Biography.

Marcotte completed a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Laval University in 1985. After completing her master's degree in food engineering at the University of Alberta in 1988, she began her career with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) as a professional engineer at the Food Research and Development Centre located in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec. In 1999, Marcotte obtained her Ph.D. in food processing from McGill University where she studied the ohmic heating process of viscous liquids.

Career.

Marcotte has worked at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a section head of food preservation technologies, a research scientist in Food Processing and Engineering, and an advisor to the Director General of the Food Safety and Quality National Science Program. As a scientist, Dr. Marcotte’s research interests included:  Under the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT) program, Marcotte and her team at the Development Centre partnered with Atoka Cranberries to produce a unique two-step drying process for cranberries that has been commercially implemented in Quebec. The innovation utilizes osmosis, a natural process to partially dehydrate and sweeten the fruit in order to make them more palatable. This method may also be used on fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish. Among other developments Marcotte has worked on a prototype pilot oven for the optimization of baking and computer software to establish cooking-cooling cycle for meat products. From 2006 to 2007, Marcotte was President of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. In 2009, Marcotte became the Science Director of the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (now the Ottawa Research and Development Centre) located in Ottawa, Ontario where she was responsible for corporate research on food and health. She is the Canadian representative of the International Association on Engineering and Foods (IAEF) and the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST).  Marcotte has also served as a supervisor for a number of cooperative and graduate students in her laboratory and has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, 120 conference papers, and 45 research reports.

Michèle Marcotte, Ph.D., is a pioneer in food processing research. As a federal scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), she created a new method of fruit dehydration which can also be applied to vegetables, meat, or fish known as osmotic dehydration. Collaboration with private industry led to the design, development, installation, and start-up of a custom build dried-cranberry production line that is unique to the world. Her research was recognized with several awards including one from the Canadian Society for Bioengineering. Marcotte is currently the Director of the Ottawa Research and Development Centre located at the Central Experimental Farm in Canada.


Biography.

Dalpé was born in Waterloo, Quebec in 1948. In 1989 she received her Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) in the Physiology of Fungi from Université Paul-Sabatier in Toulouse, France. After completing her D.Sc. Dalpé was hired as a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in 1981.

Career.

Dalpé currently works as the program leader of the mycology section at AAFC's Research and Development Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.  Her current projects include:  Dalpé is an associate editor of the journal Botany published by the National Research Council of Canada. She is also an adjunct professor associated with the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, a network that fosters and promotes a research and training program in biodiversity science. She has trained numerous scientists and graduate students in the identification and taxonomy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and has published over 130 scientific papers.  Dalpé is a founding member of the International Mycorrhiza Society (IMS), a scientific society involved in the advancement of education, research and development in the area of mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and specialized soil fungi. She is a member of IMS' Board of Directors and is also the editor of Mycorrhiza, the official scientific journal of the society.  Dalpé is an administrator of an amateur mycologist association for the Outaouais, Quebec region called Mycologues Amateurs de l'Outaouais (MAO). MAO is dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge in mycology, picking wild mushrooms, their identification and their consumption. Dalpé is also the editor of MAO's newsletter.  She is the "person in charge" of the Glomeromycota In vitro Collection Canada (GINCO-CAN) an organization that "shares the biological material of its collection and related informations as well as its experience and know-how in the field of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi research to the benefit of its partners and clients in the scientific and industrial sectors."

Honours and awards.

In 2013 Dalpé received the Lawson Medal by the Canadian Botanical Association for her "cumulative, lifetime contributions to Canadian botany, for the research she has performed in mycology, and has been recognized nationally and internationally."

Yolande Dalpé is Research Scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She became the first mycologist in Ottawa to study the taxonomy of mycorrhizal fungi. Her research focuses on developing new information on taxonomy, phylogeny, distribution and biology of fungi, including systematic research related to biosecurity/alien invasive species as well as species involved in the development of bioproducts. She was awarded the Lawson Medal by the Canadian Botanical Association for her "cumulative, lifetime contributions to Canadian botany, for the research she has performed in mycology, and has been recognized nationally and internationally."


Early life.

Dessa was born into a Jewish family in Southern Rhodesia, the daughter of a Polish mother and a Hungarian father, who completed his medical training in Italy. Her father established the first private medical practice in Bulawayo for Black Africans. As a young child, Dessa had instruction in ballet and piano, the latter playing a central role in her art. After matriculating she lived in Israel from 1965 to 1976, where she studied occupational therapy. In 1977 she moved to Paris and then to Switzerland in 1981, becoming a Swiss citizen in 1983.

Career.

Dessa grew up in a society determined by racial divisions. This experience is reflected in her art, which synthesizes associations and transcend borders. Her creative output reflects her cultural diversity, both in the choice of her subjects (through which she explores her identity), and the mediums and means of expression she utilizes. In her early period she explores the relationship between visual art and music. Many works from this period arose from meditations on specific works, complemented by musicological research, resulting in paintings in which the music guides her artistic expression. Composers whose music has inspired visual responses include Béla Bartók, Leonard Bernstein, Ernst Bloch, Benjamin Britten, Unsuk Chin, Detlev Glanert, Dominique Gesseney-Rappo, Erich Korngold, Gustav Mahler, Olivier Messiaen, René Oberson, and Nino Rota. The scope of her work has expanded since 2000, as her works take on a profound historical dimension, integrating copious research as well as rare archival materials.

Visual works in dialogue with music.

Dessa's art works are, in fact, dialogues expressed as paintings. They are dialogues that often resemble spiritual exercises. Because – if they are not in direct communication with a musician like today's improvisation – they require a lot of solitude, concentration and sacfrifice. With interlocutors such as Mahler, Schreker, Ullmann or Britten one simply cannot discuss. One has to love them, know them well, their ideas, their destiny, their tragedy. Without this, they do not open up to us. The scope of her musical collaborators has enlarged to include living composers (Unsuk Chin und Detlev Glanert). Additionally she has collaborated on several "live-painting" concerts, e.g. "Flying Colours" and "Musiques et Pinceaux," 2008.  The music of Viktor Ullmann, specifically the last Piano Sonata No 7, brought to life the loss of her grandparents in Auschwitz concentration camp. Ullmann, who had been deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, composed his final works there, before he was deported to the camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he was murdered on 18 October 1944. Her 1997 project "Ein Vermächtnis aus Theresienstadt" (A Legacy from Theresienstadt) was exhibited both in the Berliner Dom in 2000 as well as in Theresienstadt in 2002. The music gives rhythm to the gesture and allows the color to unfold... Dessa seizes the canvas, sets in motion powerful waves that burst into foam with their disheveled splatters, ground-swells that tear the surface of their irresistible force... Her instinctive fervor and impetuous passion are the temperament of a true painter.

Visual works in response to the Shoah.

An accidental discovery in an antique store in Berlin in November 2000 of a unique album entitled "Die Hygiene im Wandel der Zeiten" (Hygiene Throughout the Ages) developed into her most ambitious project to date, a plethora of research resulting in a book as well as a new series of paintings as a tribute to the Kaufhaus Nathan Israel (Israel's Department Store), which existed from 1815 to 1939. The Kaufhaus N. Israel was not only for a time the largest department store in Berlin but also one of the largest retail establishments in Europe, employing over 2,000 people. The album that Dessa found was one in a series of fifteen annual publications that the Kaufhaus N. Israel published between 1900 and 1914.  Dessa created a series of paintings entitled "Stolzesteine", both as a tribute to N. Israel and as a reaction to the Stolperstein which she encountered in Berlin. In her view, the Stolperstein are a particularly problematical method of commemorating murdered Jews, nonetheleast because they are trampled on and dirtied. The artist is extremely critical of any "mass" project which collectively represents Holocaust victims by reducing their existence to a single symbol, as this method of portrayal invariably calls to mind the marking of Jews with the yellow star by the Nazis. I looked up the word "Stolpersteine" in a dictionary and the next word underneath it, was "stolz" (proud) – it was an inspiration. During my research on the N. Israel firm, I learned they were proud that their firm stood right in the center of the town. I am proud too – to be a Jew, a woman, and from Africa. And so I developed the "Stones-of-Pride" as an alternative project to the stumbling stones. By inserting a commemorative stone into her paintings, people "look up" to the person's life, thus honoring the memory of a person and their lifetime achievements, instead of "looking down" on them, as one does with a Stolperstein, which is set in the pavement. Dessa is very outspoken about the message that the Stolpersteine sends in contemporary society:  Ich fordere jeden Deutschen auf, sich zu überlegen, wie die Nazis der 30er-Jahre die Stolpersteine sehen würden. Meiner Meinung nach materialisiert dieses Projekt ihren größten Wunsch: Schaut, wie viele ermordete Juden es gab – das haben wir geschafft. "(I challenge every German to reconsider, how the Nazis would react to seeing the "Stolpersteine." In my opinion, the (Stolpersteine) project realises their final wish by proclaiming: look how many Jews we succeeded in murdering.)"  In 2015, Dessa embarked on an ambitious project engaging with the legacy of Dr Alice Salomon, social reformer, educator, economist, feminist and peace activist, though her project titled « The Art of Remembrance: Alice Salomon". Salomon’s doctoral thesis expounded the inequality of wages between men and women, and she founded the Social School for Women in Berlin in 1908. Salomon was exiled from Germany in 1937 on account of her Jewish origins and international peace activities. In addition to her own research and writings, Dessa used various techniques to engage the viewer with Alice Salomon’s intensive and extensive life: paintings, collages, objects, installations and an imaginary conversation form a thorough narrative. As in many of Dessa’s other works, several paintings (here four separate portraits) feature a commemorative stone which has been inserted into the painting.

