Early years.

Abizaid was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an American mother and a Mexican/Lebanese father. She traveled the Middle East and Europe with her family before the age of ten, when she moved with her mother and brother to the United States. Along with her four sisters, she formed a band and developed a talent for harmonies. Her first exposure to music was Middle Eastern music combined with the late 1970s American influences of Alice Cooper, Elton John, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and The Beatles.  After moving to the US, she lived in Poughkeepsie, NY until moving to Great Falls, Virginia for high school. She later attended the Corcoran School of Art in Georgetown and then transferred to The Catholic University of America to study drama and music, while pursuing a career in hairstyling. She dropped out of college to work as a runway model with designers such as Jacques Fath, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, Alberta Ferretti, Badgley Mischka, Chloe and Bill Blass. She traveled to Paris and Germany and modeled for London designer Zandra Rhodes in the UK. Afterward, she returned to the US to live in Miami, Florida. In Miami, she met musician/songwriter Shane Soloski in the late 1990s and decided to move to Los Angeles to form a band with him.  Their first gig was an open mic at Molly Malone's where she met and played with Todd Sucherman (drummer for Styx). After several open mics around Los Angeles, she and Soloski formed a band called Blue which included musicians Eric Dover (guitarist for Alice Cooper), Ron Dziubla (guitarist/saxophonist for Ricky Martin), Brian Head (drummer for Foreigner), Mike Mennell (bassist for Tom Jones) and Taylor Mills (singer for Brian Wilson). They played a series of shows in Los Angeles at The Gig and The Mint and broke up in 2001 just before releasing their first album. She then recorded and performed as a backup vocalist for Jennifer Stills and as a backup vocalist for Kathleen Bird York (known for her Oscar-nominated song "In the Deep" from "Crash"). Abizaid began recording vocal sessions for several TV shows with writers Stephen Phillips and Tim P. from Bosshouse Music, as well as two songs for the film "Devious Beings" in 2002, starring Patrick van Horn and Kevin Connolly. She was also the voice for Ally Sheedy and Charisma Carpenter on the TV show "Strange Frequency" starring Roger Daltrey in 2001, singing a vocal recorded duet with Sebastian Bach from the band Skid Row. Due to the success of Paramount's "The 4400", "New York Post" author Adam Buckman wrote on August 28, 2005 "I'd like to thank two singers — one named Sia and the other named Amanda Abizaid — for making TV all the more memorable this summer."

Solo years.

Now an established artist in Los Angeles, Abizaid has performed as a solo artist releasing a single, two EPs and one LP working with musicians Eric Dover, Ron Dziubla, Mike Mennell, Tom Gimbel (keyboardist/saxophonist for Foreigner), Brian Head and Brian Tichy (drummer for Ozzy Osbourne). Abizaid has played shows around the Los Angeles area at The Gig, The Mint and The Rainbow, and other acoustic venues such as Genghis Cohen, Tangier and The Derby. She played at the Indiegrrl festival in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2012 and remains an avid supporter of women in music. She was on a compilation CD last year of women around the world called "Females on Fire".  She has also written and sang songs for several independent feature films, "3 Below", "13th Alley", "Dark Ascension", and wrote the theme song and starred in the short film "Facing the Lion".

Discography.

Albums:  EPs/Singles:

Amanda Jo Abizaid (born December 28, 1974) is an American Lebanese singer/songwriter best known for her vocal performance on the theme song of the US TV series "The 4400".


South African origins.

Catt was born on 17 September 1971 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He attended Grey High School in Port Elizabeth until 1989 and represented Eastern Province at rugby union. His mother Anne was English, through whom he qualified to play for England later on, and as a student he toured England. At the time, South Africa was banned from international competition because of the country's apartheid policy. He moved to England after leaving school.

Club career.

Catt joined Bath in 1992 as understudy to Stuart Barnes and made his debut as a 21-year-old against Nottingham R.F.C. later the same year. He started for Bath in the victorious 1998 Heineken Cup Final as they defeated Brive. He had a testimonial year with Bath in 2004, but at the end of the 2003–04 season, Bath decided not to renew his contract and he moved to London Irish. At the start of the 2007–08 season, he announced he was going to be backs coach for London Irish as well as a player. Whilst with the Exiles, he enjoyed a fruitful twilight of his career and in May 2006 was named Guinness Premiership Player of the Season. He is the oldest ever player to play in an English Premiership final (May 2009), aged 37, when he was a player / coach at London Irish.  On 8 May 2010 he played the final competitive club match of his career. Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to rugby.

International career.

A utility back, Catt played for England at fullback, fly-half, inside centre and even wing, and was part of the England side that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup.  His international debut came against Wales as a replacement for Rob Andrew. His breakthrough performance, however, came in England's following match against Canada at Twickenham Stadium, where he came on as an injury-replacement for the incumbent England fullback Paul Hull. England's emphatic victory, Hull's untimely injury, and Catt's impact in the late stages of the game cemented Catt as the new darling of English rugby that season.  Playing at full back, Catt was part of England's 1995 Grand Slam winning side, and played in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In that event, he was memorably "posterised" by a young Jonah Lomu, who ran over him on the way to one of his four tries for the All Blacks in their semifinal win over England.  Catt was called up as an injury replacement in the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa and played in the final test. At the time the England squad (excluding the substantial number who were with the Lions) were touring Argentina, where Catt was showing excellent form.  For some of his international career, his inclusion was questioned in some quarters. He was booed when he missed a penalty against Australia in 1998 at Twickenham that could have won the match; Australia won by 1 point. Ultimately though his natural ability as a rugby player has provided more positive career notes than negatives.  In 2000, with the retirement of centres after the 1999 World Cup, his career was revived when he stepped into midfield. Acting as an inside centre, with Jonny Wilkinson his kicking and distribution was responsible for the high try counts of that year.  Catt was selected for the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia but was injured and replaced by Scott Gibbs.  Catt was selected in the squad that won the 2003 World Cup; a move some saw as the one surprise selection in Clive Woodward's squad. After featuring in pool games against Samoa and Uruguay, Catt was brought on as a half time substitute in England's quarter-final against Wales, with England trailing 10-3. As a tactical substitution to improve England's kicking options and reduce the pressure on Jonny Wilkinson, Catt's performance was seen by many as key to England's improved second half showing and eventual 28-17 victory. In the semi-final against France, Catt was selected to start at inside centre as a tactical move, and due to his performance against Wales. He played in the extra-time period in the final as a replacement for Mike Tindall, alongside Wilkinson and Will Greenwood in England's midfield. Catt made several breaks in the extra-time period, and kicked the ball into touch to bring about the final whistle, ending the game and confirming England as world champions.  In 2006 he received an England recall, making his first Test appearances for two years on the summer tour to Australia, cementing his place in England's top ten most capped players. He had been in international exile until he was called up to captain England in the 2007 Six Nations game against France at Twickenham. England, with regular captain Phil Vickery and fly-half Jonny Wilkinson out to injury, won the match 26–18. He also captained England in the Six Nations defeat to Wales at the Millennium Stadium and again in England's pre-World Cup defeat to France at Twickenham in August 2007.  Catt was included in Brian Ashton's England squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he helped England reach a second successive final. Catt brought out his own autobiography after the World Cup "Landing on My Feet: My Story".  Catt confirmed his retirement from international rugby on 27 October 2007, the week after England lost to South Africa in that year's World Cup.

Coaching career.

Catt's coaching career began in 2008, where he replaced Brian Smith as attack coach at London Irish; he acted as a player-coach for the 2008-10 season. When he fully retired from playing at the end of the 2009-10 season, he remained with the London Irish set-up until Smith returned to the club in 2012.  In 2012, Catt joined the England national set-up as backs/attack coach for their 2012 tour to South Africa. On 15 December 2015, following the resignation of head coach Stuart Lancaster on 11 November 2015, newly appointed head coach Eddie Jones sacked the whole coaching team.  On 25 March 2016, Catt was announced as part of the newly appointed Italy coaching staff, sharing duties with Conor O'Shea and Stephen Aboud.  On 24 June 2019, it was confirmed after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Catt will be joining former England player and coach Andy Farrell's coaching team at Ireland; after Joe Schmidt, the current Head Coach, steps down. Catt said: “I am looking forward to RWC in Japan and seeing the group of players we have here in Italy fulfil their potential and achieve the objectives we have set for ourselves. Obviously it is an honour to be given this future opportunity with Ireland but I will focus on that challenge only after I have given my all for Italy and this group of players.”  England’s coaching group during the 2015 Rugby World Cup will now all be employed in Ireland – Andy Farrell (current Ireland defence coach and future head coach), Stuart Lancaster (Leinster Rugby senior coach), Graham Rowntree (Munster Rugby forwards coach) and Mike Catt (Ireland attack coach).

Michael John Catt OBE (born 17 September 1971) is a South African-born former rugby union player who played for the England national rugby union team. He played professionally for the clubs London Irish and Bath. He earned 75 international caps for England and played in two World Cup Finals, in 2003 (when England won) and 2007. With his appearance in the October 2007 final, at age 36 years 1 month, he became the oldest ever player to play in a Rugby World Cup final. Since 2008, Catt has coached various rugby teams, and is currently an assistant coach for the Ireland national rugby team.


Synopsis.

God is dead, and now God's two-mile-long cadaver is floating in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Africa. As a result, the archangel Raphael hires supertanker captain Anthony Van Horne to tow the cadaver into the Arctic, with the intention of having it be preserved by the cold.

Reception.

