History.

The Ca' Grande (big palace) of Saint Samuel was probably built at the beginning of the 11th century by Soranzo family, which also built in that period, together with the Boldù family, the church of San Samuele facing the land-facade of the Palace. In the 13th century a third floor was added.  In the early days of the 15th century the Cappello family, one of the most energetic and industrious families of Venice, became owners of the Palace as a result of marriages with the Soranzos. The Cappello family used the palace's storehouses to house the newly discovered printing and publishing activity. In the mid-16th century this family enlarged the building and modified the Grand Canal facade to its present shape.  Around 1590 the Malipiero family became tenants of the Cappellos and Caterino Malipiero, within few years as from 1610, through the marriage with Elisabetta Cappello and further purchases, became owners of the whole edifice. Evidence of the very many restorations done by him are the date 1622 and the initials K.M. - for "Caterino Malipiero"- in an engraving placed over on the main door he built, giving access to the new large entrance of the Palace.  Around the year 1725, the Malipiero began restoration works that gave the palace today's homogeneous aspect. In the first half of the 19th century, with Venice in decline, the Palace suffered the same destiny as many other palaces of patrician families: being sold to many successive owners. These transfers accelerated the structural deterioration until the Barnabò family purchased it. In 1951 the Barnabòs undertook a substantial restoration, returning the palace to a grand and serene eighteenth-century style. In 1948 died in Palazzo Malipiero the Venetian contemporary composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari.

Architecture.

As with most Venetian palaces, the Cà Grande (Great House) of Saint Samuel is built as two main superposed floors, but unlike other palaces, each floor is accessed by its own independent entrance hall, stairway and porta d'acqua (water door).  Through an ancient Byzantine door one accesses the "secondo piano nobile" (second main floor). The main door opens onto a large 17th-century entrance hall leading to the magnificent "primo piano nobile" (first main floor) and to the ancient medieval courtyard, the 19th-century garden and the door on the Grand Canal.  The architectural development of the "Cà Grande di San Samuele" is similar to the traditional evolution of many Venetian palaces, the freedom and the harmony of structures underpinning the vivid rhythms and original fascination of the city. In fact the structure of the building is made of three parts, each closely merged to the others, representing three eras: the Byzantine style, the International Gothic style and the seventeenth century one.  The original part of the building was probably built between the 10th and 11th centuries by Soranzo family in Venetian-Byzantine style, as evidenced by the large door (number 3201) and the quadruple windows with round arches (later amalgamated into the gothic structure) visible on the San Samuele side. In the middle of the 14th century, the Soranzo added the third floor (the second main floor) to the Cà Grande, as evidenced by the pointed arch windows.  This Gothic design was perfectly amalgamated with the floor below, respecting and incorporating elements of the older construction. By the mid-15th century the Cappello decided to expand the narrow palace. Building on an unused area on the garden's side, the facade on the Grand Canal was widened to the dimensions we see today.  Restoring and enlarging the building was also the main concern of Caterino Malipiero, as testified by the date 1622 engraved with the initials K.M. on the main door accessing the large Palace entrance. The family's coat-of-arms with cock's claws is also proudly sculpted there. In the second half of the seventeenth century, Palazzo Malipiero, its architecture ignoring Baroque, was one of the richest and most meaningful buildings in Venice.  The etching of the palace in 1718 by Luca Carlevarijs shows the palace ended after the two main entrances and a Calle borders its back end and separates it from the other houses that now are part of the building. The drawing clearly depicts further back the then-called Calle della Commedia. In the first half of 18th century the Malipiero family, according to a now lost architectural plan, decided to connect the palace with some houses abutting it on its rear, eliminating the Calle Malipiero that separated them. The facade on Campo San Samuele was extended backwards by 30 meters; the garden was widened to include part of a pre-existing Ramo Malipiero which bordered the Palace on the garden side, and a new perspective was created from the Palace's main entrance to the garden. In the early 1950s Marco Barnabò Sr gave the renovation project of the palace, its interior and to the garden to Nino Barbantini who was at the time Director of the Ca' Rezzonico museum of 18th-century Venice.  St. Samuel parish cultural life was revived after 1950 with the restoration and establishment of the Palazzo Grassi as a Cultural Center was established. Palazzo Malipiero now hosts the exhibition spaces of "Studio d'Arte Barnabò Gallery" and "Il Tridente" multimedia publishing house. From the 1997 Venice Biennale, the Palazzo Malipiero hosts the official Slovenian pavilion and from the 2011 the official Montenegro pavilion, which featured artist Marina Abramović, together with many other art exhibitions.

Garden.

The garden of Palazzo Malipiero was created, together with many others, at the end of the eighteenth century, when the large palace gardens situated on the outskirts of the city disappeared because of residential and industrial development.  No doubt due to the particularities of the building plan, with a large entrance hall connecting Campo San Samuele to the courtyard, the garden's layout is most original: the area, compartmented by a simple design of hedge lines, extends along the building and is aligned both on the courtyard and the Grand Canal.  Thus the garden, when viewed from the Grand Canal, is divided in two symmetrical parts centred on a Hercule's Nymph fountain. The latter is also aligned with the 17th century entrance hall, so that a perspective view can be seen when entering the palace from the main door, through to the fountain a statue of Neptune inserted in the opposite garden wall.  In the garden has been placed the large well (originally in the inner courtyard) that, with the family coat-of-arms and the sculpted figures of the bride and bridegroom Elisabetta e Caterino, bear witness to the union between the Cappellos and the Malipieros.  From the end of 19th century, a number of statues have contributed to enrich the garden landscaping. The hedge, thanks to its intense colouring and precise pruning, conveys a further sophisticated touch to this precious garden.

Giacomo Casanova and the Malipiero Family.

Between 1656 and 1676, as a result of the construction of two popular theatres, the neighborhood of the San Samuele parish acquired a more seedy reputation. This was also true for the palace. For some years after 1740, Giacomo Casanova lived in Palazzo Malipiero. In spite of his young age (he was just 15 years old), he began his successful social life in these very rooms. Giacomo had been born nearby on Calle della Commedia (later renamed Calle Malipiero), and as a confidant of Senator Alvise Gasparo Malipiero (Alvise II "Gasparo" Malipiero in Italian), he began frequenting the palace.  Here he established relationships with some influential persons and with a great many ladies. But one day the Senator caught him with Teresa Imer, whom the Senator desired for himself, and Casanova was expelled from the Palace, and subsequently Venice. Casanova left a lively portrait of Alvise Gasparo in his "Memoires". The latter work depicts the Venetian customs in the 18th century. Amid this age of the decadence, when Venice became a destination for gamblers, prostitutes, and patrons, the fortunes of the Malipiero also suffered and finally by the 1770 the family extinguished.

Palazzo Malipiero is a palace in Venice, Italy. It is located on the Grand Canal in the central Campo San Samuele. It stands just across from Palazzo Grassi Exhibition Center. The adjacent Italian-style garden with a view on the Grand Canal, a rarity in Venice, makes it even more distinctive. Initially built in a Byzantine style, over the centuries it has undergone some modifications.

Palazzo Malipiero, auch Palazzo Cappello Malipiero Barnabò oder Palazzo Malipiero Cappello, früher auch Ca’ Granda de San Samuel genannt, ist ein Palast in Venedig in der italienischen Region Venetien. Er liegt im Sestiere San Marco mit Blick auf den Canal Grande neben der Kirche San Samuele und dem Ca’ del Duca.


History.

Until the 17th century, the area was controlled by the McCartan clan. Around the mid-1600s, Patrick McCartan sold lands around Ballynahinch to Sir George Rawdon, agent to Viscount Conway, and Sir William Petty, a surveyor from Hampshire. Before his death in 1687, Petty leased his interest in the land leaving Sir George in sole possession. He built two corn mills and founded the town with a market square. In 1683 Charles II of England granted the town a patent to hold a Thursday market and two fairs every 1 February and 29 June. Settlers from lowland Scotland increased the population and Ballynahinch grew as a market town with the sale of livestock, corn, potatoes and increasingly, flax was being cultivated. Sir John Rawdon, descendant of Sir George and now the Earl of Moira took up residence in Montalto house in Ballynahinch. He made significant improvements to the estate and to the town by promoting the linen market and causing the market house to be built. By the end of the eighteenth century sales in the market were grossing around £300 per week and the town was prospering. Unfortunately it was about to suffer a setback.  The Society of United Irishmen launched a rebellion in 1798. It began in Leinster and quickly spread to Ulster. The United Irishmen had been founded in 1791 by liberal Protestants in Belfast. Its goal was to unite Catholics and Protestants and make Ireland an independent republic. Although its membership was mainly Catholic, many of its leaders and members in northeast Ulster were Protestant. The Battle of Ballynahinch began on 12 June 1798, when about 4000 United Irishmen camped at Ballynahinch were besieged by the British Army. The British bombarded the town with cannon for a full day until the United Irishmen retreated. Following this, the British burnt sixty-three houses in Ballynahinch and its hinterland. The commander of the United Irishmen, Henry Munro, was betrayed, captured and executed shortly after.  Montalto and Ballynahinch was sold in 1802 to David Ker Esq. who took advantage of the rising fashion for 'taking the waters' amongst tourists with money and developed the medicinal spa wells just over two miles outside the town. The village continued to expand thereafter.  In mid-1920, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) barracks at Ballynahinch was subject to a bomb attack by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).  On 16 October 1986 Terence Mullan age 31 and Kathleen Mullan age 79, both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters at their home, Dromore Road, Ballynahinch.  Then British Prime Minister John Major visited Ballynahinch in December 1996.  Ballynahinch is the site of Montalto Estate, Montalto House and The Carriage Rooms. The latter of which was the setting for Disney's The Lodge.

Demography.

Ballynahinch is classified as a Small Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 4,500 and 10,000). On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 5,703 people living in Ballynahinch (2,326 households), accounting for 0.31% of the Northern Ireland total and representing an increase of 6.3% on the Census 2001 figure of 5,363. Of these:

Transport.

Traffic congestion.

