskonduktør in Copenhagen and resigned from the army with status of captain. In 1859 he instigated systematic address numbering and in 1860–66 he surveyed all taxable properties in the city.
Krak resigned from his position as stadskonduktør in Copenhagen in 1898.
Krak's City Directory
In 1862, Krak was awarded a license to publish a city directory for the Greater Copenhagen area. The work had been instigated by Hans Holck in 1770 but had only been sparsely updated for decades. He completely reorganized and modernized the publication with inspiration from foreign capitals before publishing his first city directory in 1863. In 1902 he passed the publication of Kraks Vejviser (Krak's Road Directory) on to his son Ove Krak, who was a physician.
Personal life
Krak married Charlotte Henriette an. der Recke (27 November 1828 - 30 May1897) on 16 November 1858 in the Garrison Church in Copenhagen. She was the daughter of senior lieutenant and later Road Inspector Gengeal on Funen Peter Blankenborg Prydz van der Recke (1793–1847) and his wife Caroline Cecilie Petersen (1795–1868).
Krak is buried in the Garrison Cemetery in Copenhagen.
See also
Krak House
References
Category:Danish engineers
Category:People from Copenhagen
Category:1830 births
Category:1908 deaths | {
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Staré Město (Uherské Hradiště District)
Staré Město () is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic near Uherské Hradiště. Its population is approximately 6,500.
Notable people
František Omelka (1904–1960), writer
Josef Panáček (born 1937), Czechoslovak sport shooter and Olympic Champion
Miroslav Grebeníček (born 1947), politician, former leader of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
Jiří Pavlica (born 1953), violinist and music composer
Twin towns — sister cities
Staré Město is twinned with:
Tönisvorst, Germany
Sées, France
References
External links
Municipal website (in Czech)
Category:Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Category:Populated places in Uherské Hradiště District
Category:Moravian Slovakia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Paradaresvara Siva Temple
Paradaresvara Siva Temple is a 13th-century AD temple in Bhubaneswar (Lat. 20° 14’ 71" N, Long. 85° 49’ 96" E, Elev. 67 ft.) in the state of Orissa, India. The time period of its construction is estimated from its architectural features and it suggests that the temple must belong to the ganga period. Paradaresvra Siva temple is situated in the Gosagaresvar temple precinct. It is located on the left side of Ratha road (leading from Mausima chowk to Badheibanka Chowk) old town, Bhubaneswar. It is located at a distance of 1 km west of Lingaraja Temple and 1 km south of Ananta Vasudev, 300 metres southwest of Ramesvara Temple and 200 metres northwest of Vaital Temple. The temple is facing towards east. The presiding deity is only a circular yonipitha in the cella that measures 3 square metres. The lingam is missing.
The temple is used for worship in this temple.
Physical description
Surrounding
The temple is surrounded by Isanesvara Temple in the east, Gosagaresvara tank in the western, Gosagaresvara Temple in north and Sanisvara Temple in the southern side.
Orientation
The temple is facing towards east.
Architectural features (plan and elevation)
On plan, temple is pancharatha with square vimana and a frontal porch. In addition to these there is a modern hall in front of the porch. The total plan measures 6.35 metres in length and 4.55 metres in width. On elevation, the vimana is in rekha order with usual bada, gandi and mastaka that measures 9.00 metres in height from khura to kalasa. The bada of the vimana has five vertical divisions measuring 3.00 metres in height pabhaga (0.74 metres), talajangha (0.58 metres), bandhana (0.31 metres), upara jangha (0.57 metres) and the baranda (0.80 metres) in height. The gandi of the vimana above the baranda measures 4.00 metres in height which is distinguished by a central raha and pair of anuratha and kanika pagas on either sides of raha is a curvilinear spire. The mastaka of the vimana as usual in Orissan temples has components like beki, amlaka. khapuri and kalasa that
meausers 2.00 metres in height.
Raha niche & Parsvadevatas
The parsvadevata niches on three sides uniformly measures 0.60 metres in height, x 0.30 metres in width and 0.15 metres in depth are all empty. Beneath the niches is the plain tala garvika while above the niches is the urdhvagarvika as usual in the 13th Century temples of Orissa.
Decorative features
The base of the gandi above the baranda is decorated with a series of miniature rekha deuls surmounted by an udyota simha in each paga. The gandi is plain due to the reconstruction work and cement plaster and lime wash.
Doorjamb : The doorjambs measuring 1.88 metres in height and 1.20 metres in width is carved with three plain vertical bands of later addition. At the lalatabimba there is Gajalaxmi sitting in lalitasana over a lotus pedestal flanked by full-blown lotus and elephants on either side of the deity.
Lintel: The graha architrave is plain due to the renovation work.
Property type
The temple has the Rekha deul typology and it is a temple precinct.
Building material: Laterite
Construction techniques: Dry masonry.
Style: Kalingan
Grade (A/B/C)
i) Architecture: B
ii) Historic: C
iii) Associational: B
iv) Social/Cultural: B
Significance
i) Historic significance: The local people are indifferent about the historical significance of the temple.
ii)Cultural significance: Lord Lingaraja visits once a year.
iii) Social significance: Marriage ceremony, thread ceremony.
iv) Associational significance: Public meetings.
Condition
At the moment, it is showing signs of deterioration. Rain water percolates into the sanctum through the cracks in the roof and gandi junctions. In a slow a process because of water logging in the sanctum on account of its low elevation and close proximity to the tank, it is getting slowly decayed.
Due to the renovation work done to the temple, there are no distress signs. It was repaired by the Orissa State Archaeology under X & XI Financial Commission Award and now any repairs and maintenance works are done by the local people of Ratha road.
References
Lesser Known Monuments of Bhubaneswar by Dr. Sadasiba Pradhan ()
http://ignca.nic.in/asi_reports/orkhurda009.pdf
Category:Hindu temples in Bhubaneswar | {
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Haniyan
Haniyan (, also Romanized as Ḩānīyān) is a village in Ashar Rural District, Ashar District, Mehrestan County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 38, in 9 families.
References
Category:Populated places in Mehrestan County | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Thomas Hellyer
Thomas Henry Hellyer (1840 – 5 April 1889) was an Australian politician.
He was born at Bathurst to solicitor William Hellyer, and Margaret Gray. On 25 April 1862 he married Rose Anne Parfitt, with whom he had twelve children. A solicitor, he practised from 1867, first in Sydney, then in Parramatta from 1869, Bathurst from 1878, and Sydney again from 1886.
He was the mayor of Bathurst by 1880.
In 1882 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for West Macquarie, but he resigned in 1884. Hellyer died at Liverpool in 1889.>
References
Category:1840 births
Category:1889 deaths
Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Category:19th-century Australian politicians | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Arixenia esau
Arixenia esau is a species of earwig, one of three species in the genus Arixenia.
This species was initially believed to be parasitic on bats, including the hairless bat (Cheiromeles torquatus), but is actually not a parasite. It is viviparous, giving birth to live offspring that develop in a uterus.
References
External links
An example of a female Arixenia esau from the Australian National Insect Collection
Category:Arixeniina
Category:Insects described in 1909
Category:Insects of Asia
Category:Parasites of bats | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Botswana at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Botswana competed at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. They sent twenty-three athletes in two sports, including their first participation in a field event.
Sources
Official results by country
Category:Botswana at the Commonwealth Games
Category:Nations at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Euchemotrema fraternum
Euchemotrema fraternum is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Polygyridae.
Subspecies
Euchemotrema fraternum montanum (Archer, 1939)
References
Category:Polygyridae
Category:Gastropods described in 1824 | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Kingsville, Nova Scotia
Kingsville is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Inverness County on Cape Breton Island.
References
Kingsville on Destination Nova Scotia
Category:Communities in Inverness County, Nova Scotia
Category:General Service Areas in Nova Scotia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Austroponera
Austroponera is a ponerine genus of ants found in Australia and New Zealand, hence the prefix "Austro-".
Species
Extant:
Austroponera castanea (Mayr, 1865)
Austroponera castaneicolor (Dalla Torre, 1893)
Austroponera rufonigra (Clark, 1934)
Fossil:
Austroponera schneideri Kaulfuss and Dlussky, 2016
References
Category:Ponerinae
Category:Ant genera
Category:Hymenoptera of Australia
Category:Ants of New Zealand | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
List of participating nations at the Winter Olympic Games
This is a list of nations, as represented by National Olympic Committees (NOCs), that have participated in the Winter Olympic Games between 1924 and 2018. The Winter Olympic Games have been held every four years (once during each Olympiad) since 1924, except for the cancelled Games of 1940 and 1944, and in 1994 when the Winter Games were moved to the middle of the Olympiad, two years after the previous Games. 127 NOCs (116 of the current 206 NOCs and 11 obsolete NOCs) have participated in at least one Winter Games, and twelve nations (Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States) have participated in all twenty-three Winter Games to date. Including continuity from Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also been represented in every edition.
History
Origin and early Games
The first winter sport to be contested at the modern Olympic Games was figure skating at the 1908 Games in London. A total of 21 skaters from six countries (Argentina, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Russia, and the United States) competed in four events on 28–29 October.
Skating was not in the program of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, but returned for the 1920 Games in Antwerp. Ice hockey was also part of the 1920 program of events, with seven teams competing.
The first Winter Games were held in 1924, in Chamonix, France. They were originally called International Winter Sports Week and held in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics, but were in retrospect designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the I Olympic Winter Games.
Sixteen nations participated in these Games: fourteen from Europe and two from North America.
Four years later, 25 nations were represented at the 1928 Winter Olympics, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, including Argentina (the first nation from the Southern Hemisphere), Japan (the first Asian nation), and Mexico.
Participation in the 1932 Games, held in Lake Placid, United States, during the Great Depression, was reduced to 17 nations.
The 1936 Winter Games, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, had 28 participating nations, the largest number to that date.
These would be the last Winter Games for twelve years, as the planned 1940 Games and 1944 Games were cancelled due to World War II.
Post-war years and Cold War era
After the war, 28 nations would return to St. Moritz for the 1948 Winter Olympics, but not Germany or Japan, who were not invited because of their roles in the war.
The 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway, featured 30 participating nations.
The 1956 Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, marked the Winter Games debut of the Soviet Union, along with 31 other nations.
The NOCs of East Germany and West Germany would be represented by a single German team, an arrangement that would continue until 1964.
Thirty nations would participate at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States, including South Africa, the first African nation to participate in the Winter Games.
Thirty-six nations were represented in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1964.
The 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, marked the first time that East Germany and West Germany competed as independent teams, two of the 37 nations that took part.
The Games of 1972 were held in Sapporo, Japan, the first time the Winter Games were held outside of Europe or the United States. A total of 35 nations were represented, including the Philippines, the first appearance by a southeast Asian nation.
The Winter Games returned to Innsbruck, in 1976, with 37 participating nations.
Lake Placid was once again the site of the Winter Games, in 1980, with 37 competing nations.
The People's Republic of China made their Olympic debut but, in response, the Republic of China boycotted the Games, after participating in 1972 and 1976. Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia was host to the 1984 Winter Olympics, which welcomed 49 nations.
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were the first two Caribbean NOCs to compete in the Winter Games.
Several more tropical nations would participate at the 1988 Winter Olympics, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, including the famed Jamaica national bobsleigh team.
Recent Games
The post-Cold War events of the early 1990s led to a large increase in participating nations at the Olympics. At the 1992 Games, in Albertville, France, a total of 64 NOCs were represented, including a single Germany team—following the German reunification in 1990—and a Unified Team composed of six of the ex-republics of the Soviet Union.
The Baltic states competed independently for the first time since 1936, and some of the ex-Yugoslav nations started to compete independently in 1992.
