Early life.

Gavaris was born and raised in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. His father is a Greek immigrant, who worked for the Toronto District School Board before leaving to develop real estate in Toronto. His mother was born in Canada, and is of northern European descent. She formerly had a career with "The Globe and Mail". He is the youngest of three children.

Career.

Gavaris made his feature film debut in the Canadian independent film, "45 R.P.M." opposite Michael Madsen, Kim Coates, and Amanda Plummer. In 2010, Gavaris co-starred in the Cartoon Network live-action series "Unnatural History". Gavaris also co-starred in the new original drama "Orphan Black" for BBC America and Canada's Space.  In 2010, Gavaris was honoured by "Playback", Panavision Canada, and The Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame by being named one of 2010's "Top Ten to Watch". Previous honourees include Nina Dobrev and Xavier Dolan.  In 2014, Gavaris won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor and also won a Constellation Award for best performance in an episode. On August 18, 2014, Gavaris was announced as the winner of the 2014 EWwy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.  In 2016, Gavaris appeared in a supporting role in the film "Sea of Trees", directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe, and 2017 saw him co-star with Lena Olin in the arthouse film "Maya Dardel". The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival to generally favorable reviews.

In the media.

The English accent Gavaris employs for his role as Felix Dawkins has been noted for its authenticity, despite Gavaris not being English. "Entertainment Weekly" writer Dalton Ross has stated that he is "not entirely convinced that it’s not his "normal" accent that he’s faking." Gavaris told Ross that Michiel Huisman, Jerome Flynn and Maria Doyle Kennedy all thought he was English:When I lost the affectation after the read-through, Maria [Kennedy] was shocked. I think using an accent or affectation has given me a freedom as Felix I may not have otherwise found. The role has been by far the most liberating experience that anyone my age could have. There are so few colorful characters for people my age, it's a real treat to get to experiment in character work.

Personal life.

Gavaris has been dating actor and screenwriter Devon Graye since September 2013.  Costa-Gavras (short for Konstantinos Gavras; Κωνσταντίνος Γαβράς; born 12 February 1933), a Greek-French film director and producer who lives and works in France, is a distant relative.

Jordan James Gavaris (born September 25, 1989) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Felix Dawkins in the BBC America and Space television series "Orphan Black" (2013–2017).


History.

In 1992, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall left Amblin Entertainment to form its own self-titled banner The Kennedy/Marshall Company with a 3-year first look deal at Paramount Pictures. The first film presented under the deal was Frank Marshall's film "Alive".  In 1994, they hired Maria B. Campbell Associates to act as a book and publishing consultant.  In 1995, the duo left Paramount Pictures with a three-year production deal at the Walt Disney Studios, which expired in 1998.  In 1997, the duo signed a deal with IMAX to produce a film around the 1998 Nagano Olympics.  In 1998, the company tried their first foray into television, signing a development pact with CBS to air Kennedy/Marshall's television shows for the network.  Later that same year, the studio left Disney for Universal Pictures, which the deal will go on for the next eleven years until 2009.  In 1999, Zanne Devine, formerly of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment joined the company.  In 2003, Michelle Sy, formerly of Miramax Films joined the company.  In 2005, Kennedy/Marshall entered its foray onto the Broadway fold to bring the Off Broadway revival "Hurlyburly" to Broadway.  In 2009, they left Universal Pictures for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Two years later, they left Sony Pictures for DreamWorks Pictures, which is ironically formed by Steven Spielberg, one of Kennedy and Marshall's former partners.  In 2012, Kathleen Kennedy, one of the founders of the company left to join Lucasfilm as president. That same year, they hired Grey Rembert to join as president of production.  During the same year, the studio signed a deal with CBS Television Studios to produce TV shows made for the company.

The Kennedy/Marshall Company (KM) is an American film-production company, based in Santa Monica, California, founded in 1992 by spouses Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.


Club career.

Colchester United.

Gerken was born in Rochford. He started his career at Southend United as a youngster before moving to Essex rivals Colchester United. As a teenager he attracted the attention of England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence. He made his first-team debut against Brentford in League One in 2004, as a stand-in for Simon Brown and Richard McKinney. In the 2004–05 season, replacing first-choice goalkeeper Aidan Davison, Gerken kept four clean sheets in 17 appearances.  More appearances in Colchester's successful 2005–06 campaign gave Gerken another four clean sheets, including the crucial 0–0 draw at Yeovil Town that clinched Colchester's promotion to the Football League Championship.  Gerken made the number one position his own as the over-achieving "U's" ended the 2006–07 season in tenth place. Gerken was crowned Colchester's "Young Player of the Year" for 2007. He signed an extended contract in July 2007, and played 40 League games during the 2007–08 season, at the end of which Colchester were relegated back to League One.

Darlington (loan).

On 15 January 2009, Gerken signed a one-month loan deal with League Two side Darlington. He went straight into the starting eleven for their next game, a 5–1 defeat of Luton Town.  Gerken returned to his parent club soon after, due to Darlington going into administration.

Bristol City.

On 30 June 2009, it was confirmed that Bristol City had completed the signing of Gerken for an undisclosed fee, to end his seven-season stay with Colchester United. Gerken was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure in the early hours of 25 October 2009 after he was allegedly spotted urinating in public.  Gerken made his final game for City on 12 January 2013, in a 4–0 defeat at home to Leicester City. His manager, Derek McInnes, was sacked after the same match due to a recent run of poor results. On 8 May 2013, Gerken was released by Bristol City along with third-choice keeper Lewis Carey.

Ipswich Town.

On 12 July 2013 Gerken joined Ipswich Town on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract. He made his debut for Ipswich Town in a 0–2 loss against Stevenage in the League Cup on 6 August 2013. Soon after he joined Ipswich he replaced Scott Loach as the first choice goalkeeper, starting 41 league games in his debut season at the club, keeping 10 clean sheets. However, with the arrival of fellow keeper Bartosz Białkowski in 2014, Gerken's first team play time would decrease gradually. Bialkowski's form would keep him out of the team for the next few seasons. On 28 June 2017, he signed a new two year contract with Ipswich.  He made just 1 league appearance in the 2017/18 season. However the following season, in a surprise move he was called back up to the starting lineup on 2 September 2018 in a match against Norwich and he remained in goal for a further 7 games before once again being dropped back to the bench following a mistake that led to an goal against QPR. He would make 10 further appearances in net during the season. After making 113 appearances for the Tractor Boys, it was announced on 20 May 2019 that his contract would not be renewed and he was released at the end of the season.

Return to Colchester United.

Following his release by Ipswich Town, Gerken re-signed for his first club Colchester United on 13 July 2019 on a free transfer. He made his return debut on 3 August in their 1–1 League Two draw with Port Vale. On 24 January 2020, Gerken made his 300th career appearance in a league match against Bradford City, which ended in a 0–0 draw.

Honours.

Colchester United  Individual

Dean Jeffery Gerken (born 22 May 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Colchester United.


Production.

Series co-creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak expressed a desire to produce a fifth season of "Chuck" as early as March 2011, when it was revealed that the fourth season finale would be titled "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger". Fedak later confirmed that the episode, as the title suggests, would have a cliffhanger ending leading into the fifth season. Despite a drastic decline in viewership, the series was renewed for a fifth and final season of 13 episodes on May 13, 2011. The season was scheduled to premiere October 21, 2011 and mark the transition of the series' timeslot from Monday nights to Friday nights at 8/7c, before being rescheduled to one week later, October 28. It was announced on September 8, 2011, that series star Zachary Levi would direct the fifth episode of the season. Levi had previously directed an episode each in the third and fourth seasons.

Cast.

Series stars Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, and Adam Baldwin all expressed an interest to reprise their roles of former Special Agents Charles "Chuck" and Sarah Bartowski, and Colonel John Casey, and an interview with Ryan McPartlin about the future of the series suggested he would also return as Dr. Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb. Chris Fedak later confirmed that Joshua Gomez would reprise his role of Morgan Grimes. The big-box store Buy More, which Chuck purchased in the fourth-season finale, is also featured in the fifth season, with Mark Christopher Lawrence, Scott Krinsky, and Vik Sahay reprising their roles as Michael "Big Mike" Tucker, Jeffrey "Jeff" Barnes, and Lester Patel, respectively. It was confirmed at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International that Sarah Lancaster would also reprise her role as Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Bartowski Woodcomb.  John Casey was given a romantic interest in Gertrude Verbanski, the head of Carmichael Industries' biggest spy competition, Verbanski Corp., said by Fedak to be "the best spy company in the world". It was later announced that "The Matrix" actress Carrie-Anne Moss would play Verbanski. At Comic-Con, Fedak revealed his desire for Linda Hamilton to return as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski. It was later confirmed that she would appear in the final episode. Brandon Routh returned to the series as Daniel Shaw, a villain that the team had previously defeated. Angus Macfadyen appeared in the final four episodes as the series' final recurring villain, Nicholas Quinn. Other recurring cast members include Bonita Friedericy as Brigadier General Diane Beckman, the head of the NSA and an ally to Carmichael Industries, Mekenna Melvin as Alex McHugh, Casey's daughter and Morgan's girlfriend, and Richard Burgi as Clyde Decker, a CIA agent involved in a rogue operation to take down Chuck.  It was confirmed at the Comic-Con panel that "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill would play a villain in the fifth-season premiere. Comedian Craig Kilborn also appeared in the season premiere as Roger Bale, a dangerous man who steals money from other dangerous villains. "Lost"s Jeff Fahey and "Smallville"s Justin Hartley guest starred in the season's second episode, as Karl Sneijder, "the president and CEO of diamond giant Natal Jewelers," and his kidnapped brother Wesley, respectively. The fourth episode featured "The Office"s David Koechner and "The Shield"s Catherine Dent as Crazy Bob, "a jolly Buy More manager," and Jane Robertson, another Buy More manager and "a close friend of Bob's," respectively. The two cross paths with Chuck and Sarah at the company’s Employee of the Year Convention. The fifth episode featured cameo appearances by "Community"s Danny Pudi and Yvette Nicole Brown. The sixth episode featured Rebecca Romijn as Robyn Cunnings, a cold, cunning CIA agent known for her abrasive interrogation technique who is a member of a rogue group which tries to frame Chuck. Stan Lee portrayed himself in the seventh episode, encountering Chuck "in the most unexpected of places." The eighth episode featured Cheryl Ladd as Emma, Sarah's mother, and Tim DeKay as Kieran Ryker, Sarah's former handler. The tenth episode featured Bo Derek as herself. Mark Pellegrino returned in the final episode as a FULCRUM agent. Fedak has stated that the writers intended to include various guest stars from past episodes in cameo appearances in the finale, but that it was not possible to include them all.

Episodes.

