Life.

Ketevan was born to Prince Ashotan of Mukhrani (Bagrationi) and married Prince David of Kakheti, the future David I, king of Kakheti from 1601 to 1602. After David's death, Ketevan engaged in religious building and charity. However, when David's brother Constantine I killed his reigning father, Alexander II, and usurped the crown with the Safavid Iranian support in 1605, Ketevan rallied the Kakhetian nobles against the patricide and routed Constantine's loyal force. The usurper died in battle. According to the Safavid official and chronicler, Fażli Ḵuzāni, Ketevan showed characteristic mercy to Constantine's surviving supporters and his Qizilbash officers. She ordered that the wounded enemy soldiers be treated accordingly and accepted in service if they desired. The Muslim merchants, who suffered in the war, were compensated and set free. Ketevan had Constantine's body laid in rest and sent to Ardebil.  After the uprising she negotiated with Shah Abbas I of Iran who was the suzerain over Georgia, to confirm her underage son, Teimuraz I, as king of Kakheti, while she assumed the function of a regent.  In 1614, sent by Teimuraz as a negotiator to Shah Abbas, Ketevan effectively surrendered herself as an honorary hostage in a failed attempt to prevent Kakheti from being attacked by the Iranian armies. She was held in Shiraz for several years until Abbas I, in an act of revenge for the recalcitrance of Teimuraz, ordered the queen to renounce Christianity, and upon her refusal, had her tortured to death with red-hot pincers in 1624. Portions of her relics were clandestinely taken by the St. Augustine Portuguese Catholic missioners, eyewitnesses of her martyrdom, to Georgia where they were interred at the Alaverdi Monastery. The rest of her remains were said to have been buried at the Church of St. Augustine in Goa, India. After several expeditions to Goa in the 21st century to search for the remains, they were believed to be found in late 2013.  Queen Ketevan was canonized by Patriarch Zachary of Georgia (1613–1630), and September 13 (corresponding to September 26 in the modern Gregorian calendar) was instituted by the Georgian Orthodox Church as the day of her commemoration.  The account of Ketevan's martyrdom related by the Augustinians missioners were exploited by her son, Teimuraz, in his poem "The Book and Passion of Queen Ketevan" (წიგნი და წამება ქეთევან დედოფლისა, "ts'igni da ts'ameba ketevan dedoplisa"; 1625) as well as by the German author Andreas Gryphius in his classical tragedy "Catharina von Georgien" (1657). The Georgian monk Grigol Dodorkeli-Vakhvakhishvili of the David Gareja Monastery was another near-contemporaneous author whose writings, a hagiographic work as well as several hymns, focus on Ketevan's life and martyrdom. The Scottish poet William Forsyth composed the poem "The Martyrdom of Kelavane" (1861), based on Jean Chardin's account of Ketevan's death.

Relics and archaeological findings.

The importance of Queen Ketevan for the Georgian people has led to a relic "hunt" during the last decades, notably in Goa. Since 1989, various delegations coming from Georgia have worked together with the Archaeological Survey of India to try to locate Ketevan's grave within the ruins of the Augustinian convent of Our Lady of Grace, at Old Goa, Goa. These efforts were thwarted because the teams were unable to correctly interpret the Portuguese documents that provided clues as to Ketevan's burial place.  These historical sources stated that Ketevan's palm and arm bone fragments were kept inside a stone urn beneath a specific window within the Chapter Chapel of the Augustinian convent. In May 2004, the Chapter Chapel and window mentioned in the sources were found during a collaboration work between Portuguese and Overseas Citizen of India architect Sidh Losa Mendiratta and the Archaeological Survey of India, Goa-circle (at the time when Nizammudin Taher was superintendent archaeologist). Although the stone urn itself was missing, its coping stone and a number of bone fragments were found close to the window mentioned in the Portuguese sources.  Dr. Niraj Rai, Manvendra Singh and Dr. Gyaneshwer Chaubey of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India carried out ancient DNA analysis on these human bone remains excavated from the St. Augustine convent by sequencing and genotyping of the Mitochondrial DNA. The investigations of the remains revealed an unusual mtDNA haplogroup U1b, which is absent in India, but present in Georgia and surrounding regions. Since the genetic analysis corroborates archaeological and literary evidence, it is likely that the excavated bone belongs to Queen Ketevan of Georgia. However, it is important to keep in mind that Ketevan's palm and arm bone fragments were kept in the same urn as the complete remains of two European missionaries, friar Jerónimo da Cruz and friar Guilherme de Santo Agostinho. Therefore, it would be crucial to determine the sex and the kind of bone of the fragments tested in order to have conclusive results. According to a story in India's Mint on Sunday newspaper, "additional tests confirmed that the U1b bone came from a woman. So, in 2013, it was established that the bone found in two pieces in 2005 was consistent with being from a Georgian woman".

Ketevan the Martyr (, "ketevan tsamebuli") (c. 1560 – September 13, 1624) was a queen of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. She was killed at Shiraz, Iran, after prolonged tortures by the Safavid suzerains of Georgia for refusing to give up the Christian faith and convert to Islam.


History.

The origins of the castle date back to some years before 1093, the year in which Roger I of Sicily defined the boundaries of the diocese of Mazara that included "Calatubo with all its dependencies".  In ancient times, around the castle there was the village of Calatubo, which based its business on the extraction of stones for water and wind mills from the quarries around the creek Finocchio, as mentioned by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in "The Book of Roger", written in 1154.  The village of Calatubo was abandoned after the conquest by Frederick II and the castle lost its original function as a military fortress, turning into a farm. During this period, the castle joined warehouses, stables and other structures used for the administration of the agricultural fief of Calatubo.  Since the Middle Ages, because of its visibility, the Calatubo Castle had an important strategic role: it was part of a line of towers and forts along the coast from Palermo to Trapani; this defensive line was used to transmit light signals in case of Saracens' attack. In particular, the castle of Calatubo guaranteed the flow of information that took place between the outposts of Carini, Partinico and Castellammare del Golfo.  At the end of the nineteenth century in the second courtyard some warehouses were set up for the production of the wine "Calatubo".  The castle remained in good condition until the 1968 Belice earthquake. The use of the structure as a sheepfold and illegal excavations, which had as their targets the finds of the necropolis of the seventh century BC pertaining to the castle, have further ruined the castle.  In 2007 it was bought for 60 thousand euros by the municipality of Alcamo and over the past few years (2003-2014) has been reported several times as part of the cultural initiative ""I Luoghi del Cuore"" sponsored by the "Italian Environmental Fund" (FAI), which has as its objective the protection and enhancement of the artistic and cultural heritage of Italy.

Description.

The Calatubo Castle is actually an architectural complex, consisting of the structure of the original castle that has undergone several changes over the centuries. This complex is large 150×35 meters and stands on a limestone rock that lies at an altitude of about 152 m above sea level and that dominate with its height the surrounding area. From the position of castle you can clearly see Mount Bonifato and the Gulf of Castellammare.  The castle is inaccessible on three sides due to the steep walls of rock on which it is built. The only practicable access is located in the west, which leads to the first line of defense of the castle via a ramp with large steps. From the first line of defense, which includes among other things a well, a church hall and other premises, you can arrive at a court which communicates with the second circle of walls through a portal, up to the third circle of walls, which comprises an oblong tower. Finally the core of the castle, located in the southern part of the fortress, is rectangular with an area of 7×21.50 m.

Popular culture.

A popular belief tells about tunnels that linked the Calatubo Castle with the Castle of the Counts of Modica and the tower of Ventimiglia on the Mount Bonifato.

The Calatubo Castle (Latin: "catrum Calathatubi"; Arabic: قلعة اوبي - "Qal'at 'Awbi"; Italian: "Castello di Calatubo") is a fortress located near the town of Alcamo, Sicily, southern Italy.


History.

Early years.

Allen Ravenstine was born on May 9, 1950. He had much exposure to music at a young age, his interest derived from his mother playing Sergei Rachmaninoff and other classical music and his father's interest in jazz and percussion records. He played the trombone in grade school but quickly lost interest. Ravenstine's first real experience as an artist came in 1971 after abandoning his college pursuits. He met visual artist Bob Bensick, who was experimenting with sending distortion into oscillators and out to a stereo system. Eventually, they discovered a way to attach lights and have them work in conjunction with the sounds being produced and decided to stage art shows. The act was short lived as Ravenstine moved out of the area and lost contact with Bensick. Soon after, Ravenstine purchased his first synthesizer, an ElectroComp EML 200, and began associating with the garage band Rocket from the Tombs and recording their performances.  Ravenstine owned the apartment building called "The Plaza", which served as home and gathering place for the developing art and music scene in Cleveland in the early 70s.

Pere Ubu.

Ravenstine first worked with Pere Ubu in 1975 after being asked to contribute to the band's recording of "30 Seconds Over Tokyo". However, he was discouraged by the thought of having to perform live shows and opted to discontinue his involvement with the band. After watching Pere Ubu perform at a few venues, Ravenstine changed his mind and returned as a full-time member of the band, replacing keyboardist Dave Taylor. He continued his work with Pere Ubu until 1989 with the release of "Cloudland", when he decided to leave the group and pursue his own interests.

