Career.

Juniors: Orange Bowl champion & junior No. 1.

In December 2015, Kecmanović won the Orange Bowl in a 3-set match against Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6. He reached the final in singles at 2016 Junior US Open where he was defeated by Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime. He finished the year 2016 as ITF Juniors number 1 ranked tennis player.

2016: Davis Cup alternate player.

Kecmanović was a fifth (reserve) player on a Serbian Davis Cup team in their quarterfinal tie against Great Britain in the 2016 Davis Cup – a standard practice of Tennis Federation of Serbia for each tie to invite a different talented young player to practice with regular players and gain necessary experience. Kecmanović credited this experience for finishing the year as junior world No. 1 and said that he is looking forward to one day make the team and play for Serbia.

2017: Turning pro & first Challenger title.

In January 2017, Kecmanović won his first singles ITF pro circuit title in Sunrise, Florida, US. In March, he received a wild card entry for the qualifying draw at Miami Masters and defeated 22nd seed and world No. 117 Henri Laaksonen in straight sets in the first round, before losing the deciding qualifying match to 11th seed and world No. 114 Lukáš Lacko. Serbian Davis Cup captain, Nenad Zimonjić, planned to include Kecmanović as a fifth player for Serbia's 7–9 April Davis Cup quarterfinal tie versus Spain, but as Kecmanović received a wild card for Panamá Cup Challenger, he instead chose to play in his first career challenger and lost in the first round to top seed and world No. 86 Horacio Zeballos in 3 sets, 6–2, 4–6, 2–6. He next played in San Luis Potosí Challenger in Mexico and had his first wins on the Challenger level after defeating 3rd seed and world No. 135 Stefan Kozlov in straight sets, Emilio Gómez in three sets and 7th seed Marcelo Arévalo in straight sets, before losing in the semifinals to 8th seed Adrián Menéndez-Maceiras. At Sarasota Kecmanović played in his third successive challenger, losing in the second round to 7th seed and world No. 114 Laaksonen. Kecmanović received wild card for the qualifying draw of another ATP tournament, Istanbul Open, where he defeated 2nd seed Mirza Bašić in the opening round, but lost to 8th seed Daniel Brands in the deciding qualifier.  Between May and July, Kecmanović played in four futures tournaments in Turkey and Belgium, respectively, winning two and reaching another final and one semifinal. He then resumed playing in challengers, playing three in Asia, with the best result coming in August in Chengdu, where he was stopped in the quarterfinals. In September, Kecmanović was again in the plans to be a fifth player in 15–17 September Davis Cup semifinal against France, but as he received a wildcard for Banja Luka Challenger, he chose to play it in order to improve his ATP ranking, and again lost in the first round. He next played three futures in Italy, getting to one semifinal and two quarterfinals. He finished the season playing in three challengers in China and had his biggest achievement to date in October in Suzhou, when he won the first challenger title of his career by beating 3rd seed and world No. 113 Radu Albot, 6–4, 6–4, in the final.

2018: Top 150, WTT champion & Finals MVP.

After reaching two quarterfinals in three challengers to start the season, Kecmanović broke into the top 200 for the first time in his career on February 5, when he was ranked 194th on the ATP list. In March, he made his ATP main draw debut when he was granted wild card for Miami Masters, losing to Denis Istomin in the first round. In April, he defeated 4th seed Michael Mmoh and 6th seed Dennis Novikov in the qualifying rounds to reach the main draw of U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships ATP 250 event in Houston, where he lost to 7th seed Ryan Harrison in the first round.  In July and August, Kecmanović played World TeamTennis league and helped Springfield Lasers win its first ever championship after losing five times in the finals between 1999 and 2014. They defeated Philadelphia Freedoms, 19–18 in the final, after Kecmanović rallied from a 1–3 deficit in the final set to defeat Kevin King, 5–3, and earn Finals MVP honors.  On the strength of three semifinal and one quarterfinal appearance in challenger events in September and October, Kecmanović reached the top 150 for the first time on October 22, being ranked world No. 149. He closed out the season on a high note, reaching the final of the Liuzhou challenger and winning the Shenzhen challenger, to finish the season with a then career-high ranking of world No. 132.

2019: Top 50, 2nd WTT championship, first ATP final.

He earned his first ATP victory by defeating world No. 56 Leonardo Mayer at the Brisbane International. He played in BNP Paribas Open as a lucky loser. He defeated 30th seed Laslo Đere on his way to the quarterfinals, before losing to in straight sets to Milos Raonic. This result meant that Kecmanović was ranked in the top 100 for the first time. In Miami, he beat former top-10 player Ernests Gulbis in the first round before losing to Frances Tiafoe in two tiebreak sets.  At the French Open, Kecmanović played in the main draw, beating Denis Kudla in five sets before losing to David Goffin. This was his first grand slam win. At the Antalya Open, he reached his first ATP final, losing to Lorenzo Sonego in the final. His semi final against 3rd seed Jordan Thompson was notable for featuring no breaks of serve, with Kecmanović saving all three break points on his serve.  Kecmanović won his first Wimbledon match at The Championships 2019, beating Roberto Carballés Baena in four sets, before retiring against Benoît Paire two sets to love down. In Atlanta, he beat Jack Sock and 8th seed Ugo Humbert both in straight sets, before losing in the quarter finals to eventual finalist and 2nd seed Taylor Fritz. In the Citi Open, he beat Alexei Popyrin and Pierre-Hugues Herbert before losing to Norbert Gombos. Having missed the Roger's Cup Masters Tournament, Kecmanović's breakthrough came at the Western and Southern Open. In qualifying he beat Antoine Hoang and Feliciano López in straight sets. In the first round, he beat fellow 19 year old Félix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. He then gained his first win over a top ten player by beating 7th seed Alexander Zverev in three sets. This victory ensured that Kecmanović would break into the top 50 for the first time. He then lost in straight sets to Roberto Bautista Agut.

2020.

Kecmanović started off the new decade by participating in the ATP 250 Qatar Open. He defeated Australian Jordan Thompson before defeating third seed Jo Wilfrid Tsonga in the round of sixteen.

Personal.

His aunt, Tanja Pavlov, acts as his manager.

Performance timeline.

Singles.

"Current through the 2020 Abierto Mexicano Telcel."

Record against other players.

Record against top 10 players.

Kecmanović's match record against those who have been ranked in the top 10, with those who have been No. 1 in boldface

Miomir Kecmanović (, ; born 31 August 1999) is a Serbian tennis player. On 9 September 2019, Kecmanović reached his best singles ranking of world No. 47, while on 16 September 2019 he peaked at world number 161 in the doubles rankings. He has won two Challenger titles in his career.

Miomir Kecmanović (srbskou cyrilicí: Миомир Кецмановић; * 31. srpna 1999 Bělehrad) je srbský profesionální tenista. Ve své dosavadní kariéře na okruhu ATP Tour nevyhrál žádný turnaj. Na challengerech ATP a okruhu Futures získal do září 2019 pět titulů ve dvouhře a jeden ve čtyřhře.


Plot.

Three sudički Rodovoj, Rodovít and Lichoradka come to Urban'scradle. Rodovoj and Rodovít wish him a happy life but Lichoradka wishes him to become orphan and live in poverty and unhappiness. Rodovoj and Rodovít then wish him that all difficulties will be only temporary and he will ultimately live a happy life. Rodovoj and Rodovít then bet with Lichoradka whose wish will win and come true.  As Lichoradka wished Urban's mother soon dies and Urban becomes orphan. When he is a bit older Rodovoj and Rodovít give Watchmaker a dream that some Urban will get a treasue when he gets married. Watchmaker decides to take care of Urban as he plans to marry him with his daughter Laura and seize the Treasure. Urban becomes Watchmaker's Apprentice and lives with Watchmaker's family. When he gows up Watchmaker suggest that Laura and Urban would marry. They both happily agree as the fall in love with each other and they don't know about the treasure. Lichoradka then reveals to Watchmaker that he will die when Urban and Laura get married. He then tries to call of the wedding but thzen he finds out about Watches that can protect its bearer from death.  Watchmaker then sends off Urban to find the Watches. Telling him that he won't allow the Wedding until Urban finds those watches. Urban sets up on a journey to find those watches. While Urban is gone Watchmaker tries to marry Laura to rich but old neighbour but she refuses. Urban meanwhile has to overcome obstacles that Lichoradka puts in his way but with help of Rodovít and Rodovoj he manages to find the watches and returns to Laura who is dying of sadness. They are getting married but Watchmaker becomes worried that he would lose the Watches and die. He then inspects the watches so that he could make new ones but they stop ticking and he dies. Urban and Laura then inherit his Watchmaker's which was revealed to be the Treasure. Urban and Laura then live happily ever after. The gilm ends with Rodovoj, Rodovít and Lichoradka at a cradle of their new born child.

Watchmaker's Apprentice (Czech: "Hodinářův učeň") is a 2019 Czech fairy tale film directed by Jitka Rudolfová and starring Michael Balcar and Viktor Preiss.

Hodinářův učeň je filmová pohádka z roku 2019, kterou napsala a režírovala Jitka Rudolfová. Snímek vznikl v české a slovenské koprodukci a jeho vznik také podpořili Státní fond české kinematografie, Jihomoravský filmový nadační fond a Audiovizuálny fond. Natáčení probíhalo například na Panské skále, na zámku Lednice, v Beskydech, Doksanech nebo na zámku Uherčice u Znojma.


Sowon, korejské neokonfuciánské akademie

History.

