Biography.

Early activities.

Kavtaradze was born into a noble family in Zovreti, in the Georgian area of Imereti, at the time part of the Russian Empire. He joined the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party in 1903 and engaged in agitation during the period leading up to the October Revolution. Active throughout the Caucasus and in Saint Petersburg, he was a member of the Social Democratic Committee for Imereti and Mingrelia (1904–1906). Kavtaradze first met his fellow Georgian Joseph Stalin early in his youth, and became his collaborator. During this time, he reputedly helped the young Stalin hide from detectives.  Kavtaradze's political activities contrasted with his romantic life: he eventually married Sofia Vachnadze, a Georgian princess whose godmother was Empress Consort Maria Feodorovna (mother of Emperor Nicolas II). In 1912, he split with the mainstream Social Democrats as one of the Old Bolsheviks, and subsequently stood on the group's far left. He then worked for the Bolshevik paper "Pravda" (1912–1914), and, in 1915, graduated from the Saint Petersburg University Faculty of Law. After the February Revolution of 1917, he was present on the Social Democratic (Bolshevik) Regional Committee in the Caucasus, while editing the group's local journal, "Kavkazsky Rabochy". Later in the year, he was a delegate to the 6th Party Congress, and, in 1918, was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Soviet in Vladikavkaz. As the Civil War took hold of the Caucasus, Kavtaradze remained a representative of the Bolsheviks, active against the Menshevik government in the Democratic Republic of Georgia, and was arrested several times.  Although he frequently disagreed with Stalin, the two remained close. Following the Red Army invasion of Georgia, Kavtaradze was head of the revolutionary committees in Batumi and Adjaria (March–September and July–September 1921, or up until May 1921). He later filled the same post in the Georgian SSR (at the time part of the Transcaucasian SFSR), where he was also People's Commissar for Justice. Between February 1922 and 1923, he was head of government (Chairman of the Sovnarkom) of the Georgian SSR. He was counselor of the Soviet Embassy in Turkey (1923–1924), and later served as Deputy Prosecutor General of the Soviet Union (1924–1928).

Left Opposition and first arrest.

Around that time, Kavtaradze joined Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition in their conflict with Stalin and other Party leaders, and ceased his involvement with the group only as it collapsed. This caused him to be expelled from the Party as early as 1927. Eventually, in late 1927, he was sent on internal exile to Orenburg Oblast (or, according to others, to Kazan). He attempted to visit Moscow on vacation in December 1928, but was arrested on charges of spreading "Anti-Soviet propaganda".  In 1929, Stalin ordered the State Political Directorate and Lavrentiy Beria to round up the leadership of the Georgian Communist Party, including Polikarp Budu Mdivani and others who had voiced strong criticism of the centralism imposed with the creation of the Soviet Union ("see Georgian Affair"). Other Georgian comrades of Stalin were also arrested, including Kote Tsintsadze. However, in a speech condemning Mdivani's associates as a "terrorist group", Beria left out Kavtaradze's name, which was seen as a sign that Stalin was going to be more lenient with him. He was nonetheless sentenced to three years in prison, which he served in Tobolsk.  Kavtaradze was eventually released on Stalin's orders, and was allowed to return to and settle in Moscow, where he worked as a journalist without reentering the Party. According to historian Roy Medvedev, Sergey Kavtaradze's liberation came after he sent a letter to the uncontested leader, which included a pledge that "he was not working against the Party." Medvedev places Kavtaradze's release after the 1934 murder of Party boss Sergey Kirov, while other sources indicate that he emerged from prison in 1931.  Central Committee member Lazar Kaganovich was tasked with looking after him. One of Sergey Kavtaradze's journalistic pieces, published soon after his return to Moscow, was a recollection of his early activities, which was reportedly well liked by Stalin.

Second arrest and death sentence.

Kavtaradze consequently worked for a publishing house, reviewing works of fiction. In late 1936, as the Great Purge was reaching its peak, he and his wife Sofia were suddenly arrested on orders from NKVD chief Nikolai Yezhov, accused of "counter-revolutionary activities" and of having conspired with Mdivani to have Stalin assassinated, and sentenced to death. They were both subject to torture in the Lubyanka Prison. Although Mdivani was shot immediately, the couple remained waiting on Death Row for a significant period. Upon being presented with a list of planned executions, Stalin marked a dash in crayon next to Kavtaradze's name—according to various sources, this discreet sign saved Kavtaradze's life.  Sergey Kavtaradze was later moved to a prison in Tbilisi, but brought back to Moscow in February 1939. The couple were suddenly released in late 1939, and were first allowed to see each other in Beria's Moscow apartment. British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore argues that this was a delayed consequence of a letter Stalin received in 1936: in it, the couple's eleven-year-old daughter, Maya, begged for her parents to be allowed to live. The Kavtaradzes (including Maya, who was allowed to leave Tbilisi and transported to Moscow) moved into a hotel, and then allowed to settle in a communal apartment. In what was an unprecedented gesture, Stalin and Beria paid them a visit in their new home.

World War II.

Kavtaradze was assigned to the State Publishing House in 1940, and reinstated in the Party later that year. He became an assistant to Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov in 1941, being placed in charge of the Near East Department. In 1943, after the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union, he was Deputy Foreign Commissar. He took part in the inter-Allied summits—the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference. The family were often guests at the Kremlin, where they attended dinners in the company of Stalin and other prominent politicians.  During September 1944, Sergey Kavtaradze was in Iran, where, three years after the Anglo-Soviet invasion, he was to push for a Soviet share in the local oil industry. He approached Prime Minister Mohammad Sa'ed, asking him to allow Soviet prospectors in northern Iran. Sa'ed, who was by then involved in a conflict with the far left Tudeh and nationalist forces over having allowed British and American businesses the possibility of opening oil field in the country, did not reply favorably to the envoy's request. Kavtaradze then resorted to threats, which he notably voiced during a meeting with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In parallel, the Soviet Red Army troops in Iran made the transit of Iranian forces difficult, and were present during a large-scale Tudeh demonstration in front of the Majlis building.  It was largely as a result of these maneuvers that Sa'ed ultimately resigned on 9 November 1944, being replaced by Morteza Gholi Bayat. In December, despite Tudeh opposition, Mohammed Mosaddeq successfully advanced legislation preventing any government official from granting Iranian fields to any foreign investor without explicit approval from the Majlis. Kavtaradze protested the change, claiming that it was aimed against the Soviet Union, but the Bayet cabinet refused to renegotiate and he returned to Moscow without having registered any gain. In June 1945, Molotov, Kavtaradze and Azerbaijan SSR leader Mir Jafar Baghirov were instructed by the Soviet Central Committee to secretly prepare a separatist insurrection in the Iranian Azerbaijan. This resulted in Ja'far Pishevari's Azerbaijan People's Government, while agitation among the Kurdish people gave way to Qazi Muhammad's Republic of Mahabad (both regimes were crushed within months by Iranian interventions).  During early autumn, together with the Armenian SSR's Foreign Commissariat, Kavtradze analyzed the border issues between Turkey and the Caucasian Soviet Republics ("see Tao-Klarjeti, Wilsonian Armenia"). In a report to Molotov, he estimated that the Turkish state owed 20,500 km2 in territory to the Armenian SSR and 5,500 km2 to the Georgian SSR. With his backing, the Armenian leadership unsuccessfully proposed that the Ardahan Province and the area around Oltu be demanded from Turkey and granted to the Armenian SSR. The two regions had been part of the Democratic Republic of Armenia following the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres, but were also claimed by Georgia. In contrast, the Georgian leaders proposed that Ardahan and Oltu become part of their republic.

Activities in Romania and final years.

During the war's final stage, Kavtaradze was sent to the Romanian Kingdom, whose alliance with the Axis Powers was ended by the King Michael Coup of August 1944 ("see Romania during World War II"). His office as Ambassador, like the Soviet military presence, was instrumental in providing guidance and assistance for the Romanian Communist Party (PCR). He took over his post in 1945, and kept it until 1952.  At the time, he was especially close to the PCR's so-called "Muscovite faction", and to its leader, Ana Pauker. This came at a time when Pauker won the trust of Soviet leaders such as Molotov, Kaganovich and Kliment Voroshilov—in contrast, her main rival, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, sought support from Georgy Malenkov and Beria. At a lower level, Pauker's relations with Kavtaradze were replicated by the close relationship between Gheorghiu-Dej and Mark Borisovich Mitin, the Cominform activist and Stalinist theorist.  During September 1945, as Soviet specialists on Romanian issues, Kavtaradze and his fellow diplomat, former prosecutor Andrey Vyshinsky, were present in Moscow at a meeting between a Romanian delegation and Stalin. The Romanian side, overseen by Ploughmen's Front leader and Premier Petru Groza, also comprised Foreign Minister and Vice-Premier Gheorghe Tătărescu, Romanian Social Democrat leader Ştefan Voitec, and Mihail Ghelmegeanu. The discussions were centered on Romania's agreement to seal a final armistice with the Soviet Union. The Minister of Justice and prominent PCR member, Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu, was conspicuously absent from the talks, in what was seen as an early sign of his downfall.  In autumn 1946, Kavtaradze, who regularly instructed Pauker, played a part in the electoral fraud that brought the PCR-created Bloc of Democratic Parties to power under Groza's leadership ("see 1946 Romanian general election").  In January 1947, as Romania prepared to sign the Paris Peace Treaty, he played a part in negotiating, with Premier Groza, Foreign Minister Tătărescu, and PCR activist Emil Bodnăraş, the Soviet takeover of islands on the Danube's Chilia branch. While Groza asked for Romania to receive the Hertza region and a small area north of Siret in exchange, Tătărescu opposed any change in the "status quo", and Bodnăraş asked for promises of compensation to be made. Kavtaradze relayed his government's position that no guarantees were to be made, and the islands were ceded to the Soviet Union as part of the Paris Treaty system.  Since the Soviet-dominated Allied Commission ended its mandate (October 1947) and until his recall, Kavtaradze replaced Red Army general Ivan Susaykov as the most important representative of his country in relations with the Groza government, and, later, with Communist Romania. He retired in 1954, one year after Stalin's death, and in 1961, was a delegate to the 22nd Party Congress. He died ten years later in Tbilisi, where his descendants were still residing in 2003.

