Background.

Howard was born into a political family, the son of Pierre DuVinage Howard (1912-1976) and Caroline Ridley Howard (1913-2013). His great-grandfather, Thomas Coke Howard, was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. His grandfather, William S. Howard served in the Georgia House, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. Howard attended the University of Georgia, where he was captain of the tennis team and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and went on to receive a law degree from the University of Georgia. In 1974, Howard married Nancy Barnes. They have two children, Christopher and Caroline.

State Senate.

Howard entered politics in 1972. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate, representing DeKalb County's 42nd district. He was subsequently re-elected eight times, serving a total of 18 years, until 1990. During his tenure in the Senate, Howard served eight years as assistant floor leader for Governor George Busbee and 16 years as chairman of the Senate Human Resources Committee.

Lieutenant governor.

In 1990, Howard ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor. The metro Atlanta attorney targeted rural voters, with a campaign that reimaged the candidate with humor, stressing his "Southernness" with the slogan "Pierre is French for Bubba". In that race he defeated State Senator Joe Kennedy in the Democratic primary then subsequently beat Republican nominee Matt Towery. Later, in March 2000 the two former political rivals formed InsiderAdvantage.com. Howard was elected to a four-year term and was re-elected in 1994. Howard focused on critical issues concerning Georgia families throughout his political career (i.e. graduated licenses and zero tolerance for drinking and driving for teens).

Campaign for governor.

In 1997, Howard announced his intention to run for governor. He was considered by many to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. However, prior to the primary election, after having raised over $1 million in campaign contributions, Howard abruptly exited the race, due to family concerns. Campaign funds were returned to contributors.

Honor.

The Interstate 285 and Interstate 20 interchange in DeKalb County, Georgia is named in his honor.

Pierre DuVinage Howard, Jr. (born February 3, 1943) is an American attorney and politician. He served as the ninth Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia. His first name is pronounced like "pier".

Pierre D. Howard (* 3. Februar 1943 in Decatur, Georgia) ist ein US-amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1991 und 1999 war er Vizegouverneur des Bundesstaates Georgia.


Biography.

Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (ex Vasilica Rodica Nica) was born on 16 December 1963 in Roșiorii de Vede, Teleorman County. In 1988 she graduated from the Faculty of Drilling of Wells and Exploitation of Hydrocarbon Deposits of the Institute of Petroleum and Gas in Ploiești. In 2006 Dăncilă obtained the master in European Public Space at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest.

Political career.

In the European Parliament.

In 2009, Viorica Dăncilă was elected on the lists of the Social Democratic Party for her first term as a member of the European Parliament and then sat as a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group. During the 5-year term, she did not draft any report as a rapporteur (primary legislator). In 2014, Viorica Dăncilă was elected for another term as MEP on the Social Democratic Party's list. She was also the leader of the Romanian Social Democrat delegation in the EP and a vice chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. She was also a full member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality and a substitute member of the Committee on Regional Development.  In 2015, she was shortlisted for the MEP Awards, in the Agriculture category. Two years later, in 2017, she was again nominated, in two separate categories: Women's Rights & Gender Equality and Research & Innovation.  She officially left the European Parliament on 28 January 2018 to take up the position of Prime Minister in Romania.

In the Social Democratic Women's Organization.

In 2015, social democratic women proposed a Pact to the national political forces which aimed to protect women from domestic violence. This was an initiative of Viorica Dăncilă, then the acting chairwoman of the organization, brought up at the OFSD Summer School in Mamaia, on 28–30 August.  In October 2015, she was elected President of the Social Democratic Women's Organization. As President of OFSD, Viorica Dăncilă asked PSD leaders to ensure a quota of at least 30% female candidates on the lists of the Social Democratic Party during elections. The proposal was approved by the PSD leadership.

As Prime Minister.

On 17 January 2018, President of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea nominated Viorica Dăncilă as Romania's first female Prime Minister and the country's third head of government in a year. Her predecessor, Mihai Tudose, resigned on 15 January after his own party withdrew its backing. President Klaus Iohannis accepted PSD's nomination and appointed Dăncilă as prime minister-designate in a move harshly criticized by his supporters and main opposition parties. Her cabinet received the vote of confidence from Parliament on 29 January.  She was ousted as prime minister on 10 October 2019, following a vote of no confidence. She remained as a caretaker of the office until the formation of a new government.

Controversies.