"Towing Jehovah" won the 1995 World Fantasy Award for best novel, and was nominated for the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 1995 Nebula Award for Best Novel, shortlisted for the 1995 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and ranked second for the 1995 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. As well, the French translation, "Remorquant Jehovah", won the 1996 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for best foreign-language novel.  Jo Walton has described it as "brilliant but weird", and "terrific", while Steven H Silver has called it "interesting" and "intriguing", and commended Morrow's skill as a religious satirist, but criticized him for the quality of his satires of non-religious topics, saying that "[w]hen he turns his attention to satirizing other aspects of society, [Morrow] tends to fling his darts at random."  The "Chicago Tribune" praised Morrow for his "light-handed sense of satire", and said that "("Towing Jehovah"s) title alone is enough to send your imagination racing off into the cosmos." The "Los Angeles Times" compared it to the works of Kurt Vonnegut, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Shakespeare, and Cecil B. DeMille, but stated that the novel was "buoyant" for the same reason that it is "ultimately, a little disappointing": namely, "Morrow doesn't care as much [as Vonnegut]".

Sequels.

A sequel, "Blameless in Abaddon", was published in 1996, and a second sequel, "The Eternal Footman", was published in 1999.

Towing Jehovah is a 1994 fantasy novel by American writer James K. Morrow, published by Harcourt Brace. The book is about the death of God and the subsequent towing of his body across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1995 it received the World Fantasy Award for best novel, with two additional best novel awards. It was followed by two sequels in 1996 and 1999.


History.

Animator Chuck Jones introduced Gossamer in the 1946 cartoon "Hair-Raising Hare". In it, Bugs Bunny is lured to the lair of a mad scientist (a caricature of actor Peter Lorre) as food for Gossamer. The monster (Gossamer) serves as the scientist's henchman.  Part of this plot was repeated in the 1952 Jones cartoon "Water, Water Every Hare" in which the monster's character is referred to as "Rudolph" or simply "Monster". The mad scientist, in need of a live brain for his giant robot, releases Monster from his chamber on a mission to capture Bugs Bunny; the Monster shows a sudden burst of joyousness and quickly sets out when the mad scientist promises the reward of "spider goulash" for capturing the rabbit. The monster next appears in "Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 241⁄2th Century" in 1980. This is the first cartoon where the character is called "Gossamer", and is so named by Marvin the Martian. Jones gave the monster this name "because he's the opposite looking of gossamer. He's a big, hairy thing."  Gossamer also has appeared in various recent Warner Bros. productions, including cameos in the 1996 film "Space Jam" and as a playable character in the video games "", "Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem" and "". Gossamer appeared in the "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" episode "Monsters Are Real" where he was shown as one of the best monsters to scare people and animals. Gossamer appeared in the television series "Beetlejuice" as a redesign named "The Monster Across the Street".  Gossamer was going to have a cameo in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", but the rights to him could not be obtained in time.  Gossamer appears in "The Looney Tunes Show" voiced by Kwesi Boakye. Gossamer here is the opposite of previous portrayals, being a timid and kind child. He has a bond with Daffy Duck, who serves as a sort of mentor and father figure to him despite Daffy’s rivalry with Gossamer’s mother Witch Hazel.  In the most recent series, "Looney Tunes Cartoons", he is back to his classic role as a monster who hunts Bugs Bunny down.

Gossamer is an animated character in the Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" series of cartoons. He is a large, hairy, orange monster. His body is perched on two giant tennis shoes, and his heart-shaped face is composed of only two oval eyes and a wide mouth, with two hulking arms ending in dirty, clawed fingers. The monster's main trait is his uncombed, orange hair. He originally was voiced by Mel Blanc and has been voiced by Frank Welker, Maurice LaMarche, Joe Alaskey, Jim Cummings, Kwesi Boakye, and currently Fred Tatasciore.


1659–1660.

Those who disagreed with expedient political compromises made during the period of the Protectorate, went back to the Army's own declarations during the wars: to republican pamphlets like those produced by John Lilburne, Marchamont Nedham and John Milton. With their discontent, they imagined that there had been a moment of revolutionary purity when all these writers had agreed on something intrinsically republican and good, this entity - shifting depending upon the writer - was often labelled the "Good Old Cause".  After the death of Oliver Cromwell the phrase came into use gradually, passing to and fro in documents and speeches. By April 1659 and for months afterwards it was frequently heard in general discourse and every second or third pamphlet in the booksellers' shops had "The Good Old Cause" on its title-page or running through its text.  The phrase was open to interpretation, but in 1659 to its exponents it meant the pure Republican constitution which had been founded on the Regicide and which lasted until Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump Parliament on 20 April 1653. It proclaimed that Cromwell's interim dictatorship and Protectorate had been an interruption of the natural course of things, dexterously leaving it an open question whether that interruption had been necessary or justifiable, but calling on all men, now that Cromwell was dead and his effectiveness gone with him, to regard his rule as exceptional and extraordinary, and to revert to the old Commonwealth.  In April 1660 General John Lambert tried to raise an army against the restoration of The Crown in favour of the Commonwealth by issuing a proclamation calling on all supporters of the "Good Old Cause" to rally on the battlefield of Edgehill, but he was arrested before arriving at the old battlefield and gathering enough forces to threaten General George Monck, the power behind the restoration movement. In October the same year Daniel Axtell, the officer who had commanded the guard during the Trial of Charles I, went to his execution unrepentant declaring that "If I had a thousand lives, I could lay them all down for the [Good Old] Cause". Similarly, Algernon Sidney, before his execution for allegedly being involved in the Rye House Plot in 1683, thanked God for allowing him to die "for that [Good] Old Cause in which I was from my youth engaged".

Later influence.

The "Good Old Cause" became, in the hands of radicals in the 18th and 19th centuries, one of the main supports to agitation within England by linking their cause to the cause of the English Civil War radicals. This memory was sustained by the publication of various tracts about the civil war across the 18th Century — Edmund Ludlow's "Memoirs" in 1701 by John Toland for instance that sought to radicalise the memory of the English Civil War.  Work on the republican imagination includes Jonathan Scott on Algernon Sydney and seventeenth-century republicanism, Nigel Smith on the radical John Streater, and Blair Worden on the memory of the Civil Wars.

References.

Attribution:

The Good Old Cause was the name given, retrospectively, by the soldiers of the New Model Army, to the complex of reasons that motivated their fight on behalf of the Parliament of England.


Family.

Harris was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. His Abercarn-born grandfather Norman Harris played for; Abercarn RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC, Pontypool RFC and Newbridge RFC before heading north to win eight Welsh caps under league rules.

Early Rugby League career.

Warrington.

Harris' professional career began with league club Warrington at age 17 in 1993 before a record-breaking £350,000 transfer to Leeds in 1997.  Iestyn Harris played left-, i.e. number 4, in Warrington's 10-40 defeat by Wigan in the 1994–95 Regal Trophy Final during the 1994–95 season at Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield on Saturday 28 January 1995.

Leeds.

Harris was made captain of Leeds Rhinos in his first full season at the club at the age of twenty-one, and became the first Leeds captain in a decade to lift silverware when Leeds Rhinos claimed the 1999 Challenge Cup.  Harris initially played at before being switched to. In 1998, despite having played most of his games at fullback, he was named in the half backs in 1998's Super League Dream Team and also collected the annual Man of Steel trophy as the best player in the Super League. He captained Leeds Rhinos from in their 1998 Super League Grand Final defeat by the Wigan Warriors.  A superb goal-kicker, Harris broke the club record for goals in a season in 1999 with 168, he was named at stand-off in 1999's Super League IV Dream Team, and broke the 2,000 career points total two years later.  Harris matched the record for scoring the most points in a Challenge Cup Final when he scored 20 points (1 try, and 8 conversions) in Leeds' 52-16 victory over London Broncos in the 1999 Challenge Cup Final during Super League IV at Wembley Stadium, London on 1 May 1999. This equalled the record set by Neil Fox (2-tries and 7-goals) in Wakefield Trinity's victory over Hull F.C. in the 1960 Challenge Cup Final.

Cardiff and Wales RU.

In 2001, Harris made a £1.5 million switch to Cardiff RFC and Wales.  Harris made his début for the Welsh side on 10 November 2001, playing against Argentina in Cardiff; Wales lost 16–30. Having played only 200 minutes of rugby union before his international début, Harris struggled, particularly with his tactical kicking. This led to a move from fly-half to inside centre, where he could be creative with less pressure.

World Cup 2003.

Harris played in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia where Wales lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winners, England, despite leading the game for 60 minutes. Harris won 25 Wales caps as a union player but made it clear that he wanted to return to League.

Return to Rugby League.

Bradford Bulls.

In 2004, Harris returned to rugby league, citing "family reasons". He joined Bradford Bulls after a contractual fight with former club Leeds. His salary was reputed to be £1 million over 4 seasons. Harris played for the Bradford Bulls at in their 2004 Super League Grand Final loss against the Leeds Rhinos. Harris was selected in the Great Britain team to compete in the end of season 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against Australia he played at in the Lions' 44–4 loss.  Harris wrote a book, published in October 2005, detailing his moves between codes called "Iestyn Harris: There and Back – My Journey from League to Union and Back Again". Harris was part of the 2005 Bradford Bulls squad that became the first side in the history of Super League to win the Grand Final when finishing third in the final league ladder. He played for the Bradford Bulls at, kicking a goal in their 2005 Super League Grand Final victory against Leeds Rhinos.  Harris was Bradford Bulls' captain for one year in 2006 taking over from Leeds-bound Jamie Peacock. As Super League champions Bradford Bulls faced National Rugby League premiers Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Harris captained the Bradford Bulls from, kicking five goas from six attempts in their 30–10 victory. On 10 May 2006, Harris announced he would be retiring from playing international rugby league with Great Britain, just a week after being named in a 36-strong training squad for a June 2006 Test against New Zealand. Harris, who won the last of his 15 Great Britain caps against Australia in November 2005, said he wanted to concentrate on his club career. On 26 September 2006, he confirmed that he would continue to play for Wales, and was scheduled to return to the side against Scotland at the Brewery Field, Bridgend in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying match on Sunday 29 October 2006. He was forced to pull out through injury hours before kick-off. Harris kicked a club record 15 goals against Toulouse Olympique in a record 98–6 win on 19 April 2008. Harris had been linked to a player-coach role with Crusaders, but he decided to sign for National League One club Featherstone Rovers instead.