Seowons first appeared in Korea in the early Joseon Dynasty. They were modeled after early private Chinese academies of classical learning "shuyuan". The latter originated in the 8th century under the Tang dynasty and were later dismantled under the Yuan dynasty to become preparatory schools for the imperial examinations under government control.  Although the exact year of seowons introduction in Korea is not known for certain, in 1418 King Sejong issued rewards to two scholars for their work in setting up seowon in Gimje and Gwangju. The first seowon to receive a royal charter was the Sosu Seowon in Punggi, presided over by Toegye, which was given a hanging board by King Myeongjong in 1550.  Many seowon were established by leading literati, or by local groups of yangban families. For instance, Ju Se-bong established the Sosu Seowon, which continued in operation long after his death. Some of them were built by Sarim scholars who retired to villages in the wake of literati purges of 16th century and served as their political bases.  Most seowon were closed by an edict of the regent Daewon-gun in the turbulent final years of the 19th century. He banned the unauthorized construction of seowon in 1864, and removed their tax exemption in 1868; finally, in 1871, he ordered all but a handful closed. The provincial yangban were outraged by these measures, and this is among the reasons that Daewon-gun was driven from power in 1873; however, the seowon remained closed.

World Heritage Site.

Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies is a World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of nine seowan:

Seowon () were the most common educational institutions of Korea during the mid- to late Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school. In educational terms, the seowon were primarily occupied with preparing students for the national civil service examinations. In most cases, seowon served only pupils of the aristocratic yangban class. On 6 July 2019, UNESCO recognized a collection of nine seowon as a World Heritage Site.

Sowon ( – "sŏwŏn") je označení konfuciánských vzdělávacích institucí nacházejících se v jižní části Korejského poloostrova. Vznikaly od 15. do 19. století za vlády dynastie Čoson. Jednalo se o soukromé subjekty, kde fungovaly souběžně konfuciánský chrám a přípravná škola (gwageo), ve které byly vzdělávány především děti aristokratické třídy. Při výběru místa pro výstavbu akademie a při návrhu rozmístění budov bylo přihlíženo k 3 fukcím, které měl sowon poskytovat: prostor pro učení, respekt k učencům a interakce s okolním prostředím. Nacházejí se tedy většinou v blízkosti hor a vodních pramenů, aby mohly povzbuzovat mezi studenty úctu k přírodě a formovat mysl a tělo.


Early life.

Courtney was born in on 15 March 1986 in Sydney, New South Wales and grew up in Cherrybrook, a suburb of Sydney. His father, Chris, worked for a state-owned electricity company, and his mother, Karen, was a teacher at Galston Public School, where Courtney and his older sister were students. He then attended Cherrybrook Technology High School and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2008.

Career.

Courtney's first role was in a 2005 short film titled "Boys Grammar" which also starred Daniel Feuerriegel and Adam J. Yeend. In 2008, Courtney had a role in the Australian series "Packed to the Rafters", then a guest lead in the popular "All Saints", the comedy feature "To Hell & Bourke" and several short films. In 2010, he played Varro in "" for 10 episodes, before starring in "Jack Reacher" in 2012 with Tom Cruise and in "A Good Day to Die Hard" with Bruce Willis as John McClane's son, Jack.  In 2014, he appeared in the film "I, Frankenstein" as Gideon, leader of the gargoyle army and in "Felony" as Jim Melic.  Courtney played Eric, one of the leaders of the faction Dauntless, in the film "Divergent" (2014). Later, he starred in "Unbroken", where he played Hugh "Cup" Cuppernell and "The Water Diviner" as Lt. Col. Hughes. He reprised his role of Eric in the sequel "" (2015), which began filming May 2014 and was released 20 March 2015.  Courtney played one of the leads, Kyle Reese, in the science fiction action film "Terminator Genisys". Filming on "Terminator Genisys" began in April/May 2014, and the film was released on 1 July 2015. Courtney worked on "Terminator" and "Insurgent" concurrently.  Courtney provided backing vocals on the Pinch Hitter song "All of a Sudden" from their debut album, "When Friends Die in Accidents".  In March 2015, Courtney signed on to play Captain Boomerang in the DC Comics film "Suicide Squad", alongside Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. Filming began in April 2015 and the film was released in August 2016. In 2017, Courtney starred as the titular character in Melbourne Theatre Company's production of "Macbeth". He is also returning to portray Captain Boomerang in the sequel to "Suicide Squad", titled "The Suicide Squad".

Jai Stephen Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film "Jack Reacher" (2012). He went on to star in "A Good Day to Die Hard" (2013) and "I, Frankenstein" (2014) and "The Exception" (2016).

Celým jménem Jai Stephen Courtney. Narodil se v Sydney, Nový Jižní Wales, Austrálie. Jai Courtney je australský herec, známý především pro roli Varra v seriálu. Dále hrál v několika celovečerních filmech, např. Jack Reacher a (Good Day to Die Hard). Jeho otec Chris pracoval pro státní elektrárenskou společnost a jeho matka Karen byla učitelkou na Galstonské veřejné škole, kde Courtney a jeho starší sestra byli studenti. Poté navštěvoval Cherrybrook Technology High School a Západní australskou akademii múzických umění, promoval v roce 2008.


History.

Some early forms of the Radical Reformation were millenarian, focusing on the imminent end of the world. This was particularly notable in the rule of John of Leiden over the city of Münster in 1535, which was ultimately crushed by the combined forces of the Catholic Bishop of Münster and the Lutheran Landgrave of Hesse.After the Munster rebellion, the small group of the Batenburgers continued to adhere to militant Anabaptist beliefs. Non-violent Anabaptist groups also had millenarian beliefs.  The early Anabaptists believed that their reformation must purify not only theology but also the actual lives of Christians, especially their political and social relationships. Therefore, the church should not be supported by the state, neither by tithes and taxes, nor by the use of the sword; Christianity was a matter of individual conviction, which could not be forced on anyone, but rather required a personal decision for it.  Many groups were influenced by biblicism (like the Swiss Brethren), spiritualism (like the South German Anabaptists) and mainly absolute pacifism (like the Swiss Brethren, the Hutterites and the Mennonites from Northern Germany and the Netherlands). The Hutterites also practiced community of goods. In the beginning, most of them were strongly missionary.

Later forms of Anabaptism.

Later forms of Anabaptism were much smaller and focused on the formation of small, separatist communities. Among the many varieties to develop were Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites. Typical among the new leaders of the later Anabaptist movement, and certainly the most influential of them, was Menno Simons (1496–1561), a Dutch Catholic priest who early in 1536 decided to join the Anabaptists.  Simons had no use for the violence advocated and practiced by the Münster movement, which seemed to him to pervert the very heart of Christianity. Thus, Mennonite pacifism is not merely a peripheral characteristic of the movement, but rather belongs to the very essence of Menno's understanding of the gospel; this is one of the reasons that it has been a constant characteristic of all Mennonite bodies through the centuries.  The Anabaptists of the Radical Reformation continue to inspire current community groups such as the Bruderhof and movements such as Urban Expression in the UK.

Non-Anabaptist Radical reformers.

Though most of the Radical Reformers were Anabaptist, some did not identify themselves with the mainstream Anabaptist tradition. Thomas Müntzer was involved in the German Peasants' War. Andreas Karlstadt disagreed theologically with Huldrych Zwingli and Martin Luther, teaching nonviolence and refusing to baptize infants while not rebaptizing adult believers. Kaspar Schwenkfeld and Sebastian Franck were influenced by German mysticism and spiritualism.

Other movements.

In addition to the Anabaptists, other Radical Reformation movements have been identified. Notably, George Huntston Williams, the great categorizer of the Radical Reformation, considered early forms of Unitarianism (such as that of the Socinians, and exemplified by Michael Servetus as well as the Polish Brethren), and other trends that disregarded the Nicene christology still accepted by most Christians, as part of the Radical Reformation. With Michael Servetus (1511–1553) and Faustus Socinus (1539–1604) anti-Trinitarianism came to the foreground.

Beliefs.

The beliefs of the movement are those of the Believers' Church.  Unlike the Catholics and the more Magisterial Lutheran and Reformed (Zwinglian and Calvinist) Protestant movements, some of the Radical Reformation abandoned the idea that the "Church visible" was distinct from the "Church invisible." Thus, the Church only consisted of the tiny community of believers, who accepted Jesus Christ and demonstrated this by adult baptism, called "believer's baptism".  While the magisterial reformers wanted to substitute their own learned elite for the learned elite of the Catholic Church, the radical Protestant groups rejected the authority of the institutional "church" organization, almost entirely, as being unbiblical. As the search for original Christianity was carried further, it was claimed that the tension between the church and the Roman Empire in the first centuries of Christianity was normative, that the church is not to be allied with government sacralism, that a true church is always subject to be persecuted, and that the conversion of Constantine I was, therefore, the Great Apostasy that marked a deviation from pure Christianity.

The Radical Reformation represented a response to perceived corruption both in the Catholic Church and in the expanding Magisterial Protestant movement led by Martin Luther and many others. Beginning in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th century, the Radical Reformation gave birth to many radical Protestant groups throughout Europe. The term covers radical reformers like Thomas Müntzer (c. 1489–1525) and Andreas Karlstadt (1486–1541), the Zwickau prophets (1521–1522), and Anabaptist groups like the Hutterites (founded c. 1527) and the Mennonites (founded c. 1536).

Radikální reformace má kořeny v kontinentální Evropě 16. století. Usilovala o důkladnější podobu reformace než jakou představoval Luther, Kalvín nebo Zwingli tím, že požadovala radikální rozchod s praxí křtu nemluvňat. V Evropě dala vzejít různým formám separatismu a diverzních protestantských hnutí, z nichž nejvýraznější byli novokřtěnci, později mennonité a hutterité. Pro své přesvědčení byli novokřtěnci pronásledováni; ze Švýcarska a Německa se dostali též na jižní Moravu, kde byli označováni jako habáni, zakládali zde „bratrské dvory“ a jejich sídla dosahovala až 15 tisíc lidí. Z českých zemí však museli odejít v období rekatolizace po bitvě na Bílé hoře.


Plot.

