theresablog

2006-02-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

Aymags-of-Mongolia

Mongolia is divided into 21 aymags or provinces. Aimaq (also spelled aimag, and aimak) is the Mongolian word for prefecture. Because Mongolia was a province of China though, it was divided into aimaqs (prefectures of the province of Outer Mongolia). Ths system was continued with even when independence was gained. See ISO 3166-2:MN for their ISO 3166-2 codes.

List of aymags

(capitals in parentheses):
Arhangay aymag (Tsetserleg)
Bayan-�lgiy aymag (�lgiy)
Bayanhongor aymag (Bayanhongor (city))
Bulgan aymag (Bulgan (city))
Darhan-Uul aymag (Darhan)
Dornod aymag (Choybalsan (city))
Dornogovi aymag (Saynshand)
Dundgovi aymag (Mandalgovi)
Govi-Altay aymag (Altay (city))
Govis�mber aymag (Choyr)
Hentiy aymag (�nd�rhaan)
Hovd aymag (Hovd (city))
H�vsg�l aymag (M�r�n)
�mn�govi aymag (Dalanzadgad)
Orhon aymag (Erdenet)
�v�rhangay aymag (Arvayheer)
Selenge aymag (S�hbaatar (city))
S�hbaatar aymag (Baruun-Urt)
T�v aymag (Zuunmod)
Uvs aymag (Ulaangom)
Zavhan aymag (Uliastay) Additionally, the capital, Ulaanbaatar, ranks as a municipality.

2006-02-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

Roy-Harper

Roy Harper, (born June 12, 1941), is a United Kingdom singer-songwriter who specialises in uncompromising introspective lyrics and folk influenced compositions.

Early life

Harper was born in the Manchester suburb of Rusholme, England. After the death of his mother during childbirth, he was raised by his father and his step-mother, whom he did not get along with because of her Jehovahs Witness beliefs. Harpers anti-religious views would later become a familiar theme in his music. At the age of 10, he began playing skiffle music with his older brother, David Harper, as well as being influenced by blues music. Leaving school when he was 15, he joined the Royal Air Force only to reject its rigid discipline, and then managed to feign madness � and receive ECT � in order to get a discharge. Harper then busked around Europe until 1964 when he returned to England and gained residency at Londons famous Les Cousins folk club in Soho.

The Sixties

His first album, The Sophisticated Beggar, was recorded in 1966 after Harper was spotted at the Les Cousins club and signed to Peter Richards Strike Records. It consisted of his sung poetry backed by acoustic guitar with a revox tape machine. CBS Records saw his potential and hired producer Shel Talmy to arrange Come out Fighting Genghis Smith, with the 11 minute blues track Circles, marking a widening of Harpers audience away from pure folk. Its cover was controversial at the time, depicting a new born baby, complete with umbilical cord. 1969s Folkjokeopus virtually mirrored the previous album, with a 15 minute version of McGooghans Blues. Starting since May, 1968, Harper was making regular appearances at free concerts in Londons Hyde Park, London attracting a cult following of fans from the underground music scene. Harpers first tour of the United States followed the release of the album Flat Baroque and Beserk in 1970 which featured The Nice on one track called Hells Angels. Its ethereal sound was achieved by a wah wah pedal attached to an acoustic guitar. Flat Baroque and Beserk also marked Harpers long yet confrontational association with Harvest Records.

The Seventies

After the Bath Festival of 1970, Led Zeppelin wrote a song titled Hats Off to (Roy) Harper, which appeared on the album Led Zeppelin III. According to Jimmy Page, the band admired the way Harper stood by his principles and did not sell out to commercial pressures. In a mutual appreciation of their work, Harper would often attend live performances by Led Zeppelin over the subsequent decade as well as contribute sleeve photography to the album Physical Graffiti and appear, uncredited, in the 1976 film, The Song Remains the Same. Harpers 1971 critically acclaimed album was the four song epic, Stormcock, featuring Jimmy Page on guitar and David Bedfords orchestral arrangements, who would collaborate on future releases. In 1972, Harper made his acting debut playing Mike Preston in the John Mackenzie film Made. The soundtrack for this film appeared in the following year with the title Lifemask. His next album Valentine, was released on Valentines Day, February 14, 1974 and featured contributions from guitarist Jimmy Page. A concert to mark its release was held at Londons Rainbow Theatre with Page, Bedford, and Keith Moon on drums. The live album Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion soon followed. Between 1975 and 1978, Harper spent considerable time in the United States. Pink Floyds 1975 release Wish You Were Here saw Harper as lead vocalist on the song Have a Cigar. Pink Floyds David Gilmour returned the favour by appearing on Harpers next album, HQ, with his occasional backing band called Trigger (Chris Spedding on guitar, Dave Cochran on bass guitar, and Bill Bruford on drums) and Led Zeppelins John Paul Jones (musician). The single When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease, taken from the album, is Harpers biggest selling and best known solo record to date. Controversy soon followed with the release of 1977s Bullinamingvase, with a motorway service station objecting to the lyrics in the song Watford Gap which criticised their food. Harper was forced under duress to drop it from future copies of the album, though it reappeared on a later CD reissue. Bullinamingvase also featured One of Those Days in England, with backing vocals by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, which became a Top 40 hit. In April 1978, Harper began writing lyrics for the next Led Zeppelin album, with Jimmy Page, but the project was shelved when Robert Plant returned from his self-imposed sabbatical after the death of his son Karac. For much of the seventies, Harper was manager, and had records record producer, by Peter Jenner.

The eighties

In 1980, Harper sang backing vocals on the Kate Bush song Breathing. The Work of Heart album released in 1982 marked the formation of his own record label with Mark Thompson, entitled Public Records. Throughout 1984, Harper toured the United Kingdom with Jimmy Page, performing a predominantly acoustic set at folk festivals under various guises such as The MacGregors, and Themselves. They released an album called Whatever Happened to Jugula? under Harpers name but co-credited to Jimmy Page. Tony Franklin, the bass player in Harpers group would later join Page in The Firm. Since 1986, Harper has had a relatively low public profile, although 1990s Once (Roy Harper album) was a tour-de-force, again featuring David Gilmour and Kate Bush.

Recent work

After the end of his marriage, Harper composed the melancholy Death or Glory in 1992. Harpers spoken words can be heard on The Tea Partys 1995 album Edges of Twilight and he sings on the track Time from their 1996 album Alhambra. His son, Nick Harper, is also a songwriter- guitarist and contributed tracks to the 1998 album, The Dream Society. Jethro Tull (band)s singer Ian Anderson also sessioned, contributing flute to the song, These Fifty Years. The 2000 album, The Green Man was an entirely solo effort with Harper on acoustic guitar with no accompaniment. In June 2001, he celebrated his 60th birthday with a concert at Londons Royal Festival Hall, featuring many guest artists. A recording of the concert was released as a double CD shortly afterwards.

Nick Harper

His son Nick Harper, a successful singer/songwriter in his own right, occasionally tours and records with him.

Discography

The Sophisticated Beggar (1966)
Come out Fighting Ghengis Smith (1968)
Folkjokeopus (1969)
Flat Baroque and Berserk (1970)
Stormcock (1971)
Lifemask (1973) (soundtrack)
Valentine (1974)
Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion (1974) (live)
HQ (1975) (US title: When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease)
Bullinamingvase (1977)
Roy Harper 1970-75 (1978) (compilation)
The Unknown Soldier (1980)
Work of Heart (1982)
Born in Captivity (1984)
Whatever Happened to Jugula? (1985), with Jimmy Page
In Between Every Line (1986) (live)
Descendants of Smith (1988)
Loony on the Bus (1988)
Once (1990)
Burn the World (1990)
Death or Glory (1992)
Born in Captivity II (1992) (live)
Commercial Breaks (1994) (previously unreleased material from 1977)
An Introduction to Roy Harper (1994) (compilation)
Unhinged (1995) (compilation)
Live at Les Cousins (1996) (live)
The BBC Tapes (1997) (six volumes, on CD, not tape)
East Of The Sun (compilation of love songs)
The Dream Society (1998)
The Green Man (2001)
Royal Festival Hall Live 2001 (2001)
Today Is Yesterday (archive recordings from 1964/5)