<onlyinclude></onlyinclude

The fifth and final season of the American action-comedy television series "Chuck" was announced on May 13, 2011. It included 13 episodes. The season premiered on October 28, 2011 and concluded January 27, 2012 with a two-hour finale.


Early years.

Jones played football for East Lansing High School from 2000-2003. As a senior captain and team MVP, Jones was a First-team All-State selection and All-state Dream Team performer by the Detroit Free Press, when the Lansing State Journal also named him the Defensive Player of the Year. During his senior and junior years he earned First-team All-Conference (Capitol Area Athletic Conference), All-area and All-area Dream Team honors by the Lansing State Journal. The Detroit Free Press made him an All-State special mention honoree his junior year, as he also earned a spot on the First-team All-conference when he was a sophomore.  As a senior, he recorded 117 total tackles (79 solo), 18 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, two fumble recoveries (including one for a 70-yard touchdown), five forced fumbles, four interceptions (with one going for a 30-yard touchdown), 15 quarterback hurries and six pass deflections. On offense, where he also started at tight end, he reeled in 27 passes and five touchdowns for 501 yards. As a junior and dual starter once again, he compiled 110 total tackles (62 solo), 11 stuffs for loss, five sacks, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, five quarterback pressures, three pass breakups and one blocked field goal. He also caught 12 balls and one touchdown totaling 280 yards. During his sophomore season, he finished with 99 total stops (42 solo), six tackles for loss, two sacks, one recovered fumble, one interception, three quarterback hurries and one pass deflection, while also netting one reception for 30 yards. East Lansing was the 9-2 conference champs his senior year, 6-4 his junior season and 13-1 his sophomore year, losing in the second round of the state playoffs.  In addition to football, he lettered four years in track & field, where he competed in the 200-meter dash (21.7 career-best) and the 110m hurdles (14.32 career-best), earning All-area and All-regional runner-up honors as a junior. He also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore.

College career.

In 2008 Jones started all 12 games at outside linebacker, earning honorable mention All-Big 12; He was CU’s co-defensive player of the year, as selected by the coaches (Dave Jones Award). He racked up 78 tackles, of which 48 were solo and 14 for losses, including seven sacks. He also led the team in quarterback hurries with 14 and also forced two fumbles, had a pass breakup and three chasedowns (near sacks). In 2007, he started all 13 games including the Independence Bowl at the “sam” outside linebacker position, and posted 72 tackles on the year (45 solo), with six for losses including a pair of quarterback sacks. He also had nine third down stops, seven hurries, five tackles for zero and three passes broken up. In 2006, he played in all 12 games, starting 11 and he finished third on the team in tackles with 72 (41 solo). Though he had a season-low two stops at Kansas, he did make his first career interception against the Jayhawks. He had six third down stops on the season, and he was credited with half a quarterback sack against Iowa State, the first of his career. He also had two hurries and a pass broken up. In 2005, he played in all 13 games, including the Champs Sports Bowl (no starts), making 20 tackles on the year, including 16 solo and one for a loss, to go with two third down stops, a quarterback hurry and pass broken up. In 2004, he redshirted.

Professional career.

Green Bay Packers.

He was drafted by the Packers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and moved into a starting role during the 2009 season after a season-ending injury to Linebacker/Defensive End Aaron Kampman. Although taken in a lower round and didn't have many of the qualities expected for an NFL linebacker, Jones surprised many with a high degree of productive quality, producing four sacks and holding his own for the remainder of the season. His work ethic and moral standards are also thought very highly of with the Packers' coaching staff.  Jones became the permanent starting outside linebacker when Aaron Kampman signed on with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2010 offseason. He remained the starter at outside right linebacker before he suffered a shoulder injury in a game against division rival Minnesota Vikings. He was placed on injured reserve three days later.  In the January 1, 2012, regular season finale versus the Detroit Lions, Jones tackled very roughly a 15-year-old boy who had run onto the field.  Following the 2011-2012 season, the Packers moved Jones to inside linebacker, where he earned a roster spot as mainly a special teams player. Following season ending injuries to Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith, Jones started every game from week 6 on, including the playoffs, he went on to have his best season as a pro, recording 77 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 passes defensed and one forced fumble. After The 2012-2013, The Packers re-signed Jones to a 3 year $11.25 million dollar contract extension, and released Desmond Bishop, which put Jones and A. J. Hawk atop the depth-chart for the Packers at middle linebacker for the 2013-2014 season. On February 20, 2015, he was released by the Packers.

Philadelphia Eagles.

On March 2, 2015, Jones signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. On November 11, 2015, Jones was cut from his contract with the Eagles.

Personal life.

Jones is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Bradley Edward Jones (born April 1, 1986) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and played college football at Colorado. With the Packers, he was part of their Super Bowl XLV team that beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.


List of Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons

Early squadrons.

These early squadron numbers have a history going back to the post-First World War Canadian Air Force which disbanded in 1920. These units were formed after the creation of the RCAF in 1924.

100-series squadrons.

Established in Canada in the 1930s most of these units were either disbanded or reassigned a 400 series number for overseas service.

400-series squadrons.

During the Second World War, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) set out co-operation between the various British Commonwealth air forces. Under Article XV of the BCATP, RCAF squadrons were attached to and/or formed within British RAF operational formations. These squadrons were known as 'Article XV squadrons'. To avoid confusion with squadron numbers of other Commonwealth squadrons, RCAF units were assigned squadron numbers from 400-449. Not all squadrons up No. 449 were formed, however. This squadron series continued through the post-war years, and the majority of current Royal Canadian Air Force operational squadrons are still numbered in the 400s due to their legacy as wartime units. For this historical reason current squadrons are listed here with their original RCAF names.

600-series squadrons.

During the Second World War pilots who served in the 600-series RCAF squadrons were recruited from the Royal Canadian Artillery in England and Italy, and trained to fly at 22 E.F.T.S. Cambridge (England), completing their operational flying training at 43 O.T.U. (RAF Andover). Observers were trained at Larkhill (England); these were selected 'Other Ranks' from the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Artillery. The three Canadian 'Air Observation Post' squadrons operated under the command of 70 Group, RAF Fighter Command; the first two squadrons saw action while serving with 84 Group, Second Tactical Air Force.

Post-war squadrons.

Subsequent to the Second World War the RCAF expanded their squadron numbers to include 444-450. No. 450 was also a Royal Australian Air Force squadron during the war and the Canadian squadron duplicated the number by error, which was discovered when No. 450 Squadron RCAF was formed in 1968.

The Royal Canadian Air Force existed from 1924 to 1968, later designated "Canadian Forces Air Command" under the Canadian Forces, and then renamed to its original historic name of "Royal Canadian Air Force" in 2011. These are the squadrons that have served with Canada's air force since 1924.


Promotion and relegation.

Promotion was automatic, with the three lowest placed sides in the 1981 league (Takapuna City, Woolston WMC, and Rangers) replaced by the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (East Coast Bays, Napier City Rovers, and Invercargill Thistle respectively).

Team performance.

The league's top five positions were filled by the same teams which had finished in the top five in the 1981 league, though those five teams finished in a different order. The league overall was marked by a high proportion of drawn games (39 out of 132 fixtures), and was severely disrupted by New Zealand's participation in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.  Mount Wellington comfortably finished top, remaining undefeated at home and only losing one away game. The Mount's Keith Nelson was the league's top scorer with 15 goals, the fourth time he had achieved that feat. Seven points back were Hanimex North Shore United, who had remarkably different home and away records. They won 10 of their 11 home games, but only won one on the road, drawing seven. Dunedin City held on to third place from Gisborne City. The Dunedinites' season was marked with a large number of low-scoring games, over half of their matches finishing either 1–0 or 1–1. As in the 1981 season, Gisborne were badly affected by the World Cup, which left it with a severe backlog of games. Despite this, they still managed to finish fourth.  1981 Champions Wellington Diamond United were let down by their poor away form. Only one away win meant they could finish no higher than fifth. The team lacked striking power which further hampered their chances. Miramar Rangers started the season slowly, but improved in form as the season progressed to finish two places higher than in their debut season of 1981. Christchurch United's season was marked by a plethora of draws. It managed to recover from the danger of relegation mid-season through a nine-match unbeaten run at the end of the campaign. Napier City Rovers' first match in the top flight saw them docked a point for fielding an unregistered player—the 1–1 result (against Manurewa) was subsequently amended to a 1–0 win to the Aucklanders. This was the first time such a point deduction had been made in the league's history. Despite this, Napier had a satisfactory debut season, only losing one home game and scoring more goals than several higher-finishing teams.  Manurewa was, like Gisborne, badly affected by the New Zealand World Cup campaign, and its backlog of matches left it struggling to avoid relegation. A run of four straight wins aided its cause, and even a late-season slump was not enough to see it go down. After several seasons in the lower reaches of the table, Hamilton's luck finally ran out and they were consigned to the drop along with league newcomers East Coast Bays and Invercargill Thistle. Bays' season started with five straight losses, and despite a brief rally after that they soon slipped back down with a run of poor results. The final position went to the league's southernmost ever participant. Thistle's season started and ended with good results, but between these was a dreadful succession of results gaining the club just six points in 19 fixtures.

The 1982 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 13th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Mount Wellington comfortably won the league for a fifth time, finishing seven points clear of second-placed Hanimex North Shore United. This was the last season in which a win scored two points; from 1983 wins were worth three points.


Life.

Early career.

Although the year of his birth is uncertain, it is known that Du Shi was born in Henei, Henan province. Du Shi became an Officer of Merit in his local commandery before receiving an appointment in 23 as a government clerk under Gengshi Emperor (r. 23–25), following the revolt against the Xin Dynasty usurper Wang Mang (r. 9–23). However, Du soon after swore his allegiance to Emperor Guangwu of Han (r. 25–57), who is considered the true founder of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220).

Censorate officer.

Under Emperor Guangwu, Du Shi was appointed as an officer in the Censorate and was in charge of monitoring affairs and upholding law and order within the new capital at Luoyang. When the undisciplined troops of the military officer Xiao Guang (d. 26) ran rampant in the capital city and terrorized its inhabitants without any perceivable action on Xiao's part to prevent it, Du Shi had him arrested. Du had Xiao summarily executed without explicit consent from the throne, sending in a report of the event only after the execution. Guangwu was not displeased with this, as he called him into court to grant him an insignia which justified his actions. Shortly after this event, the bandit leader Yang Yi (d. 26) caused a major disturbance in Hedong Commandery, which Du Shi was sent to quell. When word of the arrival of Du Shi's forces in the region, Yang Yi planned to flee across the Yellow River. However, Du Shi anticipated this, sending a raiding party to burn the boats Yang Yi intended to use for his escape. After conscripting troops from Hedong Commandery, Du Shi led a surprise ambush with a cavalry unit that dispersed Yang's bandits and annihilated them.