Deborah Petroz-Abeles (born Deborah Sharon Abeles on 20 December 1948 in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe), known professionally as Dessa, is a Swiss artist.


Intentional emergence.

Intentional emergence occurs when some creative uses of the game are intended by the game designers. Since the 1970s and 1980s board games and table top role playing games such as "Cosmic Encounter" or "Dungeons & Dragons" have featured intentional emergence as a primary game function by supplying players with relatively simple rules or frameworks for play that intentionally encouraged them to explore creative strategies or interactions and exploit them toward victory or goal achievement.

Creative solutions.

Immersive sims, such as "Deus Ex" and "System Shock", are games built around emergent gameplay. These games give the player-character a range of abilities and tools, and a consistent game world established by rules, but do not enforce any specific solution onto the player, though the player may be guided into suggested solutions. To move past a guard blocking a door, the player could opt to direct fight the guard, sneak up and knock the guard unconscious, distract the guard to move away from their post, or use parkour to reach an alternate opening well out of sight, among other solutions. In such games, it may be possible to complete in-game problems using solutions that the game designers did not foresee; for example in "Deus Ex", designers were surprised to find players using wall-mounted mines as pitons for climbing walls. A similar concept exists for roguelike games, where emergent gameplay is considered a high-value factor by the 2008 Berlin Interpreation for roguelikes.  Such emergence may also occur in games through open-ended gameplay and sheer weight of simulated content, in "Minecraft", "" or "Space Station 13". These games do not have any endgame criteria though like immersive sims present a consistent, rule-based world, but will often present the player with tutorials of what they could do within the game. From this, players may follow the intended way to play the game, or can verve in completely different directions, such as extravagant simulated machines within "Minecraft".  Certain classes of open-ended puzzle games can also support emergent gameplay. The line of games produced by Zachtronics, such as "Spacechem" and "Infinifactory", are broadly considered programming puzzles, where the player must assemble pieces of a mechanism to produce a specific product from various inputs. The games otherwise have no limits in how many components can be used and how long the process needs to complete, though through in-game leaderboards, players are encouraged to make more efficient solutions than their online friends. While each puzzle is crafted to assure at least one possible solution exists, players frequently find emergent solutions that may be more elegant, use components in unexpected fashions, or otherwise diverge greatly from the envisioned route.

Emergent narrative.

Some games do not use a pre-planned story structure, even non-linear.  In "The Sims", a story may emerge from the actions of the player. But the player is given so much control that they are more creating a story than interacting with a story. Emergent narrative would only partially be created by the player. Warren Spector, the designer of "Deus Ex", has argued that emergent narrative lacks the emotional impact of linear storytelling.  "Left 4 Dead" features a dynamic system for game dramatics, pacing, and difficulty called the Director. The way the Director works is called "Procedural narrative": instead of having a difficulty which increases to a constant level, the A.I. analyzes how the players fared in the game so far, and tries to add subsequent events that would give them a sense of narrative.  "Minecraft" and "Dwarf Fortress" also have emergent narrative features due to the abstraction of how elements are represented in game, allowing system-wide features to apply across multiple objects without the need to develop specialized assets for each different state; this can create more realistic behavior for non-player controlled entities that aid in the emergent narrative. For example, in "Dwarf Fortress", any of the living creatures in the game could gain the state of being intoxicated from alcohol, creating random behavior in their movement from the intoxication but not requiring them to display anything uniquely different, in contrast to a more representational game that would need new assets and models for a drunk creature. Because these are abstract and interacting systems, this can then create emergent behavior the developers had never anticipated.

Unintentional emergence.

Unintentional emergence occurs when creative uses of the video game were not intended by the game designers.

Using game glitches.

Emergent gameplay can arise from a game's AI performing actions or creating effects unexpected by even the software developers. This may be by either a software glitch, the game working normally but producing unexpected results when played in an abnormal way or software that allows for AI development; for example the unplanned genetic diseases that can occur in the "Creatures" series.

Glitch or quirk-based strategies.

In several games, especially first-person shooters, game glitches or physics quirks can become viable strategies, or even spawn their own game types. In id Software's "Quake" series, rocket jumping and strafe-jumping are two such examples. In the game "Halo 2", pressing the melee attack button (B) quickly followed by the reload button (X) and the primary fire button (R trigger) would result in the player not having to wait for the gun to be back in position to shoot after a melee attack. Doing this has become known as "BXR-ing".  "" had a glitch in the physics engine which allowed players to "ski" up and down steep slopes by rapidly pressing the jump key, gaining substantial speed in the process. The exploitation of this glitch became central to the gameplay, supplanting the vehicles that had been originally envisioned by the designers as the primary means of traversing large maps.  Thanks to a programming oversight by Capcom, the "combo" (or "2-1 combo") notion was introduced with the fighting game "Street Fighter II", when skilled players learned that they could combine several attacks that left no time for their opponents to recover, as long as they were timed correctly.

Changing game objectives.

In online car racing games, particularly "Project Gotham Racing", players came up with an alternate objective known as "Cat and Mouse". The racers play on teams of at least two cars. Each team picks one very slow car as the mouse, and their goal is to have their slow car cross the finish line first. Thus the team members in faster cars aim to push their slow car into the lead and ram their opposing teams' slow cars off the road.  Completing games without getting certain items or by skipping seemingly required portions of gameplay result in sequence breaking, a technique that has developed its own dedicated community. Often, speed of completion and/or minimalist use of items are respectable achievements. This technique has long been used in the "Metroid" game series and has developed into a community devoted to speedruns. NetHack has over time codified many such challenges as "conduct" and acknowledges players who manage to finish characters with unbroken pacifist or vegetarian disciplines, for example. A comparable form of restricted gameplay has been implemented within "World of Warcraft", known as "Iron Man" leveling.  A change in gameplay can be used to create a "de facto" minigame, such as the "Green Demon Challenge" in "Super Mario 64", where the object is to avoid collecting a 1-up which chases the player, even passing through terrain, while the player attempts to collect all red coins on a level. Other challenges have been built around reaching normally unreachable areas or items, sometimes using glitches or gameplaying tools, or by completing a level without using an important game control, such as the 'jump' button or joystick.  Machinima, the use of computer animation from video game engines to create films, began in 1996. The practice of recording deathmatches in id Software's 1996 computer game "Quake" was extended by adding a narrative, thus changing the objective from winning to creating a film. Later, game developers provided increased support for creating machinima; for example, Lionhead Studios' 2005 game "The Movies", is tailored for it.

Real economy interaction.

Traders in MMOs with economic systems play purely to acquire virtual game objects or avatars which they then sell for real-world money on auction websites or game currency exchange sites. This results in the trader's play objective to make real money regardless of the original game designer's objectives.  Many games prohibit currency trading in the EULA, but it is still a common practice.  Some players provide real world services (like website design, web hosting) paid for with in-game currency. This can influence the economy of the game, as players gain wealth/power in the game unrelated to game events. For example, this strategy is used in Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Warcraft".

Gambling.

Gambling and lotteries may occur in online role-playing games such as "EVE Online" and "Dark Age of Camelot". The provision of gambling services in exchange for in-game currency can take the forms of a lottery, card games, event betting, or any number of other variations, most often at least loosely based on established real-world games. Players typically establish a betting facility, lottery etc. Players typically create a website for executing the gambling, then accept payment from gamblers using in-game currency to credit the gambler's website account. Winnings are then paid back to the gambler's account. Other forms of gambling are commonly used in Massively Multiplayer Online Games, such as betting on who will win a duel.

Game financial institutions.

In games with no financial law game mechanism, players develop financial institutions. Forms include banks or investment schemes launched with an IPO, typically based purely on trust.  The world's first MMORPG IPO was "ISS Marginis" by the Interstellar Starbase Syndicate "(ISS)" in Eve-Online, on 29 September 2005. This was for a dividend based on profitability. The ISS followed up with a series of IPOs, culminating in an IPO of the player guild itself promising a fixed return, like a bond. Eve Online has no game-mechanism for financial law.  In games with rough economies like World of Warcraft's Auction House system, some players make a living by buying items that are unusually low priced and reselling them at high prices, or by buying out all competition and creating a monopoly. In the MMO "Runescape", players can purchase many thousand units of an item then sell them later for a profit just like a normal commodity market. This game includes price data on all items for the last 180 days.

Emergent gameplay refers to complex situations in video games, board games, or table top role-playing games that emerge from the interaction of relatively simple game mechanics.


List of Parliamentary constituencies in Dyfed

Proposed boundary changes.

