Features and compatibility.

The English language distribution is intended for the Atari ST and derivative m68k computers, clones and emulators, such as the FireBee project or Hatari and ARAnyM. The "MiNT" itself, also once called MultiTOS, provided an Atari TOS compatible OS replacement with multitasking and multi-user switching capabilities and Unix-like operation, all of which the original "TOS" lacked.  The distribution comes with Red Hat's "rpm" utility for managing the source- and binary packages. Unix/Linux-style software can be used, if ported, GEM-programs for TOS can run concurrently. The TOS clone "EmuTOS", instead of Atari's original, can be used as a base to boot a MiNT, and e.g. "XaAES", a modern AES derivate, as essential part of the GEM-GUI (Graphical user interface).  FreeMiNT, and therefore SpareMiNT, is basically the enhanced and greatly improved derivate, and can be used on today's computers, even on different hardware platforms via emulation or Virtual Machines, thanks to the flexibility of the original MiNT and its components that made further development possible.

Comparable Distributions.

EasyMiNT.

Derived from SpareMiNT is "EasyMiNT", using its software repository and a GEM based installer, providing a folder system similar to the "UNIX Filesystem Hierarchy Standard" and German language translations to programs.

AFROS.

"AFROS" (Atari FRee Operating System) comes as a set of files, creating a TOS compatible operating system; there exists a Live-CD to test. Its key components all consist of Free Software:  AFROS software is available to all Atari and/or TOS compatible platforms, but is optimized to be used with the "ARAnyM" (Atari Running on Any Machine) emulator.

Historical Distributions.

Amongst other efforts, there also was a basic build of a "Debian GNU/MiNT" distribution, with a FreeMiNT "kernel", GNU based "userland software" plus DEB "package management". It should have provided commonly used programs and was based on "Debian GNU/Linux". Similar, more successful projects are Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, Debian GNU/Hurd and, most important, the GNU/Linux version. SpearMiNT follows the idea to use a Unix/Linux-like package management and software repository.

SpareMiNT is a software distribution based on "FreeMiNT", which consists of a MiNT-like operating system (OS) and kernel plus GEM compatible "AES" (Application Environment Services).

SpareMiNT est une distribution logicielle basée sur "FreeMiNT", qui consiste en un noyau similaire à celui du système d'exploitation MultiTOS, plus un "AES" (Application Environment Services) compatible GEM. Son nom a été choisi car sa prononciation fait penser à "Experiment".


Early life.

Dinko Ljubomir Šakić was born in the village of Studenci, near the town of Imotski in what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on 8 September 1921. He finished his education at the high school level. He became a committed member of the Croatian fascist movement known as the Ustaše at a very young age.

Jasenovac.

In April 1941, Axis forces invaded and occupied Yugoslavia. The country was dismembered, with the extreme Croatian nationalist and fascist Ante Pavelić, who had been in exile in Benito Mussolini's Italy, being appointed "Poglavnik" (leader) of an Ustaše-led Croatian state – the Independent State of Croatia (often called the NDH, from the ). The NDH combined almost all of modern-day Croatia, all of modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina and parts of modern-day Serbia into an "Italian-German quasi-protectorate." NDH authorities, led by the Ustaše militia, subsequently implemented genocidal policies against the Serb, Jewish and Romani population living within the borders of the new state.  Šakić joined the administration of the Jasenovac concentration camp in 1941. The following year he was appointed its assistant commander. Here, he became the protégé of concentration camp commander Vjekoslav "Maks" Luburić. According to eyewitness testimony, Šakić murdered Croatian poet Mihovil Pavlek Miškina in June 1942. That summer, Šakić is alleged to have personally directed an exhaust pipe into a van filled with women and children at the Stara Gradiška concentration camp, killing all those inside.  In 1943 Šakić married Nada, Maks Luburić's half-sister who began working at Jasenovac at age 16. Šakić became the commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp at the age of twenty-two in April 1944, his rapid rise through the ranks of the Ustaše coming partly as a result of his fanatic support for Pavelić's regime and partly due to his marriage to Nada. Jasenovac survivor Šimo Klaić recalled: "Šakić was very young for such an important position. He was arrogant and always impeccably dressed in polished black leather boots and a tailored black Ustaše uniform. We were emaciated, in rags and sick. He would stride past us looking as if he had stepped out of a fashion magazine".  In June 1944, Šakić ordered reprisals be carried out against prisoners following the escape of an inmate named Ivan Wollner, who was captured in Hrvatska Dubica and beaten to death by the Ustaše soon after his escape. Šakić personally selected twenty-five Jewish inmates from a group of 100 prisoners who had lived in the same barracks as Wollner. These were taken to a building called the "Zvonara", where they were put in solitary confinement, starved and tortured.  Šakić took part in the torture of Remzija Rebac, who, along with Dr. Milo Bošković, led a group of twenty internees who organized an uprising and stole corn. Rebac was tortured with a flamethrower. Šakić ordered the group executed by hanging during a camp "public performance" on 21 September 1944. Facing death, Bošković asked to be shot in the head instead of being hanged. Šakić agreed and, prior to shooting him, is reported to have said that he valued Bošković "as a man and expert and that he should feel honoured to have the camp's commander personally kill him".  Šakić ordered the hanging of Dr Marin Jurcev, manager of the infirmary in Jasenovac, who aided an Ustaše defector in smuggling information about the camp to the Yugoslav Partisans. Jurcev, his wife, and three internees held in the village of Jasenovac were executed. Dr Jurcev's wife had to be pulled to the scaffold by her hair since she fell off three times. Šakić sat and ate red beets and fried schnitzel while watching the hanged bodies with Croatian Interior Minister Andrija Artuković.  Šakić is reported to have personally taken part in killing and torturing inmates. Eyewitnesses stated that he shot prisoners numerous times, often killing for sport those who were sent to work in the fields surrounding Jasenovac. Ostensibly seeking to prevent the spread of typhoid, malaria and diphtheria, Šakić detained inmates whom he deemed to be unhealthy – ordering that they be killed inside a house that he called "the hospital". On another occasion, Šakić ordered two or three dozen inmates to be locked inside a room until they died from thirst and starvation. In the fall of 1944, an American bomber crashed near the camp after conducting a raid over Hungary. Three airmen parachuted from it and landed by the Sava River. Šakić had the three captured, beaten and paraded through Jasenovac. The men were tortured for three days before Šakić ordered that they be bayoneted to death and their bodies dumped in a mass grave. During Šakić's tenure in charge of Jasenovac, at least 2,000 inmates were killed. Many others died due to malnutrition or disease.

Exile.

With the end of the war, Šakić fled Croatia, alongside Pavelić and other Ustaše leaders, to Argentina. They were welcomed by Argentine leader Juan Perón. Šakić and his wife first found refuge in Francoist Spain, before settling in Argentina in 1947. Šakić's wife changed her name to Esperanza. The two settled in the coastal town of Santa Teresita, 200 miles southeast of Buenos Aires, where Šakić ran a textile business and was an active member of the country's 10,000-strong Croat community. Šakić and his wife had three children, and arranged for Pavelić to be their godfather. In 1956, the Šakić family fled Argentina following the fall of Perón's government. They went back to Spain before returning to Argentina three years later.  Šakić was a friend of Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, for whom he operated a "rest camp" for Croatian fascists in Paraguay. He lived an otherwise quiet life and engaged in Ustaše émigré politics. He did not hide his identity and did not make an effort to change his name, however he lived in a small village called Santa Teresita, Buenos Aires. In 1990, the "Feral Tribune" interviewed Šakić for a magazine article and published his picture. The interview saw Šakić admonish the Serbs and praise the Ustaše. Later that year, he attended what the "Chicago Tribune" termed a "reunion of former Nazis" in Austria.  Šakić met Croatian leader Franjo Tuđman at a reception in Buenos Aires during the latter's visit to Argentina in 1994. Afterwards, Šakić was interviewed by a Croatian publication called "Magazin". He stated in the interview that he wished more Serbs had been killed in Jasenovac, saying that he would "do it all again". He added that he "slept like a baby".  In March 1998, Šakić was interviewed by Argentine national television. The full interview was broadcast on "El Trece" on 6 April. In it, Šakić admitted to being in a leadership position at Jasenovac from December 1942 to October 1944 but denied that anyone had been killed during this time. He said: "When I was there no guard or administrator was allowed to so much as touch a prisoner. I'm not speaking about what it was like before or afterward, but when I was there no one could touch anyone". Šakić claimed all the deaths that occurred during his command came as a result of natural causes. The interview caused a public uproar, with Argentine president Carlos Menem calling for Šakić's arrest a day after the broadcast. Šakić disappeared soon afterwards. His wife claimed that he had left to seek refuge in the Croatian Embassy in Buenos Aires, which the embassy denied. She stated that her husband had not committed acts of genocide in Jasenovac, saying: "It's such a huge lie. I am distraught. After fifty years, they come up with an atrocious thing like this". Dinko Šakić was arrested on 1 May.

Trial and imprisonment.

