Biography.

Zadoc-Kahn was born on 2 September 1870, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. He was one of six children of Ernestine Meyer and Zadoc Kahn, the Chief Rabbi of France; his sisters were Hélène, Anne and Berthe; his brothers were Paul and Edmond. He began a medical career as an intern in Paris hospitals from 1892. He qualified as a medical doctor in 1897. In 1899, he married Suzanne Esther Lang, who was born on 26 March 1876 in Paris to Fleurette Silz Lang and Ernest Lang, a textile manufacturer. He is recorded on his marriage certificate as being a doctor at Hôtel-Dieu de Paris. They had three children, Bertrand, Jacqueline and Jean. In 1914, he became the Chief Medical Officer of the Rothschild Hospital and remained in that role until his murder. He was a board member and assistant treasurer of the Curie Foundation in 1924, and later treasurer.  In 1915, during World War I, he travelled as a military doctor aboard the hospital ship, the "Sphinx", as part of the Allied Powers' expedition to Salonika, to rally the large Jewish population of the city to the Allied cause, to help the beleaguered (mostly French) troops; this resulted in the creation of the Macedonian front. He had the rank of major in 1918 and was awarded the "Croix de Guerre" and the Cross of the Order of St. Sava (from Serbia).  In 1923, his wife Suzanne co-founded the Jewish Women's Union for Palestine with feminist advocate Yvonne Netter; the Union later became the French section of the Women's International Zionist Organization. In 1925, he became one of the eight-member editorial board of "" ("The Jewish Review") - a short-lived journal begun by Albert Cohen, the aim of which was to be at the political centre of the perceived contemporary Jewish renaissance; - other members included Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Georg Brandes and Charles Gide.  Upon the defeat of France to Nazi forces in 1940, Zadoc-Kahn's son, Bertrand, a cardiologist at the American Hospital of Paris shot himself in despair. Katharine Graham, owner of "The Washington Post", wrote how her father, Eugene Meyer, the American financier and cousin of Zadoc-Kahn who had lived with him for six months, offered to resettle his family to the U.S.A. as he had with others. Zadoc-Kahn and his wife were too devastated at their son's suicide and declined the offer. The couple went into hiding in a village on the outskirts of Paris; their daughter, Jacqueline, was hidden by a catholic family. Annette Benacerraf, Zadoc-Kahn's grand-niece, related to her husband (Nobel laureate, Baruj Benacerraf) how one of his last known addresses in France was in Le Ruel, Haravilliers in Seine-et-Oise, north-west of Paris (now part of the Val d'Oise département) and from here a letter was sent by Zadoc-Kahn to Désirée Damengout, a nursing colleague at the Rothschild Hospital, containing the following:  "I beg you to convey my wishes to all my friends on Santerre Street, nurses and doctors. If you have the time, I will be very happy to hear from you and all of you."  The couple was discovered in a house at Marines, Seine et Oise, on 1 November 1943 by the French gendarmérie and taken away. They were transported on Convoy No. 62, on 20 November, from Le Camp de Drancy (Drancy internment camp) to Auschwitz [most of the approximately 76,000 French Jews who were rounded up and sent to German concentration camps went through Drancy]. They were killed on their arrival at Auschwitz on 23 November. Meyer found out about their arrest and disappearance from Adolphe Dreyfus in New York in the spring of 1944. He kept a portrait of Zadoc-Kahn in his New York home. Jacqueline Zadoc-Kahn survived the war.

Léon Zadoc-Kahn (2 September 1870 - 23 November 1943) was a French doctor, the Chief Medical Officer of the, treasurer of the Curie Foundation and the Chair of the Central Committee of Keren haYesod, France. During the time of Vichy France, he was arrested and transported with his wife from his homeland to Auschwitz Concentration Camp where they were killed.


Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999

Before Eurovision.

Eurosong '99.

Eurosong '99 was held between 7 February and 28 February 1999. Three semi-finals were held for the contest, where the winner of each semi-final, as well as the highest scoring runner-up over all three semi-finals, qualified to the final, where they were joined by four more songs, internally selected by the Belgian broadcaster, Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep (VRT). The results of the semi-finals and final were determined through the votes of five juries: a three-member expert jury (consisting of Liliane Saint-Pierre, Anja Daems and Marcel Vanthilt); juries from two Belgian radio stations: Radio 2 and Radio Donna; a Eurojury consisting of European expats living in Belgium, along with the votes of televoting. The televote counted for 1/5 of the overall vote, with the other four juries counting for 4/5.  Each of the three semi-finals and the final were held at the VRT TV Studios in Schelle, with all four shows hosted by Bart Peeters.

Competing entries.

Artists and songwriters were able to submit their song entries from 1 November until 15 December 1998. From all 199 songs submitted to VRT, 21 songs were selected for the national final. VRT also invited composers to participate, with 4 songs being selected as pre-qualified finalists. The selected entries were announced on 12 January 1999.

Semi-final 1.

The first semi-final was held on 7 February 1999. Vanessa Chinitor won the semi-final, receiving 36 points for her song "Like The Wind".

Semi-final 2.