Featherstone Rovers.

Harris signed a 2-year deal at Featherstone Rovers, as well as playing, he also took his first steps into coaching and working in the marketing department of the club, he made his dbt for Featherstone Rovers on Sunday 15 February 2009, he also ultimately made a lot of debt for Bradford Bulls, and he played his last match for Featherstone Rovers during the 2009 season. On announcement of his tenure as assistant coach to Brian Noble at Celtic Crusaders, he agreed termination of his contract at Featherstone Rovers and an immediate end to his playing career.

Coaching career.

Wales National Rugby League team.

While still playing for Bradford, Harris was appointed Wales Assistant Coach on 18 June 2008. On 22 September 2009, Harris was appointed Wales's rugby league head coach, succeeding John Dixon. Appointed alongside Harris were the more experienced Kevin Ellis and Clive Griffiths, and the trio's first match was against England on 17 October, which they lost 48–12.  Wales qualified for the 2011 Rugby League Four Nations, and therefore won the Tournament's co-hosting rights with England. Unfortunately, as expected, Wales lost all of games, but they put up great fights. They lost by 42–4 against England, but they played well against the Kiwis at Wembley Stadium in London. Wales lost by 36–0, but New Zealand were frustrated by not being able to play their attacking football full of flair, and this was due to Harris' team's good defence. Then surprisingly, in Wales' (and Welsh legend Lee Briers last game of his international career) final game of the Tournament, Wales shocked all odds, as they had an early 8–0 lead, against world heavyweights Australia, after 14 minutes. It took Australia until just before half-time to take the lead. Harris' men would then go on to lose the game 56–14, but he still gave Lee Briers a fitting farewell.  Iestyn coached Wales in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup held in their own country and fellow British nation England. Unfortunately Iestyn's side didn't get a single win at the event, and they gave history to each of the teams that defeated them. Italy won their first World Cup match in their first appearance, USA in their annual tournament advanced to the quarter-final, and the Cook Islands won their first ever World Cup match.  On 9 April 2014, Harris resigned from the Wales post, after taking up the head coaching role at the Super League club, the Salford Red Devils.

Crusaders Rugby League.

On 14 October 2009, Harris was announced as assistant coach to Brian Noble at Wales-based Crusaders Rugby League, alongside Jon Sharp. After a year as assistant it was announced in November 2010 that Harris would take over as Head Coach of Crusaders following the resignation of Brian Noble. His first official game in charge was against Salford on Sunday 13 February 2011 in the opening round of the Super League. The game was played at the Millennium Stadium as part of the Magic Weekend.

Wigan Warriors.

In 2011, Harris became the assistant coach at former club Wigan.

Salford Red Devils.

In 2014, it was announced by Marwan Koukash that Harris would take over from Brian Noble as head coach at Salford Red Devils. The appointment was described as a "huge gamble". In Harris' first match in charge, Salford played away from home and defeated Bradford Bulls by 38–24.  In September 2015, after being absent from the club for two months, Salford mutually sacked Harris from his post as head coach of the club.

Media career.

Iestyn regularly provides expert TV and radio analysis including BBC's Super League Show, and contributes to BBC Radio Five Live's rugby league coverage.

Author.

Harris released his autobiography "Iestyn Harris: There and Back - My Journey from League to Union and Back Again" in 2005.

Personal life.

Harris lives in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England, he is married to Becky Harris with whom he has a daughter; Catrin, and a younger son, he also has a sister; Rhian (whose children are Dewi, Emrys and Huan).  In circa 2007, he set up RLPredictor.com, a rugby league prediction website, but it failed to take off and it is now non-operational.

Iestyn Rhys Harris (born 25 June 1976), also known by the nickname of "Welsh Wizard", is a former dual-code international professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, and coach in rugby league in the 2000s and 2010s. He played representative rugby league for Great Britain and Wales, and at club level for the Warrington Wolves, the Leeds Rhinos (captain) where he won the 1998 Man of Steel Award, the Bradford Bulls (captain), and Featherstone Rovers (Heritage No 922), and representative rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Cardiff RFC and Cardiff Blues, and has coached representative rugby league for Wales, and at club level for Featherstone Rovers (Assistant Coach), the Crusaders Rugby League (initially as assistant coach under Brian Noble, and then Head Coach), the Wigan Warriors (assistant coach), and Salford Red Devils (head coach).


Domestic career.

Dafydd James started his professional career at Bridgend RFC in 1995 after coming up through the ranks of Kenfig Hill RFC. After 43 club caps for Bridgend he moved to Pontypridd RFC in 1997, where he played his part in the infamous Battle of Brive (Heineken cup clash 1997) and went on to play 54 club caps in 2 years. In 1999 Dafydd moved to west Wales to play his rugby and enjoyed his first stint at Llanelli playing 52 games and scoring 145 points. He return to Bridgend in 2001( which later became the Celtic Warriors Regional side in 2003), 2004 saw Dafydd move to London to play for Harlequins, before being temped back to Wales only a year later to return for the Llanelli Scarlets where he stayed until 2009.  Dafydd scored over 565 points in his career and was the first to score over 25 tries in Heineken cup and scored 29 tries overall.

International career.

Dafydd made his international debut in 1996 for Wales playing against Australia in Sydney and went on to win 51 caps in 11 years and scored 15 tries. His last cap came at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.  In 2001 Dafydd played all three Tests for the British & Irish Lions in Australia, scoring one of their four tries in the opening Test victory.

Charity Work.

Dafydd is a patron of Tenovus Cancer Care where he helps raising awareness for the Charity and takes part in fund raising. In 2015 Dafydd took part in a 350-mile bike ride from Cardiff to Paris and help raise over £50,000 for the Charity.  In 2012 Dafydd was involved in the celebrity Sports Relief Challenge which included cycling & running around the UK and Ireland. This was a Celebrity competition consisting of the four home nations and raised a total of £250,000.

TV and Radio.

Since 2010 Dafydd has been a regular sports pundit for BBC TV & Radio, recently he has started work with ITV and Rte in Ireland.

Fitness & Motivation.

Since 2009 Dafydd has been a motivational speaker, fitness coach and personal trainer.

Dafydd Rhys James (born 24 July 1975) is a former Welsh international rugby union footballer who plays on the wing or at centre. He toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2001. James was born in Mufulira, Zambia, but has earned 48 caps for Wales and three for the British & Irish Lions. His clubs include; Kenfig Hill RFC, Llanelli, Bridgend, Pontypridd, Harlequins, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Sale Sharks and HKCC Rugby.


Schools career.

Leamy's first sport was hurling and he initially dreamed of following in the footsteps of his heroes Nicky English or Pat Fox. He played for his local GAA side, Boherlahan-Dualla, where his early physical strength was noted. His initial introduction to rugby was somewhat accidental, and occurred when he accompanied his two brothers, Ed and Kev, along to a trial game with his local rugby club, Cashel RFC. He harboured some initial reservations, but despite that he joined in the game and kept going back to play at the club.  A neighbour and family friend recommended that he change schools to join Rockwell College, a school heavily focused on rugby. Leamy gave up on hurling when he was 18, concentrating instead on rugby and a possible professional career.  Leamy enrolled in Rockwell College when he was 15. In his first year there, he was heavily involved in their successful march on the Munster Schools Junior Cup in 1997. He played for Rockwell Senior Cup Team for three years, the first of which he played at inside centre, before switching back to his more favoured backrow position of number 8. During this time, he was called to Clongowes for trials for the Ireland Schools team and ended up playing a key role in the Irish Schools' tour of Australia in 2000 when they won all eight games.

Under 21 international honours.

Leamy acquired a reputation after an incident with a player from Old Belvedere. A second incident resulted in a citation and a suspension, and it was due to this citing that Leamy missed an U21 game against Wales. Leamy captained the side in their final match against France. Leamy moved on from his international schools career to be picked for the Ireland U21 team, where he was capped. He was involved in another incident, again being cited, and this citation meant that Leamy was banned from attending the U21 World Cup. Leamy's temper was given further ammunition during the same season when he was playing for UCC in Division 2 of the AIL. Leamy was cited and punished for an incident in a game against Terenure College RFC, before returning that year.

Provincial honours.

After finishing school in Rockwell, Leamy went to CIT to study Leisure Management, and started to play for UCC in the second division of the AIL. Declan Kidney brought him into the Munster setup on a development contract and he was awarded his first Munster cap at the age of 19. In the 2003/2004 season, Leamy moved from a development contract to a full-time contract.  The highlights of Leamy's career with Munster is undoubtedly winning the Heineken Cup twice, first in 2006 and then again in 2008, scoring a try in the final. He was also the province's top try scorer in the 2006/2007 season with 7 tries. He captained Munster for part of the 2010–11 season in the absence of Paul O'Connell.

Senior international honours.

Leamy was selected in the Ireland Squad in November 2004. He played against the US Eagles, and played at Number 8 for Ireland for the first time in a 7–45 drubbing by New Zealand. In the following year, Leamy made his Six Nations debut against Italy, this time in the number 7 jersey.  As Leamy was not selected for the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa, he played in Ireland's 2009 Summer Tests. He played against Australia and Fiji in the 2009 November Tests before injury ruled him out of the remaining match against South Africa. He missed the 2010 Six Nations and Summer Tests through injury, but returned to play against Samoa, New Zealand and Argentina in the 2010 November Tests. He played in four of Ireland's 2011 Six Nations games, and won his 50th cap for Ireland when he came on as a replacement against England in March 2011. Leamy was selected in Ireland's training squad for the 2011 World Cup warm-ups in August, and was also selected in the final 30-man squad to travel to New Zealand.  A hip injury ruled Leamy out of action for four months in January 2012, meaning he missed selection for the 2012 Six Nations Championship.

Retirement.