Legacy.

Stalin's forgiveness for Kavtaradze has drawn interest from historians, as did the fact Stalin's attitudes toward his friend remained ambiguous after he was released from prison. In his "Let History Judge", Roy Medvedev cites an episode occurring circa 1939, reported to him by Kavtaradze himself: during dinner at the Kremlin, Kavtaradze was addressed by Stalin the words "And yet you wanted to kill me". Medvedev notes: "Some historians may see this comment as proof of Stalin's paranoia. But Stalin knew well that Kavtaradze never tried to kill him. However, he could not admit this openly, for then he would have had to reconsider the execution of Budu Mdivani and many other Communists involved in the case. It was much simpler to 'forgive' Kavtaradze alone." In his view, the case was similar to that of Alyosha Svanidze (the brother of Stalin's first wife Ekaterina Svanidze), who was shot after refusing to confess similar crimes. He concluded: "All these actions reveal a misanthropic tyrant, not a mentally ill person who did not know what he was doing." Reportedly, Sergey Kavtaradze himself believed that the conversation showed Stalin to be "sick". Simon Sebag Montefiore, who places this event right after the Kavtaradzes' liberation, cites the line as: "Nevertheless, you all wanted to kill me?", and gives Kavtaradze's reply to it as "Do you really think so?" He also records an exchange between Stalin and Sofia Kavtaradze: Stalin, looking at her hair (which had turned white in prison), commented "We have tortured you too much."  In this context, Stalin charged Sergey Kavtaradze with editing a Russian-language translation of Shota Rustaveli's "The Knight in the Panther's Skin", which he was to complete together with the academic Shalva Nutsibidze. Nutsibidze was himself a former inmate, and he had begun work on the translation in his cell—Stalin had personally reviewed his work and found it impressive, ordering Nutsibidze to be released. Reportedly, the Soviet dictator even corrected part of the manuscript and his personal translation of a section probably made it into the final edition.  Following his release, Stalin kept Kavtaradze in his circle of intimates, and nicknamed him "Tozho"—in reference to his slant eyes, which, Stalin believed, made him look like the Japanese prime minister Hideki Tōjō. He also confided in him: at some point after the Great Purge, Stalin allegedly told his friend that "we had to shoot" Nikolai Yezhov. On one occasion in 1945, speaking in Georgian, Stalin told the Mingrelian Lavrentiy Beria he considered him a "traitor" in front of Kavtaradze.  According to Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej's political ally, Alexandru Bârlădeanu, Kavtaradze was also on good terms with his faction, and, while in Romania, furnished them details on his youth and relations with Stalin and his earlier fall from grace. Bârlădeanu remembered Kavtaradze telling him that he was present at the 17th Party Congress of 1934, where he claimed to have cast his vote in favor of Sergey Kirov and against Stalin's choices for the Central Committee. The ballot was secret, but Stalin later ordered the voting majority to be purged, which would have left Kavtaradze among the very few survivors of that vote.

Sergey or Sergo Kavtaradze (Georgian: სერგო ქავთარაძე, "Sergo Kavtaradze"; Russian: Сергей Иванович Кавтарадзе, "Sergey Ivanovich Kavtaradze"; 15 August 1885 – 17 October 1971) was a Soviet politician and diplomat who briefly served as head of government in the Georgian SSR and as Deputy Prosecutor General of the Soviet Union. A Georgian Bolshevik activist, he was persecuted for his Trotskyist activities, but was pardoned and reinstated by his personal friend Joseph Stalin.


Etymology.

The verb "Filar" in Portuguese literally means "hold, arrest, grab". So "Cão de Fila" (Fila dog) or "Cão de filar" suggests that it is a "catch dog", a dog that "bites and does not loosen its grip". A similar name is also found in two Portuguese dog breeds: the Cão de Fila de São Miguel and the extinct Cão de Fila da Terceira.

History.

One theory is that the breed is a combination between the English Mastiff, Bloodhound and old Bulldog of the 15th century. Another theory is that the Fila is the result of the crossbreeding between Portuguese and Spanish dogs brought to Brazil during the Iberian Union period. In this case, the Fila would have as possible ascendents the Spanish Mastiff, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, Cão de Gado Transmontano, Rafeiro do Alentejo, Cão Fila de São Miguel, etc., or the predecessor of these breeds (the Iberian Alaunt), possibly combined with scent hounds.  The Fila Brasileiro were bred and raised primarily on large plantations and cattle farms where they originated. In addition to cattle, jaguars, and other animals, these dogs were taught to chase down runaway slaves. The dogs would grab the slave or animals by the neck and hold them until the farmer arrived. This instinct can be observed among puppies when they are playing.  The first written standard of the breed was edited in 1946. The Paulistas were responsible for organizing a planned breeding program and opening a stud book to register dogs. Dr. Paulo Santos Cruz began to systematically breed the Fila Brasileiro and also contributed largely in setting the CAFIB standard, and who now, therefore, has the right to be called the "father" of the Fila Brasileiro.  About the registries, CBKC (Brazilian Confederation Kennel Club) follows the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) policy and accepts for registration only dogs with FCI pedigrees, orienting the breeders to have hip dysplasia control, besides other health problems. The Fila Brasileiro is described as a Brazilian Mastiff or a Brazilian Molosser. In the U.S., the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) does a statistical registry of all Filas that were X-rayed to diagnose hip dysplasia.  The Brazilian army compared this breed to Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds in a five-year study using these dogs in the jungle under extremely hostile conditions. The following traits were observed: intelligence, aggressiveness, sensibility, temperament, energy, resistance, rusticity and strength. German Shepherds were found to have the highest intelligence and Doberman Pinschers the highest level of aggression. The Fila Brasileiro was found to be superior in every other category.

Appearance.

In Brazil the breed has two main standards imposed by two distinct clubs, the CBKC (Brazilian Confederation of Cynophilia) affiliated to FCI, and the CAFIB (Fila Brasileiro's Enhancement Club). Consequently, the stock of each club has visible morphological differences. The CAFIB standard was constructed based on the ancient phenotype of the breed. But the current CBKC/FCI standard is the best known internationally.  The Fila Brasileiro is a molosser breed with large bones and loose skin. The FCI breed standard requires males to be between 65 and 75 cm (25.5 inches to 29.5 inches) high at the withers and weigh. Females are slightly smaller and are expected to be 60 to 70 cm (23.5 inches to 27.5 inches) high at the withers and weigh at least 41 kg (90 lbs). They have a rectangular build and though they are massive, their natural agility is apparent. The head is big and heavy with a deep muzzle. The ears are large, thick, tapered and either droop or fold back exposing the interior, depending on the dog's mood. The neck and back are well muscled and the chest is broad and deep. Unlike the vast majority of canines, the croup is higher than the withers. The legs are heavily boned. The skin is very distinctive of the breed, as it is thick and loose all over the body, mainly in the region around the neck. The thick skin forms pronounced dewlaps. In many individuals, the dewlaps proceed to the chest and abdomen. Some dogs show a fold at the side of the head and also at the withers descending to the shoulders. The coat is short and dense and the texture is normally smooth and soft. Their colours vary from solid, brindle, mouse-grey, patched, dappled, or black and tan. They are almost never white. Typical colours are fawn, black and brindle. Brindles of a basic color may have the stripes of either less or with very strong intensity. Sometimes a black mask is present.  Though large in size, the Fila does not appear static. Rather it is harmonious, cat-like and, above all, powerful. The Fila appears self-assured and calm but is never absent in expression. When at attention, the gaze of the Fila Brasileiro is firm, alert and unwavering. Another typical characteristic of the breed is its gait, which is similar to that of a camel, moving two legs of one side at a time. The gait gives it a typical rolling lateral movement on the throat and the hindquarters which is accentuated when the dog's tail is raised. The head is typically lower than the backline. The characteristic carriage and gait has earned it great success in dog shows.  The coat of the Fila Brasileiro is smooth and short. Black, fawns (red, apricot, or dark), and brindled (fawn, black, or brown brindle) colors are permitted, except mouse-grey, black and tan, blue, dappled and solid white. White markings, not exceeding 1/4 of the coat surface area, are permitted on the feet, the chest and the tip of the tail in the FCI standard.  The CAFIB standard does not accept black, mouse-grey, black and tan, blue, or dappled coats, as it considers them as a sign of crossbreeding; on the other hand, it accepts dogs with large white markings on any part of the body.

Standards.

In Brazil the Fila Brasileiro can be bred within three different standards proposed by three separate clubs. The standard imposed by the CBKC (a club affiliated to the FCI) is the most popular in the world, but it is by far the most distant from the appearance of the old dogs of four decades ago.  The other two standards are from CAFIB (Fila Brasileiro's Enhancement Club) and AMFIBRA (World Association of Dog Breeders of Fila Brasileiro), respectively. Both are based on the first breed standard elaborated by Paulo Santos Cruz, the man who is considered the "father of the breed". However, the CAFIB standard is the most popular of the two. But both clubs (CAFIB and AMFIBRA) present themselves with the aim to preserve the pure Fila with the closest appearance of the old dogs.  This big difference between the three standards is mainly due to an accusation of a scandal of crossbreeding at the dogs registered by the CBKC in the 70's, 80's and 90's and, consequently, the many changes made in the CBKC standard probable to include dogs with characteristics of foreign breeds, such as the English Mastiff, Great Dane and Neapolitan Mastiff.  Paulo Santos Cruz himself, who even participated in the formation of the CAFIB for these same reasons and even presided over the club, published an article in 1979 explaining how to differentiate a pure Fila from a mixed one.

Temperament.

Fila Brasileiros are known to be naturally protective. They are bred to be aggressive. It is also known for its extreme wariness of strangers and agility when protecting or defending its master. The dedication and obedience of the Fila Brasileiro has found its way into the Brazilian saying "as faithful as a Fila".  The Fila Brasileiro temperament is what characterizes the dog. The Portuguese word for their temperament is "ojeriza", which directly translated into English means "dislike" or "distrust". The socialization period (about the first year with the first six to eight months being the most important) of the dog's life is crucial to the temperament of the individual dog. If the pup is exposed to a lot of people in a positive manner (known as'socializing'), the pup (keeping in mind the dog's natural protective instincts) can be encouraged to behave in a calm manner in public, but emphasis should be placed on the fact that socialization is done differently from other breeds. Despite extensive socialization, the Fila is instinctively protective and will naturally guard and protect its owner, their family members and the family pets; this is not something that needs to be trained, it is an innate trait. Strangers should not be left unattended with a Fila and, like all other guardian breeds, it may not be the best choice for those who have frequent visitors to their homes. Lack of all socialization with strangers at a young age will result in a dog which is very anti-social.