Šakić was one of the most important figures from World War II who was still alive at the time of his trial. He was the last known living commander of a World War II concentration camp. Šakić defended himself by claiming that Jasenovac was a Serb-Communist myth which was "created to destroy Croats".  He showed no remorse and stated that Jasenovac was not an extermination camp but a work camp designed to hold the enemies of the NDH, whom he claimed were treated in a kind and benevolent manner. He claimed that no killings had occurred during his command. He maintained that the camp was organized to hold those complicit in the "Serbian genocidal policies" that he claimed were implemented against the Croats from 1919 until 1941. Šakić stated that his conscience was clear before God and that he would do what he had done in Jasenovac again if the "biological existence" of Croats were threatened once more. He acknowledged that Jews and Romanis were detained because of their ethnicity but claimed Serbs and others were held as enemies of the state who wanted to destroy Croatia. I am proud of what I did and would do it again. Jasenovac was a legal institution based on law, where all those proved to have worked for the destruction of the Croatian state, and who had been dangerous for public order and safety, were interned. Considering the duration and population of the camp, the death rate was natural and normal. If we shot people, we did it on the basis of the law. There are no states in the world that don't have prisons and camps, and somebody has to perform this thankless duty. I regret that we hadn't done all that is imputed to us, for, had we done that then, today Croatia would not have had problems. There wouldn't have been people to write these lies.  He claimed the establishment of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav Wars were evidence of Serbs having planned and carried out a genocide against Croats. Šakić called the proceedings politically motivated and described himself as a Croatian patriot who only wanted to defend his country. He said Croatia had come under international pressure during its World War II history.  The ensuing trial saw more than forty witnesses testify against Šakić. His defense lawyers asked that he be acquitted; they claimed that the prosecution had failed to prove his guilt and stated that Šakić was merely obeying orders while serving at the camp. On 4 October 1998, Šakić was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Šakić applauded mockingly as the guilty verdict was read out to him. The presiding judge confirmed that Šakić had personally shot prisoners and had overseen the hanging of at least twenty inmates. He pointed out that at least four witnesses testified to having seen Šakić empty his pistol into the head of Milo Bošković in September 1944.  Šakić served his sentence in Lepoglava prison. His cell came equipped with a television set and a computer for him to write his memoirs. He was allowed to visit his wife, who had been placed in a home for the elderly, several times a month.

Death.

Šakić suffered from heart problems throughout his imprisonment and spent most of his later years in hospital. He died of heart problems in a Zagreb hospital on 20 July 2008 and was cremated in full Ustaše uniform, as per his wishes. He was survived by his wife and three children.  The priest who celebrated the funeral Mass, Vjekoslav Lasić, stated that "the court that convicted Dinko Šakić convicted Croatia and the Croatian nation". He claimed that "the NDH is the foundation of the modern Croatian homeland" and eulogized Šakić by saying that "every honorable Croat should be proud of [his] name".  Šakić's funeral was attended by several Croatian politicians, including Anto Kovačević. Simon Wiesenthal Center director Efraim Zuroff, as well as the Israeli ambassador to Croatia, both lodged complaints with Croatian president Stjepan Mesić about Šakić's funeral.

Dinko Šakić (8 September 1921 – 20 July 2008) was a Croatian Ustaše official who commanded the Jasenovac concentration camp in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) from April to November 1944, during World War II. Born in the village of Studenci, near the town of Imotski in what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, he became a member of the fascist Ustaše at a young age. When the Axis powers occupied the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941, Šakić, aged 19, joined the administration in Jasenovac. He became the camp's assistant commander the following year, and married Nada Luburić, the half-sister of concentration camp commander Vjekoslav "Maks" Luburić, in 1943. This marriage, as well as his fanatic support for Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić, led to Šakić's appointment as commander of Jasenovac in April 1944. He was charged in the deaths of an estimated 2,000 people who died during his six months of command at the concentration camp.

Dinko Ljubomir Šaki (en ), né le à Studenci (royaume des Serbes, des Croates et des Slovènes) et mort le à Zagreb (Croatie), est un dirigeant fasciste croate.


Historical Context.

The ROC government participated in the 1943 Moscow Conference, the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, and the United Nations Conference on International Organization and was a charter member of the United Nations after participating in the alliance that won World War II. In 1949, the Nationalists lost the Chinese Civil War in mainland China and retreated to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, forming a rump state. Despite the major loss of territory, the ROC continued to be recognised as the legitimate government of China by the UN and by many non-Communist states.  American foreign policy 1950–1971 called for full recognition and support of the government of China in Taiwan. As the Korean War (1950–1953) broke out, Taiwan was not allowed to send military support to South Korea. However the Truman Administration resumed economic and military aid to the ROC on Taiwan and neutralized the Taiwan Strait by United States Seventh Fleet to stop a Communist invasion as well as a potential ROC counter-invasion of the mainland. In a 1954 U.S.-Taiwan military alliance was signed, as a result of the American Cold War strategy in the Far East, in the determination not to allow Chiang Kai-shek's forces on Taiwan to attack China, thereby setting off another even larger war between the United States and China.  The American military presence in Taiwan consisted of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) and the United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC). Other notable units included the 327th Air Division. Until the US formally recognised the People's Republic of China in 1979, Washington provided ROC with financial grants based on the Foreign Assistance Act, Mutual Security Act and Act for International Development enacted by the US Congress. A separate Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty was signed between the two governments of US and ROC in 1954 and lasted until 1979.  The U.S. State Department's official position in 1959 was:

1971 expulsion from the UN.

In 1971, the UN expelled the ROC and transferred China's seat to the People's Republic of China (PRC). In addition to the recognition of the ROC by a majority of countries before UN Resolution 2758, the ROC lost its membership in all the intergovernmental organisations related to the UN. As the UN and related organisations like the International Court of Justice are the most common venues for effective execution of international law and serve as the international community for sovereign states, a majority of the countries aligned with the West in the Cold War terminated diplomatic relations with the ROC and opened diplomatic relations with the PRC.  The United Nations Charter's Articles 23 and 110, in its Chapter II, explicitly refer to the ROC, but the seat of China is currently occupied by the PRC. The ROC continues to maintain "de facto" relations, including with most of the non-governmental organisations at the United Nations, in addition with

Elections.

The first direct presidential election was held in 1996 and the incumbent President Lee Teng-hui was elected. As of 4 May 2015, ROC nationals are eligible for preferential visa treatment from 142 countries

Development assistance.

Since 1950 Taiwan has given high priority to international aid, making its representatives welcome even in states without formal diplomatic relations. The policies to provide generous aid without strict accountability conditions, especially in poor nations in Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific. Building a reputation as a responsible and generous donor is gained prestige, especially in contrast to the manipulative role of foreign

Think tanks.

Taiwan's political system has evolved in terms of increasing political liberalization. By the 1990s Taiwan had a democratic system with multiparty competition, factionalism, a vigorous civil society, and many interest groups. Think tanks emerged because of the high prestige of expertise, and the heavy demand for unofficial diplomacy necessitated by the loss of formal diplomatic recognition. Think

Policies.

Economics.

The ROC's GDP is ahead of several G20 economies. In the context of the international norm of "tabula rasa", the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains a "de facto state" in readiness to join

UN specialised agencies.

As a non-member state of the United Nations, by participating as members in one or more United Nations Specialised Agencies and operating in a parallel political system with the Chinese Communist Party as in

International isolation.

Due to "the absence of a cross-strait understanding" (1992 consensus), ROC has encountered international isolation due to political and economic pressure from Mainland China since the 1970s. This isolation has continued under the pro-Taiwan independence administration of the Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan is not allowed to attend World Health Assembly, Interpol, International Civil Aviation Organisation,

International disputes.

In the 1970s many countries switched diplomatic recognition from the ROC to the PRC, including the United States, Japan and Canada. In October 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the UN General Assembly, expelling "the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek" and transferring China's seat on the Security Council to the PRC. The resolution declared that "the representatives of the Government of the PRC are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations." However, the "eo ipso" nature of Taiwan and weapons of mass destruction remained a contentious issue.  Many attempts by the ROC to rejoin the UN have not made it past committee, under fierce PRC opposition and threatened vetoes. President Chen Shui-bian argued that Resolution 2758, replacing the ROC with the PRC in 1971, only addressed the question of who should have China's seat in the UN, rather than whether an additional seat for the Taiwan Area could

Types of relations.

Full diplomatic relations.

Of the two UN observer states, the ROC recognises the Holy See, with which it has relations, but not the State of Palestine. Taiwan recognises the Republic of Kosovo and

Non-diplomatic representation.

The ROC has non-diplomatic, unofficial governmental relations with the European Union and at least 47 states, recognising the PRC, that maintain "Economic, Trade and/or Cultural" (or similar) offices in Taiwan. These relations are not inter-governmental nor are they officially diplomatic or political. However, they have many of the functions usually assigned to actual

No representation.

The following states recognise Beijing and have

Relations with neither the ROC nor the PRC.

The following table includes

Relations switched from the ROC to the PRC.

Taiwan has publicly feared that if any one state switch its diplomatic relation to the PRC, it would create a domino effect, encouraging other states to do so as well. The Holy See (Vatican), the only

History.

Taiwan was annexed by Japan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War. In the Northern Expedition, the Nationalists defeated the warlords of the Beiyang clique and established a unified government for China in Nanjing. The United States recognised Republic of China (ROC) on 25 July 1928, the first government to do so. The Japanese occupied much of China during World War II. After Japan's defeat in 1945, Taiwan was placed under the temporary administration of the ROC to handle the surrender of Japanese administration. The Chinese Civil War broke out again between the Nationalists and the Communists. The Communists gained control of the mainland in 1949 and proclaimed the People's Republic of China (PRC), while the Nationalists fled to Taiwan, taking the ROC government with them. In 1952, Japan renounced Taiwan in the Treaty

Cross-Strait relations.

The Double Tenth Agreement signed on 10 October 1945 is the only legal document between the two parties. The following, was engulfed by Cold War history and the American foreign policy of containment in East Asia after the Korean War. Before the Korean War broke out, the US was preparing for a coup d'état in mid-1950 to replace Chiang Kai-shek with Hu Shih and Sun Li-jen and neutralize the ROC's legal status under UN Trusteeship to block any legal claim of the PRC on Taiwan, as proposed by United States Department of State official Dean Rusk. The Formosa Resolution of 1955 was passed unanimously by the United States Congress. Resolving the cross-Strait relationship required both sides to rethink definitions of basic concepts such as sovereignty, "one China" and unification.  The two polities of "accession" resulted in the PRC's Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, the lifting of its martial law on PRC territory, and more recently the enactment of the PRC's Anti-Secession Law towards the ROC. The two sides have no cross-strait military confidence-building measures (CBM) "to improve military-to-military relations in ways that reduce fears of attack and the potential for military miscalculation". Nuclear tensions have risen since the PRC promulgated the Anti-Secession Law.  Neither Taipei nor Beijing sees their relations as foreign relations. The government position that both Taiwan and mainland China are parts of the same state is not universally accepted among the people of Taiwan. In particular, the pro-independence Pan-Green Coalition considers Taiwan and China to be different countries. By contrast, the pro-reunification Pan-Blue Coalition take the view that both Taiwan and mainland China are parts of the ROC. Former president Lee Tung-hui described these relations as "Special state-to-state relations". The Chen administrations described Taiwan and China by saying "...with Taiwan and China on each side of the Taiwan Strait, each side is a country.". Former President Ma Ying-jeou returned

Bilateral relations.