Leamy announced his retirement from rugby on 22 May 2012, due to a hip injury suffered during the 2011–12 season.  Speaking at the announcement, Leamy said:

Personal life.

Leamy married Gráinne Brosnahan, his partner of three years, in September 2013.

Statistics.

International analysis by opposition.

Correct as of 5 July 2017

Denis Patrick Leamy (born 27 November 1981) is a former Irish professional rugby union player. He was a back-row forward who could play either flanker or at number 8, and occasionally played at centre. He ended his club rugby career for Munster in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup, and internationally for Ireland. He officially announced his retirement in May 2012 due to a long-standing hip injury.


The show.

Pre-show and Intro.

Even though the Carousel of Progress does not typically have a long queue, there is a pre-show video shown to guests while they wait outside the theater. The video talks about the history and development of the attraction, and includes clips of Walt Disney explaining the attraction on his television show. The video lasts about four minutes, after which guests enter

Act 1 - 1900s.

As the scene opens, robins chirp in the background and the music fades. The father of the family, John, is sitting in a wooden rocking chair inside his home. On his right, his dog Rover is happily lying on the floor. John tells guests that it is "right around the turn of the century" and that it is Valentine’s Day. He then claims that things could not get any better than they are at that time, before giving a list

Act 2 - 1920s.

John is once again sitting in his kitchen, this time on a smaller kitchen chair on Independence Day in the "Roaring Twenties". Wires and new electric machines are all over the room. When John stops singing, he tells guests that things have changed a lot in the last twenty years. He proceeds to tell guests the new accomplishments of the era. These include:  John then tells guests that Thomas Edison has brought electricity to his home. At this point all of the electronic machines in the kitchen, such as the refrigerator, toaster oven, vacuum, and electric lights turn on. John

Act 3 - 1940s.

As the music stops, it is now Halloween during the "Fabulous Forties" and John is wearing a sweater while sitting at a circular booth-style kitchen table. He tells guests that everything is better than ever in the 1940s and shows off new kitchen technologies, including a refrigerator that holds more food and ice cubes and an automatic dishwasher. John also informs guests that he is now a part of the "rat race" and they now have television, when it works, and that John Cameron Swayze brings them the news every night.  At this point, the scene shifts and focuses on a room on the right, where the grandmother and grandfather are watching wrestling on TV. After that, a now teenage Jim calls from his room and asks what his father thinks of the Jack-O-Lantern he

Act 4 - 21st century.

Set during Christmas in the 21st century, the entire family is gathered in the living room and kitchen singing "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" in contrast to the previous scenes which featured only John in the kitchen. As the music ends, John is standing on the right working on Christmas dinner, while Sarah sits nearby working on a computer. Jim, now a young adult, and his grandmother are playing a virtual reality game, while a 20-something Trish and her grandfather sit around the Christmas tree. Sarah tells John that she has programmed the oven to recognize his voice. John then comments that now all of the household items are voice-automated, to which the grandfather replies "Great... tell the refrigerator to bring me a root beer." Sarah responds to the joke, saying that although they can't do that, she can brighten the tree lights. She then tells John to try the voice-activated oven, which he does with no problem. After the oven confirms John’s temperature command, Trish comments that "it even talks back!" She and the rest of the family also make fun of John for burning last

End.

The theater then rotates to the unloading area, which looks identical to the loading area, as a pop-style

History.

Edison Square concept.

In the late 1950s, after Disneyland's initial success, Walt Disney planned to expand the Main Street, U.S.A. area with two districts: "International Street" and "Edison Square". In Edison Square, guests would be treated to a show which was supposed to be called "Harnessing the Lighting" hosted by an "electro-mechanical" man named "Wilbur K. Watt". The show would chronicle the evolution of electricity in the home, from the late 19th century

1964 New York World's Fair.

General Electric approached Walt Disney to develop a show for the company's pavilion at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair. Disney leapt at the chance to rekindle his relationship with GE, who would fund the project and the new technology necessary to bring it to life. Reaching back to the Edison Square concept, Walt Disney again pitched the idea of an electrical progress show to General Electric executives, who loved it.  During the planning phase, Disney's Imagineers perfected the Audio-Animatronics (AA) technology necessary to operate the "performers" in the show, using the technologies in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki

Disneyland.

The Carousel of Progress was re-opened at Disneyland Park on July 2, 1967, and this version only had small differences from the version at the New York World's Fair. The new home for the ride opened nearly seven months after Walt's death, as part of the New Tomorrowland. Due to the success of the attractions Disney created for the Fair, General Electric agreed to sponsor the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland. However, the Carousel of Progress was to be a permanent fixture at Disneyland, and it is unknown how many years General Electric would have sponsored the ride had it stayed there, although it is presumed the sponsorship would have lasted 10–12 years as many other sponsors throughout Disneyland Park had.  The actual attraction was located on ground level and a new nearly identical theater system was constructed. The sets and "performers" all came right from the Fair exhibit and remained in nearly their original state. There were some slight changes: a new voice was recorded for Mother, "Christmas in the Home of the 1960s" was slightly updated in set design and technology, all references to General Electric's passé "Medallion Home"

Magic Kingdom.

Carousel of Progress opened in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland on January 15, 1975, alongside Space Mountain. General Electric signed a 10-year contract to sponsor Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom. Unlike the small changes that had occurred when the Carousel of Progress moved from the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair to Disneyland, extensive changes were made when the attraction moved to Walt Disney World.  A new carousel theater building was designed to house the attraction: a one-story pavilion,

Post-GE years.

On March 10, 1985, General Electric's contract expired, the company chose not to renew. The attraction closed shortly thereafter so that all General Electric references could be removed from the attraction. The GE logo was replaced with a logo that showed a blueprint of the six carousel theaters surrounding the six fixed stages on the signs outside of the attraction and the GE logo on the silver curtain was covered with a round sign with the blueprint logo and the name Carousel of Progress.

Precursors.

The show draws much of its inspiration from industrial films that American appliance manufacturers funded to demonstrate how their products would change the pattern of domestic chores and improve life. The desire to sell during the Great Depression

Spin-offs and related attractions.

America Sings, the audio-animatronic attraction that replaced the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland, used the same rotating theater building, with the outer ring of six theaters, connected by divider walls, revolving mechanically around the six fixed stages in the center of the building. The attraction operated between 1974 and 1988. Like the Carousel of Progress, the first and the last scenes of America Sings involved the loading and unloading of guests, while the other four scenes, or "acts," depicted a particular era. America Sings rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, rather than the original clockwise direction.  From October 1, 1983, until January 9, 1999, an attraction known as Horizons existed at Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort. It was more or less a sequel to the Carousel of Progress, depicting the host family living and working in technologically enhanced environments in the near future. During the first portion of its run, the show was also sponsored by General Electric from 1983 to 1994.

Soundtrack.

The entire soundtrack for the Disneyland version (1967–1973) can be heard on "A Musical History of Disneyland" (2005). The soundtrack was also released as part of the 5-disc CD set "Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair" released on March 24, 2009 which includes instrumental versions of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" representing different eras of progress, and an early "Alternate Universe" version

External links.

Profiles:  Other:

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction that is located in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Created by both Walt Disney and WED Enterprises as the prime feature of the General Electric (GE) Pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair, the attraction was moved to Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California as Carousel of Progress, remaining there from 1967 until 1973. It was replaced in Disneyland by America Sings in 1974, and reopened in its present home in the Magic Kingdom in 1975.


Importance.

The Church of Saint Mercurius served as the Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria between 1300 and 1500 AD and is perhaps the only one in Cairo with its original foundation intact. It stands 31.5 meters long by 21 meters wide.  Many Coptic patriarchs resided in the church during the 11th through the 15th centuries, and later during the 16 and 18th centuries, others were consecrated in the Church of St. Mercurius. The church also came to be the final resting place for many church leaders.

Church building.

The Church of Saint Mercurius itself was demolished and turned into a sugarcane warehouse, but was rebuilt by Patriarch Abraham (974-979). Afterwards, in 1080, 47 bishops met in the church by order of the Fatimid vizier Badr Al-Gamal to establish the Coptic canons. A mob burned it to the ground in 1168, but by 1176, it had been rebuilt.  Flanking the doorway are two Corinthian columns, while situated above it are two icons, one of Jesus Christ and the other the Holy Virgin. The central sanctuary screen consists of ebony inlaid with crosses and squares of thin plated ivory. The choir holds sixty-three icons made by Orhan Karabedian, while the nave contains a beautiful "ambon" consisting of mosaiacs which rest on fifteen columns. The south sanctuary, which had been dedicated to Saint Gabriel, was converted into a baptistry, while the north sanctuary, decorated with ivory and wood, is consecrated to the Holy Virgin. A stairway off the north aisle leads to an underground shrine. Saint Barsum the Naked stayed here for twenty years, dying in 1317. A service is held in the shrine on his feast day.  Like many other old Coptic Orthodox churches that were rebuilt and restored time and again over the centuries,often re-using wood and stone-work. For this reason some parts of a church maybe of earlier date than the structure itself. Although they differ in size and architecture features they bear the unmistakable stamp of a Coptic church.

Saint Mercurius Church () in Coptic Cairo is a Coptic Orthodox church situated just to the north of the Babylon Fortress in Old Cairo among a group of important churches, and within the area known as the Abu Sayfayn Cloister is to be found three churches and a convent. One of these churches, dedicated to Saint Mercurius, and is the largest in the district of ancient Babylon.


History.