The second semi-final was held on 14 February 1999. Wendy Fierce won this semi-final with "Never Give Up", receiving 45 points. Runners-up Voice Male also qualified as the highest scoring runner-up, having received 32 points for their song "This Is My Life".

Semi-final 3.

The final semi-final was held on 21 February 1999. Alana Dante was the final winner, receiving 32 points for her performance of "Get Ready For The Sunsand".

Final.

The final was held on 28 February 1999. Eight songs competed, including the four qualifiers from the semi-finals: Vanessa Chinitor; Wendy Fierce; Alana Dante and Voice Male, as well as the four internally selected songs: Natural High; Medusa; Petra and Sarah.  The winner of the contest was Vanessa Chinitor with "Like The Wind", which would go on to represent Belgium at the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem, Israel.

At Eurovision.

Chinitor performed second on the night of the contest, following Lithuania and preceding Spain. "Like The Wind" received 38 points, placing 12th in a field on 23.

Belgium entered the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with Vanessa Chinitor and "Like The Wind". The song was selected to represent Belgium at the contest by winning the Belgium national final Eurosong '99.


Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000

Before Eurovision.

Finale Nationale Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 2000.

The final was held on 18 February 2000 in Studio 6 of RTBF, hosted by Jean-Pierre Hautier. Ten songs competed, with the winner being chosen by public televoting. For the purposes of announcing the results, the country was split into six regions: Brussels, four in the Francophone provinces (the votes from the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg were combined and announced together) and one termed the "Rest of Belgium", covering the five Dutch-speaking provinces where viewing figures were likely to be much lower. Each region announced the actual number of televotes received, rather than converting them into the Eurovision 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-10-12 format. Sorce emerged the winner by a margin of over 3,500 votes.

Controversy.

Although it did not affect the outcome, there was initially some degree of uncertainty about the disproportionately high number of votes to Sabrina Klinkenberg from the province of Liège, but RTBF subsequently confirmed that it was correct, citing the fact that Klinkenberg was a native of that province as the most probable explanation, and pointing out that Sorce had also received an exceptionally high number of votes from her home province of Hainaut.

At Eurovision.

On the night of the final Sorce performed 10th in the running order, following Russia and preceding Cyprus. A somewhat shrill and at times off-key vocal performance, combined with a much-criticised choice of outfit, contributed towards an ignominious result, with only 2 points received (from the unlikely source of Macedonia) and a last place finish of the 24 entrants, the eighth time that Belgium had finished at the foot of the Eurovision scoreboard. The 12 points from the Belgian televote were awarded to Latvia.

Belgium was represented by Nathalie Sorce with the song '"Envie de vivre" at the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Stockholm on 13 May. Sorce was the winner of the Belgian national final for the contest, held in Brussels on 18 February.


Geography.

Runaway Bay is located at (33.175379, −97.874794). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, of it is land and is water.  The city is built around an 18-hole golf course and the city's main water tower resembles a golf ball on a tee.

Demographics.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,104 people, 492 households, and 348 families residing in the city. The population density was 478.5 people per square mile (184.5/km2). There were 588 housing units at an average density of 254.9/sq mi (98.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.28% White, 0.45% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.  There were 492 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.69.  In the city, the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.  The median income for a household in the city was $50,795, and the median income for a family was $57,656. Males had a median income of $34,688 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,152. About 2.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Golf course.

The Club at Runaway Bay is an 18-hole golf course and club house designed by Leon Howard and established in 1969. It is Par 72, length 7032 yards and has a course rating of 73.1. It was featured in the 2008–09 edition of "Golf Digest" as one of the "Best Places to Play."

Alleged chupacabra sighting.

On January 17, 2010, the golf course was the subject of a chupacabra sighting in which the unidentified dead animal was described as a "brown, earth-colored creature is hairless with oversized canines and elongated padded feet with inch-long toes tapered with sharp, curved claws. The creature also had long hind legs." Upon investigation, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department identified the animal as a hairless raccoon.

Education.

The City of Runaway Bay is served by the Bridgeport Independent School District.

Runaway Bay is a city in Wise County, Texas, lying at the Southern end of Lake Bridgeport. The population was 1,286 at the 2010 census.


Early life.

Savage was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the daughter of John Savage, a wealthy industrialist. She grew up in what was then the rural area of Dorval, Quebec, and spent her summers at the family cottage in the Laurentian mountains, where she developed a love of her surroundings that became a source of inspiration for her art. She studied at the High School of Montreal.

Artistic career.