Later life.

Ravenstine obtained a pilot's license after Ubu's initial breakup, and after leaving the band permanently, worked as a flight instructor and charter pilot. He also completed a novel which was never published. Ravenstine largely avoided musical activity of any kind after leaving Pere Ubu, once making a guest appearance at a Red Krayola show in Los Angeles in 2004. In 2012, an invitation to contribute to ""I Dream of Wires: The Modular Synthesizer Documentary"" led to the recording of an impromptu duo performance on the EML-101 and 200 synthesizers, with current Ubu synthesist Robert Wheeler. Culled from this were a pair of albums and singles, entitled "City Desk/Farm Report", which were self-released in 2013. On June 29, 2018, he released a solo album entitled "Waiting for the Bomb" on Recommended Records.

Influence.

In reviewing "Dub Housing", critic John Dougan writes, "Ravenstine, who may be one of the all-time great synth players colors the sound with ominous whooshes of distortions, blips, and blurbs that sound like a sped-up Pong game."

Allen Ravenstine (born May 9, 1950) is an American keyboard player, most recognized for his work in the experimental rock group Pere Ubu. In 1991, he quit music to become a commercial airline pilot.


Difficulties.

Due to the distances involved, any serious attempt to travel between galaxies would require methods of propulsion far beyond what is currently thought possible in order to bring a large craft close to the speed of light.  According to the current understanding of physics, an object within space-time cannot exceed the speed of light, which means an attempt to travel to any other galaxy would be a journey of millions of earth years via conventional flight.  Manned travel at a speed not close to the speed of light, would require either that we overcome our own mortality with technologies like radical life extension or traveling with a generation ship. If traveling at a speed closer to the speed of light, time dilation would allow intergalactic travel in a timespan of decades of on-ship time.  Additional constraints include the variety of unknowns regarding the durability of a spaceship for such complex travel. Fluctuating temperatures as in the warm-hot intergalactic medium could potentially disintegrate future spacecraft if not properly shielded.  These challenges also mean a return trip would be very difficult, and the time for a return trip might possibly exceeding the species lifetime of humans on Earth (see discussion of civilization lifespan within the Drake Equation). Therefore, all future studies on the risks and feasibility of intergalactic travel would have to include a wide range of simulations to increase chances of a successful payload.

Possible methods.

Extreme long-duration voyages.

Voyages to other galaxies at sub-light speeds would require voyage times anywhere from hundreds of thousands to many millions of years. To date only one design such as this has ever been made.

Hypervelocity stars.

Theorized in 1988, and observed in 2005, there are stars moving faster than the escape velocity of the Milky Way, and are traveling out into intergalactic space. There are several theories for their existence. One of the mechanisms would be that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way ejects stars from the galaxy at a rate of about one every hundred thousand years. Another theorized mechanism might be a supernova explosion in a binary system.  These stars travel at speeds up to about 3,000 km/second. However, recently (November 2014) stars going up to a significant fraction of the speed of light have been postulated, based on numerical methods. Called Semi-Relativistic Hypervelocity Stars by the authors, these would be ejected by mergers of supermassive black holes in colliding galaxies. The authors think these stars will be detectable by forthcoming telescopes.  These could be used by entering into an orbit around them and waiting.

Artificially propelling a star.

Another proposal is to artificially propel a star in the direction of another galaxy.

Time dilation.

While it takes light approximately 2.54 million years to traverse the gulf of space between Earth and, for instance, the Andromeda Galaxy, it would take a much shorter amount of time from the point of view of a traveler at close to the speed of light due to the effects of time dilation; the time experienced by the traveler depending both on velocity (anything less than the speed of light) and distance traveled (length contraction). Intergalactic travel for humans is therefore possible, in theory, from the point of view of the traveller.  Accelerating to speeds closer to the speed of light with a relativistic rocket would allow the on-ship travel time to be drastically lower, but would require very large amounts of energy. A way to do this is space travel using constant acceleration. Traveling to the Andromeda Galaxy, 2 million light years away, would take 28 years on-ship time with a constant acceleration of 1g and a deceleration of 1g after reaching half way, to be able to stop.  Going to the Andromeda Galaxy at this acceleration would require 4 100 000 kg fuel per kg payload using the unrealistic assumption of a 100% efficient engine that converts matter to energy. Decelerating at the halfway point in order to stop dramatically increases the fuel requirements to 42 trillion kg fuel per kg payload. This is ten times the mass of Mt Everest required in fuel for each kg of payload. As the fuel contributes to the total mass of the ship, carrying more fuel also increases the energy required to travel at a certain acceleration and extra fuel added to make up for the increased mass would further contribute to the problem.  The fuel requirements of going to the Andromeda Galaxy with constant acceleration means that either the payload has to be very small, the spaceship has to be very large or it has to collect fuel or receive energy on the way through other means (e.g. using a Bussard ramjet).

Possible faster-than-light methods.

The Alcubierre drive is a hypothetical concept that is able to impulse a spacecraft to speeds faster than light (the spaceship itself would not move faster than light, but the space around it would). This could in theory allow practical intergalactic travel. There is no known way to create the space-distorting wave this concept needs to work, but the metrics of the equations comply with relativity and the limit of light speed.

Intergalactic travel is hypothetical crewed or uncrewed travel between galaxies. Due to the enormous distances between our own galaxy the Milky Way and even its closest neighbors—tens of thousands to millions of light-years—any such venture would be far more technologically demanding than even interstellar travel. Intergalactic distances are roughly a hundred-thousandfold (five orders of magnitude) greater than their interstellar counterparts.


Background.

Most of the material on Nickelback's debut album was written by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger dating back as far as 1993, and was largely influenced by the music of Seattle during that period, particularly grunge. The album's title track was written about and named after a teenage friend of Kroeger's called Kirby, who was involved in a road traffic accident in which the driver of the other vehicle was his girlfriend at the time, who was killed as a result of the collision. Speaking about the incident, Kroeger recalled that "He [Kirby] came over a hill in the middle of nowhere on a dirt gravel road and had a head-on collision with a car. He stumbled out of the car bleeding and bashed up pretty bad, and he opened up the [door of the other] car, and it's his girlfriend. She snuck out at the same time, was going to see him and he killed her on the back of a dirt road. I tried to imagine what they could possibly feel like, and that's where that song comes from."  "Curb" was recorded in January 1996 at Turtle Recording Studios in Richmond, British Columbia. The album was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Larry Anschell, founder of Turtle Recording. "Fly" and "Window Shopper" were taken directly from the band's debut EP "Hesher", which was recorded at Crosstown Studios North Vancouver, British Columbia with producer Jeff Boyd and released earlier in the year. "Where?" and "Left" were also originally released on "Hesher", but were subsequently re-recorded for "Curb". The album's title track features two guest musicians: drummer Boyd Grealy and cellist Ariel Watson. "Just Four" was re-recorded for the band's 2001 major label debut album "Silver Side Up" with the title "Just For".

Controversy.

On January 25, 2002, Nickelback's former management company Amar Management filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the band that claimed that the group had "wrongfully terminated the contract and has failed to pay the management company commissions, disbursements, and various other fees as a result of services rendered". The band counter-claimed that the management company had "wrongfully retained or took possession of "Curb" from the plaintiffs [Nickelback] in August of 1998", seeking to regain ownership of the album's original master recordings. The latter claim was settled in Nickelback's favour, giving them the full rights to their debut album. In 2003, the album's producer Larry Anschell also sued the band for "production royalties and property rights" to the songs on "Curb".

Reception.

"Curb" received mixed to negative reviews from critics. In "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide", published in 2004, "Curb" was awarded one and a half stars and criticised for its "generic heft [which] got the band nowhere". Reviewing the album for musicOMH, David Rafaello claimed that "Curb" is "stuck in a time capsule labelled'mid-90s paralysis'", suggesting that it was only released internationally in 2002 in an attempt to "cash in on the momentary fame and success of the group". Continuing to condemn the album, Rafaello suggested that "It's hard to think of another recent release by any major force that is so monochromatic and derivative", berating frontman Chad Kroeger's vocal performance and labelling "most" of the songs on the record as "dull".  Upon its international release by Roadrunner Records in 2002, "Curb" registered at number 182 on the US "Billboard" 200. The album also entered the UK Albums Chart at number 185, peaked at number 24 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, reached number 79 on the German Albums Chart, and reached number 72 on the Swiss Albums Chart. Despite not charting in the band's home country, "Curb" was certified gold by Music Canada in 2010 for sales of 50,000 units, and in 2015 was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in the UK of 60,000 units.

Curb is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback. Recorded at Turtle Recording Studios in Richmond, British Columbia with producer Larry Anschell, it was originally released exclusively in Canada by FACTOR (the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) in 1996. The album was reissued locally later in the year by Shoreline Records. After Nickelback signed with Roadrunner Records in 1999, "Curb" was released internationally on June 25, 2002.