The town is well known for its heavy congestion. A bypass is proposed for the town. Geological surveys were conducted over twenty years ago to determine the route of the bypass but money has never been allocated by the Department of the Environment. In the 1990s various traffic control measures were introduced including the present one way system, however all have failed to cope with the sheer volume of traffic which passes through the town daily, particularly evenings.  In January 2012 The Minister for Regional Development made the following announcement: "Roads Service approved the stage 2 preferred options report for the scheme, including the recommendation for a preferred line for the A24 Ballynahinch bypass scheme around the eastern outskirts and adjacent to the development limit of the town. That line will run from the junction of the A24 Belfast Road and the A21 Saintfield Road, which is north of the town, to the junction of the A24 Drumaness Road and the B2 Downpatrick Road, which is south of the town, at a distance of approximately 3.1 km. The scheme will involve substantial earthworks to traverse the drumlin topography and ground conditions along the route, which includes the flood plain of the Ballynahinch River. Three substantial structures will be required where the route crosses Moss Road, Crossgar Road and the Ballynahinch river." There will also be a junction with the B7 Crossgar Road.  However this just shows the advanced nature of the planning rather than imminent construction; The official position is still that construction will take place between 2014 and 2019.

Ballynahinch () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 5,703 people in the 2011 Census.

Ballynahinch (irisch: "Baile na hInse", dt.: „Siedlung der Insel/der Wasserwiese“) ist eine nordirische Stadt im County Down. Sie hat 5703 Einwohner (2011 Census). Der District seit 2015 ist Newry, Mourne and Down.


History.

The castle dates to Antiquity, and its fortifications follow the trace of an acropolis, with four subsequent phases of reconstruction, ranging from the early Byzantine period to the late Middle Ages. The name "Sopot" is of Slavic origin. In medieval Greek documents, the castle is named "Sopoton" or "Sopotos", from which its name in other languages derives; its harbour is mentioned in Greek portolans with the name "Gazopolis".  The site is first mentioned in the early 13th century, when archbishop Demetrios Chomatenos wrote of the "archonship of "Sopotos"" (, "archontia Sopotou"), part of the region of Vagenetia. In 1258, the Despot of Epirus Michael II Komnenos Doukas gave the castle along with Buthrotum and the island of Corfu as dowry for his daughter Helena to Manfred, King of Sicily. It came back under Epirote control soon thereafter, before being once again ceded by Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas to Charles I of Anjou in 1279. The area returned again to Epirote hands in the subsequent decades, but in the Epirote rebellion against Palaiologan Byzantine rule in 1338–39, it remained loyal to Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.  Following the Ottoman conquest, a cadaster from 1431 lists "Sopot" with 60 households, and as capital of a "nahiye". In 1456, troops of King Alfonso V of Aragon were operating in the area of "Sobato" against the Ottomans. In 1470 it was under Venetian control, under the jurisdiction of the governor of Corfu; at the end of the Ottoman–Venetian War of 1463–1479, the Ottomans laid claim to it and apparently received it, for in 1488 the local Albanian population rebelled against Ottoman rule.  The walls of the castle, which follow the ancient fortifications, survive. In the interior, the medieval fortress was divided through a wall in two. Triangular towers were added later, probably during the middle Byzantine period. In the interior of the castle stand ruins of various buildings and cisterns.

Borsh Castle () also known as Sopot Castle () from the hill it is located, is a ruined castle near the village Borsh, Albania, near the coast of the Ionian Sea. Inside the castle is the 17th-century Hajji Bendo Mosque from Ottoman times.

Die Burg von Sopot ( oder ) gilt zusammen mit der innerhalb der Burgmauern liegenden osmanischen Moschee des Haxhi Bendo () als Wahrzeichen des Ortes Borsh in Südalbanien.


1941.

After shakedown in the Caribbean, "Lansdale" departed Boston on 18 January 1941 for Neutrality patrol duty in the Caribbean. She cruised off Cuba, the Virgin Islands, Martinique, and the British West Indies before returning to Boston on 6 March. After escort training along the Atlantic coast, she screened transports from Charleston, South Carolina, to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, in late June, then departed Argentia on 30 June on a neutrality-patrol run to Iceland. During the remainder of the year, she made three escort runs between Newfoundland and Iceland. "En route" to Hvalfjörður, Iceland, when the United States entered the war against the Axis, she steamed to Boston from 15–24 December.

1942.

"Lansdale" escorted seven troopships from New York City to Key West from 22–27 January 1942 before arriving Casco Bay, Maine on 1 February to serve as plane guard for the aircraft carrier. For the next six months, anti-submarine warfare patrols and escort run carried her from the eastern seaboard to Iceland, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, and the Gulf of Mexico. From 8–21 May, she patrolled the Atlantic between Puerto Rico and Bermuda with the light cruisers and, after which she resumed convoy screening out of Norfolk, Virginia.  On 9 August, "Lansdale" joined a convoy out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, bound for Northern Ireland. Arriving Lisahally on the 18th, she returned as escort from Greenock, Scotland, to New York from 27 August to 5 September. After escorting another convoy from New York via Halifax to Northern Ireland, she returned to New York from 10–21 October as screen for the battleship, then departed on 2 November with Task Force 38 (TF 38) to escort convoy UGF 2 to north Africa. Arriving Safi, French Morocco on 18 November, she patrolled approaches to Safi and Casablanca until 22 December, when she sailed for New York in a convoy of 41 transports and six escorts.

1943.

Reaching New York on 10 January 1943, she underwent overhaul until 30 January, when she departed with a convoy for Northern Ireland. She reached Derry on 9 February, joined with units of the 42nd British Escort Group, and departed on 15 February to escort tanker convoy UC 1 from the United Kingdom to the West Indies. As the convoy steamed south of the Azores on the 23rd, a German wolf pack of six to 10 submarines made early morning and late night attacks that sank three tankers and damaged two others. "Lansdale" made several ASW counterattacks without known results, but two nights later she hit a submerging U-boat with gunfire. Although scattered night attacks continued until the 27th, prompt, aggressive counterattacks by American escorts prevented further losses by the Americans.  "Lansdale" arrived Port-au-Spain, Trinidad on 6 March as escort for SS "Maasyerk" before proceeding on 8–9 March to Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles for more escort duty. From 20 March to 6 October, she made eight escort runs between the Caribbean and the United Kingdom, three convoy runs between Curaçao and New York, and periodic escort and patrol runs to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

1944.

Continuing escort duty out of Norfolk, Virginia, "Lansdale" made a run to Casablanca and back from 3 November to 17 December before sailing again for north Africa on 13 January 1944. She reached Casablanca on 1 February and continued the next day via Oran and Algiers to Tunis where she arrived the 10th. After escorting the light cruiser to Algiers, she arrived Pozzuoli, Italy on 14 February for operations off the Anzio beachhead. Until returning to Oran from 22–26 March, she searched for German submarines and screened the light cruiser during fire support and shore bombardment operations from Naples to Anzio.  "Lansdale" departed Oran on 10 April and joined convoy UGS 37, composed of 60 merchant ships and six LSTs, bound from Norfolk to Bizerte. At 23:30 on 11 April, some 16 to 25 German Dornier and Junkers bombers attacked the convoy off Cape Bengut, Algeria. During the next hour, the planes lit the night with flares and struck at the tightly formed convoy with torpedoes and radio-controlled bombs. Although the destroyer escort took a torpedo hit amidships, warning of an impending attack, an effective smokescreen, and massive, accurate anti-aircraft fire repulsed the enemy planes. While losing four planes, the Germans failed to sink a single ship.  Leaving UGS 37 on 12 April, "Lansdale" escorted three merchant ships from Oran to westbound convoy GUS 36. Then she sailed from Oran 18 April to join UGS 38 the next day. Stationed off the port bow of the Bizerte-bound convoy, she served as a "jam ship" against radio-controlled bombs, in addition to screening against U-boats. As the ships hugged the Algerian coast during first watch on 20 April, they approached approximately the same position off Cape Bengut where the "Luftwaffe" had attacked UGS 37 on 11–12 April. Though warned of possible attack during the afternoon and evening, the ships had little chance to avoid the strike unleashed by the Germans shortly after 21:00.  Attacking as twilight faded on 20 April, the German planes, flying close to shore and low over the water, evaded radar detection until they were almost upon the convoy. Some 18 to 24 Junkers and Heinkel bombers struck in three waves, minutes after the destroyer escort of the outer screen reported, "They are all around me...they are enemy, they are enemy."  The first wave of about nine Junkers Ju 88s attacked from dead ahead. Their torpedoes damaged SS "Samite" and detonated high explosives aboard, blowing her out of the water and killing all 580 men on board. The second wave of about seven Junkers hit the starboard flank of the convoy and damaged two more merchant ships, one fatally. And the third, consisting of about five Heinkel He 111s, bore down on the convoy's port bow, "Lansdale"s station.

Loss.

Silhouetted by the explosion of "Paul Hamilton" at 21:04, "Lansdale" was attacked from both port and starboard by planes from two and possibly three waves. As Heinkels approached on the port bow and launched two torpedoes that missed, "Lansdale" turned to starboard to repel five Ju 88s which had veered seaward from the convoy. Her guns hit one as it passed down the starboard side; but, as it crashed well astern, another launched a torpedo on the starboard beam before passing over the forecastle under heavy fire and going down on the port quarter.  The torpedo struck the starboard side forward about 21:06, wrecking the forward fireroom and opening both sides to the sea. Almost split in two, "Lansdale" immediately took a 12° list to port. Her rudder jammed 22° to starboard, and she steamed at in a clockwise circle.  At 21:12, she again came under attack. Two bombers launched torpedoes on the beam and broad on the bow to port but both missed the still-turning ship. Despite the increasing list, her guns downed one of the planes as it turned away from the ship.  At 21:20, the course of the ship straightened out, but the list increased steadily. Within two minutes, it reached 45° despite the efforts of her crew to control the battle damage. Her skipper, Lt. Cdr. D. M. Swift, ordered her abandoned when he feared the stricken ship might roll "completely over." By 21:30, the list had increased to 80° and the destroyer began to break up. Five minutes later she broke in half, and the stern section quickly sank. The forward section sank 20 minutes later as destroyer escorts and began rescue operations.  The two destroyer escorts swept the water from 21:55-03:30 the next morning searching for survivors. "Menges" picked up 115 men, including two German fliers who were shot down either by "Lansdale" or "Newell". "Newell" rescued 119 survivors, including Lt. Cdr. Swift. Another survivor was Robert M. Morgenthau, later district attorney of New York County (Manhattan). Forty-seven officers and men were carried down with "Lansdale".  Lt. William B. Neal, Jr. was cited for distinguished heroism following the attack, receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Although injured, he continued to provide first aid after the order to abandon ship was given. He continued for over thirty-six hours, saving several lives.