Common ailments.

Fila Brasileiros are prone to large breed ailments, including hip dysplasia, gastric torsion and elbow dysplasia. These dogs require plenty of exercise and hence are not very well suited to city life. Open country with fenced yards are very good for the dogs, as it gives them plenty of room to run and exercise.

Life expectancy.

Filas are known to live up to about nine to 11 years.

Legal status.

In Fiji, the United Kingdom, Norway, Malta and Cyprus it is illegal to own any of these dogs without specific exemption from a court. In Australia, in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia the Fila is a restricted or proscribed breed. Imports are also prohibited. They are automatically classified as a dangerous dog in New Zealand and Trinidad & Tobago, meaning they cannot be imported and males must be neutered.

The Fila Brasileiro (), or Brazilian Mastiff, is a large working breed of dog developed in Brazil. It is known for its superb tracking ability, aggressiveness and an unforgiving, impetuous temperament. Rather than attacking its prey, the Fila traps it and waits for the hunter to arrive. Owing to these qualities, the Fila Brasileiro is used as a guard dog, as a cattle dog for livestock and as a hunting dog for tracking and controlling large game. When slavery was legal in Brazil in the 18th century, the Fila Brasileiro was used to return fugitive slaves unharmed to their masters.


Service history.

"Flint" reported to the 3rd Fleet for duty at Ulithi on 27 December 1944, and six days later, sailed with Task Force 38 (TF 38) for a month-long cruise in support of the invasion of Luzon. She screened aircraft carriers as they launched strikes on Luzon, Taiwan, and the China coast, and fired protective anti-aircraft cover during a Japanese "kamikaze" attack on 21 January 1945. Replenishing at Ulithi from 26 January to 10 February, "Flint" then sailed with newly designated TF 38 for air strikes on Tokyo preceding the attack on Iwo Jima. Her force arrived off Iwo Jima on 21 February to provide anti-aircraft cover for the Marines who had landed two days previously, and "Flint" returned to Ulithi 12 March for a brief 2 days of replenishment.  Putting to sea with TF 58 for strikes against Kyūshū in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa, "Flint" aided in bringing down several airplanes in heavy attacks on the task force from 18 to 22 March. The task force then closed Okinawa, and "Flint" with other cruisers bombarded beach installations in preparation for the landings on 1 April. Aside from the period of 14–24 May, when she was at Ulithi for upkeep, "Flint" operated off Okinawa until 13 June, when she anchored in Leyte Gulf.  "Flint" sortied from Leyte on 1 July to screen the final air attacks on the Japanese home islands and to join the bombardment of the east coast of Honshū until the cessation of hostilities. On 24 August, she took station off Nii Shima to serve as rescue ship and homing station for transport planes carrying occupation troops to Japan. From 10 to 15 September, she lay in Tokyo Bay, then sailed with a carrier task force to provide air and sea surveillance of Central Honshū until 21 September.  The cruiser made a voyage from Japan to Eniwetok, then loaded homeward bound servicemen at Yokosuka on 13 October, bringing them into San Francisco Bay on 28 November. After sailing to Kwajalein to bring home more servicemen eligible for discharge, "Flint" reported at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington on 11 January 1946, and there was placed out of commission in reserve at Bremerton on 6 May 1947. Her dedication plaque currently rests in the Sloan Museum, in the city she is named after.

Awards.

"Flint" received four battle stars for World War II service.

USS "Flint" (CL-97) was a modified light cruiser, sometimes referred to as an ""Oakland"-class". She was named after the city of Flint, Michigan. She was launched on 25 January 1944 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of San Francisco, California, sponsored by Mrs. R. A. Pitcher. She was and commissioned on 31 August 1944, with Captain C. R. Will in command. She was reclassified CLAA-97 on 18 March 1949.


Biography.

The early years (1991–1995).

Dillon comes from an area steeped in Irish traditional music. Since she was a schoolgirl she has sung and performed. She learned local folk songs from teachers and workshops held in the town. She can also play the fiddle and whistles. At the age of 14 she won the All Ireland Singing Trophy at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.  In 1991 she formed a band called Óige (an Irish word meaning 'youth') with school friends Murrough and Ruadhrai O'Kane, bringing her take on Irish traditional songs to Ireland, Scotland and further afield. During this time she also performed with big names such as De Dannan and Phil Coulter. Óige recorded two albums with Dillon: a studio and a live album. "Inspiration" was recorded in 1992 to sell at concerts in Europe. The live album, simply called "Live", was recorded at a concert in Glasgow on 15 August 1993. A cassette tape version also exists under the name "Live in Glasgow". Dillon left Óige in 1995 after being asked to replace Kate Rusby in a so-called folk supergroup Equation; however, she guests on their second studio album, "Bang On", playing fiddles on the last track, "Maids of Mitchelstown".

Blanco y Negro Records (1995–2000).

Equation comprised five members: Sean Lakeman, Sam Lakeman, Seth Lakeman, Kathryn Roberts and Dillon. They signed a major record deal with Blanco y Negro (part of Warner Music Group) and recorded an album at Peter Gabriel's Realworld Studios in winter 1995–'96. The album, entitled "Return to Me", was produced by David Bottrill. There was a single release, "He Loves Me", with an accompanying promotional video. The band performed on MTV and VH1, but weeks before the release of the album the record label shelved it. It was not released in 1996, but in 2003 it saw a release under Rough Trade after Geoff Travis (the band's former manager) bought its rights.  Dillon left Equation with original band member Sam Lakeman because of musical differences and together they immediately signed a separate deal with the same label. The duo was known as "Polar Star". During this time Dillon formed a strong musical partnership with Lakeman. They recorded several albums with top songwriters and producers in the UK and San Francisco, but none of their work was released. Dillon provided the vocals to the song "Man in the Rain" on Mike Oldfield's 1998 album "Tubular Bells III", where she was credited as "Cara from Polar Star". By 2000, Dillon and Lakeman had decided that they would never be able to give the label what they wanted. Circa summer 2000, Dillon and Lakeman ended their five-year relationship with Warner Music Group and signed to Indie label Rough Trade Records.

Rough Trade Records (2001–2007).

Dillon recorded her first album in The Firs, Lakeman's parents' house. There were also recordings made in County Donegal, Ireland. The album was produced and recorded by Lakeman and mixed by John Reynolds (Sinéad O'Connor and Damien Dempsey). It contained nine traditional songs Dillon had since her schooldays and also had two original Dillon/Lakeman songs "Blue Mountain River" (which became a single in her native land) and "I Wish I Was". The album was released on 16 July 2001, to critical acclaim. The reaction to the album, according to Dillon, was very unexpected. The opening track of the album is "Black is the Colour". The track was given a more modern arrangement by Lakeman with Hammond organs and bass playing combined with a piano riff. Dillon's vocal earned her comparisons to Kate Bush. Throughout 2001 and 2002, Dillon toured the album extensively in the UK, Ireland and Europe and her fan base grew steadily. The album won many awards and got very positive reviews. The couple ended 2002 on a high with their marriage in December.  The follow-up album, "Sweet Liberty", was released on 22 September 2003. In terms of sales and airplay, the album was a bigger success. Sales were helped by the inclusion of Dillon's popular version of "There Were Roses" (notably featured on the BBC series Billy Connolly's World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales). The album entered the Irish album charts and the UK indie album charts. The album was promoted with songs "High Tide", "There Were Roses" and "Everywhere". The album also had a more balanced mix of traditional and original material, including another Kate Bush-esque track, "Falling Like a Star" and "Broken Bridges". Both songs showed Dillon and Lakeman's songwriting could successfully cross musical borders. The album was again produced by Lakeman and mixed by John Reynolds and Alan Branch and was recorded "at home in Somerset".  In January 2004, Dillon travelled to Japan on a promotional tour of the album. Cara's solo career up this point was polished with her receiving "The Meteor Irish Music Award" for Best Irish Female. With two albums under her belt, Dillon's music was showcased on an international scale. Her relationship with WOMAD played a crucial part in this. The couple returned to the studio again in summer 2004 to record their third album.  Her third album, "After the Morning", was released on 27 February 2006. The album was the longest in the making to date and featured several guest appearances. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra recorded for two tracks on the album, "Garden Valley" & "The Snows They Melt The Soonest"; Martin Simpson, the acclaimed blues guitarist featured on "Grace"; two of Ireland's finest traditional musicians Mairtin O'Connor and Cathal Hayden perform on "Bold Jamie" and Cara duetted with Paul Brady on album highlight "The Streets of Derry".  The album gave Dillon her most successful radio hit to date, "Never in a Million Years", garnering a good amount of airplay on radio stations in the UK and Ireland. The song featured on the Radio 2 playlist for six weeks and was record of the week on BBC Radio Ulster and RTÉ Radio 1. Despite the encouraging reception of the song, an official single release was never given to the song and it was released on download-only by iTunes a week prior to the album release and climbed into the top 40 most downloaded songs that week. An official single release was planned for after the album came out but it did not happen. The next single to be released from the album was a double A side: "This Time/I Wish You Well". It featured a new radio mix of "This Time" with added vocals and guitars. The single generated some airplay on Radio 2 in July 2006 and was scheduled for release on 14 August, however Rough Trade cancelled it, citing a lack of airplay.

Charcoal Records (2008-present).

In January 2008, Cara and her band recorded a DVD "The Redcastle Sessions" in County Donegal which led to an extensive tour starting in the May and continuing through the folk festival season to the winter of 2008/9. This tour took in venues across Ireland, Great Britain and The USA and introduced guitarist John Smith as a duet partner on the single "If I Prove False", this single and a fourth album "Hill of Thieves" (released 26 January 2009) saw Cara move to her own label Charcoal Records.  Despite being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, Dillon has continued touring, recording and performing interviews throughout the world. She announced her illness and her strong Roman Catholic faith on Aled Jones' radio show in 2009.