In February 2018, Dăncilă was in center of a discrimination scandal. She catalogued as "autistic" the MEPs who "misinform the EU" with regard to changes to the justice laws. Soon after, the Association of Parents of Children with Autism claimed that the use of the term "autistic" with a profoundly negative meaning in a political dispute is an offense to those with this condition. Moreover, the National Council for Combating Discrimination began the hearing procedures of Viorica Dăncilă for her perceived discriminatory comments. She later apologized for the statement and said that through the comparison she did not want to insult people with autism spectrum disorders.  She was also criticized for showing a lack of knowledge for proper grammar in Romanian, a lack of verbal fluidity, poor knowledge of terms and subjects related to her tasks., rector of the University of Bucharest and former Minister of Education, characterized her language as "hard to understand" and "full of syntactic construction errors and logical inconsistencies." After repeatedly avoiding meetings and phone conversations on domestic and international issues with President Klaus Iohannis, the latter asked her to resign, arguing that she "does not cope with the position of prime minister and turns the Government into a vulnerability of Romania." Moreover, Iohannis accused Dăncilă of obeying "orders from the party" and announced that he withdrew his confidence in her.  In July 2018, during a meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Duško Marković, she confused the capital of the country, Podgorica, with Pristina, the capital of Kosovo (which is not recognized as an independent nation by Romania).  On 17 May 2018, Ludovic Orban, leader of the main opposition PNL party filed a criminal complaint against Dăncilă for high treason and usurping of official qualities about the transfer of the Romanian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem without the consent and approval of President Klaus Iohannis. One month later, on 28 June 2018, DIICOT (the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism) announced that it had started the in rem investigation into the matter. On 28 September 2018, DIICOT announced it concluded the investigation and closed the case on the basis of lack of evidence in support of the accusation, stating that the high treason never occurred.

Personal life.

Viorica Dăncilă is married to Cristinel Dăncilă, manager at an oil company and former councillor in the Teleorman County Council. She has an adopted son, Victor.

Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (; born 16 December 1963) is a Romanian politician, former leader of the Social Democratic Party, and was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 January 2018 to 4 November 2019. She was the first woman in Romanian history to hold both the office of Prime Minister and president of the PSD. In 2014, she was elected as a member in the European Parliament for a second term from the PSD. Viorica Dăncilă was also the president of the Social Democratic Women's Organization (OFSD) between 2015 and 2018.

Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (* 16. Dezember 1963 in Roșiorii de Vede) ist eine rumänische Politikerin der PSD. Sie war vom 29. Januar 2018 bis zum 4. November 2019 Ministerpräsidentin Rumäniens. Rumäniens Regierung wurde am 10. Oktober durch ein Misstrauensvotum vom rumänischen Parlament abgewählt. Sie blieb im Amt bis zur Einsetzung der neuen Regierung von Ludovic Orban.


History.

The wine of Tavel is historically famous. Philip IV is supposed to have travelled through Tavel on one of his tours of the kingdom. He was reportedly offered a glass, which he emptied without getting off his horse and afterwards proclaimed Tavel the only good wine in the world. The Sun King, Louis XIV, is also supposed to have been fond of the wine, which helped maintain its reputation until the vineyards were affected by the phylloxera epidemic. Tavel achieved AOC status in 1936 when the system was introduced. At that point the grapes were mostly grown on the sandy flat lands closer to town, where vines were easier to cultivate but produced a lower quality of wine. In 1965 the hillsides were cleared of forest and prepared for growing vines.

Climate and geography.

In Tavel there are three types of soil, one west of the village is dominated by limestone and slate. Here, low-yielding vines grow giving deep and aromatic wines. Another type is the flat sandy rocky fields, easy to cultivate and good for ripening. The third is dominated by "galets roulés", the smooth round stones also found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is located east of the town in the direction of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Grapes and wine.

Grenache and Cinsault are the main grapes used in the appellation's wines, along with Syrah and Mourvedre, although the latter two were not permitted until 1969. Tavel wines are dry and tend to have more body and structure than most rosés. They can be cellared, but are usually drunk young.

Winemaking.

Rosé wine cannot legally be made in France by blending red and white wines together, with the sole exception of Champagne. However, rosé wine can blend red and white grapes (before fermentation), pressed to remove the juice from the skins after a short period of maceration (10–36 hours) in order to extract some colour. In Tavel, some of the must is kept with the skins longer and then blended into the lighter must, which is what makes the wine more powerful, more tannic and darker than other rosés. The potential alcohol is high, with an upper limit of 13.5% for the appellation.