The Boundary Commission for Wales submitted their final proposals in respect of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies (the 2018 review) in September 2018. Although the proposals were immediately laid before Parliament they were not brought forward by the Government for approval. Accordingly, they did not come into effect for the 2019 election which took place on 12 December 2019, and which was contested using the constituency boundaries in place since 2010.  Under the terms of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, the Sixth Review was based on reducing the total number of MPs from 650 to 600 and a strict electoral parity requirement that the electorate of all constituencies should be within a range of 5% either side of the electoral quota.  On 24 March 2020, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Chloe Smith, issued a written statement to Parliament setting out the Government's thinking with regard to parliamentary boundaries. They propose to bring forward primary legislation to remove the statutory obligation to implement the 2018 Boundary Review recommendations, as well as set the framework for future boundary reviews in time for the next review which is due to begin in early 2021 and report no later than October 2023. It is proposed that the number of constituencies now remains at the current level of 650, rather than being reduced to 600, while retaining the requirement that the electorate should be no more than +/- 5% from the electoral quota.

Assembly boundaries.

From 2007.

The Mid and West Wales region also includes two Powys constituencies and one Gwynedd constituency.

Historical representation by party.

A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

Five constituencies cover Dyfed, also used for elections to the National Assembly for Wales. The current boundaries have been effective since the 2007 Welsh Assembly election and the 2010 United Kingdom general election.


Disobedience and "adhl" court cases.

Samar Badawi was allegedly physically abused by her father for 15 years. Her mother died prior to October 2010. In March 2008, she escaped to a women's shelter in Jeddah, the Protection Home. As her male guardian under the male guardianship system, Badawi's father filed a charge of disobedience against her. The Saudi Public Prosecutions and Investigation Bureau dropped the charge.  Badawi's father filed another disobedience charge against her in 2009. Badawi missed some court appearances. In June, Judge Abdullah al-'Uthaim issued a warrant for her arrest. In July, she moved from the women's shelter to her brother's home. A non-judicial investigation by the Protection Home stated that "Badawi's father had beaten and verbally abused her, used drugs, had 14 wives, had exhausted his financial resources, had repeatedly changed jobs, and became friendly with a 'bad group of people.'"  Badawi wished to marry. Her father refused permission. Badawi then filed an "adhl" charge against her father for the refusal to allow her marriage, requesting to remove her father's status as her guardian. According to Human Rights Watch, Badawi filed the "adhl" charge against her father after her father had filed the disobedience charge against her. According to "Arab News", Badawi's father filed the disobedience charge as a "counter-suit after" Badawi had filed the "adhl" charge.  When she went to court for the "adhl" case on 4 April 2010, she was arrested on the basis of the warrant that had been issued for the disobedience charge. Badawi was held in Briman Prison in Jeddah. On 18 July 2010, Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, governor of Makkah Province, proposed creating a committee to "reconcile father and daughter by making him promise not to use violence against her, to allow her to marry, and not to file spurious lawsuits [that] he could not prove." Also in July 2010, Badawi's father was found guilty in the "adhl" case by the Jeddah General Court.  In mid-October 2010, the disobedience case against Badawi remained open, and Badawi's father filed an appeal against the result of the "adhl" case. On 18 October 2010, the Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia told Badawi's lawyer Abu al-Khair that it would investigate the legality of both cases. The Human Rights First Society, a Saudi Arabian human rights NGO, described Badawi's imprisonment as "outrageous illegal detention".  Saudi Arabian and international human rights activists campaigned for Badawi to be released. Badawi gave a petition to the National Society for Human Rights, a government-linked human rights NGO, asking not to be returned to her father and "easing her path to marriage".  On 25 October 2010, Badawi was released from prison on the orders of Governor Khalid bin Faisal. An uncle on her father's side became her new male guardian.  In September 2014, Badawi attended a discussion session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, in which she talked about the situation of Human Rights advocates in Saudi Arabia.

Women's suffrage.

Badawi also took legal action in relation to women's suffrage. She filed a lawsuit in the Grievances Board, a non-Sharia court, against the Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs, because of the refusal of voter registration centres to register her for the September 2011 Saudi Arabian municipal elections, claiming that there was no law banning women as voters or candidates and that the refusal was illegal. She cited Articles 3 and 24 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which refer to general and election-specific anti-discrimination, respectively. Badawi requested the Grievances Board to suspend the electoral procedures pending the Board's decision and to order the electoral authorities to register her as a voter and as eligible to be a candidate. On 27 April 2011, the Grievances Board accepted to hear her case at a later date. The Board's final decision was that Badawi's case was "premature". According to the United States Department of State, Badawi was the first person to file a lawsuit for women's suffrage in Saudi Arabia.  Badawi also applied to the Municipal Elections Appeal Committee to reverse the refusal of her registration. Her application was refused on the grounds that appeals against registration refusals must take place within three days of the refusal.

2011–2012 women driving campaign.

In 2011 and 2012, Badawi participated in the 2011–2012 women driving campaign. Since the main campaign event in June 2011, Badawi drove in Jeddah "every two or three days". She helped other women drivers in their contacts with police and courts. Badawi stated that there is no legal basis for court trials of women on the charge of driving. She described the women's rights situation stating, "We are marginalized in very basic rights. They think that by giving us some political rights, we will be pleased and shut up."  On 4 February, following Manal al-Sharif's November 2011 filing of charges in the Eastern Province Grievances Board against the General Directorate of Traffic for the rejection of her application for a driver's licences, Badawi filed similar charges for the rejection of her own application for a driving licence. Badawi was asked by the Grievance Board of the Ministry of Interior to "follow-up in a week".

International award.

On 8 March 2012, Samar Badawi was awarded the 2012 International Women of Courage Award by the United States Department of State for her filing of the "adhl" and voting rights lawsuits, which were seen by the Department of State as pioneering, and for her encouragement of and inspiration to other women.

2014 travel ban.

On 16 September 2014, Badawi attended a discussion session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on behalf of the organization Americans for Democracy and human rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and the Bahrain Institute of Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Human Rights Watch in Saudi Arabia. Her presentation centered on the situation of human rights advocates in Saudi Arabia, and the detention of her husband activist Waleed Abulkhair.  On 18 September 2014, while at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Badawi met with the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad. On 20 September 2014, Badawi flew to the US, where she met US Senators and secretaries of several human rights organizations to discuss the issue of her husband Waleed Abulkhair and other detainees. At that time, Badawi said she received a direct threat from the secretary of the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia that she must stop her human rights activities otherwise action would be taken against her. She subsequently returned to Saudi Arabia without incident, other than local authorities taking her passport.  On 2 December 2014, Badawi went to King Abdulaziz International Airport, to leave Saudi Arabia for a flight to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the 16th European Union (EU) NGOs Forum on Human Rights. Passport Office staff said the Ministry of Interior issued a travel ban and would not allow her to travel abroad. The EU contacted the Saudi authorities to seek clarification of the reasons for this ban.

January 2016 arrest.

In a press release 12 January 2016, Amnesty International announced that Samar Badawi had been arrested and taken with her 2-year-old daughter Joud to a police station in Jeddah where she was interrogated. Four hours later, Badawi was transferred to Dhaban central prison, the same prison where her brother, Saudi dissident Raif Badawi is held. On 13 January, "The Guardian" quoted "activists" as saying Samar Badawi had been "freed on bail after being arrested and held briefly" at the Dhaban prison. She was said to be home with her daughter, but had been ordered to report to the police in Jeddah early 14 January for further interrogation.  Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Program called Badawi's arrest, "...yet another alarming setback human rights in Saudi Arabia [demonstrating] the extreme lengths to which the authorities are prepared to go in their relentless campaign to harass and intimidate human rights defenders into silent submission." Ensaf Haidar, wife of Samar's brother and President of the Raif Badawi Foundation, confirmed reports of Samar Badawi's arrest via Twitter. Center for Inquiry, an American nonprofit educational organization, called for her immediate release, and asked the US State Department to "bring to bear what diplomatic power they have to press Saudi Arabia to release Samar." A spokesperson for the Saudi Interior Ministry, Maj. Gen. Mansour Turki, denied claims that Badawi had been arrested.

July 2018 arrest.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Samar Badawi, along with Nassima al-Sadah, were arrested by Saudi authorities on July 30. Following criticism and calls for Badawi's release on the part of Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador, and froze trade with Canada.

Samar Mohammad Badawi (; born 28 June 1981) is a Saudi Arabian human rights activist. She and her father filed court cases against each other. Badawi's father accused her of disobedience under the Saudi Arabian male guardianship system and she charged her father with "adhl"—"making it hard or impossible for a person, especially a woman, to have what she wants, or what's rightfully hers; e.g, her right to marry" according to Islamic jurisprudence—for refusing to allow her to marry. After Badawi missed several trial dates relating to the charge, an arrest warrant was issued for her, and Badawi was imprisoned on 4 April 2010. In July 2010, Jeddah General Court ruled in Samar Badawi's favor, and she was released on 25 October 2010, and her guardianship was transferred to an uncle. There had been a local and international support campaign for her release. The Saudi NGO Human Rights First Society described Badawi's imprisonment as "outrageous illegal detention".


History.

In the census of 1887, it appears as "El Rodeo", of Guarita municipality. In the administration of Rafael Lopez Gutierrez, a decree was emitted to create the municipality on February 21, 1921. It was created with land that remained after its inhabitants sold the land to the "Ladinos" of Guarita. This caused problems to acquire the official land titles, and they decided to separate from Guarita. Between 1917 and 1919, the Amerindians tried to negotiate their land title, and this produced internal friction and disputes amongst Amerindians and Ladinos. Guarita became a city on February 26, 1934. Under the decree No 1187, the municipality of "San Juan Guarita". On July 4, 1929, the governor of Lempira department and the military chief laid out the boundaries of the municipality, including its villages. It had to be respected by both municipalities and its adjudged rights forcing them to take the correcting measures by the Legislative Power. it was subscribed in both municipalities. But the differences continued among the towns. In 1935, the people were able to get a legitimate copy of the land titles and therefore the relationships among the inhabitants of both municipalities were improved.