Notable events, collaborations and guest appearances.

Throughout Dillon's career she has ventured into many successful collaborations with a range of artists. In 1998, she was guest vocalist (credited as "Cara from Polar Star") for Mike Oldfield on the single from his "Tubular Bells III" album, "Man in the Rain". In 2001, she featured on two tracks on the John Reynolds project "Interview with the Angel", an album by "Ghostland". Cara sang on the tracks "Faith in Love" and "Sacred Touch of Beauty", the former being the album's lead single. 2005 saw her guest on the soundtrack to "Keeping Mum", a British comedy. In 2003, she performed at the Belfast Festival at Queen's Opening Ceremony with the Ulster Orchestra.  Also on the dance scene, Dillon's award winning version of "Black Is The Colour" was remixed by DJ Pete Devine (2Devine/Coco & Green) and became an instant hit on the dance floors in 2005. Over the next year, the popularity grew steadily and the track topped many polls and became a favourite of the top DJs on the scene. Following legal difficulties with the clearance of the track the release on the Anjunabeats dance label was not until 19 March 2007.  The year 2006 Dillon was honoured with the invitation to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland. She sang the Irish song "Mo Ghile Mear" to an audience estimated at 500 million worldwide with Afro Celt Sound System vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird, a 60 piece choir and 23 piece band. In October 2006, she performed at the re-opening of the prestigious Grand Opera House in Belfast. In 2006, Judge Jules released his debut album, to which Cara provided vocals on the lead UK single "Ordinary Day". The trance track was a big club hit and entered the UK dance charts at 3. 2006 also saw Dillon involved with the BBC Radio 2 Radio Ballads, and her vocals feature on the episode "Thirty Years of Conflict". This was released on CD and an album of songs from the radio ballads has also been released (see Discography).  In 2009, Cara recorded the official Children in Need single, "All You Need Is Love" alongside Peter Gabriel, Terry Wogan, Hayley Westenra and others at Abbey Road Studios. In September she also recorded a live DVD called "Cara Dillon – Live at the Grand Opera House" in the Opera House in Belfast with the line up from her award winning album Hill of Thieves. Acclaimed loudspeaker manufacturers Bowers & Wilkins used 11 songs from this recording in their Society of Sound music club which showcases ultra high quality audio recording for audiophiles. The live recording of "The Hill of Thieves" was also used by Bowers & Wilkins as a demonstration song in-store throughout the world on their Zeppelin Air iPod Speaker.  In 2010, Cara recorded the opening song "Summer's Just Begun" for Disney's Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue as well as narrating the opening sequence. She also sang a lullaby called "Come Flying With Me" featured during the credits for the movie. It reached the Box Office Top 10 upon its national cinema release in the UK in August 2010 and is the third instalment of Disney's highly successful franchise.  In January 2012 Cara recorded the vocals on a song called "Come Dream A Dream" which forms the closing sequence of the nighttime spectacular show, Disney Dreams!, which was designed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Disneyland Paris. In the summer of 2012 Cara performed two concerts with the Ulster Orchestra. The first was to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Ulster Hall at an event called the Great Northern Songbook where "Hill of Thieves" was voted by BBC listeners as one of the "Top 10" original songs to come out of Northern Ireland. The second was a concert where the Ulster Orchestra joined Cara and her band in the Grand Opera House in Belfast.

Family.

Dillon married Sam Lakeman in December 2002. The couple live in Frome with their three children, twin sons born in 2006 and a daughter born in 2010.

Cara Elizabeth Dillon (born 21 July 1975, Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) is an Irish folk singer. In 1995, she joined the folk supergroup Equation and signed a record deal with Warners Music Group. After leaving the group, she collaborated with Sam Lakeman under the name Polar Star. In 2001, she released her first solo album, "Cara Dillon", which featured traditional songs and two original Dillon\Lakeman compositions. The album was an unexpected hit in the folk world, with Dillon receiving four nominations at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.


Strange New World (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Plot.

"Enterprise" passes a previously unknown Minshara-class planet with an Earth-like atmosphere and surface. Captain Archer orders a shuttle to be prepared for an away mission. After an afternoon studying the planet, Sub-Commander T'Pol, Commander Tucker, and Ensign Mayweather request further time on the planet, and do so with Archer's approval. Crewmen Cutler and Novakovich are also allowed to remain on the surface to study nocturnal life. The Captain and Lieutenant Reed then return to "Enterprise".  Later that evening, a violent storm front approaches so Tucker suggests that the landing party use the cave that T'Pol discovered earlier for shelter. Once there, Mayweather goes back to the original camp-site to recover food, and notices three humanoid life-forms wandering around, but T'Pol's scans reveal no unusual bio-signs. In the confines of the cave, Crewmen Cutler and Novakovich begin seeing and hearing humanoids too. Tucker also reports to Archer about seeing a mysterious alien life form too. Searching for these other lifeforms, T'Pol takes a phase pistol and walks deeper into the cave. In her absence however, the landing party then become increasingly suspicious of her behavior, thinking that she is withholding information about the aliens from them.  Concerned, Archer and Reed attempt to reach the landing party in a shuttlepod, but cannot do so until the wind dies down. Novakavich is emergency beamed up due to his erratic behavior and bio-sign, and Doctor Phlox finds he has been exposed to tropolisine, a hallucinogenic compound found in pollen. Phlox also discovers he is near-death, poisoned by an unexpected side-effect of the chemical. On the planet, Tucker is increasingly suffering from hallucinations. T'Pol reports to Archer that he is irrational and that Mayweather and Cutler are nearly unconscious. Reed beams an antidote down to the cave, and despite Tucker's interference, T'Pol is able to administer it. The next morning, the storm blows over, and everyone is fine.

Production.

"Strange New World" marked the first occasion in which Anthony Montgomery participated in stunt work, finding that his previous work in the television series "Awesome Adventures" proved beneficial. He explained in an interview shortly after that he wanted to participate in as many stunt activities as the producers would let him.

Reception.

"Strange New World" was noted by USA Today as an interesting episode of the franchise, pointing out the tension between humans and vulcan aliens in the Pre-Federation setting of this show. They note the fresh take on the "Star Trek" universe is a "whole lot of fun" highlighting the tension between first time space-explorer Captain Archer and Vulcan T'Pol.

"Strange New World" is the fourth episode (production #104) of the television series "" and was written by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. David Livingston served as director for the episode.


Biography.

He was born in an area of Ukraine largely inhabited by ethnic Hungarians. He was born into a musical family and by the age of four was already learning the violin from his parents. He was eight years old when accepted into that alma mater for the most talented musicians of the Soviet Union, the Central Tchaikowsky Music School in Moscow to study under Leo Lundstrem.  He continued his studies with Eugenia Tchougaeva. He gave his first important concert at the age of twelve, with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. At the age of seventeen he became a student at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Budapest, in the class of Géza Kapás. He took part in a masterclass given by Ruggiero Ricci, where he won the prize for the best participant. He was also the Grand Prize winner of the International Course Competition in Berlin, after having been invited by Ruggiero Ricci. Since 1993 he has been a "young soloist" for the National Philharmonic Concert Agency in Hungary.  He has performed with almost all the main Hungarian orchestras, and given concerts in Austria, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. In May 1994 the famous violin teacher Dorothy DeLay invited him to the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. where he gave a concert with Rohan de Silva. In New York he won a scholarship and was admitted to the class of Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School of Music. His studies in New York City at the Juilliard School of Music brought professional contacts which meant changes in his musical style. There, in one of the most revered classical music environments of Juilliard, he mingled with DJs and jumped from high level classical to what is referred today as crossover.  While still in his twenties, Marton had traveled to more than thirty countries and played in such renowned concert halls as the "Berliner Philharmonie" and Vienna's "Konzerthaus". But he was looking for a change. A former classmate said of him, "After he graduated from the music academy the talented, jovial and rotund Lajos disappeared, only to return as a slim, easy listening, music playing Edvin Marton."

Discography.

Five (5) albums to date:

Edvin Marton (born Lajos Edvin Csűry, February 17, 1974, Vylok, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian-born Hungarian composer and violinist. He became known as the violinist of the skaters, mainly because Evgeni Plushenko, Stéphane Lambiel, Yuzuru Hanyu (as a tribute to Plushenko), and other famous skaters often skated to his music.


Design.

Green, gold and red are considered Pan-African colours. Green is also used to symbolise Islam, and the gold is for the sands of the Sahara desert. The red stripes, which were added to the flag in 2017, represent "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory". The crescent and star are symbols of Islam, which is Mauritania's state religion. Some writers have also speculated that green symbolises a bright future and growth. There is no official specification or construction sheet for the exact relative measurements of the star and crescent, although the flag's measurements are 2:3.

Use.

The design acts as the national flag of Mauritania and is also used in circular form as an aircraft roundel.

Variants.

Although the constitutional amendments only mentioned the addition of red bands, officials have been using different flag's models since the change in 2017.

Legal basis.

The current constitution of 12 July 1991 specifies that: Unlike the seal, the exact flag is specified, not merely the right for a law to specify it at some later date. However, the flag has its official basis in the earlier constitution of 22 March 1959; no changes were made when the country declared its independence in 1960.

New flag in 2017.

In 2017, a red band at the top and bottom were added to symbolise "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory", in a referendum on 5 August 2017, scheduled by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz which contained among other constitutional amendments a modification of the national flag and anthem. First scheduled as part of a single vote, these changes proved controversial enough for them to be made into a separate vote the same day as the vote on institutions.

The flag of Mauritania (Arabic: علم موريتانيا) is a green field containing a gold star and crescent, with a red stripe at the top and bottom of the field. The original national flag was introduced under the instructions of President Moktar Ould Daddah and the constitution of 22 March 1959 and was adopted on 1 April 1959.


Early life and education.

Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958. He is of Norwegian descent. He was raised in a Lutheran family. Sorbo attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he double majored in marketing and advertising. To help pay for tuition, he began to work as a model for print and television advertising.

Career.