Filmography

Made (1972)
The Song Remains the Same (1976)

2006-02-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

4294967296-(number)

4,294,967,296 is the number following 4,294,967,295 and preceding 4294967297 (number).
Next bit does not seem to render Numbers 1 E9 - 1 E10 so replaced with next bit > List of numbers � Integers
9 E8 1 E9 2 E9 3 E9 4 E9 5 E9 6 E9 7 E9 8 E9 9 E9 1 E10 End of replacement >
Cardinal number four billion, two hundred and ninety-four million, nine hundred and sixty-seven thousand, two hundred and ninety-six
Ordinal number 4,294,967,296th (four billion, two hundred and ninety-four million, nine hundred and sixty-seven thousand, two hundred and ninety-sixth)
Factorization

2^{32}

Roman numeral

overline overline overline mbox{IV} overline overline mbox{CCXCIV} overline mbox{CMLXVII} mbox{CCXCVI}

Binary numeral system 100000000000000000000000000000000
Hexadecimal 100000000
Being a power of two, 4,294,967,296 can also be expressed as 2^32, 4^16, 16^8, 256^4, 65536^2, 2^(2^5). It is the smallest number of the form (2^(2^n)) that does not produce a prime number when 1 is added. 2^32 4 2^30, where 2^30 is a gibi, and this value is commonly used as the number of bytes in 4 gigabytes. In computation, the 32-bit computers can directly access 2³² pieces of address space, this leads directly to the 4 Gigabyte limit on main memory. 4294967296 is also the total number of CMYK colors possible when using 8 bit integers for each color component. However, virtually unlimited colors are possible by using floats from 0 to 1 as color components, so this limit is less important than it might be.

2006-02-13T05:37:00.000-08:00

Receiver-General-for-Canada

Receiver General for Canada (French: Receveur g�n�ral du Canada) is responsible for making payments to the Canadian government each fiscal year, accepting payments from financial institutions and preparing the Public Accounts of Canada, containing annual audited financial statements of the Government of Canada. The Minister of Public Works and Government Services is the Receiver General for Canada. The Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, 1996 states: In the Ministers capacity as Receiver General, the Minister shall exercise all the powers and perform all the duties and functions assigned to the Receiver General by law. The current minister is the Honourable Scott Brison. The position of Receiver General existed in the United Kingdom, in various Commonwealth countries and still exists in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. External link:
Receiver General for Canada Official Website

2006-02-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Cross-Florida-Barge-Canal

bridge south of Palatka, Florida.. The Cross Florida Barge Canal was a canal project to connect the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean across Florida for barge traffic. Two sections were built, but the project was cancelled for mainly environmental movement reasons. It is now a protected green belt corridor, one mile (1.6 km) wide in most places, known as the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway.

Route

The planned route of the canal followed the St. Johns River from the Atlantic coast to Palatka, Florida, the valley of the Ocklawaha River to the coastal divide, and the Withlacoochee River to the Gulf of Mexico. About 28% of the 107-mile project was built. Namely, the cross-country section from the St. Johns River to the Oklawaha River, and part of the route along the Oklawaha, was built, as was the last bit to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bridges

All the bridges over the St. Johns River north of the canal are high enough for ships, or have movable bridge. High bridges were built over the canal, as well as several over the Ocklawaha River where it was not widened to the canal. The following major roads, railroads, and lock (canal) and dams cross the path of the canal:
Buckman Lock (formerly St. Johns Lock)
Florida State Road 19 (high bridge)
Rodman Dam (south of the canal on the Ocklawaha River, forming Ocklawaha Lake along the canal)
Eureka Dam (unfinished)
Florida County Road 316 (high bridge)
Florida State Road 40 (high bridge)
Florida County Road 314 (no bridge)
Florida State Road 35 (no bridge)
Florida State Road 464 (no bridge)
Florida Northern Railroad (no bridge)
CSX S-Line (no bridge)
U.S. Highway 27/U.S. Highway 301/U.S. Highway 441 (Florida State Road 25/Florida State Road 500) (no bridge, but several unused supports in the median)
Florida County Road 475 (no bridge)
Interstate 75 (Florida State Road 93) (no bridge, recently built land bridge over I-75 for trail users)
SW 49th Avenue (no bridge, recently built underpass for trail users)
Florida County Road 484 (no bridge)
Florida State Road 200 (no bridge)
CSX line (low bridge)
U.S. Highway 41 (Florida State Road 45) (low bridge)
Inglis Lock (Inglis Dam is south of the canal on the Withlacoochee River, forming Lake Rousseau along the canal)
U.S. Highway 19 (Florida State Road 55) (high bridge)

History

The idea of such a canal was first proposed by Philip II of Spain in 1567. It was repeatedly considered over the years but found to be economically unviable. The Florida Railroad, finished on March 1, 1861, served a similar purpose, connecting the Atlantic Ocean at Fernandina Beach, Florida to the Gulf of Mexico at Cedar Key, Florida. In the 1930s, regional politicians lobbied the federal government to fund canal construction as an economic recovery program, and president Franklin D. Roosevelt allocated emergency funds on 1935. Local opponents of the canal protested that the canal would deplete Floridas aquifers, and work was stopped a year later. It was reauthorized in 1942 as a national defense project, with dams and canal lock to protect the underground water supply. Support for the project from Washington was sporadic, the project was inactive by 1958, but construction resumed in 1964 with support from president John F. Kennedy. Opponents subsequently campaigned against the canal on environmental concerns, and the project stopped again in January 1971. It was officially cancelled in 1991. The right-of-way was turned over to the state and became the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, named in honor of the woman who led opposition to the canal.

2006-02-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

Thymus

This article discusses the thymus, a bodily organ. For the herb genus Thymus, see Thyme.
In human anatomy, the thymus is a ductless gland located in the upper anterior portion of the chest cavity. It is most active during puberty, after which it shrinks in size and activity in most individuals and is replaced with fat. The thymus plays an important role in the development of the immune system in early life, and its cells form a part of the bodys normal immune system. The thymus will, if examined when its growth is most active, be found to consist of two lateral lobes placed in close contact along the middle line, situated partly in the thorax, partly in the neck, and extending from the fourth costal cartilage upward, as high as the lower border of the thyroid gland. It is covered by the sternum, and by the origins of the Sternohyoidei and Sternothyreoidei. Below, it rests upon the pericardium, being separated from the aortic arch and great vessels by a layer of fascia. In the neck it lies on the front and sides of the trachea, behind the Sternohyoidei and Sternothyreoidei. The two lobes generally differ in size, they are occasionally united, so as to form a single mass, and sometimes separated by an intermediate lobe. The thymus is of a pinkish-gray color, soft, and lobulated on its surfaces. It is about 5 cm in length, 4 cm in breadth below, and about 6 mm in thickness. At birth it weighs about 15 grams, at puberty it weighs about 35 grams, after this it gradually decreases to 25 grams at twenty-five years, less than 15 grams at sixty, and about 6 grams at seventy years.

Development

The thymus appears in the form of two flask-shaped entodermal diverticulum, which arise, one on either side, from the third branchial pouch, and extend lateralward and backward into the surrounding mesoderm in front of the ventral aorta. Here they meet and become joined to one another by connective tissue, but there is never any fusion of the thymus tissue proper. The pharyngeal opening of each diverticulum is soon obliterated, but the neck of the flask persists for some time as a cellular cord. By further proliferation of the cells lining the flask, buds of cells are formed, which become surrounded and isolated by the invading mesoderm. In the latter, numerous lymphoid cells make their appearance, and are agregated to form lymphoid follicles. These lymphoid cells are probably derivatives of the entodermal cells which lined the original diverticula and their subdivisions. Additional portions of thymus tissue are sometimes developed from the fourth branchial pouches. Thymus continues to grow until the time of puberty and then begins to atrophy.