Much of the early collection of the Chicago Historical Society was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, but like the city, the museum rose from the ashes. Among its many documents which were lost in the fire was Abraham Lincoln's final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. After the fire, the Society began collecting new materials, which were stored in a building owned by J. Young Scammon, a prominent lawyer and member of the society. However, the building and new collection were again destroyed by fire in 1874. The Chicago Historical Society built a fireproof building on the site of its pre-1871 building at 632 North Dearborn Street. The replacement building opened in 1896 and housed the Society for thirty-six years. The building was later added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Chicago Historical Society Building. Charles F. Gunther, a prominent Chicago collector, donated some items to the Society. In 1920, the Society purchased the remainder of the large history collection from his estate, with the intention of changing its focus from only a research institution into a public museum. Many of the items in Gunther's collection, in addition to Chicago, were related to Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. These include Lincoln's deathbed, several other pieces of furniture from the room where he died in the Petersen House, and clothing that he and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln allegedly wore the evening of his assassination. The collection also contains the table on which General Robert E. Lee signed his 1865 surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant, an official act that ended the American Civil War, at the McLean House in Appomattox, Virginia.  In 2010, the museum was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

Building.

After 36 years in the Henry Ives Cobb structure on North Dearborn Street, the museum and library moved to the current structure in Lincoln Park. The current home of the museum was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and constructed in 1932 by the WPA, with the aim of creating an expanded public museum. The 1932 Federal-style structure has been expanded twice. The first addition, clad in limestone, opened in 1972 and was designed by Alfred Shaw and Associates. The second addition, designed by Holabird and Root, was made in 1988 and included refacing the earlier expansion in red brick to give a unified look to all three portions of the building. Both expansions occurred on the west side of the 1932 structure, leaving intact its original porticoed entrance facing Lincoln Park. The main entrance and reception hall, however, was moved to the new western addition facing Clark street. The 1988 extension, in addition to expanded exhibition galleries, also contains the museum's store and public cafe.

Activities.

The museum explores both Chicago and American history. Exhibitions draw primarily on the museum's own collection, which numbers approximately 22 million holdings. "Chicago: Crossroads of America" is a 16,000-square-foot space that explores the city's development and its relationship to and influence on American history. Nearly 600 objects document the people and events of the past 200 years. "Facing Freedom" focuses on eight American conflicts over freedom from the 1850s to the 1970s. The Abraham Lincoln alcoves highlight the sixteenth president's election, his leadership during the Civil War, and his assassination. The adjoining Portrait Gallery features an installation on Chicago during the time of Lincoln. The "Sensing Chicago" exhibition invites children to use their senses to discover the past. The Lobby displays museum treasures, including a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo lowrider. The newly restored dioramas are housed in the Tawani Foundation Diorama Hall. The Chicago dioramas feature Chicago's rise from a desolate frontier outpost to the bustling city that hosted the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. The Chicago Room, which overlooks the plaza in Lincoln Park behind the museum building, displays a collection of stained glass.  Temporary exhibitions feature objects and artifacts from the collection, covering everything from Chicago art to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Chicagoans to the city's fashion history. On October 14, 2013, the Chicago History Museum announced a project asking the public to furnish ideas for a future exhibition and reducing the most-often-submitted ideas to one assignment through a series of public votes. According to the American Alliance of Museums, this is the first crowdsourcing project allowing the public to give an exhibition assignment to an American museum.  On January 19, 2006, the first passenger car to operate on the Chicago 'L' system in 1893 was transported to its new display location at the Chicago History Museum. Passengers could ride the 1893 'L' from the Loop to Hyde Park station for 5 cents to attend the World's Columbian Exposition upon the line's opening. The vehicle, known as L Car #1, was cosmetically restored to its 1893 appearance before being transported to the museum where it was lifted into an opening created through a wall on the museum's second floor. The car's interior features include mahogany and rattan seats and etched glass windows. The L car joins the "Pioneer", the first locomotive to operate in Chicago; a redesigned exhibition space to showcase the car and locomotive opened on September 30, 2006, as part of a larger remodeling project.  The Museum houses Chicago's most important collection of materials related to local history. The extensive research library includes books and other published materials, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures, and photos. It is open to the public, including students working on school projects. The costume collection numbers more than 50,000 pieces and dates from the 18th century to the present. It contains numerous couture pieces, items created by well-known Chicago manufacturers and designers, and garments worn by notable residents.  The Museum offers a variety of programs, publications, and online resources related to Chicago and American history. This includes print and online editions of its collaborative effort the "Encyclopedia of Chicago". The Museum's Chicago Fire mobile app has content equivalent to a 400-page book with more than 350 illustrations, drawn from the museum's collection. The app also offers of 10 distinct Chicago areas and 54 fire-related landmarks. The app uses GPS guidance that helps the user view photos of nearby sites from the era of the Great Chicago Fire. The Museum also publishes "Chicago History" magazine. Written by historians and heavily illustrated, this publication focuses on Chicago's complex past and the people who have shaped it. Additionally, more than 50,000 images from its collection have been digitized as part of Explore Chicago Collections.  Every year, the Chicago History Museum recognizes important Chicagoans and Chicago organizations with its Making History Awards.

Chicago History Museum (formerly known as the Chicago Historical Society (CHS)) was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. It is located in Lincoln Park at 1601 North Clark Street at the intersection of North Avenue in the Old Town Triangle neighborhood. The CHS adopted the name, Chicago History Museum, in September 2006 for its public presence.


History.

The suburb of Foxrock was developed by William and John Bentley and Edward and Anthony Fox, who, in 1859, leased the lands of the Foxrock Estate from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and Richard Whately, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, with the aim of creating an affluent garden suburb.  The development was facilitated by the existence of the Harcourt Street railway line, built in 1854, that put Dublin City within commuting distance. The developers donated a site to the Dublin Wicklow and Wexford Railway Company for Foxrock railway station, which opened in 1861. In 1862, the following advertisement was placed in "The Irish Times":  Beautiful building sites for mansions and pretty villas – Foxrock estate. The improvements recently made on this property, and still progressing, together with its natural attractions render these sites unrivalled for suburban residences. The scenery (green and mountain) from Brighton Road just finished, leading from the hotel at Foxrock station to Carrickmines, is magnificent. The land, being undulating, affords perfectly sheltered positions on Torquay Road, to the railway station at Stillorgan and Foxrock, as well as others elevated and more bracing. The rents required are exceedingly moderate: leases for 900 years are granted. Bricks, stones, lime and sand from the estate are sold at reduced prices to tenants. Stage coaches and omnibuses ply regularly between Foxrock station and Kingstown. Fare 3 pence and 4 pence. There is cheap and excellent shopping at Foxrock market. The railway subscription only £7 per annum. Apply to W.W. Bentley, Foxrock, or Bentley and Son, 110 College Green.  The racecourse, Leopardstown Racecourse, was completed in 1888, and is the only remaining horse-track in the greater metropolitan area. The golf club opened in 1898.

Geography.

The three main roads of the original development of Foxrock remain Brighton, Torquay and Westminster Roads. The boundaries of Foxrock as used by "An Post" extend east to take in the lands to the west of Clonkeen Road, Deansgrange Cemetery as far as Newtownpark Avenue. The N11 road runs through the area, as does a small stream.  Foxrock borders the suburbs of Carrickmines, Cornelscourt, Deansgrange and Leopardstown.

Education.

Foxrock has a number of primary schools, and one secondary school for girls only, Loreto Convent, Foxrock. Hollypark Boys and Girls primary schools also service the area.

Transport.

Harcourt Street Line.

The Harcourt Street line from central Dublin's Harcourt Street to Bray served Foxrock. A temporary platform opened in 1859 followed by the permanent station on 1 August 1861, finally closing on 1 January 1959.

Luas.

The Luas Green Line light rail system deviates from the old railway line, bypassing Foxrock. The nearest Luas stop to Foxrock (not counting the unused stop at Leopardstown Racecourse) is Carrickmines, which is where the Green Line rejoins the old railway route.

Bus.

Dublin Bus high frequency services 46A and the 145 links Foxrock Church with the City Centre.  The Aircoach Greystones service to Dublin Airport stops at Foxrock’s Roman Catholic church en route to the airport.

Foxrock () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is within the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, in the postal district of Dublin 18 and in the Roman Catholic parish of Foxrock.


Football career.

Achiou started his playing career with ES Ben Aknoun before joining the junior ranks of USM Alger. He would eventually sign his first professional contract with the club. Achiou was an important member of the team's African Champions League run in 2003 and 2004. USM Alger made the final eight (group stage) in both those years and even made it to the semi-final in 2003 when they lost 3–2 on aggregate to eventual champions Enyimba FC.  He had numerous opportunities to join European clubs but the player could not agree on financial terms with the clubs. He had trials with Premiership-sides Fulham FC and Portsmouth FC and French clubs CS Sedan and FC Lorient. Hocine finally signed a one-year deal with Swiss club FC Aarau in the summer of 2006. He scored a goal in his first league game against FC St. Gallen. In the summer of 2007, he left FC Aarau after just one season and immediately joined his former team USM Alger. In January 2009, he joined JS Kabylie. َAfter six successful months, he returned to his former team USM Alger. In the summer of 2011, he left USM Alger definitively to join ASO Chlef. In January 2013, he joined MC Oran. In the summer of 2013, he joined USM Bel-Abbès and he led him to return to the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1. In January 2016, he joined RC Arbaâ. In January 2017, he joined WA Boufarik.

International career.

Achiou was part of the Algerian team that finished second in their group in the first round of the 2004 African Nations Cup behind Cameroon before being defeated by Morocco in the quarter-finals. Achiou had scored an important goal against Egypt in one of the group stage matches that was instrumental in helping Algeria reach the quarterfinals. Achiou also scored a goal against Zimbabwe which would be the difference in the tie-breaker against Egypt, and ultimately qualify Algeria to the quarter-finals. Achiou has 25 caps for the Algerian national team and has scored 3 goals.

Hocine Achiou (; born April 27, 1979) is a former Algerian footballer and current manager of the Algeria national under-20 football team.


Career.