In the mid 1980s, Sorbo travelled around Europe and Australia working in television commercials and worked in over 150 commercials by the early 1990s. One of the popular commercials he appeared in was for Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, known for Sorbo's repeated catchphrase "This ain't Jim Beam". He occasionally landed acting roles during this period with his first appearance in an episode of the soap opera "Santa Barbara" in 1986. This was followed by guest appearances in television series such as "1st & Ten", "Murder She Wrote" and "The Commish". In 1992, he starred in an unsuccessful pilot for a medical drama series titled "Condition: Critical" which was not picked up but aired as a television film on CBS. He was considered for and lost out to Dean Cain as Superman in "" and was a possible contender for the role of Fox Mulder in "The X Files" which went to David Duchovny. In 1993, he made his film debut playing a supporting role in "Slaughter of the Innocents".  In 1994, he got his breakthrough leading role as the Ancient Greek mythical demigod Hercules in a series of five television films which aired as part of Universal Television's Action Pack. The first film was "Hercules and the Amazon Women" which aired in April and the fifth film "Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur" aired in November. The ratings success of these films paved the way for the commissioning of the television series "" which started airing in syndication from January 1995 and ran for six seasons. The series made Sorbo an international star and was one of the highest rated syndicated television shows at the time. Sorbo also directed two episodes of the series during its run and co-wrote one episode. The success of the show spawned the popular spin-off series "" starring Lucy Lawless, who was introduced in a three episode arc in the first season of "Hercules". Sorbo made his first of two appearances on "Xena" in the Season One episode "Prometheus" in 1995. In 1998, a spin-off direct-to-video animated film titled "" was released with both Sorbo and Lawless voicing the characters.  "Hercules" was cancelled midway through the filming of Season Six of which only eight episodes were produced and the final episode aired in November 1999. This was reportedly due to Sorbo declining to extend his contract to continue starring in the series for a further three years. Sorbo would go on to make his final appearance as Hercules on "Xena" in the Season Five episode "God Fearing Child" which aired in February 2000.  In between the years playing "Hercules", he played his first leading film role in "Kull the Conqueror" (1997). After "Hercules" came to an end, Sorbo played the starring role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the science-fiction drama series "Andromeda" from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, he played a recurring role on the final season of "The O.C." and guest-starred in the sitcom "Two and a Half Men". In 2007, he starred in the direct-to-video film "", which was a sequel to the 2004 film "Walking Tall". He reprised his role in the second sequel, "" which released later that year. He also starred in the Lifetime Channel film "Last Chance Café", the Hallmark Channel film "Avenging Angel", co-starring his real life wife Sam Jenkins and guest starred as a bounty hunter in the season-two episode "Bounty Hunters!" of the series "Psych". He appeared in the 2008 spoof film "Meet the Spartans", which was a box office success despite being universally negatively reviewed by critics. He starred in the Albert Pyun directed science fiction vampire film "Tales of an Ancient Empire".  He served as executive producer and star of the movie "Abel's Field" in 2012. In 2012, Sorbo appeared in an episode of "Celebrity Ghost Stories" to recount an experience he had while in Minnesota shortly after he graduated from college. He and his girlfriend claimed to have seen the ghost of the "Bride of White Rock Lake" – a woman who supposedly died on her wedding day, murdered by a former lover.  Sorbo voiced one of the main protagonists, Prometheus, in the Wii video game "The Conduit". Sorbo returned to the role of Hercules in a more sinister portrayal, in the video game "God of War III", which was released for the PlayStation 3 in March 2010.  Kevin also had a prominent role in the film "Soul Surfer" released in 2011.  In July 2013, Sorbo, along with his wife, Sam, provided voice over for characters in the video game "Cloudberry Kingdom". In 2014, Sorbo co-starred in "God's Not Dead", a Christian film in which he portrayed an atheist college professor who requires his students to disown their religions on the first day of his class. He also voiced Crusher in the "Skylanders" franchise and Retro Hercules in "Smite".  In 2015 and 2016, Sorbo played wizard Gojun Pye in a series of five "Mythica" sword-and-sorcery fantasy movies.  In 2017, Sorbo played the ill-fated King Lar Gand of Daxam on the CW series "Supergirl". He appeared opposite Teri Hatcher as his wife Queen Rhea—24 years earlier, they were almost cast opposite each other in "Lois and Clark" before Sorbo lost out to Dean Cain. Cain also appeared in the same series but did not share any scenes with them. That same year, he also directed and starred in the film "Let There Be Light".  Kevin Sorbo's career also includes voice over work with "Breathe Bible".

Health.

In late 1997 while on a publicity tour for "Kull the Conqueror" and between the fourth and fifth seasons of "Hercules", the newly engaged Sorbo experienced an aneurysm in his shoulder which caused four strokes. As a result, he was weakened for the next several years, a condition kept secret from the public while he recovered. During the last two seasons of "Hercules" (the fifth and sixth, which aired in 1998 and 1999), Sorbo had a reduced filming schedule to accommodate his condition, and more guest stars were featured in the show in order to reduce Sorbo's duties. The strokes, thought to be triggered when chiropractic manipulation of his shoulder released blood clots from the aneurysm, left Sorbo with a permanent 10 percent vision loss, weakness, impaired balance, and migraines. In his 2011 autobiography "True Strength", Sorbo revealed the details of his injury and how his wife Sam helped him recover.

Personal life.

On January 5, 1998, Sorbo married actress Sam Jenkins, whom he met the previous year when she had a small recurring role on "Hercules". They have three children: Braedon Cooper (born 2001), Shane Haaken (born 2004), and Octavia Flynn (born 2005). Sorbo is the spokesman and chair of A World Fit for Kids! (AWFFK!), a non-profit organization that trains teenagers to become mentors to younger children.  In 2001, Sorbo was featured on a Celebrity Edition of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", winning $32,000 after giving Regis Philbin the wrong answer at the $125,000 question; the money was donated to his charity, A World Fit For Kids.  In 2015, Sorbo provided the foreword to Stan Holden's book "Giving Candy to Strangers".  He and Sam own a house in Park City, Utah's St. Regis Deer Valley resort.

Religious and political beliefs.

Sorbo is a Christian and attends a nondenominational church, though he grew up being a Lutheran. Sorbo believes his religious views have caused Hollywood to limit his career, stating, "There's a negativity towards Christians in Hollywood, and a negativity towards people who believe in God."  As a guest on "Stossel", Sorbo said he voted for Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole. In addition, he is anti-abortion.

Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in "", and as Captain Dylan Hunt in "Andromeda". Sorbo is also known for acting in the Christian drama films "God's Not Dead" and "Let There Be Light".


Plot.

"Enterprise" locates a planet inhabited by pre-industrial humanoids. Scanners also detect technology which does not correspond with the planet's technological level. Against Sub-Commander T'Pol's recommendation, Captain Archer decides to visit. Going in disguise, T'Pol suggests a distant rural landing site. Once in the Akaali city, Ensign Sato notices inhabitants that appear sick. Scans lead them to an old curio shop, but they encounter a force-field blocking the way. They are then confronted by a local apothecary, Riann. T'Pol stuns her, and when she awakens, Archer persuades her that he is an investigator from another city.  Archer and Tucker revisit the shop during the day posing as antique collectors. They confront Garos, asking him why his DNA is not Akaali. After confirming Tucker and Archer are not natives either, he freely admits his origins: he is part of a survey mission from Malur, and the power source is merely a fabrication unit to provide food and clothes. Archer tells him about the illness, but he claims it is an incurable indigenous virus. Doctor Phlox, however, discovers that the water near the shop has been contaminated with a highly toxic chemical, tetracyanate 622.  Archer and Riann observe the shop at night to try to see what is being delivered to Garos. They follow a man leaving the shop with a delivery. He leaves the crates in a forest clearing, and Archer is then attacked by a Malurian. Under the shop, Archer and Riann then discover that Garos is mining a veridium isotope, and the poisoned water is a by-product. Archer orders the reactor beamed up by "Enterprise" but the Malurians now have a warship in orbit. T'Pol beams the power plant into the alien ship's path, using torpedoes to detonate it and crippling their shields. On the planet, Archer provides Riann with the antidote, and assures her that the Vulcans will monitor the planet to ensure the Malurians do not return.

"Civilization" is the ninth episode (production #109) of the television series "", and was written by Phyllis Strong and Michael Sussman. Mike Vejar served as director for the episode. TrekToday gave the episode a positive review.


Plot.

An Earth freighter with a crew of 23, ECS "Fortunate", is attacked by Nausicaans and "Enterprise" is sent to help. When they arrive, the freighter is relatively unharmed apart from Captain Keene, who is lying unconscious in the ship's infirmary, but the rest of the crew are secretive and reluctant to provide explanations. While helping repair "Fortunate", Sub-Commander T'Pol detects a Nausicaan bio-sign. It transpires that Commander Matthew Ryan and his men are secretly torturing the captive for his shield access codes. Ryan admits the Nausicaan pirate is their prisoner, but refuses to let the Starfleet personnel see him, and Captain Archer threatens to retract his assistance to "Fortunate".  Ryan seemingly relents, but as Archer and his away team enter a cargo section of the freighter, the cargo pod is suddenly jettisoned with the away team inside. Before "Fortunate" warps away, it attempts to damage "Enterprise" in order to delay pursuit. "Enterprise" recovers its people and begins pursuit of the rogue freighter. Meanwhile, "Fortunate" arrives at the asteroid used by the Nausicaan pirates, but discover the acquired shield codes are useless. The pirates attempt to board the freighter and rescue their captured crewman just as "Enterprise" arrives and begins to engage the Nausicaan ships.  Archer is soon able to broker a temporary truce: if they can return the Nausicaan captive, the boarding party will stand down. Ryan is uncooperative until Ensign Mayweather intervenes, saying that Ryan's motivations are not about preventing future attacks on Earth ships; they are about personal revenge, and doing so simply exposes other freighter crews to revenge attacks as well. Ryan relents. Later, Archer and Captain Keene of "Fortunate" discuss Ryan's actions and his demotion to Crewman 3rd class. They agree Ryan acted rashly, but Keene also muses that acting on their own is the primary motivation his people are out here — to both challenge and prove themselves.

"Fortunate Son" is the tenth episode (production #110) of the television series "", and was written by James Duff. LeVar Burton served as director for the episode.