Structure

Each lateral lobe is composed of numerous lobules held together by delicate areolar tissue, the entire gland being enclosed in an investing capsule of a similar but denser structure. The primary lobules vary in size from that of a pins head to that of a small pea, and are made up of a number of small nodules or follicles, which are irregular in shape and are more or less fused together, especially toward the interior of the gland. Each follicle is from 1 to 2 mm. in diameter and consists of a medullary and a cortical portion, and these differ in many essential particulars from each other. The cortical portion is mainly composed of lymphoid cells, supported by a network of finely branched cell (biology)s, which is continuous with a similar network in the medullary portion. This network forms an adventitia to the bloodvessels. In the medullary portion the reticulum is coarser than in the cortex, the lymphoid cells are relatively fewer in number, and there are found peculiar nest-like bodies, the concentric corpuscles of Hassall. These concentric corpuscles are composed of a central mass, consisting of one or more granular cells, and of a capsule which is formed of epithelioid cells. They are the remains of the epithelial tubes which grow out from the third branchial pouches of the embryo to form the thymus. Each follicle is surrounded by a vascular plexus, from which vessels pass into the interior, and radiate from the periphery toward the center, forming a second zone just within the margin of the medullary portion. In the center of the medullary portion there are very few vessels, and they are of minute size. The arteries supplying the thymus are derived from the internal mammary, and from the superior and inferior thyroids. The veins end in the left innominate vein, and in the thyroid veins. The nerves are exceedingly minute, they are derived from the vagi and sympathetic. Branches from the descendens hypoglossi and phrenic reach the investing capsule, but do not penetrate into the substance of the gland.

Function

The thymus is part of the Immune-system. In its lobules lymphocyte mature into T-cell (where T stands for �thymus�) that behave in different ways according to their type. Some are passed into the bloodstream where they perform vital immune functions. Others remain in the thymus to give rise to future generations of T cells. Tumors of the thymus are found in about 10% of patients with myasthenia gravis. The thymus is also present in many other animals. When animal thymus tissue is sold in a butcher shop or at a meat counter, thymus is known as sweetbread. Thymus (family Lamiaceae) is the genus of plants to which thyme belongs. lymphatic-system

2006-02-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Jimmy-Walker

James J. Walker, often known as Jimmy Walker and colloquially as Beau James, (June 19, 1881�November 18, 1946) was the fun-loving mayor of New York City during the Jazz Age. Walker was the son of Irish-born William Walker, a Democratic Assemblyman and Alderman from Greenwich Village. Before entering politics, young Jimmy Walker worked as a songwriter, his most popular composition being Will You Love Me in December (as You Do in May)?. He studied law and was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1909, he won election to the New York State Senate in 1914, and became Mayor of New York City in 1926, having defeated incumbent Red Mike Hylan in the 1925 Democrat primary with the help of Governor Alfred E. Smith and Tammany Hall. The initial years of his mayorality were a prosperous time for the city, at least partially due to the proliferation of speakeasies during the Prohibition era. His affairs with chorus girls were widely known, and he left his wife for showgirl Betty Compton without impairing his popularity. He managed to maintain the five-cent subway fare despite a threatened labor strike. He won re-election by an overwhelming margin in 1929, defeating Republican Fiorello H. LaGuardia and Socialist Norman Thomas. Walkers fortunes turned, with the Economics, in 1929. Patrick Cardinal Hayes denounced him, implying the immorality of the mayor, both personal, and political, in tolerating girlie magazines and casinos, was a cause of the economic downturn. Increasing social unrest led to the uncovering of corruption within his administration, and he was eventually forced to testify before the investigative committee of Judge Samuel Seabury (the Seabury Commission). Facing pressure from Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walker resigned from office in September 1932 and promptly fled to Europe until the danger of criminal prosecution appeared remote. There he married Compton. After his return to the United States, for a time Walker acted as head of Majestic Records. On his passing in 1946, he was interred in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York.

2006-02-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Gradacac

Gradaac is a small town in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the Tuzla Canton about 40 km south of the Sava (river) river.

History

The zupa of Gradaac was first mentioned in 1302, while the towns first written mention dates from 1465 (also as Graac). The town became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1512, its nahiya (municipality) was first recorded in the defter of 1533, while its kadiluk (county) was recorded in 1634. In 1701 the settlement was given the status of a palanka (city), and it became the headquarters of a military captaincy in 1710. The captains of the Gradaevi family led the development of the city, and the most famous of them, Husein-kapetan Gradaevi or Zmaj od Bosne (Dragon of Bosnia), led an uprising that raised to arms all of Bosnian captains in 1830. The town has a fort with 18-meter high walls built between 1765 and 1821, and a 22-meter high watchtower, built in 1824. It was severely bombed during the History of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian war 1992-1995. It is located at the narrow northern corridor that connects two major portions of the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska, near Brcko. Gradaac became part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the war. BiH-geo-stub Bosnian cities

2006-02-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Carter-Harrison,-Jr.

Carter Henry Harrison, Jr. (born: April 23, 1860, Chicago, Illinois, died: December 25, 1953, buried in Graceland Cemetery) served as Mayor of Chicago (1897-1915). Like his father, Carter Harrison, Sr., Carter Harrison, Jr. gained election to five terms as Chicagos mayor. He was the first mayor who was born in the city of Chicago. Educated in Saxe-Altenburg, Germany, Harrison returned to Chicago to help his brother run the Chicago Times, which their father bought in 1891. Like his father, Harrison did not believe in trying to legislate morality. However, Harrison was seen as more of a reformer than his father, which helped him garner the middle class votes his father had lacked. One of Harrisons biggest enemies was Charles Yerkes, whose plans to monopolize Chicagos streetcar lines were vigorously attacked by the mayor. During his final term in office, Harrison closed down the Everleigh Club brothel.
First temr preceded by:
John Patrick Hopkins List-of-mayors-of-Chicago First term succeeded by:
Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne
Second term preceded by:
Fred A. Busse List-of-mayors-of-Chicago Second term succeeded by:
William Hale Thompson

2006-02-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

Cooktown,-Queensland

Cooktown is the northernmost town on the East coast of Australia, located at 15�28 South, 145�17 East on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.. replica in Cooktown harbour History

Cooks Arrival

The site of modern Cooktown was a meeting place of two vastly different cultures when, in June 1770, the local Aboriginal Guugu Yimithirr tribe cautiously watched the crippled sailing vessel � His Majestys Bark HM Bark Endeavour � limp up the coast of their territory seeking a safe harbour. They saw it beached in the calm waters near the bank of their river, which they called Wahalumbaal, about which James Cook, wrote, �... it was happy for us that a place of refuge was at hand, for we soon found that the ship would not work, and it is remarkable that in the whole course of our voyage we had seen no place that our present circumstances could have afforded us the same relief.� The English crew spent almost seven weeks on the site of the present day Cooktown, repairing their ship, locating food, and caring for the sick. While the wealthy scientist, Joseph Banks, and naturalist Daniel Solander, who accompanied Cook on the expedition, were collecting, preserving and documenting many new species of plants, the young artist Sydney Parkinson was illustrating them. He was the first English artist to portray Aboriginal people from direct observation. After some weeks, Banks met and talked with the local people, recording about 50 Guugu Yimithirr words including the name of the intriguing animal the natives called kangaroo (which he transcribed as �Kangaru�). Cook named the river, the �Endeavour,� after his ship and, as they sailed north, he hoisted the flage known as the Queen Anne Jack and took possession of the whole eastern Coast of Australia for Britain. He named Cape York Peninsula after the then Duke of York.

Kings Expedition

The next recorded expedition to the area was nearly 50 years later, when another botanist, Allan Cunningham (botanist), accompanying Captain Philip Parker King, visited the remarkable region in 1819-1820. He also collected numerous botanical specimens for the British Museum and Kew Gardens.