Awards.

"Lansdale" received four battle stars for World War II service.

The second USS "Lansdale" (DD-426) was a in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Philip Lansdale.

Die USS Lansdale (DD-426) war ein im September 1940 in Dienst gestellter Zerstörer der United States Navy. Das Schiff gehörte der Benson-Klasse an und stand im Zweiten Weltkrieg im Einsatz, ehe es am 20. April 1944 durch einen deutschen Fliegerangriff vor der Küste Algeriens versenkt wurde. 74 Besatzungsmitglieder kamen dabei ums Leben.


Presentation.

Patients usually begin to notice symptoms in their 50s and the course is usually slowly progressive. Common features include peripheral neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, and hemolytic anemia. Other features include limb chorea, facial tics, other oral movements (lip and tongue biting), seizures, a late-onset dementia, and behavioral changes.

Genetics.

The McLeod phenotype is a recessive mutation of the Kell blood group system. The McLeod gene encodes the XK protein, which is located on the X chromosome, and has the structural characteristics of a membrane transport protein but an unknown function. Absence of the XK protein is an X-linked disease. Mutational variants result in McLeod syndrome either with or without neuroacanthocytosis: the gene on the X chromosome for McLeod syndrome is physically close to the gene for chronic granulomatous disease. As a result, an individual with one relatively small deletion may have both diseases.  The phenotype may be present without the syndrome presenting.

Diagnosis.

Laboratory features.

McLeod syndrome is one of only a few disorders in which acanthocytes may be found on the peripheral blood smear. Blood evaluation may show signs of hemolytic anemia. Elevated creatine kinase can be seen with myopathy in McLeod syndrome.

Radiologic and pathologic features.

MRI shows increased T2 signal in the lateral putamen with caudate atrophy and secondary lateral ventricular dilation. Necropsy shows loss of neurons and gliosis in the caudate and globus pallidus. Similar changes may also be seen in the thalamus, substantia nigra, and putamen. The cerebellum and cerebral cortex are generally spared.

Treatment.

There is no cure for McLeod syndrome; the treatment is supportive depending on symptoms. Medication may assist with management of epilepsy, and cardiac and psychiatric features, although patients may respond poorly to treatment for chorea.

Prognosis.

A typical patient with severe McLeod syndrome that begins in adulthood lives for an additional 5 to 10 years. Patients with cardiomyopathy have elevated risk for congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. The prognosis for a normal life span is often good in some patients with mild neurological or cardiac sequelae.

Epidemiology.

McLeod syndrome is present in 0.5 to 1 per 100,000 of the population. McLeod males have variable acanthocytosis due to a defect in the inner leaflet bilayer of the red blood cell, as well as mild hemolysis. McLeod females have only occasional acanthocytes and very mild hemolysis; the lesser severity is thought to be due to X chromosome inactivation via the Lyon effect. Some individuals with McLeod phenotype develop myopathy, neuropathy, or psychiatric symptoms, producing a syndrome that may mimic chorea.  McLeod syndrome can cause an increase in the enzymes creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) found in routine blood screening.

History.

McLeod syndrome was discovered in 1961 and, as with the Kell antigen system, was named after the first patient in which it was found: Harvard dental student Hugh McLeod, whose red blood cells were observed to have weak expression of Kell system antigens during blood donation, and found to be acanthocytic (spiky) under the microscope.  The wives of King Henry VIII of England show a pattern of pregnancies and infant deaths, which with his mental deterioration suggest that the king may have been Kell positive and suffered from McLeod syndrome.

McLeod syndrome (pronounced ) is an X-linked recessive genetic disorder that may affect the blood, brain, peripheral nerves, muscle, and heart. It is caused by a variety of recessively inherited mutations in the XK gene on the X chromosome. The gene is responsible for producing the Kx protein, a secondary supportive protein for the Kell antigen on the red blood cell surface.

Das McLeod-Syndrom (Synonyme: "McLeod Neuro-Akanthozytose-Syndrom; Myopathie mit Akanthozytose, benige X-gebundene, XkLocus") ist eine sehr seltene geschlechtsgebunden vererbte Erkrankung mit einer Kombination von Muskelschwäche, „Stachelzellbildung“ (Akanthozyten) der roten Blutkörperchen und abnormaler geringer Genexpression des Kell-Blutgruppen-Antigens.


World War II.

"Thetis Bay" got underway for [[San Diego]] where she conducted brief shakedown training. On 2 June, she moved to [[San Pedro, California|San Pedro]] to load planes and passengers for Pacific bases. The new escort carrier put out to sea on 5 June; called at [[Pearl Harbor]] on the 11th; and continued on, via [[Makin (islands)|Makin]] and [[Majuro]], to [[Kwajalein]]. There, she embarked the Army's 50th Engineer Battalion which she offloaded at Pearl Harbor on 5 July.  [[File:USS Thetis Bay (CVE-90) in August 1944.jpg|thumb|left|"Thetis Bay" in August 1944 in her original configuration.]]  Two days later, the carrier got underway for [[Alameda, California|Alameda]] with 41 aircraft that needed repairs. She arrived on 13 July and, after offloading the aircraft, proceeded to [[Terminal Island]] for a three-week yard period. Between 11 August and 13 September, the escort carrier delivered spare parts, replacement aircraft, and personnel to Hawaii and the Marshalls. From September 1944 through mid-April 1945, "Thetis Bay" made five round-trip voyages from California ports to bases in the Pacific ranging from Pearl Harbor to [[Finschhaven]], [[New Guinea]].  On 12 June 1945, "Thetis Bay" arrived at Pearl Harbor from San Diego with a load of aircraft. There, the aircraft were readied for combat within 72 hours; and the ship got underway for [[Guam]]. She arrived at [[Apra Harbor]] on 25 June and was assigned to Task Group 30.8 for duty as a replenishment carrier. "Thetis Bay" made her first rendezvous with Task Force 38 on 12 July when she transferred 40 planes to various carriers. She returned to Guam on 22 July and remained there until 24 July to load more aircraft before joining the fast carriers again on the 31st. The ship reloaded at Guam once more and resupplied the task force from 14 August to 8 September when she returned to Apra Harbor en route to the United States.  "Thetis Bay" arrived at Alameda on 7 September 1945 and was assigned to "[[operation Magic Carpet (World War II)|Magic-Carpet]]" duty, returning veterans from overseas bases to the United States. She served in this capacity until January 1946 when she began inactivation. The ship was placed out of commission, in reserve, at [[Bremerton, Washington]], on 7 August 1946.  [[File:USS Thetis Bay CVE-90 1944NAN4-75.jpg|thumb|left|"Thetis Bay" transporting planes in 1944.]]

Recommissioning as CVHA-1.

In May 1955, "Thetis Bay" was towed to the [[San Francisco Naval Shipyard]] where she began conversion to the Navy's first assault helicopter aircraft carrier. On 1 July 1955, her designation was changed from CVE-90 to CVHA-1. With that change, she became a complement to the attack transport. Her helicopters supplemented landing craft to give the Navy and Marine Corps the flexibility of a vertical assault capability. She was recommissioned on 20 July 1956, Captain Thomas W. South, II, in command, and completed conversion six weeks later on 1 September.  The carrier arrived at her new home port, [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], on 20 September. There, helicopter teams from Marine Corps Test Unit No. 1, [[Camp Pendleton]], demonstrated landing and take-off techniques. "Thetis Bay" participated in amphibious training exercises off the California coast before deploying to the Far East on 10 July 1957. She returned to Long Beach on 11 December 1957 and resumed local operations. On 28 May 1959, her designation was changed to [[Landing Platform Helicopter|LPH-6]], [[amphibious assault ship]].  In August 1959, "Thetis Bay" was serving with the 7th Fleet when floods in Taiwan left thousands homeless. On the 12th, she was ordered to proceed from [[Hong Kong]] to Taiwan and use [[HMM-261|HMR(L)-261's]] (USMC) 21 large troop-carrying helicopters to aid the flood victims. By the end of the assistance operation, at noon of the 20th, the ship had delivered a total of 1,600,540 pounds of supplies to the Chinese. In addition, HMR(L)-261's helicopters had lifted 850 passengers to and from various sites in the flooded area.  In May 1960, "Thetis Bay" participated in a practice night assault landing at Camp Pendleton during which her helicopters carried 1,300 troops and 33 tons of cargo to the objective area. This was the first large-scale night landing of ground forces by carrier-based helicopters.  "Thetis Bay" deployed to the western Pacific in the spring of 1961. After the assault ship returned to Long Beach, she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. She arrived at Norfolk, her new home port, in early December 1961.  During the next three years, the ship operated along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean. The highlight of her service with the Atlantic Fleet came during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] in October 1962 when she proceeded to the quarantine area with her embarked marine landing team and helicopter squadron ready for action. In September 1963 "Thetis Bay" proceeded to hurricane-stricken [[Haiti]]. She anchored off [[Port-au-Prince]] and launched Marine helicopters carrying medical aid and food supplies to thousands of victims of [[Hurricane Flora]].  "Thetis Bay" stood out of Norfolk on 5 January 1964 en route to [[Philadelphia]] for deactivation and arrived there the next day. She was decommissioned and struck from the Navy List on 1 March 1964. Her hulk was sold in December 1964 to Peck Iron & Metal Co., Inc., [[Portsmouth, Virginia]], for scrap.

References.

[[Category:Casablanca-class escort carriers]] [[Category:World War II escort aircraft carriers of the United States]] [[Category:Cold War amphibious assault ships of the United States]] [[Category:Ships built in Vancouver, Washington]] [[Category:1944 ships]]

USS "Thetis Bay" (CVE-90/CVHA-1/LPH-6) was a of the United States Navy. Though not the last of the class to be built, she was the last "Casablanca" class hull to be scrapped.