Administrator.

For three years, Du served as a county magistrate in Henan province where his administration gained wide acclaim from provincial authorities. Afterwards, Du distinguished himself as a Commandant in Pei and in Runan. In 31 he was appointed as an administrator over Nanyang. While serving there, he had an array of dykes and canals built for land reclamation and growth of local agriculture. It is here that he also developed a water-powered reciprocator for bellows in smelting cast iron, a machine which reportedly saved an enormous amount of physical labor. It is recorded that the locals were so fond of him that they often referred to him as "Mother Du" and compared him to noteworthy figures of history, such as Shao Xinchen of the Western Han era.  Du Shi was by all means a local administrator, yet he also made recommendations to the imperial court on policy issues. He recommended that the Tiger Tallies system be reinstated. This was a means for imperial authorities to check possible official corruption in the forgery of mobilization of troops for war. Du also nominated several minor officials he deemed worthy as candidates for higher posts in the capital, including Fu Zhang. In a memorial of 37, he urged the court to consider Fu as the next Imperial Secretary.

Death.

Du Shi's reputation was somewhat stymied in 38 when he was accused of having one of his retainers sent to kill a man out of vengeance for his brother. In that same year, Du became ill and died. Despite Du's long-standing official career, the Director of Retainers Bao Yong reported that no proper funeral ceremony could be arranged for Du, since Du was nearly broke when he died. However, the Emperor had an imperial edict made which granted Du a proper funeral ceremony at his commandery residence in the capital, along with silk to pay for the expenditures.

The Water-Powered Blast Furnace.

Book of Later Han account.

The engineer and statesman Du Shi is mentioned briefly in the "Book of Later Han" ("Hou Han Shu") as follows (in Wade-Giles spelling):  Donald B. Wagner writes that there is no remaining physical evidence of the bellows which Du Shi used, so modern scholars are still unable to determine whether or not they were made of leather or giant wooden fans as described later in the 14th century.

Spread of Use.

The historical text "Sanguo Zhi" (Records of the Three Kingdoms) records the use of both human labor and horse-power to operate metallurgic bellows of a blast furnace before water-power was applied. It also records that the engineer and Prefect of Luoling Han Ji (d. 238) reinvented a similar water-powered bellows that Du Shi had earlier pioneered. Two decades after this, it is recorded that another design for water-powered bellows was created by Du Yu (222–285). In the 5th-century text of the "Wu Chang Ji", its author Pi Ling wrote that a planned, artificial lake had been constructed in the Yuanjia reign period (424–429) for the sole purpose of powering water wheels aiding the smelting and casting processes of the Chinese iron industry. The 5th-century text "Shui Jing Zhu" mentions the use of rushing river water to power waterwheels, as does the Tang Dynasty (618–907) geography text of the "Yuanhe Jun Xian Tu Chi", written in 814 AD.  Although Du Shi is the first historical figure to apply water power to metallurgic bellows, the oldest extant Chinese illustration depicting such a device in operation can be seen in a picture of the "Nong Shu", printed by 1313 AD during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) of China. The text was written by Wang Zhen, who explained the methods used for a water-powered blast-furnace (Wade-Giles spelling):

Du Shi (, d. 38) was a Chinese inventor, mechanical engineer, metallurgist, and politician of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Du Shi is credited with being the first to apply hydraulic power (i.e. a waterwheel) to operate bellows (air-blowing device) in metallurgy. His invention was used to operate piston-bellows of the blast furnace and then cupola furnace in order to forge cast iron, which had been known in China since the 6th century BC. He worked as a censorial officer and administrator of several places during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of Han. He also led a brief military campaign in which he eliminated a small bandit army under Yang Yi (d. 26).


History.

The Laval Comets is founded in 2005 by Pierre Marchand ( a businessman of Laval), following the demise of Montreal Xtreme (2004) and Dynamites de Laval (1997-2001). Pierre Marchand joins to 3 partners ( Montreal Impact, Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne, and the Fédération de soccer du Québec ) who will allow to assure the team for period minimum of three years. The club set up as a non-profit organization owned by the 3 partners: This to assure the survival of the team for some years. In October 2005, the contacts are established with the W-League and a new franchising is granted to the group for the city of Laval. In November, 2005, a competition is thrown to find a name to the new team. Already a craze for the new team is tangible because hundred of names are subjected. And so the management of the club opts for the name "Comètes de Laval". In January 2006, the club confirms the first major sponsor joins the team (Grolsch beer). The presentation of team's colors shirts and the first players under contract takes place on March 8, 2006.

Players.

The Laval Comets have a wide range of talent, some from university, high school and others that currently play or have played for the Canadian National Team ( 7 Laval Comets players in the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship ). The season is short since most players play in Canadian and American universities, therefore it is designed to accommodate their schedules and ends the first week of August.

Rivalries.

Laval Comets have a big rivalry with Quebec City Amiral SC. Several former players of Comets play for the Amiral SC. In matches between the two teams, it is not uncommon for supporters to travel Montreal-Quebec city or Quebec city-Montreal to go to encourage her teams.

Supporters.

At the gate, the Comets had always been solid with average crowds of 500 fans. After disappointing season in 2009 (where the average gate was between 800 and 900 people), the attendance to the matches falls to 266 persons by match in 2010.  The all-time single game high is the 952 fans in attendance against Ottawa Fury Women (Friday evening July 4, 2008).

The Laval Comets () was a Canadian women's soccer team established in 2006 in the city of Laval, Quebec, Canada, a northern suburb of Montreal. The team was a member of the W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada.


History.

Lloyd's Botanical Garden was established in 1878 when of land was acquired at Darjeeling to form a botanic garden as a distant annexe of the Calcutta Botanical Garden. The land was provided by William Lloyd, in whose name the botanical garden has been named.

Location.

The Garden is situated just below the Eden Sanatorium in an open slope covering an area of about 40 acres, bound by Cart Road and Victoria Road on the North, by Jail Road and Hari Ghose Road on the south, by Eden sanatorium on the east and Victoria Road on the west. This Garden is one of the main attractions to the visitors to Darjeeling with a treasury of many rare and beautiful plants as well as patches of typical forest of tall Cryptomeria, Bucklandia and Alnus with thick mass of lianas and shrubby undergrowth. It is a favorite spot of recreation with vistas across some of the loveliest slopes, a paradise to the students and research workers in Botany and an eminent institution distributing the plants and seeds and specimens of temperate and sub-temperate Himalayas to different parts of the world.

Approach.

The botanical garden has four gates. Gate No:1 ( Iron Gate or Loachnagar gate) is approachable from the taxi stand. The road is very steep but shorter than the other approaches. Vehicles can reach this gate, but there is no parking facility. Gate No:2 (Staff gate) can be approached from the Sadar Police Station. This path is through the settlements and is narrow and can be reached on foot only. The road will lead to the staff quarters and a flight of stairs will lead to Gate No:2.Approaching Gate No:2 on foot is comparatively easier than reaching other gates on foot. Gate No:3 (Chandmari gate) can be reached through Haro Ghose road which passes through the bazaar. Vehicles can reach this gate, but no parking is available. Gate No:4 (Victoria gate) is on the Victoria road and provides entry for visitors entering from the Western side.

Collections.

The Darjeeling Botanical Garden preserves several species of bamboo, oak, magnolia, arisaema, cotoneaster, wild geranium, and rhododendron — forest native plants of the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, Sikkim region, and other neighbouring regions. Also, several exotic plants are preserved. The Cacti and Succulent collection of 150 species is displayed in the Conservatory. The collection of native Orchids from the Singalila Ridge in present-day Singalila National Park is rare and notable.  The Indian Botanical Garden Network's Garden code ascribed for this garden is WB-DBG.

References.

"Places of Interest in Darjeeling", Darjeelingnews.net. URL accessed on 8 May 2006.

Lloyd's Botanical Garden, or Darjeeling Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden in Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.


History.

The town of San Carlos de Río Negro was founded in 1759 around a mounted camp by the expedition captained by José Solano that moved to that area in the extent of the works of exploration of the limits between the Crowns of Portugal and Spain requested by the Treaty of Madrid. José Solano set up his exploration base in that place, in the margins of the Rio Negro, and there he settled with the few men that had survived the ascent along the Orinoco River, since most, including the famous Swedish botanist Pehr Löfling that accompanied the expedition, they had succumbed prey of the tropical diseases, especially the yellow fever.  San Carlos de Río Negro was visited from May 7 to May 10, 1800 for the expedition of Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland, constituting the most southern point of their (périplo) for the Amazon Basin.

Demographics.

The Río Negro Municipality, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, has a population of 2,660 (up from 2,314 in 2000). This amounts to 1.9% of the state's population. The municipality's population density is.

Government.

The mayor of the Río Negro Municipality is Luis Alirio Avaristo, elected on October 31, 2004 with 37% of the vote. Avaristo had been serving as the acting mayor of the Río Negro Municipality since August 13, 2002, following the resignation of Pedro Zerpa. The municipality is divided into four parishes; Capital Río Negro, Solano, Casiquiare, and Cocuy (previous to December 18, 1997, the Río Negro Municipality contained only a single parish).

The Río Negro Municipality () is one of the seven municipalities (municipios) that makes up the southern Venezuelan state of Amazonas and, according to the 2011 census by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 2,300.The town of San Carlos de Río Negro is the shire town of the Río Negro Municipality.


Overview.

Carole Bienaimé has 15 years of experience in the international Entertainment industry and fundraising. Since 1998 she has been involved in many international productions. Since 2007, besides her Producer & CIO position in April Snow Films & Capital, Carole Bienaimé serves as board member of COSIP Fund (annual budget: 583M€) at the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée (CNC) – the French public organisation part of the French Ministry of Culture that invests in Feature Films and TV Programmes. Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, Minister of Culture at that time, named her member of the board of the fund. Producer, advisor for international productions and coproductions, and financing expert, she was invited in 2010 by The Financial Times, to be part, as speaker, of the FT Business of Film Summit in Doha, Qatar, with other producers such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Mechanic, Jeremy Thomas, Mark Gordon, etc.  Beside all that, from February 2012 to January 2014 she was board member and Vice President at the French Producers Guild: USPA. Since March 2012, she's also a regular columnist on Le Huffington Post (in association with Le Monde group). The Editor in chief of the French version of The Huffington Post (Time Warner group) is managed by Anne Sinclair.  Previously in 2007 Carole Bienaimé was managing director and Producer at Elemiah, the production company of Yamina Benguigui and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière part of FIMALAC Group. In 2006 she became shareholder of B Pop LLP, the production company of Malcolm McLaren, the same year Fast Food Nation by Richard Linklater, a feature film based on the novel of Eric Schlosser, produced by Malcolm Maclaren and Jeremy Thomas was selected by Festival de Cannes to be part of the official competition. Before that, in 2004, she co-founded Productions Campagne Première, an international documentary films production company with Martin Meissonnier. Prior to this, in 2000 she was Head of fundraising & communications of Jacques Attali's international financing institution, PlaNet Finance, for which she also served as active Board member.  Carole Bienaimé established her career in 1998 in the film industry working as Production Manager at Productions Phares & Balises (Jean Labib & T. Celal) and with producer Marco Cherqui ("Un Prophète").  Since July 2010 Carole Bienaimé is Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts & des Lettres which is a French cultural honor from French Ministry of Culture, for people of artistic or literary creation or for the contribution they have made to the spread of arts and letters in France and the world. Carole has a master's degree in Law and International Relations and a MBA in Economics.