Gold Rush

In 1872, William Hann discovered gold on the Palmer River, southwest of Cooktown. His findings were reported to James Venture Mulligan who led an expedition to the Palmer River in 1873. Mulligans expedition found quantities of alluvial gold and thus began the gold rush that was to bring prospectors to the Endeavour River from all over the world. The Queensland government responded quickly to Mulligans reports, and soon a party was dispatched to advise whether the Endeavour River would be a suitable site for a port. Shortly after, a new township was established on the banks of the Endeavour River. The Palmer Goldfields, and its centre, Maytown, were growing quickly. The recorded output of gold from 1873 to 1890 was over half a million ounces (or more than 15,500 kg) Cooktown was the port through which this gold was exported and supplies for the goldfields brought in. Word of the gold quickly spread, and Cooktown was soon thriving, as prospectors arrived from around the world. Population estimates vary widely, but there were probably around 7,000 people in the area by 1880. At that time, Cooktown boasted a large number of hotels and guest houses. There were 35 licensed hotels within the town boundaries and probably as many illegal grog shops and several brothels. There were bakeries, a brewery and a soft drinks factory, dressmakers and milliners, a brickworks, a cabinetmaker, and two newspapers. The Chinese played an important role in the early days of Cooktown. They came originally as prospectors, but many established market gardens, supplying the town and the goldfields with fruit, vegetables and rice, while others opened shops. However, largely through cultural misunderstandings, conflict had broken out between the Aboriginal people and the new settlers, and the diggers. The Cooktown Herald, December 8, 1875, reported, �The natives wholly ignorant of the terrible firepower of fire-arms, and confiding in their numbers, showed a ferocity and daring wholly unexpected and unsurpassed. Grasping the very muzzles of the rifles they attempted to wrest them from the hands of the whites, standing to be shot down, rather than yield an inch....� It was an unequal struggle. Whole tribes were wiped out as European settlement spread over Cape York Peninsula. Transport was an ongoing problem for the new settlers. Getting supplies and people to the gold fields often took three weeks. After every wet season the tracks and bridges had to be remade. A railway line from Cooktown to Maytown, was planned, but it took five years to get the 67 miles to Laura, Queensland � and that is where it stopped. By that time the gold was petering out, so the Queensland Government refused further funding for the venture. In spite of this, the train proved to be a lifeline for the Peninsula people connecting the hinterland to Cooktown, from where one could catch a boat to Cairns, Queensland and other southern ports. The line was closed in 1961 after the Peninsula Development Road was built connecting Cooktown and other Peninsula communities with Cairns and the Atherton Tableland to the south. Cooktowns magnificent Botanic Garden of 62 hectares (154 acres) was established near the town, in 1878. Much work was done in the early stages � with wells sunk, water reticulated, garden beds enclosed, stone-lined paths, stone-pitched pools and footbridges were made, and lawns, trees and shrubs planted. Although the gardens fell into disrepair, in recent years the Gardens have been expanded, and are a favoured destination for botanists and nature lovers. Most of the early stone work has been restored, and beautiful walking tracks lead the visitor through the Botanic Gardens to the magnificent beaches at Finch Bay and Cherry Tree Bay. In 1881, a bridge over the Endeavour River was completed, which opened up the richer pastoral lands of the Endeavour and McIvor River valleys. Tin was found in the Annan River area, south of Cooktown, in 1884. In 1886, Lutheran missionaries came to Cooktown to establish a secure place for the Aboriginal people who were living in abominable conditions on the edge of the town. Missions were established at Elim on the beach (later they moved inland to Hopevale, and Wujal Wujal, near the mouth of the Bloomfield River. With the gold rush over, the number of people living in the area started dwindling. Two major fires struck Cooktown � in 1875 and, again, in 1919 when whole blocks of buildings in the main street were burned to the ground. A major cyclone in 1907 added to the destruction.

World War II

By 1940, little evidence of Cooktown or Maytowns interesting past remained. During the Second World War, Cooktown became an important base for the war effort. Some 20,000 Australian and American troops were stationed in and around the town. The busy airfield played a key role in the crucial Battle of the Coral Sea when Japanese expansion towards the Australian mainland was finally halted. Most of the population of Cape York Peninsula, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, were moved �down south� for the duration of the War. Many Aboriginal people died when moved from their traditional lands, and many Aboriginal and white families never returned from their exile.

Cooktown since World War II

In 1949, another cyclone devastated the town, and Cooktowns population declined further. With the closure of the rail link to Laura in 1961 and the Peninsula Development Road opened up to the south, the population declined to just a few hundred people before it gradually began to climb again. Today, there is a harmonious relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents in the region. There is an active Aboriginal Community Centre called Gungarde on the main street. the name of the Centre comes from the Aboriginal name for the region and meant crystals, as rock crystal (which was used in some aboriginal ceremonies) is found near the town. The Milbi Wall (or Story Wall) marks the place of the first encounter between the British seafarers and the local Aborigines. The Milbi Wall tells the story of Cooktown and the Endeavour River from the perspective of the Aboriginal people... and is an outstanding monument to reconciliation. Cooktown has recently grown in importance again and has become a popular tourist destination. The town now has good communications, more services, better roads, and offers residents a relaxed and healthy lifestyle. About 1,800 people live in the town itself while about another 4,000 in the region use it as a service centre. Visitors enjoy the delightful tropical environment, the historical connections, and use it as an access point to the Great Barrier Reef, the Lakefield National Park, and for fishing. Cooktown is a service centre for the district including the Aboriginal communities of Hopevale, 47km to the west, and Wujal Wujal, 72km to the south. Cooktown is also the northern end of the Bicentennial Heritage Trail, which, at 5,330 km (3,312 miles), is the longest trail of its type in the world. The southern end of the Trail is at Healesville, a beautiful town, just 52 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, Victoria.

References

Aughton, Peter. 2002. Endeavour: The Story of Captain Cooks First Great Epic Voyage. Cassell & Co., London.
Duyker, Edward. 1998. Natures Argonaut: Daniel Solander 1733-1782: Naturalist and Voyager with Cook and Banks. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84753-6
Edwards, Philip, ed. 2003. James Cook: The Journals. Prepared from the original manuscripts by J. C. Beaglehole 1955-67. Penguin Books, London.
Hough, Richard. 1994. Captain James Cook: a biography. Hodder and Stroughton, London. ISBN 0-340-58598-6.
Moon, Ron & Viv. 2003. Cape York: An Adventurers Guide. 9th edition. Moon Adventure Publications, Pearcedale, Victoria. ISBN 0-9578766-4-5
OBrien, Patrick. 1987. Joseph Banks: A Life. The Harvill Press, London. Paperback reprint, 1989. ISBN 1-86046-406-8
Pike, Glenville. 1979. Queen of the North: A Pictorial History of Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula. G. Pike. ISBN 0959896058.
Pohlner, Peter. 1986. gangaurru. Hopevale Mission Board, Milton, Queensland. ISBN 1-86252-311-8
Ryan, Michelle and Burwell, Colin, eds. 2000. Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to Mackay. Queensland Museum, Brisbane. ISBN 0-7242-9349-3.
Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktwon and Northern Australia. Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association, Cooktown. ISBN 0646397265 (pbk), ISBN 0646397257 Limited Edition - Leather Bound.
Sinclair, Don. 1997. Cooktown at War: A Record of Activities in Cooktown During World War II. Cooktown and District Historical Society.
Sydney Daily Telegraph. 1970. Captain Cook: His Artists - His Voyages. The Sydney Daily Telegraph Portfolio of Original Works by Artists who sailed with Captain Cook. Australian Consolidated Press, Sydney.
Thomas, Nicholas. 2003. The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook. Walker & Co., New York. ISBN 0-8027-1412-9
Wallace, Lennie. 2000. Nomads of the 19th Century Queensland Goldfields. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton. ISBN 1-875998-89-6
Wallace, Lennie. 2003. Cape York Penninsula: A History of Unlauded Heroes 1845-2003. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton. ISBN 1-876780-43-6
Williams, Glyndwr, ed. 1997. Captain Cooks Voyages: 1768-1779. The Folio Society, London.

2006-02-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

Vytautas-Magnus-University

Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) (Lithuanian language Vytauto Did�iojo Universitetas (VDU)) is one of the biggest university in Kaunas, List of universities in Lithuania.