A Predator ship crash-lands on Earth. U.S. Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna and his team are attacked by the Predator on a hostage retrieval mission. McKenna incapacitates the Predator and has parts of its armor sent by mail to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. At the behest of government agent Will Traeger, he is captured and held for examination. Traeger also takes the Predator to a lab for experimentation and observation, recruiting evolutionary biologist Casey Bracket to study it. The Predator awakes, breaks out of its bonds, kills lab workers, but spares Bracket, the only unarmed person, before leaving.  McKenna is bussed off with a group of other government captives, including former Marines Gaylord "Nebraska" Williams, Coyle, Baxley, Lynch, and Army helicopter pilot Nettles. Seeing the Predator escape from the lab firsthand, they hijack the bus. Taking Bracket with them, they head over to McKenna's estranged wife, Emily, where he expects to find the Predator armor he mailed off. However, Rory, McKenna's son with autism has gone trick-or-treating while wearing this armor in hopes of avoiding detection from bullies.  McKenna and the others find his son just in time to stop a pair of Predator hounds (from Predators) from ambushing the boy. McKenna kills one of the dogs by shooting a grenade into its mouth, causing the dog to explode. Nebraska accidentally lobotomizes the other dog after shooting it in the head. The Predator chases them into a nearby school. They start to give the Predator's armor back when another, much larger Predator arrives and engages the first in combat. The group flee, and the second Predator kills the first Predator before setting out to retrieve the lost technology.  Bracket concludes that the Predators are attempting to improve themselves with the DNA of humans and, presumably, other planets' inhabitants. The team flees to an abandoned barn, but Traeger finds them, captures them, and shares his theory that the Predators anticipate that climate change will end their ability to retrieve human DNA for further hybridization, so they are scrambling to retrieve it before it is too late. Seeing Rory drawing a map to the spaceship, Traeger takes the boy away to go to the ship. The team escapes and goes after him with the help of the now docile, brain-damaged Predator dog.  When all are at the crashed Predator ship, the second Predator arrives, kills Lynch, and explains through translation software that it will blow up the ship to keep it out of their hands and then give them all a head start before it hunts them down. The Predator quickly kills several of Traeger's soldiers while mortally wounding both Baxley and Coyle, who then euthanise each other. Traeger tries to use a Predator weapon on the alien but accidentally kills himself in the process.  The Predator takes Rory, believing that his autism reflects advancement in human evolution and is therefore worthwhile in the Predator hybridization, and flies away in his ship. McKenna, Nebraska, and Nettles land on the ship's exterior, but the Predator activates a force field. This slices Nettles' legs off, and he falls off of the ship to his death. Nebraska sacrifices himself and slides into the ship's turbine, causing it to crash. McKenna sneaks into the ship as it crashes and attacks the Predator. After the crash, Bracket arrives, and the three manage to overpower and finish the Predator with its own weapons. They pay their respects to their fallen comrades with trinkets representing each one before heading off.  Some time later, McKenna and Rory are seen in a science lab watching the opening of cargo found on the Predator's ship, which a scientist indicates was left behind on purpose. A piece of technology floats out and attaches itself to a lab worker, working as a transformative "Predator killer" suit before deactivating. McKenna then says that this is his new suit.

Cast.

The Predators were portrayed in-suit and via motion capture by stuntmen Brian A. Prince and Kyle Strauts. Actress Françoise Yip, who briefly appears as Cullen, an operative of "Project Stargazer", previously appeared in "" as Ms. Yutani. Stuntwoman Breanna Watkins, in scenes that were filmed but not used, portrayed Ellen Ripley in one alternate ending, and an adult Rebecca "Newt" Jorden in a second alternate ending, meant to tie in to the "Alien" franchise in which those characters first appeared. Edward James Olmos had a supporting role as a military general, but his scenes were cut due to time constraints.

Production.

Pre-production.

In June 2014, Fox announced a sequel. Shane Black, who also starred as supporting character Rick Hawkins in "Predator", directed, and co-wrote with Fred Dekker, while John Davis produced. Davis has said of the film that he thinks it is fresh and reimagines the franchise in a "different, interesting way". In February 2016, Black stated that the title of the new sequel would be "The Predator". He has referred to the project as an event film which aims to elevate the "Predator" series: "It's an attempt to 'event-ise' the Predator again... [An attempt to] make it more mysterious." Black also expressed that the film would mark a return to the "intimate" scale of the original film and that the filmmakers hoped to achieve “the same sense of wonderment and newness that "Close Encounters" had when that came out.”  The film is set in the present day and the titular character has upgraded armor. Black has said that he looked for plot details set up in the previous "Predator" movies that he could retrospectively link back to with the new film. To that end, Jake Busey was cast as Sean Keyes, the son of Peter Keyes (a character who was portrayed by Busey's father Gary Busey in "Predator 2"). In February 2016, the studio revealed a teaser image of the film, confirming the title "The Predator".  Chief-executive-officer of 20th Century Fox Stacey Snider shared her thoughts on "The Predator" and Shane Black and Fred Dekker's script:

Casting.

Arnold Schwarzenegger talked with Black about reprising his role as Dutch Schaefer from the first "Predator" film, but declined the cameo due to the short role. Rapper 50 Cent also spoke of the possibility of being involved in the film but ended up dropping out. By September 2016, Benicio del Toro had signed on to star. The following month, Boyd Holbrook replaced del Toro, who departed due to scheduling issues. In November 2016, Olivia Munn joined the cast. In January 2017, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane and Jacob Tremblay joined the cast. In February, Alfie Allen and Yvonne Strahovski were added. In March, the last main role was filled by Augusto Aguilera while Jake Busey was also cast in a supporting role.  In March 2017, Edward James Olmos was cast as Sanchez, a military general. In August 2018, Olmos announced that his role had been cut from the final film, to reduce the film's running time, as his character was not integral to the plot.

Filming.

Filming was scheduled to begin in February 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia. On November 21, 2016, Larry Fong was confirmed hired as cinematographer for the film. Black announced that filming had begun on February 20, 2017. Additional photography in Vancouver took place in March 2018.

Music.

Henry Jackman provided the musical score for the film, which incorporates Alan Silvestri's themes from the 1987 film.

Post-production.

The visual effects were provided by MPC, Atomic Fiction, Raynault VFX, Rising Sun Pictures and Proof.

Release.

"The Predator" was originally scheduled by 20th Century Fox for a March 2, 2018, release date, until the date was moved to February 9, 2018. It was then delayed to August 3, 2018. In February 2018, the released date was delayed to September 14, 2018. The film's release included IMAX theaters. On May 10, 2018, the first trailer was released. A television spot was released on June 9, while a second full trailer was released on June 26, 2018. The third and final theatrical trailer was released on August 31, 2018, featuring the song "One Shot, One Kill" by Jon Connor featuring Snoop Dogg. The film's world premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2018, at the Ryerson Theatre. The film was later released in the US on September 14, 2018.

Reception.

Box office.

"The Predator" grossed $51 million in the United States and Canada, and $109.5 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $160.5 million, against a production budget of $88 million.  In the United States and Canada, "The Predator" was released alongside "White Boy Rick", "A Simple Favor" and "", and was projected to gross $25–32 million from 4,037 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $10.5 million on its first day, including $2.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $24 million, finishing first at the box office but marking a lower start than the 2010 film ($24.8 million). It dropped 65% in its second weekend to $8.7 million, finishing fourth. In its third weekend the film grossed $3.9 million, finishing eighth.

Critical response.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 32% based on 280 reviews and an average rating of 4.88/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Predator" has violence and quips to spare, but its chaotically hollow action adds up to another missed opportunity for a franchise increasingly defined by disappointment." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 49 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, those on PostTrak gave it a 66% positive score and a 55% "definite recommend", and social media monitor RelishMix noted there were "mixed reactions" about the film online.  Writing for "The Hollywood Reporter", Jordan Mintzer called the film "bigger, meaner, gorier, funnier" than previous installments, writing, "Whether the world actually needs [a sequel], and whether this reboot was necessary at all, is probably a question worth raising, but at least Black's take on it is to never take it too seriously while keeping us duly entertained." Brian Tallerico of "RogerEbert.com" praised the ensemble, pacing and Black's direction, writing, "Black is assisted greatly by an incredibly charismatic cast, and he knows how to use them to amplify their strengths." A. A. Dowd of "The A.V. Club" wrote ""The Predator", which Black penned with "Monster Squad" co-writer and director Fred Dekker, makes a few concessions to modern blockbuster filmmaking, including an overabundance of CGI, a blatantly franchise-thirsty ending, and some winking references to the original. But the movie's values are more 1988 than 2018, and that's what makes it fun, at least in spurts: Black has captured the spirit of that bygone era of adrenaline-junkie junk without getting all retro-fussy about it." He graded the film a B-.  In a negative review, Dennis Harvey of "Variety" called it "an exhaustingly energetic mess in which a coherent plot and credible characters aren't even on the cluttered menu." Writing for "Nerdist", Katie Walsh called the film "messy, chaotic, and convoluted", adding that its "comedy and action are at war with each other. Characters spew rat-a-tat quips, while tussling with Predators and their pets, essentially neutralizing the effect of both the humor and the action." Jonathan Barkan, writing for "Dread Central", gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "Poor story choices and strange, if not outright silly, character decisions result in an experience that will ultimately leave audiences feeling a great amount of'meh'." Jim Vejvoda of "IGN" gave the film a 6.5 out of 10, saying, ""The Predator" does a lot right to reinvigorate the 31-year-old series. But everything crashes down during its frenzied, messy final act, a disappointing conclusion to what had largely been a fun romp up until that point."

Controversies.

Director Shane Black hired his longtime friend Steven Wilder Striegel (known professionally as "Steve Wilder") for a minor, un-auditioned role in "The Predator" (he had also appeared in Black's previous films "Iron Man 3" and "The Nice Guys"). Wilder has been a registered felony sex offender since 2010, when he pleaded guilty to "enticing a minor by computer" after he attempted to lure a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship via email. A few days before picture lock on the film, Olivia Munn became aware of Wilder's history and approached Fox executives, insisting that the scene be removed.  Black defended his casting decision and his friend, until later issuing a public apology and rescinding those comments amid backlash. Fox released a statement saying that they were unaware of Wilder's status and confirming that the scene had been cut from the film. Co-star Sterling K. Brown tweeted in support of Munn, but initially, most other actors on the film remained silent, releasing statements after mounting public pressure.  "The Predator" suggests not only that autistic persons who exhibit savant qualities and other forms of neurodiversity are or were advantageous, but that they represent a forward step on the human evolutionary path. According to the scientific opinions reported by "Syfy Wire", such a thesis would have some issues. Also the "New York Post" review ends by stating: "But worse is a plot line involving autism and a dubious scientific theory that will leave parents fuming." In a review for "Uproxx", Emma Stefansky called the film's depiction of autism, "maybe the worst thing I have seen in a film this year" and scolds the filmmakers for their depiction of mental illness, especially the idea that "autism = really smart".