Between 1914 and 1918, Savage studied art at the Art Association of Montreal under several instructors including William Brymner (1855–1925) and Maurice Cullen. Her private world was permanently changed when her beloved twin brother was killed in action in France during World War I. After the end of the War, Anne Savage went to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she studied design at the Minneapolis School of Art. On her return to Montreal, she took a job as an art teacher at Baron Byng High School where she would remain for 26 years (1922-1947). In addition, she taught art courses to children, promoting their early exposure to the field and years later was able to see the formation of the Child Art Council in Quebec, later known as the Quebec Society for Education through Art.  In 1921, she joined the Beaver Hall Hill Group whose painters were closely allied to the Group of Seven. A. Y. Jackson, a member of the Group of Seven would become Savage's lifelong close friend. After spending some time at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto with the painter Arthur Lismer, another member of the Group of Seven, Savage traveled to Europe where some of her works were exhibited. Savage also spent time in British Columbia and did sketches of native villages on the northwest coast; this work was displayed in 1927 at the National Gallery in the exhibition "Canadian West Coast Art, Native and Modern". In 1933, she was one of the founding members of the Canadian Group of Painters and in 1949 and 1960 would serve as its president. She was appointed supervisor of art for the Protestant School Board of Montreal in 1948. She was instrumental in the founding of the High School Art Teaching Association and in 1955 inspired the formation of the Child Art Council which became the Quebec Society for Education through Art.  She retired from full-time teaching in 1953 and was named the Supervisor of Art for the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. She was then invited by McGill University to teach, where she ended up teaching between 1954 and 1959.  Throughout her life, Anne Savage spoke out about gender inequity.

Death.

Savage died in Montreal in 1971 and was interred there in the Mount Royal Cemetery.  The Anne Savage Archives can be found at Montreal's Concordia University.

Anne (Annie) Douglas Savage (July 27, 1896 – March 25, 1971) was a Canadian painter and art teacher known for her lyrical, rhythmic landscapes. She was a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters.


Development.

The FN.333 Riviera was originally developed by the Nardi Company at Aeroporto Forlanini, Milan, Italy. The first prototype Riviera was registered "I-KISS", and was a three-seat aircraft. This plane made its maiden flight on 4 December 1952, and was to be the only FN.333 powered by a 145 hp Continental fan-cooled engine. Beginning with the second prototype a more powerful engine was used, as well as the addition of a fourth seat. The second prototype made its first flight on 8 December 1954. The Nardi Company lacked the resources to fully develop the Riviera, and as a result the third aircraft did not fly until 14 October 1956. Improved power for this aircraft was provided by a 240 hp Continental O-470-H engine. This aircraft was designated the FN.333S and was to be the basis for series production. Lacking further resources, Nardi sold the manufacturing rights for the Riviera to the much larger SIAI-Marchetti in March 1959.  This deal resulted in the first series of 10 production Rivieras being manufactured at the SIAI-Marchetti factory in Sesto Calende, Varese near Milano, Italy. The first S.I.A.I.-Marchetti manufactured Riviera was completed in February 1962, and by January 1963 the company had delivered four of the aircraft to customers in the USA. The SIAI-Marchetti version had improved power provided by a 250 hp Continental IO-470-P engine, equipped with fuel injection, and manufactured for a pusher-style aircraft. In 1961 the Riviera became available in the United States, where it was initially sold through the North Star Company of Newark, New Jersey. ServAir Inc. of Detroit sold the Riviera in Detroit, Michigan, and received its first Riviera on 13 July 1962. This aircraft, already complete and ready to fly, was placed in the cargo hold of a ship and transported directly from Italy, arriving in Newark, New Jersey. Excluding this example, most Rivieras were shipped partially assembled, and were then completed at Southwest Airmotive before delivery to their owners. Most of the 26 built by SIAI-Marchetti were sold to customers in the United States, but examples were also sold to Australia, Norway and Sweden. A pure flying boat version, lacking landing gear and designated FN.333W, was planned but never built.

Design.

The Riviera is a unique somewhat similar to the famous Republic Seabee of the 1940s. The major difference between the Riviera and the Seabee is the use of a high twin-boom tail arrangement on the Riviera while the Seabee uses a single conventional tail. The Riviera uses a tricycle landing gear, with the nose gear retracting into the nose and concealed behind two small nose gear doors. As a result, forward visibility is somewhat better in the Riviera than in the Seabee when taxiing or taking off on land. The Riviera is powered by a Continental IO-470-P six-cylinder flat engine mounted above the fuselage in a pusher arrangement. A three-bladed propeller was standard.

Surviving aircraft.

Out of an original production run of just 26 aircraft over six years less only half a dozen are believed flyable today. Riviera #0110 (N95DR) crashed while attempting an emergency landing in Minden, Nevada, USA. According to the "Nevada Appeal" newspaper dated May 24, 2007, the article "Air Crash victim from Germany" stated the accident occurred on Sunday, May 18, 2007  On October 25, 1968, FN-333, Serial # 007 was destroyed in an accident at Akron Municipal Airport. The pilot, Perry A. Strohl, Jr. was killed in the incident. The accident was described as follows:

The Nardi FN.333 Riviera, later the SIAI-Marchetti FN.333 Riviera, is an Italian luxury touring amphibious aircraft designed and developed by Fratelli Nardi in the 1950s and produced in small numbers by Savoia-Marchetti during the following decade.


Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths

Contents.

Most of the statement reiterates basic tenets of evangelicalism while adding articles on "healing by the atonement" and tongues as "initial evidence" of baptism in the Holy Spirit. Article 12 concerns divine healing. The official church teaching is that Christ paid for all physical suffering with his atoning work and that as a consequence, when Christians get sick they can be supernaturally healed by the Holy Spirit. Article 9 reflects a non-Wesleyan perspective on sanctification. Articles 13-16 deal largely with the subject of eschatology. The Assemblies of God has a premillennial dispensationalist perspective on the future, including belief in the rapture and a literal earthly millennium. The following is a summary of the 16 Fundamental Truths:

History.