Die USS Thetis Bay (CVE-90/CVHA-1/LPH-6) war ein im April 1944 in Dienst gestellter Geleitflugzeugträger der United States Navy. Das Schiff gehörte der Casablanca-Klasse an und war während des Zweiten Weltkriegs im Einsatz, ehe es ab 1946 in der Reserveflotte lag. 1956 folgte eine erneute Indienststellung als Hubschrauberträger und ab 1959 als Amphibisches Angriffsschiff. 1964 wurde die "Thetis Bay" endgültig ausgemustert und im selben Jahr abgewrackt.


Premise.

Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a suave, Polish-American freelance investigator based in Boston, who solved seemingly impossible thefts (see locked room mystery). He then collected from the insurance companies 10% of the insured value of the recovered property. One of Banacek's verbal signatures was the quotation of strangely worded yet curiously cogent "Polish" proverbs such as:  Part of the joke was that Ralph Manza as Banacek's chauffeur Jay Drury, would often ask "What does it mean, Boss?" Banacek also had a running agreement with his chauffeur for a 10% share of Banacek's 10% if he solved the crime. Mr. Drury was never at a loss for a potential solution which Banacek would always manage to shoot down with his very next line. Another recurring gag was for other characters to mispronounce his name, often, particularly in the case of rivals, deliberately. The name "Banaczek" (as pronounced in the show) is actually quite rare in Poland.  Also featured were Murray Matheson as rare-bookstore owner and information source Felix Mulholland and Christine Belford as Carlie Kirkland, Banacek's sometime-lover and always-rival. Felix was the series' only character to ever call Banacek by his first name.  Banacek's success as an investigator allowed him to live well. He had a mansion at 85 Mt. Vernon Street, (the second Harrison Gray Otis house and the same house used in "The Thomas Crown Affair" starring Steve McQueen) on Beacon Hill in Boston. He had a limousine and driver. He owned and drove an antique 1941 Packard convertible. He had a mobile radio telephone in each of his cars at a time when these devices were uncommon and expensive. Banacek was intelligent, well-educated, cultured and suave. He was an unapologetic ladies man who enjoyed the company of beautiful women, but he was street-smart and could engage in violent hand-to-hand fighting if the moment called for it; in one episode he mentions having learned combat judo in the marine corps (Peppard really did serve in the United States Marine Corps, rising to the rank of corporal while he was enlisted).  "The Thomas Crown Affair" premise had been that a bored, wealthy Boston businessman (McQueen) masterminds a crime, leading to a match of wits with an insurance investigator (Faye Dunaway) who collects a 10 percent fee from the insurance company if she solves the case. "Banacek" borrowed elements of both characters and plot points.

Production.

In general, the series was shot on the Universal Studios backlot, though location scenes were filmed around Los Angeles in areas that could pass for Boston, or rural areas near there. The episode titled "If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?" was shot on location at the California Institute of the Arts around the time the school first opened. "Ten Thousand Dollars A Page" was filmed at the Pasadena Art Museum, later known as the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art and now the Norton Simon Museum of Art.  A customized 1969 American Motors AMX was built by George Barris for the second regular-season episode. The car became known as the AMX-400 and it is now owned by an automobile collector. Other continuing cars in the series were a 1941 Packard 180 with a Victoria body designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin (license plate number 178344), a 1973 Corvette (driven by Ms. Kirkland) and a 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine (mobile telephone number KL 17811). In keeping with both the exotic car theme and the humor between Banacek and his driver Jay Drury, he was even chauffeured around in a Willys MB, Jeep CJ2A, and a CJ6, as well as a brand new Ford/De Tomaso Pantera.  In preparation for both the pilot, first, and then the second seasons, the cast went to Boston and filmed a variety of background scenes. These scenes were then used through the series and are especially shown in the opening scenes, including Banacek rowing on the Charles River and walking through Government Center. In the pilot, Banacek's car pulls into his Beacon Hill home, the historic Second Harrison Gray Otis House located at 85 Mount Vernon Street. In other episodes, views are shown of the Public Garden, the entry to Felix's bookstore at 50 Beacon Street, and the Esplanade. The Boston-filmed pieces were done by a second unit and directed by Peppard himself.

Reception.

Although the show had a mixture of humor and rather intricate plots, it never generated strong ratings. Despite this, the show was well received by critics. In addition, the Polish American Congress gave the series an award for portraying Polish Americans in a good manner.

Cancellation.

"Banacek" was well received by television critics, and as a result was picked up for a third season. However, before the third season could start, Peppard quit the show to prevent his ex-wife Elizabeth Ashley from receiving a larger percentage of his earnings as part of their divorce settlement. The complication ended any chance of reviving "Banacek" during Peppard's lifetime. A&E continued rebroadcasts of "Banacek" in syndication.

In popular culture.

The mentalist Steven Shaw adopted his stage name "Banachek" after the television program.  In 2018, "Banacek" was the subject of an episode-length parody in "The Simpsons" ("Homer Is Where The Art Isn't"), referencing items from the series' storytelling format to its establishing shots, including Goldenberg's theme music.

Home media.

Arts Alliance America has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1. Season one was released on May 15, 2007, without the series pilot. Season two was released on January 22, 2008, and included the pilot episode. On September 30, 2008, Arts Alliance released "Banacek: The Complete Series", a five-disc boxset featuring all 16 episodes.  In Region 2, Fabulous Films released both seasons on DVD in the UK on February 10, 2014.  In Region 4, Madman Entertainment has released both seasons on DVD in Australia.

Banacek is an American detective TV series starring George Peppard that aired on the NBC network from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating "NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie" anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several other shows, but was the only one of them to last beyond its first season.

Banacek ist eine US-amerikanische Krimiserie in Spielfilmlänge mit George Peppard in der Titelrolle als Privatdetektiv in Boston. Die insgesamt siebzehn Folgen wurden von 1972 bis 1974 im Rahmen des "NBC Mystery Movie" zunächst abwechselnd mit den frühzeitig abgesetzten Serien "Cool Million" und "Madigan" ausgestrahlt.


History.

Originally a part of Baku State University, it became a separate, independent institution in 1934. Over the years its name has changed a number of times and it was re-merged and re-separated from Baku State on several occasions. On its creation in 1930, the school was named the Trade-Cooperative Institute. In 1933, the government of Azerbaijan SSR changed the name to the "Azerbaijan Social-Economic University named after Karl Marx" (similar to the naming of the Azerbaijan Medical University named after Nariman Narimanov), and introduced curricula on accounting, law and finance. In 1936 the name was tweaked to the "Azerbaijan Social-Economic Institute named after Karl Marx". With the onset of World War II, UNEC was folded into Baku State University's Department of Economics. By 1944 the school was separated again, this time as the Azerbaijan National Economic Institute. It remained under this name until March 1959, when war caused it to be folded back into Baku State University.  In 1966 the school separated once again, and has remained independent since, initially as the Azerbaijan National Economic Institute named after Dadash Bunyadzade. In 1987 the name was changed to the Finance-Economic Institute; and in 2000 the name was finally changed to its current form by an act of the Azerbaijani government.  "Azerbaijan State Economic University" is the only state university that provides education in all fields of economics. The university has different specialties: Customs organization and management Business organization and management Commodity Research State regulation of the economy Price standardization and certificate  At the moment the University has 11364 Bachelor's and 738 Master's students at 20 faculties with 47 specialties.

Derbent branch.

The Derbent branch of the Azerbaijan State Economic University was founded in 1993 by Heydar Aliyev. However, the official opening of the branch of the Azerbaijan State Economic University in the city of Derbent of the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation was held only in November 2016. The total area of the Derbent branch is more than 11 thousand km2. There are 32 classrooms in the university, with a total capacity of 1,000 students. In the first year 69 people were recruited to the university. At the moment, students can study in four areas:  Along with this, branch students also can enjoy all the privileges and international relations of the university - so they can also receive double diplomas and participate in international exchanges.

Zagatala branch.

Under the Azerbaijan State University of Economics, there is also a branch in one of the north-western cities of Azerbaijan - Zagatala. The basis of the Zagatala branch was laid on the basis of the branch of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University under the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan of April 29, 2016. The official opening of the branch took place on September 15, 2016. Training takes place in 4 main directions:  The first set included 113 students from 37 different regions of Azerbaijan.

International Cooperation.

The Azerbaijan State University of Economics has connections with foreign universities.  Thus, ASUE cooperates with the Siegen University of Germany in the direction of organizing summer and winter schools. In 2016, a winter school was held at the University of Siegen, in which participated teachers and students from both universities. A joint project entitled "Entrepreneurship education: as the main factor in creation of jobs and employment in Azerbaijan" started in 2016 and is planned to be completed in 2019.  UNEC was declared the winner of the TEMPUS IV program of the 6th convocation for a project called "Development and improvement of university management in the field of international relations". As a winner, ASUE was awarded a grant for implementation by the European Commission. In 2017, this project, whose goal was the formation of international relations based on the attraction of students and teachers in the international educational environment, was realized. Closing ceremony was attended by such personalities as the rector of ASUE Adalat Muradov, head of the office of the national program Erasmus+ Azerbaijan Parviz Bagirov, representative of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan Yashar Omarov, UK University of Warwick Fellow James Kennedy, Vice-Rector for International Relations and Programs ASUE Shahin Bayramov and as well as representatives of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.  In 2015, for the first time in Azerbaijan, ASUE joined the International Program of the London University - the London School of Economics (LSE). Within the framework of this program, ASUE students receive education both in accordance with the curriculum of ASUE and in the curriculum of the London School of Economics. Students are provided with all the necessary materials and benefits, and upon completion of the training the students of this program receive two diplomas.  In addition to the London School of Economics and Politics, students can receive a second diploma from the French University of Montpellier in 2016. This can be done in two ways: students can go to the University of Montpellier from the third year to continue their studies for a year there, or continue their studies at ASUE, but according to the curricula of Montpellier. In both cases, students receive accreditation and a second diploma from the University of Montpellier.

Awards and Certificates.