Home media.

Video.

"The Predator" was released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats on December 18, 2018 in America, alongside short film "The Predator Holiday Special", in which Santa Claus and his elves and reindeer encounters a Predator at the North Pole. The film would eventually be released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats on January 28, 2019 in the United Kingdom.  The film's third act was originally set during the day; after the resulting sequences were deemed ineffective, they were largely reshot at night. Black wanted the home media release to include both versions of the film, "Predator AM" and "Predator PM", but the studio declined, not wanting to pay to complete the daylight version's digital effects.

Books.

"The Predator" received a novelization co-written by Christopher Golden and Mark Morris, with the audiobook narrated by James Patrick Cronin. It also received a prequel novel titled "The Predator: Hunters and Hunted" written by James A. Moore, the audiobook also narrated by Cronin.

Possible sequels.

The producer, John Davis, has said that "The Predator" sets up two sequels that he hopes Shane Black will return to direct. About this, Black said: "I would love to say we've been planning a trilogy, but I take it one day at a time; in motion-picture terms that's one movie at a time."

The Predator is a 2018 American science fiction action film directed by Shane Black and written by Black and Fred Dekker. It is the fourth installment in the "Predator" franchise. Black had a supporting role in the original film, while John Davis returns as producer from the first three installments. Starring Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, and Sterling K. Brown, it follows a group of PTSD-afflicted soldiers and a scientist who must team up to fight off an invading pair of Predators and prevent them from bringing extinction to mankind.

Predátor: Evoluce (v anglickém originále "The Predator") je americký sci-fi film natočený v roce 2018. Hlavními postavami filmu jsou obávaní mimozemští lovci - Predátoři. Snímek byl natočený v roce 2018 a měl premiéru 13. září. 2018 v ČR a v 14. září téhož roku v USA.


The idea.

Emir Kusturica stated:

Village.

Drvengrad is also known as Küstendorf, as a word play on German "dorf" (village) and Kusturica's nickname, "Kusta". Also, "Küste" is German for coast. Kusturica has also been known to call it Mećavnik, which is the name of the neighbouring village.  Drvengrad has a library, named the Ivo Andrić Library; an artist gallery named Macola in honor of sculptor Dragan Jovićević (it was previously known as Anika, after a character from Ivo Andrić's prose); Stanley Kubrick Cinema; a main house which houses a cinema-hall in the cellar, a living room, a guest room, a closed yard, a swimming pool, a gymnasium, a sauna and private rooms for the Kusturica family; a sports hall; a restaurant; a cake shop, as well as a souvenir shop; and finally, a Church dedicated to St. Sava.  Nearby is also a ski slope with four trails, as well as a hotel named Mladost ("Youth").  The streets in the village bear the names of various individuals that Kusturica holds in high esteem or finds to be personally significant: Nikola Tesla, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Diego Maradona, Miodrag Petrović Čkalja, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Joe Strummer, Novak Djokovic and of course, Ivo Andrić, after whom the main street is named.

Film and music festival.

Since 2008, the village hosts the annual Küstendorf Film and Music Festival, which showcases films and music from all around the world. The festival is known for not having a red carpet as well as none of the popular Hollywood festival artifacts.  In 2010, it was visited by actor Johnny Depp. During his visit, a statue dedicated to him was unveiled.

Drvengrad (, meaning "Timber Town", ), also known as Küstendorf () and Mećavnik (, ), is a traditional village that the Serbian film director Emir Kusturica built for his film "Life Is a Miracle". It is located in the Zlatibor District near the city of Užice, two hundred kilometers southwest of Serbia's capital, Belgrade. It is located near Mokra Gora and Višegrad, best known for Ivo Andrić's Nobel-winning novel, "The Bridge on the Drina". Kusturica was the 2005 recipient of the Philippe Rotthier European Architecture award.

Drvengrad, zvaný také Mećavnik nebo Küstendorf, je napodobenina tradiční balkánské vesnice („etno selo“), která se nachází ve Zlatiborském okrese na západě Srbska. Nedaleko se nachází muzejní železnice Šarganská osmička a město Višegrad se slavným mostem Mehmeda Sokoloviće. Dřevěnou vesnici nechal postavit filmový režisér Emir Kusturica pro natáčení filmu "Život je zázrak" (2004). Cílem projektu je zachránit původní venkovskou architekturu a vytvořit turistický areál zaměřený na nekomerční a neglobalizovanou kulturu. Nachází se zde knihovna, galerie, škola, kino, obchody, restaurace, hotely a pravoslavný kostel zasvěcený svatému Sávovi. V okolních horách byly vybudovány lyžařské sjezdovky. Vesnice získala v roce 2005 Evropskou cenu za architekturu. Kusturica pojmenoval místní ulice po svých vzorech (Ivo Andrić, Federico Fellini, Nikola Tesla, Che Guevara, Diego Maradona). Od roku 2008 se zde každoročně v lednu koná Filmový festival Küstendorf.


Toponymy.

The origin of the name is not known for certain: the suffix "-fjället" means "the mountain", but the first part ("Fulu-") is not clear. In "Ortnamn i Dalarna", Harry Ståhl suggests that this word comes from the Old Swedish "fala" meaning "pale" or "dim", like the names of the city of Falun and of the river Fulan. The mountain would have thus taken its name from the nearby river, or else from the city: a former road going from Trysil to Falun would indeed have gone over the mountain, and might therefore have been called "the mountain on Falun's road".

Geography.

Location and borders.

Fulufjället National Park is in Älvdalen Municipality in Dalarna County, southwest of Särna. It extends along the Norwegian frontier over more than (which is ). It borders, on the other side of this national frontier, Fulufjellet National Park, which has an area of more than. It is relatively far from the large cities of the country, Stockholm being about away; the nearest railway station and airport are at Mora, from the park.

Topology.

The park covers most of the Fulufjället massif (called "Fulufjellet" in Norwegian), which is long, and which spans the border between Sweden and Norway, so that a small southwestern part of it is in Norway. This massif makes up part of the Transtrandsfjällen, which is the southernmost part of the Scandes in Sweden. Fulufjället is a plateau of an altitude between with some round peaks. Slottet, in altitude, the highest point of the massif, is in Norway. On the Swedish side, in Fulufjället National Park, the highest point is Brattfjället at, followed close behind by Storhön at. At the southern and eastern extremities of the massif, the altitude drops brutally, about to the valley of Fuluälven. The plateau is gouged by several valleys, facing west (Bergådalen, Girådalen), south (Tangådalen) and east (Göljådalen).

Climate.

Fulufjället is one of the parts of Scandinavia farthest from the sea. It therefore possesses a continental climate. The average temperature in the park is about 1 °C, with relatively high rainfall ( per year on average). The weather survey at nearby Särna gives an indication; but, being situated in a valley, its climate is drier. Although winter is drier than summer, the snow cover typically persists for 175 to 200 days each year.  However, Fulufjället's weather is very variable over time and space, both in terms of temperature and precipitation. In particular, the area experienced an extreme storm the night of 30–31 August 1997. At the lakes of Rösjöarna, of rain were collected in and the rainfall is estimated at 300 to further south. This was the largest amount of rain in a 24-hour period ever recorded in Sweden. There was significant damage in the park, in particular along the streams, the banks of which were violently eroded, ripping out all the vegetation there.

Hydrography.

Many rivers have their source on the Fulufjället massif, the principal ones being the Tangån (1.5 m⋅s), the Girån, the Bergån, the Fulubågan, the Stora Njupån, and the Stora Göljån (0.4 m⋅s). The first three feed the river Görälven, which runs along the Fulufjället massif to the west, while the last three feed the river Fulan (also called Fuluälven), which runs along the massif to the east. The meeting of the Görälven and Fulan gives birth to the Västerdal River, which itself forms the great river Dalälven. One of the park's streams, Njupån, forms to the north of the plateau the waterfall Njupeskär, with a height of of which are free-fall, making it the highest waterfall in Sweden. The plateau, and in particular its southern part of less sharp topology, includes several important lakes, such as the Stora Rösjön (), Stora and Lilla Harrsjön (), Stora Getsjön (), etc. These lakes are most often shallow and the abundance of precipitation refills them rapidly. This zone also includes many bogs with a total area of more than, which is relatively little compared to the surrounding mountains.

Geology.

Rock.

The Fulufjället massif is mostly sandstone. The sandstone was formed 900 million years ago, when this part of the Baltic tectonic plate was located near the equator. The climatic conditions there were thus desertic and the wind blew huge quantities of sand from the dunes into the ocean. These sediments were compacted at the bottom of the ocean and formed rock, specifically sandstone, in horizontal strata. This structure has been conserved, since it was little affected by the Caledonian orogeny.  This sandstone formation is very different from the rock one typically finds in Sweden (granite and gneiss). It is also very different from the rest of the Scandes, which are part of the Caledonian orogen. This sandstone is called the Dalecarlian sandstone, or the sandstone of Trysil on the Norwegian side. It constitutes the largest sandstone area in Sweden and reaches a thickness of. The sandstone is usually reddish, but can also be gray, yellow, or brown.  At Fulufjället, the sandstone is veined with diabase. This diabase is particularly important in the area, since it forms a much richer substrate than sandstone for vegetation. Additionally, it resists erosion better than sandstone and therefore forms prominent structures in the countryside. For example, the peak Brattfjället, highest zone in the park, is situated in one of the largest diabase zones. The diabase is a little less than 300 million years old, which corresponds to the formation of the Oslo Rift. This suggests that these diabases are connected to that rifting event.

Formation of the countryside.