The Assemblies of God was founded in 1914 but it was not until 1916 that it reluctantly created the Fundamental Truths in response to several doctrinal controversies. The first controversy, referred to as the Finished work controversy, arose from disagreement over the second blessing and the practical meaning of holiness. The second or "Oneness" controversy questioned the baptismal formula, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the understanding of the process of salvation. The third one was over whether speaking in tongues was the "initial physical evidence" of Holy Spirit baptism or not.  The outcome of these controversies, reflected in the Statement of Fundamental Truths, not only shaped the denomination but also shaped American Pentecostalism. In 1916, the General Council (the denomination's governing body) took a strong stand against the Oneness teaching and upheld the position that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Assemblies of God remains Trinitarian and continues to affirm the doctrine of initial evidence.

Statement on Sanctification.

The position adopted in the Statement of Fundamental Truths regarding sanctification was less clear. The men behind the formation of the Assemblies of God were Pentecostals who had come to the conclusion that holiness or sanctification was not a second blessing or a definite experience but instead a lifelong process. This idea of progressive sanctification was believed by many within the Assemblies of God but there were adherents who still held to the theology of the holiness movement.  The original language on sanctification in the Fundamental Truths was a compromise between Wesleyan and non-Wesleyan members which allowed the two doctrines to coexist. Under the heading "Entire Sanctification, The Goal For All Believers", it read, "Entire sanctification is the will of God for all believers, and should be earnestly pursued by walking in obedience to God's Word". The term "entire sanctification" is distinctly Wesleyan, but the statement actually called "for an ongoing, process of obedience in reliance on, and cooperation with the Holy Ghost".  In 1961, the General Council revised the statement significantly, giving it its current form. It eliminated some of the Wesleyan language, such as "entire". Stanley M. Horton, who served on the revision committee, stated that the committee "... felt that the word entire was ambiguous because we were using it with a different meaning than that promoted by holiness Pentecostals who taught a second definite work". While the current statement does represent the Assemblies of God's position more accurately, the denomination's teaching on sanctification remains ambiguous.

The Statement of Fundamental Truths is a confession of faith outlining the 16 essential doctrines adhered to by the Assemblies of God USA. These doctrines are heavily based on other evangelical confessions of faith but differ by being clearly Pentecostal. Of the 16 articles, four are considered core beliefs "due to the key role they play in reaching the lost and building the believer and the church". They are the doctrines concerning salvation, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, divine healing, and the Second Coming of Christ. The Statement of Fundamental Truths has undergone several permutations since its original adoption in 1916 (when it actually included 17 items) despite common claims that it has remained largely unchanged.


Early years and education.

Perk grew up in a fairly wealthy and large family; her parents were Adrianus Perk and Lessina Elizabeth Visser. Her father, a merchant, married three times and she was the third daughter of the second marriage. As a result, Perk had three brothers, three half-sisters and five half-brothers. She lived with her step-mother Theodora Veeren until 1876. One of her brothers was the father of the poet Jacques Perk.

Career.

From an early age she was interested in writing: she published some stories at age 19, and her first novel, "Een kruis met rozen", was published in 1864. Her father had been wealthy enough to send his sons for an academic education, but not his daughters, and in the 1860s her life was turned upside down: her fiancee broke off their engagement in 1866, and the next year her father died. Perk began publishing feminist articles, arguing that men and women should be valued equally, even if they had biological differences.  She started "Ons Streven" ("Our Striving") in 1870, the country's first women's periodical, but left the magazine after the first edition since the publisher had placed two male editors on equal footing with her, and she feared the magazine would publish anti-emancipatory articles. In response she founded another magazine, "Onze Roeping" ("Our Calling"), in which she suggested, among other things, that the work of unmarried and married women would promote the country's wellbeing. In 1871, she established "Arbeid Adelt", a women's association, for which "Onze Roeping" was the official journal, but quickly had a dispute with fellow associates: the organization sold poor women's needlework at bazaars, and unlike her colleagues Perk wished the names of the creators to be known: "her ambition was the recognition of labor as a worthy manner of life". A number of associates split off and founded a competing organization, and within her own organization she was soon pushed aside.  Her last attempt to make her ideas known and simultaneously earn a living was in 1873, when she became a lecturer and went on tour with fellow-feminist Mina Kruseman, and while both women also published their ideas in the same magazines, the flamboyancy of Kruseman was compared in the press with Perk's modesty. When the tour ended, so did Perk's public work in feminism. These years had asked a lot of her weak physique, and she withdrew to Valkenburg, where she toured the area on a donkey, and wrote an autobiography, "Mijn ezeltje en ik. Een boek voor vriend en vijand" ("My donkey and I: A book for friend and enemy", 1874), in which she settled her accounts with the world of literature and feminism. It was clear, though, that she may have been finished with the feminist movement, but she remained a firm proponent of emancipation.

Later years.