Filmography.

Feature films.

2012: "Heart of Blackness" by Valérie Tong-Cuong and Isabelle Boni-Claverie with Danny Glover, based on the novel "Où je Suis" by Valérie Tong-Cuong published by Éditions Grasset & Fasquelle 2006 : special advisor of Malcolm McLaren producer of "Fast Food Nation" a film by Richard Linklater, based on the novel of Eric Schlosser. Official competition at Festival de Cannes.

Documentary films.

2013 : "Abraham Lincoln, the roads to Freedom" by Carole Bienaimé (France Télévisions) 2012 : "Label & Life", a documentary TV series about creation with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Gaultier, etc. by David Carr-Brown, Carole Bienaimé and Alain Teulère (NRJ Group/ NRJ 12/ NRJ Paris) 2008 : "The Real Joan of Arc" by Martin Meissonnier (ARTE) 2007 : "Henri Leclerc au Nom de L'Homme", by Rémi Lainé, Empreintes (France 5) 2007: "Taking on Chanel" by Bren Simson (Al Jazeera English) 2004 : "On God's Right" by Martin Meissonnier (Canal + and SBS Australia) 2000 : "Fous d'Opéra" by Elizabeth Aubert (Canal +) 2000 : "All about E.U.? / Mein Gott Europa" by Nick Fraser and Ben Lewis (BBC and ARTE) 2000 : "Have you seen Jesus?" by Alix de Saint-André and Bernard Cazedepats (Canal+) 1999 : "Histoires d'en Sortir" by Didier Lannoy (ARTE and France 3) 1998 : "Journey to the Far Right" by Nick Fraser and Christian Poveda (BBC and ARTE) 1998 : "Le Saint-Suaire" by Didier Lannoy (France 3) 1998 : "Édouard Boubat" by Itaka Schlubach (Paris Première) 1998 : "Fashion : passion, sex and rebellion" by Jaci Judelson and Gideon Koppel (BBC and ARTE)

TV Fictions.

2007 : "Aïcha" by Yamina Benguigui (France 2)

Music Videos.

2000: "1,2,3 Soleils" (Khaled/Rachid Taha/Faudel) by Don't Kent (Barclay) 1999: Rodolphe Burger / "Unlimited marriage II" by Jacques Audiard (Chrysalis) 1999: "Kenza", by Claude Santiago with Khaled (Barclay Polygram) 1999: Femi Kuti / "Beng Beng Beng" by Yves Buclet (Barclay Polygram / Universal Music) 1999: Liberté de Circulation / GISTI / "Les petits papiers" by Jacques Audiard (Naïve) 1998: Alain Bashung / "Sommes-nous" by Jacques Audiard 1998: Alain Bashung / La nuit je mens by Jacques Audiard, Best music video at Victoire de la musique in 1999 (Barclay Polygram) 1998 : Johnny Hallyday / "Debout" by Xavier Durringer (Mercury Records / Universal Music)

Carole Bienaimé (alter name Carole Bienaimé-Besse), is a French producer (TV and Cinema) and a director. She is managing director of the production company and advisory firm, April Snow Films & Capital. Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, she was a board member of the Fund "Compte de Soutien de l'Industrie de Programmes Audiovisuels (COSIP)" at Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC). She was also Vice-President of major Producers Guild in France (USPA) and board member of French Producers Society (PROCIREP).


History.

Germany does not have a long tradition of small horse breeding; the only native small horse is the Dülmener. From the early twentieth century ponies and small horses were imported, mostly from Great Britain, and some private individuals started breeding from them. The Arenberg-Nordkirchen breed was started in 1923 by the then Duke of Arenberg as a semi-feral herd on his estates in Nordkirchen, near Münster in Westphalia. It was based on the Dülmener, from which he intended to create a small and elegant riding horse. His stock was small, with no more than about 40 mares. In 1968 the entire herd was sold to a breeder from Nordkirchen, who introduced other pony and small horse blood to improve its riding-horse qualities. In the 1980s the herd was broken up, and the horses sold in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, where they became part of the regional German Riding Pony populations.  The Arenberg-Nordkirchen was seen at the Berlin International Green Week in 1984, after which it was thought extinct. In 1995 a small number of surviving animals were found. Since 1999 the known population has remained stable at about 20–25 head. In 2007 there were four stallions and eighteen mares.  The Arenberg-Nordkirchen is classed as "Category I: extremely endangered" on the Rote Liste (red list) of the Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen, the German national association for the conservation of historic and endangered domestic animal breeds; it was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. It is not among the 151 horse breeds reported by Germany to DAD-IS.

The Arenberg-Nordkirchen,, is a breed of small riding horse from north-west Germany. It was believed extinct in 1985, but in 1995 a small number were discovered, and since 1999 the population has remained stable at about 20–25 head. The Arenberg-Nordkirchen is in the highest-risk category of the Rote Liste (red list) of the Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen, the German national association for the conservation of historic and endangered domestic animal breeds.


Historical background.

Carrier Division Three.

The aircraft carrier was assigned to Carrier Division Three from November 1940. In April 1941, a Central Atlantic Neutrality Patrol was established under Admiral A.B. Cook, based at Bermuda. It comprised Carrier Division Three, the cruisers and, and Destroyer Squadron 11. On 7 December 1941, in the Atlantic Fleet, Carrier Division Three comprises "Wasp" and under Rear Admiral A.B. Cook. Commander Carrier Division Three served as Commander Task Force 77 during the Korean War. In 1966, Carrier Division Three was embarked aboard USS "Enterprise" flying missions in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam.

Carrier Group Three.

On 30 June 1973, Carrier Division 3 was redesignated Carrier Group 3. U.S. Navy carrier battle groups have, since the mid-Cold War period, maintained a pattern of deployments to trouble spots, beginning with an overhaul, individual ship training, battle group training, group preparation exercise, and then the deployment. On returning home, the cycle begins once more. As part of these deployments, the "Carl Vinson" carrier battle group participated in Exercise RIMPAC '84, RIMPAC '86, RIMPAC '98, PACEX '89, Exercise Rugged Nautilus, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Desert Strike, Operation Desert Fox, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. From 1989 to 1991, USS "Carl Vinson" served as the flagship for Carrier Group 3. During this period, Carrier Group 3 was one of three battle groups that took part in PACEX '89.  In August 1990, Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet was deployed to Bahrain in order to serve as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (ComUSNAVCENT) following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Since ComUSNAVCENT operated from onboard ship, he established NAVCENT-Riyadh as a staff organization to provide continuous Navy representation at United States Central Command headquarters. This mission was assigned initially to Commander, Carrier Group Three. During succeeding months, the NAVCENT-Riyadh staff was augmented substantially but remained small, relative to the United States Army Central and CENTAF staffs. In November, the NAVCENT-Riyadh command was transferred from COMCARGRU 3 to Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5. This change resulted in the Navy flag officer at NAVCENT Riyadh's remaining relatively junior to other Service representatives, particularly the Air Force.  In the middle of 1992, the U.S. Navy made some organizational changes. Each of the Navy's twelve carrier battle groups was planned to consist of an aircraft carrier; an embarked carrier air wing; cruiser, destroyer, and frigate units; and two nuclear-powered attack submarines. The chart below shows the ships and aircraft of the group after the reorganization.  From June 1993, Commander Carrier Group 3 had his flag aboard "Abraham Lincoln". In 1993, the battle group provided support to the multinational military forces assigned to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and the group subsequently made three Western Pacific/Persian Gulf deployments for Operation Southern Watch and Operation Vigilant Sentinel. On 13 May 1997 Carrier Air Wing Eleven was reassigned to Commander, Carrier Group 3 and the USS "Carl Vinson".  Carrier Group 3 formed the core of the naval power during the initial phase of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. At the time the group comprised, Destroyer Squadron 9 and Carrier Air Wing Eleven. Commander, Carrier Group 3, Rear Admiral Thomas E. Zelibor, arrived in the Arabian Sea on 12 September 2001 and was subsequently designated Commander Task Force 50 (CTF 50), commanding multiple carrier task groups and coalition forces. The Task Force conducted strikes against Al Quida and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Task Force 50 comprised over 59 ships from six nations including six aircraft carriers, stretching over 800 nautical miles.  Rear Admiral Evan M. Chanik was the last commander of Carrier Group 3. During his tenure, Admiral Chanik led the group through a reorganized Inter-Deployment Training Cycle which greatly compressed the training required for overseas deployment. On 1 October 2004, Carrier Group Three was redesignated as Carrier Strike Group Three.

Command structure.

The strike group commander is responsible for unit-level training, integrated training, and material readiness for the group's ships and aviation squadrons. When it is not deployed, the group reports to Commander, U.S. Third Fleet which directs the group's pre-deployment training and certifications including its Composite Training Unit Exercises. When deployed beyond U.S. coastal waters, the group comes under the command of the numbered fleet commander in the area in which it is operating – either Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, or Seventh Fleets. When deployed in this fashion, the group utilizes a task force or task group designator, for example, Task Group 50.1 in the Fifth Fleet area.  Group commanders since 2004 have included:

Operational history.

2005 deployment.

On 17 January 2005, "Carl Vinson" departed Bremerton, Washington, with Carrier Air Wing Nine embarked for a six-month deployment, which included several months in the Persian Gulf supporting U.S. forces fighting the War in Iraq. On 30 January 2005, the group departed San Diego following the completion of its 22-day pre-deployment Joint Task Force Exercise.  In total, the group launched more than 6,500 sorties, totaling more than 20,000 flight hours, in support of Multi-National Force - Iraq troops and various maritime interdiction operations, including 2,600 flight hours logged by its four F/A-18 strike-fighter squadrons. Destroyer Squadron 31 conducted more than 80 boardings in conjunction with British, Italian, Australian, Canadian and regional forces.  On 11 June 2005, rendered assistance in response to a distress call from the Iranian fishing dhow "Henif". A boat transported an ill Iranian fisherman to "Mustin", where he was subsequently transferred to "Vinson" by helicopter. Once aboard "Vinson", the fisherman was taken to the ship's infirmary where he underwent tests. The fisherman was apparently suffering from a severe allergic reaction. He was treated, and after a short recovery period, he was returned to the "Henif" via one of the carrier's boats.  The group completed its 2005 deployment at Naval Station Norfolk on 31 July 2005. "Vinson" then began a scheduled 36-month Refueling and Complex Overhaul, prior to becoming flagship for Carrier Strike Group One. The new group flagship,, changed its homeport to Bremerton in January 2005, and once there, underwent an 11-month overhaul. Reflecting the reduced responsibilities while the ships were undergoing overhauls, Rear Admiral Clingan was succeeded by Captain Scott A. Berg in September 2005 as carrier strike group commander. Rear Admiral Kevin M. Quinn subsequently relieved Captain Berg in November 2005.