In 1965, Liggio gave lectures with Russell Stetler on "Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism: The Ideological Question in Vietnam" for the newly founded Free University of New York. Liggio provided editorial direction for "Literature of Liberty: A Review of Contemporary Liberal Thought," a periodical published by the Cato Institute from 1978 to 1979, then by the Institute for Humane Studies from 1980 to 1982.  Liggio was a visiting professor of law at the Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala City, at the Academia Istropolitana in Bratislava (Slovakia), at the Institute for Political and Economic Studies (Georgetown University) and at the University of Aix-en-Provence, France. He was executive director of the John Templeton Foundation Freedom Project at the Atlas Network, where he led the International Freedom Project from 1998 to 2003. Liggio is a distinguished senior scholar with the Institute for Humane Studies, where he served as director of Programs in History and Social Theory from 1974 to 1977, as executive vice-president from 1979 to 1980 and then as president from 1980 to 1989. Liggio served the Humane Studies Foundation as chairman from 1980 to 1994 and then as vice-chairman from 1994 to 1998.

International activities.

Liggio had an international influence. In 1958, he attended his first meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in the United States, held at Princeton University. He became a member of the program committee for the society's 1994 meeting at Cannes in 1992. In 1996, he became its treasurer until 2000 as well as a member of its Program and Planning Committee for the 1998 Society meeting in Washington, D.C. and of its board of directors until 2006. He became the chairman of its program committee for the 2002 meeting in London, England. He was then vice-president of the Mont Pelerin Society from 2000 to 2002 and its president from 2002 to 2004. He has been senior vice-president since 2004 and due to leave in 2006.  Liggio was a trustee with the Competitive Enterprise Institute since 1994 and the Institute for Economic Studies-Europe in Aix-en-Provence since 1999. From 1988 to 1998, he had been a trustee of the Philadelphia Society, of which he was president from 1992 to 1993 and from 1994 to 1995. He had been also a trustee with the Institute for Humane Studies-Europe in Paris from 1989 to 1999 and of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty from 1990 to 1999. He also served on the boards of a number of other think tanks:  As part of the circle of anti-state libertarians led by Murray Rothbard during the 1950s, he played an important role in the development of modern libertarian philosophy in the United States. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Society.

Editorial activities.

Liggio was a member of the editorial board at the "Cato Journal" since 1981, of the "American Journal of Jurisprudence" at Notre Dame Law School since 1995 and of "Markets & Morality" since 2000.  He was the editor of "Literature of Liberty: A Review of Contemporary Liberal Thought" from 1978 to 1982.  In 1965, with Murray Rothbard and George Resch, Liggio created "", a publication which emphasized "common philosophical bonds uniting the anarchism and isolationism of the Old Right, and the instinctive pacifistic anarchism characterizing the New Left in the middle sixties".

Death.

Liggio died on October 14, 2014.

Leonard P. Liggio (July 5, 1933 – October 14, 2014) was a classical liberal author, research professor of law at George Mason University and executive vice president of the Atlas Network in Fairfax, Virginia.


Life and career.

William Buchan was born in Ancrum, Roxburgshire, Scotland, in 1729. During his early years he attended a local grammar school and took a keen interest in medicine. At an early age with no formal training, he acted as one of the novice village physicians.  Upon entering Edinburgh University in 1749, he enrolled in the School of Divinity under pressure from his family. He soon replaced his theological studies with studies in mathematics, botany, and ultimately medicine. He completed his studies in medicine in 1758 after approximately nine years at the university.  After leaving the university, he started a small practice in rural Yorkshire before being appointed as a physician at the Foundling Hospital in Ackworth, Yorkshire in 1759. At the Foundling Hospital, he worked frequently with children. In 1761 he wrote his medical dissertation, "On the Preservation of Infant Life", arguing that far too many infants were dying in Great Britain each year. There was little response to his work.  Soon after, Buchan married a lady of the Dundas clan, one of the most noble clans of Scotland. Later that year, Parliament stopped funding the Foundling Hospital, so Buchan took up a practice in Sheffield from 1761 until 1766, when he returned to Edinburgh. While in Edinburgh, he ran his own practice and gave lectures in Newtonianism and natural philosophy. A son, Alexander Peter Buchan, was born in Sheffield in 1764 and later followed his father into medicine.  William Buchan published his famous work "Domestic Medicine" in 1769. The first edition sold for only six shillings and was a great success. "Domestic Medicine" went on to sell over 80,000 copies, and 19 editions were printed, translated into almost every major European language. The German naturalists Spix and Martius, after travelling in Brazil in 1817-1820, wrote that people, even in isolated farms and towns in the interior of the Portuguese colony, consulted the Portuguese translation of Buchan's book in order to treat maladies. In 1772, Buchan became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.  In 1778, Buchan announced his candidacy for the position as chair of the Institute of Medicine upon the death of John Gregory; however, he lost the election. He later moved to London, practicing there until his death on 25 February 1805. He is buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.

Works.

"Domestic Medicine".

Published in 1769, "Domestic Medicine" was printed in Britain until 1846 and in the Americas until 1913. Catherine the Great, Czar of Russia, was so impressed by the work that she sent Buchan a gold medal and personal letter.  It was the first text of its kind. Previous to Buchan’s work, most medical texts either were theoretical and written for the more educated, or were short manuals not descriptive enough to help diagnose illnesses. A combination of these two styles, "Domestic Medicine" was written in lay terms in order to reach a wider audience. It described the diseases and treatments thoroughly enough to allow people to create cures themselves. Only Swiss physician Samuel-Auguste Tissot’s "Avis au peuple" was of similar style, and Buchan acknowledged it influenced his writing.  Buchan experienced wider exposure than Tissot because he addressed new health areas such as industrial diseases. The writing of "Domestic Medicine" took place near the start of the Industrial Revolution and was welcomed by the industrial workers. Generally, these industrial diseases and cures suffered from secondhand observation rather than more stringent clinical observation; however, their promise of better health garnered general support.  "Domestic Medicine" also was one of the first texts not only to discuss potential cures to diseases, but also to emphasize prevention. The first third of the text is dedicated to how to prevent a number of diseases, including inoculation against smallpox. Buchan's emphasis on a strict regimen of hygiene and cleanliness extended into moral judgement, in that he argued that immoral people were more likely to develop illness.  Even though "Domestic Medicine" was groundbreaking in many areas, many of its theories remained grounded in the traditional medical view of humorism. Buchan was a strong advocate for letting nature take its course and restoring the patient to the natural setpoint. Like a large number of physicians at the time, Buchan was a strong proponent of bloodletting and purging as cures. The belief was that if the body could expel the infections, it would return to its natural point. Buchan also advocated careful tracking of non-naturals (air, meat and drink, sleeping and watching, exercise and quiet, evacuations and obstructions, and passions). Too much of one would result in an imbalance, making a person more likely to develop an illness.

Death.

Buchan died on 25 February 1805, at the age of 76. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

William Buchan (1729 – 25 February 1805) was a Scottish physician and author. He is best known for his work "Domestic Medicine: or, a Treatise on the Prevention and Cure of Diseases by Regimen and Simple Medicines", which provided laypeople with detailed descriptions of the causes and prevention of diseases. Buchan’s goal was one of "laying medicine more open to mankind." With over 80,000 copies and 19 editions sold in Buchan’s lifetime, it was one of the most popular medical texts in Europe and even in the European colonies in the Americas, and was translated into almost every major European language.


Background.

When Hugo began writing it, he intended for it to be an introduction for a collection of French translations of Shakespeare's plays written by his son, François-Victor Hugo. However, it grew to be approximately 300 pages in length, and Hugo had to write a separate introduction to the plays.

Content.

The work begins with an approximately twenty page biography, filled with inaccuracies, and then becomes a work of literary criticism focusing on the literary geniuses of history. Shakespeare, but also Homer, Job, Aeschylus, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Lucretius, Juvenal, St. John, St. Paul, Tacitus, Dante, Rabelais, and Cervantes. It was a critical failure. Deciding there was more of Hugo in the work than Shakespeare, some French critics suggested he should have entitled it, ""Myself"".  Book V of Part II, "The Mind and the Masses", and Book II of Part III, "The Nineteenth Century", have often been combined and published as "The Mind and the Masses". In it he argues for a "vast public literary domain." Literature is the secretion of civilisation, poetry of the ideal. That is why literature is one of the wants of societies. That is why poetry is a hunger of the soul. That is why poets are the first instructors of the people. That is why Shakespeare must be translated in France. That is why Molière must be translated in England. That is why comments must be made on them. That is why there must be a vast public literary domain. That is why all poets, all philosophers, all thinkers, all the producers of the greatness of the mind must be translated, commented on, published, printed, reprinted, stereotyped, distributed, explained, recited, spread abroad, given to all, given cheaply, given at cost price, given for nothing.

William Shakespeare is an 1864 work by Victor Hugo, written in his 13th year of exile. The title is misleading; the true subject of the work is the writers that Hugo considered "the greatest geniuses of all time."


Creating lead guitar lines.

To create lead guitar lines, guitarists use scales, modes, arpeggios, licks, and riffs that are performed using a variety of techniques. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, lead guitar lines often employ alternate picking, sweep picking, economy picking and legato (e.g., hammer ons, pull offs), which are used to maximize the speed of their solos or riffs. Such "tricks" can employ the picking hand used in the fret area (such as tapping), and even be augmented and embellished with devices such as bows, or separate electronic devices such as an EBow (electronic bow).  Some guitarists occasionally use skills that combine technique and showmanship, such as playing the guitar behind their head or picking with the front teeth. In a blues context, as well as others, guitarists sometimes create leads that use call and response-style riffs that they embellish with string bending, vibrato, and slides.

Jazz guitar soloing.