Perk had been a proponent of women's right to vote, and in 1894 joined the newly-founded Vereeniging voor Vrouwenkiesrecht. The women's movement seemed to have forgotten her: she was not invited to attend the large National Exhibition of Women's Labor in 1898. By then, she was back in the Netherlands, having moved to Arnhem in 1890 and to Nijmegen in 1903. She devoted her last years to art.

Christina Elizabeth (Betsy) Perk (Delft, March 26, 1833 - Nijmegen, March 30, 1906), was a Dutch author of novels and plays, and a pioneer of the Dutch women's movement, who wrote under the pen names Philemon, Liesbeth van Altena, and Spirito. She is known as the founding member of the Algemeene Nederlandsche Vrouwenvereeniging Arbeid Adelt ("General Dutch Women's Association 'Labor Ennobles'") in 1871, the women's magazine "Onze Roeping", and the weekly magazine for women "Ons Streven" in 1869, the latter publication being the country's first women's periodical. In later years, her influence and activism diminished due to poor health, and she mainly focused on writing historical novels. From 1880 to 1890, she lived in Belgium. She is buried at the cemetery Rustoord in Nijmegen.


History.

Warrenton Training Center was established on June 1, 1951, as part of a "Federal Relocation Arc" of hardened underground bunkers built to support continuity of government in the event of a nuclear attack on Washington, D.C. The center was ostensibly designated a Department of Defense Communication Training Activity and served as a communications training school. The CIA listed personnel and other expenses at Warrenton Training Center in its fiscal year 1955 budget.  Initially, the United States Army served as the executive agent for the administration and management of the center on behalf of the Department of Defense. In 1973, the center was transferred to the Department of the Army under the administration of its signals intelligence branch, the Army Security Agency, a subordinate to the NSA, and the base was renamed U.S. Army Training Group, Warrenton Training Center. In 1982, the center was restored its original name and reverted to Department of Defense control with the Army as the executive agent for administration on behalf of the National Communications System (NCS).  Under the NCS (dissolved and functions transferred to the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2012), the center is mandated to provide communication for the federal government under any circumstances, including a nuclear attack. Its underground bunkers house communications infrastructure that provides service for most major federal departments. In 2002, the Brookings Institution listed an unspecified WTC "relocation bunker" as a facility with an active nuclear weapons, weapons-related or naval nuclear propulsion mission.  The CIA has used Warrenton Training Center as a communications facility since the 1950s. Short-wave radio enthusiasts have identified WTC antennas broadcasting suspected intelligence transmissions. In 1989, a WTC spokesperson acknowledged that the stations "are operated... to communicate with embassies, and for espionage transmissions" to American intelligence agents in Cuba and Central America. In 1998, laboratories at WTC were reported to produce concealed radio equipment used to send and receive communications, typically in the form of furniture items.  In 1986, the KGB threw U.S. investigators off the trail of CIA officer and Soviet mole Aldrich Ames by constructing an elaborate diversion whereby a Soviet case officer told a CIA contact that the mole was stationed at Warrenton Training Center. Ames was stationed in Rome at the time. U.S. mole hunters investigated 90 employees at WTC for almost a year and came up with ten suspects, although the lead investigator noted that "there are so many problem personalities that no one stands out."  WTC has continued its role as a communications training facility for various government agencies, including the CIA, NSA, Department of Defense, and the Department of States's Foreign Service Institute. In 1995, a former NSA employee told "The Baltimore Sun" that WTC's communications training included listening in on the phone calls of U.S. citizens, using a loophole in the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that permitted domestic eavesdropping so long as the tapes were destroyed immediately afterward.  In April 2013, Dominion Virginia Power representatives indicated that facility expansion plans at WTC had accelerated the need for electrical transmission line upgrades in the area, and in November 2015, Vadata, a subsidiary of Amazon, announced plans to build a $200 million Department of Defense data center on the site. The center addresses a federal government requirement that the cloud infrastructure be entirely separate from the public cloud.

Facilities.

Warrenton Training Center is spread across four separate facilities in two different counties. Station A, Station B and Station C are located in Fauquier County, while Station D is located in Culpeper County.  Station A, near Warrenton, is an administrative, training and residential compound. Numerous structures on site include both residential and office buildings. Station A is used as a training facility by multiple agencies, including the Department of State and the CIA's Directorate of Intelligence and Directorate of Support.  Station B, also near Warrenton, houses the headquarters of WTC and, at, is the largest of the four facilities. It consists of several multi-story buildings concealed atop the heavily forested View Tree Mountain, as well as underground bunkers that house communications infrastructure. Operations at Station B include a communications laboratory, communications training, electronics testing, and equipment maintenance. The facility is a node on a fiber-optic cable that runs from Stations C and D, and which also connects WTC with other facilities in the Washington, D.C. area, such as the Tysons Corner Communications Tower. Station B also houses the Brushwood conference facility, constructed in the 1990s. The United States Environmental Protection Agency classifies Station B as a superfund site due to the presence of an inactive landfill and two chemical pits that have released trichloroethylene into nearby residential drinking water wells.  Station C was at one time a CIA numbers station, which transmitted coded signals to U.S. embassies overseas and intelligence agents in the field. Transmissions carried a female voice, dubbed "Cynthia" by radio hobbyists, that would recite groups of numbers in English. The transmissions were last heard in 2003.  Station D, also known as Brandy Station due to its proximity to the community of the same name, is the primary high frequency receiver facility for the CIA Office of Communications, and also hosts a variety of satellite communications ground station facilities. Station D is also a core regional relay facility for the Department of State's Diplomatic Telecommunications Service, a system of secure integrated networks that supports U.S. government departments and agencies operating from diplomatic missions and consulate facilities outside the United States.