2007 deployment.

"Stennis" departed from its homeport in Bremerton, Washington, on 16 January 2007, spent one day in port on-loading Carrier Air Wing Nine onto the carrier, and the strike group departed San Diego on 20 January 2006 for its 2007 deployment.  During its 2007 deployment, Carrier Air Wing Nine flew more than 7,900 sorties providing more than 22,000 flight hours and dropping nearly 90,000 pounds of ordnance in support of the International Security Assistance Force operating on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. The guided-missile destroyers and were primarily responsible for carrying out Maritime Security Operations, Maritime Interdiction Operations, and Visit, Board, Search and Seizure operations for the strike group during the deployment.  On 23 May 2007, "Stennis", along with eight other warships including the aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship, passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf "(pictured)". US Navy officials said it was the largest such move of warships since 2003. The group subsequently participated in Expeditionary Strike Force (ESF) training while simultaneously providing close-air support to coalition ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ESF training brought together Carrier Strike Group 3, Carrier Strike Group 11 led by "Nimitz", and "Bonhomme Richard" Expeditionary Strike Group to test their ability to plan and conduct multi-task force operations across a broad spectrum of naval disciplines.  Thereafter, the group participated in Exercise Valiant Shield off the coast of Guam between 7–14 August 2007. The exercise brought together more than 30 ships, including carrier strike groups led by the and ; 280 aircraft; and more than 20,000 service members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. Valiant Shield 2007 tested the military's ability to rapidly bring together joint forces in response to any regional contingency. Valiant Shield was the last operational portion of the group's 2007 deployment.  The group entered Pearl Harbor on 20 August 2007. The strike group returned to San Diego on 27 August 2007, and the carrier "John C. Stennis" returned to its homeport on 31 August 2007.

2009 deployment.

"John C. Stennis" departed Bremerton on 13 January 2009, and the group departed Naval Air Station North Island on 17 January 2009 after embarking Carrier Air Wing Nine. Carrier Air Wing Nine flew more than 7250 sorties, consisting of approximately 12,747 flight hours with a sortie completion rate of 97 percent during its 2009 deployment.  Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (HSM-71), a new component to Carrier Air Wing Nine, was the first squadron of its kind to embark on board a carrier as part of a carrier air wing "(pictured)". The squadron flew more than 4,690 hours with a 95 percent sortie completion rate and earned the right to fly the Enlisted Aviation Warfare Pennant. The highlight for the squadron occurred during the undersea warfare exercise when HSM-71 deployed multiple aircraft to practice engagements on U.S. and Japanese submarines. The squadron kept three helicopters aloft throughout the entire four-day exercise for a total of 222 flight hours and conducted 28 simulated attacks on two U.S. and two Japanese submarines.  The strike group participated in Exercise Key Resolve/Foal Eagle which began on 28 February 2009. Key Resolve/Foal Eagle was held in the aftermath of the sinking of the ROK corvette "Cheonan" and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island by North Korea. During the exercise, the aircraft carrier "Stennis" was overflown by two Russian Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft on 16 March and two Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bombers on 17 March. Both time the Russian aircraft were intercepted and escorted by F/A-18 Hornets until the Russian aircraft left the exercise area.  The strike group then split. Both "Kidd" and "Preble" returned to port on 16 June 2009. "John C. Stennis" and "Antietam" sailed north to the Gulf of Alaska to participate in Operation Northern Edge, held between 15–26 June 2009. "Stennis" returned to port on 10 July 2009.

2011–2012 deployment.

On 25 July 2011, the aircraft carrier "John C. Stennis" departed from its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Washington. "Stennis" was subsequently joined by Carrier Air Wing Nine, Destroyer Squadron Twenty-one, and the guided-missile cruiser "Mobile Bay". On 29 July 2011, the strike group departed from Naval Air Station San Diego near San Diego, California, for its 2011–2012 deployment.  The first port-of-call for the group was to have been Manila, the Philippines, but that port-call was cancelled because of Typhoon Mina. On 13 October 2011, the guided-missile destroyer was directed to join Carrier Strike Group 5 to provide disaster relief to flood-ravaged Thailand.  During the deployment, the strike group and Carrier Air Wing Nine launched a combined total of 13,389 sorties in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. On 18 December 2011, the strike group's aircraft flew the final carrier-based air sortie over Iraq, effectively ending U.S. naval support for Operation New Dawn. The final command-and-control mission for U.S. forces over Iraq was flown by an E-2C Hawkeye ("pictured") from Airborne Early Warning Squadron 112, catapulting off the carrier "Stennis" at 7:32 am and returning at 11:04 a.m, both local time.  While operating with Combined Task Force 151, on 13 December 2011, the destroyer disrupted a group of suspected pirates south of Yemen near the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor. At approximately 8:40 am local time, the merchant vessel M/V "Nordic Apollo" reported to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, Dubai, of being fired upon by pirates in a skiff. At approximately 11:00 am, the M/V "Heather", operating 30 nautical miles from "Nordic Apollo", reported suspicious activity by a skiff. CTF-151 commander Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Pakistan Navy, ordered "Pinckney" to investigate. "Pinckney" got underway and launched its MH-60R helicopter which located a suspicious skiff. Once under observation, the helicopter reported that the skiff had nine suspected pirates aboard, as well as several ladders, weapons and fuel containers that the suspected pirates attempted to cover up or throw overboard. As "Pinckney" closed, the skiff stopped and the suspected pirates threw their weapons overboard, which were identified as five AK-47 rifles, one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. and three RPG rounds. "Pinckney" conduct a boarding using their visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team ("pictured"), and once aboard, the VBSS team confirmed that there were nine suspected pirates, one grappling hook, 36 barrels of fuel, and 75 and 45 horsepower outboard engines. The VBSS team scuttled one outboard motor and left the skiff with enough fuel and water to return to shore.  On 5 January 2012, at approximately 12:30 p.m local time, an SH-60S Seahawk helicopter from guided-missile destroyer detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow "Al Molai" operating in the northern Arabian Sea. Simultaneously, the "Kidd" received a distress call was from the master of the "Al Molai" claiming to be held captive by pirates. The "Kidd" dispatched a visit, board, search and seizure team that boarded the "Al Molai" ("pictured") and subsequently detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The pirates did not resist the boarding, quickly surrendered, and were detained on the "Al Molai" by the "Kidd" boarding party until the next morning, 6 January 2012, when they were transferred to the aircraft carrier "John C. Stennis" where the incident was reviewed for potential prosecution. According to the Iranian vessel's crew, the "Al Molai" had been pirated and used as a "mother ship" for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf during the preceding 40–45 days. The pirates forced the "Al Molai" crew to live in harsh conditions under the constant threat of violence with limited supplies and medical aid. The "Kidd" VSBB team provided the "Al Molai" crew with food, water, and medical care, and the "Al Molai" master thanked the VBSS team for their assistance.  On 18 January 2012, at 7:53 am local time, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from the squadron HSM-71 spotted the Iranian fishing vessel "Al Mamsoor" disabled in the Arabian Sea. The vessel was in a sinking condition, and the helicopter alerted the guided-missile destroyer which rendered assistance. "Dewey" dispatched a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team ("pictured") which discovered that the "Al Mamsoor" was in a sinking condition for the previous three days. The VBSS team provided food, water, medical, and hygienic supplies to the Iranian mariners, and after confirming Iranian nationals' safety, departed the scene.  On 27 December 2011, "Stennis" concluded a four-day port visit to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. It then steamed through the Strait of Hormuz to the North Arabian Sea to provide combat air support to coalition ground forces in Afghanistan. On 3 January 2012, following the end of Velayat 90, a 10-day Iranian military exercise in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian Army chief of staff, General Ataollah Salehi, warned the United States to not send the "Stennis" back into the Persian Gulf. This initiated the 2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute between the United States and Iran over access through the strait.  On 27 February 2012, the strike group completed its seven-month deployment. The cruiser "Mobile Bay" and destroyers "Pinckney", "Kidd", "Dewey", and "Wayne E. Meyer" returned to Naval Base San Diego. "Stennis" stopped in San Diego before returning to its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, on 28 February 2012.

2012–2013 deployment.