History

Establishment of University

The beginnings of higher education in Lithuania go back to the 16th century when, in 1579, the college founded by Jesuits in Vilnius became a higher school of education - Academia et Universitas Vilnensis. In 1832 Czar Nicholas I closed the university. However, in 1918, with the establishment of the independent Republic of Lithuania, the State Council decided to reestablish the University of Vilnius. Since Vilnius occupied and the Lithuanian government transferred to Kaunas, this decision was not put into effect. At the beginning of 1920, Higher Courses of Study were begun in Kaunas, laying the foundation for the establishment of a university. The Lithuanian Cabinet of Ministers decided to establish the University of Lithuania in Kaunas, February 13, 1922. The ceremonial opening of the university took place February 16, 1922, while on the 12th of April the President of Lithuania confirmed the universitys Statute along with six faculties: Theology-Philosophy, Humanities, Law, Mathematics and Sciences, Medicine and Technical Studies. June 7, 1930 the university was named Vytautas the Great University. The Agricultural Academy was founded in 1924 on the basis of the Agronomy and Forestry sections of the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, in 1936 the Veterinary Academy was established in a similar fashion on the basis of the Veterinary section of the Faculty of Medicine. In 1940 Vytautas the Great University helped to reestablish the University of Vilnius: in the winter the Faculties of Humanities and Law were transferred to Vilnius, and in the summer, the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences. The occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union forced the university to be named the University of Kaunas in the summer of 1940. At the beginning of 1941 university professors took an active part in establishing the Academy of Sciences. When the Soviet Nazi war broke out, the Temporary Government restored the name of Vytautas the Great to the university in the summer of 1941. The German occupational government closed the university in March 1943. The university was reopened in the fall of 1944 with four faculties: History-Philology, Medicine, Construction and Technology. The transfer of the Faculty of Philosophy to Vilnius was the reason why the University of Kaunas was closed in the fall of 1949. The university was reorganized into Kaunas Polytechnic Institute and the Kaunas Medical Institute in October 31, 1950

Reestablishment of University

The act of reestablishing Vytautas the Great University (Vytautas Magnus University) was proclaimed April 28, 1989. The Supreme Council of Lithuania passed the law reestablishing the university July 4, 1989, while the Council of Ministers registered the temporary Statute for the universitys period of reestablishment on the 22nd of July. The first academic year began in the universitys reestablished Faculties of Economics, Humanities and Sciences September 1, 1989. The reestablished university was the second in then Soviet-occupied Lithuania, and the first school of higher education that was independent of governmental institutions. The most important principle in the universitys activity became academic freedom, while its main purpose was to prepare graduates with a broad humanistic orientation for Lithuanias needs in research, culture, education and economy. A common program of study in humanities and general education for the first two years of study for all students appeared in 1990. Its aim was to develop well-rounded individuals who were free and creative. In 1991 the university was the first in Lithuania to establish in a system of study based on several levels, the completion of which resulted in the granting of Bachelors or Masters degrees, as well as the Doctoral degrees. The feature of this university still remains exceptional in Lithuania today: this is a liberal policy for studies, according to which students are admitted not into specific specializations but into fields of study. The students themselves put together their plan of study and make a final choice of their program after the first two years of study. Particular attention is given to foreign languages and computer skills thus making this university different from other schools of higher education in the country. During the universitys first decade the number of students and teachers grew more than twenty times. It has become the center for academic work in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Theology and Fine Arts, Political Sciences and Law in Kaunas. Modern programs have been expanding in: Informatics, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Mathematics and Physics. Masters and Doctoral studies became a priority at the university and demanded a pedagogical staff with high qualifications. Therefore the university invited to its classrooms and laboratories the most celebrated of scholars from Lithuanias research institutes, creating in 1993 the first Research and Study Association in Lithuania. Ten Lithuanian research institutes formed this association together with the university: the Institutes for Lithuanian History, Lithuanian Language, Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, Lithuanian Philosophy and Sociology, biochemistry, Mathematics and Informatics, Semiconductor Physics, Psycophysiology and Rehabilitation, Architecture and Civil Engineering, and Lithuanian Forestry. The university has the right to grant doctoral degrees in nineteen scholarly fields and their branches and the Doctor Habilitus in eight fields. The pedagogical titles of professor and associate professor may be granted in the fields of Humanities, Social Sciences, Physics and Biomedicine. The university has ties with numerous universities of North America and Europe. Special student and teacher exchange programs have been set up with the University of Bergen in Norway, Roskilde in Denmark, G�teborg, Link�ping and V�xj� in Sweden, Greifsvald, Hohenheim, Zittau/Gorlitz in Germany, Poitiers, Du Maine, Pierre et Marie Curie in France, Parma and SDA Bocconi in Italy, Alabama, Fordham, Creighton, Loyola, Seton Hall in the United States of America and Kansai Gaidai and the International Christian University in Japan. A program in Baltic Studies for foreign students was initiated at the university in 1997. Questions concerning students academic, social and cultural rights are resolved through the Student Council. About twenty student corporations and clubs are active in the university. The university sports club Vytis coordinates sports activities. The universitys artistic groups - the Womens Chamber Choir, the dance group Zilvitis, the folkloric ensemble Mintinis and the Rhetorical Theatre - have won various contests in Lithuania and abroad.

University now

Distinguished professors of now living

Vytautas Kaminskas

2006-02-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

Ernest-Shonekan

Ernest Shonekan (born 1936) is a Nigerian businessman and politician. He was appointed as interim president by General Ibrahim Babangida on August 26 1993. Babangida resigned under pressure to cede control to a democratic government. Shonekans transitional administration only lasted three months, as a coup led by Sani Abacha brought the government back under military control on November 17. Prior to his political career, Shonekan was an executive with the United African Company (UAC), a large Nigerian conglomerate. bio-stub Africa-stub

2006-02-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

Edwin-O.-Reischauer

Long NPOV Edwin Oldfather Reischauer (October 15, 1910 - September 1, 1990) was Tokyo-born U.S. Ambassador (diplomacy) to Japan (1961-66) and the co-developer, with George M. McCune, of the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean language. He graduated with a B.A. from Oberlin College in 1931 and received his Doctor of Philosophy from Harvard University in 1939. Most of his teaching career was spent at Harvard, where he was the director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Languages. At Harvard, he was the founder of the Japan Institute, which was renamed the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies in 1985 in his honor. During World War II, he was the Japan expert for the US Army Intelligence Service, where he performed one of the finest acts in service of humanity during the war, as recounted by Robert Jungk in Brighter Than a Thousand Suns: A personal history of the atomic scientists, (NY: Harcourt Brace, 1958) page 178: On the short list of targets for the atom bomb, in addition to Hiroshima, Kokura and Nigata, was the Japanese city of temples, Kyoto. When the expert on Japan, Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, heard this terrible news, he rushed into the office of his chief, Major Alfred MacCormack, in a department of the Army Intelligence Service. The shock caused him to burst into tears. MacCormack, a cultivated and humane New York lawyer, thereupon managed to persuade Secretary of War Stimson to reprieve Kyoto and have it crossed off the black list.

2006-02-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

G�rard-de-Vaucouleurs

G�rard Henri de Vaucouleurs (April 25, 1918�October 7, 1995) was a French-American astronomer. He had an early interest in amateur astronomy and received his undergraduate degree in 1939 at the Sorbonne in Paris. After military service in World War II, he resumed his pursuit of astronomy. Fluent in English language, he spent 1949�1951 in England and 1951�1957 in Australia, the latter at Mount Stromlo Observatory. In 1960 he was appointed to the University of Texas, where he spent the rest of his career. He specialized in the study of galaxy and was co-author of the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies. The de Vaucouleurs modified Hubble sequence is a widely used variant of the standard Hubble sequence

Obituaries

BAAS 28 (1996) 1449

Other resources

http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/normal-galaxies.html
http://astrosun2.astro.cornell.edu/academics/courses/astro590/lectures/A590-07%20(Galaxy%20Classification).pdf

2006-02-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

Utopia-Planitia-Fleet-Yards

In the fictional world of Star Trek, the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards is a large United Federation of Planets shipyard in synchronous orbit over Utopia Planitia on Mars (planet). The facility is known for the development and construction of starships and its dry dock facilities. Notable ships produced by the shipyard include the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) (NCC-1701-D), the USS Galaxy (NCC-70637), the USS Defiant (NCC-74205, ex-NX-74205), the USS Voyager (Star Trek) (NCC-74656) and the USS Sao Paulo (NCC-75633). Captain Benjamin Sisko served at Utopia Planitia for two years from 2367 to 2369, overseeing the development of the Defiant class starship. In 2371, the starship Fredrickson (NCC-42111) underwent a refit at Utopia Planitia. stub