Africa.

Eswatini.

After Burkina Faso cut relations with Taiwan in 2018, Eswatini became Taiwan's sole ally in Africa. Taiwan has an embassy in Mbabane, Eswatini. On 7 June 2016, the National Police Agency and Royal Eswatini Police Service

The Gambia.

The Gambia recognised the ROC from 1968 until 1974, and then again from 1995 until 14 November 2013, when President Yahya Jammeh's office announced it had cut diplomatic ties with immediate effect. During this era Taiwan gave hundreds of millions

Others.

South Africa switched in 1998. Liberia recognised the ROC in 1989, and switched back to the PRC in October 2003.  In December 2016, the government of São Tomé and Príncipe switched.  Burkina Faso has recognised the ROC since 1994, but cut diplomatic ties in May 2018, establishing relations with the PRC. Earlier, Burkina Faso had rejected US$50 billion from China to break ties with Taiwan.

Americas.

On 31 March 2004, Dominica ended its recognition, which began in 1983, because of PRC offers to provide $117 million over six years.  On 18 March 2014, Guatemala's former president Alfonso Portillo pled guilty in

Arab world.

Egypt maintained relations until 1956, when Gamal Abdel Nasser cut off relations and recognised the PRC. Ma Bufang, who was then living in Egypt, was ordered to move to

Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has had limited bilateral exchanges with the ROC since it declared independence in 1971. Bangladesh is the ROC's second largest

Dominican Republic.

On 1 May 2018, the Dominican Republic switched. The government initially gave no reason, although it later said in the switchover ceremony that Taiwan was an inalienable part of China and that the switchover was to comply to the one-China policy. It was motivated by loans and investments worth US$3.1 billion. "History and socioeconomic reality" were cited as reasons

El Salvador.

On 20 August 2018, El Salvador broke ties with Taiwan and established them with the PRC. El Salvador now only recognises the PRC. Just like Panama and the Dominican Republic, the event was broadcast nationwide on radio and television. Hours before the announcement, Taiwan (ROC) announced that it had broken ties with El Salvador, citing the imminent establishment of diplomatic and commercial ties with the PRC (China). El Salvador's president said that his

Haiti.

Haiti currently recognises the Republic of China over the People's Republic of China. In 2018, Taiwan offered a US$150 Million loan for Haiti's power

India.

Leadership meetings between ROC and India were carried out in the early 1940s before Indian independence from Great Britain. The ROC is included in India's Look East policy. Bilateral relations between India and the ROC improved starting from the

Iran.

On 1 June 1920, a friendship agreement was signed between the ROC and Iran. Ratifications were

Japan.

Japan-Taiwan relations are guided by the 1972 Japan-PRC

North Korea.

The ROC does not recognise the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a state.  ROC Premier Lai Ching-te approved a total ban on trade

South Korea.

The ROC recognised the formal establishment of the First Republic of Korea in 1948. On 4 January 1949, the ROC set up an embassy in Myeongdong in Seoul. The ROC considers the ROK government as the sole legitimate representative of

Malaysia.

Relations are conducted on an unofficial level. Kuala Lumpur adopted a one-China policy in 1974,

Mongolia.

Until 1945, Nationalist China claimed sovereignty over Mongolia, but under Soviet pressure and as part of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance of August 1945, it recognised Mongolian independence. In 1953, due to the deterioration of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, it revoked this recognition and resumed considering it a part of China.  On 3 October 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognised Mongolia as an independent

Oceania.

The ROC maintains diplomatic relations with four countries in Oceania: the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu. China has relations with eight others (including Australia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Fiji). The Pacific is an area of intense and continuous diplomatic competition between Beijing and Taipei, with several countries (Nauru, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands) having switched diplomatic support from one to the other at least once. Both the PRC and the ROC provide development aid to their respective allies. In exchange, ROC allies support its membership bid in the United Nations. The ROC is one of Tuvalu and Nauru's most important economic partners.

History.

In September 2006, the first regional summit of Taiwan's Pacific Island allies took place, hosted by Palau in Koror City. The meeting brought together President Chen and delegates from the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands and Kiribati. It was to become a regular event, known as the Taiwan–Pacific Allies Summit. A second regional meeting was hosted by the Marshall Islands in October, and President Chen attended. This resulted in the Majuro Declaration, in which Taiwan's six Pacific allies re-stated their recognition of

Australia.

In February 2008, Australia reportedly "chastised Taiwan for its renewed push for independence" and "reiterated its support for a one-China policy". Australia-Taiwan relations are growing in non-political areas including an annual Bilateral Economic Consultation and both sides also established Joint Energy, Mineral, Trade and Investment Cooperation Consultation (JEMTIC) as well as an Agriculture Working Group meeting. Australia does not object Taiwan's participation in international organizations where consensus has been achieved, and

Fiji.

The ROC set up a trade mission in Fiji in 1971. In 1975, PRC established diplomatic relation with Fiji. The trade center became the Trade Mission of the ROC

Kiribati.

Kiribati, under the government of President Taneti Mamau, initially recognised the ROC but switched to PRC later on.  From 1980 to 2003, Kiribati recognised the PRC. Relations between China and Kiribati then became a contentious political issue within Kiribati. President Teburoro Tito was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2003, over his refusal to clarify the details of a land lease that had enabled Beijing to maintain a satellite-tracking station in the country since 1997, and over Chinese ambassador Ma Shuxue's acknowledged monetary donation to "a cooperative society linked to Tito". In the ensuing election, Anote Tong won the presidency after "stirring suspicions that the station was being used to spy on US installations in the Pacific". Tong had previously pledged to "review" the lease.  In November 2003, Tarawa established diplomatic relations with Taipei and Beijing severed its relations with the country. For the PRC, the presence of the satellite-tracking station had made relations with Kiribati relatively important; the

Marshall Islands.

The Marshall Islands recognise the ROC and maintain an embassy in Taipei. The magazine "Islands Business" reported that President Litokwa Tomeing, elected in January

Nauru.

Nauru, under the government of President Baron Waqa, recognises the ROC.  In 1980, Nauru established official relations with the ROC. In 2002, however, the government of Rene Harris established relations with the PRC, and adopted the One China Policy. Consequently, Taiwan severed its relations with Nauru, and accused the PRC of having bought Nauru's allegiance with financial aid of over €90,000,000. A reporter for "The Age" agreed, stating that "Beijing recently bought off a threat by Nauru to revert to Taiwan only six months after opening ties with the mainland, offering a large

New Zealand.

New Zealand does not recognise ROC as a state.

Palau.

Palau recognises the ROC, and is one of the few countries to maintain an embassy in Taipei. Diplomatic relations began in 1999, five years after Palaun independence. ROC maintains an embassy in Koror City. The ROC provides scholarships to Palauan students, as well as computers for Palauan schools. In 2008, Mario Katosang, Palau's

Papua New Guinea.

Papua recognises the PRC.  In 2005, Papua New

Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands used to recognise the ROC, and maintains an embassy in Taipei. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 23 May 1983. A ROC consulate general in Honiara was upgraded to an embassy two years later. Since 2011, the ROC's ambassador to the Solomons has been Laurie Chan, a Solomon Islands national of Chinese ethnic background, and a former Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs who supported his country's continued relations with Taiwan.  Despite a lack of diplomatic recognition, Solomon Islands trades more with the PRC than with

Tuvalu.

Tuvalu recognises the ROC; Taiwan maintains the only foreign resident embassy in Tuvalu, in Funafuti.  Tuvalu supports the ROC's bid to join the United Nations, and Taiwan has provided Tuvalu with mobile medical

Vanuatu.

Vanuatu recognises the PRC. In November 2004, Prime Minister Serge Vohor briefly established diplomatic relations with Taiwan, before he was ousted for that reason in a vote of no confidence.

Panama.

On 13 June 2017, the government of Panama switched, breaking all ties with the ROC. Panamanians studying in Taiwan were given the choice of returning to Panama within 30 days or continuing their studies in China. Panama was motivated by promises of multibillion-dollar investments. It all began with a letter sent in 2015 to the Chinese government that, according to Isabel Saint Malo, Panama's vice president, was titled "Panama wants to make ties with China". The contents of the letter are kept confidential, as well as the reasons of why it was sent. It has also been kept confidential who delivered the letter and assisted in the switchover process, which is only described as "a

Paraguay.

Paraguay recognizes Taiwan. Paraguayan leader General Alfredo Stroessner was a partner of Generalissimo Chiang. Many Paraguayan officers trained in Fu Hsing Kang College in the ROC.  Stroessner's 1989 ousting and his successor Andrés Rodríguez's reinventing himself as

Philippines.

The Philippines recognises the One China Policy, but has relations with the ROC through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. Both offices were established in 1975 and were organized as non-profit corporations. The Philippines is the focal country for the ROC's 2016–2020 Southbound Policy, where the ROC plans to

Russia.

In the Chinese Civil War, the Soviet Union had a tumultuous yet strategic relationship with the Kuomintang-led Nationalist China until 1949. In the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev recommended the internationalization of the Taiwan Question and appealed to the United Nations and other multilateral organizations to intervene. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union called for the Ten Nations Summit in New Delhi to discuss the issue on 27 September 1958 as one of the

Singapore.

Singapore maintained unofficial relations with both the ROC and the PRC until 1992. It was decided in the Second Ministerial Meeting of APEC as chaired by Singapore in 1990 for the inclusion of the ROC commencing with the Third Ministerial Meeting in Seoul. After the establishment of diplomatic ties between Singapore and PRC on 3 October 1992, Singapore maintained close economic and military ties with Taiwan as part of its attempt to position itself as a neutral party. A diplomatic row broke out between China and Singapore when Lee Hsien Loong visited Taiwan one month before he was sworn-in

United States.