Between 29 June and 17 July 2012, "Stennis" conducted Fleet Replacement Squadron Carrier Qualifications and Sustainment Exercises off the coast of southern California. On 27 August 2012, four months ahead of schedule, the group departed for an eight-month U.S. Fifth Fleet deployment under the command of Rear Admiral Charles M. Gaouette. On 30 August 2012, "Stennis" arrived at Naval Air Station North Island, California, to embark Carrier Air Wing Nine, departing on 1 September 2012 with the guided-missile cruiser "Mobile Bay". On 31 August 2012, the carrier "Stennis" embarked additional Carrier Air Wing Nine personnel during a port visit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, departing on 1 September 2012, with the guided-missile "Paul Hamilton" joining the strike group.  On 11 September 2012, the group came under U.S. Seventh Fleet command and soon began taking part in Exercise Valiant Shield 2012 off Guam ("pictured"). The deployment of two carrier strike groups for this exercise coincided with the ongoing Senkaku Islands dispute between China and Japan. After four weeks underway, the first port call of the deployment followed at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, the first such visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier to that port. Following its port visit to Phuket, Thailand, the group participated in joint operations with Carrier Strike Group 5 in the Andaman Sea ("pictured").  On 17 October 2012, the strike group entered the Fifth Fleet area, joining Carrier Strike Group 8 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, maritime security operations, and theater security cooperation missions. On 21 October 2012, Carrier Air Wing Nine began strikes supporting the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. On 22 March 2013, the group concluded air operations over Afghanistan, with its aircraft having flown around 1,200 sorties totaling over 7,400 flight hours.  On 27 October 2012, Fifth Fleet commander Vice Admiral John W. Miller ordered the temporary reassignment of Rear Admiral Gaouette pending the results of an investigation by the Naval Inspector General. Gaouette's chief of staff, Captain William C. Minter, led the strike group until the arrival of Rear Admiral Troy Shoemaker as Gaouette's replacement. Later it emerged that Gaouette was dismissed for misconduct including '..for misconduct including foul language, flipping off lieutenants, speculation that black admirals were chosen because of their race and sending fellow officers a racially charged email about a black sailor.'  On 6 February 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the upcoming deployment of the carrier and the cruiser would be postponed pending the resolution of the upcoming budget sequestration, leaving Carrier Strike Group 3 as the only U.S. carrier force operating in the Persian Gulf region.  In an March 2013 interview, group commander Rear Admiral Troy Shoemaker noted that the shortfall of U.S. escort ships was being off-set by the assignment of the British destroyer and the French frigate Chevalier Paul", to operate with the strike group. Two destroyers from Carrier Strike Group 8, the and, also joined Carrier Strike Group 3 temporarily. In that capacity, on 2 March 2013, the "Farragut" joined the guided-missile frigate is aiding distressed mariners aboard a dhow in the Gulf of Aden. Both "Farragut" and "Churchill" left the U.S. Fifth Fleet via the Suez Canal on 8 March 2013. On 1 March 2013, the destroyer from Carrier Strike Group Eleven entered the Persian Gulf for operations with the strike group.  On 26 March 2013, the strike group departed the Fifth Fleet. During over five months of operations, Carrier Air Wing Nine had flown a total of more than 9,000 sorties and more than 23,000 flight hours in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Also on that date, the carrier "Stennis" and Carrier Air Wing Nine received the 2012 Ramage Award for carrier/air wing operational excellence during the 2012–2013 deployment.  On 29 April 2013, the carrier "Vinson" and the cruiser "Mobile Bay" arrived at Naval Station San Diego, California, ending the 2013 deployment. The strike group had steamed over and aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing Nine had flown 10,000 sorties totaling 30,400 flight hours during the eight-month-long operation.

2013–2015 operations & upkeep.

On 27 June 2013, the carrier "John C. Stennis" began a scheduled 14-month-long overhaul when it entered drydock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility at Bremerton, Washington ("pictured"). On 19 August 2013, the destroyer "Milius" completed its Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (E-DSRA) overhaul. On 23 September 2013, the destroyer "Wayne E. Meyer" completed its Mid-Cycle Inspection (MCI) assessment with the Board of Inspection and Survey.  Between 7–11 October 2013, the cruiser "Mobile Bay" and destroyer "Dewey" participated with other U.S. and Canadian warships in a Task Group Exercise (TGEX) maneuvers. Following this exercise, the "Mobile Bay" began its Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) overhaul at the BAE Systems ship repair facility in San Diego, California, with a completion date of May 2014.  In November 2013, the destroyer "Kidd" completed its two-week Independent Deployer Certification (IDCERT) exercises. Also, during that month, the "Wayne E. Meyer" underwent its own IDCERT exercises in the southern California operating area, as well as participating Group Sail maneuvers with Carrier Strike Group Nine, as part of "Wayne E. Meyer"s work-up for its upcoming 2014 deployment.  On 25 April 2014, "John C. Stennis" departed drydock, completing its 14-month-long overhaul ("pictured"). Between 23–28 September 2014, strike group planners held a pre-deployment training planning meeting among the various component commands. It was held at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington. Both "Stennis" and Carrier Air Wing 9 completed their flight deck certification on 11 December 2014. During 13–15 January 2015, "Stennis" on-loaded over six million pounds of munitions at the U.S. Naval Magazine Indian Island, Washington.  On 23 March 2015, "John C. Stennis" departed Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, for a Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA) and Final Evaluation Period (FEP) exercises in the Southern California operating area ("pictured") after a six-week Continuous Maintenance Availability (CMAV). The "Stennis" subsequently conducted joint training exercise with the U.S. Army helicopters, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, while transiting the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On 8 June 2015, the "Stennis" departed Bremerton, Washington, for Carrier Qualifications (CQ) exercises before paying a port call at Naval Air Station North Island, California, from 12–15 June 2015. The "Stennis" completed its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) training before returning to its home-base on 1 September 2015.

2016 deployment.

On 15 January 2016, "John C. Stennis" left Naval Base Kitsap for a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. On 20 January 2016, the destroyers, and, along with the cruiser and the fast combat support ship, left port, all running off a 'Great Green Fleet' biofuel blend made from tallow, or rendered beef fat, a Navy spokesman told Navy Times. The biofuel mix was 10% biofuel and 90% petroleum. However, the 50-50 goal is still on track, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told Navy Times in September 2015. The strike group was planned to make a seven-month deployment within the Seventh Fleet area of responsibility.

Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the group's current flagship. Other units assigned include Carrier Air Wing Nine; the s and ; and the ships of Destroyer Squadron 21.


History.

Yemenite Hebrew may have been derived from, or influenced by, the Hebrew of the Geonic era Babylonian Jews: the oldest Yemenite manuscripts use the Babylonian system of vowel symbols, which is believed to antedate the Tiberian vowel system. As late as 937 CE, Qirqisāni wrote: “The biblical readings which are wide-spread in Yemen are in the Babylonian tradition." Indeed, in many respects, such as the assimilation of "paṯaḥ" and "səġūl", the current Yemenite pronunciation fits the Babylonian notation better than the Tiberian (though the Babylonian notation does not reflect the approximation between "holam" and "sere" in some Yemenite dialects). This is because in the Babylonian tradition of vocalization there is no distinct symbol for the "səġūl". It does not follow, as claimed by some scholars, that the pronunciation of the two communities was identical, any more than the pronunciation of Sephardim and Ashkenazim is the same because both use the Tiberian symbols.  The following chart shows the seven vowel paradigms found in the Babylonian supralinear punctuation, which are reflected to this day by the Yemenite pronunciation of Biblical lections and liturgies, though they now use the Tiberian symbols. For example, there is no separate symbol for the Tiberian "səġūl" and the "pataḥ" and amongst Yemenites they have the same phonetic sound. In this connection, the Babylonian vowel signs remained in use in Yemen long after the Babylonian Biblical tradition had been abandoned, almost until our own time.

Distinguishing features.

The following chart shows the phonetic values of the Hebrew letters in the Yemenite Hebrew pronunciation tradition. Among the Yemenites, they have preserved the sounds for each of the six double-sounding consonants: "bəged-kəfet" (). The following are examples of their peculiar way of pronunciation of these and other letters:

Vowels.

Yemenite pronunciation is not uniform, and Morag has distinguished five sub-dialects, the best known being probably Sana'ani, originally spoken by Jews in and around Sana'a. Roughly, the points of difference are as follows:

"Qamats Gadol" and "Qamats Qatan".

The Yemenites in their reading practices continue the orthographic conventions of the early grammarians, such as Abraham ibn Ezra and Aaron Ben-Asher. One basic rule of grammar states that every word with a long vowel sound, that is, one of either five vowel sounds whose mnemonics are "pītūḥe ḥöthom" (i.e. "ḥiraq", "šūraq", "ṣeré", "ḥölam" and "qamaṣ"), whenever there is written beside one of these long vowel sounds a "meteg" (or what is also called a "ga’ayah") and is denoted by a small vertical line below the word (such as shown here זָכְרוּ), it indicates that the vowel (in that case, "qamaṣ") must be drawn out with a prolonged sound. For example, ōōōōōō, instead of ō, (e.g. "zoː— kh ru"). In the Sephardic tradition, however, the practice is different altogether, and they will also alter the phonetic sound of the long vowel "qamaṣ" whenever the vowel appears alongside a "meteg" (a small vertical line), giving to it the sound of "a", as in "cat", instead of "ōōōōō." Thus, for the verse in, the Sephardic Jews will pronounce the word כָּל as "kal" (e.g. "kal ʕaṣmotai", etc.), instead of "kol ʕaṣmotai" as pronounced by both Yemenite and Ashkenazi Jewish communities.  The "meteg", or "ga’ayah", has actually two functions: (1) It extends the sound of the vowel; (2) It makes any šewa that is written immediately after the vowel a mobile "šewa", meaning, the "šewa" itself takes on the sound of a reduced vowel in Germanic languages, equivalent to, or "a" in the word "about." For example: = "šoː m ru", = "ye r du", = "ye d ‘u", = "ʔö m rim", = "šö m rim", = "sī s ra", = "šū v kha", and = "tū v kha".  The "Qamats qatan" is realized as the non-extended "o"-sound in the first "qamats" ("qamaṣ") in the word, חָכְמָה ⇒ "ḥokhma" (wisdom).  The Yemenite "qamaṣ", represented in the transliterated texts by the diaphoneme, is pronounced as the English "a"-sound in "all" or as in "halt", or "caught," and this phoneme is always the same, whether for a long or short vowel, but the long vowel sound is always prolonged.

"Holam" and "sere".

A distinct feature of Yemenite Hebrew is that there is some degree of approximation between the "ḥōlam" and the "ṣêrệ". To the untrained ear, they may sound as the same phoneme, but Yemenite grammarians will point out the difference. The feature varies by dialect:  Some see the assimilation of the two vowels as a local variant within the wider Babylonian family, which the Yemenites happened to follow.

Strict application of Mobile Shewā.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and Rabbi Jacob Saphir have praised the Yemenites in their correct pronunciation of Hebrew. They still read the biblical lections and liturgies according to what is prescribed for Hebrew grammar and are meticulous to pronounce the mobile "šĕwā" in each of its changing forms. While most other communities also adhere to the rule of mobile "šĕwā" whenever two "šĕwā"s are written one after the other, as in, most have forgotten its other usages. Aharon Ben-Asher, in his treatise on the proper usage of Hebrew vowels and trope symbols, writes on the "šĕwā": "[It is] the servant of all the letters in the entire Scriptures, whether at the beginning of the word, or in the middle of the word, or at the end of the word; whether what is pronounced by the tongue or not pronounced, for it has many ways... However, if it is joined with one of four [guttural] letters, א ח ה ע, its manner [of pronunciation] will be like the manner of the vowel of the second letter in that word, such as: בְּֽהֹנוֹת ידיהם ורגליהם = "bhonoth"; מתי פתים תְּֽאֵהֲבוּ פתי = "t’ehavu"; עיניו לְֽחֵלְכָה יצפנו = "lḥeləkhah"; שריה רְֽעֵלָיָה מרדכי = "rʻeloyoh"." On the mobile "šĕwā" and its usage amongst Yemenite Jews, Israeli grammarian Shelomo Morag wrote: "The pronunciation of the "šĕwā" mobile preceding א, ה, ח, ע, or ר in the Yemenite tradition is realized in accordance with the vowel following the guttural; quantitatively, however, this is an ultra-short vowel. For example, a word such as is pronounced "wḥuṭ". A "šĕwā" preceding a "yōḏ" is pronounced as an ultra-short "ḥīreq": the word is pronounced "byōm". This is the way the "šĕwā" is known to have been pronounced in the Tiberian tradition."  Other examples of words of the mobile "šĕwā" in the same word taking the phonetic sound of the vowel assigned to the adjacent guttural letter or of a mobile "šĕwā" before the letter "yod" (י) taking the phonetic sound of the "yod", can be seen in the following: מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַה' וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיון. לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת  The above rule applies only to when one of the four guttural letters (אחהע), or a "yod" (י) or a resh (ר) follows the mobile "šĕwā", but it does not apply to the other letters; then, the mobile "šĕwā" is always read as a short-sounding "pataḥ".