Warrenton Training Center (WTC) is a classified United States government communication complex located in the state of Virginia. Established in 1951, it comprises four discrete stations located in Fauquier and Culpeper counties.


Quantity and location.

In his 1984 journalistic expose “The Day After World War III”, Edward Zuckerman states there were then nine Presidential Emergency Facilities within a 25-minute helicopter trip from Washington, D.C. According to Zuckerman, sites known to him at that time were code-named Cartwheel (at Fort Reno Park), Corkscrew, Cowpuncher, and Cannonball (Cross Mountain, Pennsylvania), though all have since been decommissioned. The White House itself is known as Crown while the presidential compound at the High Point Special Facility is Crystal (sometimes referred to as Crystal Palace).  In a 2004 report to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concerning Corkscrew, which at the time had been decommissioned as a PEF site and transferred to the FCC, historian David Rotenstein contended there were 75 PEFs “scattered throughout the United States”, a number also claimed by the Brookings Institution.

Design and staffing.

Construction on Presidential Emergency Facilities began in the 1960s from classified, black budget government appropriations.  Purpose-built Presidential Emergency Facilities are silo-like structures constructed from reinforced concrete that sit atop an underground warren of bunkers and chambers designed to withstand a nuclear explosion. One of the few descriptions of a Presidential Emergency Facility observed while still in operation was provided by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Alex R. Larzelere, a former White House military aide, who visited one such site in 1968.  Larzelere went on to describe the subterranean interior of the site, noting there were quarters for the President and his staff with beds kept ready for immediate use with fresh linens, communications facilities, and stores stocked with emergency rations, medicine, and other supplies to sustain several people for a prolonged period.  Bill Gulley, a former U.S. Marine assigned to the White House Military Office, reported in 1980 that PEFs were all "manned twenty-fours a day".

A Presidential Emergency Facility (PEF), also called Presidential Emergency Relocation Centers and VIP Evacuation and Support Facilities, is a fortified, working residence intended for use by the President of the United States should normal presidential residences, such as the White House or Camp David, be destroyed or overrun during war or other types of national emergencies. Some Presidential Emergency Facilities are specially designated sections of existing government and military installations, while others are dedicated sites that have been purpose-built. Various sources state there are, or were, between 9 and 75 such facilities.


History.

Televisa San Ángel is one of two surviving motion picture studios in Mexico. The other, Estudios Churubusco Azteca, had been cofounded by, ironically, Televisa San Ángel's current owners. The studio had been built by Jorge Stahl as a production facility; the earliest Mexican movie to credited with being filmed at San Ángel is "Mi campeón," released in 1952. At least 60 different motion pictures would be produced at the studio until 1969. In 1968, a new network, Television Independiente de Mexico (TIM) was launched from the San Ángel studios. Ownership of the studios was passed onto the Azcarraga family when TIM and Telesistema Mexicano merged to become Televisa in 1973; under Televisa's watch, the studio became a leading production facility in Mexico. In 1979, Televisa's Televicine (now Videocine) motion picture unit was established; at the same time the network's Centro de Educación Artística was set up at the studio.  Mexico's first electronic character generator was installed at Televisa San Ángel in 1980; it would be replaced in 1987 by a Chyron machine. When the 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck down Televisa's Chapultepec studios, two programs that had originated there, "En familia con Chabelo" and "Siempre en Domingo", moved production permanently to Televisa San Ángel. Many Televisa contract players who had worked at Chapultepec began to work at San Ángel at this time. Several of them have worked at the studios in both the pre-Televisa and modern eras of the facility.

The Facility.

Televisa San Ángel is divided into 16 sound stages known as "Foros". As of 2013, all of them had converted into high definition. Each sound stage measures 900 square meters (9,687 square feet). The Centro de Post Produccion is the most advanced post-production facility of its kind in the world, and contains 10 editing stations. There is a wide assortment of microphones at San Ángel, including lavalier, boom, handheld and headset microphones, most of them wireless. Most telenovelas produced at the studio use boom and lavalier microphones. An average of 15 telenovelas and several other television series, not to mention a handful of theatrical movie releases are produced at San Ángel every year. Each studio contains three cameras a laptop computer. Televisa San Ángel also contains five audio recording studios and three mixing suites.  Thirty different producers who have been with Televisa for years have offices at San Ángel. These include Andre Barren Díaz, Pedro Damián, Guillermo del Bosque, Luis de Llano Macedo, Carla Estrada, Emilio Larrosa, Chabelo, Rosy Ocampo, Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo, Juan Osorio, Angelí Nesma Medina, Nicandro Díaz González, Salvador Mejía Alexandre, Carmen Amendáriz, and Enrique Segoviano.  Televisa San Ángel's main entrance plaza, Plaza Televisa, is dedicated to the producers, directors, actors and other personnel who have been with Televisa, off and on, for at least 30 years total. Plaques at Plaza Televisa honor many of these personnel. Most of the honored personnel are famous, including many actors as well as some of the aforementioned producers.