Tavel is a wine-growing "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" in the southern Rhône wine region of France, across the Rhône River from Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC and just north of Avignon. Tavel wines are all rosé wines and must have a minimum alcohol content of 11%. The 933 hectares produce an average yield of 42 hectolitres per hectare The vineyards are located in the commune of Tavel only.

Tavel ist ein Weinbaugebiet rund um die Stadt Tavel nahe dem Unterlauf der Rhône zwischen Nîmes und Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Seit 1936 besitzt es die Klassifizierung einer Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. Mit 2700 Sonnenstunden ist es eine der meistbegünstigten Weinregionen Frankreichs. Mit seinen 933 ha auf einer Fläche von 1,5 km × 5,5 km ist es vergleichsweise klein. Zudem ist AOC Tavel die einzige Region an der Côtes du Rhône, in der ausschließlich Rebsorten für Roséwein angebaut werden. Dieser gehört zu den besten und teuersten Rosés Frankreichs. Der Ertrag ist je nach Jahr auf 35–50 hl/ha begrenzt.


Life.

Early life.

Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova was born into a wealthy family of factory owners and philanthropists, who were the official suppliers of chocolate confections to the Russian Imperial Court. Her grandfather was the industrialist Aleksei Ivanovich Abrikosov. Her father, Ivan Alekseievich Abrikosov, was expected to take over the family firm until his premature death from tuberculosis. Her brothers included Tsarist diplomat Dmitrii Abrikosov and Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov, the doctor who embalmed Vladimir Lenin.  Although the younger members of the family rarely attended Divine Liturgy, the Abrikosovs regarded themselves as pillars of the Russian Orthodox Church. Anna's parents died early: her mother while giving birth to her, and her father ten days later, of tuberculosis. Anna and her four brothers were raised in the house and provincial estate of her uncle, Nikolai Alekseevich Abrikosov.  The memoirs of her brother Dmitrii "describes their childhood as carefree and joyous" and writes that their British governess "was quite shocked at the close relationship between parents and children." She used to say that in England, "children were seen and not heard."  Desiring to be a teacher, Anna graduated with Gold Medal Grade from the First Women's Lyceum in Moscow in 1899. She then entered a teacher's college, where the student body ostracized and bullied her for being from a wealthy family.  She later recalled, "Every day as I went into the room the girls would divide up the passage and stand aside not to brush me as I passed because they hated me as one of the privileged class."  After graduating, she briefly taught at a Russian Orthodox parochial school but was forced to leave after the priest threatened to denounce her to the Okhrana for teaching the students that Hell does not exist. Although heartbroken Anna then decided to pursue an old dream of attending Girton College, the all-girls adjunct to Cambridge University. While studying history from 1901-1903, Anna befriended Lady Dorothy Georgiana Howard, the daughter of the 9th Earl and "Radical Countess" of Carlisle. Lady Dorothy's letters to her mother remain the best source for Anna's college days. She ultimately returned to Russia without a degree and married her first cousin, Vladimir Abrikosov.

Catholicism.

The Abrikosovs spent the next decade traveling in the Kingdom of Italy, Switzerland and France.  According to Father Cyril Korolevsky:While traveling, she studied a great deal. She... read a number of Catholic books. She particularly liked the "Dialogue" of Saint Catherine of Siena and began to doubt official Orthodoxy more and more. Finally, she approached the parish priest of the large, aristocratic Church of the Madeleine in Paris, Abbé Maurice Rivière, who later became Bishop of Périgueux. He instructed and received her into the Catholic Church on 20 December 1908. Amazingly, especially at that time, he informed her that even though she had been received with the Latin Ritual, she would always canonically belong to the Greek-Catholic Church. She went on reading and came to prefer the Dominican spirituality and to enjoy Lacordaire's biography of Saint Dominic... She never stopped thinking of Russia, but like many other people, she thought that only the Roman Catholic priests were able to work with Russian souls. Little by little, she won her husband over to her religious convictions. On 21 December 1909, Vladimir was also received into the Catholic Church. They both thought they would stay abroad, where they had full freedom of religion and... a vague plan to join some monastery or semi-monastic community. Since they knew that according to the canons they were Greek-Catholics, they petitioned Pius X through a Roman prelate for permission to become Roman Catholics -- they considered this a mere formality. To their great surprise the Pope refused outright... and reminded them of the provisions of "Orientalium dignitas". They had just received this answer when a telegram summoned them to Moscow for family reasons.  The couple returned to Russia in 1910. Upon their return, the Abrikosovs found a group of Dominican tertiaries which had been established earlier by one Natalia Rozanova. They were received into the Third Order of St. Dominic by Friar Albert Libercier, O.P., of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Louis in Moscow. On 19 May 1917, Vladimir was ordained to the priesthood by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. With her husband now a priest, according to Roman custom Anna was free to take monastic vows. She took vows as a Dominican Sister, assuming her religious name at that time, and founded a Greek-Catholic religious congregation of the Order there in Moscow. Several of the women among the secular tertiaries joined her in this commitment. Thus was a community of the Dominican Third Order Regular established in Soviet Russia.