The same forces that created the rest of the Scandes also created Fulufjället. Indeed, from about 60 million years ago, the west coast of Scandinavia and the northeast coast of the Americas underwent an important tectonic uplift. The causes of this phenomenon are not clear and many hypotheses have been proposed. One of these hypotheses is the lifting of the Earth's crust by the Iceland hotspot. Another hypothesis is isostasy connected to glaciation. This elevation seems to have been connected to different periods in the north and south of the Scandes, with the middle, between Trondheim and Östersund, a little depressed. In any case, this uplift allowed the formation of a vast flat zone several thousand meters high.  This area then underwent intense erosion, giving the countryside the shape one sees today. However, unlike the southernmost sections of the Scandes, such as those around Sarek National Park, the countryside around Fulufjället is not particularly marked by glacial erosion. Indeed, even at the height of glaciation during the Quaternary period, when the mountain was covered by an ice sheet, the movement of the ice was feeble, and did not significantly erode the massif. Instead, the most marked erosion took place during the Tertiary period, entirely under a tropical climate.

Environment.

The park is situated in the WWF terrestrial ecoregion "Scandinavian and Russian taiga", even though a significant portion is situated above the treeline, and therefore becomes more like the "Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands" ecoregion.

The plateau.

Because of the weather and the poverty of the soil, the plateau is mostly heath and bare dirt with only a few common juniper shrubs and some moor birches. The principal vascular plants one encounters are snowbed willow, Alpine bearberry, Alpine hawkweed, crowberry, cowberry, blue whortleberry and alpine azalea. But that which renders the vegetation of the Fulufjället plateau particularly unique in Sweden is its richness in lichens, with in particular the vast carpets of reindeer lichen and of "fönsterlav", not affected there by the pasture of domestic reindeer, unlike most of the Swedish mountains. It is also in these inaccessible areas that one finds Old Tjikko, a Norway spruce old, making it one of the oldest trees in the world.  Few animals live in these areas; birds, mostly, such as the willow warbler, the meadow pipit, the northern wheatear, and these rarer ones: the European golden plover, the Eurasian dotterel, the snow bunting, and the Lapland longspur. The willow ptarmigan is relatively common, whereas the rock ptarmigan is found only on the highest peaks. For many of these species, Fulufjället is the southernmost part of their range in Sweden.

Valleys and mountainside.

In the valleys and on the mountainside, in contrast, the diabase and the better weather permit a richer vegetation. In particular, these areas are blanketed in forest, with the plant species varying with altitude: moor birch, Scots pine and Norway spruce cover, and, respectively. The undergrowth also presents great diversity in plant life. To wit, the south-facing slopes are principally covered in Scots pines and their undergrowth strongly resembles heath, with in particular common heather and crowberry. The rest of the coniferous forests include most often whortleberry, northern oak fern, woundwort, and common cow-wheat. The soil rich in diabase allows the growth of more demanding plants, such as Alpine blue-sow-thistle, wood cranesbill and northern wolfsbane. These zones also have a great number of species of moss; the park has more than a third of all the species of moss in the country.  The animal life in these areas is also relatively rich. The zone is particularly important to the brown bear, which likes to hibernate the winter away in dens along the mountainside. In spring, the brown bears descent to the plains, and only return to the mountain when the berries do. These terrains are also favored stomping grounds of the Eurasian lynx. Both species, brown bear and Eurasian lynx, are protected in Sweden. Besides the red fox, the other predators, which are the wolverine, the gray wolf and the Arctic fox, are much rarer and do not have a fixed location in the park. The park shelters an important population of moose that pass the summer on the mountain, but prefer to spend the winter in areas less snowy. There are no more wild reindeerin the park, which is part of those few Swedish mountains not included in the area of pasture of domestic reindeer. Muskox, which left the area almost 4,000 years ago, were reintroduced in Norway and sometimes wander near the park. Among the smaller animals, one can cite the red squirrel, the European pine marten, and the mountain hare. Like other Swedish mountains, the Norway lemming is present in Fulufjället, but in a patchy fashion, extremely numerous some years and almost absent others. This phenomenon is still not entirely understood.  The wooded slopes are host to their own bird species, in particular the ring ouzel, the common raven, and the golden eagle. More generally, the forests have Eurasian three-toed woodpeckers, parrot crossbills, red crossbills, common redstarts, bramblings and Siberian jays, which last bird is the symbol of the park.

Wetlands.

Several marsh complexes exist in the park, but they are generally poor in vegetation, except for certain zones that the diabase rends richer in nutrients. However, along the mountainside streams, a rich carpet of vegetation was able to develop, with in particular alternate-leaved golden-saxifrage, chickweed willowherb, wolfsbane and wood stitchwort. At Njupeskär, conditions are especially favorable for the growth of wood sorrel, which does not normally grow so far south. These wetlands are also the most interesting areas for mosses and lichens; Fulufjället is one of the richest sites in all Sweden, with 394 species of moss and over 500 species of lichens found. The presence of these lichens is in part due to the fact that the park is not part of the territory of reindeer pasture.  These areas of water are inhabited by Eurasian beaver, which had disappeared some years ago due to intensive hunting, but which have now recovered their original population. Besides this, it is mostly a richness of birds that distinguishes the park's wetlands. It constitutes the southernmost extent in Sweden of the nesting area of many species, such as the greater scaup, the oldsquaw, the common scoter, and also a focus of important populations of red-necked phalarope, ruff, common greenshank and wood sandpiper. One also finds sometimes the Eurasian curlew, which is considered an endangered species.  The lakes are mainly populated with Arctic char, brown trout, and burbot. The waters of the park are renowned for their abundance and have been protected since 1962.

History.

Prehistory.

Unlike the Norwegian part of the massif, the Swedish part is relatively poorly studied from an archeological point of view; as is often the case in the mountains, human traces are light. The mountain was freed from ice about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago and the first humans arrived during the Stone Age, their presence attested to by certain relics, such as a stone axe near the river Fulan. These people were hunter-gatherers, and had no fixed settlement, which remained the case up until the Iron Age.  Four Iron Age funerary cairns are among the most notable traces of that era. They are the only ones that have been discovered in Dalarna. They can be found in the northeast of the plateau, southeast of Njupeskär, and measure in length and a little less than meter in height. The tombs held arrowheads and spears. Another notable site is the Altarringen, an oval wall in diameter and high. In the middle of this ruin, an altar was created. Dating this ruin is difficult because of the numerous restorations it underwent.  However, during the Viking Age, some permanent settlements were constructed around Mora, for example, and one can figure that the first permanent settlements would have been established in the valleys of Fulufjället before the year 1000.

Middle Ages and the modern period.

The villages of Särna, Heden and Idre were probably established in connection with wild reindeer hunting; a trade in reindeer products existed with all of Europe. However, this trade declined in the 14th century.  In the Middle Ages, the area was frequently mapped, due to its location on the Sweden-Norway frontier, which has existed since 1273. In that era, the massif was entirely Norwegian, but in 1644, Sweden succeeded in capturing Särna during the Torstenson War. However, in 1645, the Second Treaty of Brömsebro failed to clearly define the frontier, and not until 1751, after negotiations, was the current frontier established. If the wrangling over the border seemed to take forever, all the more so since the zone was so trivial. The area around the mountain was not settled until later. This began on the Norwegian side: there was at least one farm at Ljørdalen in 1528. Not until the 18th century did the Swedish part become populated, initially with cabins for transhumance, for example at Mörkret. Virtual villages grew up after the beginning of the 19th century at Gördalen, Storbäcken, Storbron, Hägnåsen, Mörkret, Tjärnvallen and Lillådalen. Many of the park trails date from this era of transhumance.  Up until the 18th century, the area was used as a common hunting ground and pasture. Even though the mines at Røros required vast quantities of wood and coal, Fulufjället's transport problems initially spared it from logging. It was not until the second part of the 19th century that the logging industry took hold of the region, the wood being transported then by timber rafting. The river Görälven was used at first, once certain conflicts with Norway were put to rest. Exploitation of natural resources did not reach the most inaccessible zones until later, and certain parts were never exploited at all.  Among the other forms of exploitation of the zone, one can note the exploitation of a form of sandstone in the valley of Tangådalen.

Protection.

The first protection of the zone was the classification in 1937 of around Njupeskär as a crown reserve (""), which was the ancestor of the natural reserve in Sweden. In 1946, of forest along the Göljån was similarly classified. Then around Lövåsen were as well, and finally the reserve at Njupeskär was expanded to in 1960. In 1964, the Njupeskär area became a natural park and was expanded to, and expanded again to in 1970. In parallel, most of Fulufjället obtained a statute of protection, although relatively weak. In 1973, the entire area, totaling came under the statute of natural reserves. In 1990, the pasturing of reindeer was forbidden.  In 1989, Fulufjället appeared in Naturvårdsverket's plan for the creation of new national parks. Negotiation with local authorities began the following year, but the project met opposition from the local population. One of the arguments in favor of the creation of the park, beyond the simple protection of nature, was that it would draw more tourists, especially foreigners; this was particularly important since while Idre and Sälen had succeeded in developing winter tourism, Särna had not. The project's opponents retorted that there was no reason that European tourists should choose to visit this distant mountain over the Alpes. Besides that, the national park would necessitate a certain number of restrictions on the locals such as banning of snowmobile use, hunting, and fishing. The council of administration of Älvdalen Municipality heard the locals' negative opinion, and so opposed itself to the creation of the park. Naturvårdsverket and Dalarna County thus changed their strategy, and surveyed the locals to learn how they thought the mountain ought to be used. Discussions continued following the publication of this study, and in 1999, the locals began to express favorable opinions. The park was no longer seen as a set of restrictions, but as an opportunity for the municipality. This led to the creation of the park in 2002. The official motive for the creation of the park was "to preserve an area of the central mountains with a distinctive vegetation and a great natural richness in a relatively intact state". It was the first Swedish national park established in the mountains since Padjelanta in 1962. The official inauguration was held 17 September 2002, in the presence of the king Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. The park is also part of the Natura 2000 Network since 1995 and is classified a Special Protection Area for the preservation of birds since 1996. The park became one of the first parks of the European network of PAN Parks, created by the WWF to reconcile the protection of nature and tourism.  At the moment of the inauguration of the Swedish park, the Norwegian part of the massif had no formal protection and did not appear in the plan for the creation of national parks of 1992. But this creation raised the question of the establishment of a national park on the Norwegian side, in order to have a more coherent protection of the whole massif. In 27April 2012, the Fulufjellet National Park was created. Beyond the coherence of protection, one of the principal reasons for the establishment of that park was the presence of brown bears, a species classified as endangered in the country.