2006 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics was awarded the "Golden Fortune" prize, which was held by the International Academy of Rating Technologies and Sociology. The university participated under the nomination "Rating of popularity". The award was given for the creation of a new model of economic education in the territory of the CIS. Before, ASUE received the "Silver Fortune" award in 2002.  2006 - ASUE was nominated for the National Award "Uğur". The prize was awarded for the fact that the university contributed to the development and advancement of science, as well as to the development of national cadres.  2007 - The University received the "University of the Year" award, which was held at the national level.  2007 - ASUE was awarded the “Intellect – 2007” Prize for the creation of the project of the Information and Library Center in ASUE.  2008 - At the conference held in Ankara, UNEC received an award for the contribution and development of the Turkic world and culture.  2009 - The International Academy of Professionals, which was established in Kiev in 1996, awarded the "Golden Medal" to the Azerbaijan State Economic University for merits in the scientific sphere and training of personnel.  2009 - The "Child of Motherland" award and the "Dada Gorgud" medal were awarded to the university rector for the fact that the University made a contribution to the development of Azerbaijan, from both economic and social sides. The award was presented by the Supreme Council of the Dada Gorgud Foundation.  2010 - Within the framework of the international image program "Millennium Award" ASUE received three awards - a diploma, a cup and an order for the fact that the university used modern educational technologies and introduced innovations in the educational system.  2015 - The University was awarded the certificate "Best Performance" for the best presentation at the 9th Azerbaijan International Education and Career Exhibition. This is the only university that received the certificate "Best Performance" at the exhibition, which was attended by more than 130 institutions of higher education from 16 countries.  2015 - Business School ASUE was recognized as a full member of the Accreditation of the Business School of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) for the first time in Azerbaijan.  2016 - UNEC retained its leadership among universities in Azerbaijan in accordance with the list identified by the rankings of the world's higher education institutions "The Ranking Web" and "Webometrics".  2016 - According to the latest results of 2016, introduced by uniRank, which determines the popularity of the world universities on the Internet, UNEC was the first among universities in Azerbaijan.

Interesting facts.

Setting for Novel "Ali and Nino".

Kurban Said's landmark novel, "Ali and Nino", opens in a classroom in the Economics University building in Baku. Ali Khan, the protagonist, took his final graduation exams in that building, which is located on one of Baku's most prestigious streets - Independence (Istiglaliyyat), though at the time of the novel, it was called Nikolay Street, named after the Russian czar Nicholas II. Nino's school, now Public School No. 132, was located across the street.  Curiously, both Yusif Vazir (Chamanzaminli) (1887-1943), the Core Author of "Ali and Nino", as well as Essad Bey / Lev Nussimbaum (1905-1942) both attended this school. Vazirov attended Baku Realni High School (having transferred in as a refugee from Shusha) beginning in 1906 and he graduated in 1909.  Lev Nussimbaum attended Men's Gymnasium No. 2, which at that time (1914-1920) was housed inside Baku Realni. Though Nussimbaum was often absent due to sickness and political unrest, he was enrolled from Junior Preparatory to the beginning of Fourth Grade when he fled the Bolshevik takeover of the Baku government (1920). This school offered classes through Eighth Grade. Documents indicate that Nussimbaum failed his Azerbaijani class in 1919, the only time records exist showing that he had enrolled in Azerbaijani.  For the first time in the country, the 7/24 library at UNEC allows students to easily prepare for classes and exams.

Azerbaijan State University of Economics () is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. UNEC was founded in 1930 and it is one of the biggest educational institutions of the South Caucasus. UNEC has 14 faculties, where 18.5 thousand students get education, and it offers master programs in 57 specialties, employing more than 1000 teachers, including 62 professors and 344 docents, among whom there are active members of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, New York Academy of Sciences, winners of state awards, honored teachers and scientists. UNEC is a full member of the European University Association, Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, University Council of Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and Eurasian Association of Universities. Foreign students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate coourses at UNEC are approximately 650 out of 18,400 student enrollment overall.

Die Aserbaidschanische Staatliche Wirtschaftsuniversität (ASWU;, ADİU) ist eine Universität in Baku, Aserbaidschan. Die ASWU wurde 1930 gegründet und ist eine der größten Bildungseinrichtungen im Südkaukasus. Die ASWU hat 14 Fakultäten, an welchen (2019) 18.000 Studenten ausgebildet werden. In 57 Studienrichtungen werden Masterstudiengänge angeboten. Von den etwa 1000 Lehrkräften darunter 62 Professoren und 344 Dozenten sind auch Mitglieder der Aserbaidschanischen Nationalen Akademie der Wissenschaften sowie der New York Akademie der Wissenschaften.


History.

The Polverara chicken takes its name from Polverara, a small town in the rural Saccisica area of the province of Padova. The early history of the Polverara breed is unclear, as is its relationship to the Padovana. The Polverara is a larger breed, with a smaller crest and beard. It has been suggested both that it derives from the Padovana, and that the Padovana derives from it.  Two sources provide evidence of crested chickens in Europe in Roman times: the two marble statuettes of crested chickens noticed in the Sala degli Animali ("animal hall") of the Vatican Museums in 1927 by Alessandro Ghigi date from the 1st or 2nd century AD; a chicken skull excavated at West Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire in England shows the typical cerebral hernia of the crested breeds and dates from the 4th century.  The first reference to the chickens of Polverara is from Bernardino Scardeone (1478–1554), who writes of the Saccisica: "this area is... famous for the abundance of chickens of remarkable size, particularly in the village of Polverara". Alessandro Tassoni (1565–1635), in his mock-heroic poem "La Secchia Rapita" ("The Stolen Bucket", 1622) speaks of "... Polverara, which is the kingdom of cocks".  A painting by Giovanni Agostino Cassana (1658–1720) in the Musei Civici degli Eremitani, the city museums of Padova, shows a woman spinning thread in a rural landscape, surrounded by a number of domestic animals, including a crested white hen that closely resembles the Polverara breed.  By the late 19th century a decline in the breed, attributed to inter-breeding with other chickens, was already apparent. Despite various attempts by breeders to preserve it, and the institution by the comune of Polverara in 1925 of an annual prize of 300 lire to be awarded to the best breeder, the Polverara chicken declined through most of the 20th century. A rustic breed that adapted poorly to intensive farming, its numbers fell until only seven remained. From the 1980s, new efforts were made to recover and reconstitute it. It was included in the 1996 official standard of the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Avicole, the federation of Italian poultry associations, which is the authority governing poultry breeding in Italy. It is under the protection of the European Community.  Breed numbers remain low. A study published in 2007 used a figure of approximately 1200 for the total breeding stock, of which approximately 300 were cocks.

Characteristics.

Two colours are recognised for the Polverara, black and white. The black variety is deep black with strong dark green lights; the legs are a greenish slate colour, and the beak dark with black lines. The white variety is pure white, with willow-green legs and pinkish yellow beak. The skin is white. The crest is small and upward-facing, the comb small and V-shaped. The wattles are small, the ear-lobes of medium size and pure white. Average weight is for cocks, for hens. The eggs are whitish and weigh at least 50 g. Ring size is 18 mm for cocks, 16 mm for hens.

Uses.

The Polverara is a dual-purpose breed. It is kept in the open as it adapts poorly to captivity, and may roost in trees where available. Cocks easily reach 3 kg in weight. Hens lay at least 150 eggs a year. The meat is darker than in some other breeds, and is delicate and well-flavoured.

The Polverara, also known as Schiatta or S'ciata, is an ancient breed of crested chicken from the area of Polverara in the province of Padova, in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy.

Das Polverara-Huhn ist eine alte italienische Hühnerrasse. Es stammt aus Polverara in der Provinz Padua und gehört zu den Haubenhühnern. Seine Ursprünge werden, wie die des mit ihm verwandten Paduanerhuhns, in Osteuropa vermutet. Die Rasse existiert mit schwarzem und weißem Gefieder und hat einen V-förmigen Kamm vor der Haube.


The former KB Bridge.

The original Koror–Babeldaob Bridge was a balanced cantilever prestressed concrete box girder bridge with a main span of 240.8 m and total length of 385.6 m (1265 ft). In addition to carrying traffic, it also carried piping and conduits for fresh water and electricity. It was designed by Dyckerhoff & Widmann AG and Alfred A. Yee and Associates. It was constructed by Dyckerhoff & Widmann AG, contractor was Palau based Korean company, Socio Construction Co. It was the world's largest bridge of its type, until its record was broken by the 260 m span of the Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, finished in 1985.  The middle hinge point of the bridge began to noticeably sag in the middle 10 years after its completion. This led to two studies carried out by Louis Berger International and the Japan international Co-operation Agency in 1990. They concluded that the bridge was "safe" as of now (in 100 year increments it will cave in 90 cm) and the large deflections were due to creep and the modulus of elasticity of the concrete in place being lower than anticipated.  On September 26, 1996, after having reinforcement work done, the bridge suddenly collapsed and shut off fresh water and electricity between the islands. In addition, the collapse killed two people and injured four more. This caused the government to declare a state of emergency. By request of Kuniwo Nakamura, then the country's President and foreign minister, Japan provided emergency aid as well as a temporary bridge.

Reason for the collapse.

The 18-year-old, Koror-Babeldaob bridge (KB bridge) collapsed abruptly and catastrophically. The failure occurred during benign weather and loading conditions, six years after two independent teams (Louis Berger International and the Japan international Co-operation Agency) of bridge engineers had evaluated the bridge and declared it safe, and less than three months after completion of a strengthening programme to correct a significant midspan sag that was continuing to worsen. By 1990, a physical phenomenon called creep had caused the midline of the bridge to sag 1.2 meters, causing discomfort to drivers and concern for officials. The Palau government commissioned two studies by Louis Berger International and Japan International Co-operation Agency. They both concluded that the bridge was structurally safe as of 1990 though 1m more of creep would occur in the future. Based on the studies, the Palau government decided to counteract the cosmetic damage caused by creep with resurfacing and reinforcement of the bridge.  According to British civil engineers Chris Burgoyne and Richard Scantlebury, the reinforcement operation had 4 main components.  The most probable progression of the collapse began with a weakening of the Babeldaob side. This caused a shear failure, resulting in all of the weight of the continuous main span coming to rest on the Koror side. This unbalanced moment caused the back span of the Koror side to fail and tipped the bridge into the channel. The new design of the bridge hastened the bridge's collapse, but did not actually cause the fatal weakening of the Babeldoab flange. The cause of collapse remains unknown though it was studied in some detail by professional firms and researchers. The repair and resurfacing operation may have contributed to the bridge failure, but since the lawsuit over the collapse was settled out of court, no final cause has ever been definitively published.

Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge.

As the Palau government lacked sufficient funds to rebuild immediately, a new bridge to provide a steady transportation system was constructed with significant Japanese Grant Aid in ODA. Its construction began in 1997 by Kajima Corporation, a Japanese construction company, and was completed in December, 2001. It was named "Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge" on its opening ceremony on January 11, 2002.