The ROC and the US signed a formal treaty of commerce and navigation in 1948. ROC passport holders can thus be granted an E1 and E2 Visa, with indefinite renewal status, based on continued operation of their enterprise in the US. In 1979 the US recognised the PRC instead of ROC. Commercial (such as Trade and Investment Framework Agreement signed in 1994, TIFA), cultural and other substantial relations are currently governed, inter alia, by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. The Act does not recognise the terminology of "Republic of China". The United States of America does not support Taiwan independence.  US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong officially visited the ROC

Venezuela.

In 2007, the Venezuelan government refused to renew visas for five members of the ROC commercial representation in Caracas.  Relations with Venezuela have worsened because of the increasing partnership

Vietnam.

ROC–Vietnam relations are conducted on an unofficial level, as Hanoi adheres to a one-China policy and officially recognises the PRC only. However, this has not stopped bilateral visits and

Europe and the European Union.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia recognised the ROC in 1999, but switched in 2001 after the PRC imposed economic sanctions and used a rare veto on the UN Security Council to block peacekeeping efforts.  The European Union has emphasized human rights in its relations with Taiwan. European Union is the largest source of foreign direct investment to Taiwan. The European Union has unofficial relations with Taiwan through the European Economic and Trade Office, which was opened on 10 March 2003. Taipei is one of the major trading partners via the European Free Trade Association, and a trading partner with the Eurozone.

International organizations.

Under pressure from the PRC, the ROC has been excluded from, or downgraded in, many international organizations. In other cases, ROC may retain

International treaties.

ROC is a party

Territorial disputes.

ROC claims islands in the South China Sea on the same basis as its claim to historical Chinese territory. Unlike its claims on the Asian mainland, however, ROC actively pursues and defends some of its claims to these islands. These

Specialized diplomacy.

Culinary diplomacy.

Culinary diplomacy, or gastrodiplomacy, is the promotion of a nation abroad through cuisine. Taiwan emphasizes elements of its

Medical Diplomacy.

Taiwan's medical diplomacy began in 1961 with a team of medical professionals sent to Libya. In 2018 Taiwan set up a 2 million dollar healthcare fund for its Pacific island nation allies. Taiwan officially refers to most of its medical diplomacy as public health diplomacy.  Medical diplomacy has formed a key part of Taiwan's outreach to regional countries, especially in Southeast Asia. It is one of the five key components of the New Southbound Policy. Unlike medical diplomacy under previous programs under the NSP medical diplomacy is not focused on providing direct medical care or basic public health programs but on providing high-level professional skill transfers.

Epidemic prevention diplomacy.

Local media has referred to Taiwan's medical diplomacy related to the COVID-19 epidemic as "epidemic prevention diplomacy.” In March 2020 Australia and Taiwan agreed to exchange 1 million liters of Australian alcohol to be used in making hand sanitizer for 3 metric tons of Taiwanese nonwoven fabric to be used in making facial masks.

Transport and communications.

Air links.

The dispute over Taiwan's status affects the island's air links with the outside world, particularly Europe, North America and Australia.  For many years, Mandarin Airlines, a subsidiary of Taiwan's national airline, China Airlines (CAL), served many international destinations that CAL did not because of political sensitivities. However, in 1995 CAL dropped the national colours from its livery, and now flies to international destinations under its own name. Many countries' national airlines similarly set up special subsidiaries to operate services to Taipei, with a different name, and livery omitting national symbols. For example, British Airways' now defunct subsidiary, British Asia Airways, operated flights to London, KLM's subsidiary, KLM Asia, operated flights to Amsterdam, and Swissair's

Telecommunications.

International dialing codes are assigned by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to its member states and their dependencies. However, as Taiwan was not an ITU member state, it had to be allocated the code +886 unofficially, with the ITU listing the code as'reserved' until 2006. However, in that year, it formally allocated

The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, has formal diplomatic relations with 14 out of 193 United Nations member states, as well as the Holy See. Historically, the ROC has required its diplomatic allies to recognise it as the sole legitimate government of China, but since the 1990s, its policy has changed into actively seeking dual recognition with the PRC. In addition to these relations, the ROC maintains unofficial relations with 57 UN member states via its representative offices and consulates.

La politique étrangère de la République de Chine, dénommée "Taïwan" par de nombreux États, sont les relations entre la République de Chine et les autres pays. La République de Chine est reconnue par 16 des 193 États membres des Nations unies, ainsi que par le Saint-Siège. En plus de ces relations, la République de Chine entretient des relations non officielles avec 57 membres de l'ONU via ses bureaux de représentation et ses consulats. Le passeport taïwanais a des accords d'exemption de visa avec 124 pays et Hong Kong (33e rang mondial) en 2018.


Unit history.

Militia Order No. 1 dated 14 January 1876 authorized the formation of the Toronto Engineer Company. This name was changed in October of the same year to the 2nd Military District Engineer Company, although it continued to be known by the original name. The establishment of the company called for two officers and 39 other ranks, however at the time of formation the actual strength was five officers and seventy other ranks which included a band of 18.  The company's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Clarkson Scoble. With no established engineer stores and no trained instructors, his problems were numerous. Lt Col Scoble located a retired non-commissioned officer (NCO) of the Royal Engineers living in Toronto, persuaded him to become the Training NCO of the Engineer Company, and then paid from his own pocket for the supplies and equipment necessary to train his men as sappers.  Members of the regiment have long been innovators. In 1909 Lieutenants J.A.D. "Jack" McCurdy and Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin made Canada's first powered flight in the "Silver Dart" at Baddeck, Nova Scotia and conducted the first military aircraft demonstration at Petawawa, Ontario later that same year.  32 Combat Engineer Regiment perpetuates the 2nd Field Company, 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers of the First World War's Canadian Corps. Sappers from the regiment also went overseas in 1918 as a key part of the 4000 man Canadian Contingent sent to open a new front in Siberia.  Again deployed during World War II as part of the Divisional Engineers of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, they took part in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Thereafter the component companies of the regiment distinguished themselves fighting throughout the European Campaign following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.  After the war, the unit was re-designated 2nd Field Engineer Regiment. As a unit of Military District No. 2, it retained the role of being the engineers of the 2nd Infantry Division, the headquarters of which was also the responsibility of Military District No. 2 to form on mobilization.  As 2 FER, the regiment was called out in 1954 to provide disaster relief and aid to the Greater Toronto Area in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel. The most notable contribution was the Old Finch Avenue Bailey Bridge, which remains in use today. Thirty years later, 2 FER became the one and only unit to ever receive the Freedoms of all six Cities and the Borough that now form Metropolitan Toronto. On November 23, 2006, by order of the Honourable Gordon O'Connor Minister of National Defence the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment became 32 Combat Engineer Regiment.

Organization.

There are currently two Field Squadrons, and a Regimental Headquarters in 32 CER:

32 Combat Engineer Regiment (32 CER) is the Primary Reserve (Militia) unit of the Canadian Military Engineers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is assigned to 32 Canadian Brigade Group, part of 4th Canadian Division.

Le 32 Combat Engineer Regiment, abrégé en 32 CER, est un régiment de génie de combat de la Première réserve de l'Armée canadienne. Il fait partie du Groupe-brigade du Canada au sein de la Division du Canada. Son quartier général se situe à Toronto en Ontario. Jusqu'en 2006, il portait le nom de « 2nd Field Engineer Regiment ».


Early life and education.

Séamus Pattison was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1936. His father was Labour Party TD James Pattison, who represented Carlow–Kilkenny from 1933 to 1957. After his education at University College Cork, Pattison became a full-time trade union official, serving with the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU).

Career.

Pattison unsuccessfully contested the Carlow–Kilkenny by-election for Labour in June 1960, but was elected at the 1961 general election to the 17th Dáil, and held the seat at eleven further general elections.  He served as Mayor of Kilkenny on three occasions; 1967, 1976 and 1992. He became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Leinster in 1981, to replace Liam Kavanagh who became Minister for Labour following the 1981 general election. Pattison resigned as an MEP in 1983 when he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare, in which position he served until the Fine Gael–Labour government fell in 1987.  He was unanimously elected Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann on 26 June 1997, serving for the entire 28th Dáil. When the 29th Dáil assembled after the 2002 general election he was replaced by Rory O'Hanlon, but was appointed as Leas-Cheann Comhairle (Deputy Chairman) for the 29th Dáil.  Pattison was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.  In September 2005, he announced he would retire at the following general election, and his nephew Eoin Pattison unsuccessfully sought the nomination. Labour county councillor Michael O'Brien was selected in February 2006 to contest the seat, but was unsuccessful when polling took place in May 2007.

Later life and death.

When Pattison retired from politics at the 2007 election he had served in Dáil Éireann for 45 years and 7 months, making him the fifth-longest serving TD ever, and the longest-ever-serving Labour Party TD. He was the longest-serving sitting TD from 1995 to 2007, and had the informal title of Father of the Dáil.  Pattison died from Parkinson's disease at his home in Kilkenny on 4 February 2018, aged 81.

Séamus Pattison (19 April 1936 – 4 February 2018) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 2002 to 2007, Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1997 to 2002, Minister of State for Social Welfare from 1983 to 1987, and Father of the Dáil from 1995 to 2007. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 1961 to 2007. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Leinster constituency from 1981 to 1983.

Séamus Patrick Pattison ( - ) est une personnalité politique irlandaise du "Labour Party". Il est notamment "Ceann Comhairle" (président) du "Dáil Éireann" (chambre basse du parlement) de 1997 à 2002 et "Leas-Cheann Comhairle" (vice-président) de 2002 à 2007. Il est "Teachta Dála" (député) pour la circonscription de Carlow-Kilkenny de 1961 à 2007, "Father of the Dáil" de 1995 à 2007. Il est membre du Parlement européen pour la circonscription de Leinster de 1981 à 1983


Early life.