Context.

After the liberation of Belgrade and Vojvodina, the 57th Army, under the command of General Mikhail Sharokhin, supported by the 51st Vojvodina Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sreten Savić, reached to the left bank of the Danube river and took over its defense from Baja to Bačka Palanka. In order to facilitate further operations of the Red Army towards Vienna and Budapest, the 51st Partisan division crossed the left bank of the Drava river. These units had the task to take over bridges and provide the transfer of other units across the Danube river. In the headquarters of the 57th Army in Srbobran, Yugoslav National Liberation Army's general Kosta Nađ and the 3rd Ukrainian Front commander Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin, agreed to choose the village of Batina as the point for crossing the Danube river. As a backup area, they selected the area to the west of Apatin. Both commanders thought that, due to the extremely unfavorable and inaccessible terrain near Batina (wide and flooded rivers, wetlands and almost perpendicular cliffs), the enemy wouldn't expect an attack on this part of the river.

German forces.

In early November 1944, the right bank of the Danube river was defended by a number of German strongholds, stretching between the villages of Duboševica and Čarne. They were managed by forces of the 68th Army Corps (General of Aviation Hellmuth Felmy) from Army Group F, under the command of Marshal Maximilian von Weichs.
 It was composed of parts of the German 31st SS and Brandenburg divisions, four Hungarian and three battalions, one Ustaše and Home Guard regiment, several police battalions, 25 artillery batteries and 30 tanks.
 Stronger reserves were located south of Osijek and at Pécs. In anticipation of new attacks, the German command was constantly bringing new units into the area. At the beginning of the Battle of Batina, German forces had about 30,000 troops, a number which increased to more than 60,000 at the end of the battle.

Red Army and the People's Liberation Army forces.

Forces of the Soviet Army that participated in the Battle of Batina was the 57th Army, composed of the Forces of the People's Liberation Army that participated in the Battle of Batina were: the

Objectives and results.

The Allied plan envisioned that the 73rd Guards and 233rd Red Army divisions and the 51st People's Liberation Army's division (without the 8th Brigade) would attack Batina and take it over. They would later extend the bridgehead up to the villages Draža and Zmajevac. The 236th Red Army Division and the 8th Brigade of the 51st Division would attack and take over Zlatna Greda and expand the bridgehead towards the village of Zmajevac and Kneževi Vinogradi.  The battle of Batina lasted from 11 to 29 November 1944, when the Allies took the bridgeheads near Batina and Apatin. In the decisive fight, the German forces tried to force the Red Army and the NLA back to the Danube with several counterattacks, in particular from 12 to 15 November. All the counterattacks, however, were rejected, and the Germans forces in the territory between the Danube and Drava rivers were substantially destroyed. Baranja was liberated as well. These actions created favorable conditions for the subsequent Red Army's offensive towards Vienna and Budapest, while the whole German front on the Syrmian Front was weakened.

Course of the battle.

The First Recon Group of the 12th Vojvodina brigade and the 233rd divisions of the Red Army (commanded by Colonel Sidorenko) managed to cross the Danube on the night of 9-10 November 1944 unnoticed. They approached the enemy positions to a few meters and waited there for the main units to arrive, helping them by sending signals. On 11 November, just before dawn, two battalions of the Red Army's 233rd Division and one battalion of the 12th Brigade, with the strong support of Soviet artillery, transferred across the Danube with the fishing boats to an area near Batina, and then launched an attack on the German positions. They first attacked Draž, trig 205 and Zmajevac, in front of which they were stopped.
 In the afternoon of 11 November, and on the night of 11–12 November, other battalions of the 12th Brigade were transferred across the Danube and joined those units that had been transferred in the morning. On 12 November, around noon, the 35th SS Division, supported by tanks and 20 airplanes, started a counter-attack and managed to push the 12th brigade and 233rd battalion division to the western edge of Batina by nightfall. The fighting continued on 13 November, when the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Brigade was transferred across the Danube in order to help the Red Army and NLA forces there.
 On the next day, the Germans continued to attack in a very tough fight and managed to push troops to the eastern part of Batina. In the next two days, heavy street fighting took place in the streets of Batina. The Soviet troops and the 51st division were suppressed on 15 November. In this critical moment, the whole Red Army's 73rd Guards Division, and, on the night of 15–16 November, other battalions of the 7th Brigade were also transferred across the river, replacing the exhausted 12th Brigade's battalions.
 The bloodiest battles were fought at the Batina train station and Hill 169, known as the "Bloody Hill" (). On 16 November the Red Army and NLA attacked the Nazis with everything they had, eventually pushing the 35th SS Division to Draž and Zmajevac. Along with the development of the struggle in the direction of Zmajevac and Draž, on 18 November, they crossed the Danube, north of Apatin. The 236th Red Army division and a battalion of the 51st division's 8th brigade headed towards Monjoroš and Tikveš Castle. By 22 November the other troops of the 236th Soviet Division and the 8th Brigade were transferred across the Danube. Next day, in a general strike, the 73rd Guards Division took Zmajevac in conjunction with the 51st Division, while the 8th Brigade, Monjoroš, and the 233rd Division took Draž.

The Battle of Batina or Batina Operation () is one of the battles of the Second World War which took place from 11 to 29 November 1944 at the Croatian village of Batina in Baranja, on the right bank of the Danube River, between the units of the Red Army and the People's Liberation Army against the Wehrmacht and their allies. According to some estimates, the Battle of Batina is the biggest battle by the number of participants, the intensity of fighting, and the strategic importance that occurred during the World War II in Yugoslavia.


Recognition of same-sex unions in Croatia

Unregistered cohabitation.

In 2003, one year after the first gay pride in Croatia, the then ruling coalition, consisting of mostly centre-left parties, passed a law on same-sex unions. Initially, the law recognized registered partnerships with most of the rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples, but the right-wing Croatian Peasant Party, which was the only right-wing party of the coalition, threatened to leave the coalition should they insist on this version of the law. The law grants same-sex partners who have been cohabiting for at least 3 years similar rights enjoyed by unmarried cohabiting opposite-sex partners in terms of inheritance and financial support, but not the right to adopt or any other right included in family law. Registering those relationship is not allowed, nor are rights in terms of tax, joint properties, health insurance, pensions, etc., included.

Registered partnership.

In early 2005, the Croatian Parliament rejected a registered partnership bill proposed by Šime Lučin (SDP) and Independent Ivo Banac. MP Lucija Čikeš, a member of the then ruling HDZ, called for the proposal to be dropped because "all universe is heterosexual, from an atom and the smallest particle, from a fly to an elephant". Another HDZ MP objected on grounds that "85% of the population considers itself Catholic and the Church is against heterosexual and homosexual equality". Medical and psychological professionals did not support these statements, arguing that all members of Parliament have a duty to vote according to the Constitution of Croatia, which bans discrimination.

Life Partnership Act.

On 11 May 2012, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović announced further expansion of rights for same-sex couples. At that point, it was not known which of the well-known terms such as civil union or registered partnership would be used, but it was certain that Croatian family law would not be modified for this purpose, but rather a new law dealing with the issue would be introduced, thus implying that the term marriage would not be used.  On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in 2012, LGBT rights groups met with Minister of Administration Arsen Bauk, who announced further changes in existing laws to expand LGBT rights, as well as a new law regulating same-sex partnerships. The name of the law at that point was still unknown, but one of the proposed drafts was the "Life Partnership Act" (). Minister Bauk also said that he strongly believes in equality and that no politician should make compromises, referring to several politicians who have expressed support for equality, but are willing to make concessions because society might not be ready for certain changes. Marko Jurčić from Zagreb Pride said that they disliked the idea of these partnerships being called "same-sex" and preferred the term "life partnership", open to all couples, but that was rejected. Zagreb Pride, however, remained a strong supporter of the "Life Partnership Act", co-drafting the bill within the government working group and led a campaign called "It's time for the life partnerships".  The Ministry of Administration and the working group responsible for creating the law met for the first time on 6 September 2012, with expectations for the law to be presented before the Croatian Parliament sometime in 2013. On 16 November 2012, president of the working group Jagoda Botički confirmed that same-sex couples would be able to register their relationships at register offices, the same as for heterosexual couples, but the law would not include heterosexual couples. She said that the group was in the process of creating a list of rights with the help of several government ministries. LGBT associations, Iskorak and Kontra, expressed their satisfaction with the fact that registration at register offices would be possible, but at the same time expressed disappointment with same-sex couples being excluded from family law, thus making it possible for the law to include fewer rights than expected as a result of political trade and concessions. This would especially affect same-sex families with children, as it was the most controversial area for the opponents of the law.  On 2 August 2013, Bauk confirmed that the name of the law would be the "Life Partnership Act", that registration of life partnerships would be identical to marriage, and that the law should make same-sex couples equal to married couples, apart from adoption. However, he did say that stepchild adoption is being considered. HNS MPs support full adoption. Public debate about the law was announced for September that year, and the introduction of the law before the Parliament by the end of it.  On 4 November 2013, the first draft of the law was published. Although it would not allow for jull joint adoption, a parent's life partner may attain partial, in some cases full, parental responsibility over the child. The Act also enables a parent's life partner to become a partner-guardian. Partner-guardianship is equal to stepchild adoption. Even though the draft was not part of Croatian family law, it referred to it, and defined same-sex couples as family. The draft also banned any present and future discrimination, and every future change of family law regarding marriage must include life partnerships as well.  On 12 December 2013, the Croatian Government passed the proposed bill. On 29 January 2014, the Parliamentary Committee on Human and National Minority Rights passed it as well, with 6 members in favor and 2 against (who were both members of HDZ). 5 days before this decision, the Gender Equality Committee also accepted the law. The decision was unanimous, but members of HDZ were absent. The pattern was followed by every other parliamentary committee that had to accept the bill. The bill was introduced before Parliament on 27 February 2014, and during the public debate suggestions were made on how to improve the law, with some of them being accepted. The Government passed the final proposal on 24 June 2014. The bill passed its second reading on 10 July 2014. Parliament approved the "Life Partnership Act" in its final reading on 15 July 2014 with 89 votes for and 16 against. It was published in the official gazette on 28 July 2014, and it took effect 8 days later (i.e. 5 August 2014), except for the part on parental responsibility which came into force on 1 September 2014.  In September 2017, the Croatian Government rejected a draft proposal, which would have changed Croatian family law to give couples access to social welfare benefits, because it only included married couples and not life partners. The draft was eventually withdrawn after protest from organisations and activists. Sanja Baric, a professor at the University of Rijeka, told the "Balkan Insight" that if such a narrow definition of the family had been established in law, a constitutional review would have likely overturned it. She cited multiple European Court of Human Rights rulings which have defined the family as including single people with children, same-sex couples and grandparents with grandchildren, among other types of families. In November 2017, the Ministry of Demographics, Family, Youth and Social Policy included life partners in the draft.