Televisa San Ángel (originally Estudios y Laboratorios San Ángel, S.A.) is a film and television studio located in Mexico City. It was originally built by Jorge Stahl as a motion picture studio, and in the 1970s would be sold to the Azcárraga family, which, through ownership of the Televisa networks, continues to own the studios. It is the headquarters facility of the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) and the Videocine (formerly Televicine) motion picture production and distribution company. The network's Centro de Post Produccion is also housed at San Ángel. Moreover, it is best known as a motion picture and television studio. It is the oldest movie and television production facility in Mexico and the most famous telenovela studio facility in Latin America. It was one of the four main Mexican film studios along with Estudios Churubusco, Estudios América, and Estudios Tepeyac.


How Arjuna got the Gandiva.

Agni, the God of fire, wanted to devour the forest of Khandavaprastha, to regain his power and splendor. He had enlisted the help of the two heroes, Krishna and Arjuna. Arjuna was one of the best and greatest archers of all time and demanded from Agni a bow that would suit his strength, skill and the power of celestial weapons.  Agni then requested Varuna to bless the heroes with the desired weapons. Varuna gave the Gandiva bow to Arjuna, as well as two quivers which would provide an inexhaustible number of arrows.  The weapon was dreaded by many during the Kurukshetra war, having defeated and killed many great warriors and the gods themselves.

Features.

The Gandiva gives the wielder self confidence, self belief. The bow was well adorned and endued with great energy and is said to equivalent to a hundred thousand bows, it was also incapable of being damaged and was worshiped by the celestials and the Gandharvas.

Return to the gods.

At the end of the Dwapara yuga, Krishna departed the mortal world and left for Vaikuntha. Arjuna could not string the bow, or remember the spells necessary in order to summon his celestial weapons. Later the pandavas retired and journeyed to the himalayas. On their route, Agni came and asked Arjuna to return the Gandiva to Varuna, for it belonged to him. Arjuna obliged and dropped them in the waters of the sea. Thus the celestial bow was returned to the gods.

References.

Metaphysically, Gandiva is the “bow of self-control.” With it Arjuna was equipped for victory over “the sense soldiers of the blind king Mind.” “Charioteered by God, he must rally the army of emperor Discrimination with its forces of virtue and its allies of spiritual perception.” (Paramahansa Yogananda-ji’s commentary on XVIII:78)

Gandiva (IAST: Gāṇḍīva; ) is the bow of Arjuna, one of the pandavas from Hindu epic "Mahabharata" and was made by Brahma.


US Navy career.

Enright graduated from United States Naval Academy in 1933, served three years on USS "Maryland" and achieved submariner's qualification in 1936. During World War II, Lieutenant Commander Enright commanded USS "O-10", USS "Dace" and USS "Archerfish".  Enright assumed command of the newly built USS "Dace" on July 23, 1943, and in October sailed out on her first war patrol into busy Japanese waters. On November 15 an Ultra message alerted him to intercept aircraft carrier "Shōkaku"; Enright located the target and "made a timid approach, abandoning the effort as daylight approached". He then found another target, a tanker, but was depth charged by escort ships and withdrew from active pursuit. In the end the 49-day patrol brought no results. Enright took the blame for failure: "I was responsible for an unproductive patrol and request to be relieved by an officer who can perform more satisfactorily". Admiral Lockwood granted the request and demoted Enright to administrative duties ashore. After half a year at Midway submarine base, Enright requested to be given another submarine command and received "a rare second chance", command of USS "Archerfish", in September 1944.  "Archerfish" left Pearl Harbor on October 30, 1944, and reached Saipan on November 9. For the next two weeks the submarine provided search and rescue support to American aviators in the areas of planned air strikes. On November 28, when the submarine was patrolling south from Nagoya, radar identified a surface contact 12 miles away. Visual contact became possible at 2140, and by 2300 Enright identified it as an aircraft carrier protected by three destroyers. At 0241, on November 29, the target turned away from "Archerfish" and then straight at her. At 0317 at a mere 1,400 yards from the target, Enright fired all six available torpedoes at the carrier. Enright stayed at periscope depth to see first two torpedoes hit "Shinano", then dived down to escape revenge from her escorts. It was only after the war that the carrier was identified as "Shinano", the long-rumored third battleship of the "Yamato" class. Her keel had been converted into a supercarrier while still under construction. Four of his sub's torpedoes had found their mark. Due to crew inexperience and design flaws, she struggled with damage for more than seven hours and finally capsized at 10:57. With a full-load displacement of 72,000 tons, "Shinano" is the largest warship in history to be sunk by a submarine. The action earned Enright his Navy Cross.  On September 2, 1945, Enright and his crew, along with eleven other submarines, were honored with the task of protecting USS "Missouri" during the signing of Japanese Instrument of Surrender.  After the end of the war, Enright commanded Submarine Division 31 (1949–1950), USS "Fulton" (1953–1954), Submarine Squadron 8 (1954–1955), was chief of staff for the submarine force of the United States Atlantic Fleet (1955–1957) and commander of USS "Boston" (1959–1963).