Padmini was born and raised in Trivandrum (present-day Thiruvananthapuram), in what was then the princely state of Travancore (now the Indian state of Kerala). She was the second daughter of Sree Thankappan Pillai and Saraswathi Amma. Her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, were also well known film actresses. Together, the three were known as the Travancore sisters. Padmini and her sisters learnt Bharathanatyam from Thiruvidaimarudur Mahalingam Pillai. The trio were the disciples of Indian dancer Guru Gopinath. They learnt Kathakali and Kerala Natanam styles of dancing from him. N.S. Krishnan noticed her talents while she was presenting "Parijatha Pushpapaharanam" in Trivandrum. After that performance, he said that in the future she would become an actress. She was thus cast as heroine in his own production "Manamagal".  The Travancore Sisters grew up in a joint family tharavadu (Malaya Cottage) in Poojappura, Trivandrum. The matriarchial head of the family was Karthiyayini Amma, whose husband was P.K. Pillai (Palakunnathu Krishna Pillai of Cherthala) alias "Penang Padmanabha Pillai". P.K. Pillai had six sons, of whom Satyapalan Nair (Baby) was a leading producer of many early Malayalam films. They performed at the 1955 Filmfare Awards. Padmini was a leading actress and one of the highest-paid actresses of the 50s, 60s and 70s. She is also known as one of the charming beauty queens of the 50s and 60s. She was given the title "Natya Peroli" in Tamil Nadu because of her excellent Bharatnatyam performances in Tamil films. Her Tamil movie "Thillana Mohanambal", is a cult classic of Tamil cinema and continues to be remembered even today. Her beautiful performance in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai was outstanding and made her a national star.

Career.

At the age of 14, Padmini was cast as the dancer in the Hindi film "Kalpana" (1948), launching her career. She acted in films for nearly 30 years.  Padmini starred with several of the most well-known actors in Indian film, including Sivaji Ganesan, M. G. Ramachandran, N. T. Rama Rao, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Rajkumar, Gemini Ganesan and S. S. Rajendran. She appeared with Sivaji Ganesan in 59 films.  She acted mostly in Tamil films. "Ezhai Padum Padu", released in 1950, was her first film in Tamil.V A Gopalakrishnan taught Padmini sisters Tamil, He was associated with Pakshi Raja studios. Her association with Sivaji Ganesan started with "Panam" in 1952. Some of her noted Tamil films include "Thanga Padhumai", "Anbu", "Kaattu Roja", "Thillana Mohanambal", "Vietnam Veedu", "Edhir Paradhathu", "Mangayar Thilakam" and "Poove Poochudava". Some of her popular Malayalam films include "Prasanna", "Snehaseema", "Vivaahitha", "Adhyaapika", "Kumara Sambhavam", "Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu", "Vasthuhara" and "Dolar".  In two of her popular Bollywood films — "Mera Naam Joker" and "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai" — she was paired with Raj Kapoor. She did another film with Raj Kapoor – "Aashiq" (1962). Her other Bollywood films include "Amar Deep" (1958),"Payal" (1957), "Afsana" (1966), "Vaasna" (1968), "Chanda Aur Bijli" (1969) and Babubhai Mistry's "Mahabharat" (1965).  Her most famous was "Thillana Mohanambal", a Tamil film, where she plays a dancer competing against a musician to see whose skills are better. She also acted in an Indian-Soviet film "Journey Beyond Three Seas" (Hindi version: "Pardesi") based on the travelogues of Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin (called "A Journey Beyond the Three Seas", which is now considered a Russian literary monument), in which she plays Lakshmi, a royal dancer.

Personal life.

In 1961, Padmini married Ramachandran, a U.S.-based physician. She immediately retired from films, joined her husband in the United States, and focused on family life. Padmini was strongly devoted to her husband in a very traditional way and would perform all traditional poojas and worship with her husband as the focus. The couple were blessed with one son, Prem Ramachandran, who lives in Hillsdale, New Jersey and works for Warner Brothers. Sixteen years after her wedding, in 1977, Padmini opened a classical dance school in New Jersey, named the Padmini School of Fine Arts. Today, her school is considered as one of the largest Indian classical dance institutions in America.  Actress Sukumari was the maternal first cousin of Padmini and her sisters (the Travancore sisters). Shobana, the famous dancer, is the niece of Padmini. Malayalam actress Ambika Sukumaran is her relative. Actors Vineeth and Krishna are among her relatives.  Padmini died of a heart attack at the Chennai Apollo Hospital on 24 September 2006. She was hospitalized on the previous day when she suffered the fatal heart attack during a meeting with the then Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi. She was survived by a son, who is settled in the United States.  Padmini and Vyjayanthimala, both trained classical dancers, vied with each other throughout their careers. They were at the height of their careers and there was professional rivalry between them. The real-life envy crept into the dance drama, which added its own effects to the impact of the sequence. Padmini was well known for her professional rivalry with actress Vyjayanthimala, the successful dancer-actress. They performed a dance number in the Tamil film "Vanjikottai Valiban"; the well known song was "Kannum Kannum Kalanthu", which was sung by P. Leela and Jikki. In the song, they were pitted against each other. Due to their professional rivalry, the song has a cult following since the film was released; the popularity of the song surpasses the popularity of the film.

Padmini (12 June 1932 – 24 September 2006) was an Indian Actress and trained Bharathanatyam dancer, who acted in over 250 Indian films. She acted in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam Telugu and Russian language films. She was a popular actress of her time. Padmini, with her elder sister Lalitha and her younger sister Ragini, were called the "Travancore sisters".

Padmini ( - ) est une actrice indienne et danseuse de bharathanatyam. Elle a joué dans plus de 250 films indiens, aussi bien en tamoul, telugu, malayalam qu'hindi.


History.

Buddhism was introduced to the Malays and also to the people of the Malay Archipelago as early as 200 BCE. Chinese written sources indicated that some 30 small Indianised states rose and fell in the Malay Peninsula. Malay-Buddhism began when Indian traders and priests traveling the maritime routes and brought with them Indian concepts of religion, government, and the arts. For many centuries the peoples of the region, especially the royal courts, synthesised Indian and indigenous ideas including Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism and that shaped their political and cultural patterns. However, the Malay Kedah Kingdom denounced Indian religion after the king of Chola from Tamil Nadu attacked them in the early 11th century. The king of Kedah, Phra Ong Mahawangsa, was the first Malay ruler to denounce the traditional Indian religion; he converted to Islam, and in the 15th century, during the golden age of the Malacca Sultanate, the majority of Malays converted to Islam.

Status.

According to the Malaysian constitution, the majority ethnic group, the Malays, are legally defined as Muslim. They constitute 60% of the population, with the remainder consisting mostly of Chinese, who are generally Buddhists or Christians, and to the lesser extent Indians, who are generally Hindus. There are also smaller numbers of other indigenous and immigrants; among the latter are Malaysians of Sinhalese, Thai, and Eurasian origin. Nearly all of the Buddhists in Malaysia live in urban areas, since they are mostly engaged in business or employed in various professions.  Recently, a number of Malaysian Buddhist leaders have responded to the decline in religious participation by the children of Buddhist families, have attempted to reformulate their message to address modern life more directly. Groups involved in these education efforts include the Buddhist Missionary Society. Missionary Society leaders have argued that, while many educated youths seek an intellectual approach to Buddhism, an equally large number of people prefer to approach the religion through the tradition of ceremony and symbolism. In response to these needs, religious practices are carried out, but in a way that is simple and dignified, removing what can be seen as superstition. Efforts are made to explain why sutras are chanted, lamps lit, flowers offered, and so on.  As a religion without a supreme head to direct its development, Buddhism is practised in various forms, which, although rarely in open conflict, can sometimes lead to confusion among Buddhists. In Malaysia, some ecumenical moves have been made to coordinate the activities of different types of Buddhists. One example is the formation of the Joint Wesak Celebrations Committee of the temples in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, which coordinates the celebration of Wesak, a holiday commemorating the birth of the Buddha. An initiative has also begun to form a Malaysian Buddhist Council, representing the various sects of Buddhism in the country to extend the work of the development of Buddhism, especially in giving contemporary relevance to the practise of the religion, as well as to promote solidarity among Buddhists in general.  In 2013, a video of a group of Buddhist practitioners from Singapore conducting religious ceremonies in a surau had become viral on Facebook. Malaysian police have arrested a resort owner after he allowed 13 Buddhists to use a Muslim prayer room (surau) for their meditation at Kota Tinggi, Johor. The incident has been a frown upon Muslims in Malaysia. It has also become a hot topic in the social media. Following up at 28 August 2013, the controversial prayer room was demolished by the resort management within 21 days from the date of receipt of the notice after much protests by the residents of Kota Tinggi. At the time, Syed Ahmad Salim, the resort owner explained that he had allowed the group of Buddhists to use the surau for a meditation session as he was unaware that it was an offence.

Distribution of Buddhists.

According to the 2010 Census, 5,620,483 people or 19.8% of the population identify themselves as Buddhists. Most Chinese Malaysian follow a combination of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and ancestor-worship but, when pressed to specify their religion, will identify themselves as Buddhists. As a result, 83.6% of all the Chinese Malaysian self-identifying as Buddhist. Information collected in the census based on respondent's answer and did not refer to any official document.

Persecution of Buddhists in Malaysia.

Human rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Malaysia, including Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Indians and Malaysian Chinese, are systematically, officially and legally violated regularly in an institutionalised manner.

Islamist supremacist sharia and Bigoted Bumiputera laws.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia. The constitution of Malaysia declares that Islam is the only religion of true Malay people and that natives are required to be Muslims. Conversion from Islam to Hinduism (or another religion) is against the law, but the conversion of Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians to Islam is actively pursued through institutionalised means and unfair anti-nonmuslim laws. The government actively promotes the conversion to Islam in the country. The anti-minorities discriminatary law requires that any nonmuslims (Hindu or Buddhist or Christian) who marries a Muslim must first convert to Islam, otherwise the marriage is illegal and void. If one of the Hindu parents adopts Islam, the children forciblly and automatically decalred as Muslim without the consent of the second parent.