In October 1986, the IOC had voted to hold the Olympic Winter Games halfway through the four-year Olympiad, rather than in the same year as the summer Games, and this change started with the XVIIth Olympic Winter Games in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. A total of 67 nations took part, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia as independent teams, and each of the ex-Soviet nations.
The Winter Games have continued to grow in the recent past, with 72 nations at the 1998 Winter Olympics, in Nagano, Japan, 77 nations at the 2002 Winter Olympics, in Salt Lake City, United States, 80 nations at the 2006 Winter Olympics, in Turin, Italy, 82 nations at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 88 nations at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and a record 92 nations at the 2018 Games.
List of nations
Description
This list includes 127 NOCs (116 of the current 206 NOCs and 11 obsolete NOCs), arranged alphabetically. The three-letter country code is also listed for each NOC. Since the 1960s, these codes have been frequently used by the IOC and each Games organizing committee to identify NOCs, such as within the official report of each Games. However, in this section, several countries uses long-form names designated by the United Nations uses short form common names such as for example: Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic), North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), and Moldova (Republic of Moldova).
Several nations have changed during their Olympic history. Name changes due to geographical renaming are explained by footnotes after the nation's name, and other changes are explained by footnotes links within the table itself.
Obsolete nations
Obsolete nations are included in the table to more clearly illustrate past Olympic appearances for their successor nations.
TCH. Czechoslovakia (TCH) participated in 1924–1992, from 1994 represented by two successor NOCs of Czech Republic (CZE) and Slovakia (SVK).
EUA, FRG, GDR. For the Games of 1956–1964, Germany participated as a United Team of Germany (GER), representing the National Olympic Committees of both West Germany and East Germany. Retrospectively, the IOC uses the country code EUA for this team. After the NOC for the German Democratic Republic was granted full recognition by the IOC in 1968, East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG) participated as two distinct teams at the Games of 1968–1988.
AHO. The NOC of the Netherlands Antilles (AHO) was recognized by the IOC from 1950 until 2011 upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
URS, EUN, OAR. Soviet Union (URS) participated at the Games of 1956–1988. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, nine of the fifteen ex-republics of the Soviet Union were represented at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a combined Unified Team (EUN). Since 1994 ex-republics of the Soviet Union are represented by fifteen successor NOCs, fourteen of which have participated in the Winter Games. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, athletes from Russia competed as Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR).
YUG, SCG. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (officially the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes until 1929) participated as Yugoslavia (YUG) in three Games before the Second World War. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia also participated using the Yugoslavia designation, for all but one Games between 1948–1992, and hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (later the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro), consisting of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro, participated at the Games of 1998 and the Games of 2002 as Yugoslavia (YUG) and at the Games of 2006 as Serbia and Montenegro (SCG). Now the six ex-republics and one ex-province of the former Yugoslavia represented by seven successor NOCs, of which all have participated in the Winter Games.
COR. The NOC of Korea (COR) designates the united Korean women's ice hockey team at 2018 Games.
Table legend
Alphabetical list
Nations that have never competed
90 of the 206 active NOCs have yet to compete in a Winter Olympics.
Notes
Name changes notes
Participation notes
See also
Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics
List of participating nations at the Summer Olympic Games
List of IOC country codes
Lists of National Olympic Committees by continental association:
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa
European Olympic Committees
Oceania National Olympic Committees
Olympic Council of Asia
Pan American Sports Organization
References
External links
Olympic Games. International Olympic Committee
Olympic Review and Revue Olympique. library.la84.org
Official Reports. library.la84.org
Participating Nations At The Winter Olympic Games | {
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Rojas Magallanes metro station
Rojas Magallanes is an elevated metro station on the Line 4 of the Santiago Metro, in Santiago, Chile. The station has two side platforms and two tracks on a precast concrete segmental viaduct with single central columns. It is enclosed in a tubular structure with elliptical cross section, from which protrude two balcony-like structures containing stairs that lead to the mezzanine level.
References
Category:Santiago Metro stations | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Norris Locomotive Works
The Norris Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that produced nearly one thousand railroad engines between 1832 and 1866. It was the dominant American locomotive producer during most of that period, as well as the first major exporter of American locomotives, selling its popular 4-2-0 engines to railways in Europe and building the first locomotive used in South America.
History
Origin
The company was started in 1832 as the American Steam Carriage Company by William Norris (1802-1867) and Major Stephen H. Long (1784-1864), a military topographical engineer and explorer. The two men had experimented with steam engine building for years and, as early as 1829, designed a locomotive to burn anthracite coal. Norris and Long also built an engine called the Black Hawk, which performed with partial success on the Boston and Providence Railroad and the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad in the early 1830s. Major Long later left the firm and William Norris was joined by his brother Septimus, who patented several locomotive-related inventions. The two brothers reformed the enterprise into the Norris Locomotive Works.
Growth and success
One of the most historic events in railroading history occurred on July 10, 1836, when the Norris Brothers ran a test of a 4-2-0 locomotive on the Belmont Inclined Plane of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. (The two-track incline ran from the Schuylkill River for 2,805 feet towards present-day Belmont Avenue, rising one foot in 15 for a total of 187 feet.) Named George Washington, the 14,400 pound engine hauled a load of 19,200 pounds (including 24 people riding on the tender and a freight car) up the grade at 15 miles per hour. This engine, the first in the world to ascend a hill by its own power, proved that a steam locomotive could climb a grade while pulling a load. So remarkable was this accomplishment that reports published in engineering journals emphatically doubted its occurrence. A second, more formal trial with an even greater load proved the engine's capabilities on July 19, 1836. Norris 4-2-0s were exported to England for the Lickey Incline about 1842, English manufacturers having declined to supply.
Norris built the Lafayette for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad the following year based on plans of the George Washington. Named after the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette, this new 4-2-0 engine was the B&O's first locomotive to feature a leading truck and may have been the first standardized production model locomotive in the entire world. Innovations included positioning of cylinders outside and adjacent to the smokebox with pistons connecting to the face of the drive wheels instead of a crank axle, the four-wheel swiveling pilot truck, inside bar frame support, and placement of the two drivers ahead of the firebox (this supposedly offered greater power output as more of the locomotive's weight rested on the drivers and therefore increased tractive effort). The Lafayette established the configuration that American steam locomotives would follow until the end of the steam era.
In 1847, the Norris Works built the first ten-wheel locomotive in America: the Chesapeake. Operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, this was also the world's first 4-6-0 locomotive. It weighed 22 tons and had 14½ by 22 inch cylinders and driving wheels 46 inches in diameter. Initially a wood-burning locomotive, the Chesapeake was converted to burn anthracite coal in 1862, and ran for about another fifteen years. Some authorities claim that Septimus Norris came up with the design, but other sources attribute it to master builder John Brandt of the Erie Railway.
There were nine Norris brothers altogether, six of them had been involved in locomotive building at some point. William Norris' enterprise was renamed Norris Brothers when brothers Richard and Octavius joined it in 1844 during a period of financial distress and reorganization that included William's gradual departure from the business. The firm later became Richard Norris and Son. Other locomotive factories, operated independently (and unsuccessfully) by various Norris brothers later opened in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Schenectady, New York.
The Norris Locomotive Works sold many locomotives overseas, as noted above. This company was the first American exporter of locomotives—and perhaps of large mechanical devices generally. As early as 1840, thirty percent of the firm's production until then had been for foreign markets. Norris machines operated in England, France, the states of the German Confederation (including Prussia, Austria and Saxony), Belgium, Italy, Canada, Cuba and South America. (The Copiapó, built in 1850 for Chilean Railroad, was the first locomotive in all of South America.) These engines influenced contemporary and subsequent locomotive design in many of these countries.
William Norris had several large-scale operating models constructed as presentation pieces to rulers of several nations. Such sovereigns included Tsar Nicholas of Russia and King Louis-Philippe of France, who was so pleased with his model that he gave Norris a gold medal and a handsome gold box. A quarter-sized 4-4-0 locomotive and tender were built for Commodore Matthew C. Perry to deliver as a gift on his second expedition to Japan in 1854. A small circular railway—which also included a miniature passenger car made by another manufacturer and a mile of track—was set up near Yokohama. The Japanese soon could take the first train ride available in the Far East.
Demise
Richard Norris and Son was the largest locomotive maker in the United States, if not the world, during the 1850s. Employing many hundreds of men, the factory consisted of some ten buildings spread over several city blocks at what is now the campus of the Community College of Philadelphia. The firm reached its peak in 1857-58, after which time, the Norris family seems to have lost interest in the business. Manufacturing quality and output fell during the Civil War and the plant closed in 1866, although deliveries continued for a year or two.
The firm's factory complex was located in the area around 17th and Hamilton Streets, on several acres of what had once been the famous Bush Hill estate of Andrew Hamilton, used as a hospital during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. The site was near the right-of-way of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, which crossed through that part of Philadelphia just north of Callowhill Street. (This route was later owned by the Reading Railroad.)
The property lay idle until the adjacent Baldwin Locomotive Works (which had surpassed Norris as the largest locomotive builder in the US) acquired the site in 1873. The Norris buildings stood until 1896, when part of the property was cleared for construction of the third United States Mint in Philadelphia. (Still standing, that building has been adapted as part of the Community College of Philadelphia.) Today, no trace of either the Norris or Baldwin factories remains in that part of Philadelphia.
Notes
References
Brian Reed, The Norris Locomotives, LOCO Profile 11, Volume 1 (Windsor, Berkshire, England: Profile Publications Ltd., 1971)
John H. White, Jr., Once the Greatest of Builders: The Norris Locomotive Works, Bulletin 150 (Westford, MA: Railway & Locomotive Hist. Soc., Spring 1984).
External links
"Locomotive Steam Engine of William Norris, Philadelphia" (1838), a tri-lingual pamphlet produced by Norris with accounts of the George Washington trials (at the Internet Archive)
Category:Locomotive manufacturers of the United States
Category:Industrial buildings and structures in Pennsylvania
Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1832
Category:Companies established in 1832
Category:1832 establishments in Pennsylvania
Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1832 | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Aly Attyé
Aly Attyé (born 29 January 1964) is a Senegalese judoka. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
References
Category:1964 births
Category:Living people
Category:Senegalese male judoka
Category:Olympic judoka of Senegal
Category:Judoka at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Place of birth missing (living people) | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Thuarea
Thuarea is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Asia, Africa, Australia, and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Species:
Thuarea involuta (G.Forst.) R.Br. ex Sm. - Madagascar, China, Japan (incl Bonin, Volcano, Ryukyu Is), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indian Islands (Andaman, Nicobar, Laccadive), Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papuasia, Queensland, Northern Territory, Melanesia, Micronesia, Hawaii.
Thuarea perrieri A.Camus - Madagascar
References
Category:Panicoideae
Category:Poaceae genera | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Virovitica County
Virovitica County (; ) was a historic administrative subdivision (županija) of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (Transleithania), the Hungarian part of the dual Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its territory is now in eastern Croatia. The name of the county comes from the town of Virovitica (in Hungarian: Verőce). The capital of the county moved from Virovitica to Osijek (Croatian, in Hungarian: Eszék) in the late 18th century.
Geography
Virovitica County shared borders with the Hungarian counties of Somogy, Baranya, Bács-Bodrog, and the Croatian-Slavonian counties of Srijem, Požega and Bjelovar-Križevci. The county stretched along the right (southern) bank of the river Drava, down to its confluence with the river Danube. Its area was 4867 km² around 1910.
History
The territory of Virovitica County was part of the Kingdom of Croatia when it entered into personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary in 1102, and with it became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1526. It was conquered by Ottoman Empire between 1541 and 1552. Ottoman rule in it lasted till 1687. The County was re-established in 1718, after it was retaken from Ottoman rule. In 1920, by the Treaty of Trianon the county became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed to Yugoslavia). Since 1991, when Croatia became independent from Yugoslavia, the county is part of Croatia.