2006-02-07T05:36:00.000-08:00

Jaw

For other uses of the word jaws, see jaws (disambiguation). The jaw is either of the two opposable structures forming, or near the entrance to, the mouth. In most vertebrates, the jaws are bone or cartilage and oppose vertically, comprising an upper jaw and a lower jaw. In arthropods, the jaws are chitin and oppose laterally, and may consist in mandibles, chelicerae, or, loosely, pedipalps. Their function is fundamentally for food acquisition, conveyance to the mouth, and/or initial processing (mastication or chewing). The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it. In vertebrates, the lower jaw or mandible is the mobile component that articulates at its posterior processes, or rami (singular ramus), with the temporal bones of the skull on either side, the word jaw used in the singular typically refers to the lower jaw. The upper jaw or maxilla is more or less fixed with the skull and is composed of two bones, the maxillae, fused intimately at the anatomical position by a suture, incomplete closure of this suture and surrounding structures may be involved in the malformation known as cleft palate. The maxillary bones form parts of the roof of the mouth, the floor and sides of the nose, and the floor of the orbit or eye socket. The jaws typically accommodate the tooth or form the bases for the attachment of a beak. In reptiles, the mandible is made up of five bones. In the evolution of mammals, four of these bones were reduced in size and incorporated into the ear. In their reduced form, they are known as the malleus and incus, along with the more ancient stapes, they are the ossicles. This adaptation is advantageous, not only because a one-bone jaw is stronger, but also because the malleus and incus improve hearing. The term jaws is also used for articles resembling jaws in appearance or function, for example:
the pincer-like grasping or crushing parts of a hand tool, as of pliers, a clamp, or a wrench
the sides of a topography pass or channel
the space bounded by a croquet hoop, or the angled pair of cushions marking the entrance to the pocket of a billiards table
metaphor, the threshold of a usually perilous situation

2006-02-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

David-Stuart-McGregor

David Stuart McGregor (16 October 1895 � 22 October 1918) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom forces. He was 23 years old, and a Lieutenant in the The Royal Scots (The Lothian Regiment), British Army, attached to 29th Bn., Machine Gun Corps during the World War I when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 22 October 1918 near Hoogemolen, Belgium, Lieutenant McGregor concealed his guns on a limber under the bank of a sunken road, but immediately the troops advanced they were subjected to such intense enfilade machine-gun fire that he realised it was impossible to get the guns carried forward without great delay. Having ordered the teams to take a safer route, he lay flat on the limber, the driver then galloped forward under the heaviest machine-gun fire to cover beyond, the guns were put into action and the advance resumed. Lieutenant McGregor continued directing the fire until he was killed. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Scots Museum (Edinburgh Castle, Scotland).

Reference

Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
SCOTLANDS FORgotten VALOUR (Graham Ross, 1995)
VCs of the First World War - The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000) This page has been Project Victoria Cross Reference Migration from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.

2006-02-06T05:36:00.000-08:00

Yokoi-Shoichi

Yokoi Shoichi (March 31, 1915 - September 22, 1997) was a Japanese soldier and celebrity. Born in Saori, Aichi, Aichi Prefecture, he was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941 and sent to Guam shortly thereafter. In 1944, as Douglas MacArthurs army reconquered the island, Yokoi went into hiding. On January 24, 1972, Yokoi was surprised and captured in a remote section of Guam by two United States hunters. For 27 years he had been hiding in a jungle cave, refusing to believe leaflets declaring that World War II had ended. It is with much embarrassment that I have returned alive, he said upon his return to Japan, carrying his rusted rifle at his side. The remark would later become a popular saying. After a whirlwind media tour of Japan, he married and settled down in rural Aichi Prefecture. Having lived alone in a cave for 27 years, Yokoi became a popular television personality, and an advocate of austerity living. He was featured in a 1977 documentary called Yokoi and His Twenty-Eight Years of Secret Life on Guam. He would eventually receive the equivalent of $300 in back pay, along with a small pension. In 1991, he received an audience with Emperor of Japan Akihito. He considered the meeting the greatest honor of his life. He had even prepared a speech of regret to read to the emperor. Months later, Yokoi told a Japanese journalist that he had in fact had a deeply personal reason for remaining isolated: I had a tough childhood, among many unkind relatives, he explained. I stuck to the jungle because I wanted to get even with them. Yokoi died in 1997 of a myocardial infarction at the age of 82. He was burial at a Nagoya cemetery, under a gravestone that was initially commissioned by his mother in 1955.

2006-02-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Thangorodrim

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Thangorodrim (oppression mountain group) was a group of three volcanic mountains in the Iron Mountains (Middle-earth) in the north of Middle-earth during the First Age. The highest peaks of Middle-earth, they were raised by Morgoth, who delved his fortress of Angband beneath them, and far back into the Iron Mountains. Thangorodrim was said to have been the piles of slag from Morgoths furnaces and rubble from the delving of Angband, but at the same time they were solid enough to form sheer precipices, Maedhros was nailed to a cliff of Thangorodrim, and H�rin imprisoned on a high terrace. The tops of Thangorodrim perpetually smoked, and sometimes spewed forth lava. The three peaks of Thangorodrim functioned as furnaces for Morgoths great smithies deep in Angband. For a time the Eagles (Middle-earth) lived on Thangorodrim, but at some time during the First Age they removed to the Crissaegrim near Gondolin. At the base of the south face of the middle peak was the Great Gate of Angband, a deep canyon leading into the mountain, lined with towers and forts. There were also a number of secret gates scattered around the sides of the mountain group, from which Morgoths hosts could issue forth and surprise their foes. The position and size of Thangorodrim are unclear. One drawing by Tolkien, if to scale, would have made Thangorodrim 35,000 ft high, and the statement that it lay 150 leagues (450 N�men�rean miles) north of Menegroth puts it too far away for some of the action in The Silmarillion to make sense, a distance of 150-200 miles would have been more consistent. It is possible that with the higher figure Tolkien was not referring to as the eagle flies, but rather as the wolf runs: the plateau of Dorthonion forced a long detour which added the extra 200, 250 miles to the distance. Along with Beleriand and the entire west of Middle-earth, Thangorodrim was destroyed in the War of the Valar at the end of the First Age.