Foreign partners/partnerships.

According to Articles 73, 74 and 75 of the "Life Partnership Act", same-sex marriages and same-sex partnerships performed abroad are recognized as life partnerships in Croatia (EU and non-EU). This also includes unregistered same-sex relationships where couples have been cohabiting for a minimum of 3 years. They are recognized as informal life partnerships. Furthermore, couples where at least one of the partners is an EU-citizen can enter into life partnerships in Croatia, even if their country does not recognize same-sex relationships. Should they decide to move to another EU country that recognizes same-sex partnerships or same-sex marriages, their life partnerships will be recognized according to the legislation of that country, respecting the right of EU citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the member states. Couples where both partners are citizens of a non-EU/EEA country can also enter into life partnerships in Croatia. According to law experts, this makes the "Life Partnership Act" one of the most liberal same-sex partnership acts in Europe.

Statistics.

The first life partnership was registered in Zagreb between two men on 5 September 2014. Minister of Administration Arsen Bauk was also present, and presented the life partners with two neckties as a gift from the Croatian state. The second life partnership took place in Split on 18 September 2014.  In mid-December 2014, released information showed that between 30 and 40 life partnerships had taken place in the country since September 2014. 22 took place in Zagreb, 3 in Rijeka, 2 in Split and 2 in Rovinj, while others occurred in Pazin and Opatija. In most partnerships, both partners were Croatian citizens, but there were some partnerships where one of the partners was a citizen of another country, such as the United Kingdom, Austria, Slovenia, Japan, Italy, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time this information was released, no partnership had taken place where both partners were foreign citizens. On 20 February 2015, it was reported that the first life partnership where both partners were foreign citizens had taken place in Osijek between two Macedonian women. This was the first life partnership in that city and also the 40th in Croatia.  Other cities which have seen life partnerships include Kastav, Dubrovnik, Pula, Koprivnica, Opatija, Pakrac, Vukovar, Zadar, Ludbreg, Ivanska, Nova Rača, Nova Gradiška, Poreč, Umag and Buje. By May 2015, only one partnership dissolution had occurred.  According to the Ministry of Administration, 72 life partnerships were celebrated in 2015 alone. 38 of those were to male couples and 34 were to female couples. 47 of them were conducted in the city of Zagreb, 7 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, 4 each in Osijek-Baranja County, Istria County and Split-Dalmatia County, 2 in Varaždin County, and 1 each in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Vukovar-Srijem County, Šibenik-Knin County and Krapina-Zagorje County. In 44 cases, both partners were Croatian citizens, in 22 one partner was a foreign national, and in 3 cases both partners were foreign nationals.  On 23 September 2016, it was reported that the first life partnership between prison inmates had taken place. The ceremony was held in the city of Gospić.

Same-sex marriage.

Many political parties and politicians have expressed support for same-sex marriage in Croatia. Most notably MPs from the SDP, HNS, HSLS, Green List and the Labour Party, as well as Vesna Pusić and Mirela Holy and former Croatian President Ivo Josipović. In May 2013, a conservative civil initiative group "In the name of the family" collected more than 700,000 signatures for a referendum which would constitutionally define marriage as "a union between a woman and a man". They needed a minimum of 450,000 signatures, representing 10% of registered voters. The Kukuriku Government disapproved of the possible referendum, accusing the Church of being the main force behind the initiative. The Catholic Church had a major role in collecting signatures as many volunteers were based in front of churches. The Government also argued that the referendum question was in fact unconstitutional. The initiative had divided Croatian society and opened many legal questions, such as a reform to the law on referendums. According to the current law, turnout is not a condition for a successful referendum, thus enabling a minority of voters to change the Constitution. Marriage being defined as a union between a woman and a man does not prevent the Government from expanding rights to same-sex couples, and equalizing their relationships with marriage, thus raising questions on the purpose of the referendum. According to a poll that included 1,300 people, 55.3% of them supported the initiative, and 31.1% did not. Croatian President Ivo Josipović condemned the referendum.  Parliament voted in favour of not presenting the referendum proposal before the Constitutional Court. However, after Parliament had set the date for the referendum, every Croatian citizen had the right to do so. As such, 3 NGOs (Zagreb Pride, Centre For Civil Courage, and CroL) presented their case before the Court. The Constitutional Court did not decide in their favour, stating there was no legal basis for banning the referendum. However, the Court was clear in stating that defining marriage as a union between a woman and a man must not have any negative effect on future laws regarding same-sex couples or non-married opposite-sex couples. Conservative ex-Prime Minister, once a member of right-wing HDZ and now an independent MP, Jadranka Kosor voted in favour of presenting the proposal before the Constitutional Court and voted against the proposed constitutional change. This statement was not in line with her previous views on homosexuality and same-sex marriages. She was known for being against the expansion of rights for same-sex couples in the past, and was voted the "homophobe of the year" in 2010 after stating that homosexuality is not natural, and that same-sex marriages should never be legal. She does, however, support the "Life Partnership Act".  There was much resistance to the referendum in Croatia, with some media outlets, such as daily newspaper "Jutarnji list", donating its advertising space to several organisations opposed to the referendum. Aside from well-known public figures who were openly against the referendum, the Jewish Community in Zagreb and a Lutheran church were two religious organisations who also publicly opposed it. Popular Croatian entertainers including Severina, TBF and Let 3 organised a concert gathering thousands of people in support of same-sex marriage on the main Zagreb square. Croatian psychologists and psychology students organised a petition in support of same-sex marriage. On 30 November 2013, one day before the referendum, around a thousand people marched in the city of Zagreb in support of same-sex marriage. Marches of support also took place in Pula, Split and Rijeka gathering hundreds of people.  The referendum took place on 1 December 2013. 65.87% voted in favour of the constitutional change, and 33.51% voted against. Turnout was low, only 37.9% of the people participated. However, not all counties voted in favour of the amendment. Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar voted against, with 58.23% and 53.30% respectively. When it came to larger cities, Rijeka voted against with 59.27%, and Pula voted against with 63.64%. Most cities in these two counties voted against, with Labin being the highest at 70.97%. Regarding cities outside these two counties, Varaždin and Čakovec also voted against with 56.94% and 58.95% respectively. Zagreb voted 55.90% in favour and 43.50% against; the remaining votes being invalid.  Article 61 now reads: In the aftermath of the referendum, the Croatian Government, with the support of some opposition parties, started working on changes to the Constitution and the referendum process. The section referring to referendums would clearly define what questions can or cannot be subject to referendums. Furthermore, if citizens want to change the Constitution, turnout must be over 50%. Constitutional changes currently require support from two-thirds of MPs. Croatian President Ivo Josipović suggested that other forms of family life outside marriage should also be protected by the Constitution to balance the injustice created by the referendum on marriage, but his proposal was rejected. In May 2018, the Social Democratic Party launched an initiative to amend the Constitution to prevent referendums designed with "reducing fundamental civil rights and freedoms".  In April 2018, the Croatian Parliament ratified (in a 110-30 vote) the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention). The treaty aims to safeguard the rights of women against domestic violence, protect victims of domestic violence and prosecute the offenders. Right-wing groups and the Catholic Church opposed the ratification, erroneously believing it would legalise same-sex marriage.