Management and administration.

Like most of the Swedish national parks, the management and administration are divided between the Swedish environmental protection agency and the administrative council of the counties of Sweden (Länsstyrelse). Naturvårdsverket is responsible for proposing new national parks, through consultation with the administrative councils of the counties and municipalities; their creation is approved by the Riksdag (Sweden's parliament). Once approved, the land is then bought by the state, through the intermediary of the Naturvårdsverket. The management of the park is then in the hands of the county, which is to say of the administrative council of Dalarna, in the case of Fulufjället National Park.  The park is divided into four zones, which have different purposes, in order to reconcile the protection of the park and the welcoming of tourists. This is the first Swedish park to adopt this strict kind of zoning. The majority of the park (60%) is in zone 1, that is to say the untouchable zone: this space is the heart of the park and only has a tiny amount of tourism infrastructure. The south-east zone of the park (14%) is in zone 2, the low activity area. In this zone, elk hunting is allowed, but infrastructure is always limited. 25% of the park is in zone 3, the high activity zone. This zone includes most of the tourism infrastructure, such as the trails and the cabins. Fishing is authorized there. Finally, zone 4 (about 1% of the area of the park) corresponds to a radius of about around the points of strong concentration of visitors, which is to say the entrances, the waterfall of Njupeskär and the valley of Göljån, where the traces of a great flood are still visible.

Tourism.

The park is the southernmost of Sweden's mountain parks, and so closest of these parks to the majority of the country's population. It welcomed 53,000 visitors in 2003 (of which 80% arrived in the summer), which is an increase of about 40% compared to 2001, before the creation of the national park. About a third of these visitors are from outside Sweden, mainly from Germany. The main motivation of these visits is waterfall at Njupeskär, the tallest waterfall in Sweden at, of which are free fall. The damage from a great storm in 1997, still visible not far from the waterfall, is also an important point of interest for the tourists. The park's main entrance, with parking, is situated near these two sites. Near this entrance you can find the park's visitor center, which has exhibits on the nature of the park and is the departure point for guided tours. It is also the starting point of many of the trails of the park, the park having of hiking trails. Among these trails, one can note a part of the Södra Kungsleden (Sälen-Storlien, totaling ).  The short hike (between 1 and 3 hours) is the most common activity, but a non-negligible proportion of visitors go on longer hikes (several days), which is particularly true of the German visitors. In winter, skiing is possible, but it is however relatively little popular due to the lack of dedicated trails. Ice climbing is also practiced on Njupeskär. Fishing is also allowed, upon the purchase of a permit.

Fulufjället in popular culture.

The children's song "Mors lilla Olle" by Alice Tegnér is set in the forests of Fulufjället. Its story is inspired by a real event: during the winter of 1850–1851, four children were playing in the forest. One of them, Jon, was just one and a half. They met a bear and its cub. Jon crawled to the bear, who caressed him and fed him berries. When the toddler's mother arrived, she screamed, which made the bears flee. The little boy had thought that the bears were big black dogs.

Fulufjället National Park () is a national park in central Sweden. Its total area is, located entirely within Älvdalen Municipality in the province of Dalarna. It is named after the mountain Fulufjället, high. It covers the Swedish part of the Fulufjället massif, which is the southernmost part of the Scandes in Sweden. The Norwegian part of the massif is protected by Norway's Fulufjellet National Park.

Národní park Fulufjället (švédsky "Fulufjällets nationalpark") je národní park ve středním Švédsku. Jeho celková plocha je 385 km a celý se nachází na území komuny Älvdalen v kraji a provincii Dalarna. Park je pojmenován po hoře Fulufjället, vysoké 1044 m. Zaujímá švédskou část masivu Fulufjället, který je nejjižnější částí Skandinávského pohoří ve Švédsku. Norská část masivu je chráněna národním parkem Fulufjellet.


Geography.

The park is located at an elevation of in Mengen district in the north of Bolu Province and to the south of Zonguldak in the western Black Sea region. Established in 1965, it encompasses an area of. There are seven lakes in the park which were formed due to landslides. The seven lakes are Büyükgöl, Deringöl, Seringöl, Nazlıgöl, Sazlıgöl, Incegöl and Küçükgöl. Several streams flow through the park some of which have handcrafted bridges across them and a small water fall.  The park is located between Istanbul and Ankara. Access is from the Yenicaga road, from the Ankara – Istanbul highway. During the winter the alternate road is only from the Yenicaga – Mengen – Yazicik road. It is to the north of Bolu. Kapankaya mountain peak is within the park and provides a vantage location to view the scenic beauty of the park. It is accessible all through the year.  The park also has trekking paths and camps to stay, in the form of tents, caravans, rest houses and bungalows. There are also hot springs in the park, and the ski centers here are well known in Turkey.  The specific studies related to Saprobic values of decayed organic matter of the park indicate a range between oligosaprobic and beta-mesosaprobic status. The water quality of the streams in the park is classified as Class I and II.

Flora.

The vegetation consists of beech trees, oaks, hornbeams, firs, elms, hazel nuts, spruces, alders, lime trees, black pines and Scotch pines.

Fauna.

Wildlife within the park includes, but is not limited to, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, brown bears, wolves, red fox, lynx, jungle cats, otters and squirrels. As result of better protection conditions in the park the population of animals has increased. The park has an exclusive protected area for deer. A trout farm has also been established in the park. New insect species "Ephemeroptera" identified in the park are "Ecdyonurus starmachi," "Paraleptophlebia cincta," "Caenis martae," and "Baetis lapponicus."

The Yedigöller National Park (, "seven lakes") also known as Seven Lakes National Park is located in the northern part of Bolu Province in Turkey. The park is categorized under IUCN II and was established in 1965. The park is best known for the seven lakes formed by landslides and for its profusion of plant life.

Yedigöller je národní park nedaleko města Bolu v severozápadním Turecku. Park byl vyhlášen 29. dubna 1965 a má rozlohu 2019 hektarů. Nadmořská výška se pohybuje okolo 900 metrů. Název „Yedigöller“ znamená „sedm jezer“.


History.

Origin and foundation.

In the second half of the 1880s, many British families settled in the village of Banfield, located 14 miles south of Buenos Aires. These families, with their English-style houses and Victorian social dynamics, gave the suburbs a distinctly British profile. The history of the club began on 21 January 1896, when a group of professionals and English merchants residing in Banfield decided to found a club which they named after the village, which had been named after the railway station, established in 1873, which in turn was named after Edward Banfield, the first manager of the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway. Heading the group of founders were Daniel Kingsland and George Burton, vice president and first. Kingsland was an exporter of cattle in Britain and an accountant while Burton was a Cambridge University graduate.  The pitch was a field for grazing located two blocks north of the railway station, next to the tracks on the east side. With Kingsland as president, cricket was the major sport, leaving football relegated to a background, which explains the poor performances of the club in football championships from 1897 to 1898, where the team finished at bottom places even suffering some of the largest defeats ever such as a 0–10 at the hands of defunct Flores AC.

First success.

This situation lasted until 1899, when Alfredo Goode (a football enthusiast) was named president. In 1899 Banfield won its first title, proclaiming Second Division champion over Español High School. Banfield remains the only club currently affiliated with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), that had won a title in the 19th. century.  Banfield players were all born in Great Britain except the center half and captain James Dodds Watson, an Argentine native born in Buenos Aires. The following year (1900), as there was still no promotion, Banfield retained the Second Division championship. That time the club won the title without being defeated. Key players included the goalscorer Edward "Invincible" Potter, noted dribbler Charles Douglas Moffatt, captain Watson Dodds, and goalkeeper/president Goode.  After that success, the club began to decline until December 1904, when Banfield was reorganized, with all of its assets liquidated to meet a hopeless bankruptcy. During those years, the figure of George Burton, another true lover of football, presided over the club until his death in 1928.  In 1908, the club's first team, playing in the Third Division, won the championship. In December 1910, a Banfield squad including William Peterson, Roger Jacobelli, Amador García, Carlos Lloveras, Galup Lanus and Bartholomew, amongst others, faced Racing Club in a two legged playoff for a place in the top division. The first match ended 0–0, with Racing finally winning, with a goal in extra time during the second match. In 1912, with the leadership of Captain Adolfo Pellens, Banfield won the championship for the third category thus the club ensured its return to second division. However, a restructuring of the tournament caused the first split in Argentine football, sending Banfield directly to the top category.  Banfield made good performances in 1913 and 1914 tournaments, but when World War I began, many of the team's players, who were of British origin, were enrolled in the British Army and sent to the battlefront in Europe. In 1919, Banfield returned to the first division after beating defunct Del Plata in the final game.

The 1920s.

Newly promoted, Banfield was runner-up after champion Boca Juniors. In 1920, the team won the last edition of the Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires beating Boca Juniors 2–1 at Sportivo Barracas.  In 1919, Banfield joined dissident league Asociación Amateurs de Football, where the team played until it was dissolved in 1926. During that time, Banfield made irregular campaigns, finishing in the last positions of the fixture.  In 1928, club president George Burton died. He had chaired the club for over 20 years with a paternalistic attitude, cultivating and fervently supporting the amateur spirit of sport. His death created a large vacuum of power that plunged Banfield into a constitutional crisis for a decade.

1930s and 1940s.