Retirement years.

After retirement in 1963 Enright worked at Northrop on the OMEGA Navigation System.  He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Joseph Francis Enright (September 18, 1910, Minot, North Dakota – July 20, 2000, Fairfax, Virginia) was a submarine captain in the United States Navy. He is best known as the man who sank the Japanese aircraft carrier "Shinano"–the "most significant single submarine sinking of World War II."


Design.

The egg is about tall on its stand, with a diameter of. The outer shell is blue lapis lazuli, with architectural, Louis XV-style gold cagework in a design of leafy scrolls. The gold motifs cover each joint, making the egg look as if it was carved from a single block of lapis. The goldwork includes two Imperial double-headed eagles, as well as cupids, canopies, floral scrolls, flower baskets and garlands. Two large diamonds, one at top and one at bottom, are encrusted into the egg's surface, showing the initials of Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, the year 1912 and the Imperial crown. The location of the original stand is unknown, however it is thought to have not made it out of Russia when purchased by antiques dealer Armand Hammer.

Surprise.

The "surprise" inside is a Russian double-headed Imperial eagle with a miniature portrait of the Tsarevich Alexei, set in platinum and encrusted with diamonds. The Imperial eagle holds the orb and sceptre representative of the Romanov crown jewels. The intricate frame sits on a lapis lazuli base and can be completely removed from inside the egg. The portrait shows Alexei in his sailor suit, a favorite of the Tsarevich's. The original double-sided watercolor miniature portrait has suffered damage and is still in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The current portrait on display is an archival photograph. Inside the egg, an engraved golden disc with a rose window design serves as a platform for the portrait frame.

History.

Fabergé created the egg as a tribute to Tsarevich Alexei. Unknown to all but the royal family, Alexei was expected to die of hemophilia and was at one point so close to death that the Russian Imperial Court had already drawn up his death certificate. When Alexei survived, Fabergé, who knew of the Tsarevich's health, created the egg for Alexei's mother as a tribute to the miracle of his survival.  Subsequent owners included antiques dealer Armand Hammer, who moved from Paris to New York in the early 1930s. Philanthropist Lillian Thomas Pratt (1876–1947) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, purchased the egg in New York from Hammer in 1933–34. The egg was bequeathed by her in 1947 to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, where it remains on permanent view.

The Tsarevich Egg, also known as the Czarevich Egg, is a Fabergé egg, one of a series of jewelled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1912 for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna as a tribute by Fabergé to her son the Tsarevich Alexei (Alexei). The egg is currently in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia., US.


Features and compatibility.

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

Comparable Distributions.

EasyMiNT.

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

AFROS.

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

Historical Distributions.

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

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


Historical Context.

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

1971 expulsion from the UN.

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

Elections.

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

Development assistance.

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

Think tanks.

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

Policies.

Economics.

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

UN specialised agencies.

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

International isolation.

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

International disputes.

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

Types of relations.

Full diplomatic relations.

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

Non-diplomatic representation.

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

No representation.

The following states recognise Beijing and have

Relations with neither the ROC nor the PRC.

The following table includes

Relations switched from the ROC to the PRC.

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

History.

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

Cross-Strait relations.

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

Bilateral relations.

Africa.

Eswatini.

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

The Gambia.

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

Others.

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

Americas.

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

Arab world.

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

Bangladesh.

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

Dominican Republic.

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

El Salvador.

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

Haiti.

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

India.

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

Iran.

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

Japan.

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

North Korea.

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

South Korea.

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

Malaysia.

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

Mongolia.

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

Oceania.

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

History.

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

Australia.

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

Fiji.

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

Kiribati.

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

Marshall Islands.

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

Nauru.

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

New Zealand.

New Zealand does not recognise ROC as a state.

Palau.

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

Papua New Guinea.

Papua recognises the PRC.  In 2005, Papua New

Solomon Islands.

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

Tuvalu.

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

Vanuatu.

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

Panama.

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

Paraguay.

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

Philippines.

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

Russia.

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

Singapore.

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

United States.

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

Venezuela.

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

Vietnam.

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

Europe and the European Union.

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

International organizations.

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

International treaties.

ROC is a party

Territorial disputes.

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

Specialized diplomacy.

Culinary diplomacy.

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

Medical Diplomacy.

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

Epidemic prevention diplomacy.

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

Transport and communications.

Air links.

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

Telecommunications.

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

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


Unit history.

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

Organization.

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

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


History.

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

Status.

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

Distribution of Buddhists.

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

Persecution of Buddhists in Malaysia.

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

Islamist supremacist sharia and Bigoted Bumiputera laws.

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

Destruction of temples.

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

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


Education and early activism.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Awards and Recognition.

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

Publications.

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

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


Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994

Before Eurovision.

Internal selection.

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

At Eurovision.

Language controversy.

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

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