LGBT parenting.

Full joint adoption for same-sex couples in Croatia is not legal, but a single person regardless of sexual orientation is allowed to adopt. The "Life Partnership Act" also recognizes an institution similar to stepchild adoption called "partner-guardianship" ().  A life partner who is not the biological parent of their partner's child or children can gain parental responsibilities on a temporary or permanent basis. During a life partnership, the parent can temporarily entrust their life partner, who is not the biological parent, with parental rights. Should those rights last over 30 days, the decision must be certified with the solicitor. In this situation, as long as the parental rights last, the parent and the life partner must agree on decisions important for the child's/children's well-being. In case of a dissolution of a life partnership, the partner who is not the biological parent can maintain personal relationships with the child or children, should the court decide it is in their best interest. Partner-guardianship is an institution created within the "Life Partnership Act" that enables a life partner who is not the biological parent to gain permanent parental rights, and is similar to stepchild adoption. Such a relationship between the non-parent life partner and the child may be established under two conditions; if the child's or children's parent is deceased, under condition that a second parent is also deceased, or his/her parental rights have been terminated due to child abuse. Alternately, if a parent is alive, but a second parent is unknown, deceased or his/her parental rights have been terminated, the life partner who is not the biological parent can become a partner-guardian if the court decides in their favour. Both formal and informal life partners are eligible to partner-guardianship. The partner-guardian receives full parental responsibility as is the case with stepchild adoption, and is registered in the child's birth certificate as their partner-guardian. Partner-guardianship is a permanent next-of-kin relationship with all the rights, responsibilities and legal impacts as that of a parent and a child. On 13 July 2015, it was reported that the first case of partner-guardianship had been granted.

History.

In May 2012, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Welfare Policy and Youth Milanka Opačić expressed support for LGBT parenting and said that Croatia should progress to the point where it is acceptable and tolerated "but not just yet as the current situation could lead to discrimination of children from those families", arguing for taking a step-by-step approach regarding LGBT rights. However, her statements were not welcomed by some NGOs who stated that there are already children in Croatia living with same-sex families and those families are desperate for legal solutions to their everyday problems; "so she should not be perpetuating discriminatory policies, but rather help to create acceptable solutions and fight against discrimination."  Vesna Pusić has long been a supporter for full LGBT parenting. In July 2012, Minister of War Veterans and member of the SDP Predrag Matić also expressed his support for adoption and said that society should not falter in achieving equal rights due to pressure from right-wing and radical circles. This was seen as a major step considering that war veteran associations are usually associated with right-wing politics. Minister of Economy Ivan Vrdoljak said that adoption should be allowed and expressed his hope that the Kukuriku Government would introduce it by the end of their mandate, which expired in 2015.  In July 2014, the Government passed the "Life Partnership Act" with a majority of MPs in the Croatian Parliament voting in favor. For the first time in Croatia, this made unmarried opposite-sex couples equal to married couples, including in adoption. This was seen by some as the first step towards full adoption rights, even though the "Life Partnership Act" is not part of Croatian family law. Barrister Sanja Bezbradica Jelavić and professor at the University of Rijeka Sanja Barić pointed out that the European Court of Human Rights does not suggest same-sex couples have to be equal to married couples, but it does, however, suggest that they must be equal to unmarried couples. They referred to the "X and Others v. Austria" case in which the court decided that the partner in a same-sex union has the right to adopt his or her partner's biological child as the same was possible for unmarried opposite-sex couples. They pointed out that following this decision and logic it is only a matter of time until same-sex couples are allowed to fully adopt in Croatia. Two options are possible; this question can be introduced before the Constitutional Court, and if that proves to be unsuccessful the next step would be the European Court of Human Rights, which would issue a binding decision on Croatia. Minister of Administration Arsen Bauk has said that the Government has no intentions of changing the "Life Partnership Act" at this point, and it would leave this question for future parliamentary debates.  In May 2017, it was reported that a male couple in a life partnership had filed suit after being denied the ability to foster a child, based on the fact that Croatian law does not provide life partnerships with full adoption rights. Previously, the couple had successfully completed a course preparing potential parents for adoption. Despite Croatia not explicitly providing full adoption rights to couples in life partnerships, the couple, and their lawyer, Sanja Bezbradica Jelavić, argued that the "Life Partnership Act" and the Family Code specifically state that couples in life partnerships must be equal to married couples. Furthermore, the Act states that any issues regarding children that are not defined by the partner-guardian institution will be dealt with by the Family Code. The couple and their lawyer also confirmed that, in the case of an unsatisfactory verdict, they would bring their case before the European Court of Human Rights. The couple brought their case to an administrative court, and on 20 December 2019 the court ruled in their favour. The Zagreb Administrative Court ruled that the couple have the right to be foster parents. Their attorney Sanja Bezbradica Jelavić stated: "The court's decision is binding, and an appeal is not allowed, so this judgment is final. The written ruling has not yet arrived, but as stated during the announcement, the court accepted our argument in the lawsuit, based on Croatian regulations and the European Convention on Human Rights. As a result, the court ordered the relevant government agencies to implement the new decision in accordance with the judgment. We believe that the agencies will respect the court decision." The decision followed the introduction of the "Foster Care Act" () in December 2018, which excluded same-sex couples.

Public opinion.

The 2015 Eurobarometer found that 37% of Croatians thought that same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe. A Pew Research Center poll conducted in 2015-2016 found that 31% of Croatians supported same-sex marriage, with 64% opposed.  The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 39% of Croatians thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, 55% were against.

Croatia recognizes life partnerships () for same-sex couples through the "Life Partnership Act", making same-sex couples equal to married couples in everything except adoption. However, the Act does provide couples with an institution similar to stepchild adoption called partner-guardianship. The Act also recognizes and defines unregistered same-sex relationships as informal life partners, thus making them equal to registered life partnerships after they have been cohabiting for a minimum of 3 years. Croatia first recognized same-sex couples in 2003 through a law on unregistered same-sex unions, which was later replaced by the "Life Partnership Act". The Croatian Parliament passed the new law on 15 July 2014, taking effect in two stages (5 August 2014 and 1 September 2014). Following a 2013 referendum, the Constitution of Croatia has limited marriage to opposite-sex couples.


Origins.

Oceania, the fictional superstate in George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four", appears to have emerged from a formal political union of the United States and the countries of the British Commonwealth, which later annexed the remainder of the Americas. Big Brother and Emmanuel Goldstein led the Party to power in Oceania after a revolution. After the Party achieved control of Oceania, Ingsoc became the official governing ideology and other political beliefs were increasingly marginalized. Goldstein and Big Brother later became enemies and differed in their interpretation of Ingsoc. Big Brother and the Party would eventually brand Goldstein a criminal and use him as a symbol of treachery and sedition.

As political philosophy.

Emmanuel Goldstein's "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" describes the Party's ideology as an oligarchical collective which "rejects and vilifies every principle for which the Socialist movement originally stood, and it does so in the name of Socialism". It is noteworthy that in the terms of the book this ideology would be a form of doublethink.  Big Brother personifies the Inner Party as the ubiquitous face constantly depicted in posters and telescreens. Big Brother is constantly watching Oceania's citizens and Ingsoc demands the complete submission (mental, moral and physical) of the people, with the Party willing to torture people to achieve it (see Room 101). Ingsoc is a masterfully complex system of psychological control that compels confession to imagined crimes and the forgetting of rebellious thought in order to love Big Brother and the Party over oneself. The purpose of Ingsoc is political control and power "per se". Glibly, O'Brien explains to Smith:  The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.

Ingsoc's social class system.

In the year 1984, Ingsoc divides Oceanian society into three social classes, the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the Proles.  Although these classes interact little, the protagonist Winston Smith attends an evening at the cinema, where people from all three classes view the same film program. He visits a Prole's pub without attracting notice (or so he thinks), as well as the flat of Inner Party member O'Brien on the pretext of borrowing the newest edition of the Newspeak dictionary. Ingsoc's propaganda proclaims egalitarianism, yet the Proles and (some) middle-class citizens are hideously exploited and live in poverty while the upper class work little and live well and comfortably with food and consumer goods being more scarce and expensive than even under capitalism. It is suggested that this is not a result of a deficit of actual produce, but rather a surplus: this surplus is more than the amount taken up by constant warfare between Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. If the Party chose, all its people could live in luxury, but they instead choose to make the standard of living as low as possible as it is important that the lower classes remain stupefied by poverty (with the middle class having to struggle for mere survival) since if the Party believe that if they were to become comfortable, they might learn to think for themselves and start a rebellion.

The upper class (Inner Party).