In 1931, a group of clubs, led by the major teams, decided to professionalize football in Argentina. Therefore, a new league, the Liga Argentina de Football – which ended the covert professionalism that had occurred up till then – was established by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).  Banfield was invited to join the professional Primera División, but its leaders believed that professionalism would fail in the short term, and instead chose to continue participating in the amateur tournament. Immediately Banfield players received offers from Primera División clubs and left the team.  With a decimated roster, Banfield participated in amateur tournament ("Asociación Amateurs Argentina de Football") until 1934. In 1935, Banfield joined AFA and was assigned to the Second Division. The team made poor campaigns, with less than 300 supporters per game. In 1938, Banfield finished last, being relegated to a lower division. In late 1938, a group of members proposed to young entrepreneur Florencio Sola to take over the presidency of the club; although Banfield was in a critical situation, Sola nonetheless accepted. Taking advantage of Club Estudiantil Porteño (that played in second division) had been disaffiliated from the AFA, Florencio Sola acted to prevent Banfield dropping into the Third Division. To tackle the championship in 1939 Banfield obtained the loan of many players who were substitutes in the First Divisionand assembled a quality team that became champions winning the right to play in the Primera División.  Banfield featured a completely new team for 1940 season. With players like Rafael Sanz, Eduardo Silvera, John Baptist Busuzzo, Alfredo De Terán, Armando Farro and others, the newspaper "El Pampero" nicknamed the team ""El Taladro"" ("The Drill"), which has remained the club's official nickname.  Banfield's stadium (later named "Florencio Sola"), was built in 1940 in the city of Banfield. To celebrate its inauguration, a match against Independiente took place, which Banfield lost 1–0 with a goal by Arsenio Erico. In 1941, Banfield was punished with a 16-point deduction for attempted bribery, but after a great campaign, the team avoided being relegated in the last fixture, with a victory over Rosario Central.  After the campaigns of 1942 and 1943, the school suffered several casualties and the team was relegated in 1944. The chair was occupied by Joseph Agulla in 1945, the year he did a good campaign in Second Division, but after a constitutional crisis later that year became Remigio Sola, brother of Florencio, became president. Chaired by Sola, the club formed a solid team for 1946 season, winning the second division championship with a season record that took over forty years to be broken.  In 1948, Florencio Sola became president for second time. Under his command, Banfield hired many players in order to form a strong team, although the club would not made a good campaign, nearly being relegated again. In the last five fixtures of that season, a strike of professional players was declared, thus all teams put youth players on the field. Renato Cesarini was Banfield coach during that period, obtaining 9/10 points which allowed Banfield to remain at first division.

1950s and 1960s.

In 1951, Félix José Ildefonso Martínez and Félix Zurdo in the coach equipper, finished equal first with Racing Club although they had the better goal difference and wins. The two finals were played in the defunct stadium of San Lorenzo (known as the "Gasometer"). The first ended in a goalless draw and in the second Racing won by the minimum difference. Featuring almost the same team, Banfield took fifth in the championship in 1952.  In 1953, key player Eliseo Mouriño was acquired by Boca Juniors, which significantly affected the team: the following year they finished last and relegated to second division. After seven years, Florencio Sola would not continue to lead the club in 1955 and presidential elections were held for the first time in the history of the institution. They faced the lists submitted by the groups "traditionalist" and "Mr. Burton", beating the first.  Most notable in these years was in the lower divisions, where a team was champion of sixth, fifth, fourth and reserves between 1955 and 1958, which values emerged as the top scorer Luis Suárez Llanos Oscar Calics, Ezekiel and Horacio Benedetti. Valentín Suárez became president of the club in late 1958, and for the 1959 championship he assembled a team of first division players, mostly veterans.  But although pointer ended the first round, this "star team" did not achieve its main objective, promotion. Beginning in 1960, led by Benicio Acosta but also with the contribution of the great football knowledge Valentin Suarez had started a process that led to the rise after a major campaign in 1962. The arrival of quality players Ediberto Righi, Norberto Raffo, Oscar López, Luis Maidana and Roberto Zárate, supplemented with local players like Adolfo Vázquez, Oscar Llanos Ezequiel Calics and created a remarkable team that was third in 1960, second in 1961 and first in 1962. From 1963, the club began a period of 16 seasons in which they remained in First Division, with the exception of 1973.  In the first four years, the "Drill" made excellent seasons, finishing seventh in 1963 and 1964. Slowly, the campus was also being renovated. Thus came the likes of Julio San Lorenzo, Anacleto Peanno Diego Bay, Nelson López, Rubén Hugo and José Sanfilippo. It was in 1967 when Banfield performances began to decline even though the team included quality players like Jorge Carrascosa, Rubén Flotta and José Manuel Ramos Delgado. In 1969, he avoided relegation to Second Division after winning a home "reclasificatorio", but in 1972 failed to prevent relegation. In any case, the "Drill" took only one year to return to the higher division.

1970s and 1980s.

Coached by Oscar López and Oscar Cavallero, Banfield became champion of Primera B (second division) in 1973. Ricardo La Volpe, Hugo Mateos, Silvio Sotelo, Eduardo and Juan Alberto Taverna were some notable players for the team.  During its run on Primera División, Banfield made its best campaign during the 1976 National Championship, with Adolfo Pedernera as manager. But after poor performances during 1977 and 1978 tournaments, the team was relegated after being defeated at the hands of Platense.  In 1985, Ángel Cappa arrived to coach Banfield, forming the main structure of the team which would promote to Primera División two years later.

1990–1999.

Banfield did not have a good beginning during this decade, even playing in the relegation zone. The only notable moment was in the 1990–91 tournament, where the team reached the finals although it could not promote to Primera. For the 1992–93 season and with Suárez again as president (having been elected in 1991 for a fifth run), Banfield designed Carlos Babington as coach and acquired experienced players such as former River Plate goalkeeper Gabriel Puentedura, midfielder Fabio Lenguita and defender Gabriel Stafuza (who had played for Boca Juniors in the 1980s). Those footballers, plus some youth players such as Javier Sanguinetti (who made the highest number of appearances for the club to date, with over 450 matches) and Jorge Jiménez, helped Banfield to win the title and promotion to Primera División, after defeating Colón de Santa Fe in the finals.  In Primera, Banfield was coached by Oscar López and Oscar Cavallero, with a renovated squad where ex-Ferro Carril Oeste Oscar Acosta and experienced goalkeeper Ángel Comizzo (who had been relegated from River Plate by then coach Daniel Passarella were some of the new players. But it was a young Javier Zanetti who would be the revelation of the team at the end of the season. Banfield made good campaigns during its first years at Primera, although the team could not repeat those good performances in the successive tournaments, being finally relegated in 1997.  That same year, Banfield hired Patricio Hernández as the club's coach, but the team could not achieve good results under his direction. The next year, businessman Carlos Portel became new president of the institution, prevailing over the other candidate, Horace Sola (son of Florencio). The club was reported to be into a critical situation, so Portel announced that the main objective would be to reduce the club's debts.

The Falcioni era.

In those years Banfield returned to Primera División, with playmaker and idol José Luis Sánchez as its most notable player. The first years at the top division of Argentine football the club was frequently in relegation zone, although the club achieved some historic results such as the 5–0 over River Plate in 2002 Apertura. Uruguayan Luis Garisto was the coach of the club during that period.  At the beginning of the 2003 Apertura, Julio César Falcioni replaced Garisto. Under his coaching, the club qualified to play continental tournaments for the first time in its history, taking part in 2004 Copa Sudamericana and 2005 Copa Libertadores, where the team reached the quarter-finals. In the domestic tournament, Banfield finished fifth at 2005 Clausura.  Banfield also played the 2005 and 2006 editions of Copa Sudamericana, as well as the 2007 Copa Libertadores. Although this participations in South American championships, Banfield did not achieve good results at domestic seasons, with the exception of an outstanding 5–0 over arch-rival Lanús, the Argentine champion at that time.  From 2008 Apertura until the next season, former world champion Jorge Burruchaga coached Banfield. After poor campaigns during that period, Julio Falcioni returned to the club to take over the team again.  In 2009, after an acceptable performance in the Torneo Clausura of that year, Banfield disputed the Apertura, still with Falcioni as coach. The most frequent line-up was: Cristian Lucchetti, Julio Barraza, Sebastián Méndez, Víctor López, Marcelo Bustamante, Maximiliano Bustos, Walter Erviti, Marcelo Quinteros, James Rodríguez, Sebastián Fernández and Santiago Silva (who later became the league top scorer). Banfield had a devastating start, defeating teams like Torneo Clausura 2009 champion Vélez Sársfield, Newell's Old Boys and drawing 0–0 with Rosario Central.  As tournament went by, Banfield gradually consolidated their leadership, being followed by Rosarian team Newell's Old Boys which also emerged as another strong candidate to win the title. Finally, after victories for Banfield and Newell's against Club Atlético Tigre and Gimnasia de La Plata, respectively, the two rivals came to the final game of the tournament with Banfield holding a two points lead over Newell's.  On 13 December 2009, although Banfield was beaten by Boca Juniors 0–2, the club achieved the championship due to Newell's Old Boys, its nearest rival, also being defeated by San Lorenzo, 2–0. These results produced a new champion in Argentine football. Club Atlético Banfield won its first championship in the top level of Argentine football.  After winning its first title, Banfield played the 2010 Copa Libertadores where the team, placed second to Nacional de Montevideo in the first round, qualified to the next stage, but Banfield was eliminated by Internacional de Porto Alegre (which would be the champion). In the domestic tournament, Banfield finished fifth in the 2010 Clausura.  Banfield also disputed some South American tournaments as the 2010 Copa Sudamericana (defeating Vélez Sarsfield, but the team lost to Colombian team Deportes Tolima. After finishing 15th in the 2010 Apertura, Falcioni resigned, ending his successful second tenure on the club after being hired by Boca Juniors to replace Claudio Borghi as manager.

Decline and relegation.