Destruction of temples.

Several Buddhist and Hindu temples were demolished by the govt with excuse that those are quatting on the govt land, while mosques squatting on the govt land are now only allowed to remain but taxpayer's money is misused to build mosques and Islamic institutes to facilitate coerced conversion of buddhists to Islam through bigoted laws, policies and institutionalised mechanism.

Buddhism is the second largest religion in Malaysia, after Islam, with 19.8% of Malaysia's population being Buddhist although some estimates put that figure at 21.6% when combining estimates of numbers of Buddhists with figures for adherents of Chinese religions which incorporate elements of Buddhism. Buddhism in Malaysia is mainly practised by the ethnic Malaysian Chinese, but there are also Malaysian Siamese, Malaysian Sri Lankans and Burmese in Malaysia that practice Buddhism such as Ananda Krishnan and K. Sri Dhammananda and a sizeable population of Malaysian Indians.

Le bouddhisme est la deuxième religion la plus pratiquée en Malaisie, après l'islam, avec 19.8% de la population, combiné avec les religions chinoises cela fait un total de plus de 21.6% de la population. Le Bouddhisme en Malaisie est principalement pratiqué par les Chinois de Malaisie mais il y a aussi des, et Birmans qui pratiquent le Bouddhisme en Malaisie, tout comme et, ainsi qu'une population importante d'Indiens de Malaisie.


Education and early activism.

From the mid-70's to the 80's, Govender learnt about feminism, socialism and solidarity in student, community and women's movements, including as Natal Organisation of Women (NOW) media co-ordinator and as a founding member of Speak.  After graduating in 1981 Govender worked as a high-school and university teacher and a researcher before joining SA's majority-women clothing union (GAWU). Elected national educator in 1987, her education program contributed significantly to women being elected into leadership of the union and a mandate from 100 000 racially divided workers to join the non-racial federation, The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and become The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU). Govender subsequently led the Worker's College at the University of the Western Cape, that produced worker leader graduates.

Women’s National Coalition Campaign (1992-1994).

During SA's transition between 1992 and 1994, Govender managed the Women's National Coalition (WNC) campaign for a Women's Charter of Effective Equality. The WNC was a cross-party coalition, initiated by women in the ANC. It involved 90 national organisations and hundreds of local organisations. The WNC's public education, participatory research and media campaign mobilised approximately 2 million women who ensured political will for women's rights in SA's Constitution. During the campaign, 'women's issues' in hard-news went from almost zero to daily coverage.

Career in Democratic South African Parliament (1994-2002).

In 1994, Govender co-edited SA's country report to the 1995 Beijing Conference and served on leadership structures that established the National Gender Machinery and the national empowerment policy framework. During her term (1996-2002), the JMCIQLSW ensured that 80% of its feminist legislative priorities, including the Domestic Violence Act, the Customary Marriages Act, the Child Maintenance Act and changes to labour laws advancing women's rights in the workplace were enacted. In 1996, Govender declined to be the ANC's woman speaker of government's neo-liberal economic policy (GEAR) launch in parliament and her pro-choice abortion speech received a standing ovation.  Commenting on Govender's career as an MP, political scientist Tom Lodge said, "In 2001, the most obviously independent ANC parliamentary initiatives were to be found in the joint monitoring committee on the status of women, chaired by Pregs Govender, which challenged government on spending priorities and Aids policy. In 2001, Govender abstained from voting on the defence budget. Such assertive behaviour may become increasingly exceptional."  Govender's clarity in the face of former President Thabo Mbeki’s HIV/Aids denialism during her tenure as an MP is widely respected. Author and journalist Mark Gevisser explained in 2007 how, “Only one elected ANC representative, Pregs Govender, the chair of a parliamentary committee on the status of women, resigned and publicly criticised Mbeki. And even behind closed doors only one or two people actually had the courage to tell Mbeki they thought he was wrong.”

South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and Independent Consultancies.

In 2007, Govender was elected Chair of the Independent Panel Assessment of Parliament, which proposed stronger oversight and electoral reform. As Commissioner for the South African Human Rights Commission and as its Deputy Chair (2009-2015), Govender drove implementation of SAHRC findings at local and provincial level. She secured a country-wide status report and action plan from the Presidency on water and sanitation. This is still widely used by organisations and the media to monitor government implementation and raise awareness of corporate accountability for water pollution, wastage and theft.  Govender works as an independent writer and consultant. She wrote the concept note and facilitated the South African Parliament's first Africa-wide conference on gender and economics. For the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s first global conference on HIV and AIDS, Govender wrote a concept paper on the role of MPs in ensuring affordable medicine. She facilitated the International Feminist University Network’s Curriculum Workshop on Feminism and Globalisation. She has conducted local and international workshops on using the power of love and courage to be insubordinate to injustice, including teaching practical skills in relation to gender budgets and policy.

Awards and Recognition.

Govender’s voluntary contributions include being patron of Gun-free SA and previously on the global Panel on Human Dignity. Her awards include the Ashoka Fellowship, an honorary doctorate in Law and one in Philosophy, the inaugural Ruth First fellowship for courageous writing and activism, the Thousand Currents Artist in Residence, and the International Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) Inspiration Award for her “initiative, leadership, and unrelenting commitment [that] have made a significant impact in advancing gender equality and social justice around the world”.

Publications.

Govender has written over 300 speeches, media articles, reports and book chapters in local and international publications. Jacana Media published her political memoir, Love and Courage, A Story of Insubordination, in 2007, with a second edition in 2016, which included a new introduction by Govender. Govender has written op-eds for a variety of top South African news publications, including the Mail & Guardian, the Sunday Times and Daily Maverick. Govender has written books chapters in several books, including Singing in the Dark Times, In the Balance: South Africans debate reconciliation, Democracy in the Time of Mbeki, The Virus, Vitamins and Vegetables: The SA HIV/AIDS Mystery and Towards a New Partnership with Africa. She has been profiled in Women Leading Africa, Life and Soul: Portraits of Women Who Move South Africa and Voice, Power and Soul: Portraits of African Feminists. Govender has written forewords to several books, including the SA Women's Budget Initiative's Women's Budget Books and the afterword to Beyond States and Markets: The challenges of social reproduction.

Pregs (birth-name Pregaluxmi) Govender (born 15 February 1960) is a feminist human rights activist, writer and author of Love and Courage, A Story of Insubordination.She is widely respected for her contribution to advancing women's rights in South Africa (SA) and internationally. Govender initiated SA's globally influential ‘Women’s Budget’ through SA Parliament's 1994 budget debates and steered its political impact on the 1999 Budget. She was the only MP to oppose the arms deal in SA's Defence Budget Vote. As Chair of Parliament's Women's Committee, JMCIQLSW, Govender chaired public hearings on HIV/AIDS when government's denial of treatment resulted in numerous deaths. Her report to the African National Congress (ANC) Caucus broke its silence on treatment and in the month she resigned as an MP in 2002, Government's turnaround statement included all three of the JMCIQLSW report's recommendations. Her work as a writer, speaker, educator, facilitator and strategist is infused with insights from her activism, parenting and yoga practice.

Pregs (ou Pregaluxmi ) Govender (née le ) est une militante féministe pour les droits humains, auteure et ancienne députée du Congrès national africain (ANC) d'Afrique du Sud. En 2008, elle est désignée par le Parlement sud-africain pour être l'une des sept commissaires qui composent la (SAHRC), et en devient la vice-présidente en 2009. En 2016, elle figure parmi les 73 candidats et candidates nommées au poste de protectrice public d'Afrique du Sud.


Gameplay.

"CrossFire" is a free-to-play first-person shooter that features two mercenary corporations named the "Black List" and "Global Risk," fighting each other in an epic global conflict. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk mercenary, joining an online team that must work together to complete objective-based scenarios. Except for the Zombie mode and Wave mode, each mode can support a maximum of 16 players, each divided into an 8-man team.  Players progress and eventually be promoted through various Military Ranks, beginning at trainee, with the highest being Marshall. Players can also customize their character's equipment and appearance through in-game items.  "CrossFire" has a free currency which is called Game Points (GP), which is earned through playing and completing matches, buying premium items that grant bonus GP, or fulfilling certain missions. Premium and special items like modified weapons can only be bought using monetary currencies. The content tends to vary from version to version.

Modes.

"CrossFire" features several game modes, each with unique maps and rules.

Weapons.

"CrossFire" features weapons based on real-life models, with each weapon belonging to a category. Categories include machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, etc. Each category is functionally similar to their real world counterparts (Ex. Machine guns are heavy, powerful, lay down heavy fire and have long reload times, Submachine guns are lighter and fire faster but deal less damage, Shotguns are effective in close range but ineffective at long distance, etc.) Weapons often have many variations, including different skins which give them different attributes. In addition, the re-skinned versions are often more rare. There are also some weapons which are different from other weapons like the VIP weapons, which have better functions like faster reload, among others. Certain modes have mode-exclusive weapons.

Characters.

Characters are the avatar of players and are what they will look like while playing in the game. A note is that while all characters are visually unique from each other, they are all functionally the same with no real advantages or disadvantages from each other in terms of stats, apart from a few limited-edition characters who are, for example; able to see better through smoke or reduce the visual incapacitating effects of flash bang grenades.  The characters featured in "CrossFire" are a combination of both real and fictional Special Forces groups. The real groups featured are: The Russian OMON, the LAPD SWAT, the British SAS, the Brazilian BOPE, the German GSG 9, the Korean 707th Special Mission Group, the United Nations Special Forces, and the American Navy SEALs. Each character also has both a Black List and Global Risk variant. Some characters are bought with GP, while some are bought with premium currency. There are special characters found in some modes like the knight.  There are also mutant characters for the Mutation/Hero modes, which unlike regular game characters, each have unique abilities.

Commercial performance.