The Koror–Babeldaob Bridge is a bridge in Palau that connects Koror and Babeldaob Islands. It is a reinforced concrete, portal frame, cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 413 m. It was built by the Kajima Corporation of Japan in 2002, to replace the former, collapsed bridge built by Socio Construction Co. of Korea in 1978 and collapsed in 1996.

Die Koror–Babeldaob Bridge, auch Japan–Palau Friendship Bridge oder einfach K–B Bridge genannt, ist eine Straßenbrücke zwischen den Inseln Koror und Babeldaob im Inselstaat Palau im Pazifik.


History.

Herkimer.

This was one of the original areas of the Burnetsfield Patent in the province of New York, where in 1722–1723, Governor William Burnet granted Palatine German immigrants leases to purchase land from the Mohawk, the powerful eastern nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. It was the first land sold to Europeans west of Schenectady. During the 18th-century warfare in the valley, the village was attacked by French and Iroquois forces during the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), and many women and children were taken to Canada as captives.  On September 17, 1778, Mohawk chief and Loyalist leader Joseph Brant led a force of 150 Iroquois and 300 Loyalists under the command of Captain William Caldwell in a surprise attack on the area of German Flatts. German Flatts, now known as Herkimer, was left virtually undefended by Patriot troops prior to the raid.  The Iroquois and Loyalist raiders captured hundreds of head of cattle and sheep before setting fire to every house, barn and mill in German Flatts. Despite the complete destruction of the town, including 63 houses, 57 barns, three gristmills and one sawmill, only three men were killed. The day before, four Patriot scouts had run into the Loyalists while on reconnaissance. Though only one, Adam Helmer, survived the encounter, he ran the back to the village of German Flatts to warn the residents.  As a result, the vast majority of the town's people were able to seek safety in the area's forts, Herkimer and Dayton, and survived the destruction of their town. Three Demuth children were captured playing outside the fort and taken by the raiders. After the war in an exchange of prisoners, the two eldest, Catherine and George, returned to their family. The youngest, Samuel, had become assimilated to his Onondaga family and chose to remain with them. As an adult, he served as an interpreter for the Iroquois and settlers in the valley. The town was set apart in the now defunct Tryon County, which was broken up into Montgomery and other counties after the Revolutionary War. It was established as a town in 1788 before the formation of Herkimer County. The area that was to become the town had also been called "German Flatts".

Towns.

In 1791, when Herkimer County was established, German Flatts was one of the three original towns. Three new towns were created from German Flatts in 1792: Frankfort, Litchfield, and Warren. Another part of German Flatts was used in 1829 to form part of the town of Little Falls, which developed on both sides of the Mohawk River at the falls.

Geography.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of German Flatts has a total area of, of which are land and, or 1.46%, are water.  The north town line is marked by the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. The village of Ilion is in the northwest corner of the town, and the village of Mohawk is farther east, along the northern town line.  The New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) crosses the northeast part of the town. New York State Route 5S passes through the northern part of German Flatts and intersects New York State Route 28 in Mohawk village. New York State Route 168 runs southeasterly through the town from Mohawk village.

Demographics.

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,629 people, 5,483 households, and 3,591 families residing in the town. The population density was 403.9 people per square mile (156.0/km2). There were 5,832 housing units at an average density of 172.8 per square mile (66.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.59% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.  There were 5,483 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.  In the town, the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.  The median income for a household in the town was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $39,380. Males had a median income of $29,973 versus $21,425 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,870. About 11.1% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,258 at the 2010 census.

German Flatts ist eine Stadt im heutigen Herkimer County, New York, USA. Sie liegt im südlichen Teil des Countys, auf der Südseite des Mohawk Rivers, gegenüber der Ortschaft Herkimer.


Constituency profile.

The seat has throughout its history been confined to a well-connected part of the Chiltern Hills AONB interspersed by the small towns of Thame and Chinnor and a narrow more developed area adjoining the Thames on one bank. Its economy, interconnected with London, Oxford and in the far south Reading, ensures a high rate of employment and its natural environment attracts retirees and high income owners. It has a high-speed connection to at, with a further rail connection to from and from to via. For most of its history the constituency has limited itself to one mainly rural land-use local authority, South Oxfordshire. Since 2010 two local government wards of demographically alike Cherwell district have been placed within the boundaries.

History.

Two nationally prominent MPs serving at Cabinet level have been elected for Henley — Michael Heseltine who served as the MP for Henley from 1974–2001. Heseltine was succeeded by the future Mayor of London and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, rapidly made a shadow minister in a period of Labour government. In May 2008, Johnson was elected as Mayor of London, and he subsequently resigned from the Commons on 4 June 2008, resulting in a by-election in the constituency.  An unbroken succession of Conservative candidates have won the seat since 1910. The 2008 by-election was closer than general elections since 2001 and won by the Conservative candidate, John Howell. Howell was re-elected at the 2010 general election and again in 2015. Labour finished second for the first time since 1970 in Henley. The 2015 GE result made the seat the twelfth safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority.  All five parties' candidates achieved more than deposit-retaining threshold of 5% of the vote in 2015, reflecting frequent such results for the Green Party and UKIP in that election. Liberal Democrat or predecessor-party Liberal candidates were second-placed between February 1974 and 2010 (inclusive). The closest contest for Henley was in 1966, when Labour's George Cunningham took 44.6% of the vote in a two-candidate contest.  At general elections, turnout in the constituency has ranged between 52.9% in the "khaki election" of 1918 to 81.7% in 1950.

Boundaries and boundary changes.

1885–1918: The constituency was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as the Southern or Henley Division of Oxfordshire when the three-member Parliamentary County of Oxfordshire was divided into the three single-member constituencies of Banbury, Woodstock and Henley. It comprised the Municipal Borough of Henley-on-Thames, the Sessional Divisions of Henley and Wallington, part of the Sessional Division of Bullingdon, and the part of the Municipal Borough of Abingdon in the county of Oxfordshire.  1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Henley-on-Thames, the Urban Districts of Bicester, Thame, and Wheatley, and the Rural Districts of Bicester, Crowmarsh, Culham, Goring, Headington, Henley, and Thame.  Expanded to include eastern half of the abolished Woodstock Division, including Bicester. Caversham, which had been absorbed by the County Borough of Reading, transferred to the Parliamentary Borough of Reading in Berkshire.  1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Henley-on-Thames, the Urban Districts of Bicester and Thame, the Rural Districts of Bullingdon and Henley, and part of the Rural District of Ploughley.  Change to contents due to reorganisation of urban and rural districts. Minor losses to the Oxford constituency, including Cowley and Headington, as a result of the expansion of the County Borough of Oxford.  1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Henley-on-Thames, the Urban District of Thame, the Rural District of Henley, and part of the Rural District of Bullingdon.  Bicester and northern parts of Rural District of Ploughley transferred to Banbury. Southern parts of the Rural District of Ploughley and northern-most parts of the Rural District of Bullingdon included in the new County Constituency of Mid-Oxon.  1983–1997: The District of South Oxfordshire wards of Aston Rowant, Benson, Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Chinnor, Clifton Hampden, Crowmarsh, Dorchester, Forest Hill, Garsington, Goring, Goring Heath, Great Milton, Henley, Kidmore End, Nettlebed, Rotherfield Peppard, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Thame North, Thame South, Watlington, Wheatley, and Woodcote.  Gained the rural area to the east of Oxford from the abolished County Constituency of Mid-Oxon. The Littlemore ward to the south of Oxford was included in the new Borough Constituency of Oxford East.  1997–2010: As above plus Horspath  Minor gain from Oxford East.  2010–present: The District of South Oxfordshire wards of Aston Rowant, Benson, Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Chilton Woods, Chinnor, Clifton Hampden, Crowmarsh, Forest Hill, Garsington, Goring, Great Milton, Henley North, Henley South, Kidmore End, Nettlebed, Rotherfield Peppard, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Thame North, Thame South, Watlington, Wheatley, and Woodcote, and the District of Cherwell wards of Kirtlington and Otmoor.  The two wards of Kirtlington and Otmoor in the District of Cherwell, to the south of Bicester, were transferred from Banbury.  The constituency covers most of the local government district of South Oxfordshire, excluding Wallingford, Didcot and surroundings in the west. Main settlements include Henley-on-Thames itself, Thame, Chinnor and Sonning Common. The two wards of Cherwell are to the north, close to Oxford, and are predominantly rural.

Elections.

Elections in the 2000s.

<section end="General Election 2001"/

Henley is a constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2008 by John Howell, a member of the Conservative Party.

Henley ist ein Wahlkreis für das britische Unterhaus in der Grafschaft Oxfordshire. Der Wahlkreis wurde 1885 in seiner heutigen Form geschaffen und deckt einen Großteil von Henley-on-Thames, Thame und Chinnor ab. Er entsendet einen Abgeordneten ins Parlament.


Early life and education.

Sweet grew up in Tustin, California. She holds a bachelor's degree from Claremont McKenna College.

Career.

Prior to Sweet's work at Accenture, she was an attorney at law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. She worked at the firm for 17 years and was partner for 10. Sweet was the ninth woman ever to make partner at the firm. She worked on financing, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate counsel.  Accenture recruited Sweet as general counsel in 2010. In 2015, she became CEO of Accenture's North America business, the company's largest market. Since early in her career at Accenture, she served on the company's global management committee. Alongside then-CEO Pierre Nanterme, Sweet developed Accenture's mergers and acquisitions strategy.  Accenture named Sweet its CEO effective September 2019, the first woman to hold that position. She replaced interim CEO David Rowland. At the time of her appointment, she was one of 27 women leading companies in the S&P 500 and the 15th female CEO of all Fortune Global 500 companies.  Sweet has advocated for diversity, inclusion, and workplace gender parity. Sweet supports Accenture's goal to have a staff equally represented by men and women by 2025; as of 2019, 42 percent of Accenture's staff was female. Sweet was named a top CEO for diversity by the website Comparably in 2019. Sweet has called for addressing the skills gap in the U.S. and supported the national apprenticeship movement. She participated in "The New York Times"s New Rules Summit.  In addition to her work at Accenture, Sweet served on the boards for Catalyst, a non-profit, and TechNet Executive Council, a network that promotes growth, as of 2019.  "The New York Times" called Sweet "one of the most powerful women in corporate America" in 2019. "Fortune" listed her as one of the "Most Powerful Women" in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019; in 2019, she ranked No. 9.