Distinctive pronunciations preserved.

Geographically isolated for centuries, the Yemenite Jews constituted a peculiar phenomenon within Diaspora Jewry. In their isolation, they preserved specific traditions of both Hebrew and Aramaic. The traditions, transmitted from generation to generation through the teaching and reciting of the Bible, post-biblical Hebrew literature (primarily the Mishnah), the Aramaic Targums of the Bible, and the Babylonian Talmud, are still alive. They are manifest in the traditional manner of reading Hebrew that is practised by most members of the community. The Yemenite reading traditions of the Bible are now based on the Tiberian text and vocalization, as proofread by the masorete, Aaron ben Asher, with the one exception that the vowel "sǝġūl" is pronounced as a "pataḥ", since the "sǝġūl" did not exist in the Babylonian orthographic tradition to which the Jews of Yemen had previously been accustomed. In what concerns Biblical orthography, with the one exception of the "sǝgūl", the Yemenite Jewish community does not differ from any other Jewish community.  Although the vast majority of post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic words are pronounced the same way or nearly the same way by all of Israel's diverse ethnic groups, including the Jews of Yemen, there are still other words whose phonemic system differs greatly from the way it is used in Modern Hebrew, the sense here being the tradition of vocalization or diction of selective Hebrew words found in the Mishnah and Midrashic literature, or of Aramaic words found in the Talmud, and which tradition has been meticulously preserved by the Jews of Yemen. Two of the more recognized Yemenite pronunciations are for the words רבי and גברא, the first pronounced as "Ribbi", instead of Rabbi (as in Rabbi Meir), and the second pronounced "guvra", instead of "gavra". In the first case, archaeologist Benjamin Mazar was the first to discover its linguistic usage in the funerary epigrams of the 3rd and 4th-century CE, during excavations at the catacombs in Beit Shearim. Nahman Avigad, speaking of the same, wrote: "Of special interest is the title Rabbi and its Greek transliteration (). In the inscriptions of Beth She'arim found in the former seasons ריבי and ביריבי are usual, and only once do we find רבי, which has been regarded as a defective form of ריבי, for in Greek we generally find the form (). The transliteration () found here shows that the title was pronounced in Palestine in different ways, sometimes "Rabbi" (ΡΑΒΒΙ, ΡΑΒΙ), sometimes "Ribbi" (ΡΙΒΒΙ, ΡΙΒΙ) and occasionally even "Rebbi" (ΒΗΡΕΒΙ)." In the latter case, the Jerusalem Talmud occasionally brings down the word גברא in "plene scriptum", גוברייא (pl. for גברא), showing that its pronunciation was the same as that in use by the Yemenites. Some have raised the proposition that the Yemenite linguistic tradition dates back to the Amoraim.  R. Yehudai Gaon, in his "Halakhot Pesukot" (Hil. "Berakhot"), uses "yod" as the "matres lectionis" to show the vowel "hiriq", after the "qoph" (ק) in "Qiryat Shema" (). The editor of the critical edition, A. Israel, who places its composition in Babylonia, notes that "linguists would take an interest" in Yehudai Gaon's variant spellings of words, where especially the "matres lectionis" is used in place of vowels, "represented either by a plene "alef" (א), "waw" (ו), and "yod" (י)." The use of the "matres lectionis" in place of the vowel "hiriq" in the construct case of the words קִרְיַת שְׁמַע ("recital of Shemaʻ" = קירית שמע) reflects apparently the Babylonian tradition of pronunciation, and, today, the same tradition is mirrored in the Yemenite pronunciation of "Qiryat shemaʻ".  The following diagrams show a few of the more conspicuous differences in the Yemenite tradition of vocalization and which Israeli linguist, Shelomo Morag, believes reflects an ancient form of vocalizing the texts and was once known and used by all Hebrew-speakers.  Notes on transliteration: In the Yemenite Jewish tradition, the vowel "qamaṣ", represents. The Hebrew character "Tau" (), without a dot of accentuation, represents. The Hebrew character "Gimal" (), with a dot of accentuation, represents. The Hebrew word גנאי (in the above middle column, and meaning 'a thing detestable'), is written in Yemenite Jewish tradition with a vowel "qamaṣ" beneath the, but since it is followed by the letters אי it represents. The vowel "ḥolam" in the Yemenite dialect is transcribed here with, and represents a front rounded vowel. Another peculiarity with the Yemenite dialect is that the vast majority of Yemenite Jews (excluding the Jews of Sharab in Yemen) will replace, used here in transliteration of texts, with the phonetic sound of.  In the Yemenite tradition, the plural endings on the words זָכִיּוֹת ("merits"), מַלְכִיּוֹת ("kingdoms"), גָּלִיּוֹת ("exiles"), טעִיּוֹת ("errors"), טרפִיּוֹת ("defective animals") and עֵדִיּוֹת ("testimonies"), all differ from the way they are vocalized in Modern Hebrew. In Modern Hebrew, these words are marked with a "shuraq", as follows: זָכֻיּוֹת - מַלְכֻיּוֹת - גָּלֻיּוֹת - טעֻיּוֹת - טרפֻיּוֹת - עֵדֻיּוֹת. Although the word ("kingdoms") in Daniel 8:22 is vocalized "malkhuyöth", as it is in Modern Hebrew, Shelomo Morag thinks that the Yemenite tradition reflects a phonological phenomenon known as dissimilation, whereby similar consonants or vowels in a word become less similar. Others explain the discrepancy as being in accordance with a general rule of practice, prevalent in the 2nd century CE, where the Hebrew in rabbinic literature was distinguished from that of Biblical Hebrew, and put into an entire class and category of its own, with its own rules of vocalization (see "infra").  The Hebrew noun חֲתִיכָּה ("ḥăṯīkkah"), in the upper left column, is a word meaning "slice/piece" (in the absolute state), or חֲתִיכַּת בשר ("piece of meat") in the construct state. The noun is of the same metre as קְלִיפָּה ("qǝlipah"), a word meaning "peel," or the "rind" of a fruit. Both the "kaph" and "pe" in these nouns are with a "dagesh". However, the same roots applied to different meters, serving as gerunds, as in "slicing/cutting" [meat] and "peeling" [an apple], the words would respectively be חֲתִיכָה ("ḥăṯīḫah") and קליפָה ("qǝlīfah"), without a "dagesh" in the Hebrew characters "Kaph" and "Pe" (i.e. "rafe" letters), such as when the verb is used with the preposition "after": e.g. "after peeling the apple" = אחרי קליפת התפוח, or "after cutting the meat" = אחרי חתיכת הבשר.  In the Talmud, the Sages of Israel had a practice to read words derived from the Scriptures in their own given way, while the same words derived from the Talmud or in other exegetical literature (known as the Midrash) in a different way: "When Isse the son of Hinei went up [there], he found Rabbi Yoḥanan teaching [a certain Mishnah] to the creations, saying, "raḥelim" (i.e. רחלים = the Hebrew word for "ewes"), etc. He said to him, 'Teach it [by its Mishnaic name = רחלות], "raḥeloth"!' He replied, '[What I say is] as it is written [in the Scriptures]: Ewes ("raḥelim"), two-hundred.' He answered him, 'The language of the Torah is by itself, and the language employed by the Sages is by itself!'" (לשון תורה לעצמה, לשון חכמים לעצמן).  This passage from the Talmud is often quoted by grammarians of Yemenite origin to explain certain "discrepancies" found in vocalization of words where a comparable source can be found in the Hebrew Bible, such as the Yemenite tradition in rabbinic literature to say ("maʻbīr"), rather than ("maʻăvīr") – although the latter rendering appears in Scripture, or to say ("zīʻah"), with "ḥīraq", rather than, ("zeʻah"), with "ṣerê", although it too appears in Scripture, or to say ("birkhath ha-mazon") (= "kaph" rafe), rather than as the word "blessing" in the construct state which appears in the Scriptures, e.g. "birkath Avraham" (ברכת אברהם), with "kaph" dagesh. Others, however, say that these anomalies reflect a tradition that antedates the Tiberian Masoretic texts.  Along these same lines, the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible renders the words (), in II Chronicles 26:6, and (), in Nehemiah 7:37; 11:35, as "Yävnɛ" and "Lōð", respectively. However, in their demotic-forms, the Yemenites will pronounce these words as () and () = "Yovnei" and "Lūd", respectively. The use of the phoneme "ṣerê", represented by the two dots "◌ֵ", instead of "pataḥ-səġūl" ( ֶ ) for the word "Yavneh" may have been influenced by the Palestinian dialect spoken in the Land of Israel in the 1st-century CE.  In Yemenite tradition, many words in both Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew which are written with the final "hê" ending (without the "mappîq") are realized by a secondary glottal stop, meaning, they are abruptly cut short, as when one holds his breath. Shelomo Morag who treats upon this peculiarity in the Yemenite tradition of vocalization brings down two examples from the Book of Isaiah, although by no means exclusive, where he shows the transliteration for the words תִּפָּדֶה in Isaiah 1:27 and וְנֵלְכָה in Isaiah 2:5, and both of which represent, as in "tippoːdä(ʔ)" and "wǝnelχoː(ʔ)" respectively. The word פָרָשָׁה (Bible Codex) in the upper-middle column is pronounced in the same way, e.g. "frsh".  Excursus: The preposition (), translated as "of" or "belonging to" in English, is unique in the Yemenite Jewish tradition. The Hebrew preposition is always written with the noun, joined together as one word, and the "lamed" is always accentuated with a "dagesh". For example, if the noun, מלך ⇒ "king", would normally have been written with the definite article "the," as in הַמֶּלֶךְ ⇒ "the king", and the noun was to show possession, as in the sentence: "the palace of the king," the definite article "the" (Hebrew: ה) is dropped, but the same vowel "pataḥ" of the definite article is carried over to the "lamed", as in שֶׁלַּמֶּלֶךְ, instead of של המלך. The vowel on the "lamed" will sometimes differ, depending on what noun comes after the preposition. For example, the definite article "the" in Hebrew nouns which begin with "aleph" or "resh" and sometimes "ayin", such as in הָאָדָם and in הָרִאשׁוֹן, or in הָעוֹלָם, is written with the vowel "qamaṣ" – in which case, the vowel "qamaṣ" is carried over to the "lamed", as in שֶׁלָּאָדָם and in שֶׁלָּרִאשׁוֹן and in שֶׁלָּעוֹלָם. Another general rule is that whenever a possessive noun is written without the definite article "the", as in the words, "a king's sceptre," or "the sceptre of a king" (Heb. מלך), the "lamed" in the preposition is written with the vowel "shǝwa" (i.e. mobile "shǝwa"), as in שרביט שֶׁלְּמֶּלֶךְ, and as in, "if it belongs to Israel" ⇒ אם הוא שֶׁלְּיִשְׂרַאֵל. Whenever the noun begins with a "shǝwa", as in the proper noun "Solomon" (Heb. שְׁלֹמֹה) and one wanted to show possession, the "lamed" in the preposition is written with a "ḥiraq", as in ("Song of Solomon" 3:7): מטתו שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה ⇒ "Solomon's bed", or as in עונשם שֶׁלִּרְשָׁעִים ⇒ "the punishment of the wicked", or in חבילה שֶׁלִּתְרוּמָה ⇒ "a bundle of heave-offering."  Another rule of practice in Hebrew grammar is that two "shǝwa"s חְ are never written one after the other at the beginning of any word; neither can two "ḥaṭaf pataḥ"s חֲ or two "ḥaṭaf sǝġūl"s חֱ be written at the beginning of a word one after the other. The practical implication arising from this rule is that when there is a noun beginning with a "ḥaṭaf pataḥ", as in the word, חֲבִרְתָּהּ ⇒ “her companion”, and one wishes to add thereto the preposition “to” – as in, “to her companion” ⇒ לַחֲבִרְתָּהּ, the "lamed" is written with the vowel "pataḥ", instead of a "shǝwa" (i.e. a mobile "shǝwa"), seeing that the "shǝwa" at the beginning of a word and the "ḥaṭaf pataḥ", as well as the "ḥaṭaf sǝġūl", are all actually one and the same vowel (in the Babylonian tradition), and it is as though he had written two "shǝwa"s one after the other. Likewise, in the possessive case, “belonging to her companion” ⇒ שֶׁלַּחֲבִרְתָּהּ, the "lamed" in the preposition של is written with the vowel "pataḥ".