The upper class make up less than 2% of Oceania's population. Among their privileges is the ability to completely turn off their telescreens. They live in spacious, comfortable homes, have good food and drink, personal servants, and speedy transportation such as personal helicopters and automobiles (while the middle and lower classes are not allowed to privately own any vehicles) and no middle-class citizen or Prole may enter an upper-class neighbourhood without permission from an upper-class citizen. According to Goldstein's book, middle-class citizens ambitious or loyal enough may be promoted to join the upper class starting from a certain age. Within the upper class are the Inner Party, whose members make policy, influence decisions, and govern.  Despite their insulation and overt privileges, the upper class are still not exempt from the government's brutal restriction of thought and behaviour, even while lies and propaganda apparently originate from their own ranks. Instead, the luxuries and rich lifestyles that they have access to are offered in exchange for them maintaining their loyalty to the state; non-conformant upper-class citizens can be condemned, tortured, and potentially executed just like any other individual. Also, all people in both the upper and middle classes are expected to abstain completely from any kind of sexual activity other than normal intercourse strictly for reproduction within marriage, since to allow sex in any less restrictive forms would permit self-actualization, individual intimacy, and intellectual freedom which all go against the Party's agenda.

The middle class (Outer Party).

The middle class is home to the Outer Party, whose members work the State's administrative jobs and directly implement the Party's policies, while having absolutely no voice in their formulation whatsoever. They are essential to the Party's success, but the Party only tolerate them in hostile conditions. The middle class, including the Outer Party, are allowed "no vices other than cigarettes and Victory Gin", and they are the citizens under the heaviest surveillance. This is because according to history the middle class' combination of intellectual ability and lack of power means they are the ones that are most likely to rebel against the government. They are therefore expected to sustain a continuous, patriotic frenzy for the Party, with the Outer Party also required to blindly accept every order from their superiors, all while simultaneously being condemned to live in rundown neighbourhoods, use bicycles and public transportation, and to persist in an ongoing state of near starvation with meager rations of poor food and drink.

The working class (Proles).

The Proles (proletariat) are the lower class of workers, performing the bulk of manual labour required in Oceania. They live in the poorest conditions, but they may be considered more fortunate than the middle class as they are under little surveillance. The Party keep them happy and sedate them with pleasures like alcohol, gambling, sport, sexual promiscuity, and prolefeed (fabricated entertainment, including pornography). They are kept largely uneducated and considered incapable of gaining any sophisticated view of their own lives or of society (although they are actually capable), and are therefore considered harmless, lacking any greater will or consciousness than would be typically ascribed to animals. The Proles live in poor yet relatively free conditions. They are not required to install telescreens in their homes (since most cannot even afford one), and no Prole who has a telescreen ever uses it for surveillance purposes as the government do not require them to do so. Despite these freedoms, a few Thought Police officers are deployed among the Proles to mark down and attempt to eliminate any individuals deemed capable of rebellion. Proles make up 85% of Oceania's population.  In the novel, Winston Smith notes that "if there is hope, it lies in the Proles" (i.e. among the three classes, the Proles have the highest chance of successfully rebelling against the Party).

Other political ideologies in "Nineteen Eighty-Four".

Eurasia and Eastasia are the other two ideologically-formed and ruled superstates that resemble Oceania. Neo-Bolshevism is the ideology of Eurasia, Soviet-conquered Europe. Death Worship, or Obliteration of the Self, is described as the translation of the Chinese name for the ideology of Eastasia. The ruling oligarchies of the three superstates are aware that their ideologies are philosophically indistinguishable, a fact kept from and denied by their populaces via doublethink. Said denial is practised in each state and the mutual vilification of the enemy state permits perpetual war among them. Without said war, the lower classes would have no focus for the hatred of and triumph over the enemy with which their Inner parties dominate them and find excuses for their atrocities. The fact that all that Oceania's citizens are allowed to know about the world is whatever the Party want them to know has led some to hypothesise that the other superstates do not really exist, with some even arguing that Oceania does not exist as a superstate, but are rather fabrications of the Party (part of a storyline that the Party invented to advance social control).  How Ingsoc gained control of the British Empire and the Americas in a historically short period is unknown. In his book, Goldstein says that Oceania was created "with the absorption of [...] the British Empire by the United States" and may have occurred in the aftermath of the nuclear war of the 1950s also referred to in the book. Some have claimed that Goldstein's book itself may have been written by the Party, and therefore it may have been subjected to the same historical negation as the Party's other propaganda, resulting in it being potentially unreliable as a source of information. When Winston is being tortured by O'Brien in the Ministry of Love, he asks if "the book" is true. O'Brien replies: "As description, yes. The program it sets forth [...] is nonsense".

The English Socialist Party, also known as English Socialism and most famously as Ingsoc, is the fictional political party of the totalitarian government of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four", published in 1949. Orwell himself, a self-avowed democratic socialist, feared that socialism in his native Britain would turn into a totalitarian society governed by an ideology resembling that of Ingsoc.


History.

Thame United were formed in 1883, making them one of Oxfordshire's oldest clubs. They spent their early years playing in local Oxfordshire leagues. In 1959 they stepped up to the Hellenic League, where they were league champions in 1961–62 and 1969–70 and runners-up on three other occasions.  In 1988 the decision was taken to switch to the South Midlands League. In three seasons in this league United finished runners-up twice and then claimed the league title in 1990–91, which saw them promoted to the Isthmian League Division Three. Two promotions followed in quick succession, putting the club in Division One in 1995. Although United were relegated in 1998, they bounced straight back the following season under manager Andy Sinnott, who also led them to the semi-finals of the FA Vase and to within two points of achieving promotion to the Premier Division.  In October 2003 the club reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, going down 2–1 to Conference side Farnborough Town. Since then they have reached this point in the competition twice, losing 1–0 to Hornchurch and 5–0 to Forest Green. In 2004, due to non-league reorganisation, United switched to the Southern League Division One West.  In 2005 severe financial difficulties hit the club, with bailiffs seizing assets to offset unpaid VAT bills, and the landlord of their Windmill Road stadium serving them with notice of eviction. The club managed to limp to the end of the season playing at the ground of neighbours Aylesbury United and a rock-bottom finish saw them relegated back to the Hellenic League after 18 years away.  During the summer of 2006, Aylesbury were also evicted from their ground, leaving Thame homeless once again, leading to a new groundshare arrangement with AFC Wallingford. The results on the playing field continued to be poor, and they completed the 2006–07 season in a relegation position despite the improvement of results following the return of successful manager Mark West. Because of this, they were relegated to the Hellenic Football League Division 1 East for the 2007–08 season. Jack Collinge took over as chairman of the club.  In October 2007 it was announced that the club planned to move to a multi-million pound venue at Church Farm in the North of Thame. They hoped to begin playing in their new stadium by the 2009–10 season, but as of October 2010 the stadium was still being built. After the stadium was completed, a game to celebrate the club's new stadium was played against Football League Two side Oxford United in January 2011. Thame lost 3–1 with the new ASM Stadium's first record attendance of 1,382. At the end of the 2016-17 season, the club was promoted to the Southern League in Step 4 of the National League System under manager Mark West after a final day on which the "Red Kites" beat Henley Town 9-0. In their first Southern League game in decades, Thame came from behind to beat Chalfont St. Peter 2-1.

Stadium.

Thame United play their home games at The ASM Stadium located at Meadow View Park, Thame. From the 2015–16 season, Aylesbury United signed a two-year deal to groundshare with Thame United. The ASM Stadium now hosts Thame United FC and the reserve team Thame Rangers who play in the Hellenic League Division One East.  The 20 acre site is also home to a number of local youth and community teams, 7 pitches including multiple artificial turf training pitches, club bar and function rooms.

Thame United Football Club are a football club based in Thame, Oxfordshire, England. They were established in 1883 and joined the Hellenic League in 1959. The club currently competes in the.


History.