"CrossFire" is the most played online FPS game worldwide, with over 8 million concurrent users and 650 million registered players by 2017, according to developer Smilegate, with the majority of players in Asia, especially China and South Korea. The game had 660million players worldwide by 2018, and has reached a lifetime total of users in 80 countries.  In 2013, the game was one of the three most popular video games in China, with a revenue of almost $1 billion. It was the world's top-grossing game of 2014 at ($1.3 billion). By 2015, "CrossFire" had grossed, making it one of the top five highest-grossing video games of all time, along with "Space Invaders", "Pac-Man", "Street Fighter II" and "World of Warcraft". "CrossFire" grossed in 2016 and in 2017, making it one of the three top-grossing PC games for both years, along with "League of Legends" and "Dungeon Fighter Online" ("DFO"). In 2018, "CrossFire" grossed, making it one of the year's five top-grossing video games, along with "Fortnite", "DFO", "League of Legends" and "Pokémon Go". In total, "CrossFire" has grossed in lifetime revenue, as of 2018.

Film adaptation.

In October 2015, it was announced that Neal Moritz would be producing a film version of "CrossFire", after spending a year weighing up proposals from Hollywood producers and studios.  In February 2020, it was announced that Sony Pictures will be developing the film adaptation, Tencent Pictures will co-produce and co-finance and Mortiz will produce through his Original Film banner.

CrossFire is an online tactical first-person shooter for Microsoft Windows developed by Smilegate Entertainment. The game was released in China by Tencent Games, with the company also acting as the exclusive agent service company. The tests for its software bugs were started publicly in April 2008.

CrossFire est un jeu vidéo de tir à la première personne développé et édité par Smilegate Entertainment, sorti en 2007 sur Windows.


Geography.

Tatum is located at (32.314853, -94.518875).  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), all land.

Climate.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Tatum has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,175 people, 459 households, and 324 families residing in the city. The population density was 309.9 people per square mile (119.7/km2). There were 523 housing units at an average density of 137.9/sq mi (53.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 73.62% White, 16.43% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 7.15% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.62% of the population.  There were 459 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14.  In the city, the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.  The median income for a household in the city was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $30,119. Males had a median income of $26,719 versus $19,063 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,181. About 20.4% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.

History.

Tatum was settled in the 1840s by Albert Tatum and his second wife, Mary C. (Rippetoe) Tatum. In 1848, they built a large plantation there. In 1885, the Santa Fe Railway came through, and the town was divided into individual lots. One of their sons, Paul "Uncle Fox" Tatum, who studied architecture in New York, laid out the streets. He became the postmaster in 1886. The city of Tatum lies along Trammel's Trace, an old trade route. A marker at the south end of town commemorates it. In the city park stands the restored Santa Fe depot.  Albert Tatum was born on August 12, 1810, in Hancock County, Georgia, the son of William Tatum and Alice B. (Dent) Tatum. Albert Tatum first married Rebecca Elizabeth Ann Menefee about 1837 in Chambers County, Alabama. They were the parents of one son, William C. Tatum, who was born on June 25, 1838 in Chambers County, Alabama.  After the death of his first wife on December 31, 1840 in Chambers County, Alabama, Albert Tatum married Mary C. Rippetoe on September 22, 1841, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. At one time, Albert Tatum owned over 4,000 acres (16 km2) of land around the current town of Tatum.  After the town's first bank was established in 1903, things got bad early in the 20th century as a tornado destroyed part of the town in 1904. The next year, a fire destroyered almost all of the north side of town.

Education.

The City of Tatum is served by the Tatum Independent School District. A very small portion of the town is also within the Beckville ISD.

Attractions.

Martin Creek Lake State Park is located four miles (6 km) southeast of Tatum. The park was deeded to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by Texas Utilities and opened to the public in 1976. The park is located on Martin Creek Lake, constructed to provide cooling water for the lignite-fired Martin Lake Power Plant. Martin Creek Lake State Park provides excellent, year round fishing, camping, wildlife observation and photography, picnicking, boating, water skiing, unsupervised lake swimming, backpacking, and hiking. Annual events at Martin Creek Lake State Park include: Christmas in The Piney Woods (1st weekend in December), Fourth of July Bike Parade, Annual Family Easter Egg Hunt. The park also offers regular programs most weekends including, Geocaching 101, Dutch Oven Cooking (4th Saturday of every month), Guided Hikes, Guided Paddling Programs, Star Gazing, and Art in the Parks craft programs.

Tatum is a city in Panola and Rusk counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,385 at the 2010 census.

Tatum est une ville située en limite des comtés de Panola et de Rusk, au Texas, aux États-Unis. Elle est fondée dans les années 1840, par Albert Tatum et sa seconde femme, Mary C. (Rippetoe) Tatum.


Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994

Pologne au Concours Eurovision de la chanson 1994

Before Eurovision.

Internal selection.

TVP announced Edyta Górniak as the first ever Polish entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 with the song "To nie ja!".

At Eurovision.

Language controversy.

There was no free-language rule in operation at the time, and the furor erupted at the dress rehearsal when Górniak sung the second half of "To nie ja!" in English. Although the Polish delegation were unaware that they had done anything wrong, and had always intended the song to be performed entirely in Polish on the night of the final, there was immediate uproar as the dress rehearsal performance was the one watched and voted on by the national juries. Other participants felt that by singing partly in English, Górniak had given herself an unfair advantage. Six national delegations formally petitioned for Poland to be disqualified; however Eurovision rules required a majority of delegations (13 in this case) to complain before the European Broadcasting Union could examine the case for disqualification, so Poland was allowed to remain. Many wondered why this had become such an issue when the previous year's Croatian entry had included choruses sung entirely in English both in the dress rehearsal and the televised final without any objections being raised – it was then pointed out that the language rules did allow for short phrases of up to eight words in a non-official language of the country and the Croatian song had only used six ("Don't ever cry, never say goodbye"), albeit repeated several times. Also the 1994 German entry included the phrase "Shake it, take it, make it all right", which was permissible.  On the night of the final Górniak performed 24th in the running order, following Russia and preceding France. Dressed very simply in a short white dress and flat-heeled shoes, she gave a powerful performance of the dramatic ballad and received a very enthusiastic audience response. At the close of the voting "To nie ja!" had received 166 points – including five maximum 12s from Austria, Estonia, France, Lithuania and the UK – placing Poland second of the 25 entries. The Polish jury awarded its 12 points to Hungary. This was, and still is as of 2019, Poland's joint-best placing at the contest.

Poland made their Eurovision Song Contest debut in 1994 in Dublin, represented by Edyta Górniak, with the song "To nie ja!" which was chosen internally by broadcaster TVP. Poland's first Eurovision participation is noted for being the most successful ever by a nation completely new to the contest, but also for the storm of controversy which broke out around Górniak's dress rehearsal performance.

La Pologne a participé au Concours Eurovision de la chanson 1994, le à Dublin, au Irlande. C'est la première participation de la Pologne au Concours Eurovision de la chanson.


Flight history.

The aircraft involved in the accident was an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (registration number "N270AS"), manufactured on November 30, 1990. It was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW-118 engines and Hamilton Standard 14RF-9 propellers. The airplane received its U.S. standard airworthiness certificate on December 20, 1990. The aircraft had accumulated about 816 flying hours and 845 cycles prior to the accident. Only one deferred maintenance item was noted in the maintenance logs. This was for fuel leaking from the auxiliary power unit cowling. The circuit breaker for the APU had been pulled while spare parts could be made available to fix the cowling. Because they were not required at the time, the aircraft did not have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder.  Captain Mark Friedline, age 34, had been hired by Atlantic Southeast Airlines in May 1981. He was fully qualified to fly three different commercial aircraft including the EMB-120. It was estimated that at the time of the accident, he had accumulated about 11,724 total flying hours, of which 5,720 hours were in the EMB-120. He had been involved in the development of the EMB-120, and its introduction to service in the United States, and was trained to fly the aircraft by the manufacturer. An inspector described his knowledge of aircraft systems "extensive", and his pilot techniques as "excellent".First Officer Hank Johnston, age 36, was hired by Atlantic Southeast Airlines in June 1988. He was a qualified flight instructor. Because more than 6 months had passed since he had undergone an FAA medical inspection and been issued a first-class certificate, his first-class certificate automatically reverted to a second-class certificate. A second-class certification was adequate for his duties as a first officer. At the time of the accident, it was estimated that he had accumulated about 3,925 total flying hours, of which 2,795 hours were in the EMB-120.

Accident.

On the morning of the accident, the captain and first officer arrived at the Dothan Regional Airport by taxi about 06:15 Eastern Standard Time. The taxi cab driver reported that the crew was in good spirits and readily engaged in conversation. The crew flew first to Atlanta, then performed a round trip to Montgomery, Alabama, before returning to Atlanta. After this round trip, the crew had a scheduled break for around two and a half hours, in which they were described to be well rested and talkative.  Flight 2311 was scheduled initially to be operated by N228AS, another EMB-120. However, this airplane experienced mechanical problems, and so the flight was switched to N270AS. This aircraft had flown four times already on the day of the accident with no reports of any problems. Flight 2311 departed Atlanta, operating N270AS, at 13:47, 23 minutes behind schedule.  Flight 2311 deviated slightly in its flight path to Brunswick to avoid poor weather. Just after 14:48, the flight crew acknowledged to Jacksonville air route traffic control center that the airport was in sight, and Flight 2311 was subsequently cleared for a visual approach to Glynco Jetport, which the flight crew acknowledged.  The last transmission received from Flight 2311 was to the ASA manager at the airport, who reported that the flight made an “in-range call” on the company radio frequency and that the pilot gave no indication that the flight had any mechanical problems. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft approaching the airport in visual meteorological conditions at a much lower than normal altitude. Several witnesses estimated that the aircraft flew over them at an altitude of 100 to 200 feet above the ground.  According to a majority of the interviewed witnesses, the airplane suddenly rolled to the left until the wings were perpendicular to the ground. The aircraft then descended in a nose-down attitude and disappeared from sight behind trees near the airport. One witness told investigators that they saw a puff of smoke emanate from the aircraft prior to or subsequent to the airplane rolling to the left. Others reported loud engine noises described as a squeal, whine, or an overspeeding or accelerating engine during the last moments of the flight, although they said that these noises seemed to have stopped, or at least faded before the aircraft impacted with flat ground two miles short of the runway.  One witness interviewed by the NTSB, a pilot driving on a road southwest of the airport, told investigators that he saw the airplane in normal flight at normal altitudes, and that he believed that the approach was not abnormal. The airplane completed a 180-degree turn from the downwind leg of the approach and continued the turn. He then saw the aircraft pitch slightly, before it rolled to the left until the wings were vertical. The airplane then turned nose-down and smashed into the ground. He saw no fire or smoke during the flight and he believed both propellers were rotating.