Demographics
In 1900, the county had a population of 243,101 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:
Total:
Croatian: 114,018 (46.9%)
German: 43,577 (17.9%)
Serbian: 41,998 (17.3%)
Hungarian: 33,298 (13.7%)
Slovak: 4,278 (1.8%)
Ruthenian: 94 (0.0%)
Romanian: 21 (0.0%)
Other or unknown: 5,817 (2.4%)
According to the census of 1900, the county was composed of the following religious communities:
Total:
Roman Catholic: 188,139 (77.4%)
Serbian Orthodox: 42,381 (17.4%)
Jewish: 5,044 (2.1%)
Calvinist: 4,396 (1.8%)
Lutheran: 2,330 (1.0%)
Greek Catholic: 116 (0.0%)
Unitarian: 8 (0.0%)
Other or unknown: 147 (0.0%)
In 1910, the county had a population of 272,430 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:
Total:
Croatian: 137,394 (50.4%)
German: 40,766 (15.0%)
Serbian: 46,658 (17.1%)
Hungarian: 37,656 (13.8%)
Slovak: 3,691 (1.4%)
Ruthenian: 439 (0.2%)
Romanian: 64 (0.0%)
Other or unknown: 5,762 (2.1%)
According to the census of 1910, the county was composed of the following religious communities:
Total:
Roman Catholic: 211,206 (77.5%)
Serbian Orthodox: 47,994 (17.6%)
Jewish: 5,199 (2.0%)
Calvinist: 5,112 (1.9%)
Lutheran: 2,176 (0.8%)
Greek Catholic: 677 (0.2%)
Unitarian: 1 (0.0%)
Other or unknown: 65 (0.0%)
Subdivisions
In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Verőce county were:
References
Literature
Category:1920 disestablishments in Europe
Category:Former counties of Croatia
Category:Counties in the Kingdom of Hungary
Category:Virovitica County
Category:States and territories established in the 12th century
Category:History of Slavonia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Villars
Villars may refer to:
France
Villars, Dordogne
Villars, Eure-et-Loir
Villars, Loire
Villars, Vaucluse
Villars-les-Dombes, Ain
Villars-le-Sec, Territoire de Belfort
Switzerland
Canton of Jura
Villars-sur-Fontenais in Fontenais
Canton of Fribourg
Villars-d'Avry in Pont-en-Ogoz
Villars-sous-Mont in Bas-Intyamon
Villars-sur-Glâne
Villars-sur-Marly, a Swiss Heritage Site in Pierrafortscha
Canton of Vaud
Villars-sur-Ollon in Ollon
Villars Bozon in L'Isle
Bougy-Villars
Lussery-Villars
Villars-Bramard
Villars-Burquin
Villars-Epeney
Villars-le-Comte
Villars-le-Grand
Villars-le-Terroir
Villars-Mendraz
Villars-Sainte-Croix
Villars-sous-Champvent
Villars-sous-Yens
Villars-Tiercelin
People with the surname
Claude Louis Hector de Villars, a Marshal of France
Dominique Villars (1745–1814), French botanist
Felix Villars (1921–2002), biophysicist
See also
Villars-Maitre-Chocolatier | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Johannes Brandrup
Johannes Brandrup (born 7 January 1967) is a German actor.
Career
Born in Frankfurt am Main, Brandrup was the first detective in the TV series Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei. After the first season Brandrup moved on to other projects, but briefly returned for its 40th season.
Selected filmography
TV
Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei (1996, 2016)
The Crusaders (2001)
Imperium: Saint Peter (2005)
Mafalda di Savoia: Il coraggio di una principessa (2006) as Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse
Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire (2010)
Mary of Nazareth (2012)
Movies
Paul the Apostle (2005)
80 Minutes (2008)
External links
Fanclub
Category:Living people
Category:1967 births
Category:German male film actors
Category:German male television actors
Category:People from Frankfurt
Category:People educated at Atlantic College | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Gilchrist Township, Pope County, Minnesota
Gilchrist Township is a township in Pope County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 239 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and is water (9.74%).
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 239 people, 99 households, and 73 families residing in the township. The population density was 7.4 people per square mile (2.9/km²). There were 269 housing units at an average density of 8.4/sq mi (3.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 100.00% White.
There were 99 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were married couples living together, 1.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the township the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $51,429. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $26,458 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,520. About 6.3% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 13.2% of those sixty five or over.
References
Category:Townships in Pope County, Minnesota
Category:Townships in Minnesota | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Kırkkaşık Bedesten
Kırkkaşık Bedesten is a bedesten (covered market) in Tarsus, Turkey. There are figures of lotus carved on the pediment of the bedesten. In the Medieval Age, the people named the bedesten Kırkkaşık (forty spoons) because they mistook the lotuses for spoons.
Geography
The bedesten is in Tarsus, a district center in Mersin Province. It is situated at in Camii Nur neighbourhood of Tarsus, adjacent to Tarsus Grand Mosque
History
In Medieval Turkish tradition, Vakıf was a source of revenue, endowed by the commissioners of the mosques and other charitable institutions for the exploitation and the maintenance of these institutions. Kırkkaşık Bedesten was an vakıf and hospice commissioned by İbrahim Bey of Ramazanoğlu house of the Ottoman Empire in 1579 to support Tarsus Grand Mosque. (İbrahim Bey was also the commissioner of the mosque). In 1960-1961 the bedesten was repaired and reopened to public use.
Details
The construction material of the rectangular plan bedesten is cut stone. The roof is made of five domes. There are 18 rooms all of which are used as shops in the bedesten.
References
Category:Tarsus, Mersin
Category:Ottoman architecture in Turkey
Category:Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Benny Henderson
Bernard Joseph "Benny" Henderson (1926–1993) was an Irish former soccer player.
Benny is survived by his wife Esther Mary (née Doyle) and son's Benny, Christy, Liam, Hazel, and Rose having died in 1993.
He played for Drumcondra F.C. and Dundalk F.C. at club level.
On 23 May 1948, he won his first senior cap for the Republic of Ireland national football team when he lined out on the left wing in a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in a friendly international played in Lisbon.
He played his only other senior international a week later in Barcelona when Ireland were beaten 2-1 by Spain in another friendly international.
Honours
League of Ireland: 2
Drumcondra F.C. 1947/48, 1948/49
FAI Cup: 2
Drumcondra F.C. 1946, 1954
References
Benny Henderson @ eu-football.info
The Complete Who's Who of Irish International Football, 1945-96 (1996):Stephen McGarrigle
Category:1926 births
Category:1993 deaths
Category:Association footballers from County Dublin
Category:Republic of Ireland association footballers
Category:Ireland (FAI) international footballers
Category:League of Ireland players
Category:Drumcondra F.C. players
Category:Bohemian F.C. players
Category:Association football midfielders | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Källa Bie
Källa Frida Bie (born 20 July 1974 in Ytterhogdal, Hälsingland, Sweden) is a Swedish actress. After her role in Festival (2001), she trained as a midwife and decreased the frequency of her acting appearances.
Filmography
Arne Dahl: Bad Blood (2012; TV movie)
Stormen (2009; TV series)
En spricka i kristallen (2007)
Beck – Skarpt läge (2006)
Festival (2001)
c/o Segemyhr (1999)
Vuxna människor (1999)
References
External links
Category:1974 births
Category:Swedish film actresses
Category:Living people
Category:Swedish television actresses | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Moldova at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Moldova competed in the Summer Olympic Games as an independent nation for the first time at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. Previously, Moldovan athletes competed for the Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Medalists
Silver
Viktor Reneysky and Nicolae Juravschi — Canoeing, Men's C2 500 metres Canadian Pairs
Bronze
Sergei Mureiko — Wrestling, Men's Greco-Roman Super Heavyweight (> 100 kg)
Results by event
Archery
In Moldova's debut independent archery competition, veteran and defending bronze medallist Natalia Valeeva was defeated in the third round of competition.
Women's Individual Competition:
Natalia Valeeva → Round of 16, 12th place (2-1)
Nadejda Palovandova → Round of 64, 38th place (0-1)
Athletics
Men's 400m Hurdles
Vadim Zadoinov
Heat — 49.73s (→ did not advance)
Men's Marathon
Valery Vlas — 2:28.36 (→ 77th place)
Men's 20 km Walk
Fedosei Ciumacenco — 1:27:57 (→ 41st place)
Men's 50 km Walk
Fedosei Ciumacenco — did not start (→ no ranking)
Women's High Jump
Olga Bolşova
Qualification — 1.93m
Final — 1.93m (→ 12th place)
Inna Gliznuta
Qualification — 1.85m (→ did not advance)
Boxing
Men's Flyweight (51 kg)
Igor Samoilenco
First Round — Defeated Omar Adorno (Puerto Rico), 20-8
Second Round — Lost to Elias Recaido (Philippines), 8-12
Men's Lightweight (60 kg)
Octavian Țîcu
First Round — Lost to Tontcho Tontchev (Bulgaria), referee stopped contest in second round
Cycling
Road Competition
Men's Individual Time Trial
Ruslan Ivanov
Final — 1:10:55 (→ 27th place)
Igor Bonciukov
Final — 1:12:48 (→ 33rd place)
Swimming
Men's 50m Freestyle
Maxim Kazmirchuk
Heat – 23.78 (→ did not advance, 43rd place)
Men's 100m Butterfly
Maxim Kazmirchuk
Heat – 56.46 (→ did not advance, 46th place)
Men's 200m Backstroke
Artur Elizarov
Heat – 2:07.86 (→ did not advance, 33rd place)
Men's 100m Breaststroke
Vadim Tatarov
Heat – 1:04.87 (→ did not advance, 30th place)
Men's 200m Breaststroke
Vadim Tatarov
Heat – 2:21.34 (→ did not advance, 28th place)
Men's 200m Individual Medley
Serghei Mariniuc
Heat – 2:04.99
B-Final – 2:04.11 (→ 13th place)
Men's 400m Individual Medley
Serghei Mariniuc
Heat – 4:20.24
Final – 4:21.15 (→ 8th place)
Weightlifting
Men's Light-Heavyweight
Vadim Vacarciuc
Final — 165.0 + 202.5 = 367.5 (→ 5th place)
Wrestling
Men's Freestyle
Vitalie Railean — Light flyweight, 6th place
Nazim Alidjanov — Bantamweight, 14th place
Victor Peicov — Welterweight, 7th place
Gusman Jabrailov — Middleweight, 9th place
Men's Greco-Roman
Igor Grabovetchi — Heavyweight, 6th place
Sergei Mureiko — Super Heavyweight, bronze medal.
References
sports-reference
Official Olympic Reports
International Olympic Committee results database
Category:Nations at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996
Summer | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Elizabeth A. Phelps
Elizabeth Anya Phelps is the Pershing Square Professor of Human Neuroscience at Harvard University in the Department of Psychology. She is a cognitive neuroscientist known for her research at the intersection of memory, learning, and emotion. She was the recipient of the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society Distinguished Scholar Award and the 21st Century Scientist Award from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, as well as other honors and awards in her field. Phelps was honored with the 2018 Thomas William Salmon Lecture and Medal in Psychiatry at the New York Academy of Medicine. She received the 2019 William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) which acknowledged how her "multidisciplinary body of research has probed the influence of emotion across cognitive and behavioral domains using novel imaging techniques and neuropsychological studies grounded in animal models of learning."