Yuneec was originally a manufacturer of radio-controlled model aircraft. The company built the first successful electric powered paraglider that was manufactured in series production, the EPac. Former company owner Tian Yu then turned his attention to an electric ultralight trike, the Yuneec International ETrike. From there he designed a series of electric motors, the Yuneec Power Drive series, the all-composite E430 and the EViva motorglider. Collaboration with Flightstar Sportplanes of the US brought the Yuneec International e-Spyder design to completion, using an existing airframe with new electric power components.  In July 2010, Yuneec's E430 electric aircraft, won the Lindbergh Electric Airplane Prize at the World Electric Aircraft symposium. Yuneec's e-Spyder was the world's first certified electric aircraft, having received the DULV Type Certification in February 2013.  In 2014 the company became a founding member of Dronecode, a non-profit hosted by the Linux Foundation with the aim of providing Linux kernel-based common free software for drone manufacturers.  In August 2015, Intel Corporation invested $60 million in Yuneec. Intel and Yuneec agreed to work together on development of future projects. That same month, Yuneec launched Breeze, a drone capable of capturing UltraHD 4K photos and videos. Yuneec announced a retail partnership with Best Buy covering the Typhoon drone series and the Typhoon Wizard controller.  The Typhoon G featuring its GB203 3-axis gimbal designed for use with the GoPro camera was released in September 2015 to smooth and stabilize aerial footage. In October 2015, Yuneec released the Typhoon Wizard, an ultra-lightweight remote control compatible with the Typhoon drone series designed to be used with one hand. Yuneec partnered with Ocean Alliance, a whale conservation organization, in 2015 to create a safer way of collecting health data from whales. Rather than using biopsy darts, Ocean Alliance began using Yuneec drones outfitted with petri dishes to retrieve samples.  One of Yuneec's drones, the Typhoon Q500+, was seized by the police in June 2016 when its operator was flying it near the White House. The operator crashed a drone on The Ellipse near the White House in October 2015.  Yuneec released the Typhoon H in July 2016. The drone used the Intel RealSense 3D depth camera technology which tracks depth and human motion. The SkyView FPV headset was released in August 2016. The headset connects to a drone's onboard camera allowing the user to control the drone from the first person view.  In late 2016 the company established a new a research and development center, "Yuneec Advanced Technology Labs AG", near Zurich, Switzerland to work on computer vision, obstacle avoidance and flight control software development.  At the beginning of 2017 the company introduced the Yuneec H520, a modular hexacopter drone intended for the commercial market, including fire department, police, construction, surveying, inspection and mapping. The H520 can carry various cameras as payloads and can operate in an encrypted mode. A version, the Yuneec 3DR H520-G, was developed in conjunction with drone software company 3D Robotics and intended for the American government and military market.  In May 2017, suppliers reported that the company was arrears, but the company said that it was mainly due to the two sides had different opinions on product delivery quality and payment details. On the other hand, nearly half of Yuneec's suppliers had not been paid for more than a year. Yuneec has not made supplier payments on time since the second quarter of 2017.  In September a 2019 Yuneec announced the Mantis G, a foldable drone with gimballed and stabilized camera. The same month the company and Leica Camera AG announced a strategic partnership and presented the Typhoon H3 drone, which incorporates camera software and hardware co-engineered with Leica.

Yuneec International is a Chinese aircraft manufacturer based in Jinxi, Kunshan, a town in Jiangsu owned through an off-shore Cayman Islands holding company, Yuneec Holding Limited. Yuneec was originally a manufacturer of radio-controlled model aircraft and marketed its man-carrying aircraft in the United States through GreenWing International. Yuneec produced the Yuneec International E430, the first electric aircraft designed to be commercially produced, although only prototypes were ever built. In the late 2010s, the company moved to specialize in the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), for the aerial photography role.


Spanish creole languages.

Chavacano.

Chavacano (also Chabacano) refers to a number of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. Linguists have identified a number of different varieties including: Zamboangueño, Caviteño, Ternateño (where their variety is locally known as Bahra), and Ermitaño. The variety found in Zamboanga City has the most number of speakers and is considered to be the most stable while the other varieties are considered to be either endangered or extinct (i.e. Ermitaño).  Creole varieties are spoken in Cavite City and Ternate (both on Luzon); Zamboanga, Cotabato and Davao (on Mindanao), Isabela City and other parts of province of Basilan and elsewhere. According to a 2007 census, there are 2,502,185 speakers in the Philippines. It is the major language of Zamboanga City.  The different varieties of Chavacano are mostly intelligible to one another but differ slightly in certain aspects such as in the usage of certain words and certain grammatical syntax. Most of the vocabulary comes from Spanish, while the grammar is mostly based on the Austronesian structure. In Zamboanga, its variant is used in primary education, television, and radio. Recently English and Filipino words have been infiltrating the language and code-switching between these three languages is common among younger speakers.  The name of the language stems from the Spanish word "Chabacano" which roughly means "tasteless", "common", or "vulgar", this Spanish word, however, has lost its original meaning and carries no negative connotation among contemporary speakers.  For more information see the article on Chavacano, or the Ethnologue Report on Chavacano.

Palenquero.

Palenquero (also Palenque) is a Spanish-based creole spoken in Colombia.  The ethnic group which speaks this creole consisted only of 2,500 people in 1989.  It is spoken in Colombia, in the village of San Basilio de Palenque which is south and east of Cartagena, and in some neighborhoods of Barranquilla.  The village was founded by fugitive slaves (Maroons) and Native Americans. Since many slaves had been only slightly exposed to contact with white people, the "palenqueros" spoke creole languages derived from Spanish and from their ancestral African languages.  Spanish speakers are unable to understand Palenquero. There is some influence from the Kongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1998, only 10% of the population younger than 25 spoke Palenquero. It is most commonly spoken by the elderly.  For more information see the Ethnologue Report on Palenquero.

Bozal Spanish.

Bozal Spanish is a possibly extinct Spanish-based creole language that may have been a mixture of Spanish and Congolese, with Portuguese influences. Attestation is insufficient to indicate whether Bozal Spanish was ever a single, coherent or stable language, or if the term merely referred to any idiolect of Spanish that included African elements.  Bozal Spanish was spoken by African slaves in the Spanish Caribbean and other areas of South and Central America from the 17th century up until its possible extinction at around 1850.

Spanish-influenced creole languages.

Annobonese.

The Annobonese language, locally called Fa d'Ambö (Fa d'Ambu or even Fá d'Ambô) is a Portuguese-based creole, similar to Forro, with some borrowings from Spanish. It is spoken by 9,000 people on the islands of Ano Bom and Bioko, in Equatorial Guinea. In fact, Fa d'Ambu shares the same structure of Forro (82% of lexicon).  In the 15th century, the island was uninhabited and discovered by Portugal but, by the 18th century, Portugal exchanged it and some other territories in Africa for Uruguay with Spain. Spain wanted to get territory in Africa, and Portugal wanted to enlarge even more the territory that they saw as the "New Portugal" (Brazil). Nevertheless, the populace of Ano Bom was against the shift and was hostile toward the Spaniards. This hostility, combined with their isolation from mainland Equatorial Guinea and their proximity to São Tomé and Príncipe—just 400 km from the island—has assured the maintenance of its identity.  Fa d'Ambu has gained some words of Spanish origin (10% of lexicon), but some words are dubious in origin because Spanish and Portuguese are closely related languages.

Papiamento.

Papiamento is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean, with a large influence from Spanish, some influence from Dutch and a little from Indigenous American languages, English and African languages. Spoken in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, and the SSS islands by 341,300 people in 2019.. Today, Spanish influence on the language is strong, but, due to the similarities between the languages, it is difficult to ascertain whether a certain feature is derived from Portuguese or Spanish.

Pichinglis.

Pichinglis is spoken on Bioko island, Equatorial Guinea. It originated with the arrival of Krio speakers from the mainland. Krio is a creole that derives most of its vocabulary from English, but the Spanish colonization of Guinea exerted Spanish influence on its lexicon and grammar.

San Andrés–Providencia Creole.

San Andrés–Providencia Creole is one of the main languages of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Colombia (alongside Spanish and English) which uses expression and words from English (73%), Spanish (17%) and African languages.

See also.

Spanish-based interlanguages:

A Spanish creole, or Spanish-based creole language, is a creole language (contact language with native speakers) for which Spanish serves as its substantial "lexifier".


Recognition of same-sex unions in Cyprus

Civil cohabitation.

In 2010, the Permanent Secretary at the Interior Ministry, Lazaros Savvides, indicated that the Cypriot Government would begin examining the issue of whether same-sex marriage should be made legal in the country.  This was followed in 2013 by an announcement by the Interior Minister, Eleni Mavrou, that her officials were working on a parliamentary bill proposing the creation of civil partnerships, rather than extending the right to marry to same-sex couples. The Cypriot Government subsequently accepted the draft bill. In March of that year, newly elected President Nicos Anastasiades reaffirmed his support for the bill. In November 2013, the Interior Minister, Socratis Hasikos, confirmed that the bill remained on the government agenda, with a draft prepared and sent to other ministries for review. The intention was to hold a parliamentary vote in April 2014, but, by June 2014, the bill had still not been submitted. According to the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Constantinos Nicolaides, the bill should have been completed in April, but was still being drafted. In July 2014, Hasikos clarified that a proposed bill would need consensus from all parties before moving forward. He gave all parties a copy of the bill and asked that they study it in time for a second meeting that same September. Hasikos stressed that he would not hold a vote until he was sure all parties were in favour.  In March 2014, the head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, signalled his opposition to plans to introduce either civil partnership or marriage rights, urging churches to take a stand against homosexuality and accusing secular governments of "weakening moral integrity" through acknowledging equal rights to homosexuals: "When, for example, governments legalise not only plain civil partnership but ‘homosexual marriage’, the Church must be unequivocal in condemning homosexuality."  On 6 May 2015, the Cypriot Cabinet approved a gender-neutral "cohabitation agreement" bill with many of the rights of marriage. On 6 June 2015, the ruling party DISY announced their support for the partnership law. The bill had its first reading on 18 June 2015. On 1 July 2015, Parliament decided to rename the proposed partnership recognition scheme to "civil cohabitation" (; ). The second reading was initially planned to be held on 9 July, but was postponed until autumn. The bill had its second and third reading on 26 November 2015 and passed in a 39-12 vote with 3 abstentions. It was published in the official gazette on 9 December 2015 and took effect upon publication.