Geography.

San Juan Guarita is based on the half of a mountain. It is surrounded by pine and oak tree forests. Also the mountains and hills are very steep and irregular. The weather has changed from cool to warmer every year due to the Forest exploitation.

Boundaries.

Its boundaries are:

Resources.

Due to its elevation from the sea level. San Juan Guarita provides the conditions for coffee plantation. Beans and Corn crops can not miss, since they are part of the culture in the whole country. As the rest of the department, San Juan Guarita has electricity and mobile communications services. Internet access is found in the mayor's office. In some houses, people sell gasoline and diesel fuel. There are several groceries stores.

Population.

Mestizos (Spanish/Amerindian mixed) are the majority in this municipality.

Tourism.

The distance between San Juan Guarita and Guarita municipality is scarcely half hill. The road is in good conditions most of the year. The deviation is located about 20 km from Cololaca, taking a right. The left deviation leads to Tambla municipality. Its architectural features are the colonial and simple. If the visitor is looking for the stillness of rural areas, this is the place to go. It gets a lot of influence from Salvadoran television and radio networks. Some notable features are the landscapes of the surrounding mountains.

San Juan Guarita is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira. San Juan Guarita is one of the smallest municipalities of the Honduran Lempira department. The best way to go to Guarita is via Santa Rosa de Copán-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Guarita and it takes about 2.5 hours.


Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017

Background.

Prior to the 2017 Contest, Malta had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-nine times since its first entry in 1971. Malta briefly competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s before withdrawing for sixteen years. The country had, to this point, competed in every contest since returning in 1991. Malta's best placing in the contest thus far was second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 2002 with the song "7th Wonder" performed by Ira Losco and in 2005 with the song "Angel" performed by Chiara. In 2015, Malta failed to qualify to the final with the song "Warrior" performed by Amber. In 2016, Malta placed twelfth with the song "Walk On Water" performed by Ira Losco.  For the 2017 Contest, the Maltese national broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), broadcast the event within Malta and organised the selection process for the nation's entry. Malta has selected their entry consistently through a national final procedure "Malta Eurovision Song Contest", a method that was continued for their 2017 participation.

Before Eurovision.

Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017.

"Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017" was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. The national final took place at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali, Malta and it was hosted by Daniel Azzopardi and Charlene Mercieca. It was broadcast on TVM as well as online at the broadcaster's website tvm.com.mt, and broadcast on TVM as well as online at the broadcaster's website "tvm.com.mt".

Format.

The competition consisted sixteen entries competing in a national final which took place on 18 February 2017. The winner was decided solely by a public televoting.  The Maltese selection was undergoing a lot of changes for the 2017 contest. On 28 December, John Bundy, the chief executive of the Public Broadcasting Services, confirmed that the winning song would be the country’s official Eurovision song for the contest in Kiev and it wouldn't be replaced like in 2016. It was revealed that "Malta Eurovision Song Contest" would no longer have a semi-final and there would only be a final instead. The broadcaster also had the right to shortlist only one song per artist, so there wasn't a repeat of "Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2016" where Ira Losco entered with two songs - “Chameleon” and “That’s Why I Love You”. The voting system was also changed by removing the jury vote in favour of 100% televoting result.

Competing entries.

"Tvm.com.mt" announced the 60 songs selected among 156 songs which applied to participate in the "Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017". An eleven-person expert panel assessed the songs and selected 16 finalists. They were revealed on 21 December 2016.

Final.

The final was held on 18 February 2017. It took place at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali, Malta and it was hosted by Daniel Azzopardi and Charlene Mercieca. The show consisted of 16 competing acts and the winner was decided solely by a public televoting. Claudia Faniello with the song "Breathlessly" was selected as the winner. In addition to the performances from the competitors, the show featured guest performances by the 2016 Junior Eurovision entrant Christina Magrin and 2016 Eurovision entrant Ira Losco.

Promotion.

Claudia Faniello made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Breathlessly" as the Maltese Eurovision entry. On 2 April, she performed during the "London Eurovision Party", which was held at the Café de Paris venue in London, United Kingdom and hosted by Nicki French. Between 3 and 6 April, Faniello took part in promotional activities in Tel Aviv, Israel where she performed during the "Israel Calling" event held at the Ha'teatron venue. On 8 April, Claudia Faniello performed during the "Eurovision in Concert" event which was held at the Melkweg venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Cornald Maas and Selma Björnsdóttir.

At Eurovision.

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2017, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Malta was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 11 May 2017, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.  Once all the competing songs for the 2017 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Originally, Malta was set to perform in position 5, following the entry from Macedonia and before the entry from Romania. However, following Russia's withdrawal from the contest on 13 April and subsequent removal from the running order of the second semi-final, Malta's performing position shifted to 4.

Semi-final.

The Maltese performance featured Claudia Faniello wearing a glittery silver full-length tight-fitting formal dress, taking inspiration from her music video of the song "Breathlessly". The LED backdrops were mostly dark blue. Claudia appeared on the LED backdrop, sometimes with just a close-up of her face and sometimes with a full body shot. The chandelier was prominent, which was also taking inspiration from the setting of the music video.

Jury members.

The following five members comprised the Maltese jury:

Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Breathlessly" written by Philip Vella, Sean Vella and Gerard James Borg. The song was performed by Claudia Faniello. The Maltese entry for the 2017 contest in Kiev, Ukraine was initially selected through the national final "Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017", organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The national final was held on 18 February 2017 and "Breathlessly" performed by Claudia Faniello eventually emerged as the winning entry after receiving the most votes from the televote.


Early life.

Lascelles was born in the Oxfordshire village of Sibford Gower with the surname of Stevens, the son of Rev. Edward Thomas Stevens, the village priest. He was educated at the village school before attending Keble College, Oxford, where he became the most notable member of Oxford's dramatic society. After Oxford, he worked as an actor in London between 1904 and 1906 at Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's His Majesty's theatre. It was during this time that he changed his name from Stevens to Lascelles.

Career.

Lascelles staged his first pageant in 1907. The Oxford Historical was a success, despite initial reservations by the University authorities and a student riot. The following year he organised the celebrations for the Tercentenary of Canada at Quebec City. Lascelles enlisted the services of the Iroquois and was made an honorary chief under the name of Tehonikonraka, "the man of infinite resource". In 1909 he Master of Pageantry at the celebration of the opening of the Union Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town. The following year he organised the Pageant of London, performed by a cast of 15,000. In 1912 Lascelles was Master of the Pageant at the Coronation Durbar at Calcutta with the participation of over 300,000 Indians and British Army troops. In 1923 he was Master of the Harrow Pageant and the following year Master of the Bristol Pageant (Cradle of the Empire) and the Pageant of Empire at the British Empire Exhibition. Lascelles' imperial triumphs earned him the epithet "the man who staged the empire".  He was also a sculptor, and among his subjects were the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Connaught, Earl Grey and the Aga Khan. Several of his sculptures are displayed in prominent positions across the former Empire. He sculpted a memorial to his mother in the church at Sibford Gower, as well as painting a Roll of Honour. He also contributed prose and verse to periodicals. In 1932 the Earl of Darnley compiled "Our Modern Orpheus", a volume of essays paying tribute to Lascelles.

Personal life.

Lascelles had always been anxious to hide his humble origins, and built a new manor house for himself in Sibford Gower, modeled on a medieval design. He was well-connected, and regularly entertained guests such as Ivor Novello, who wrote the popular song "Keep the Home Fires Burning" while staying with Lascelles in Sibford.  Towards the end of his life, ill health restricted Lascelles' finances and he died in poverty on 23 May 1934 in rented rooms in Brighton. He never married.

Frank William Thomas Charles Lascelles (30 July 1875 – 23 May 1934) was a British pageant master and artist, known as the "man who staged the Empire."


Teams.

The game featured the UTSA Roadrunners of Conference USA against the New Mexico Lobos of the Mountain West Conference.  This was the third meeting between the schools, with the all-time series tied at 1–1. The previous meeting was on October 14, 2014, where the Lobos defeated the Roadrunners by a score of 21–9.

UTSA.

The New Mexico Bowl was the first bowl appearance for the Roadrunners.

New Mexico.

Powered by a triple option offense, the Lobos were led by coach Bob Davie who envisioned the offense he eventually installed while coaching at Notre Dame and playing against the service academies, who used the scheme effectively. The Lobos' offense led the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards. Although both Austin Apodaca and Lamar Jordan had both started at quarterback for New Mexico during the season, Jordan was the more potent runner, whose 658 rushing yards ranked third on the team. A trio of running backs made large contributions to the rushing attack: senior Teriyon Gipson averaged 9.2 yards per rush to lead the team with 1209 yards, sophomore Tyrone Owens led the team with 134 rushes for 1084 yards, and junior Richard McQuarley rushed for a team-leading 16 touchdowns.

Game summary.