Phelps is a past-president of the APS, past-president of the Society for NeuroEconomics, and a founding board member of the Society for Neuroethics. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Biography
Phelps was born in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended college at Ohio Wesleyan University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1984, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. Subsequently, Phelps went to Princeton University where she received a M.A. in 1986 and Ph.D in 1989 in Psychology, working under the supervision of William Hirst and Marcia K. Johnson. After graduation she worked as a research scientist at Dartmouth Medical School, the New School of Social Research and at New York University.
Phelps joined the faculty at Harvard University in 2018. Previously she had worked at NYU obtaining the rank of Full Professor in 2004 and Yale University as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Psychology (1992–1999).
Phelps has served on the Board of Directors of the APS and as the editor of the journal Emotion.
Research
Phelps's research focuses on how our emotions affect the way brain systems function in relation to memory and learning. She aims to figure out how emotions make certain learning experiences stick with us. Her research centers around four topics: incorporating animal models of emotional learning to explain human behavior, influence of emotion on episodic memory, impact of emotion on perception, attention, and expression, and explaining social behavior, decision making, and economics using basic mechanisms of emotional learning.
In an interview with Ira Flatow of Science Friday with NPR News, Phelps explained her study on extinction of memory, and how she hopes it can be used to treat people with fearful memories (e.g., phobias, PTSD, anxiety disorders). Phelps paired colored squares and mild shocks to participants' wrist to create a fear memory. She then examined the extinction of the fear memory by incorporating extinction training (showing the colored square without shocks) to one group of participants when the memory was vulnerable, and observed that the group no longer showed signs of fear. The second group received the same extinction training but outside of the memory vulnerability window, and still expressed fear. Repeated extinction training helps remove the fearful memory.
In another study Phelps examined flashbulb memories using functional magnetic resonance imaging. She observed 24 participants as they recalled their 9/11 experiences. As participants recalled the attacks, the fMRI displayed their amygdala lighting up, showing that the amygdala associated with emotional memories.
Representative publications
Anderson, A. K., & Phelps, E. A. (2001). Lesions of the human amygdala impair enhanced perception of emotionally salient events. Nature, 411(6835), 305-309.
Phelps, E. A. (2006). Emotion and cognition: insights from studies of the human amygdala. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 27-53.
Phelps, E. A., & LeDoux, J. E. (2005). Contributions of the amygdala to emotion processing: from animal models to human behavior. Neuron, 48(2), 175-187.
Phelps, E. A., O'Connor, K. J., Cunningham, W. A., Funayama, E. S., Gatenby, J. C., Gore, J. C., & Banaji, M. R. (2000). Performance on indirect measures of race evaluation predicts amygdala activation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12(5), 729-738.
References
External links
Phelps Lab
Category:American women psychologists
Category:New York University faculty
Category:Harvard University faculty
Category:Ohio Wesleyan University alumni
Category:Princeton University alumni | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Seurat's spiny mouse
Seurat's spiny mouse (Acomys seurati) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in Algeria.
Its natural habitats are rocky areas and hot deserts.
References
Category:Acomys
Category:Endemic fauna of Algeria
Category:Mammals described in 1936
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
John Anders Gaustad
John Anders Gaustad (born February 29, 1980) is a Norwegian cross-country skier who has competed since 2001. His best World Cup finish was fifth in a 15 km event in Norway in November 2009.
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
World Cup
Season standings
References
External links
Category:1980 births
Category:Living people
Category:Norwegian male cross-country skiers | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
List of New England Patriots first-round draft picks
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston metropolitan area. They are a member of the American Football Conference East Division (AFC East). The team began as the Boston Patriots in the American Football League, which merged with the National Football League in 1970. In 1971, the team relocated to Foxborough, where they became the New England Patriots. Since its establishment in 1960, the franchise has selected 64 players in the first round, five of these being the first overall pick.
The NFL Draft, which is officially known as the "Player Selection Meeting", is held each April. The draft is used as the primary means to distribute newly available talent (primarily from college football) equitably amongst the teams. Selections are made in reverse order based on the previous season's record, i.e., the club with the worst record from the previous season selects first. Through 2009, only two exceptions were made to this order: the Super Bowl champion always selects last (32nd), and the Super Bowl loser second to last (31st). Beginning in 2010, teams making the playoffs have been seeded in reverse order depending upon how far they advance. The draft consists of seven rounds. Teams have the option of trading selections for players, cash and/or other selections (including future year selections). Thus, it is not uncommon for a team's actual draft pick to differ from their assigned draft pick, or for a team to have extra or no draft picks in any round due to these trades. The Patriots traded their first-round pick six times (1972, 1974, 2000, 2009, 2013, and 2017). In 2016, their first-round pick was stripped as punishment for the Deflategate incident.
Gerhard Schwedes, a running back from Syracuse, was the first player to be drafted to the Patriots team. He was selected third overall in the 1960 American Football League Draft. Jim Plunkett, a quarterback from Stanford, was the Patriots' first selection in the 1971 NFL Draft. The Patriots have selected first overall five times, drafting Jack Concannon in 1964, Plunkett in 1971, Kenneth Sims in 1982, Irving Fryar in 1984, and Drew Bledsoe in 1993. The team has selected third overall once and fourth overall three times. Through 2017, two Patriots first-round draft picks have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Hannah and Mike Haynes. Twenty Patriots first-round draft picks have been selected for the Pro Bowl. The team's most recent first-round draft pick was N'Keal Harry, a wide receiver from Arizona State University.
Key
Player selections
Notes
Territorial "bonus" pick; Also drafted by the Baltimore Colts of the NFL; stayed with the Patriots
Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL; did not stay with the Patriots
Drafted by the Cleveland Browns of the NFL; did not stay with the Patriots
Also drafted by the Cleveland Browns of the NFL; stayed with the Patriots
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL; did not stay with the Patriots
Drafted by the Detroit Lions of the NFL; did not stay with the Patriots
The Patriots traded their #17 overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams.
Acquired from the Los Angeles Rams.
Acquired from the Chicago Bears.
The Patriots traded their #9 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers.
Acquired from the San Francisco 49ers.
Acquired from the Houston Oilers.
Acquired from the San Francisco 49ers.
Acquired from the Houston Oilers.
Acquired from the San Francisco 49ers.
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Acquired from the San Francisco 49ers.
Acquired from the Seattle Seahawks.
Acquired from the Indianapolis Colts through the Seattle Seahawks.
Acquired from the Minnesota Vikings through the Dallas Cowboys.
Acquired from the New Orleans Saints through the Dallas Cowboys.
Acquired from the Minnesota Vikings through the Dallas Cowboys
Acquired from the New York Jets in compensation for losing restricted free agent Curtis Martin.
Acquired from the Seattle Seahawks.
Acquired from the New York Jets in compensation for losing Bill Parcells.
The Patriots forfeited their #16 overall pick to the Jets in compensation for hiring Bill Belichick.
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins.
Acquired from the Washington Redskins through the New York Jets and Chicago Bears.
Acquired from the Baltimore Ravens.
Acquired from the Seattle Seahawks.
Acquired from the New Orleans Saints.
The Patriots traded their #23 overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens.
Acquired from the Dallas Cowboys.
The Patriots traded their #29 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Patriots had their 1st round pick stripped as punishment for the Deflategate incident.
The Patriots traded their #32 overall pick to the New Orleans Saints.
References
General
Specific
New England Patriots
*
*
Category:New England Patriots lists | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
1996 PBA All-Filipino Cup
The 1996 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) All-Filipino Cup was the first conference of the 1996 PBA season. It started on February 18 and ended on May 26, 1996. The tournament is an All-Filipino format, which doesn't require an import or a pure-foreign player for each team.
Format
The following format will be observed for the duration of the conference:
Double-round robin eliminations; 14 games per team; Teams are then seeded by basis on win-loss records.
The top five teams after the eliminations will advance to the semifinals.
Semifinals will be two round robin affairs with the remaining five teams. Results from the eliminations will be carried over. A playoff incentive for a finals berth will be given to the team that will win at least five of their eight semifinal games.
The top two teams (or the top team and the winner of the playoff incentive) will face each other in a best-of-seven championship series. The next two teams (or the loser of the playoff incentive and the fourth seeded team) dispute the third-place trophy in a one-game playoff.
Elimination round
Team standings
Semifinal round
Team standings
Finals seed playoff
Battle for third
Finals
References
External links
PBA.ph
All-Filipino Cup 1996
1996 | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Cold Harbor, Virginia
Cold Harbor is an unincorporated community in Hanover County, Virginia. The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought in the area in 1864, during the American Civil War.
Category:Unincorporated communities in Virginia
Category:Unincorporated communities in Hanover County, Virginia | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Shinji Yamamoto
Shinji Yamamoto may refer to:
Shinji Turner-Yamamoto (born 1965), Japanese environmental artist
Shinji Yamamoto (handballer) (born 1953), Japanese former handball player | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Celebrity Coach Trip (series 2)
Celebrity Coach Trip 2 was the second celebrity series of Coach Trip which aired from 10–21 October 2011. The series featured a variety of celebrity couples on a 10-day tour, the couples get to vote off the other couples that they do not get along with. On the last day of the coach trip the remaining couples vote for the couple that they want to win the £1000 prize for charity. This coach trip had a journey around the Mediterranean, with the starting location and pick up point in Paris, France and the first destination was Monaco.
Voting System
The Voting system on this series was:
Days 1 to 5 was a yellow card
Days 6 to 9 an automatic red card
Contestants
Indicates the couple were aboard the coach
Indicates the couple were immune from votes
Indicates that the couple were voted as the most popular couple and won series
Indicates that the couple were voted as the second most popular couple
Indicates that the couple were voted as the third most popular couple
Indicates the couple got a yellow card
Indicates the couple got a red card
Celebrity Voting History
Indicates that the couple received the most votes and received a yellow card
Indicates that the couple received the most votes and were red carded off the trip
Indicates that it was the couple's first vote meaning they could not be voted for
Indicates that the couple were voted as the most popular couple and won series
Indicates that the couple were voted as the second most popular couple
Indicates that the couple were voted as the third most popular couple
The trip by day
Arrival Day and Day 1 (10 October 2011)
Location: Monaco (Paris pick up point)
Morning Activity:
Afternoon Activity:
Day 2 (11 October 2011)
Location: Isola
Morning Activity: Snowboarding
Afternoon Activity:
Day 3 (12 October 2011)
Location: Cannes
Morning Activity:
Afternoon Activity:
Day 4 (13 October 2011)
Location: Hyères
Morning Activity: Sea kayaking
Afternoon Activity: Zoo trip
Day 5 (14 October 2011)
Location: Ajaccio
Morning Activity: Horse riding
Afternoon Activity:
Day 6 (17 October 2011)
Location: Corte
Morning Activity: White-water rafting
Afternoon Activity: Ravine zip-wiring
Day 7 (18 October 2011)
Location: Livorno
Morning Activity:
Afternoon Activity:
Day 8 (19 October 2011)
Location: Florence
Morning Activity:
Afternoon Activity:
Day 9 (20 October 2011)
Location: Verona
Morning Activity: Juliet's balcony
Afternoon Activity: Opera lesson
Day 10 and The Last Day (21 October 2011)
Location: Orvieto
Morning Activity:
Afternoon Activity:
References
Category:2011 British television seasons
Category:Coach Trip series | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Swing (Hong Kong band)
Swing is a Hong Kong musical duo that was founded in 1999. The members are Eric Kwok and Jerald Chan. The former name of the group is Snowman. Their best known work is "1984" and "A ticket in half" （半張飛）.
Swing was disbanded in 2002. They returned in 2009 when releasing the Wu Dang album. Another album Electro was released in 2010 .
Career
In 1997, Chan met Kwok for the first time when the former returned to Hong Kong after graduating from university.
In 1999, they formed Snowman under the label EEI, which was owned by EMI.