Reference

The Atlas of Middle-earth (1991) by Karen Wynn Fonstad

2006-02-05T05:37:00.000-08:00

Ludovic-Hal�vy

Ludovic Hal�vy (January 1, 1834 - May 8, 1908), France author, was born in Paris. His father, L�on Hal�vy (1802-1883), was a clever and versatile writer, who tried almost every branch of literature prose and verse, vaudeville, drama, history without, however, achieving decisive success in any. His uncle, Jacques-Fran�ois-Fromental-Elie Hal�vy, was for many years associated with the op�ra, hence the double and early connection of Ludovic Hal�vy with the Parisian stage. At the age of six he might have been seen playing in that Foyer de la danse with which he was to make his readers so familiar, and, when a boy of twelve, he would often, of a Sunday night, on his way back to the Coll�ge Louis le Grand, look in at the Od�on, where he had free admittance, and see the first act of the new play. At eighteen he joined the ranks of the French administration and occupied various posts, the last being that of secr�taire-r�dacteur to the Corps L�gislatif. In that capacity he enjoyed the special favour and friendship of the famous duke of Morny, then president of that assembly. In 1865 Ludovic Hal�vys increasing popularity as an author enabled him to retire from the public service. Ten years earlier he had become acquainted with the musician Jacques Offenbach, who was about to start a small theatre of his own in the Champs Elyses, and he wrote a sort of prologue, Entrez, messieurs, mesdames, for the opening night. Other little productions followed, Ba-ta-clan being the most noticeable among them. They were produced under the pseudonym of Jules Servires. The name of Ludovic Hal�vy appeared for the first time on the bills on January 1 1856. Soon afterwards the unprecedented run of Orph�e aux enfers, a musical parody, written in collaboration with Hector Cr�mieux, made his name famous. In the spring of 1860 he was commissioned to write a play for the manager of the Vari�t�s in conjunction with another vaudevillist, Lambert Thiboust. The latter having abruptly retired from the collaboration, Hal�vy was at a loss how to carry out the contract, when on the steps of the theatre he met Henri Meilhac (1831-1897), then comparatively a stranger to him. He proposed to Meilhac the task rejected by Lambert Thiboust, and the proposal was immediately accepted. thus began a connection which was to last over twenty years, and which proved most fruitful both for the reputation of the two authors and the prosperity of the minor Paris theatres. Their joint works may be divided into three classes: the oprettes, the farces, the comedies. The op�rettes afforded excellent opportunities to a gifted musician for the display of his peculiar humour. They were broad and lively libels against the society of the time, but savoured strongly of the vices and follies they were supposed to satirize. Amongst the most celebrated works of the joint authors were La Belle H�l�ne (1864), Barbe Bleue (1866), La Grande Duchesse de G�rolstein (1867), La Prichole (1868), and Die Fledermaus. After 1870 the vogue of Parody rapidly declined. The decadence became still more apparent when Offenhach was no longer at hand to assist the two authors with his quaint musical irony, and when they had to deal with interpreters almost destitute of singing powers. They wrote farces of the old type, consisting of complicated intrigues, with which they cleverly interwove the representation of contemporary whims and social oddities. They generally failed when they attempted comedies of a more serious character and tried to introduce a higher sort of emotion. A solitary exception must be made in the case of Froufrou (1869), which, owing perhaps to the admirable talent of Aime Desclbe, remains their unique succ�s de larmes. Meilhac and Hal�vy will be found at their best in light sketches of Parisian life, Les Sonnettes, Le Roi Candaule, Madame attend Monsieur, Toto chez Tata. In that intimate association between the two men who had met so opportunely on the perron des vari�t�s, it was often asked who was the leading partner. The question was not answered until the connection was finally severed and they stood before the public, each to answer for his own work. It was then apparent that they had many gifts in common. Both had wit, humour, observation of character. Meilhac had a ready imagination, a rich and whimsical fancy, Hal�vy had taste, refinement and pathos of a certain kind. Not less clever than his brilliant comrade, he was more human. Of this he gave evidence in two delightful books, Monsieur et Madame Cardinal (1873) and Les Petites Cardinal, in which the lowest orders of the Parisian middle class are faithfully described. The pompous, pedantic, venomous Monsicur Cardinal will long survive as the true image of sententious and self-glorifying immorality. M. Hal�vys peculiar qualities are even more visible in the simple and striking scenes of the Invasion, published soon after the conclusion of the Franco-German War, in Criquette (1883) and LAbb� Constantin (1882), two novels, the latter of which went through innumerable editions. Emile Zola had presented to the public an almost exclusive combination of bad men and women, in LAbb� Constantin all are kind and good, and the change was eagerly welcomed by the public. Some enthusiasts stifl maintain that the Abb� will rank permanently in literature by the side of the equally chimerical Vicar of Wakefield. At any rate, it opened for M. Ludovic Hal�vy the doors of the Acad�mie fran�aise, to which he was elected in 1884. Hal�vy remained an assiduous frequenter of the Academy, the Conservatoire, the Com�die Fran�aise, and the Society of Dramatic Authors, but, when he died in Paris on the 8th of May 1908, he had produced practically nothing new for many years. His last romance, Kari Kari, appeared in 1892. The Th��tre of MM. Meilhac and Hal�vy was published in 8 vols. (1900-1902). 1911

2006-02-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Share-Our-Wealth

Share Our Wealth was a movement begun during the Great Depression by Huey Long, governor of Louisiana and later United States Senator from Louisiana. In February, 1934, Senator Huey Long announced during a nationwide radio address that he was forming the Share Our Wealth Society, dedicated to the redistribution of the nations wealth. Long had originally been a supporter of the New Deal policies of President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt, but starting with the formation of the Share Our Wealth Society, began advocating for more radical reforms than Roosevelt was willing to embrace. The key planks of the Share Our Wealth platform included: 1. Nobody should be allowed a personal fortune of more than 100 to 300 times the average family fortune, which would limit personal assets to between $1,500,000 and $5,000,000. Annual capital levy taxes would be assessed on all persons with fortunes exceeding $1,000,000. 2. Every family to be furnished with a homestead allowance of not less than one-third the average family wealth of the country. 3. A guaranteed annual family income of at least $2000 to $2500, or not less than one-third of the average annual family income in the U.S. 4. No person would be allowed an annual income in excess of 100 to 300 times the average family income. Income taxes would be levied to ensure this. 5. An old age pension for all persons over 60. Huey Long was a radical populism, extremely popular in his home state of Louisiana, but was widely viewed as having one of the most corrupt administrations in American history during his term as governor. Many saw his Share Our Wealth proposal as an unworkable plan that threatened the more responsible reforms of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. Many also suspected that Huey Long was planning on using the Share Our Wealth Society as a vehicle for mounting a third party challenge to Roosevelt during the U.S. presidential election, 1936. Any Presidential ambitions which Long had were cut short by his assassination on September 8, 1935 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After Longs assassination, the control of the Share Our Wealth Society fell to Gerald L. K. Smith, who was widely viewed as a demagogue. Smith brought the Share Our Wealth Society into a brief coalition with the followers of radio priest Charles Coughlin and old-age pension advocate Francis Townsend in support of the short-lived United States Union Party, a third party effort which ran William Lemke of North Dakota for President in 1936, but under his leadership, the Share Our Wealth movement quickly fell apart. Gerald L. K. Smith continued a lifelong career as a demagogue, increasingly flirting with anti-Semitism and extreme anti-Communism during the post-World War II years, and was an early advocate of Holocaust denial.

2006-02-04T05:39:00.000-08:00

Roach-clip

A roach clip is a clip, or holder, that is attached to a cigarette (usually a marijuana cigarette), also known as a roach or joint. Its purpose is to let the smoker smoke the last bit of the roach without burning his lips, and to facilitate passing around the roach without dropping it. The classic or most familiar roach clip is the surgical hemostat, essentially a lightweight needle nose plier with loop handles and an ability to lock closed, originally designed to clamp closed blood vessels during surgery. Their size (usually four or six inches in length) and shape (available with straight or bent tip) makes them ideal for holding the burning end of a joint a marijuana cigarette to the lips without them. They are popular enough as roach clips to be sold at head shops, or purveyors of drug paraphernalia. Another popular type of roach clip is the alligator clip. Alligator clips are generally smaller in size (from one to three inches) than hemostats, but like hemostats they have the feature (in this case provided by the force of a spring) of being able to clamp onto the roach without any sustained effort on the part of the smoker. Some choose to go the makeshift route, and use very common household items such as paperclips, often when the better alternatives listed above are unavailable. Most naturally fitting the bill as a roach clip is the cigarette cigarette holder.

2006-02-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

Reinforcement

In operant conditioning, reinforcement is the presentation of a stimulus contingent on a response which results in an increase in response strength (as evidenced by an increase in the frequency of response). This concept has been criticized as circular, since it appears to argue that response strength is increased by reinforcement while defining reinforcement as something which increases response strength. Non-circular definitions have been proposed, for example, reinforcement can be defined as consummatory behaviour contingent on a response. Reinforcement is the key concept and procedure in the experimental analysis of behavior. Whether the definition is circular or not, the study of reinforcement has produced strong, reproducible results. The effects of different schedules of reinforcement have been extensively studied. These schedules are:
Continuous, in which a reinforcer is presented after every desired response,
Fixed ratio, in which a reinforcer is presented after every n th response,
Fixed interval, in which a reinforcer is presented after the passage of a specified length of time from the beginning of training or from the presentation of the last reinforcer, provided a response has been made during the period,
Variable ratio, in which the number of responses between reinforcers varies, but on the average equals a predetermined number, and
Variable interval, in which the time between reinforcers varies, but on the average equals a predetermined time. Ratio schedules produce higher rates of responding than interval schedules, with variable ratio scales producing the highest rates of response. Variable ratio schedules produce the greatest resistance to extinction, which is the decline in response strength following the cessation of reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is the contingent presentation of a stimulus following a response, resulting in an increased likelihood of the response occurring in the future. Negative reinforcement is the contingent withdrawal of a stimulus following a response, resulting in an increased likelihood of the response occurring in the future. Conditioned reinforcement, also called secondary reinforcement, is the presentation of a stimulus which has acquired reinforcing power through association with primary reinforcers (stimuli which are inherently reinforcing). Social reinforcement is a form of conditioned reinforcement in which the reinforcer involves some sort of interaction with others. Successive approximation is the presentation of reinforcers after increasingly accurate productions of the desired response. In training rats or pigeons to depress a lever or peck a key, for example, reinforcement will initially be contingent on simply turning toward the lever or key. As training progresses, the response reinforced becomes progressively more like the response desired by the trainer. Behaviours developed through the reinforcement of successive approximations to the eventual desired behaviour are called shaped behaviours and the process is called shaping.