UTSA started the game with the ball; they put together a 65-yard drive over the next 6:15 and scored the first points of the game after Victor Falcon converted on a 23-yard field goal. New Mexico opened their storing with 4 seconds left in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. The first quarter ended 7–3, Lobos. With 1:32 left in the second quarter, Victor Falcon hit a 28-yard field goal to bring UTSA within 1 at 7–6. With time expiring in the first half, Jason Sanders converted a 52-yard field goal to put the Lobos up 10–6 at halftime. To open the second half, Teriyon Gipson capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown rush. The extra point was blocked so New Mexico led 16–6. After trading punts UTSA got a drive into New Mexico territory but Dalton Sturm was picked off from the UNM 34. The Lobos went 3-and-out and punted. UTSA got good field position but faced a 4th and 15 from the Lobos 35. Sturm threw a 19-yard pass for the first down. 2 plays later he found Trevor Stevens, a senior wide receiver who had only caught 7 passes ever for his 1st career touchdown. The PAT was good and it was 16–13 Lobos. UNM drove down the field until they had a 4th and 1 at the 5 yard line. They converted and then Richard McQuarley got a 1-yard touchdown run to put UNM up 23–13. UTSA would strike at the end of the game but the Lobos recovered the onside kick. A highlight of the game was New Mexico players missing the Gatorade bath at first.

Scoring summary.

Source:

The 2016 New Mexico Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 17, 2016 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The eleventh annual New Mexico Bowl, was one of the 2016–17 bowl games that concluded the 2016 FBS football season. The game aired on ESPN. Sponsored by clothing company Gildan Activewear, the game was officially known as the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.


Biography.

The earliest mention of Bárid in the Irish Annals is in part of a saga embedded within the "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland". In this entry, dated 867, Bárid is named as a Jarl of Lochlann who, along with a Jarl Háimar was ambushed by men of Connacht. Bárid is mentioned again by a saga element within the "Fragmentary Annals" in 872, when he is said to have raided Moylurg and the islands of Lough Ree. This saga element also says that Bárid fostered a son of Áed Findliath, overking of the Northern Uí Néill. The sagas are usually considered of dubious historical value, but this particular element draws upon earlier written accounts, and there is much evidence for later links between the descendants of Áed Findliath and the Uí Ímair. Fosterage was used in Ireland as a means of strengthening ties between different ruling families, and it is possible Bárid may have tried to integrate himself with the Irish political elite.  Bárid is mentioned by the "Annals of Inisfallen" in 873 which say:  Downham suggests this raid was undertaken as a show of strength; it occurred shortly after the death of Ímar, with Bárid probably succeeding him as King of Dublin. "Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib" names a son of Amlaíb, most likely Oistin, as raiding with him. It has been suggested that Bárid and his cousin Oistin ruled together as co-kings following the death of Ímar.  According to the Annals of Ulster, in 875 Oistin was "deceitfully" killed by "Albann", a figure generally agreed to be Halfdan Ragnarsson, supposed son of the legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok. Halfdan is sometimes considered a brother of Ímar, and this conflict may have been an attempt by Halfdan to claim Dublin for his own. It seems he was not successful in pressing his claim, but he tried to take Dublin again in 877, and he fell in battle against an army of "fair foreigners" at the Battle of Strangford Lough. "Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib" identifies Bárid as the leader of the "fair foreigners", and as being wounded "so that he was lame ever after".  The next mention of Bárid in the annals comes in 881, when the "Annals of Ulster", the "Annals of the Four Masters", and the "Chronicon Scotorum" describe his death; he was killed and burnt in Dublin shortly after raiding Duleek. The annals attribute his death to a miracle of Saint Cianán.

Family.

Bárid's father is identified by the "Chronicon Scotorum" as Ímar, King of Dublin until his death in 873. Ímar is sometimes identified with Ivar the Boneless, son of the legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok. The same entry identifies him as "the head of the Northmen". The known brothers of Bárid were Sichfrith (died 888) and Sitriuc (died 896).  Bárid is identified as the father of Uathmarán, who bore an Irish name derived from the Irish word "uathmar", meaning ‘awesome’, perhaps in an attempt to associate with the Irish political elite. Bárid may also be identified as the father of Eloir mac Báirid (died 891), and the grandfather of the unnamed son of Uathmarán mac Bárid (fl. 921). This unnamed man may be identical to Sichfrith mac Uathmaráin (fl. 932). It is uncertain whether Bárid was the father of the unnamed son of Bárid (mac Bárid in the original Old Irish) who plundered "Cill Clethi" in 937. This unnamed man may be identical to Aric mac Báirith (died 937). Likewise, it is uncertain if Bárid was the father of Colla mac Báirid (fl. 924). Any or all of the aforementioned Aric, Colla, and the unnamed son of Bárid, could have been sons of Bárid mac Oitir (died 914), not Bárid mac Ímair.

Bárid mac Ímair (also referred to as Barith, Baraid, and Bard; or "Bárǫðr"; d. 881) was a ninth-century King of Dublin. He was a son of Ímar and a member of the Uí Ímair.


Education.

He was educated at Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School, then Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, graduating in 2003. He read Modern History and Political Science at St Peter's College, Oxford, in the United Kingdom starting in 2003 and graduating in 2007.

Royal duties.

Sharing responsibilities with his siblings, Prince Jigyel Ugyen travels extensively to represent the King in various functions in Bhutan as well as abroad. In 2008 he travelled to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival where he delivered an opening address before roaming the festival area, and interacting with visitors. At the end of the festival, he travelled with several performers to attend the Bhutan Festival 2008 at the University of Texas at El Paso.  As the King's representative and President to the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC), he visited Copenhagen in order to attend the XIII Olympic Congress in 2009.  He was appointed to the Chairmanship during the 34th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia, held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and will chair the committee for four years from 2015-2019. On the 9th of October, 2018, His Royal Highness was elected as an International Olympic Committee member, whose candidature was linked to a function within the NOC, that is the Bhutan Olympic Committee.

Personal interests.

He and his brothers share interests in various sporting activities, such as archery, basketball, golf, football and cycling.  He initiated the Tour of the Dragon in Bhutan, a mountain bike race covering 268 km, from central to western Bhutan in 2010.

Humanitarian causes.

The prince with his sister, Princess "Ashi" Sonam Dechen, are collaborating in the Tarayana Foundation (TF) as board members. Founded by their mother, queen mother "Ashi" Dorji Wangmo, the foundation focuses on various efforts to reduce poverty in Bhutan. The prince is also the founder of Bhutan Philanthropy Ventures, a social enterprise established to support the Tarayana Foundation.

Prince "Dasho" Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck (born 16 July 1984) is a Bhutanese prince. Born as the second son of the-King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck, he was the heir presumptive to the throne of Bhutan until 5 February 2016, when his nephew Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, his older half-brother and current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck's son, was born.


Course.

The Yeo rises from a spring near Charterhouse and then disappears under the Limestone of the Mendip Hills before reappearing in Gough's Cave before emerging into Cheddar Gorge. Within Gough's Cave the river forms the largest underground river system in Britain. From a point relatively close to the areas of the cave open to the public, the cave-divers' descent into Sump 1a begins through a tight passage known as Dire Straits. The bottom of that passage opens into the river passage, which is several meters across. This has been explored for downstream, whilst upstream a dive of brings the diver out in a long chamber named Lloyd Hall (which can now also be reached by an alternative, dry, route). Another dive of through Sump 1b, finishing with an ascent through a rising passage, leads to another chamber, long and wide at its widest point, and full of large boulders, called Bishop's Palace. This chamber is the largest chamber currently found in the Cheddar caves. Further on, three sump pools (named the Duck Ponds) lead to Sump 2 which is about deep at its lowest point and long. Air is again reached at Sheppard's Crook, which is followed by Sump 3. This sump is deep and at its bottommost point is about below sea level. Following Sump 3, a wide ascending passage continues for before reaching an impassable blockage, still below the water's surface.  After emerging from the cave the river flows through Cheddar past the site of a Saxon palace, in the grounds of The Kings of Wessex School, together with a 14th-century chapel dedicated to St. Columbanus. Roman remains have also been uncovered at the site.  It then flows south under a disused railway bridge which used to carry the Cheddar Valley line and west through Rackley before joining the River Axe.  The catchment area is.

History.

As early as 1527 there are records of watermills on the river. In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were several watermills which ground corn and made paper, with 13 mills on the Yeo at the peak, declining to seven by 1791 and just three by 1915. In the Victorian era it also became a centre for the production of clothing. The last mill in Cheddar, which was used as a shirt factory, closed in the early 1950s.  Rackley was a trading port in the Middle Ages following construction of a wharf in 1200. In 1324 Edward II confirmed it as a borough, however by the end of the 14th century the port was in decline. In the 14th century a French ship sailed up the river and by 1388 Thomas Tanner from Wells used Rackley to export cloth and corn to Portugal, and received iron and salt in exchange. Later slate was imported through this route and it may have still be possible to trade through Rackley until the act of 1915 authorising the drainage of the Axe and installation of the flood gate at Bleadon.  There was also a small port at Hythe on the Wedmore Road, just south of Cheddar, which was used until the 19th century.

Reservoir.