Jazz guitarists integrate the basic building blocks of scales and arpeggio patterns into balanced rhythmic and melodic phrases that make up a cohesive solo. Jazz guitarists often try to imbue their melodic phrasing with the sense of natural breathing and legato phrasing used by horn players such as saxophone players. As well, a jazz guitarists' solo improvisations have to have a rhythmic drive and "timefeel" that creates a sense of "swing" and "groove." The most experienced jazz guitarists learn to play with different "timefeels" such as playing "ahead of the beat" or "behind the beat," to create or release tension.  Another aspect of the jazz guitar style is the use of stylistically appropriate ornaments, such as grace notes, slides, and muted notes. Each subgenre or era of jazz has different ornaments that are part of the style of that subgenre or era. Jazz guitarists usually learn the appropriate ornamenting styles by listening to prominent recordings from a given style or jazz era. Some jazz guitarists also borrow ornamentation techniques from other jazz instruments, such as Wes Montgomery's borrowing of playing melodies in parallel octaves, which is a jazz piano technique. Jazz guitarists also have to learn how to add in passing tones, use "guide tones" and chord tones from the chord progression to structure their improvisations.  In the 1970s and 1980s, with jazz-rock fusion guitar playing, jazz guitarists incorporated rock guitar soloing approaches, such as riff-based soloing and usage of pentatonic and blues scale patterns. Some guitarists used Jimi Hendrix-influenced distortion and wah-wah effects to get a sustained, heavy tone, or even used rapid-fire guitar shredding techniques, such as tapping and tremolo bar bending. Guitarist Al Di Meola, who started his career with Return to Forever in 1974, was one of the first guitarists to perform in a "shred" style, a technique later used in rock and heavy metal playing. Di Meola used alternate-picking to perform very rapid sequences of notes in his solos.  When jazz guitar players improvise, they use the scales, modes, and arpeggios associated with the chords in a tune's chord progression. The approach to improvising has changed since the earliest eras of jazz guitar. During the Swing era, many soloists improvised "by ear" by embellishing the melody with ornaments and passing notes. However, during the bebop era, the rapid tempo and complicated chord progressions made it increasingly harder to play "by ear." Along with other improvisers, such as saxes and piano players, bebop-era jazz guitarists began to improvise over the chord changes using scales (whole tone scale, chromatic scale, etc.) and arpeggios. Jazz guitar players tend to improvise around chord/scale relationships, rather than reworking the melody, possibly due to their familiarity with chords resulting from their comping role. A source of melodic ideas for improvisation is transcribing improvised solos from recordings. This provides jazz guitarists with a source of "licks", melodic phrases and ideas they incorporate either intact or in variations, and is an established way of learning from the previous generations of players

Role in a band.

In a band with two guitars, there can be a logical division between lead and rhythm guitars although that division may be unclear. Two guitarists may perform as a guitar tandem, and trade off the lead guitar and rhythm guitar roles. Alternatively, two or more guitarists can share the lead and rhythm roles throughout the show, or both guitarists can play the same role ("dual lead guitars" or "dual rhythm guitars"). Often several guitarists playing individual notes may create chord patterns while mixing these "harmonies" with mixed unison passages creating unique sound effects with sound altering electronic special effects such as doublers or a "chorus" effect that over-pronounce the lead significantly sometimes to cut through to be heard in loud shows or throw its sound aesthetically both acoustically or electronically.

Effects and equipment.

In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar line often involves melodies (as well as power chords from the rhythm guitars) with a sustained, singing tone. To create this tone on the electric guitar, guitarists often select certain pickups and use electronic effects such as effects pedals and distortion pedals, or sound compressors, or doubler effects for a more sustained tone, and delay effects or an electronic "chorus" effect as well as electronic reverb and echo for a reverberant sound.  To attain this sustain effect guitarists often use tube amplifiers such as those from Marshall or Fender. The tube effect comes from the way amplifying tubes distort when pushed to the limits of their amplification power. As the guitar signal's waveform reaches the amplifier's limits, amplification decreases—rounding off the top of the waveform. This amounts to compression of individual wave cycles, and is pleasing to the ear.  High volume can induce audio feedback, which a guitarist can control to dramatically increase sustain. By holding the guitar at a certain distance and angle from the amplifier speakers, a guitarist can create a continuous, undecaying sound. Electronic special effects that use effects loops can artificially reproduce this. Other effects that embellish lead guitar tone and pitch include the vibrato bar which physically alters string tension, slides, and wah-wah and univibe effects.

Lead guitar, also known as solo guitar, is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure. The lead is the featured guitar, which usually plays single-note-based lines or double-stops. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, punk, fusion, some pop, and other music styles, lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompaniment chords and riffs.


Biography.

In 1981, the band released an EP, "Magazine 60", by Barclay Records. It sold over 260,000 copies in France, making the Top Ten, and became a gold record. One of the original singers, Danielle Delval left the band that year and was replaced by Michele Callewart. In 1982, the band released their first album, "60's Slows", which sold over 280,000 copies and made Top Ten. The band then released two music videos internationally and went on tour.  After several more line-up changes, the band decided to take a new direction in the mid-1980s. Pierre (Dit El Chico), Dominique, Véromique released the singles "Don Quichotte (No Están Aquí)" and "Rendez-vous sur la Costa del Sol," both of which appeared on the 1985 album that followed, "Costa del Sol". "Don Quichotte" became the band's most successful hit in the U.S. However, the "Costa del Sol" album would not be released in America until 1987, by which point, the group had lost momentum there.  In 2007, the singer of The Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am, sample resumes Don Quichotte in his song I Got it from My Mama. By June 2013, the music of Don Quichotte tube (No están aquí) starring Dominique and Pierre resumed, this time in an advertising Sosh the mobile brand. A single entitled Don Quichotte – Edit TV comes in the wake still under the name Magazine 60. The title is also on the compilation Hit 2013 – Special September. Pierre ex member of Magazine 60, began a solo career, taking his original titles Don Quichotte, Costa Del Sol, Pancho Villa and his creations in Mexico Come On, Dont Play Love, etc.

Magazine 60 was a French synthpop band founded by music producer, Jean-Luc Drion. Other members are Dominique Régiacorte, Pierre Mastro and Véronique Olivier. The group was best known for the 1984 song, "Don Quichotte," which hit the Top 10 in France and the Top 60 in the United States in 1986.


Biography.

Born in Tours, Roy turned professional with in 2003. During his early career, he continued his studies at the French National Institute of Applied Sciences in Rennes, and graduated in 2007 in mechanical and automated engineering. Despite splitting his time between studying and cycling, Roy still finished 4th in the Tour de Picardie and won the young rider competition in 2006. Also in 2006, he finished 4th in the Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre, then 4th in the Grand Prix de Plumelec Morbihan in 2007 and 5th in the Route du Sud in 2008.  Roy gained his first professional victory on 12 March 2009, when he won stage 5 of Paris–Nice, beating his breakaway companion Thomas Voeckler in a sprint. The following year he won the Tro Bro Leon, performed well in the La Flèche Wallonne and finished third in the prologue of the Tour de Romandie.  He won his first race of 2011, the Grand Prix La Marseillaise Open in late January. He began the 2011 Tour de France by attacking on the 1st stage, and again on stage 4, winning the award for most combative rider for that stage. Roy came agonisingly close to winning stage 13, finishing third after being caught with 2.5 km to go, by Thor Hushovd and David Moncoutié, after a challenging pursuit in the final kilometres. He did, however, gain enough points to take the lead in the classification for the Polka Dot Jersey, and the combativity award once more. He also got in a break on the final stage and spent over 700 km of the race in breakaways.

Jérémy Roy (born 22 June 1983) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2003 and 2018, spending his entire career with the team through its various team guises. He was named the most aggressive rider of the 2011 Tour de France after escaping into breakaways on many stages and continuously attacking from inside the breakaway.


Recording.

While in Los Angeles, Blunt lodged with Carrie Fisher, whom he had met through the family of a former girlfriend. Fisher was very supportive of Blunt's aspirations, and provided the use of a bathroom in her home that featured a piano for him to record Goodbye My Lover. Blunt later said, "Everyone sings in the shower and everyone in Los Angeles seems to have a piano in the bathroom."

Release.

The single was released on three physical formats. CD1 includes an exclusive non-album recording, "Close Your Eyes", which was first written during Blunt's army days. CD2 includes a further non-album recording, "Where Is My Mind" performed live in Manchester, plus the video for "Goodbye My Lover" and behind-the-scenes "Making-Of" footage. The 7" vinyl includes the live version of "Where Is My Mind".

Music video.

"Goodbye My Lover" featured a music video that was directed by Sam Brown and was filmed on 28 October 2005 in Los Angeles. In the video Blunt is featured sitting in a darkened room by himself, reflecting on a past relationship. In what appears to be the same room, but in daylight, a young man and woman, the former lovers, share an intimate moment. The video was shot in the former home of Randolph Scott. The young woman in the video was played by Mischa Barton. The young man in the video was played by Matt Dallas.

Chart performance.

In December 2005, "Goodbye My Lover" was released in the United Kingdom. The song became Blunt's second top ten single when it peaked at number nine on the singles chart, and spent a total of 14 weeks in the top 75. Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number one in Sweden and became Blunt's second number one on the singles chart.  "Goodbye My Lover" was released in Australia in December 2005 and debuted at number eight before ascending the chart to number three, remaining inside the top ten for 16 weeks, a feat rarely reached in recent years.  Due to the favourable reception of Blunt's previous single "You're Beautiful", "Goodbye My Lover" debuted on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 singles chart at number 100, even though it had not been released as a single in the U.S. The single appeared on the chart backed solely on the strength of digital sales after a re-run of an episode of "Saturday Night Live" that featured Blunt performing the song. It later re-entered the "Billboard" Hot 100, again due to digital downloads, as a result of Blunt's performance of the song on "The Oprah Winfrey Show".

"Goodbye My Lover" is a song by the English singer-songwriter James Blunt, written by Blunt and British songwriter Sacha Skarbek, for Blunt's debut album "Back to Bedlam" (2004). The song was produced by Tom Rothrock and Jimmy Hogarth and recorded in the home of actress Carrie Fisher. The single received a positive reception from music critics. It was released as the fourth single in November 2005 and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, where it became Blunt's second top ten single. It also reached the top ten in Sweden, Australia and France. In the United States, "Goodbye My Lover" had modest success on the "Billboard" singles chart, where it reached number 66 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 due to digital downloads, even though the single was not yet released in the US. The song was formally released in the United States on 7 November 2006.