In the same year they released the first album, Snowman. The songs were composed and arranged by Snowman, with vocal production by Chung Ting Yat, Danny. Meanwhile, they made songs for singers such as Gigi Leung Wing-Kei.
EEI closed in 2000. During the period when the group was searching for another record company, Kwok continued composing songs for singers such as Eason Chan, Jacky Cheung and Cass Phang. Notable works made during this period include The Lucky Ferris Wheel (幸福摩天輪) and To The Boys I Loved (給我愛過的男孩們).
In the same year, Snowman joined EEG as the company was searching for composers to produce songs for Lillian Ho Ka-Lei. In the same year, they transferred to EEG's subsidiary Music Plus and changed their name to "Swing".
During the years in EEG, they released four albums: Swing, On Fire and For Sale and Swing Swang Swung.
In Commercial Radio Hong Kong Ultimate Song Chart Awards of 2001, Swing received the best group award.
Kwok and Chan also collaborated with radio DJs. They produced Yiu Wing Entertainment (耀榮娛樂) and Little Meteor (小流星) for a musical by Commercial Radio DJs Sammy Leung and Kitty Yuen. Also, they composed Sing Sung (惺忪) and Fate, Luck and Feng Shui (一命、二運、三風水) for two RTHK programmes.
In 2002, Swing was disbanded after releasing the "best-of" album Swing Swang Swung.
Between 2002 and 2009, Eric made songs for singers including Sally Yeh, Eason Chan and Hacken Lee. His 2008 work for Kay Tse, Wedding Card Street (囍帖街), swept local music awards.
At the same time, Chan mainly produced for artists of Silly Thing, such as Juno Mak and Yan Ng. He was also the co-producer to Prudence Liew's comeback compilation album, Opening the Sexual Boundaries (大開色界).
In 2009, Swing returned in Eason Chan's SAME WRONG SIN concert. They performed with Eason Chan and Mr.
In September 2009, Swing released their album Wu Dang (武當). They performed two concerts in Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre and Stanley Plaza for their own group. The album received three awards for album items in the year.
In August 2010, Swing launched EP Electro (電) and held the new CD release outside World Trade Center in Causeway Bay.
Albums
《Snowman》(23 November 1999, by Snowman)
《Swing》(1 October 2000)
《On Fire》(1 July 2001)
《For Sale》(6 December 2001)
《Swing Swang Swung》(8 March 2002)
《武當》(9 September 2009)
《電》(3 August 2010)
《Swing到盡》(17 November 2011)
References
Category:Hong Kong musical groups | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Real Works
was a Japanese company located in Tokyo that was involved in the planning and production of adult videos (AV). They were integrated with the AV company KM Produce in early 2011.
Company information
Real Works released its first videos in January 2005 advertising a stellar lineup of AV actresses who had previously been with other studios: Hitomi Hayasaka, nao, Ran Monbu, Naho Ozawa, Akane Sakura, Yuna Mizumoto, Momo Nakamura, Yui Seto, Miyu Sugiura, Yui Miho & Sumire Aida. After S1 No. 1 Style introduced the new less concealing digital mosaic style of censorship in late 2004, several other companies followed suit in 2005, including Real Works with its "Super Digimo" (超デジモ) series.
In mid-2010 Real Works produced an average of about 8-10 videos per month and in May 2010, Japan's largest AV distributor, DMM, listed nearly 600 DVDs available under the Real Works name.
The company also produced a series of late night 30 minute broadcasts in 2007 featuring some of their top actresses for adult TV station ENTA! 371 (エンタ！371), part of the SkyPerfecTV satellite TV network.
Real Works was affiliated with the Media Station (Cosmos Plan) and KMP studios and KMP operated the Real Works website, realworks.tv. However, by at least April 2011, the Real Works website announced that Real had been integrated into the KMP website and from February 2011, the Real, Ecstasy and M labels were incorporated into KMP.
Labels
Real Works used the following labels for its video products:
Real
Ecstasy
M
Real Guest
Actresses
Some of the more prominent actresses who performed for Real Works:
Airi & Meiri
Hotaru Akane
Hitomi Hayasaka
Hikari Hino
Hime Kamiya
Karen Kisaragi
Yuna Mizumoto
Yuka Osawa
Maria Ozawa
Riko Tachibana
Series
Popular Real Works series include:
AV Open
Real Works was one of the 16 AV production companies which competed in the main section of the 2006 AV Open contest. Their entry, Special Galactic All-Stars (責め痴女 ハーレムSPECIAL), labeled OPEN-0615, with Karen Kisaragi, Riko Tachibana, Hotaru Akane, Noa and Nashigo Tanaka, was awarded a special prize by the Honorary President of the event.
The company's nominee for the 2007 AV Open was also a multi-actress video, I Will Become Your Wife - Harem 4-Hour Special (奥さんになってあげる ハーレム4時間スペシャル), labeled OPEN-716, and starring Noa, @You, Misaki Asoh, Moe Oishi and Emi Haruna. The entry finished in 9th place in the competition.
Notes
Sources
Category:Japanese pornographic film studios
Category:Japanese companies established in 2005
Category:Media companies based in Tokyo
Category:Media companies established in 2005
Category:Film production companies of Japan | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Pierre Blättler
Pierre Blättler (born 3 February 1966) is a retired Dutch football midfielder.
He is the father of Tim Blättler.
References
Category:1966 births
Category:Living people
Category:Dutch footballers
Category:Roda JC Kerkrade players
Category:FC St. Gallen players
Category:FC Zürich players
Category:FC Baden players
Category:Association football midfielders
Category:Eredivisie players
Category:Dutch expatriate footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in Switzerland
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Category:Expatriate footballers in Germany
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Category:Swiss Super League players
Category:Netherlands under-21 international footballers | {
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Die letzte Kommune
Die letzte Kommune ("The Last Commune") is a 2013 written play in German language by Peter Lund (lyrics), with music by Thomas Zaufke and was specifically written for GRIPS-Theater, Berlin. The world premiere took place there on September 21, 2013. It's a piece for three generations and was a long-running hit for the house in 2013.
Synopsis
Drama in the house Puhlmann: Grandpa Friedrich has burned his kitchen - almost! With his 78 years, he must have in a nursing home? No, Grandpa Friedrich can not get out of his old apartment. Not for nothing he has hoarded his six-figure nest-egg in ice cream box. With this money, he starts one last great adventure and founds a municipality with his old pal, the wacker proletarian metalworker Hannes Majowski. As in the past, but very different. But then Lotte enters the stage, the granddaughter of Hannes, who wrote a seminar paper on the Kommune 1...
Ensembles and productions
Performance in Berlin (GRIPS-Cast)
September 21st 2013 to June 25th 2014
Cast
Director: Franziska Steiof
Choreography: Clébio Oliveira
Drama: Henrik Adler
Stage: Jan A. Schroeder
Costumes: Sibylle Meyer
Actors
Christian Giese (Hannes Majowski)
Jumin Hoffmann (Philipp Paul)
Dietrich Lehmann (Friedrich Puhlmann)
Regina Lemnitz (Josephine Bouvier)
Jens Mondalski (Michael)
Maria Perlick (Charlotte)
Kilian Ponert (Atze)
René Schubert (Georg)
Regine Seidler (Heidi)
Musicians
Martin Fonfara (drums)
Johannes Gehlmann (gituar)
Robert Neumann (keys)
Thomas Keller (sax)
Carsten Schmelzer (bass)
Reviews
"bridging the gap between generations" (Christian Rakow, Berliner Zeitung vom 23. September 2013)
Notes
External links
Materials for "Die letzte Kommune" - Ein Schauspiel mit Musik von Peter Lund und Thomas Zaufke, GRIPS-Theater, 21.9.13 (PDF; 1,9 MB)
Category:2013 plays
Category:German plays | {
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Iwaki Station
Iwaki Station may refer to:
Iwaki Station (Fukushima)
Iwaki Station (Nara) | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Alvor Agreement
The Alvor Agreement, signed on 15 January 1975, granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November, ending the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence.
The agreement was signed by the Portuguese government, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), and established a transitional government composed of representatives of these four parties. It was not signed by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) or the Eastern Revolt as the other parties excluded them from negotiations. The transitional government soon fell, as each of the nationalist factions, distrustful of the others and unwilling to share power, attempted to take control of the country by force, initiating the Angolan Civil War. The name of the agreement comes from the village of Alvor, in the southern-Portuguese region of Algarve, where it was signed.
Negotiation
Leftist military officers overthrew the Caetano government in Portugal in the Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974. The MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA each negotiated peace agreements with the transitional Portuguese government and began to fight each other for control of the Angolan capital, Luanda, and of the country. Holden Roberto, Agostinho Neto, and Jonas Savimbi met in Bukavu, Zaire, in July and agreed to negotiate with the Portuguese as one political entity. They met again in Mombasa, Kenya, on 5 January 1975, agreed to stop fighting each other, and outlined a joint negotiating position on a new constitution. They met for a third time in Alvor, Portugal from January 10–15 and signed what became known as the Alvor Agreement.
Treaty terms
The parties agreed to hold elections for the National Assembly of Angola in October 1975. From 31 January 1975 until independence, a transitional government consisting of the Portuguese High Commissioner Admiral Rosa Coutinho and a Prime Ministerial Council (PMC) would rule. The PMC consisted of three representatives, one from each Angolan party to the agreement, with a rotating premiership among the representatives. Every PMC decision required two-thirds support. The twelve ministries were divided among the Angolan parties and the Portuguese government, three for each. Author Witney Wright Schneidman criticized this provision in Engaging Africa: Washington and the Fall of Portugal's Colonial Empire for ensuring a "virtual paralysis in executive authority". The Bureau of Intelligence and Research cautioned that an excessive desire to preserve the balance of power in the agreement restricted the transitional Angolan government's ability to function.
The Portuguese government's main goal in negotiations was preventing the mass emigration of white Angolans. Paradoxically, the agreement only allowed the MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA to nominate candidates to the first assembly elections, deliberately disenfranchising Bakongo in the east of the country, the Cabindese (the inhabitants of Cabinda, an exclave north of the rest of Angola, many of whom wished independence separate from Angola), and whites. The Portuguese reasoned that white Angolans would have to join the nationalist movements and the movements would have to moderate their platforms to expand their political bases.
The agreement called for the integration of the militant wings of the Angolan parties into a new military, the Angolan Defense Forces. The ADF would have 48,000 active personnel, made up of 24,000 local Black soldiers of the Portuguese Army and 8,000 MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA fighters respectively. Each party was to maintain separate barracks and outposts. Every military decision required the unanimous consent of each party's headquarters and the joint military command. The Portuguese forces lacked equipment and commitment to the cause, while Angolan nationalists were antagonistic of each other and lacked training.
The treaty, which FLEC never agreed to, described Cabinda as an "integral and inalienable part of Angola". Separatists see the agreement as a violation of Cabindan right to self-determination. By August 1975 MPLA had taken control of Cabinda.
Implementation
The agreement did not establish a mechanism to verify the number of fighters from each force. All three parties soon had forces greater in number than the Portuguese, endangering the colonial power's ability to keep the peace. Factional fighting resumed, reaching new heights as foreign supplies of arms increased. In February the Cuban government warned the Eastern Bloc that the Alvor Agreement would not succeed. By spring the African National Congress and SWAPO were echoing Cuba's warning. Leaders of the Organization of African Unity organized a peace conference, moderated by Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta, with the three leaders in Nakuru, Kenya in June. The Angolan leaders issued the Nakuru Declaration on 21 June, agreeing to abide by the provisions of the Alvor Agreement while acknowledging that a mutual lack of trust had led to violence.