Hebrew vernacular.

The Leiden MS. of the Jerusalem Talmud is important in that it preserves some earlier variants to textual readings of that Talmud, such as in Tractate "Pesaḥim" 10:3 (70a), which brings down the old Palestinian-Hebrew word for "charoseth" (the sweet relish eaten at Passover), viz. "dūkeh" (), instead of "rūbeh/rabah" (), saying with a play on words: “The members of Isse's household would say in the name of Isse: Why is it called "dūkeh"? It is because she pounds [the spiced ingredients] with him.” The Hebrew word for "pound" is "dakh" (), which rules out the spelling of " "rabah" " (), as found in the printed editions. Today, the Jews of Yemen, in their vernacular of Hebrew, still call the "charoseth" by the name "dūkeh".  Other quintessential Hebrew words which have been preserved by the Jews of Yemen is their manner of calling a receipt of purchase by the name, "roy" (), rather than the word " "qabbalah" " that is now used in Modern Hebrew. The weekly biblical lection read on Sabbath days is called by the name "seder" (), since the word "parashah" () has a completely different meaning, denoting a Bible Codex containing the first Five Books of Moses (plural: codices = פרשיות).  Charity; alms (, "miṣwoː"), so-called in Yemenite Jewish parlance, was usually in the form of bread, collected in baskets each Friday before the Sabbath by those appointed over this task for distribution among the needy, without them being brought to shame. The same word is often used throughout the Jerusalem Talmud, as well as in Midrashic literature, to signify what is given out to the poor and needy. Today, in Modern Hebrew, the word is seldom used to imply charity, replaced now by the word, "ts’dakah" (Heb. צְדָקָה). In contrast, the word צדקה amongst Jews in Sana’a was a tax levied upon Jewish householders, particularly those whose professions were butchers, and which tax consisted of hides and suet from butchered animals, and which things were sold on a daily basis by the Treasurer, and the money accruing from the sale committed to the public fund for the Jewish poor of the city, which money was distributed to the city's poor twice a year; once on Passover, and once on Sukkot. The fund itself was known by the name "tḏer" (), lit. "the constant [revenues]."  Although Jews in Yemen widely made-use of the South-Arabic word "mukhwāṭ" () for the “metal pointer” (stylus) used in pointing at the letters of sacred writ, they also knew the old Hebrew word for the same, which they called "makhtev" (). The following story is related about this instrument in Midrash Rabba: “Rabban [Shimon] Gamliel says: ‘Five-hundred schools were in Beter, while the smallest of them wasn’t less than three-hundred children. They used to say, ‘If the enemy should ever come upon us, with these "metal pointers" () we’ll go out against them and stab them!’...”  In other peculiar words of interest, they made use of the word, "shilṭön" (), for “governor” or “king,” instead of “government,” the latter word now being the more common usage in Modern Hebrew; "kothev" (), for “scrivener”, or copyist of religious texts, instead of the word “sofer” (scribe); "ṣibbūr" (), for "a quorum of at least ten adult males," a word used in Yemen instead of the Modern Hebrew word, "minyan"; "ḥefeṣ" (), a noun meaning “desirable thing,” was used by them to describe any “book” (especially one of a prophylactic nature), although now in Modern Hebrew it means “object”; "fiqfūq" () had the connotation of “shock,” “violent agitation,” or “shaking-up,” although today, in Modern Hebrew, it has the meaning of “doubt” or “skepticism”; the word, "harpathqe" (), was used to describe “great hardships,” although in Modern Hebrew the word has come to mean “adventures.” The word "fazmūn" (), any happy liturgical poem, such as those sung on "Simhat Torah", differs from today's Modern Hebrew word, "pizmon" (), meaning, a “chorus” to a song. Another peculiar aspect of Yemenite Hebrew is what concerns denominative verbs. One of the nouns used for bread (made of wheat) is "himmuṣ" (), derived from the blessing that is said whenever breaking bread, [המוציא [לחם מן הארץ = "He that brings forth" [bread from the earth]. Whenever they wanted to say its imperative form, “break bread!”, they made use of the denominative verb "hammeṣ"! (). Similarly, the noun for the Third Sabbath meal was "qiyyūm" (), literally meaning “observance,” in which they made use of the denominative verb, "tǝqayyem" () = "Will you eat with us" (the Third Sabbath meal)?, or, נְקַיֵּם = "Let us eat" (the Third Sabbath meal), or, "qiyam" () = "He ate" (the Third Sabbath meal).

Yemenite Hebrew ( "Ivrit Temanit"), also referred to as Temani Hebrew, is the pronunciation system for Hebrew traditionally used by Yemenite Jews. Yemenite Jews brought their language to Israel through immigration. Their first organized immigration to the region began in 1882.


Gameplay.

Like the previous "Mario Party" titles, two to four players move around a virtual board and play minigames. A new gameplay element in all of the boards is that all four players move around together in one vehicle. The number of spaces the player moves is determined by a roll of the dice block found within the game. Instead of trying to collect coins to buy stars, players receive Mini Stars if they pass by them. Whoever collects the most Mini Stars wins the game. While doing that, players must also try to avoid Mini Ztars, which deduct their current amount of Mini Stars. Mini Stars and Mini Ztars are replaced with bananas and Z-bananas on the board "DK's Jungle Ruins."  Minigames have a larger focus on the gameplay than they did in the previous game. However, the minigames don't appear after everyone moves, but only when a player ends up on any of the spaces or events that triggers a minigame. A person can play on solo mode to unlock the final stage, as well as two playable characters.  Another new feature is that each board culminates in a boss battle that is played with all players in the vehicle. There is also a boss battle at the halfway point of a board. There are 82 minigames in "Mario Party 9", divided into five categories: Free-for-all, 1-vs.-Rivals, Bowser Jr., Boss Battle, and Extra.  At the end of each stage, the number of Mini Stars the player collects is converted into Party Points, which can be used to buy new stages, constellations, vehicles, difficulties, and sounds in the museum.

Playable characters.

"Mario Party 9" features twelve playable characters, with two (Shy Guy and Kamek) being unlockable through the Solo Mode.

Plot.

The player selects a character that is not Shy Guy or Kamek to play Story Mode. One night outside of Peach's Castle, the characters come to watch the Mini Stars glitter in the sky. As the chosen character searches through the telescope, he/she notices that the stars are being sucked through a vortex, controlled by Bowser and Bowser Jr. on a spacecraft, who are using a vacuum-like machine to suck the stars in the sky. Upon witnessing this, the character leads a charge with the others and sets out to defeat them and save the Mini Stars. Shy Guy and Kamek then follow them from behind, as part of Bowser's plan. The chosen character then travels through all six courses to recover the Mini Stars, fighting off two henchmen selected by Bowser. They must defeat Shy Guy and/or Kamek on each course, but will have at least one ally for the first five courses unless otherwise stated. If Shy Guy or Kamek win, the player must restart the course.  The final course is Bowser's station, where the character must defeat both Shy Guy and Kamek en route to defeating Bowser. Bowser's machines trapping the Mini Stars are destroyed, and all the Mini Stars will return to the sky. The player's character will wave goodbye to the stars as they depart for the night sky. Bowser and Bowser Jr. are seen flying in their Clown Cars, their plan to decorate the castle with Mini Stars foiled. All the characters then reunite to witness the Mini Stars once again, and the story concludes with the ending sentences: "And so the adventure came to an end. Rescued by (the character that the player chose), the Mini Stars were free to glitter in the night sky forever."

Reception.

"Mario Party 9" received mixed or average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, "Famitsu" gave it a score of one nine, two eights, and one nine, for a total of 34 out of 40.  German magazine "N-Zone" gave "Mario Party 9" a 75% score for single player mode, and 85% for multiplayer mode. "Nintendo Power" said that "the majority of the game's 82 activities are fun", while commenting that "some may be discouraged by the game's radical changes". IGN praised the game's graphical improvement and its control style. Like previous "Mario Party" games, "IGN" strongly criticized the luck-based factor of the game. GamesRadar praised "Mario Party 9" for being balanced, but criticized the predictability of the boards. Ashton Raze of GameSpot said that the game is too "predictable" and "much too familiar". However, he praised the game's wide variety of fun mini-games and cheerful, colorful visuals. , "Mario Party 9" sold 2.24 million copies worldwide.

"Mario Party 9" was the second and last game in the series released for the Wii, and was followed by "" for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and "Mario Party 10" for the Wii U in 2015.