On January 2011 Sebastián Méndez was named manager of the club. Banfield finished eighth in the 2011 Clausura and started the following tournament (2011 Apertura) losing four consecutive matches, which led to Méndez's resignation. After some provisional replacements as coaches, Ricardo La Volpe was chosen as new manager. La Volpe was fired only three months after his hiring. He had been involved in some controversies with some representative players of the institution, who even called president Carlos Portell to tell him they "Could not stand La Volpe anymore".  Uruguayan manager Jorge da Silva (who had previously worked in Godoy Cruz achieving a qualification to the Copa Libertadores) was hired to replace La Volpe since the 2012 Clausura. Banfield did not achieve good results, what precipitated Da Silva's resignation and his return to his country of origin. Eduardo Acevedo succeeded Da Silva but the team had another bad campaign, earning only 7 points from a possible 42.  On June 2012, Banfield was relegated to the second division (Primera B Nacional) after being defeated by Colón de Santa Fe 3–0. Banfield had placed last (19th of 19 teams) in the last two tournaments of Argentina. The team only won five games in both competitions, with 7 ties and 26 loses. Two days after, president Carlos Portell resigned, being accused of corruption by the fans and members of the club. Apart from Portell, of the managing left the club (including vice-president and treasurers), so a new election had to be held in order to choose a new chairman and managing for Banfield. The election was finally held in July 2012, being Eduardo Spinosa chosen as new chairman of the club. Espinoza won with a big margin of 77%.  On 2013 Matias Almeyda was appointed as the new manager of the club. He brought the team back to the top flight of the Argentinian league.

Stadium.

The stadium Florencio Sola was built in 1940 and is named after former President of the institution in the most glorious period in its history: Don Florencio "Lencho" Sola.  To celebrate its inauguration, a match took place against Independiente de Avellaneda which the team won 1–0 on a goal by Arsenio Erico. At this stage, the "Drill" played a record 39 matches unbeaten from 1950 to 1953. The stadium was considered advanced for its time because it was the first club of so-called "medium" to possess concrete grandstands, even before some of the big teams.  It is situated on the corner of Peña and Arenales in the city of Banfield. It recently opened a new area of two with silver trays, boxes, changing rooms and booths for radio and TV. The stadium holds 37,245 spectators. [1]

Roofed stalls of Sola.

A plan was put together to extend the stadium. The board of directors of the club, decide to approve the project and work began in 2011. The extension is to build a second tray on the podium Eliseo Mouriño and also perform a second tray in the visitor sector. Also to be added are rounded elbows and transmission towers. Therefore, the stadium's capacity would be 45,326 spectators.

Head Office.

The club's head office is located in Vergara 1635 (Banfield) and is the headquarters where athletes meet various activities. Also, here are held steering committee meetings.  At headquarters trainings are also held in other sports such as volleyball, futsal, skate, chess, children's football, gymnastics, taekwondo and the club has a training gym and a circle of lifetime partners, as well as a teamroom open to general public, where supporters gather.

Filial clubs.

Other Banfield clubs affiliated to AFA (Argentine Football Association).

Club Atlético Banfield is an Argentine sports club located in the city of Banfield, Buenos Aires. Founded on 21 January 1896 by town residents of British origin (mostly from England and some from Scotland and Ireland), Banfield is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in Primera División, the first division of the Argentine football league system.

Club Atlético Banfield, zkráceně CA Banfield, je argentinský fotbalový klub se sídlem ve městě Banfield v aglomeraci Buenos Aires. Banfield vyhrál jeden titul v argentinské lize. Hraje na stadiónu Estadio Florencio Sola.


History.

Formation.

The 28th (Māori) Battalion had its origins before the start of the Second World War. In mid-1939, as war in Europe began to be seen as inevitable, Sir Āpirana Ngata started to discuss proposals for the formation of a military unit made up of Māori volunteers similar to the Māori Pioneer Battalion that had served during the First World War. This proposal was furthered by two Māori MPs, Eruera Tirikatene and Paraire Paikea, and from this support within the Māori community for the idea began to grow as it was seen as an opportunity for Māori to participate as citizens of the British Empire and to test their warrior skills. At first

United Kingdom.

Sailing upon the "Aquitania" via Fremantle and Cape Town, the battalion arrived at Gourock, Scotland, after six weeks at sea. Initially they had been destined to join the rest of the 2nd New Zealand Division in the Middle East, but due to concerns about a possible invasion of the United Kingdom by the German "Wehrmacht", the decision was made to divert the division's second echelon, a brigade-sized force that included the 28th (Māori) Battalion, to Britain to help bolster the island's defences.  In late June or early July 1940 the 28th (Māori) Battalion was attached to a mixed brigade under Brigadier Harold Barrowclough. During this time they manned defences in the south of England and undertook further training. The battalion suffered from a lack of equipment, largely due to the priority given to re-equip British units following the losses suffered by the British Expeditionary Force in France, and consequently training was largely focused upon anti-gas procedures and route marching. On 6 July they were inspected by King George VI and he was said to have been

Middle East.

After sailing via Freetown, Cape Town and Durban, the "Athlone Castle" sailed up the east coast of Africa and entered the Suez Canal, arriving at Tewfik harbour on 3 March 1941. In the afternoon the battalion entrained and two days later they arrived in

Greece.

On 6 April the German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia began. In order to help defend Greece, a composite force of three divisions of Australian, British and New Zealand troops were to be deployed, and were grouped together under the title of 'W' Force. However, by the time the invasion began only two of the three divisions had arrived, and the New Zealanders were consequently spread thin, holding a position to the north of Katerini, where they were tasked to defend the strategic Olympus Pass to the south. During this time, the 28th (Māori) Battalion was attached to the 5th Infantry Brigade, which was later grouped with other Australian and New Zealand units to form the Anzac Corps. Vastly outnumbered, within two days the situation for the Allies was not good as the Germans had broken through the defences along

Crete.

After being evacuated from Greece, the Māori Battalion embarked upon the landing ship, infantry and was taken to Crete where they formed part of the island's hastily formed garrison. The 5th Infantry Brigade was allocated to the area surrounding the airfield and the battalion was positioned on the north coast at Platanias, on the brigade's right flank. On 20 May 1941, the Germans launched the opening stages of their campaign with large-scale glider and parachute drops of troops from Maleme to Canea. The landings were focused around the airfield and no troops landed in the area being held by the Māori, nevertheless,

North Africa.

After their escape from Crete, the 28th (Māori) Battalion was evacuated to Egypt where they were re-issued with summer uniforms and began to receive reinforcements. In June they carried out a ceremonial parade for King George VI and the Queen, and the commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division, Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg. Throughout July, the battalion undertook desert familiarisation training and sports parades before moving to Kabrit where they concentrated with the rest of the 5th Infantry Brigade for a three-week combined operations exercise. Later, in August, they moved to a position west of El Alamein, known as the "Kaponga Box" where throughout September and into October they undertook

Italy.

The battalion returned to Egypt with the 5th Infantry Brigade in late-May and underwent a period of refit and retraining, during which the bulk of the original unit was given three months leave and returned to New Zealand. Following the evacuation to hospital of Lieutenant Colonel Kingi Keiha, there were no suitable senior Māori officers available and he was replaced as commanding officer by Lieutenant Colonel Monty Fairbrother on 11 September. Having taken no part in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July – August, the 2nd New Zealand Division was committed to battle again in late 1943 as part of Eighth Army during the Italian Campaign. The Māori Battalion subsequently arrived in Italy on 22 October, landing at Taranto. 5th Infantry Brigade undertook a period of training in close-country tactics, remaining in camp at Taranto until 18 November when it was ordered to move north to join the Eighth Army.  The 2nd New Zealand Division had moved into the front line in November in order to relieve the 8th Indian Division and would take part in the advance across the Sangro planned for the end of the month. The brigade

Disbandment.

On 2 May 1945 news was received that all German forces west of the Isonzo River had surrendered. While this did not officially end the fighting in Italy, it was all but over. Five days later, on the night of 7 May, the battalion received the news that Germany had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, and that the war in Europe was over. Nevertheless, tensions remained high and concerns about the intentions of Yugoslavia regarding the disputed province of Istria meant that the 28th (Māori) Battalion remained on high alert. This continued until early June when an agreement was reached and Yugoslavia withdrew its troops east of the Isonzo River.  Following this

Decorations.

In total, the Māori Battalion received more individual bravery decorations than any other New Zealand battalion. One member of the battalion, Second Lieutenant Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, was awarded the Victoria Cross during the war, while another member, Sergeant Haane Manahi, was also recommended for the award. During the fighting around Takrouna in 1943, Manahi led a section of men up a sheer limestone escarpment to capture a number of Italian positions; the following day he set out to capture Italian outposts. Four generals, including Harold Alexander, Bernard Freyberg, Howard Kippenberger and Bernard Law Montgomery had recommended that Manahi receive the Victoria Cross but this recommendation was downgraded in London to the Distinguished Conduct Medal.  In 2000,

Battle honours.

The following is a list of

Commanding officers.

The following is a list of the 28th (Māori) Battalion's commanding officers:

The 28th (Māori) Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion, was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. It was formed following pressure on the Labour government by some Māori Members of Parliament (MPs) and Māori organisations throughout the country which wanted a full Māori unit to be raised for service overseas. The Māori Battalion followed in the footsteps of the Māori Pioneer Battalion that served during the First World War with success, and was wanted by Māori to raise their profile, and to serve alongside their Pākehā compatriots as subjects of the British Empire. It also gave a generation of people with a well-noted military ancestry a chance to test their modern warrior skills.

28. (maorský) prapor (anglicky: "28th (Māori) Battalion") byl prapor pěchoty 2. divize Armády Nového Zélandu, který sloužil během druhé světové války. Zformován byl 26. ledna 1940 po tlaku maorských poslanců a organizací napříč zemí na labouristickou vládu, s cílem založení samostatné jednotky Maorů, a jejího vyslání do zámořských misí. Jednotka navázala na tradici maorského ženijního praporu z první světové války. Maorové rovněž usilovali o zvýšení prestiže vlastního etnika. Po boku pakehských spolubojovníků působili v rámci vojsk Britského impéria. Další generace domorodých obyvatel Nového Zélandu s válečnickými kořeny tak mohla vyzkoušet své bojové umění v moderním válečném konfliktu.