Many analysts have criticized the transitional government in Portugal for the violence that followed the Alvor Agreement in terms of a lack of concern about internal Angolan security and favoritism towards the MPLA. High Commissioner Coutinho, one of the seven leaders of the National Salvation Junta, openly distributed ex-Portuguese arms and military equipment to MPLA forces. Edward Mulcahy, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States State Department, told Tom Killoran, the U.S. Consul General in Angola, to congratulate the PMC rather than the FNLA and UNITA on their own and Coutinho for Portugal's "untiring and protracted efforts" at a peace agreement. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger considered any government involving the pro-Soviet, Communist MPLA, to be unacceptable and President Gerald Ford oversaw heightened aid to the FNLA.
In July the MPLA violently forced the FNLA out of Luanda and UNITA voluntarily withdrew to its stronghold in the south. There MPLA forces engaged UNITA and UNITA declared war. By August the MPLA had control of 11 of the 15 provincial capitals, including Cabinda and Luanda. South Africa intervened on 23 October, sending 1,500 to 2,000 troops from Namibia into southern Angola. FNLA-UNITA-South African forces took five provincial capitals, including Novo Redondo and Benguela, in three weeks. On 10 November the Portuguese left Angola, in accordance with the Alvor Agreement. Cuban-MPLA forces defeated South African-FNLA forces, maintaining control over Luanda. On 11 November Neto declared the independence of the People's Republic of Angola. The FNLA and UNITA responded by proclaiming their own government based in Huambo. By mid-November the Huambo government had control over southern Angola and began pushing north.
See also
Bicesse Accords
Lusaka Accord
Lusaka Protocol
Movimento das Forças Armadas Armed Forces Movement
Nakuru Agreement
Portuguese Colonial War
References
External links
Text of all peace accords for Angola
Category:Peace treaties of Angola
Category:Peace treaties of Portugal
Category:1975 in Angola
Category:1975 in Portugal
Category:1975 in the Portuguese Empire
Category:Portuguese Angola
Category:Portuguese Colonial War
Category:Treaties concluded in 1975
Category:Treaties entered into force in 1975
Category:Cold War treaties
Category:Treaties of Portugal
Category:1975 establishments in Angola | {
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Mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase
In enzymology, a mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
GDP-mannose + 3-phospho-D-glycerate GDP + 2-(alpha-D-mannosyl)-3-phosphoglycerate
Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are GDP-mannose and 3-phospho-D-glycerate, whereas its two products are GDP and 2-(alpha-D-mannosyl)-3-phosphoglycerate.
This enzyme belongs to the family of glycosyltransferases, specifically the hexosyltransferases. The systematic name of this enzyme class is GDP-mannose:3-phosphoglycerate 3-alpha-D-mannosyltransferase. This enzyme is also called MPG synthase.
References
Category:EC 2.4.1
Category:Enzymes of unknown structure | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Mario Miltone
Mario Miltone (born August 26, 1906 in Novara) was an Italian professional football player.
External links
Category:1906 births
Category:Year of death missing
Category:Italian footballers
Category:Serie A players
Category:Novara Calcio players
Category:U.S. Lecce players
Category:Inter Milan players
Category:A.C.R. Messina players
Category:Calcio Catania players
Category:U.S. Catanzaro 1929 players
Category:Association football defenders | {
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Graham Rahal
Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winner of the 1986 Indianapolis 500.
Racing career
Early racing
In 2005, he won the Formula Atlantic class at the SCCA Runoffs and finished fourth in Star Mazda Series standings. He moved to a full-time ride in the Champ Car Atlantic Series in 2006, where he won five races and finished second in the season standings. He also drove in the Indy Pro Series event on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in conjunction with the 2006 United States Grand Prix and finished second. SpeedTV reported in August 2006 that Rahal would drive for Newman/Haas Racing in the Champ Car World Series in 2007.
2007
On January 27 Rahal drove in the 24 Hours of Daytona. One of four drivers of the Southard Motorsports Lexus Riley, the car ran into early troubles and finished 62nd out of 70 entries. On March 18, he drove in the 12 Hours of Sebring American Le Mans Series race for his father's Rahal Letterman Racing team. He drove a Porsche 911 GT3-RSR with two other drivers, finishing 6th in the GT2 class and 15th overall.
On March 27 news reports from the previous summer were finally confirmed when he was announced as the second driver for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in the Champ Car World Series and drove the No. 2 Panoz DP01 sponsored by MEDI|ZONE alongside his teammate, three-time series champion Sébastien Bourdais. On April 8 in his debut in the Champ Car World Series at the Vegas Grand Prix, Rahal hit the wall on the front stretch on the first lap, and retired from the race. On April 15 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach he finished his first Champ Car race, ending up 8th. On April 22, in just his 3rd Champ Car race, he became the youngest ever podium finisher in Champ Car history after finishing 2nd in Houston. Rahal completed his rookie season in 5th place in series points with four podium finishes but without a race win.
2008
With the creation of a single American open-wheel racing series for 2008, Rahal and the Newman/Haas/Lanigan team became part of the IndyCar Series, including Rahal's first Indianapolis 500.
He missed the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 due to a crash in testing, after which his team could not get his car repaired in time for the race. He made his series debut at the second race of the season, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and despite an early spin in the race, Rahal won the race by 3.5192 seconds from two-time defending winner of the race, Hélio Castroneves. He is currently the youngest person to win a major American open-wheel race – aged – and the fourth to win in his first appearance in the IndyCar Series. The best finish Rahal would manage the rest of the year was a pair of 8th place finishes at Watkins Glen and Sonoma; he finished 17th in points, 4th among series rookies.
2009
Rahal returned to Newman/Haas/Lanigan for the 2009 IndyCar Series, taking over the No. 02 car with McDonald's as his sponsor. He began the season by taking pole position at St. Petersburg, his first in his IndyCar career, thus becoming the youngest ever polesitter aged . This was the first time a Rahal had won an IndyCar pole since his father started first at Toronto in 1992, which was Bobby's third in a row that season. He finished seventh after damaging the car in a first lap clash. His season was also undermined by bad relations with his team-mate Robert Doornbos – when Doornbos left midseason, Rahal commented "We could certainly have a second driver who is more of a team player." He finished the season 7th in points with two podium finishes.
Rahal was linked with the US F1 Team, the American-based Formula One team, that was set to debut in the 2010 World Championship. The team's sporting director, Peter Windsor, mentioned Rahal as a potential candidate for a seat with the Charlotte-based outfit. However, Windsor later decided against hiring either Rahal or Marco Andretti due to fears that they would not be able to get their FIA Super Licences in time for the 2010 season. Eventually, the team failed to compete in the 2010 Formula One season.
2010
Rahal did not return to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing for the 2010 IndyCar Series, due to McDonald's discontinuing their sponsorship to focus on the 2010 Winter Olympics.
On March 10, 2010, Sarah Fisher Racing announced Rahal would pilot Fisher's No. 67 Dollar General car in the first two North American events of 2010, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Fisher was originally planning on driving the races herself, in addition to seven oval race, before deciding that putting Rahal in the car could be a benefit to everyone, including Dollar General, who are based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. On April 6, 2010, Sarah Fisher Racing announced the addition of the Grand Prix of Long Beach to Rahal's schedule. Rahal's placing in those three races were 9th, 17th, and 22nd (retired) respectively.
After the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Rahal was signed to drive for his father's team, Rahal Letterman Racing, in the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Rahal qualified in the seventh position for the race, and finished 12th. On June 10, 2010, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced the signing of Rahal for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway, filling in for the injured Mike Conway in the No. 24 entry on a one-off basis. Rahal returned to Newman/Haas Racing for 6 of the remaining 8 races of the 2010 season, starting with Toronto and returned to Sarah Fisher Racing for the Kentucky Speedway race. Rahal's 2010 totals included 12 starts for four teams and a 20th-place finish in points.
On October 10, 2010, Rahal finished runner-up at the RoboPong 200 all-star kart event at the New Castle Motorsports Park with teammate Conor Daly.
2011–2012
Rahal signed to drive the No. 38 car for Chip Ganassi Racing with Service Central sponsorship beginning in 2011 as the team expanded from two to four cars and continued with the team into 2012.
Rahal, co-drove the No. 01 TELMEX/Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates car to victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona along with Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, and Joey Hand. It came 30 years after his father, Bobby won the race, partnering with Brian Redman and Bob Garretson.
2013–2019
From 2013 onwards, Graham Rahal returned to his father's team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. While a second-place finish at the 2013 Long Beach Grand Prix showed promise early in the season, 2013 would be a building year for the new partnership.
2015 brought great results for Rahal with three podiums in the first half of the season; 2nd at Barber Motorsports Park, 2nd at the 2015 Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and a 3rd at the Sunday race in Detroit.
During the 2015 season Rahal broke a 6+ year winless streak by winning the 2015 MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Rahal again won later in the season at the 2015 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. The win was especially poignant for Rahal, since he grew up in Ohio and also put Rahal in the championship hunt for the first time in his career. Rahal ended finishing 4th in the standings after a disappointing performance in the last two races.
2016 brought another win to Rahal's almost decade long IndyCar career after winning the 2016 Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. The margin of victory was only .008 of a second, the fifth-closest finish in IndyCar/CART history.
In 2017, Rahal had six top-five finishes, down from eight top-five finishes in both 2015 and 2016, but he did pick up wins in both races at the Detroit Grand Prix (June 3 and 4).
Business interests
Rahal owns Graham Rahal Performance, an automotive tuning and parts shop in Brownsburg, Indiana. He is also a junior partner with Bobby Rahal Automotive Group, a network of car dealerships in western and central Pennsylvania.
Personal life
Rahal was born in Columbus, Ohio. He attended New Albany school systems in Ohio and graduated in June 2007 with plans to attend Denison University. Rahal started the Graham Rahal Foundation in 2009 to support Alex's Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer and The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps (known as SeriousFun Children's Network as of April 2012).
He is married to former NHRA drag racer Courtney Force, daughter of 16-time NHRA drag racing champion and legend John Force.
Motorsports career results
Career summary
† Team result
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
American open–wheel racing results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest race lap)
Champ Car Atlantic
Champ Car
IndyCar Series
(key)
* Season still in progress.
1 Run on same day.
2 Non-points-paying, exhibition race.
3 The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.''
Indianapolis 500
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
References
External links
Graham Rahal Un-official Fan Zone
Graham Rahal career overview
Graham Rahal career statistics at Driver Database
IndyCar 11 in '11 video
IndyCar 36: Graham Rahal - IndyCar documentary
Category:1989 births
Category:Living people
Category:21st-century American racing drivers
Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers
Category:A1 Team Lebanon drivers
Category:American Le Mans Series drivers
Category:Atlantic Championship drivers
Category:Champ Car drivers
Category:Force family
Category:Formula BMW USA drivers
Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers
Category:Indy Lights drivers
Category:IndyCar Series drivers
Category:Lebanese racing drivers
Category:People from New Albany, Ohio
Category:Indy Pro 2000 Championship drivers
Category:Racing drivers from Ohio
Category:Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
Category:SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners
Category:Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio
Category:Supercars Championship drivers
Category:WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers | {
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Mattias Jacobsson
Mattias Jacobsson Schulstad (born November 8, 1984) is a Swedish classical guitarist.
Early life and education
Mattias Jacobsson Schulstad was born near Stockholm, Sweden and began to play the guitar in Nacka Municipal Music School and at Södra Latins Gymnasium. He continued his education at the Malmö Academy of Music and at the Juilliard School.