Water from the river also flows into Cheddar Reservoir which is a circular artificial reservoir operated by Bristol Water. The inlet grate for the water pipe that is used to transport the water can be seen next to the sensory garden in Cheddar Gorge. Dating from the 1930s, the reservoir has a capacity of. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its wintering waterfowl populations.  In 2007 it announced that the new reservoir close to the existing site would be one of the options considered in its Draft 2009 Water Resources Plan. The new reservoir would hold 6,000 million litres, roughly the same size as the existing reservoir, and built on the alluvial flood plain the Cheddar Yeo.

Water quality.

The Environment Agency have rated the Cheddar Yeo as having moderate water ecological quality, but failed the chemical assessment in 2016.

The Cheddar Yeo is a small river in Somerset, England. Beneath the limestone of the Mendip Hills it forms the largest underground river system in Britain. After emerging into Cheddar Gorge it flows through the village of Cheddar, where it has been used in the past to power mills. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century the river had ports for seagoing vessels but is no longer navigable. Some of the water, which is of good quality, is diverted into Cheddar Reservoir to provide drinking water for Bristol.


Background.

Prior to the album's announcement, Simpson stated in an interview with "GQ" that "what's next is already finished... Quite honestly, I need about six months at home with my family." On March 3, 2016, Simpson released "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)" on YouTube and his website; the next day he released the nine-song track list of "A Sailor's Guide to Earth". A week later, he published the music video for "Brace for Impact", which was directed by Matt Mahurin and contains the Grim Reaper, a hot rod coffin and sailboats. On March 24, 2016, Simpson released his cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" along with its music video, also directed by Matt Mahurin. Simpson said, "I wanted to make a very beautiful and pure homage to Kurt [Cobain]." Streaming of the album became available on April 7, 2016, on NPR's official website.  The song "Oh Sarah" was previously recorded by Simpson's former band Sunday Valley and appeared on their only full-length album, "To the Wind and On To Heaven", in 2011.

Reception.

"A Sailor's Guide to Earth" received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 86, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 19 reviews.  The album debuted at No. 3 on the "Billboard" 200, and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, selling 52,000 copies (55,000 units when tracks and streams are included) in its first week. The album sold a further 13,400 copies in the second week. The album has sold 217,900 copies in the US as of October 2017.  Following his Grammy win, Simpson saw a 346% increase in streaming on Spotify.

A Sailor's Guide to Earth is the third studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. It was announced on March 3, 2016, with the release of the single "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)". The album was released on April 15, 2016, and won Best Country Album at the 59th Grammy Awards; it was also nominated for Album of the Year.


Background.

This group was born out of frustration with the current political process and diminished social condition in the Democratic Republic of Congo by a group of young Congolese students. These students understood that violence is not the way for anyone willing to find durable solutions to political and social disputes and wars that have torn their country apart for the past half century.  The one thing that defines the Lutte Pour Le Changement activists is their love for their native DR Congo and the hope to see it prosperous and developed in their lifetime. They have decided to organize a series of non-violent actions throughout major cities in the country to shed light to some of the critical issues facing the Congolese population. Their actions are not limited to keeping politicians honest, but rather engaging the population into participating in the social issues debates. The movement started in the eastern city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-June 2011 and in no time, the movement had spread all the way to the west of the country, with famous members such as Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala being incarcerated since March 2015 at the Congolese National Intelligence Agency headquarters in Kinshasa. On March 15, 2015, according to the online news media Pragmora, "About 30 youth activists and international journalists and observers were arrested in Kinshasa during a youth workshop aimed at increasing youth participation in politics and the electoral process, and creating a new youth movement, Filimbi". In the recent uprising, many of the LUCHA activists arrested during Dec 19, 2016 have been released, including the 23 year old Gloria Sengha Panda Shala according to Ida Sawyer a Human Rights Watch Director in Central Africa.  The first LUCHA protest to receive widespread attention was the effort to get the young people to get involved in the 2011 presidential and legislatives elections by ensure that all eligible to vote got registered ahead of the upcoming the elections. Then followed a few actions in regards to lack of clean water in Goma and also issue with garbage waste in the same city. This movement got the eye of the Congolese people because this group managed first and foremost to get the general population to have a say in these critical matters facing their livelihood through the streets of various Congolese cities namely Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, Lubumbashi, Kisangani et Goma.

Goals.

The group is determined to ensure there is better governance, respect for human rights and improved and much stronger democracy in the country that faced 32 years of President Mobutu Dictatorship. These inspired Congolese youths driven by social injustice and non democratic political process believe that their movement can bring about positive change in the DR Congo, as well as Africa as a whole.  These courageous young men have come to know nothing but armed conflicts all of their teenage and adult lives. Therefore, when deciding to create the movement they decided that they will only use non-violent actions as the core principal in raising awareness on social and political issues facing the DRC. Nevertheless, most of these youths have been detained without charge during peaceful protest and /or gatherings. Some of the famous members detained by the Congolese national intelligence agency and have made claims of moral and physical abuses while incarcerated.

Slogan.

We are leaders. Not hostages of the past. Nor slaves of the present. Nor beggars of our future!  It also reads on their official site:  WE ARE NOT VIOLENT  WE RISK TOGETHER  WE ASSUME OUR ACTS

Methods.

LUCHA activists have used web technologies and social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Meetup to coordinate events. The digital evolution with the improvements on the application such as WhatsApp, Imo and Skype has helped the movement with communications, conference calls among participants in various locations within the DR Congo as well as the Congolese diaspora via various Congolese online media, such as Congo Mikili. The group has also been organizing workshops across the country to teach youth on how to engage in social and political issues.

Lutte Pour Le Changement (LUCHA) is a group based in Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo who fights for a class of rights that protect Congoleses' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the Congolese society and state without discrimination or repression.


Early life.

McDowell was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, the ninth child of Samuel and Mary McDowell. His father was a veteran of the French and Indian War and a colonel during the American Revolution. In 1784 Samuel McDowell was appointed land commissioner and moved his family to Danville, Kentucky. There, he presided over ten conventions that resulted in the drafting of the Kentucky Constitution.

Education.

McDowell received his early education at the classical seminary of Worley and James, then spent three years as a medical student under Dr. Alexander Humphreys in Staunton, Virginia. He attended lectures in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1793 to 1794 and studied privately with John Bell. He never received a diploma, but in 1825, the University of Maryland conferred on him an honorary M.D. degree.

Career.

In 1795, McDowell returned from Scotland, settled in Danville, Kentucky, and began his practice as a surgeon. McDowell perfected the modern surgical technique of lithotomy, for removal of stones obstructing the urinary bladder. One of his most famous patients was James K. Polk, for whom he removed a urinary stone and repaired a hernia.

First ovariotomy.

On December 13, 1809, McDowell was called to see Jane Todd Crawford in Green County, Kentucky, from Danville. Her physicians thought that Mrs. Crawford was beyond term pregnant. McDowell diagnosed an ovarian tumor. Crawford begged him to keep her from a slow and painful death. He then described her condition and that an operation for cure had never been performed. He said that the best surgeons in the world thought it impossible. Crawford said she understood and wanted to proceed. McDowell told her he would remove the tumor if she would travel to his home in Danville. She agreed and rode the sixty miles on horseback.  On Christmas morning, 1809, McDowell began his operation. The surgery was performed without benefit of anesthetic or antisepsis, neither of which was then known to the medical profession. The tumor McDowell removed weighed. He determined that it would be difficult to remove completely, so he tied a ligature around the fallopian tube near the uterus and cut open the tumor. He described the tumor as the ovarium and fimbrious part of the fallopian tube very much enlarged. The whole procedure took 25 minutes. Crawford made an uncomplicated recovery. She returned to her home in Green County 25 days after the operation and lived another 32 years. This was the first successful removal of an ovarian tumor in the world.  As a Presbyterian, McDowell's response to this event was recorded in one of his biographies: How is it that I have been so peculiarly fortunate with my patients of this description?, I know not; for, from all the information I can obtain, there has not one individual survived who has been operated, on elsewhere, for diseased ovaria. I can only say that the blessing of God has rested on my efforts.  All attempts at abdominal exploration before 1809 had resulted in peritonitis and death. Descriptions of McDowell include phrases like "neat and clean" or "scrupulously clean." He was not only neat, but meticulous. In his report on the operation, he described the removal of blood from the peritoneal cavity and bathing the intestines with warm water. McDowell did not publish a description of his procedure until 1817, after he had performed two more such operations. This was widely criticised in the English surgical literature. There is evidence that he performed at least twelve operations for ovarian pathology.  "Having never seen so large a substance extracted, nor heard of an attempt, or success attending any operation such as this required, I gave to the unhappy woman information of her dangerous situation. The tumor appeared full in view, but was so large we could not take it away entire. We took out fifteen pounds of a dirty, gelatinous looking substance. After which we cut through the fallopian tube, and extracted the sac, which weighed seven pounds and one half. In five days I visited her, and much to my astonishment found her making up her bed."

Personal life.

In 1802, McDowell married Sarah Shelby, daughter of Isaac Shelby, war hero and twice governor of Kentucky. They had two sons and four daughters.  McDowell played a prominent role in his community. He was also a founder, original corporator, and member of the primary board of trustees of Centre College in Danville. McDowell became a member of the Philadelphia Medical Society in 1817. McDowell was the great-great-grandfather of General John Campbell Greenway, whose statue was placed in the National Statuary Hall Collection by the state of Arizona in 1930. He was cousin to woman's suffrage leader Madeline McDowell Breckinridge.  McDowell was a Presbyterian but became an Episcopalian and founded Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville, Kentucky, having donated the land for its first building.