Personal life.

Sweet is married. She has two daughters.

Julie Sweet is an American business executive. She is chief executive officer of Accenture, a multinational professional services company. She is also a member of the Global Management Committee for Accenture. According to "The New York Times", she is "one of the most powerful women in corporate America." She was named to "Fortune"s "Most Powerful Women" list from 2016 through 2019.

Julie Terese Sweet (geboren 1967), Geburtsname "Julie Terese Spellman", ist eine amerikanische Juristin, Unternehmerin und Geschäftsfrau. Seit September 2019 ist sie Geschäftsführerin (CEO) des multinationalen Unternehmens Accenture, das zu den weltweit größten Managementberatungs-, Technologie- und Outsourcing-Dienstleistern gehört.


1960s.

Following shakedown training out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, "John King" carried out weapons tests on the East Coast before arriving Norfolk 7 September 1961 for regular duty. One of a new class of guided missile destroyers, she featured latest hull design with all-aluminum superstructure and mounted the very latest in modern armament and electronic equipment. Departing 27 November 1961, the ship cruised to England and Northern Europe until 1 January 1962, when she sailed from Dublin for the Mediterranean. There, "John King" joined the 6th Fleet in its constant role of peacekeeping in this troubled region. After her return to Norfolk, Virginia in April, the ship conducted missile firing exercises and training in the Caribbean. She arrived Washington 10 July 1962 for a 4-day stay, entertaining a group of Senators and Congressmen as well as Secretary of the Navy Fred Korth.  Following additional exercises, "John King" entered Norfolk Navy Yard 11 October 1962. Soon afterward, the introduction of offensive missiles into Cuba precipitated a crisis; and, as Navy ships placed a quarantine around the island, the ship quickly finished her repairs and joined the blockade 6 November. After the crisis eased, the ship remained in the Caribbean operating with the Navy's newest and biggest carrier, the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise (CVN-65). She returned to Norfolk 8 December 1962.  "John King" departed for her second Mediterranean cruise 6 February 1963. After visiting various ports on 6th Fleet maneuvers, she steamed to Kiel, Germany, 23 June 1963, then returned to Norfolk 17 July 1963. The next twelve months were spent on training and readiness exercises off the Virginia Capes and in the Caribbean, including a week at the Anti-submarine Warfare School, Key West, Florida, in April 1964.  The destroyer sailed for the Mediterranean Sea once more 3 August 1964 and joined the 6th Fleet 16 August near the strife-torn island of Cyprus. She remained in the Mediterranean until the end of 1964.  "John King" returned to Norfolk 29 January and operated along the East Coast until sailing for the "Med" 14 October. Following 4 months of operations with the 6th Fleet, she returned to Norfolk 7 March 1966. In the summer she visited the Mediterranean and recrossed the Atlantic on NATO Exercise "Straight Laced." Back at homeport in the fall she operated out of Norfolk until sailing for another 6th Fleet deployment 10 January 1967. Her movements were concentrated in the Western Mediterranean until she sailed for home 11 May. Arriving Norfolk on the 19th, "John King" entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard 27 June 1967 for an overhaul to prepare for future service.

Final years of service.

Throughout the 70's and 80's, "John King" participated various NATO exercises and supported Atlantic Fleet operations during the Cold War. In 1982, "John King" was off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon, providing gunfire support to the U.S. Marines.  "John King" was decommissioned on 30 March 1990, was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 January 1993 and sold for scrap on 10 February 1999.

USS "John King" (DDG-3) was a "Charles F. Adams"-class guided missile armed destroyer in the United States Navy named for Medal of Honor recipient John King.

Die USS John King (DDG-3) war ein Zerstörer der United States Navy. Sie gehörte der Charles-F.-Adams-Klasse an und hatte eine aktive Dienstzeit von 29 Jahren. Hierbei kam das Schiff unter anderem während der Kubakrise 1962 zum Einsatz. Im März 1990 wurde die "John King" ausgemustert und der Reserveflotte zugeteilt. 1999 ging der Zerstörer zum Abwracken.


Career.

He began his artistic career as a conga player in Johnny Ventura's "Combo Show", later becoming a vocalist. In the early 70s, his interpretation of the merengue song "La muerte de Martín" reached became widely popular in the country. Later, he followed with tracks like "Que pasa Papo", "Te digo ahorita" and "Mamá es la que sabe", among others. In 1976, as a bandleader Martí founded as "El Sonido Original", a group that reached some projection with songs like "Gato entre Macuto", "Jaleo de Acordeón" and "El mudo".  During the 1980s he became part of the legendary comedy television show "El show del mediodía", where he soon became a director. Years later he produced his own television show "El Show de Luisito and Anthony", with singer-songwriter Anthony Rios, which was broadcast on Channel 9 ColorVision in the early 90s. This show then aired with another proposal called "De Remate" in the last half the 90s.  Martí also ventured into film in 1995 starring in the film Nueba Yol, characterizing Balbuena, his iconic character. The film, had success at the box office. In 2004 he debuted another comedy show called The Luisito Martí, which aired on Antena Latina, then Telesistema 11 by 2006. In 2007 the Association of Art Critics (ACROARTE) invited him to act as host for the Casandra awards that year by TV presenter Jatnna Tavárez.

Death.

In May 2008 he was admitted to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York due to stomach cancer. Then in December 2009 he was transferred to the city of Tijuana to undergo stem cell treatment. On 25 December the same year he was admitted to the Diagnostic Center, Advanced Medicine and Telemedicine (CEDIMAT), where he died on January 3, 2010 at 64 years of age.

Luisito Marti (born Luis Bernardo Marte Hernández 1945 - 2010) was a Dominican musician, comedian, actor, producer and television host.

Luisito Martí ("Luis Bernardo Martí Hernández"; * 1. Februar 1945 in Santo Domingo; † 3. Januar 2010 ebenda) war ein dominikanischer Musiker, Schauspieler, Filmproduzent und Fernsehmoderator.


Overview.

The name originates from the original parish created in 1609, from part of the parish of St Machar's Cathedral. The name refers specifically to the village, originally known as Summerhill, with the surrounding parish being correctly known as New Machar. The philosopher Thomas Reid was parish minister from 1737 to 1752. The Egyptologist and archaeologist Nora Griffith (1870-1937) was born in the village.  In 1928, the name Summerhill was changed to Newmachar, which was also the name of the railway station serving the village. The railway station, on the Formartine and Buchan Railway, closed in 1965.  During World War II Winston Churchill initiated the forming of a British resistance force called Auxiliary Units. These units were put together in top secret, and were selected from areas that could be used to benefit from guerilla warfare. Typically, these units (called patrols) were made up from farmers, gamekeepers and estate workers. Newmachar had one of these patrols that were tasked with destroying the main railways to Inverness, and the Buchan line to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, also RAF Dyce and bridges over the River Don.  Research by C.A.R.T has revealed the patrol members and also the location of the Operational Base. The Operational Base was built underground to house up to 8 patrol members who, when the Invasion came would go into hiding for 7–14 days before coming out at night to attack "targets of opportunity", including assassinations of key individuals (both local and enemy personnel). Aux unit members had a life expectancy of up to 2 weeks after an invasion. All the members had to sign the official secrets act, and were trained at Blairmore House near Huntly. Auxiliary units were well armed with the latest weapons and conventional and booby trap explosives.  The village contains a shop, one pub, one hotel a Chinese takeaway, a chip-shop, a pharmacy and a primary school. There used to be two shops in the village; A Costcutter was opened across the road from the Newmachar Hotel, which had an adjoining petrol station. This closed in 2011 and is now demolished. A small block of flats now stands in its place. The original village hall was closed in 2012, and replaced with the Axis Centre, opened on 30 August 2014  The local Newmachar Golf Club located just outside the village is noted for being the official golf course of Paul Lawrie at the time he won The Open in 1999. It was also the venue of a hole in one in which the winner became a professional with a handicap of 24. This was because, to claim the 15k prize, he had to be a pro at the sport.  The village was also the home to former Aberdeen FC player Neil Simpson who was part of the Aberdeen team which won the 1983 Cup Winner's Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson.  The village is also host to Newmachar United F.C., who are affiliated with the Scottish Junior Football Association.  The Newmachar Hotel has been named "Evening Express Pub Of The Year 2010". The Newmachar Hotel retained the title as Aberdeen's Best Pub, having won the last time the competition ran in 1993.  The hamlet of Brokenwind (or Brokenwynd) near Newmachar was named the UK's third worst place name in a 2012 poll.  September 6, 2018, Radio 1 presenter Greg James managed to get a Cornish Pasty delivered to the village from Cornwall via Radio 1 listeners over the course of four days.

Newmachar is a village in the north-east of Scotland located within the Aberdeenshire local authority. Situated 10 miles (16 km) to the north-west of Aberdeen, the settlement has an estimated population of 2,510.

Newmachar ist eine Ortschaft in der schottischen Council Area Aberdeenshire. Sie liegt etwa zwölf Kilometer südöstlich von Inverurie und 14 Kilometer nordwestlich des Zentrums von Aberdeen.


Early life and education.

Messenger was born on 15 April 1962 in Dundee, Scotland. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton, then an all-boys school. He studied geography at the University of Leicester, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983.

Military career.