Features.

The phone supports MicroSD cards up to 2 GB (4 GB with the 6300i variant), meaning that the phone can be used practically as an MP3 player. Using the supplied and freely available Nokia PC Suite, one can convert all the MP3 files in a music library to e-AAC in order to fit more on the card. The 2.5 mm headphone jack means that few commercial headsets will fit the phone, however there are adapters available enabling the use of headphones with a standard jack.  Like most other new Nokia phones, the 6300 eschews their old Pop-Port connector for a standard mini-USB connector. At the launch many questioned why to include the USB port for data, but not for charging. Nokia's support for USB was desired, but slipped to a later release.  The phone also has two slow flashing lights on the side, to show missed calls or messages. This feature is an update of the reminder light in the 6060 fold phone that did not have an external display  With firmware version 06.01 and later, Nokia 6300 is capable of playing MPEG-4 (*.mp4) files with a QCIF resolution of 176*144 at 25 frames per second. The phone allows the user to view the video clips in full-screen landscape mode and set the fast-forward/rewind interval from a few seconds to minutes. Improved audio quality for music playback was also noted for this firmware version, thus making the Nokia 6300 a music phone similar to its counterparts, the Nokia XpressMusic. In addition, video clips can replace ringtones so that an actual motion picture is shown while there is an incoming call.

Popularity and reception.

Nokia 6300 was a highly popular mobile phone handset throughout the world, officially the best-selling Nokia handset in 2007. A report from "The Economist" said that Nokia 6300 was the most popular handset in Africa as of the beginning of 2011, four years after the original release.  Reviewers of the handset generally praised the build quality and feature set. Reviewer "S21" called it "our favourite Nokia phone for a long time", praising the user friendliness and metallic design.  The 6300 was succeeded by the Nokia 6303 classic and Nokia 6700 classic.

Nokia 6300i.

The Nokia 6300i is an upgraded version of the Nokia 6300 with the same design but adding Wireless LAN and VoIP capability and support for 4GB microSD cards (the 6300 could only support up to 2GB microSD cards). It was announced on 26 March 2008. The device is designed for typical use in Europe and only distributed there.

The Nokia 6300 is a mobile telephone handset produced by Nokia. It was announced on 28 November 2006 and released in January 2007. This model was assembled in several factories, including Jucu plant, near Cluj, in Romania.


Origin and original recording.

R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980. The band quickly established itself in the local scene. Over the course of 1980 the band refined its songwriting skills, helped by its frequent gigs at local venues. One of the group's newer compositions was "Radio Free Europe". The other members of the band were reportedly awestruck when they heard the lyrics and melodies singer Michael Stipe had written for the song. By May 1981 the band added "Radio Free Europe" to its setlist.  After a successful show opening for The Police, R.E.M. intended to record material for a demo tape. The group traveled to Drive-In Studios in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to record some songs with producer Mitch Easter, who was a member of the band Let's Active. The band recorded "Radio Free Europe", "Sitting Still", and the instrumental song "White Tornado", which were placed on a promotional cassette tape. The band sent out 400 copies, one of which was received by Atlanta law student Jonny Hibbert. Hibbert offered to release "Radio Free Europe" and "Sitting Still" as a one-off 7" vinyl single with the understanding that he would own the publishing rights for both songs; the band agreed to his terms. However, Hibbert felt the recording was unsatisfactory, and oversaw a remix. Easter said he found the presence of Hibbert "distracting" and added, "He came into my studio and it was like, now the big city guy is going to do it right. We mixed the song for about 12 hours and really, there wasn't enough equipment to warrant more than 45 minutes." The final mastering of the song disappointed the band. Guitarist Peter Buck, who described the recording years later as "muddy and hi-end", expressed his displeasure by breaking a copy of the finished single and nailing it to his wall. However, Buck admitted that "there's something to be said for the original sort of murky feeling for [the original recording]".

Cover art.

The cover art to the single came courtesy of Michael Stipe. "Michael brought those negatives over to our place," explains photographer Terry Allen. "He said, 'Can you make a print of these?' and we said, 'What, you want a picture of this blur?' He said, 'Yeah,' and so I said, 'I've got a picture that's probably better than this that you can use,' but he said, 'No, I want this blur!'"  Around 600 copies of the first pressing were sent out for promotional uses, but these omitted the Hib-Tone contact address. It was included, however, on the 6,000 copies of the second pressing.

Composition.

Both the Hib-Tone and I.R.S. releases of "Radio Free Europe" begin with brief instrumental intros before the band enters. The Hib-Tone version features a brief synthesizer figure. The intro to the I.R.S. version originated as an errant system hum accidentally recorded on tape. Easter triggered the effect to open and shut an electronic noise gate in time with bassist Mike Mills' playing. The producer then manually adjusted the EQ of the effect on the studio mixing console, and spliced the seven-bar figure into the start of the recording.  Drummer Bill Berry begins the song with a four-to-the-floor beat, and then the rest of the band enters. Berry plays a steady backbeat throughout the song. During the verses, Mills plays a fast eighth note bassline pulse, characteristic of punk rock and new wave. Guitarist Peter Buck plays the palm-muted lower strings of his guitar, marking the end of a four-bar repetition with an upstroke strummed chord. During the prechorus refrain, Buck switches to playing arpeggios, ending each four bar phrase with a full chord downstroke. Mills accompanies this section by performing independent melody lines with syncopated rhythms. Mills' last note of the refrain is doubled by a piano.  After two verses and two prechoruses, the band enters the song's chorus, where Stipe sings the phrase "Calling out in transit/Calling out in transit/Radio Free Europe". After a second chorus, a bridge section follows, where Mills' one-note ascending bassline is doubled by the piano. The band then plays a final verse-prechorus-chorus section. At the song's end, Buck plays an arpeggio figure similar to the prechorus refrain, and the band ends on an A chord.

Lyrics.

Stipe's lyrics are hard to discern, and largely serve to give the singer something to vocalize with. When first developing the original song, Stipe intentionally did not want the lyrics to be understood, as he "...hadn't written any of the words yet." Also, when the song was played live, Stipe improvised his own set of lyrics halfway through the song. In a 1988 "NME" interview, Stipe denied the interviewer's claim that his lyrics on "Murmur" were "indecipherable", but acknowledged that "Radio Free Europe" was one of the few exceptions, describing it as "complete babbling". While the lyrics to the song have never been published by the band, lyrics to "Radio Free Europe" were published in "Song Hits" magazine in 1983, and in "New Sounds" magazine in January 1984.  The San Francisco-based band Game Theory, whose albums were also produced by Mitch Easter, began in 1985 to cover the song in their shows, with lyrics sung clearly by Scott Miller. According to drummer Gil Ray, "Either Buck or Stipe told Scott Miller in our band the real words to 'Radio Free Europe' and every now and then we'd do it as a cover because Scott knew the words. It was a big deal to know the words to any of their songs." Miller's first live performance of the song, in September 1985, appears as a bonus track on the 2014 CD reissue of Game Theory's "Dead Center".

Re-recording and I.R.S. single release.

R.E.M. signed to I.R.S. Records in 1982. I.R.S. asked R.E.M. to re-record "Radio Free Europe" in 1983 for their debut album, "Murmur". The band agreed, because they had felt that they'd improved significantly since the original 1981 sessions.  The 1983 version has some slightly different lyrics and a slower tempo, and is not as well-liked by the band as the original; indeed, the liner notes for the 1988 compilation album "Eponymous" (on which the original Hib-Tone version is featured) stated that "Mike and Jefferson think this one [referring to the Hib-Tone version] crushes the other one like a grape." Peter Buck has also stated that he "[didn't] think we captured it the way we did on the single." Original producer Mitch Easter also commented on the re-recording, saying it was "more pro, but a little too sedate."  The re-recorded version of "Radio Free Europe" was the first single from "Murmur". It was the first R.E.M. single to reach the charts, peaking at number 78 on the "Billboard" singles chart and remaining on the chart for five weeks. The song also reached number 25 on the "Billboard" Top Tracks chart.  A live performance at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada, from July 9, 1983, was released on the 2008 Deluxe Edition reissue of "Murmur".

Music video.

At the request of MTV, the 1983 single was accompanied by a music video, directed by Arthur Pierson. The video took place in the garden of artist Howard Finster, who would go on to paint the album cover for the band's second album, "Reckoning".

Track listings.

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.

"Radio Free Europe" is the debut single by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The song features "what were to become the trademark unintelligible lyrics which have distinguished R.E.M.'s work ever since." The single received critical acclaim, and its success earned the band a record deal with I.R.S. Records. R.E.M. re-recorded the song for their 1983 debut album "Murmur". The re-recording for I.R.S. became the group's first charting single, peaking at number 78 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. The song is ranked number 389 in "Rolling Stone"'s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2010, it was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for setting "the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio's general indifference." The song was featured in the 1984 movie "The Party Animal".


History.