Death.

In June 1830, McDowell was stricken with an acute attack of violent pain, nausea, and fever. He died on June 25, most likely a victim of appendicitis. His wife died 18 years later. They were buried at "Traveller's Rest", the homestead of Isaac Shelby, south of Danville, Kentucky but were reinterred in 1879, near a monument dedicated to him in Danville.

Ephraim McDowell (November 11, 1771 – June 25, 1830) was an American physician and pioneer surgeon. The first person to successfully remove an ovarian tumor, he has been called "the father of ovariotomy" as well as founding father of abdominal surgery.


Early years (1825–47).

Louis Charles Georges Jules Lafont was born on 24 April 1825 in Fort-de-France, Martinique. His parents were Jacques Charles Lafont (1768–1839), a merchant, and Elisabeth Perriquet (1795–1871). He joined the navy when he was sixteen. He became an "aspirant" (midshipman) on 1 September 1843 in Toulon. He served on the "Victorieuse" during a long campaign in the Far East. He distinguished himself in the attack on Tourane (Da Nang), and then in an expedition against the pirates of Basilan in the Philippines.

Ensign and lieutenant (1847–59).

Lafonte was made "enseigne de vaisseau" (ensign) on 1 September 1847, and returned to France in 1848 after the "Victorieuse" sank in Korea. In May 1849 he was on the "Agile" stationed on the west coast of Africa. He was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 10 December 1850. Lafont was assigned to the depot of maps and plans in October 1850. He was promoted to "lieutenant de vaisseau" (lieutenant) on 1 July 1852. In May 1853 he was serving on the "Iéna" in the training squadron. From October 1853 on the "Jupiter" he took part in the operations of the Crimean War. He distinguished himself in the attack on Sevastopol on 17 October 1854.  In May 1855 Lafont was in command of the gunboat "Poudre" in the Baltic, and took part in the attack on Suomenlinna. In May 1856 he was in command of the "Salve" in Cherbourg, and then of the gunboat "Avalanche" in the Indian Ocean. Lafont was active part in the campaign led by Charles Rigault de Genouilly in China and Indochina, and participated in the Battle of Canton (1857), the Battle of Taku Forts (1859), the Siege of Tourane (1858–1860) and the Capture of Saigon (February 1859). He was promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honour on 28 August 1858. In 1859 Lafont was an aide-de-camp to Rigault de Genouilly in Da Nang.

Captain and admiral (1859–77).

Lafont was promoted to capitaine de frégate (frigate captain) on 19 November 1859. He returned to France, where he was assigned to the Hydrographic Committee. On 24 July 1860 he married Marie Goffart (1837–1903) in Valenciennes. Their children included Charles (1861–1956), Elisabeth Suzanne (1862–1946), Anne (1866–1954) and Marguerite (1871–1947). In January 1862 Lafont was again aide-de-camp of Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, commander of the training squadron. on the "Bretagne", then on the "Ville de Paris". In April 1863 he took command of the "aviso" "Caton". He was second in command of the imperial yacht "Aigle" in July 1865. On 6 April 1867 he was promoted to "capitaine de vaisseau" (ship captain). From 1868 to 1870 Lafont commanded the "ironclad "Héroïne" in the training squadron, flagship of Albert Gicquel des Touches. During the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870 Lafont took command of the "Armid" in the Baltic during the blockade of the Prussian coast. In October 1870 he was assigned to the army as brigadier general in command of the subdivision of Aube. He fought at Nogent-sur-Seine, and in November was given command of Ille-et-Vilaine. He was made Commander of the Legion of Honour on 2 July 1871. In May 1871 Lafont was a member of the Marine Works Council. In June 1873 he commanded the frigate "Clorinde" on the east coast of Africa. He was promoted to "contre-amiral" (rear admiral) on 3 August 1875. He was made Major General of the 1st maritime district in Cherbourg. In July 1876 he was President of the High Committee on Underwater Defenses.

Governor of Cochinchina (1877–79).

Lafont was governor of Cochinchina from 16 October 1877 to 7 July 1879. He succeeded Victor Auguste, baron Duperré, and was the last naval officer to serve as governor. He was also commander in chief of the Naval Station in Saigon. His flagship was the "Tilsitt".  In January the USS "Monocacy" under Commander Sumner visited Saigon, where the officers were invited to a grand ball at the governor's palace. At the time Lafont's flagship was the old line battleship "Tilsitt", and the other naval vessels were the "Antelope", a small paddle steamer, a troopship and about a dozen long riverboats. These drew, steamed at and were armed with a six-inch breech loading rifle. The huge arsenal was under construction and contained an ordnance yard, coal depot and dock yard with six to eight large buildings including a working foundry, forge and machine shop. There was an iron floating dry dock that could raise a fully loaded frigate.  Lafont set out to make the system of taxation fairer and less burdensome to small landowners, many of whom had not registered their land. He reduced land property taxes but added a tax on rice exports, which affected only the largest landowners, and as a result made some powerful enemies. He confirmed the Catholic Church's property titles, for which he earned the thanks of Bishop Isidore Colombert. He tried to prevent direct dealings between the Vietnamese and the Chinese. Lafont as governor of Cochinchina had overall responsibility for the protectorate of Cambodia, which was poorly governed by King Norodom of Cambodia. Under pressure from the French a royal decree of 1877 introduced administrative reforms, but little was done to put them into effect. Lafont wrote to the king asking him to implement the reforms. He wrote, "Many individuals, being implicated in theft, insolvency and even crime, get themselves issued with documents from senior mandarins, Princes, and even Your Majesty's wives,certifying to no-one is entitled to pursue them without having first obtained the prior authorization of the Protectorate... This state of affairs is not compatible with justice in a civilized country." Lafont's complaint was ignored.  Lafont was replaced as governor in July 1879 by Charles Le Myre de Vilers.

Later career (1879–1908).

On 1 April 1880 Lafont was appointed deputy commander of the training squadron under Vice-Admiral Henri Garnault with the battleship "Suffren" as his flagship. He was promoted to "vice-amiral" on 24 February 1881. In February 1882 he was prefect of the 2nd maritime district at Brest. Lafont was maritime prefect of Brest from 15 February 1882 to 15 October 1885. He was made a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour on 8 July 1884. On 20 October 1885 he was appointed commander in chief of the training squadron. In November 1886 he was appointed Chairman of the Marine Works Council. Lafont was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour on 9 July 1889.  Lafont retired from active service in April 1890 at the age of 65. On 4 December 1894 he was made president of central council that raised money for a hospital ship to be sent to the fishermen off Iceland and Newfoundland. The response was good, and the "Saint-Pierre" was ordered for the 1896 season. A land-based "abri des marins" was set up in Saint-Pierre to provide an alternative to drinking places for seamen while on shore. Lafont died on 31 January 1908 in Paris. He is buried in the 25th division of Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Louis Charles Georges Jules Lafont (24 April 1825 – 31 January 1908) was a French naval officer who was Governor of Cochinchina from 1877 to 1879. He joined the navy at the age of sixteen, rose steadily through the ranks, and served in Vietnam, the Philippines, West Africa, the Crimea, the Baltic, the Indian Ocean, China and East Africa. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 he was given command of land troops. After returning from Cochinchina he held various senior naval commands, including commander in chief of the training squadron from 1885 to 1886.


Biography.

He began his studies in his home town with Eugenio Scomparini (who may have inspired his pseudonym), then attended the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. He finished his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich with Karl Raupp. It was there he had his first exhibition. At first, he was mostly a caricaturist; satirizing the conventional German bourgeoisie.  While visiting Paris, he met Ella Auler (1875-1962), an artist and musician from St.Louis, Missouri. Later, they were married. Their son, Edgar, emigrated to the United States and, together with his wife, Ingri, became a noted writer and illustrator of children's books.  When he returned to Trieste, he began painting portraits; producing a long series devoted to the families of Ernesto Lackenbacher, an executive with (a Joint-stock company), and Moise Mario Tedeschi (1853-1919), an engineer. In 1913, he won a gold medal at the XI Internationalen Kunstausstellung in the Glaspalast.  Between the wars, he exhibited in Vienna (where he was a member of the Hagenbund) and Trieste, and had two showings at the Biennale di Venezia. He also attended exhibitions overseas and was awarded another gold medal at the Internazionale Quadriennale of Turin in 1923.  He maintained close ties with Germany, although the racial laws prohibited him from exhibiting there after 1938. When he was a young man, he had acquired Swiss citizenship and was a legal resident of Campo Blenio. Nevertheless, he was detained in Italy and deported to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Along the way, he became seriously ill and died shortly after arriving.

Federico Guglielmo Jehuda Pollack, known as Gino Parin (25 August 1876, Trieste - 9 June 1944, Bergen-Belsen) was an Italian painter of Jewish ancestry; known primarily for his portraits of women. He was also known as Friedrich Pollak or Polak.


Geography.