Investigation.

An investigation carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board initially determined that a malfunction of the flight control surfaces, including a rudder or ailerons hardover or asymmetric flaps, could not have caused the accident, after multiple pilots in simulators managed to keep the aircraft under control. Engine failure was also ruled out by detailed inspection of the two engines. The investigators found that the "circumstances of this accident indicate that a severe asymmetric thrust condition caused a left roll that led to loss of control of the airplane. The Safety Board's investigation examined all the possible events that could have caused the loss of control. The powerplant and propeller examinations indicated that the engines were operating normally but that a propeller system malfunction occurred" which allowed the left propeller's angles to be oriented nearly perpendicular to the direction of flight, resulting in insufficient thrust and higher drag on the left side.  The NTSB conducted a testflight in an EMB-120 with the left engine having the propeller control mechanism set to a similar mechanical condition but blocking the propeller blades from moving below 22 degrees to not endanger the flight crew. It was found that the flight crew would have been unable to perceive any problem with the airplane until the propeller blade angle was between 24 and 26 degrees. They stated that the airplane would have "become very difficult to control after the propeller reached the 22-degree stop. Therefore, it is most likely that the pilots of flight 2311 did not notice a problem with the airplane until the propeller began to overspeed and roll control was affected." Thus, the flight crew would have been unable to declare an emergency as the event was so sudden. The crashed aircraft's left engine propeller blades went to 3 degrees instead of the commanded 79.2 degrees for feathering.  The NTSB's final report, while acknowledging that Atlantic Southeast's practice of overworking pilots (it was estimated that the pilots only received 5 to 6 hours of sleep in violation of FARs) played no direct part in the accident, still raised concerns that the airline, along with other commuter airline corporations, "scheduled reduced rest periods for about 60 percent of the layovers in its day-to-day operations. The Safety Board believes that this practice is inconsistent with the level of safety intended by the regulations, which is to allow reduced rest periods as a contingency to a schedule disruption, and has the potential of adversely affecting pilot fitness and performance."

Probable cause.

On April 28, 1992, the NTSB published its final accident report, including its determination of the cause of the crash: The National Transportation Safety Board determines that] the probable cause of this accident was the loss of control in flight as a result of a malfunction of the left engine propeller control unit which allowed the propeller blade angles to go below the flight idle position. Contributing to the accident was the deficient design of the propeller control unit by Hamilton Standard and the approval of the design by the Federal Aviation Administration. The design did not correctly evaluate the failure mode that occurred during this flight, which resulted in an uncommanded and uncorrectable movement of the blades of the airplane’s left propeller below the flight idle position.

Notable passengers.

Former Texas senator (and head of the Tower Commission for the Iran–Contra affair) John Tower and astronaut Manley "Sonny" Carter.

Depictions in media.

The Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic TV series "Mayday" (also called "Air Crash Investigation", "Air Emergency" or "Air Disasters") dramatized the accident in a 2016 episode titled "Steep Impact".

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 was a regularly scheduled commuter flight from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Glynco Jetport (since renamed Brunswick Golden Isles Airport) in Brunswick, Georgia on April 5, 1991. The flight, operated using a twin-turboprop Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, crashed just north of Brunswick while approaching the airport for landing. All 23 people aboard the plane were killed, including passengers Sonny Carter and John Tower. Four years later, another Embraer Brasilia of ASA crashed in the Georgia countryside in similar circumstances, with nine fatalities.

Le vol Atlantic Southeast Airlines 2311 était un vol de banlieue ("") régulier reliant l'aéroport international Hartsfield-Jackson d'Atlanta à l'aéroport de Glynco à Brunswick (Géorgie), dans l'État de la Géorgie, aux États-Unis. Le, le vol, effectué par un avion à turbopropulseurs Embraer "Brasilia", s'écrasa au nord de Brunswick alors qu'il effectuait l'approche avant atterrissage sur l'aéroport de la ville. Les présentes à bord de l'appareil furent tuées, parmi lesquelles l'astronaute de la NASA Sonny Carter et l'homme politique américain John Tower.


Early life.

Davis was born at Drayton near Toowoomba, Queensland, the son of Thomas Davis (1828–1904), a blacksmith from Abernant in south Wales who arrived to Australia in 1847 due to a five-year conviction for petty theft, and Mary, née Green (1835–1893) an Irishwoman from Galway who was driven to emigrate by the potato famine. The boy was the eighth child and fifth son in a family of 13 children. The father later on took up a selection at Emu Creek, and there Davis was educated at the local school. He left school before he was 12 and worked at odd jobs on a station, and at 15 years of age became a junior stockrider on a station on the Darling Downs. When he was 18 he was appointed a junior clerk in the office of the curator of intestate estates at Brisbane.  In 1889, Davis was transferred to the sheriff's office and in his spare time took up rowing and when he began writing a column on rowing in a weekly paper and needed a pseudonym he adopted "Steele Rudder", the first name from the English essayist Richard Steele, the second chosen because he wanted to bring into his name some part of a boat. Later it was shortened to "Steele Rudd". During his time as under sheriff, Davis had to give the signal at the hanging of Patrick Kenniff which left him nervous and irritable for months after the event.

Writing career.

Towards the end of 1895 Davis sent a sketch based on his father's experience 'Starting the selection' to "The Bulletin". The sketch was published on 14 December 1895. This afterwards became the first chapter of "On Our Selection" when it was published in 1899. Encouraged by J. F. Archibald, Davis continued the series of sketches, 26 of which were included in the volume. Within four years 20,000 copies had been printed. It afterwards appeared in numerous cheap editions and by 1940 the number of copies sold had reached 250,000. The stories have also been the basis of a play and several films.  In 1903 "Our New Selection" appeared and in the same year Davis, who had reached the position of under-sheriff, retired from the public service. In January 1904, Davis brought out "Rudd's Magazine", a monthly magazine published at 6d. a copy, which continued for nearly four years. It was issued first from Brisbane and was afterwards transferred to Sydney. It had a much longer life than most Australian magazines, but there was not then a large enough public in Australia to enable a cheap popular magazine to be successful. It was revived under various names between 1923 and 1930.  Davis published a long series of volumes continuing the "On Our Selection" series, as listed below. Most were successful, but there could not have been a great deal of profit for the author from the cheap editions. Towards the end of his life appeared two capable books "The Romance of Runnibede" (1927), and "Green Grey Homestead" (1934). But Davis found that having established a reputation in one direction, it was difficult to find a public for books written in more serious vein, and during his last years he had to struggle to make a living. He died at Brisbane on 11 October 1935. Davis was twice married and was survived by three sons and a daughter by the first marriage. In addition to the volumes mentioned others will be found listed in "Miller's Australian Literature".  Davis was a tall, ruddy-faced man of mercurial temperament, fiery of temper, an excellent talker and a charming companion. He had a great love for horses and for 20 years was a well-known polo player. His books were written largely from the experiences of his own early days, and they were thoroughly appreciated by a generation that was familiar with characters on the land who had all the courage, optimism and humour of dad and mum and the other members of the family.  His reputation was established by his short stories of country life. The 1920 movie "On Our Selection" and 1932–1952 radio series "Dad and Dave" helped turn the characters into Australian cultural icons.  Davis, however, detested his struggling but admirable family being made into comic yokels, and had nothing to do with the radio program. There is no character called 'Mabel' attached to Dave anywhere in the entire Rudd canon of fiction: Dave briefly had a girlfriend called Fanny in one story, and he eventually married a girl called Lily. Davis had a profound respect for the pioneering Australian woman, and he was particularly incensed by the use of 'Mum' when referring to Mrs Rudd. "'It is 'Mother', 'Mother', Mother!' he would shout, flushed in the face."  Examples of popular 'Dad and Dave' jokes that did not originate from Rudd:  "Dad: Where's Dave gone, Mum?"  "Mum: Dave's out Condobolin, Dad."  "Dad: Out Condobolin? Cripes, I didn't think Dave had any time for the womenfolk!"  "Dave: Hey Dad! Them telephone blokes are silly coots! One of them just rung up to say it's a long distance from Sydney!"  The humour of Rudd's "Selection" stories arises from character and situation, and never involves wisecracks like these.  A replica of Rudd's shingle hut can still be seen at the town of Nobby, Queensland. There is a statue of Steele Rudd at the Speakers' Corner in King George Square in Brisbane. There is also a residential college named "Steele Rudd" at the University of Southern Queensland campus.  There are copper statues of Dad, Dave, Mum and Mabel at Gundagai.

Quotation.

In his 1908 book, "Dad in Politics", Davis satirises political life in the opening sentence:  This quotation is often used to illustrate the cynicism of Australians towards the political class. FitzHenry notes that Davis's satirical depiction of individual members of the Queensland Parliament was so close to reality that he was almost called to the Bar of the House of Parliament for breach of parliamentary privilege.

Dramatisation.

A play titled "The Execution of Steele Rudd" by Australian playwright Harry Reade was first staged in 1981 by the National Theatre at the Playhouse, Perth, directed by Stephen Barry. It portrays the character and actions of Davis who is employed in the sheriff's office, managing arrangements for the execution of two criminals. The play was also staged by Melbourne's Playbox Theatre in 1983.

Steele Rudd was the pseudonym of Arthur Hoey Davis (14 November 1868 – 11 October 1935) an Australian author, best known for his short story collection "On Our Selection".

Steele Rudd, pseudonyme d'Arthur Hoey Davis, né le à (Australie) et mort le à Brisbane (Australie), est un écrivain australien.