As Howard Staunton observed, "In the earlier ages of chess, the board was simply divided into sixty-four squares, without any difference of colour". The checkering of the squares was a European innovation, introduced in the thirteenth century.  The convention of White having the first move is much more recent than that. François-André Danican Philidor in the original (1749) edition of his famous treatise "Analyse du jeu des Échecs" cited one game in which Black moved first. Johann Horny, in a book published in Germany in 1824, wrote that Black moves first. Phillip Sergeant wrote in his book "A History of British Chess" of the great Alexander McDonnell (1798–1835), remembered today for his series of matches with Labourdonnais: He preferred to have Black, as first player as well as second... this was a common fad in his day, which persisted with a great number of players, as a study of the "Chess Players' Chronicle" and other magazines shows. In the Immortal Game (Anderssen-Kieseritzky, offhand game, London 1851), one of the most famous games in history, Anderssen had the Black pieces but moved first. He also took the Black pieces but moved first in the sixth, eighth, and tenth games of his famous 1858 match against Paul Morphy. Each of those games began 1.a3 e5 2.c4, when Anderssen was effectively playing the Sicilian Defense with an extra tempo.  As late as the mid-to-late 19th century, the practice of White moving first had not yet become standard. George Walker in his popular treatise "The Art of Chess-Play: A New Treatise on the Game of Chess" (4th edition 1846), set forth the rules of London's St. George's Chess Club in June, 1841. "Law III" provided that the player who moved first had the choice of color; if the players played more games at the same sitting, the first move would alternate, but each player would continue to use the same colored pieces as he had in the first game. Staunton observed in 1871 that "many players still cultivate the foolish habit of playing exclusively with one colour."  On October 19, 1857, Mr. Perrin, the Secretary of the New York Chess Club, informed those assembled at the First American Chess Congress that he had received a letter from Johann Löwenthal, a leading English master, "suggesting the advisableness of always giving the first move in public games, to the player of the white pieces." Löwenthal also wrote that London's chess clubs had adopted a new rule that White always moves first. The club evidently did not follow Löwenthal's advice, since in its match the following year against its Philadelphia counterpart, Philadelphia played White in both games, but moved first only in the second game.  Chess historian Robert John McCrary writes that the earliest rule he has found requiring that White move first is Rule 9 given on page 126 of the New York, 1880 tournament book, which specified, "In each round the players shall have the first move alternately; in the first game it shall be determined by lot. The one having the move, in every case, is to play with the white pieces." McCrary observes: Prior to that, it had gradually become conventional, over a number of years, to have White move first in published analysis, and by about 1862 to have White move first in all published games. But it was evident that players could in many cases choose Black when they had the first move, even if the published game-score indicated that White had moved first.  Three years after the example cited by McCrary, the "Revised International Chess Code" issued at the London 1883 tournament (one of the strongest in history) provided that the player who won by lot the right to move first had the choice of color.  In 1889 Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, wrote that "In all international and public Chess matches and tournaments... it is the rule for the first player to have the white men". Emanuel Lasker, the second World Champion, stated in "Lasker's Manual of Chess" (first published in 1927) that "White makes the first move".

First-move advantage.

There has been a debate among chess players since at least 1846 about whether playing first gives White a significant advantage. Statistical analysis shows that White scores between 52 and 56 percent at most levels of play, with White's margin increasing as the standard of play improves.

In chess, the player who moves first is referred to as "White" and the player who moves second is referred to as "Black". Similarly, the pieces that each conducts are called, respectively, "the white pieces" and "the black pieces". The pieces are often not literally white and black, but some other colors (usually a light color and a dark color, respectively). The 64 squares of the chessboard, which is colored in a checkered pattern, are likewise referred to as "white squares" or "light squares" on the one hand, and "black squares" or "dark squares" on the other. In most cases, the squares are not actually white and black, but a light color and a contrasting dark color. For example, the squares on plastic boards are often off-white ("buff") and green, while those on wood boards are often light brown and dark brown.


Overview.

The rubric "cultural" anthropology is generally applied to ethnographic works that are holistic in spirit, oriented to the ways in which culture affects individual experience, or aim to provide a rounded view of the knowledge, customs, and institutions of a people. "Social" anthropology is a term applied to ethnographic works that attempt to isolate a particular system of social relations such as those that comprise domestic life, economy, law, politics, or religion, give analytical priority to the organizational bases of social life, and attend to cultural phenomena as somewhat secondary to the main issues of social scientific inquiry.  Sociocultural anthropology, which we understand to include linguistic anthropology, is concerned with the problem of difference and similarity within and between human populations. The discipline arose concomitantly with the expansion of European colonial empires, and its practices and theories have been questioned and reformulated along with processes of decolonization. Such issues have re-emerged as transnational processes have challenged the centrality of the nation-state to theorizations about culture and power. New challenges have emerged as public debates about multiculturalism, and the increasing use of the culture concept outside of the academy and among peoples studied by anthropology. These are not "business-as-usual" times in the academy, in anthropology, or in the world, if ever there were such times.  Questions about cultural processes and theorizing about "human nature" escape the boundaries of anthropology as a discipline. The major paradigms framing cultural difference and human universals are profoundly contested; migrations, political collapses and social reorganizations transform the context in which the production of cultural meanings and theories of culture have been embedded and reproduced. For many of us, this is a moment in which it is necessary to take up the sort of broad challenges with which our disciplinary predecessors struggled – to redefine the field of inquiry and research in relation to debates that have enormous significance in our own lives and those of the people we study.

Sociocultural anthropology is a portmanteau used to refer to social anthropology and cultural anthropology together. Some universities, such as Boston University and New York University, link them together into one major of study.


Background.

From 1973 to 1975, Kiss released three albums: "Kiss", "Hotter than Hell", and "Dressed to Kill". Although the three albums helped establish a cult following in the Rust Belt, they were commercial failures. Guitarist Paul Stanley attributed the low sales to Kiss' weak sound when they were in the studio versus when they were in concert. According to Stanley: "I never thought any of our first three albums captured the intensity of what the band was going for or was. And it was a problem because people would come to see us and many of them weren't buying our albums." Kiss was famous for its elaborate stage performances, where the band members would wear kabuki-style makeup, use pyrotechnics, and spit fake blood. Bassist Gene Simmons said that because of Kiss' notoriety, they were kicked off of multiple tours with groups like Argent, Black Sabbath, and Savoy Brown because they were afraid to play after Kiss.  Kiss' record label, Casablanca Records, had similar financial issues. By 1974, Casablanca's profits were declining, so CEO Neil Bogart decided to release a double album of audio highlights from "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", a show that averaged fourteen million viewers a night. Casablanca shipped 750,000 copies, but the album was an enormous failure. Distributors mailed back their free copies, and Casablanca co-founder Larry Harris said: "It hit the floor with a lifeless, echoing thud." The failure negatively affected many acts signed with Casablanca, including Kiss; the band only received $15,000 advance for the first three albums, and had yet to receive any royalties. As a result of the breach of contract, Kiss began looking at other labels to sign with, and a lawsuit was eventually filed against Bogart.  In a last-ditch effort to save the label, Bogart decided to capitalize on Kiss' onstage notoriety and have the band record a live album. Kiss' manager Bill Aucoin was receptive toward the idea, as he felt the band could finally achieve the sound they strove for. He also liked the fact that a live recording would be less expensive than a studio recording. The band members also liked the idea, and within a few days Bogart arranged the Dressed to Kill Tour. Bogart could not finance the tour however, so Aucoin paid for the entire tour with his own money, a total of $300,000.

Recording.

"Alive!" was recorded over four stops on the Dressed to Kill Tour: May 16 at Cobo Arena in Detroit; June 21 at Cleveland Music Hall in Cleveland; July 20 at RKO Orpheum Theater in Davenport; and July 23 at Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood. The seventy-eight minute double album comprises sixteen songs from the band's first three albums. The live performances featured elaborate setups. For example, during the song "100,000 Years", crew members used flamethrowers to engulf the stage in a ring of fire, and Peter Criss' drum kit rose high above the other band members.  Kiss' wild and energetic stage presence did not translate well to the live recordings. Stanley and Simmons had several miscues, such as playing the wrong chords, knocking over mics, and not singing directly into the mic. Producer Eddie Kramer knew that significant dubbing was needed to make the album sound good. For many years, Kiss denied the use of dubbing on "Alive!". In Simmons 2001 autobiography, he said: "There have always been rumors that the "Alive!" record was substantially reworked in the studio. It's not true... what we wanted, and what we got, was proof of the band's rawness and power." It was not until 2003 episode of "Ultimate Albums" that Kiss admitted to overdubbing. Stanley said: "What we felt was necessary was to capture the enegrity of the performance, not necessarily having it note for note of what actually happened." Simmons said: "Most people assume it was all live, it wasn't."  Kiss rerecorded parts of the album at Electric Lady Studios in August. The live recordings were so heavily altered, only Criss' drum tracks remained untouched. Even the audience was doctored, as Kramer spliced together the best cheers and screams from various Kiss performances. The band wanted the listener to feel like they were in fact in the audience watching the show, and since directly recording an audience would not sound good, this was considered to be the next best solution.

Release.

"Alive!" was released on September 10, 1975. The packaging featured a gatefold sleeve, a tour program with photos, and hand written notes from the four band members. Five days after its release, Aucoin informed Bogart that Kiss was going to leave Casablanca. In response, Bogart signed a two million dollar check to retain the band.

Re-release.

"Alive!" was originally reissued as a double-CD set in what has now become known as a "fatboy" 2CD case. When the Kiss back catalog was remastered, it was housed in a slimline 2CD case and, in keeping with the rest of the reissue program, had the artwork restored. "Alive!" was re-released in 2006 as part of the "Kiss Alive! 1975–2000" box set. The short running time of "Alive!" allowed for a single, unedited CD edition in that release. The remastered CD edition eliminated the breaks between the four sides of the original LP release, resulting in that version of the album playing as one continuous performance. The 72-page booklet packaged with the CD set erroneously credited songwriting for "Cold Gin" to Stanley instead of Ace Frehley.

Critical reception.

Greg Prato of AllMusic rated the album 4.5 stars out of 5 and stated that "Alive! remains Kiss' greatest album ever." "Village Voice" critic Robert Christgau rated the album a B-, stating that he and "the multimillion kids who are buying it" "fall into neither category" of those who regard the album "as a de facto best-of" and "those who regard it as the sludge."  In "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide", the album was rated 4 out of 5 stars. It was called "a nonstop Kiss-krieg of two-note guitar motifs, fake-sounding audience noise, and inspirational chitchat," but it was then restated as the next best thing to being there, clearly." Jason Josephes of Pitchfork rated it 10 out of 10 points, and said that "the album may seem like a joke, mainly because it contains every arena rock cliche in the book," but called it "total sonic proof of Kiss climbing their apex."  "Alive!" peaked at No. 9 on the "Billboard" 200 album charts, and charted for 110 weeks, by far the longest in the band's history. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 159 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. In 2006, it was placed at No. 26 on "Guitar World" magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time. In 2009, the same magazine placed it at No. 3 on their list of Top 10 Live Albums.  ""Alive!" was the first album I ever bought," Soundgarden's Kim Thayil told "Guitar World" in 1992. "And I wasn't alone: you can hear their influence all over metal and punk."  "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Live)

Alive! is the first live album, and fourth overall, by American hard rock band Kiss. It is considered to be their breakthrough and a landmark for live albums. Released on September 10, 1975, the double-disc set contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums, "Kiss", "Hotter Than Hell" and "Dressed to Kill". It was recorded at concerts in Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Wildwood, New Jersey; and Davenport, Iowa on May 16, June 21, July 20 and July 23, 1975.