Reading is located at (39.222709, -84.439036). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.  Reading is bordered by Cincinnati's Roselawn neighborhood to the south, Amberley Village and Sycamore Township to the southeast, Blue Ash to the east, Evendale to the north, Lockland to the west, and Arlington Heights to the southwest. Mill Creek divides Reading from Lockland and Arlington Heights.  Reading can be reached by car via Interstate 75, Ohio State Route 126, or U.S. Route 42. The northbound lanes of Mill Creek Expressway run along the city's west side, with exits onto Galbraith Road and Koehler Avenue. Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway has a complex interchange with Interstate 75 at Reading. Reading lies along Norfolk Southern Railway's Dayton District and the Indiana and Ohio Railway's Oasis Subdivision.

History.

In 1794, Abraham Voorhees moved his family from Somerset County, New Jersey, building a large double log cabin along the west bank of the Millcreek in Sycamore Township, in present-day Lockland. In the spring of 1795, Harvey Redinbo, a Pennsylvania Dutchman, visited from Reading, Pennsylvania. Pleased with the land that Voorhees had acquired, Redinbo purchased his own land, in the area of Hunt Road and Columbia Avenue. Around 1798, Voorhees platted a town named Voorhees-Town but did not record it with county officials until January 7, 1804. By then, Redinbo had convinced him to rename the town to Reading, after Redinbo's hometown.  Between 1830 and 1880, Reading grew rapidly to become the largest village in Hamilton County. It was incorporated as a village on March 24, 1851. The village's major industry was clothing manufacturing.  The Benson Street Bridge, built in 1901, spans Mill Creek on the city limit with Lockland. It was the second concrete rainbow arch bridge and the first in Ohio.  As of 1912, Reading was a sundown town. African Americans were prohibited from living within the city or remaining there after dark. Most censuses from 1860 through 1960 recorded no African Americans in Reading.  Reading became a city on January 1, 1932. It withdrew from Sycamore Township on May 19, 1943, forming a paper township named "Reading Township".

Demographics.

2010 census.

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,385 people, 4,554 households, and 2,624 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 4,962 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 89.1% White, 7.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.  There were 4,554 households of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.97.  The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,292 people, 4,885 households, and 2,921 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,867.6 people per square mile (1,493.1/km2). There were 5,128 housing units at an average density of 1,756.4 per square mile (678.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.69% White, 3.20% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.  There were 4,885 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.96.  In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.  The median income for a household in the city was $39,140, and the median income for a family was $51,858. Males had a median income of $35,466 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,527. About 4.7% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy.

Like other communities in the Mill Creek Valley, Reading has an economy dominated by heavy industry, including suppliers for aerospace and automotive plants in nearby Sharonville and Evendale. Thermo Fisher Scientific's Patheon subsidiary operates a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on in the city.  The Bridal District along Benson Street in downtown Reading is the most well-known concentration of wedding-related businesses in the United States.  The electronics store chain Steinberg's was founded and based in Reading until its bankruptcy and liquidation in 1997.

Government.

Reading uses a mayor–council form of government. The city council consists of a tie-breaking President of Council, four members representing wards, and three at-large members., the Mayor of Reading is Robert "Bo" Bemmes and the current council president is Cris Nesbitt.  Reading is one of 23 municipalities in Hamilton County that maintains a mayor's court, in which traffic cases and other misdemeanor cases are heard by a magistrate.  At the federal level, Reading is located within Ohio's 2nd congressional district. At the state level, Reading belongs to the 28th House district and 8th Senate district. See Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate for the current representatives of the respective state districts.

Education.

The Reading Community City School District, Reading's public school system, includes two neighborhood schools, Central Elementary and Hilltop Elementary, which both serve Pre-K through fifth grade. Reading Middle School is co-located with Central Elementary and houses grades 6–8. Reading High School serves grades 9-12 and is the home of the 2003 division III state boys basketball champions. The new Pre K-12 school opened up Monday September 9, 2019.  Reading includes a Roman Catholic all-girl's high school, Mount Notre Dame High School, where the daughter of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman was one of the first students. Also included is a Catholic elementary school, Sts. Peter and Paul Academy serve students in grades K-8.  Reading is served by a branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Media.

Reading is part of the Cincinnati media market for newspapers, radio, and television. WMKV (89.3 FM) broadcasts from a retirement community in Reading.

Reading (pronounced ) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 10,385 at the 2010 census. It is an inner suburb of Cincinnati.


History.

In November 2014, Colonel Abdullah al-Rifai of the 11th Special Forces Division of Saraya Ahl al-Sham was arrested by the Lebanese Armed Forces near Arsal. He was detained by the General Directorate of General Security and released on 2 January 2015. On 14 August, he was assassinated in Arsal.  On 30 September 2015, Sham Liberation Army, along with 12 other FSA and Islamist rebel factions, formed Saraya Ahl al-Sham in the western Qalamoun Mountains. The group maintained "good" relations with al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front and other groups in the former Army of Conquest's Qalamoun branch.  In February 2016, the SLA along with eh Saraya Ahl al-Sham rejected the inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, remaining neutral in the conflict and stating that its only opponent is the Syrian government. However, during the eastern Qalamoun offensive (September—October 2016), the group joined with the other rebels in fighting ISIL.  In February 2017, negotiations between Saraya Ahl al-Sham and Hezbollah began in order to install a ceasefire and for residents to return to the contest towns and villages between Hezbollah and the rebels.  On 27 May 2017, Tahrir al-Sham and Saraya Ahl al-Sham clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the western Qalamoun Mountains near Arsal. 33 fighters were killed from both sides.  On 27 July 2017, a ceasefire agreement was reached by Hezbollah with Tahrir al-Sham and Saraya Ahl al-Sham in the Lebanese portion of the Qalamoun Mountains. The agreement called for Tahrir al-Sham forces to withdraw from Lebanon to Idlib, Saraya Ahl al-Sham forces to withdraw to the eastern Qalamoun Mountains, where opposition forces maintain a pocket of control, and exchanges of prisoners from both sides.  On 14 August 2017, the last 400 fighters of Saraya Ahl al-Sham coalition and their families departed the Lebanon–Syria border and headed to the eastern Qalamoun Mountains.  In April 2018, the SLA, along with the rest of Saraya Ahl al-Sham evacuated to Afrin.  On 7 April 2018, the group published a statement condemning the Syrian Government, the Russian intervention and Hezbollah involvement in the war and requested that the United Nations send in military forces to intervene.

The Sham Liberation Army (), originally called the Sham Liberation Brigade (), is an armed rebel group active in the Syrian Civil War. It was founded and is led by Firas Bitar, a captain who defected from the Syrian Arab Army in 2012. Until 2016, its sole opponent was the Syrian Armed Forces and its allied militias; it rejected any fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant until ISIL attacked its fighters in February 2016.


Early Years.

She was born in Paris, the daughter of Betty von Rothschild (1805–1886) and James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868). Charlotte de Rothschild was raised by very wealthy parents who were at the center of Parisian culture. They patronized a number of major figures in the arts community including Gioacchino Rossini, Frédéric Chopin, Honoré de Balzac, Eugène Delacroix, and Heinrich Heine. Chopin had become Charlotte's piano teacher in 1841, and as a tacit acknowledgment of the many years of support extended by Baron James and his wife Betty, dedicated to her (almost certainly as an 1843 wedding present) his celebrated Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52, and four years later another work, his Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2.

Married Life.

In 1842, Charlotte married her English-born cousin Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870) and in 1850 they moved to Paris, where he went to work at her father's bank, de Rothschild Frères. They were the parents of:  While Charlotte de Rothschild and her husband would always live in Paris, in 1853 they purchased the Château Brane-Mouton vineyard that they renamed Château Mouton Rothschild. In 1878, Charlotte bought the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay in Cernay-la-Ville in the Vallée de Chevreuse, at the time only a ruins of a Cistercian abbey built in 1118. She undertook extensive restoration work and new construction to make the lakeside property into a country home. The property remained in family hands until 1945 when it was by sold by her grandson Henri James de Rothschild to aircraft manufacturer Félix Amiot. Like her father, Charlotte de Rothschild was a collector of art and grew up around his artistic friends. As an adult, Charlotte would count amongst her friends the likes of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Henri Rousseau, and Édouard Manet. Her art purchases included works by Henri Fantin-Latour, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Anthony van Dyck plus a number by Rococo painters Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and François Boucher. However, Charlotte de Rothschild's interest in art went beyond collecting. Talented in her own right, she studied with Nélie Jacquemart (1841–1912) and would earn respect for her landscape paintings, watercolors and engravings, enough so that she is recognized in the Benezit Dictionary of Artists. She exhibited in 1872 at the Paris Salon as well as at an 1879 exhibition in London, and from 1879 showed work at the annual salon of the Société des aquarellistes français. Although a minor artist, her work has been on display at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris and other museums around France. Her illuminated Haggadah of Pesach is in the Braginsky Collection.  Charlotte de Rothschild's interest extended to music, entertaining musician friends such as Georges Bizet and Camille Saint-Saëns. Charlotte de Rothschild's lifetime of involvement in art and music would greatly influence her offspring, producing writers, actors and playwrights.

Later Years.

Tragedy struck her family in 1881 when she lost her eldest surviving child, thirty-seven-year-old James-Edouard. An attorney in the Rothschild bank in Paris, James-Edouard de Rothschild had served in the Garde Mobile during the Franco-Prussian War and suffered from a number of illnesses, including depression that led to his suicide.

Charlotte de Rothschild (6 May 1825 – 20 July 1899) was a French socialite, painter, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.