Persecution.

During the aftermath of the October Revolution, the convent was put under surveillance by the Soviet secret police.  In 1922, Father Vladimir Abrikosov was exiled to the West aboard the Philosopher's Ship. Soon after, Mother Catherine wrote him a letter from Moscow, "I am, in the fullest sense of the word, alone with half naked children, with sisters who are wearing themselves out, with a youthful, wonderful, saintly but terribly young priest, Father Nikolai Alexandrov, who himself needs support, and with parishioners dismayed and bewildered, while I myself am waiting to be arrested, because when they searched here, they took away our Constitution and our rules."

Imprisonment.

Due to her work with the Papal Aid Mission to Russia, Mother Catherine was arrested by the OGPU. Shortly before the Supreme Collegium of the OGPU handed down sentences, Mother Catherine told the sisters of her community, "Probably every one of you, having given your love to God and following in His way, has in your heart more than once asked Christ to grant you the opportunity to share in His sufferings. And so it is; the moment has now arrived. Your desire to suffer for His sake is now being fulfilled."  Mother Catherine was sentenced to ten years of solitary confinement and imprisoned at Yaroslavl from 1924 to 1932. After being was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was transferred to Butyrka Prison infirmary for an operation in May 1932. The operation removed her left breast, part of the muscles on her back and side. She was left unable to use her left arm, but was deemed cancer free.

Release.

Meanwhile, Ekaterina Peshkova, the wife of author Maxim Gorky and head of the Political Red Cross, had interceded with Stalin to secure her release and grounds of her illness and that her sentence was almost complete.  On August 13, 1932, Mother Catherine petitioned to be returned to Yaroslavl. Instead, she was told that she could leave any time she wanted. On August 14, she walked free from Butyrka and went directly to the Church of St. Louis des Français.  Bishop Pie Neveu, who had been secretly consecrated as an underground Bishop in 1926, wrote to Rome after meeting her, "This woman is a genuine preacher of the Faith and very courageous. One feels insignificant beside someone of this moral stature. She still cannot see well, and she can only use her right hand, since the left is paralyzed."  Despite warnings that it could lead to another arrest, Mother Catherine also reestablished ties to the surviving Sisters. She later told interrogators, "After my release from the isolator and happening to be in Moscow, I renewed my links with a group of people whom an OGPU Collegium had condemned in 1923. In reestablishing contact with them, my purpose was to assess their political and spiritual condition after their arrest, administrative exile and the expiration of their residence restriction. Following my meetings with them, I became convinced that they retained their earlier world outlook."

Rearrest.

After immediately entering communication with the surviving Sisters of the congregation, Mother Catherine was arrested, along with 24 other Catholics, in August 1933. In what the NKVD called "The Case of the Counterrevolutionary Terrorist-Monarchist Organization", Mother Catherine stood accused of plotting to assassinate Joseph Stalin, overthrow the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and restore the House of Romanov as a constitutional monarchy in concert with "international fascism" and "Papal theocracy". It was further alleged that the organization planned for the restoration of Capitalism and for collective farms to be broken up and returned to their former owners among the Russian nobility and the kulaks. The NKVD alleged that the organization was directed by Pope Pius XI, Bishop Pie Neveu, and the Vatican's Congregation for Eastern Churches. After being declared guilty as charged, Mother Catherine was returned to the Political Isolator Prison at Yaroslavl.

Death.

Mother Catherine Abrikosova died of bone cancer at Butyrka Prison infirmary on July 23, 1936, at the age of 54 years. After being autopsied, her body was secretly cremated at the Donskoy Cemetery and her ashes were buried in a mass grave at the same location.

Legacy.

Mother Catherine Abrikosova's Cause for Beatification by the Roman Catholic Church was opened and submitted to the Holy See in 2003.

Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova () (later known as Mother Catherine of Siena, O.P.) ( or Ekaterina Sienskaya), (23 January 1882, Kitaigorod, Moscow, Russian Empire – 23 July 1936, Butyrka Prison, Moscow, Soviet Union) was a Russian Roman Catholic religious sister, literary translator, and victim of Joseph Stalin's concentration camps. She was also the foundress of a Byzantine Catholic community of the Third Order of St. Dominic which has gained wide attention, even among secular historians of Soviet repression. In an anthology of women's memoirs from the GULAG, historian Veronica Shapovalova describes Anna Abrikosova as, "a woman of remarkable erudition and strength of will", who, "managed to organize the sisters in such a way that even after their arrest they continued their work." She is also mentioned by name in the first volume of "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Anna Iwanowna Abrikossowa ( ; wiss. Transliteration "", OPL; * 23. Januar 1882 in Kitai-Gorod, Russisches Kaiserreich; † 23. Juli 1936 in Moskau, Sowjetunion) war eine prominente Katholikin der Russischen Griechisch-katholischen Kirche und Gründerin des Dritten Dominikanerordens in Russland.


History.

The Mizar Project was started around 1973 by Andrzej Trybulec as an attempt to reconstruct mathematical vernacular so it can be checked by a computer. Its current goal, apart from the continual development of the Mizar System, is the collaborative creation of a large library of formally verified proofs, covering most of the core of modern mathematics. This is in line with the influential QED manifesto.  Currently the project is developed and maintained by research groups at Białystok University, Poland, the University of Alberta, Canada, and Shinshu University, Japan. While the Mizar proof checker remains proprietary, the Mizar Mathematical Library—the sizable body of formalized mathematics that it verified—is licensed open-source.  Papers related to the Mizar system regularly appear in the peer-reviewed journals of the mathematic formalization academic community. These include "Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric", "Intelligent Computer Mathematics", "Interactive Theorem Proving", "Journal of Automated Reasoning" and the "Journal of Formalized Reasoning".

Mizar language.

The distinctive feature of the Mizar language is its readability. As is common in mathematical text, it relies on classical logic and a declarative style. Mizar articles are written in ordinary ASCII, but the language was designed to be close enough to the mathematical vernacular that most mathematicians could read and understand Mizar articles without special training. Yet, the language enables the increased level of formality necessary for automated proof checking.  For a proof to be admitted, all steps have to be justified either by elementary logical arguments or by citing previously verified proofs. This results in a higher level of rigor and detail than is customary in mathematical textbooks and publications. Thus, a typical Mizar article is about four times as long as an equivalent paper written in ordinary style.  Formalization is relatively labor-intensive, but not impossibly difficult. Once one is versed in the system, it takes about one week of full-time work to have a textbook page formally verified. This suggests that its benefits are now in the reach of applied fields such as probability theory and economics.

Mizar Mathematical Library.

The Mizar Mathematical Library (MML) includes all theorems to which authors can refer in newly written articles. Once approved by the proof checker they are further evaluated in a process of peer-review for appropriate contribution and style. If accepted they are published in the associated "Journal of Formalized Mathematics" and added to the MML.

Breadth.

As of July 2012, the MML included 1150 articles written by 241 authors. In aggregate, these contain more than 10,000 formal definitions of mathematical objects and about 52,000 theorems proved on these objects. More than 180 named mathematical facts have so benefited from formal codification. Some examples are the Hahn–Banach theorem, Kőnig's lemma, Brouwer fixed point theorem, Gödel's completeness theorem and Jordan curve theorem.  This breadth of coverage has led some to suggest Mizar as one of the leading approximations to the QED utopia of encoding all core mathematics in computer verifiable form.

Availability.

All MML articles are available in PDF form as the papers of the "Journal of Formalized Mathematics". The full text of the MML is distributed with the Mizar checker and can be freely downloaded from the Mizar website. In an ongoing recent project the library was also made available in an experimental wiki form that only admits edits when they are approved by the Mizar checker.  The MML Query website implements a powerful search engine for the contents of the MML. Among other abilities, it can retrieve all MML theorems proved about any particular type or operator.

Logical structure.

The MML is built on the axioms of the Tarski–Grothendieck set theory. Even though semantically all objects are sets, the language allows one to define and use syntactical weak types. For example, a set may be declared to be of type Nat only when its internal structure conforms with a particular list of requirements. In turn, this list serves as the definition of the natural numbers and the set of all the sets that conform to this list is denoted as NAT. This implementation of types seeks to reflect the way most mathematicians formally think of symbols and so streamline codification.