2006-02-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

White,-South-Dakota

White is a city located in Brookings County, South Dakota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 530.

Geography

South Dakota White is located at 44�264 North, 96�3851 West (44.434353, -96.647514) GR 1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square kilometer (0.7 square mile). 1.8 km� (0.7 mi�) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water. White has been assigned the ZIP code 57276 and the FIPS place code 70940.

Demographics

As of the census GR 2 of 2000, there are 530 people, 198 households, and 136 families residing in the city. The population density is 288.2/km� (741.5/mi�). There are 212 housing units at an average density of 115.3/km� (296.6/mi�). The racial makeup of the city is 98.30% White (U.S. Census), 0.19% African American (U.S. Census), 0.75% Native American (U.S. Census), 0.00% Asian (U.S. Census), 0.00% Pacific Islander (U.S. Census), 0.00% from Race (U.S. Census), and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.32% of the population are Hispanic (U.S. Census) or Latino (U.S. Census) of any race. There are 198 households out of which 35.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% are Marriage living together, 8.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% are non-families. 27.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.54 and the average family size is 3.02. In the city the population is spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the city is $31,528, and the median income for a family is $40,547. Males have a median income of $26,875 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,027. 6.3% of the population and 4.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.0% of those under the age of 18 and 7.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

2006-02-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

Diablo-Canyon

Diablo Canyon
Album by The Outlaws
Released Recorded Musical genre rock Southern Rock
Length Minute ?? Second
Record label Bureau
Record producer Fontano,
Hughie Thomasson
The Outlaws Chronology - Hittin the Road (1993) Diablo Canyon (1994) � Diablo Canyon is an album by American southern rock band The Outlaws, released in 1994. (See 1994 in music).

Track listing

Diablo Canyon (Thomasson) - 7:01 Dregs Fall to the Wicked (Cooper, Thomasson, Tsaerios) - 5:10 Let the Fingers Do the Walkin (Thomasson) - 4:49 Steam on the Blacktop (Kartchmar, Lynch) - 4:49 Macon Blues (Hicks) - 5:48 New Frontier (Borden, Hicks, Thomasson) - 5:20 Brother Travis (Borden, Hicks, Thomasson) - 4:58 The Wheel (Hicks) - 5:20 Freedom in Flight (Thomasson) - 4:21 Alligator Alley (Thomasson) - 4:52

Personnel

B.B. Borden - percussion, drums
Jeff Howell - bass guitar, vocals
Gary Rossington - guitar, slide guitar
Hughie Thomasson - guitar, vocals
Mike Varney - guitar

Production

Producers: Steve Fontano, Hughie Thomasson
Executive Producer: Mike Varney
Engineers: Steve Fontano, Gregg Schnitzer, Wally Walton
Assistant engineer: Terry Weeks
Mixing: Steve Fontano, Hughie Thomasson
Mastering: George Horn
Design: Annie Calef, Joan Ubaldi

2006-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

Bucephalus

Bucephalus (meaning ox-head) was Alexander the Greats horse. One of the horses in the statue group in the Piazza del Quirinale in Rome is named after him.

The Taming of Bucephalus

Bucephalus was supposedly a terror, unable to be ridden and devouring the flesh of all who tried. Alexander, however, managed to tame him. Plutarch tells the story of how in 344 BC, a 12-year old Alexander won the horse. Philonicus the Thessalian, a horse dealer offered the horse to King Philip II for the sum of 13 talents (or 16 talents - Pliny the Elder). Since no one could tame the animal, Philip wasnt interested, but his son Alexander was and promised to pay for the horse should he fail to tame it. Alexander was allowed to try and surprised everyone by subduing it. Alexander spoke soothingly and turned the horse away so that the horse didnt see its own shadow, which seemed to distress it, and so tamed the horse. Plutarch says the incident so impressed Alexanders father, that he told the boy O my son, look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee Bucephalus breeding or raising, Pseudo-Callisthenes presents a mythic variant of Bucephalus origin. In this tale, Philip is presented with a colt bred on his own estates, the heroic attributes of the animal surpasses Pegasus. The mythic attributes of the animal are further reinforced by the Delphic Oracle, which tells Philip that the destined king of the world will be the one who rides Bucephalus, a horse with the mark of the oxs head on his haunch.

Alexander and Bucephalus

As one of his chargers, Alexander rode Bucephalus in many battles. The legend of Alexanders magnificent horse struck many an artists imagination, from the ancient world to the modern. Paintings of Labrums Alexander subjects survive in the Louvre Museum. One in particular, The Passage of the Granicus, depicts the warhorse contesting the difficulties of the steep muddy river banks, biting and kicking all foes. Like his hero and ancestor Achilles, Alexander viewed his horses as known to excel all others-for they are immortal. Poseidon gave them to my father Peleus, who in his turn gave them to myself. Arrian states Bucephalus died sometime between the age of 28 to 30, in June of 326 BC after being fatally wounded at the battle of Hydaspes, and Alexander promptly founded a city in honour of the horse, Bucephala. The city lay on the west bank of the Hydaspes river (thought to be modern-day Jhelum in Pakistan). See Rolf Winkes, Boukephalas, in: Miscellanea Mediterranea (Archaeologia Transatlantica XVIII) Providence 2000, pages 101-107.

2006-02-01T02:53:00.000-08:00

T-Bone-Burnett

Joseph Henry Burnett aka T-Bone Burnett, (born January 14, 1948), in St. Louis, Missouri is an United States songwriter, record producer, musician and singer. In addition to being one of the most well respected record producers in the music business and a solo performer, Burnetts songs have been covered by artists like K.d. lang (Till the Heart Caves In), Los Lobos, Sixpence None the Richer (Carry You), Tonio K, Emmylou Harris, Arlo Guthrie, Warren Zevon, Peter Case, B. J. Thomas and others. Three years after releasing his own 1972 album, The B-52 Band and the Fabulous Skylarks, Bob Dylan asked Burnett to play guitar for his Rolling Thunder Revue tour. When that tour had ended, Burnett and two other members of Dylans band, David Mansfield and Steven Soles formed The Alpha Band. The band released three albums, The Alpha Band in 1977, Spark In The Dark in 1977, and The Statue Makers of Hollywood in 1978. Burnett then revived his solo career and began producing albums for artists like Counting Crows August and Everything After, Los Lobos How Will the Wolf Survive?, Elvis Costellos King of America and Spike, the Wallflowers Bringing Down the Horse, Marshall Crenshaws Downtown, Spinal Taps Break Like The Wind, the BoDeans Love & Hope and Sex & Dreams, Gillian Welchs Revival and Hell Among The Yearlings, The Roy Orbison tribute A Black and White Night, two albums for Bruce Cockburn, and nearly everything released by wife, Sam Phillips (singer). In 1985, Burnett teamed up with good friend Elvis Costello for a single called The Peoples Limousine under the moniker of The Coward Brothers. In 1987 Burnett produced Roy Orbisons two-record album, In Dreams: The Greatest Hits. After that, he was the musical director and a guitarist for Orbisons hugely successful Home Box Office television special, A Black and White Night. T-Bone Burnett was called the best songwriter in America by Rolling Stone Magazine. In 2000, Burnett produced the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?. The award winning score featured music from Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, and others performing traditional American folk music, blues and bluegrass - reminiscent of Burnetts 1986 self titled release. A documentary film was also made while recording the soundtrack, called Down from the Mountain and featuring many of the same artists.

Discography

The B-52 Band & the Fabulous Skylarks, 1972
Truth Decay, 1980
Proof Through the Night, 1983
Behind the Trap Door, 1984
T-Bone Burnett, 1986
The Talking Animals, 1988
The Criminal Under My Own Hat, 1992

Forthcoming

Tooth of Crime, written for the Sam Shepard play of the same name, which premiered in New York in 1997.
The True False Identity, his first album of original songs since 1992s The Criminal Under My Own Hat.