Design and development.

Background.

During the 1950s, rapid advances in the field of jet propulsion, particularly in terms of increased thrust and compact engine units, had contributed to an increased belief in the technical viability of vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL) aircraft, particularly within Western Europe and the United States. During 1950s and 1960s, multiple programmes in Britain, France, and the United States were initiated; likewise, aviation companies inside West Germany were keen not to be left out of this emerging technology. Shortly after 1957, the year in which the post-Second World War ban upon West Germany operating and developing combat aircraft was lifted, German aviation firms Dornier Flugzeugwerke, Heinkel, and Messerschmitt, having also been allowed to resume their own activities that same year, received an official request from the German Federal Government that urged them to perform investigative work on the topic of VTOL aircraft and to produce concept designs.  As such, multiple companies commenced work on their own conceptual designs for VTOL-capable interceptor aircraft; in order for these designs to be operationally relevant and viable, it was recognised that it would be necessary for the flight performance to equal that of conventional interceptors of the era, such as the contemporary Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. Over time, two separate and distinct requirements emerged, one calling for a VTOL-capable successor to the F-104G interceptor while the other sought a VTOL successor to the Italian Fiat G.91 ground-attack fighter. According to aerospace publication Flight International, this call for a Fiat G.91 replacement, which came under a NATO requirement, known as NBMR-3, was a crucial trigger and greatly influenced the development programme that would lead to the VAK 191B.  In conjunction with these requirements being on offer, Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) championed for the merger of the competing companies; it deliberately withheld the issuing of a development contract in order to incentivise companies to undertake such activities. As such, during September 1961, a new German aircraft company, known as Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW), was formed as joint venture between Focke-Wulf and Weser-Flugzeugbau, to develop its own VTOL strike aircraft. Initially, Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat was also a participating company in VFW, however, Italy later chose to withdraw from the joint development agreement with Germany during 1967. Despite this decision, Fiat remained as a major sub-contractor for the venture, being responsible for the production of various structural elements such as wings, tailplanes and some of the fuselage.

Concept and definition.

The VAK 191B was similar in concept to the British Harrier Jump Jet, but was designed for a supersonic dash capability (Mach number 1.2–1.4) at medium to high altitudes. It was judged that having a single engine would create too much drag, but the two lift engines were dead weight in cruise, and the small cruise engine gave a poor thrust to weight ratio. The VAK 191B had been provided with relatively small and highly loaded wings. By contrast, the Harrier possessed a significantly higher thrust-to-weight ratio, it was effective as a dogfighter, and had larger wings which were put to good use when performing rolling short takeoffs.  The choice of lift/propulsion system was an obvious critical element of the aircraft's design. According to Flight International, there were several options available in the field of vectored thrust propulsion during its development, these being the twin-nozzle Rolls-Royce/MAN Turbo RB153 and the four-nozzle Bristol Siddeley BS.94 engines. Ultimately, VFW's design team decided to adopt the Rolls-Royce/MAN Turbo RB.193-12 engine to provide both lift and cruise, which was augmented by a pair of Rolls-Royce vertical lift engines. In practice, this arrangement meant during vertical hover, all of the lifting thrust could either be generated by the propulsion engine, or entirely produced by the two lift engines, or some combination thereof; analysis determined that the optimum thrust-generation configuration would be a 50–50 split between both engine types.  During mid-1963, the in-development aircraft received its design designation of "VAK 191B". Reportedly, the initials in this designation stood for "Vertikalstartendes Aufklärungs-und Kampfflugzeug" (in English: vertical take-off and landing fighter aircraft), the numbers were to indicate its role as a successor to the Fiat G.91, while the "B" suffix was to show that the aircraft was the second of the four designs to be studied for this purpose. The rate of progress on the programme was noticeably slow; ten years passed between its inception and the first prototype performing its maiden flight on 10 September 1971. The slow progression can be viewed as a natural result of specification changes, such as a revised operational requirement that called for the aircraft to possess greater manoeuvrability issued during 1965.

Scaling-back and termination.

Even prior to the first flight of the type, the programme had been heavily affected by political changes. Amongst these were the effective irrelevance of the original NBRM-3 requirement and the decreasing importance of the strike mission as a result of a German government decision to abandon the nuclear role, a divergence of opinion between partner countries, the withdrawal of the Italian government from participation during August 1967, and a growing awareness of the programme's escalating costs. At one stage, the Italian government had agreed to take on 40 per cent of the programme's development costs, thus their departure meant that a substantial amount of funding was lost for the venture.  The emergence of a new German/American "Advanced Vertical Strike" (AVS) programme also played a role in diminishing the type's perceived value; the prospective aircraft which was on offer from the Americans via a cooperative venture with Germany had somewhat eclipsed the VAK 191B in the eyes of the German Air Force and served to effectively undermine support for the programme. Finally, during 1968, officials at VFW decided that the VAK 191B should be reclassified as an experimental programme, and that the resultant aircraft should principally function only as technology demonstrators instead. The initial programme had called for the construction of three single-seater and three two-seater aircraft; however, amid escalating costs, this intended test batch was first converted to become six single-seat aircraft, and was later on cut down to only involve three single-seat aircraft following Italy's withdrawal.  During April 1969, the first prototype was rolled out at VFW's facility in Bremen, and was later displayed at that year's Hanover Air Show. Over the course of the following 17 months, it went through a flight-qualification programme, during which some issues were discovered, most of these associated with the hydraulic system. During February 1971, trials commenced using the cruise engine for the first time. The first hovering flight performed by the VAK 191B was conducted at Bremen on 20 September 1971.  A total of three VAK 191B aircraft were flown in the flight test program, which was conducted between 1970 and 1975, during which a total of 91 flights were performed. The first transition from vertical flight to horizontal and vice versa was achieved on 26 October 1972 in Munich. At one stage, the prototypes were used for testing some of the concepts that were then being considered for the European MRCA programme (which led to the Panavia Tornado strike fighter), including the use of fly-by-wire technology. According to Flight International, the VAK 191B was well-suited to this purpose due to its modern flight-control system and its general characteristics.

The VFW VAK 191B is an experimental German vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) strike fighter of the early 1970s. VAK was the abbreviation for "Vertikalstartendes Aufklärungs- und Kampfflugzeug" (Vertical Take-off Reconnaissance and Strike Aircraft). Designed and built by the Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW), it was developed with the purpose of eventually serving as a replacement for the Italian Fiat G.91 then in service with the German Air Force. Operationally, it was intended to have been armed with nuclear weapons as a deterrent against aggression from the Soviet Union and, in the event of a major war breaking out, to survive the first wave of attacks by deploying to dispersed locations, rather than conventional airfields, and to retaliate against targets behind enemy lines.


Background.

In late January 1968 the VC launched the Tet Offensive attacking U.S. and South Vietnamese positions across South Vietnam.  Saigon was the main focal point of the offensive, but a total takeover of the capital was not intended or feasible. They rather had six main targets in the city which 35 battalions of VC were to attack and capture: the ARVN Joint General Staff compound near Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the Independence Palace, the U.S. embassy, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, the Long Binh Naval Headquarters and the National Radio Station. Because it was Tết (the Vietnamese New Year), the sound of firecrackers exploding masked that of gunfire, giving an element of surprise to the Vietcong attacks.

Battle.

The Vietcong launched 35 battalions at Saigon. Sapper Battalions and the local forces attacked the Presidential Palace, the National Radio Station, the U.S. Embassy, and other principal targets.  The VC 5th Division launched an attack on the military bases at Long Binh and Biên Hòa Air Base. The North Vietnamese 7th Division launched an attack on the U.S. 1st Infantry Division and the ARVN 5th Division at Lai Khê. The VC 9th Division attacked the U.S. 25th Infantry Division base at Củ Chi Base Camp.

Adams photograph.

The fighting in Saigon produced one of the Vietnam War's most famous images, photographer Eddie Adams' image of the summary execution of a VC prisoner on February 1, 1968. Nguyễn Văn Lém was captured by South Vietnamese national police, who identified him as the captain of a VC assassination and revenge platoon, and accused him of murdering the families of police officers. He was brought before Brigadier General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, the chief of the National Police, who briefly questioned him. Loan then drew his sidearm and shot the prisoner. Nguyễn's motives may have been personal; he had been told by a subordinate that the suspect had killed his six godchildren and a police major who was Loan's aide-de-camp and one of his closest friends, including the major's family as well.  Present at the shooting were Adams and an NBC television news crew. The photograph appeared on front pages around the world and won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography, a World Press Photo award as well as seven other awards. The NBC film was played on the Huntley-Brinkley Report and elsewhere, in some cases the silent film embellished with the sound effect of a gunshot. General Westmoreland later wrote, "The photograph and film shocked the world, an isolated incident of cruelty in a broadly cruel war, but a psychological blow against the South Vietnamese nonetheless".

Aftermath.

By early February, the Communist high command realized that none of their military objectives were being met, and they halted any further attacks on fortified positions. Sporadic fighting continued in Saigon until March 8. Some sections of the city were left badly damaged by the combat and U.S. retaliatory air and artillery strikes in particular. The Chinese district of Cholon suffered especially, with perhaps hundreds of civilians killed in the American counterattacks.  As cited in the Spector book on page xvi, "From January to July 1968 the overall rate of men killed in action in Vietnam would reach an all time high and would exceed the rate for the Korean War and the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters during World War II. This was truly the bloodiest phase of the Vietnam War as well as the most neglected one."  The Vietcong attacked targets in and around Saigon with much success during the May Offensive from 5 to 30 May 1968.

The First Battle of Saigon, fought during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, was the coordinated attack by communist forces, including both the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong (VC), against Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.