Career
Jacobsson Schulstad’s first major recital was at age 17 at the Stockholm International Guitar Festival, and he has appeared on Spanish television for Televisión Española, and on radio in the United States for WQXR and NPR. On June 12, 2012, Jacobsson Schulstad’s debut recording Invocación was released on Avie Records. It explores the music of Spanish composer Francisco Tárrega and his influences from Chopin, as well as his legacy through his students Miguel Llobet and Emilio Pujol. It was chosen as CD of the Week by Classic FM, which calls Jacobsson Schulstad "brilliant", and Album of the Week by WQXR, which states Jacobsson Schulstad "has an innate feel for the music of Tárrega.” In the September 2012 issue of Gramophone magazine, Invocación was named a Gramophone 'Choice'; William Yeoman stating: “The playing throughout is refined, intelligent and highly musical; the tone, though never sweet, is fulsome and appealing. An outstanding debut.” Jacobsson Schulstad was featured in a cover story for the June 2012 issue of Classical Guitar Magazine, and has been featured on Classic FM, KUSC, WFMT, Swedish Radio, as well as having garnered a following on YouTube. Appearances include those at the Uppsala International Guitar Festival, Musik vid Siljan and Strathmore, as well as having made two appearances each at the Gustavus Artist Series at Gustavus Adolphus College, and at the Sun Valley Winter Artists Series, in Sun Valley, ID. Composers Jakub Ciupiński and Ryan Francis have written guitar concertos for Jacobsson Schulstad, premiered with Metropolis Ensemble in New York and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble in 2014.
Instrument
Mattias Jacobsson Schulstad plays a guitar made by Ignacio Fleta e hijos from 1971, and uses strings by Albert Augustine; Regal trebles and Blue basses. The guitar was passed on to Jacobsson Schulstad from his first teacher Erik Möllerström, who was able to acquire it during his studies in Barcelona, Spain, through the avail of his teacher, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza.
Inspiration
Mattias Jacobsson Schulstad is particularly inspired by singers Jussi Björling and Victoria de los Ángeles, pianists Alicia de Larrocha and Artur Rubinstein, and by guitarist Julian Bream. He is a self-confessed Radiohead fan, loves to read books about music and to drink very fine coffee.
References
External links
Mattias Jacobson Schulstad on Avie Records
Mattias Jacobsson Schulstad on Albert Augustine.com
Young Mattias Jacobsson Schulstad on YouTube
Category:1984 births
Category:Swedish classical guitarists
Category:Living people
Category:Juilliard School alumni
Category:21st-century guitarists | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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DAP Championship
The DAP Championship was a golf tournament on the Web.com Tour from 2016 to 2018. It was played at Canterbury Golf Club in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood, Ohio. The tournament was part of the Web.com Tour Finals.
Winners
See also
Rust-Oleum Championship, a Web.com Tour event in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake from 2013 to 2014
Legend Financial Group Classic, a Web.com Tour event in the Cleveland suburb of Highland Heights from 2005 to 2007
Greater Cleveland Open, a Web.com Tour event from 1990 to 2001
Cleveland Open, a PGA Tour event from 1963 to 1972
References
External links
Coverage on Web.com Tour's official site
Category:Former Korn Ferry Tour events
Category:Golf in Ohio
Category:Sports competitions in Cleveland
Category:Recurring sporting events established in 2016
Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2018
Category:2016 establishments in Ohio
Category:2018 establishments in Ohio | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Peter Mesiarik
Peter Mesiarik (born 8 December 1963 in Myjava) is a Slovak former handball player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Peter is head coach of women's handball team of SC Freising playing in Bayernliga.
He lives in Freising and has two grown up children. His son Peter Mesiarik junior is playing successfully for MTV Ingolstadt.
References
Category:1963 births
Category:Living people
Category:Slovak male handball players
Category:Olympic handball players of Czechoslovakia
Category:Handball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Handball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Czechoslovak male handball players
Category:People from Myjava | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
CIELAB color space
The CIELAB color space (also known as CIE L*a*b* or sometimes abbreviated as simply "Lab" color space) is a color space defined by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) in 1976. It expresses color as three values: L* for the lightness from black (0) to white (100), a* from green (−) to red (+), and b* from blue (−) to yellow (+). CIELAB was designed so that the same amount of numerical change in these values corresponds to roughly the same amount of visually perceived change.
With respect to a given white point, the CIELAB model is device-independent—it defines colors independently of how they are created or displayed. The CIELAB color space is typically used when graphics for print have to be converted from RGB to CMYK, as the CIELAB gamut includes both the gamuts of the RGB and CMYK color models.
Because three parameters are measured, the space itself is a three-dimensional real number space, which allows for infinitely many possible colors. In practice, the space is usually mapped onto a three-dimensional integer space for digital representation, and thus the L*, a*, and b* values are usually absolute, with a pre-defined range. The lightness value, L*, represents the darkest black at L* = 0, and the brightest white at L* = 100. The color channels, a* and b*, represent true neutral gray values at a* = 0 and b* = 0. The a* axis represents the green–red component, with green in the negative direction and red in the positive direction. The b* axis represents the blue–yellow component, with blue in the negative direction and yellow in the positive direction. The scaling and limits of the a* and b* axes will depend on the specific implementation, as described below, but they often run in the range of ±100 or −128 to +127 (signed 8-bit integer).
The CIELAB color space was derived from the prior "master" CIE 1931 XYZ color space, which predicts which spectral power distributions will be perceived as the same color (see metamerism), but is not particularly perceptually uniform. Strongly influenced by the Munsell color system, the intention behind CIELAB was to create a space that can be computed via simple formulas from the CIEXYZ space but is more perceptually uniform than CIEXYZ. When storing color values using limited precision, using a perceptually uniform color space can improve the reproduction of tones.
CIELAB colors are defined relative to the white point of the CIEXYZ space from which they were converted; thus CIELAB values do not define absolute colors unless the white point is also specified. Often, in practice, the white point is assumed to follow a standard and is not explicitly stated (e.g., for "absolute colorimetric" rendering intent, the International Color Consortium L*a*b* values are relative to CIE standard illuminant D50, while they are relative to the unprinted substrate for other rendering intents).
The lightness correlate in CIELAB is calculated using the cube root of the relative luminance.
Advantages
Unlike the RGB and CMYK color models, Lab color is designed to approximate human vision. It aspires to perceptual uniformity, and its L component closely matches human perception of lightness, although it does not take the Helmholtz–Kohlrausch effect into account. Thus, it can be used to make accurate color balance corrections by modifying output curves in the a and b components, or to adjust the lightness contrast using the L component. In RGB or CMYK spaces, which model the output of physical devices rather than human visual perception, these transformations can be done only with the help of appropriate blend modes in the editing application.
Because the Lab space is larger than the gamut of computer displays and printers and because the visual stepwidths are relatively different to the color area, a bitmap image represented as Lab requires more data per pixel to obtain the same precision as an RGB or CMYK bitmap. In the 1990s, when computer hardware and software were limited to storing and manipulating mostly 8-bit/channel bitmaps, converting an RGB image to Lab and back was a very lossy operation. With 16-bit/channel and floating-point support now common, the loss due to quantization is negligible.
CIELAB is copyright and licence-free: as it is fully mathematically defined, the CIELAB model is public domain, it is in all respects freely usable and integrable (also systematic Lab / HLC color value tables).
A big portion of the Lab coordinate space cannot be generated by spectral distributions, it therefore falls outside the human vision and such Lab values are not "colors".
Differentiation
Some specific uses of the abbreviation in software, literature etc.
In Adobe Photoshop, image editing using "Lab mode" is CIELAB D50.
In Affinity Photo, Lab editing is achieved by changing the document's Colour Format to "Lab (16 bit)"
In ICC profiles, the "Lab color space" used as a profile connection space is CIELAB D50.
In TIFF files, the CIELAB color space may be used.
In PDF documents, the "Lab color space" is CIELAB.
In Digital Color Meter on macOS, it is described as "L*a*b*"
In the open source non-destructive-editing software RawTherapee, the "Lab color space" is CIELAB.
CIELAB
CIE L*a*b* (CIELAB) is a color space specified by the International Commission on Illumination (French Commission internationale de l'éclairage, hence its CIE initialism). It describes all the colors visible to the human eye and was created to serve as a device-independent model to be used as a reference.
The three coordinates of CIELAB represent the lightness of the color (L* = 0 yields black and L* = 100 indicates diffuse white; specular white may be higher), its position between red/magenta and green (a*, negative values indicate green while positive values indicate magenta) and its position between yellow and blue (b*, negative values indicate blue and positive values indicate yellow). The asterisk (*) after L, a and b are pronounced star and are part of the full name, since they represent L*, a* and b*, to distinguish them from Hunter's L, a, and b, described below.
Since the L*a*b* model is a three-dimensional model, it can be represented properly only in a three-dimensional space. Two-dimensional depictions include chromaticity diagrams: sections of the color solid with a fixed lightness. It is crucial to realize that the visual representations of the full gamut of colors in this model are never accurate; they are there just to help in understanding the concept.
Because the red-green and yellow-blue opponent channels are computed as differences of lightness transformations of (putative) cone responses, CIELAB is a chromatic value color space.
A related color space, the CIE 1976 (L*, u*, v*) color space (a.k.a. CIELUV), preserves the same L* as L*a*b* but has a different representation of the chromaticity components. CIELAB and CIELUV can also be expressed in cylindrical form (CIELCH and CIELCHuv, respectively), with the chromaticity components replaced by correlates of chroma and hue.
Since CIELAB and CIELUV, the CIE has been incorporating an increasing number of color appearance phenomena into their models, to better model color vision. These color appearance models, of which CIELAB is a simple example, culminated with CIECAM02.
Perceptual differences
The nonlinear relations for L*, a*, and b* are intended to mimic the nonlinear response of the eye. Furthermore, uniform changes of components in the L*a*b* color space aim to correspond to uniform changes in perceived color, so the relative perceptual differences between any two colors in L*a*b* can be approximated by treating each color as a point in a three-dimensional space (with three components: L*, a*, b*) and taking the Euclidean distance between them.
RGB and CMYK conversions
There are no formulas for conversion between RGB or CMYK values and L*a*b*, because the RGB and CMYK color models are device-dependent. The RGB or CMYK values first must be transformed to a specific absolute color space, such as sRGB or Adobe RGB. This adjustment will be device-dependent, but the resulting data from the transform will be device-independent, allowing data to be transformed to the CIE 1931 color space and then transformed into L*a*b*.
Range of coordinates
As mentioned previously, the L* coordinate ranges from 0 to 100. The possible range of a* and b* coordinates is independent of the color space that one is converting from, since the conversion below uses X and Z, which come from RGB.
CIELAB–CIEXYZ conversions
Forward transformation
where
Here, , and are the CIE XYZ tristimulus values of the reference white point (the subscript n suggests "normalized").
Under Illuminant D65 with normalization , the values are
Values for illuminant D50 are
The division of the domain of the function into two parts was done to prevent an infinite slope at . The function was assumed to be linear below some , and was assumed to match the part of the function at t0 in both value and slope. In other words:
The intercept was chosen so that would be 0 for : . The above two equations can be solved for and :
where .
Reverse transformation
The reverse transformation is most easily expressed using the inverse of the function f above:
where
and where .
Hunter Lab
The Hunter Lab color space, defined in 1948 by Richard S. Hunter, is another color space sometimes referred to as "Lab". Like CIELAB, it was also designed to be computed via simple formulas from the CIEXYZ space but to be more perceptually uniform than CIEXYZ. Hunter named his coordinates L, a, and b; the CIELAB space, defined years later in 1976, named its coordinates L*, a*, and b* to distinguish them from Hunter's coordinates.