Statistics.

The country's first civil cohabitation was registered on 29 January 2016 by two women. The first public ceremony was held on 4 March 2016 by two men in the capital city of Nicosia.  By 18 April 2016, eight same-sex civil cohabitations were registered.  From January to October 2016, approximately 70 same-sex couples had registered their unions in the country.  Civil cohabitations are also very popular among different-sex couples. By August 2017, for instance, heterosexual couples represented about 70% of all couples, while same-sex couples made up the remaining 30%.

Public opinion.

The 2006 Eurobarometer found that only 14% of Cypriots were in favour of same-sex marriage. This was the third lowest in the European Union at the time (only in Latvia and Romania was support lower). The 2015 Eurobarometer found that support had increased to 37%, while 56% were against legalising same-sex marriage.  With regards to civil unions, a 2014 survey found that 53.3% of Cypriots supported civil unions or partnerships for same-sex couples.  The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 36% of Cypriots thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, 60% were against.

Cyprus has recognised same-sex unions since 9 December 2015 by allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil cohabitations. A bill to establish civil cohabitations was approved by the Cypriot Parliament on 26 November 2015. The law took effect on 9 December 2015 upon publication in the country's official gazette.


Early history.

Barker Ranch is located in a rock- and boulder-filled valley in the Panamint Range. It is accessible only by sandy, primitive and rugged roads. Streams feed this little valley and provide much vegetation. There is a small one-room guest house located to the side of the main house. There is also a five-thousand-gallon "swimming pool" (in reality a reservoir to store water from the spring) made from cement and rock boulders towards the back of the property.  Bluch and Helen Thomason began construction of Barker Ranch around 1940. It was originally used as a storage and shop facility to support their mining activity in the area. They constructed a small cabin and out building, with electricity provided by a windmill and generator, and drinking water from a nearby spring. In 1950, Bluch Thomason died and the ranch became a seasonal vacation property.  The ranch was sold to James and Arlene Barker of Oklahoma in 1956. The Barkers engaged in gold and uranium mining in the area through the rest of the 1950s and the 1960s. To accommodate their family gatherings, the Barkers enlarged the house and constructed more out buildings.

Myers Ranch.

The closest habitation to Barker Ranch is Myers Ranch. The ranch was built in 1932 by Bill and Barbara Myers. The Myers family resided on the property until 1960 when they relocated to Fresno. Myers Ranch is currently a 40-acre (16 ha) private inholding within Death Valley National Park owned by the Myers family.

Manson at Barker Ranch.

In 1968, Charles Manson learned about the Myers Ranch from Catherine Gillies, the granddaughter of Barbara Myers. Starting in November 1968, Manson and others began staying at the ranch and discovered the nearby Barker Ranch. The buildings at Barker Ranch being in better condition, the family relocated there and later obtained Arlene Barker's permission to use the property on a temporary basis. At times, the family was using both properties.  The Inyo County sheriff department, California Highway Patrol, and National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers captured the group in raids on October 10 and October 12, 1969. Manson was caught hiding under the bathroom vanity. At the time of his arrest they were unaware of the magnitude of their find. They wanted to prosecute the persons responsible for vandalism within Death Valley National Monument further north, unaware that they had a mass-murder suspect and his followers.  In early 1970, members of the Manson Family were filmed by Robert Hendrickson at Barker Ranch, sorting through, and taking evidence left behind by detectives, for the making of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Manson."  In 1971, Arlene Barker ceased to file reports with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the family's mining activity. The land (and improvements) then reverted to government control. In 1976, the ranch became part of the California Desert Conservation Area. In 1994, it was incorporated into Death Valley National Park.  Today the remnants of the ranch belong to National Park Service.

Subsequent events.

In early 2008, after decades of persistent rumors of additional Manson family murder victims, forensic investigators performed testing at the ranch for possible buried human remains. Using state of the art technology not available 40 years ago, investigators located several sites consistent with possible clandestine graves. In May 2008, investigators conducted a "dig" at the sites; however, further searching by authorities was called off due to finding no evidence or victim remains during the search.  Due to a fire in May 2009, most of the main structure has been destroyed with only the concrete and rock portion of the cabin still standing.

Barker Ranch is located inside Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Used as a mining and recreational property from the 1940s to the 1960s, it is infamous due to its association with Charles Manson and his "family".


History.

The club was originally formed in November 1958 when the local Guangdong government took control of the Guangzhou Sports University football team and participated in the 1959 National Games where they called themselves the Guangdong Provincial team. Zheng Deyao was appointed their Head coach and guided them fifth within the tournament. After that competition the club entered the expanding Chinese national football league for the first time where they were allowed to be entered in the top tier in the 1960 season, finishing the campaign in fifth. The club also participated in the Chinese FA Cup for the first time where they came runners-up within that competition, losing 2–1 in the final to Tianjin. The following season Gong Boqiang came in as the new Head coach, however he was unable to improve upon previous results. Su Yongshun came in as the club's new Head coach in 1965, however his tenure saw the club finish bottom of the division. The club were unable to redeem themselves the following season when in 1966 football was halted within the country due to the cultural revolution. In 1969 Zhao Yong managed the side during the intervening years when there was no national league and the club took part in regional competitions.  When the league restarted in 1973 Guangdong were allowed entry back into the top tier and they brought in Su Yongshun as their Head coach once more, however his second stint proved to be more fruitful after guiding the club to a fourth-place finish. In 1975 Guangdong participated in the 1975 National Games where they won the tournament. Su used the competition as a springboard to usher in young talented players such as Cai Jinbiao, Chen Xirong, Du Zhiren, Guan Zhirui, He Jia and Rong Zhixing into the squad before guiding them to the 1979 league title. After winning the Club's first league title Su Yongshun was hired to be the Chinese national football team's Head coach and this saw Xian Dixiong brought in as the club's manager. Xian Dixiong would have to contend with an aging squad, most notably the club's talisman Rong Zhixing who on February 27, 1983 was given China's first ever testimonial before retiring. The squad would really together and go on to win the South Championship in the 1983 season.  In 1984 Yue Yongrong was brought in to manage the team. Within his tenure the club would make significant changes towards restructuring the club. The team were one of the first in China to gain sponsorship with the Wanbao refrigerator factory and renamed themselves Guangdong Wanbao football club on January 2, 1985. The club used the money to restructure their youth academy resulting in the development of Xie Yuxin who the club would sell to FC Zwolle in the Netherlands and make the player the first Chinese person to transfer to another country. This restructuring would look like it was working as the club took part in and won the 1987 National games. Unfortunately this would not translate into the league and the club were relegated at the end of the 1990 league season. The club was able to immediately gain promotion back into the top tier. This saw the Guangdong Winnerway Group interested in the club, eventually going into a joint ownership with the Guangdong Football Association to re-establish the club as Guangdong Winnerway Football Club on September 15, 1992. With the Chinese Football Association establishing the 1994 Chinese Jia-A League as the first official fully professional league in Chinese history, the club took it upon themselves to be the leader within the transfer market when they bought Li Bing for 640,000 RMB making him at the time the most expensive player in Chinese footballer. Along with the signing of promising youngster Ma Mingyu there was high expectations that the club could win the league title, however under the management of Chen Yiming the club's highest position under his reign was fourth in the 1995 league season. Chen Yuliang was brought in to replace Chen Yiming, however his resignation saw the club slip further down the table and high-profile signing of Li Bing and Ma Mingyu left the club.  In the 1997 league season Guo Yijun was brought in to manage the squad, however under his tenure the club would struggle within the league. Su Yongshun was brought back into the team but results under him were unable to pull the team out of the relegation zone and the club finished bottom of the league. Despite the relegation in March 1998 the Guangdong Winnerway Group bought out the remaining shares from the Guangdong Football Association and became full owners of the club. The club would move to the untapped market of Shaoguan in the Province of Guangdong and play their home games in Shaoguan City Xihe Sports Centre. Improved attendances and immediate promotion back into the top flight would not materialise at the end of the 1998 league season. The owners decided again to move cities in the 1999 league season, this time they chose Liuzhou and moved out of Guangdong Province for the first time. Once again attendances did not improve and they could not gain promotion. The club would move to Nanning and then Nanchang where the continued inability to win promotion along with low attendances saw the Guangdong Hongyuan Group decide that it was financially unsustainable to run a football club and sold their licence to Qingdao Hailifeng F.C. in December, 2001. After the disestablishment of the club the local Dongguan government in Guangdong took it upon themselves to create a Phoenix club called Dongguan Nancheng F.C.

Managerial history.

Semi-pro seasons:  Professional seasons:

Results.

All-Time League rankings  no league game in 1959, 1966–1972, 1975;

Former players.

1. Players that have played/managed in the Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
 2. Players with full international caps.
 3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.

Guangdong Winnerway Football Club () is a defunct Chinese football club, established on September 15, 1992 by Guangdong Winnerway Group and Guangdong Football Association. It was one of the earliest professional football clubs in China.