History.

Leoš Janáček attempted to establish and improve high musical education in Brno from his early age. In 1881, he founded the "Organ School", however, it was just the beginning of his efforts in this field. The conservatory was established by joining the Organ School, music school of "Beseda brněnská", and music school of "Vesna" (women's educational association based in Brno). Initially, it was situated in a "greek villa", on the corner of the streets of Smetanova and Kounicova. It was the former seat of the Organ School (from 1907). Janáček was the first director of the conservatory, but the school gained its current seat only during the directorship of his successor, Jan Kunc. The building of the conservatory was designed in 1899 in the style of Neo-Renaissance by German Wanderley. It was the seat of the German Teachers Institute, founded by the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The commemorate plaque at the building reads: "„Kaiser Franz Josef I. widmete dieses Haus der Bildung von Volksschullehrern 1872."" ("The Emperor Franz Josef I dedicated this house to build the public teaching 1872").  During the period of German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the school became an important centre of Czech and Moravian cultural tradition.  Jan Kunc remained the director until 1945. Other important directors include pianist and musicologist Ludvík Kundera and music theorist and composer Zdeněk Blažek.  From 1919 to 1928, Brno Conservatory had two masterclasses intended for composers and pianists. The official status of the school was lower than university level, however, the quality of the courses was reasonably good.  The dance department was a part of the conservatory from 1946. The department was separated and became independent in 1986.  As of 2011, Brno Conservatory has classes for all instruments of the standard symphony orchestra. Additionally, the school provides teaching of guitar, accordion, cimbalom, recorder, composition, conducting and singing.  Brno Conservatory regularly organizes concerts and theatre performances and collaborates with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Brno Conservatory, also Brno Conservatoire (), was established in Brno on 25 September 1919 by Moravian composer Leoš Janáček.


Life.

Alexander Dukhnovych was born in the village of Topolya, Kingdom of Hungary (now Topoľa in Eastern Slovakia). The son of a Greek Catholic priest, he went to a Hungarian school in Ungvár (now Uzhhorod) (1816 to 1821). Later Alexander studied philosophy at an academy in Kassa (now Košice) (1821–1823), and theology at the Theological Seminary in Ungvár (Uzhhorod) (1824–1827).  In (1827–1830 and 1832), Dukhnovych worked as an archivist and a teacher. Later, in 1833-1838, he worked as a Greek Catholic priest in remote villages of Carpathian Ruthenia (present-day Zakarpattia oblast of Ukraine) and as a notary in Ungvár (Uzhhorod) (1838–1844). Dukhnovych started to write poems in his early years. He wrote in the Ruthenian, Russian, and Hungarian languages. His early works are said to have been influenced by Hungarian Romanticism.  Dukhnovych supported education and cultural revival of Carpathian Ruthenians. He saw his role as a defender of Ruthenian culture against Magyarization. In 1850 Dukhnovych established the first Ruthenian cultural association, the Eperjes (now Prešov) Literary Society. The society under his guidance published a series of books. His most famous patriotic poem "Ia rusyn byl, ies'm i budu" (I Was, Am, and Will Be a Ruthenian) was published as part of an anthology in 1851. This poem would later become the national anthem of Carpatho-Ruthenians. Dukhnovych also published a number of pedagogical and religious books, elementary school textbook and a Grammar. His most famous scholarly works were "The History of the Eparchy of Prjašev" (1877), originally published in Latin and later translated in Russian and English, and a "History of Carpathian Ruthenians" (1853).  His last years were devoted to development of education and schooling among local Ruthenians. In an effort to forestall the Magyarization of the Ruthenian population Dukhnovych founded in Eperjes (Prešov) together with Adolf Dobryansky the St. John the Baptist Society (1862). On March 30, 1865 Dukhnovych died in Eperjes (Prešov).

Assessment.

Dukhnovych is regarded to be one of the outstanding Ruthenian humanists and educators. In the words of Ivan Franko "he made everything so that forgotten Ruthenians revived spiritually". His views were based on Christian principles and idealism.  Dukhnovych also actively participated in the Russophile movement in the territory of today's Western Ukraine at the end of the 19th century. Even though Dukhnovych wrote in the local language he did not believe it to be a separate language nor did he wish to contribute to a creation of a literary language of Carpathian Ruthenians. Instead Dukhnovych wrote his scholarly works in a peculiar dialect called iazychie made of Church-Slavonic and local Lemko-Rusyn.

Alexander Vasilyevich Dukhnovych (, "Aleksander Vasyl’jevyč Duxnovič";, "Oleksandr Vasylovych Dukhnovych"; ;, "Aleksandr Vasilevich Dukhnovich"; 24 April 1803 – 30 March 1865) was an Transcarpathian Ruthenian priest, poet, writer, pedagogue, and social activist of the Russophile orientation. He is considered as the awakener (Rusyn: Будитиль, "Budytyl’") of the Rusyns.


Background.

Chad is a landlocked country in Africa whose northern region lies within the eastern reaches of the Sahara Desert and whose southern region lies within the eastern portion of the Sahel. It borders Libya to the south, Niger to the east, Sudan to the west, and the Central African Republic to the north. Chad was originally part of French West Africa until 1960, when it declared independence. Some four years later, the former French colony made its début at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. For the next three decades, Chad became embroiled in civil war and experienced invasions by Libya and upheavals by Sudanese-backed rebels; the civil war ended in 1990, although rebel threats had persisted between then and 2008. During Chad's greatest era of instability, athletes from the country did not attend the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal, Quebec, Canada or the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR, although delegations were sent to all other games between 1964 and 2008.  The largest Chadian delegation to reach the Olympics appeared in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain; each time, Chad's National Olympic Committee sent six athletes. During the 1992 games, the NOC sent the nation's first female Olympian. Since then (and up to the Beijing games), at least one woman has been a part of the Chadian delegation. The smallest contingency of Chadian Olympians occurred during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, when only Kaltouma Nadjina competed on the country's behalf. The delegation that arrived in Beijing consisted of two athletes—one man (30-year-old Moumi Sébergué) and one woman (15-year-old Hinikissia Albertine Ndikert), both participants in track events. Ndikert was Chad's flagbearer at the ceremonies. Up to and including the Beijing games, there has yet to have been a medalist from Chad.

Athletics.

Competitors in athletics events could qualify for the next round of competition in two ways. Qualifying by right was posting a high result in their own heat, and qualifying by result was posting a high result in overall standings. Ranks shown are thus those within each heat, not in overall standings.  Moumi Sébergué represented Chad at the Beijing Olympics in the men's 100 meters dash. Born in 1977, Sébergué first participated in the Olympics at age 22 when he raced in the men's 100 meters at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, placing seventh in his qualification heat and not progressing to later rounds. He did not attend the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, but returned to the Olympics at Beijing at the age of 30. During the course of the August 14, 2008 races in his event, when the qualification round took place, Sébergué competed in the tenth heat against seven other athletes. He finished the race in 11.14 seconds, placing seventh in the heat ahead of Tuvalu's Okinali Tinilau (11.48 seconds) and behind Gabon's Wilfried Bingangoye (10.87 seconds) in a heat led by the Netherlands Antilles' Churandy Martina (10.35 seconds) and Japan's Naoki Tsukahara (10.39 seconds). Of the 80 athletes who participated in the events, the Chadian sprinter ranked 70th. He did not advance to later rounds.  Hinikissia Albertine Ndikert competed on Chad's behalf as the national delegation's only female athlete at the Beijing games. She participated in the women's 100 meters dash, and was 15 years old at the time of the competition. Ndikert had not previously competed in any Olympic games. During the qualification round of the event, which took place on August 15, 2008, Ndikert competed in the eighth heat against seven other athletes. She finished the race in 12.55 seconds, placing seventh; she defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Franka Magali (12.57 seconds) and fell behind Papua New Guinea's Mae Koime (11.68 seconds) in a heat led by Nigeria's Damola Osayomi (11.13 seconds) and the Bahamas' Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (11.17 seconds). Of the event's 85 competitors, Ndikert finished in 64th place. Therefore, Ndikert did not advance to round two and beyond.

Chad sent a delegation of two athletes to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China: Moumi Sébergué, who competed in the men's 100 meters, and Hinikissia Albertine Ndikert, who competed in the women's 100 meters and also bore the Chadian flag during ceremonies. The appearance of this delegation marked the tenth appearance of Chad at the Summer Olympics, the first been in 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and its seventh appearance since its Olympic hiatus between 1976 and 1980. Both Sébergué and Ndikert ranked seventh in their respective heats and did not advance past the qualification round. As of the end of the 2012 London Olympics, there have been no medalists from Chad.


Definitions.

When a penis is inserted into a vagina, it is generally called vaginal or sexual intercourse. When a penis penetrates another person's anus, it is called anal sex or anal intercourse. Penetrative oral sex may involve penetration of the mouth by a penis (fellatio) or the use of the tongue to penetrate a woman's vagina or vulva (cunnilingus). The tongue may also penetrate the anus during anilingus, which is a form of oral and anal sex. If one or more fingers are used to penetrate an orifice, it is called fingering or digital penetration. The insertion of an object, such as a dildo, vibrator or other sex toy, into a person's genital area or anus may also be considered sexual penetration.

Unlawful.

Penetrative sex crimes are generally considered more serious than non-penetrative sex crimes, and sexual penetration of a child even more so. A child below the statutory age of consent generally cannot consent to acts involving sexual penetration. In laws, the term "sexual penetration" is commonly used in relation to sex with children. Unlawful sexual penetration is generally an offense irrespective of how deep the penetration was and irrespective of whether ejaculation of semen took place.  Laws may distinguish particular forms of sexual penetration as part of the offense. For example, the law in the U.S. state of Oregon provides: In the United Kingdom, sexually penetrating a relative is an offense.  Various forms of penetration have at times been considered obscene and been prohibited. Works containing such penetrations may be considered pornography.

Sexual penetration is the insertion of a body part or other object into a body orifice, such as the vagina, anus or mouth, as part of human sexual activity or animal sexual behavior.