L is a correlate of lightness, and is computed from the Y tristimulus value using Priest's approximation to Munsell value:
where Yn is the Y tristimulus value of a specified white object. For surface-color applications, the specified white object is usually (though not always) a hypothetical material with unit reflectance that follows Lambert's law. The resulting L will be scaled between 0 (black) and 100 (white); roughly ten times the Munsell value. Note that a medium lightness of 50 is produced by a luminance of 25, since
a and b are termed opponent color axes. a represents, roughly, Redness (positive) versus Greenness (negative). It is computed as:
where Ka is a coefficient that depends upon the illuminant (for D65, Ka is 172.30; see approximate formula below) and Xn is the X tristimulus value of the specified white object.
The other opponent color axis, b, is positive for yellow colors and negative for blue colors. It is computed as:
where Kb is a coefficient that depends upon the illuminant (for D65, Kb is 67.20; see approximate formula below) and Zn is the Z tristimulus value of the specified white object.
Both a and b will be zero for objects that have the same chromaticity coordinates as the specified white objects (i.e., achromatic, grey, objects).
Approximate formulas for Ka and Kb
In the previous version of the Hunter Lab color space, Ka was 175 and Kb was 70. Hunter Associates Lab discovered that better agreement could be obtained with other color difference metrics, such as CIELAB (see above) by allowing these coefficients to depend upon the illuminants. Approximate formulae are:
which result in the original values for Illuminant C, the original illuminant with which the Lab color space was used.
As an Adams chromatic valence space
Adams chromatic valence color spaces are based on two elements: a (relatively) uniform lightness scale, and a (relatively) uniform chromaticity scale. If we take as the uniform lightness scale Priest's approximation to the Munsell Value scale, which would be written in modern notation:
and, as the uniform chromaticity coordinates:
where ke is a tuning coefficient, we obtain the two chromatic axes:
and
which is identical to the Hunter Lab formulas given above if we select and . Therefore, the Hunter Lab color space is an Adams chromatic valence color space.
Cylindrical representation: CIELCh or CIEHLC
The CIELCh color space is a CIELab cube color space, where instead of Cartesian coordinates a*, b*, the cylindrical coordinates C* (chroma, relative saturation) and h° (hue angle, angle of the hue in the CIELab color wheel) are specified. The CIELab lightness L* remains unchanged.
The conversion of a* and b* to C* and h° is done using the following formulas:
Conversely, given the polar coordinates, conversion to Cartesian coordinates is achieved with:
The LCh color space is not the same as the HSV, HSL or HSB color models, although their values can also be interpreted as a base color, saturation and lightness of a color. The HSL values are a polar coordinate transformation of what is technically defined RGB cube color space. LCh is still perceptually uniform.
Further, H and h are not identical, because HSL space uses as primary colors the three additive primary colors red, green, blue (H = 0, 120, 240°). Instead, the LCh system uses the four colors yellow, green, blue and red (h = 90, 180, 270, 360°). Regardless the angle h, C = 0 means the achromatic colors, that is, the gray axis.
The simplified spellings LCh, LCH and HLC are common, but the latter presents a different order. HCL color space (Hue-Chroma-Luminance) on the other hand is a commonly used alternative name for the L*C*h(uv) color space, also known as the cylindrical representation or polar CIELUV. This name is commonly used by information visualization practitioners who want to present data without the bias implicit in using varying saturation.
See also
Color theory
Opponent color theory
HSL and HSV
RGB color model
CMYK color model
CIECAM02
HCL color space
References
External links
Demonstrative color conversion applet
CIELAB Color Space by Gernot Hoffmann, includes explanations of L*a*b* conversion formulae, graphical depictions of various gamuts plotted in L*a*b* space, and PostScript code for performing the color transformations.
Whitepaper on understanding colors by X-rite.
Category:Color space
Category:1976 introductions | {
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Kolomeytsev Islands
The Kolomeytsev Islands (, ostrova Kolomeytseva) is a group of two small islands, part of the Nordenskjold Archipelago in the Kara Sea coastal region, off the coast of Siberia. These two islands are located at the northwestern end of the archipelago.
Geography and history
The Kolomeytsev Islands lie about east of Russky Island, the largest island of the Nordenskjold Archipelago, and less than west of the Taymyr Peninsula.
The climate in the northernmost end of the archipelago is severe and the sea surrounding the little Kolomeytsev Islands is covered with fast ice in the winter and often obstructed by pack ice even in the summer.
These islands belong to the Krasnoyarsk Krai administrative division of Russia and is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve, the largest nature reserve of Russia.
In 1900, the islands of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago were explored by Russian geologist Baron Eduard Von Toll during the Polar Expedition on behalf of the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences aboard ship Zarya. The islands were named after Captain Nikolai Kolomeitsev, first commander of the ship. (Albert Hastings Markham. Arctic Exploration, 1895)
References
External links
Early Soviet Exploration
Category:Islands of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago
Category:Islands of Krasnoyarsk Krai | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Franziska von Känel
Franziska von Känel is a former Swiss curler. She played second on the Swiss rink, skipped by Mirjam Ott that won the . She was also a member of the Ott-led Swiss team at the 1997 World Women's Curling Championship which finished 8th.
Teams
References
External links
Category:Swiss female curlers
Category:European curling champions
Category:Swiss curling champions | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Białołęka
Białołęka (, from biały - white and łąka - meadow) is one of 18 districts of Warsaw, located in the northern part of the city. Until October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina. The name Białołęka comes from a nobleman Białołęcki, who bought the area before the First World War.
According to the Central Statistical Office data, the district's area is and 92 768 people inhabit Białołęka.
History
On the fields of Białołęka, one of the battles with the Swedish on July 28–30, 1656 took place. On February 25, 1831 one of the battles of the November Uprising - Battle of Białołęka - took place.
In 1425, the Białołęka village came into being and belonged to the Gołyński family.
During the interwar period, only the Różopol subdivision was part of Warsaw.
In 1938 Białołęka had 900 inhabitants and belonged to the Bródno municipality.
In 1951 a group of villages (including Białołęka) joined Warsaw as result of the new administrative divisions of Warsaw.
In 1976, during the next border changes, more villages joined Warsaw and the north-eastern border of Warsaw reached the point where it remains today.
In 1994, the Białołęka subdivision gave its name to the new gmina Warsaw-Białołęka. The gmina was the third largest out of eleven Warsaw gminas - 15% of the city's area.
In 2002, the territorial division of Warsaw changed, and gminas were replaced with dzielnicas.
Division
The area of the division is subdivided into following parts:
industrial, where many industries are located in central, southern and southern-western parts: Żerań CHP Station (Elektrociepłownia Żerań), Polfa Tarchomin (a pharmaceutical company), Czajka sludgeworks, printing site of Agora SA publisher, factories of L'Oréal and the Coca-Cola Company, PKP rail sites, and many building companies
housing estates with high density housing located in the central-western part (Nowy Tarchomin, Nowodwory and Nowe Świdry)
housing estates with prevalent detached housing - northern and central-northern parts (Choszczówka, Białołęka Dworska, Płudy, Henryków and others)
housing estates in village areas and arable lands (Brzeziny, Lewandów, Kobiałka, Białołęka Szlachecka, Mańki-Wojdy and others)
Subdivisions of Białołęka
Białołęka is divided into smaller subdivisions (osiedles). Here's a list of them (the italic names are the ones which are not taken into account by the TERYT).
Other subdivisions:
Szylówek
Green Białołęka
Parks:
Henrykowski Park – 30 056 m²
"Picassa" Park – 36 700 m²
Squares
By Botewa/Talarowa streets – 5088 m²
Next to Picassa housing estate – 32 900 m²
Around the town hall – 4560 m²
By Światowida street – 4600 m²
Flowerbeds
Area of flowerbeds – 250 m²
Area of rose-gardens – 177 m²
Surface waters
Vistula river – 10 123 m
Henrykowski canal – 9638 m
Żerański canal – 9240 m
Długa river + Markowski canal – 5450 m
Bródnowski canal – 3600 m
Dyke B – 3270 m
Dyke A – 2640 m
Jabłonna stream – 1838 m
Natural reserves
Ławice Kiełpińskie natural reserve – fauna natural reserve near the border of Warsaw, which function is to protect places where water-mud birds make nests. Area - 803 hectares.
Łęgi Czarnej Strugi natural reserve – situated in the north-west part of Nieporęt gmina. Area - 39,53 hectares.
There are also many different-sized forests in Białołęka.
Monuments of Białołęka
Court on Mehoffera Street
This consists of a court from the 18th century, a palace from the beginning of the 18th century, once occupied by the statesman, Tadeusz Mostowski, and a park.
Church of St James the Great
2 Mehoffera Street
The Church of St James the Great on Mehoffera Street is the only Gothic temple in Warsaw which still looks nearly the same today as when it was built. The architectural details from 16th century are still visible. The church is built from brick and it dates from the beginning of 16th century.
Church of Birth of the Blessed Virgin Lady
21 Klasyków Street
A church built from 1908 to 1913 in Vistula Neo-Gothic style. It was consecrated on September 8, 1913, and on September 16, 1949 it was given its name by Stefan Wyszyński.
Church of Michelangelo
119 Głębocka Street
One of the oldest wooden churches in Warsaw, probably founded by Bona Sforza in 1534.
Transport in Białołęka
The main route where all transport goes is Modlińska Street (an extension of Jagiellońska), which is a part of trunk road 61 to Gdańsk and Masuria; and the Toruńska route, part of trunk road 8 to Białystok. Płochocińska Street is also an important transport route as a fragment of the 633 voivodeship road to Nieporęt.
There are also plans of creating whole-city-long routes including Białołęka's routes:
Maria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge route
Vistula route
Olszynka Grochowska route
extension of Marywilska Street to the borders of Warsaw
A railroad to Działdowo goes through the district. There are three stops on the railroad, on which Koleje Mazowieckie passenger trains, going from Warszawa Gdańska and Warszawa Wola (now Warszawa Zachodnia's eighth platform) stations, going to Legionowo, Nasielsk, Ciechanów and Działdowo, stop.
In 2013, the first stage of a tram line extension brought the Warsaw tram network to Białołęka with line 2 connecting the area to the Młociny metro station.
Borders
Białołęka borders:
Targówek to the south along the Toruńska Route
Bielany and Łomianki to the west across the Vistula
Jabłonna and Nieporęt to the north
Marki to the east
Notable people
Piotr Szulczewski (born 1981), entrepreneur and founder and CEO of e-commerce site Wish.
See also
Żerań
External links
Website of the Office of Białołęka District
Category:Districts of Warsaw | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Colorful puffleg
The colorful puffleg (Eriocnemis mirabilis) is an endangered hummingbird endemic to Colombia.
In 2005, Swarovski donated funds which allowed the American Bird Conservancy and Fundación ProAves to create a reserve for this species.
The colorful puffleg population is estimated at around 250–999 adult birds.
References
BirdLife Species Factsheet
Surfbird News: Swarovski Land Purchase Protects Critically Endangered Hummingbird in Colombia
colorful puffleg
Category:Birds of the Colombian Andes
Category:Endemic birds of Colombia
Category:Critically endangered animals
Category:Critically endangered biota of South America
colorful puffleg
colorful puffleg | {
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} |
Parpaner Schwarzhorn
The Parpaner Schwarzhorn is a mountain of the Plessur Alps, overlooking Parpan in the canton of Graubünden. It lies north of the Parpaner Weisshorn.
References
External links
Parpaner Schwarzhorn on Hikr
Category:Mountains of the Alps
Category:Mountains of Switzerland
Category:Mountains of Graubünden | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Blindsight (disambiguation)
Blindsight is a neurological phenomenon.
Blindsight may also refer to:
Blindsight (Cook novel), a 1992 novel written by Robin Cook
Blindsight (film), a 2006 documentary film directed by Lucy Walker
Blindsight (Watts novel), a 2006 novel written by Peter Watts
Blindsight, a 2005 novel written by Maurice Gee
Blindsighted, a 2002 novel written by Karin Slaughter | {
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