On 15 September 1983, Messenger was appointed an acting lieutenant on a short career graduate commission, (with seniority from 1 September 1982), transferring to a full career commission on 21 May 1986 with seniority from 1 September 1984. At this time he also qualified as a Mountain Leader. In 1995 he graduated from the Canadian Forces Command and Staff Course No 21. He was promoted substantive major on 30 June 1997, having previously held the rank locally.  Messenger served with British forces in the former Yugoslavia in 2000 (Kosovo), for which he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 2001 he took command of 40 Commando. He was promoted substantive colonel on 30 June 2002, having previously held the rank on an acting basis. For his leadership of 40 Commando (and attached army units) in Iraq, including the initial assault on Al Faw peninsular, and an action against Iraqi armour at Abu Al Khasib, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 31 October 2003. After a sabbatical in Geneva, he joined the Joint Force Headquarters as Chief of Staff in July 2004, a job that saw him on various operations worldwide, including Operation Garron, the 2004 tsunami relief effort, Operation Highbrow, the Lebanon evacuation operation, and a six-month tour in command of the Operation Herrick preliminary operation in Afghanistan. He graduated from the UK Higher Command and Staff Course in 2007 and was promoted brigadier on 24 April 2007. On 1 April 2008 he was appointed an aide-de-camp to the Queen.  Messenger served as the British Commander of Task Force Helmand, during the 3 Commando Brigade deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Operation Herrick IX in 2008–2009. For his leadership during this operation he was awarded a Bar to his DSO on 11 September 2009, the first member of the Naval Service to receive the DSO and Bar for over 50 years. He was promoted major general in late 2009, and appointed lead spokesman on British operations in Afghanistan. He went on to be Chief of Staff (Operations) at Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood in 2011 and became Director Force Reintegration HQ International Security Assistance Force in October 2012. He served as Deputy Commander of NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM)-Izmir from January 2013 until June 2014 when he was assigned to the post of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) in the Ministry of Defence. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 14 January 2013.  On 1 December 2015, Messenger appeared in front of the Defence Select Committee of the House of Commons in relation to the military situation in Syria. On 15 March 2016, Messenger was in South Korea to observe British troops participating in Operation Key Resolve. Messenger was appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in spring 2016, in succession to Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach. Messenger was formally promoted to full general on 16 May 2016. He is the first four-star Royal Marine general since 1977. Messenger handed over his role of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) to Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith on 18 April 2016.  Messenger was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2015 Birthday Honours, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2016 Birthday Honours. He is patron of the Defence Medical Welfare Service, and honorary Colonel of 131 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers.  Messenger retired from the Royal Marines in May 2019.

Family.

Messenger is married to Sarah and they have three children. He enjoys running, rugby, rock climbing, golf, gardening and real ale.

General Sir Gordon Kenneth Messenger, (born 15 April 1962) is a retired senior Royal Marines officer who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from May 2016 to May 2019. As a colonel he commanded 40 Commando during the Iraq War, and led the Commando in the assault on the Al-Faw Peninsula. He served as British Commander of Task Force Helmand, during the 3 Commando Brigade deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Operation Herrick IX from 2008 to 2009.

Gordon Kenneth Messenger, KCB, DSO&Bar, OBE (* 15. April 1962 in Dundee, Schottland) ist ein ehemaliger britischer General der Royal Marines, der unter anderem zuletzt zwischen 2016 und 2019 Vize-Chef des Verteidigungsstabes "(Vice Chief of Defence Staff)" der Streitkräfte des Vereinigten Königreichs war.


Early life and education.

De vos was born in 1979 in Sri Lanka. When she was six-years-old her parents would bring her second-hand National Geographic magazines. She would look through the pages and "imagine that that would be me one day – going places where no-one else would ever go and seeing things no-one else would ever see," inspiring her to dream of being an "adventure-scientist." De Vos's primary education was at Ladies’ College, Colombo and after completing her primary education, she moved to Scotland for her undergraduate studies in marine and environmental biology at the University of St. Andrews. She went on to gain her masters in integrative bio-sciences at the University of Oxford and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. De Vos is the first and only Sri Lankan to gain a PhD in marine mammal research.

Career.

De Vos had served as a senior programme officer in the marine and coastal unit of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. She founded the Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project in 2008, which forms the first long term study on blue whales within the northern Indian Ocean. She discovered through her research that an unrecognized unique population of blue whales, previously thought to migrate every year, stayed in waters near Sri Lanka year round. Due to de Vos's research, the International Whaling Commission has designated Sri Lankan blue whales as a species in urgent need of conservation research and has started collaborating with the Sri Lankan government on whale ship-strikes. De Vos is an invited member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Cetacean Specialist Group. She was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California Santa Cruz and a guest blogger for National Geographic. She is the founder and director of the non-profit Oceanswell, Sri Lanka's first marine conservation research and education organization. In November 2019, the organization was 2.5 years old. De Vos believes that the health and future of coastlines depends on local people. She argues that "parachute science," the practice of Western scientists collect data in developing countries and then leave without training or investing in the locals or region, is unsustainable and cripples conservation efforts. De Vos has also stated that women should define themselves by their capacity and not let their gender limit their potential.

Awards.

De Vos is a TED Senior Fellow, a Duke University Global Fellow in Marine Conservation and has been selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2013, she received the President's Award for Scientific Publications. In 2015 she was a Marine Conservation Action Fund Fellow and in 2016 she became a Pew Marine Fellow. In 2018, she received the WINGS WorldQuest Women of Discovery Sea Award.  On 26 May 2018, she was awarded the Golden alumni award in the Professional Achievement category at the first edition of the British Council Golden Alumni awards. Later in the year she joined the BBC 100 Women list. On 27 March 2019, de Vos was celebrated as one 12 Women Changemakers by the Sri Lanka parliament.  In 2020, De Vos won the Global Teacher Prize, "$1 million (US) award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession" by the Varkey Foundation.

Asha de Vos is a Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of blue whale research within the northern Indian Ocean. She is known for her Blue Whale Project. She is a Senior TED Fellow and was chosen for a BBC 100 Women award in 2018.

Asha de Vos (geboren 1978 oder 1979) ist eine srilankische Meeresbiologin, Ozeanpädagogin und Naturschützerin. Sie ist eine Pionierin der Blauwalforschung im nördlichen Indischen Ozean und ist über ihr Blauwal- und Artenschutzprojekt Oceanswell international bekannt geworden. Sie ist Senior TED Fellow und wurde 2018 für einen BBC 100 Women Award ausgewählt.


Etymology.

Ajusco is a Náhuatl word variously translated as "source of waters" or "watered grove", and the Lerma River and Balsas River draw some of their source waters from this area. Also, the flow from all of the remaining strong springs in the area adjacent to the peak are captured to augment Mexico City's water supply.

Geology.

Ajusco is a lava dome complex of Pliocene-Pleistocene age, surrounded by block and ash flow deposits. Ajusco is part of the mountain chain of volcanic origin known as Sierra de Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin, among which Xitle (), Tláloc (), Pelado (), Cuautzin () and Chichinautzin () stand out. This range is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt which crosses central Mexico and contains the country's highest peaks.

Ecology.

Parts of this range account for about half of the area of the Mexican Federal District, the rest of which is occupied by Mexico City. The area is important for conservation of local ecosystems. In its oak, pine and fir forests there are unique endemic species like the teporingo rabbit and the volcano mouse.

Sites of interest.

The area around the peak is a popular destination for residents of Mexico City and tourists, with activities such mountain biking, horseback riding, motorcycling, hiking and climbing. The area is one of the few around Mexico City where it may snow in the winter. This mountain offers stunning views, where all of the Valley of Mexico can be seen (weather and pollution permitting), including the city and its skyscrapers, Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl and Nevado de Toluca volcanoes, and parts of the Valley of Cuernavaca.  The Ajusco area is also home to Six Flags México (the largest amusement park in Latin America), the TV Azteca television network, the National Pedagogic University, the UNAM radio transmission center, the Fondo de Cultura Económica and El Colegio de México.  Atop the volcano is a pre-Hispanic site where artifacts have been discovered.

Ajusco is a lava dome volcano located just south of Mexico City, Mexico, in the Tlalpan borough of the city. It is the highest point in the city.

Der Vulkan Ajusco oder Cerro Ajusco (Nahuatl für "Quelle") ist ein Lavadom im Nationalpark Cumbres del Ajusco des bundesunmittelbaren Hauptstadtbezirkes Mexiko-Stadt in Mexiko.


Attack.

The attack occurred at a busy intersection on the western outskirts of Mogadishu, at a police checkpoint during local rush hour. The major intersection connects Mogadishu with the rest of southern and southwestern Somalia. The Ex-Control Afgoye checkpoint is located near a tax office, and is used by vehicles entering Mogadishu from nearby Afgooye town.  The truck bomb explosion caused massive damage to the surrounding area, and left many of the dead burned beyond recognition. At least 15 of those killed were university students returning to class at Benadir University, whose minibus was demolished in the explosion. Two Turkish engineers, who were constructing a road from the checkpoint into the city, were also killed in the bombing. Many others were wounded. Fifteen critically injured people, including an eight month old baby, were airlifted to Istanbul, Turkey for further medical treatment; thirty other critically injured people received medical treatment in Qatar and other neighboring countries.  Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire announced the establishment of a national response committee to help the injured and offer support to those who lost family members in the attack.

Responsibility and aftermath.

Initially, no group claimed responsibility for the attack. On 30 December, two days after the attack, radical Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which had carried out previous suicide attacks in Mogadishu, claimed responsibility. Through spokesman Ali Mohamud Rageh (also known as Ali Dhere), the group stated that they targeted a convoy of Turkish and Somali forces in the attack, noting that they "inflicted heavy losses on the Turks and the apostate militias who were protecting them."  Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) stated that a foreign country helped organize the attack, issuing a statement that, "We have submitted to the national leaders a preliminary report indicating that the massacre against the Somali people in Mogadishu on 28 December 2019 was planned by a foreign country. To complete the ongoing investigation we will seek cooperation from some of the international intelligence agencies." However, the statement did not name the country suspected to be involved or provide additional evidence.  The Somali government, in coordination with U.S. Africa Command, conducted three retaliatory airstrikes targeting Al-Shabaab leaders in the Lower Shabelle region after the attack. The airstrikes, in the villages of Kunyo Barrow and Aliyow Barrow, killed four militants and destroyed two vehicles.

On 28 December 2019, a suicide truck bomber killed at least 85 people at the Ex-Control Afgoye police checkpoint in Mogadishu, Somalia. More than 140 others were wounded and, as of 31 December, 12 people remained missing. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on 30 December. The attack was the deadliest in Somalia since the 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings, which killed 587 people.

Beim Anschlag in Mogadischu am 28. Dezember 2019 kamen mindestens 83 Menschen ums Leben, als eine Autobombe an einer belebten Kontrollstelle in der somalischen Hauptstadt detonierte. Zu dem Anschlag bekannte sich die radikal-islamistische Terrormiliz al-Shabaab. Ziel des Anschlags seien zwei türkische Ingenieure sowie deren Leibwächter gewesen.