Mizar Proof Checker.

Distributions of the Mizar Proof Checker for all major operating systems are freely available for download at the Mizar Project website. Use of the proof checker is free for all non-commercial purposes. It is written in Free Pascal and the source code is available to all members of the Association of Mizar Users.

The Mizar system consists of a formal language for writing mathematical definitions and proofs, a proof assistant, which is able to mechanically check proofs written in this language, and a library of formalized mathematics, which can be used in the proof of new theorems. The system is maintained and developed by the Mizar Project, formerly under the direction of its founder Andrzej Trybulec.

Das Mizar-System besteht aus einer formalen Sprache, um mathematische Definitionen und Beweise zu schreiben, einem Beweisassistenten, der in dieser Sprache erfasste Beweise mechanisch prüft, und einer Bibliothek formalisierter Mathematik, auf welche im Beweis neuer Theoreme zurückgegriffen werden kann. Das System wird vom "Mizar Project", früher unter der Leitung seines Gründers Andrzej Trybulec, unterhalten und weiterentwickelt.


Content.

Introduction.

In the first chapters the Pope cites several Bible passages that show the relationship between the joy of receiving the Christian faith and the joy of missionary activity. Francis then offers several themes for the exhortation of the reform of the Church in her missionary outreach; the temptations faced by pastoral workers; the Church, understood as the entire People of God which evangelizes; the homily and its preparation; the inclusion of the poor in society; peace and dialogue within society; the spiritual motivations for mission.

Chapter I: The Church's Missionary Transformation (19-49).

In this chapter Francis underlines the importance of the parish, which "can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and community", and asks oratories, ecclesiastical movements, prelatures, and other communities in the Church to join the activities of the local parish. He shows the responsibility that bishops have for the missionary activities in their own diocese. In this context, in paragraph 32 the Pope says, "Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy", and that he is, as he notes Pope John Paul II had been, "open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization".

Chapter II: Amid the Crisis of Communal Commitment (50-109).

The chapter is divided in two sections: the first one, "Some challenges of today’s world", deals with economic matters, poverty, and modern culture. It also mentions the new religious movements and moral relativism. The second section, "Temptations faced by pastoral workers", describes two errors commonly faced by Christians: first the "attraction of Gnosticism" that offers "a faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information"; the second is "the self-absorbed promethean neopelagianism" of those who "feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style from the past" with "a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism". He also noted that "In some people we see an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy".

Chapter III: The Proclamation of the Gospel (110-175).

Francis describes thoroughly the importance of the homily, which "should be brief and avoid taking on the semblance of a speech or a lecture", and should be prepared with care: "Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it [...] A preacher who does not prepare is not'spiritual'; he is dishonest and irresponsible with the gifts he has received".  "Missionary discipleship": "In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization"

Chapter IV: The Social Dimension of Evangelization (176-258).

The fourth chapter deals with many topics: care for the weakest persons ("the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned, and many others"), long term politics, and social dialogue: the dialogue between faith and reason, ecumenical dialogue, and inter-religious dialogue.  In paragraph 246, Francis calls for ecumenical unity and trust among Christian missionaries because they must speak in one voice: "Given the seriousness of the counter-witness among Christians, particularly in Asia and Africa, the search for paths to unity becomes all the more urgent... If we concentrate on the convictions we share, and if we keep in mind the principle of the hierarchy of truths, we will be able to progress decidedly toward common expressions of proclamation, service and witness." In paragraph 247 he affirms that "As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion; nor do we include the Jews among those called to turn from idols and to serve the true God (cf. 1 Thes 1:9). With them, we believe in the one God who acts in history, and with them we accept his revealed word." In paragraph 249 he writes, "While it is true that certain Christian beliefs are unacceptable to Judaism, and that the Church cannot refrain from proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Messiah, there exists as well a rich complementarity which allows us to read the texts of the Hebrew Scriptures together and to help one another to mine the riches of God’s word. We can also share many ethical convictions and a common concern for justice and the development of peoples".  In paragraph 254 he teaches that non-Christian rituals of any religion can have a divine origin, that they are "a communitarian experience of journeying towards God" and can be "channels which the Holy Spirit raises up in order to liberate non-Christians from atheistic immanentism or from purely individual religious experiences".

Chapter V: Spirit-filled Evangelizers (259-288).

The last part of the exhortation deals with the personal relationship with Christ and the imitation of the Virgin Mary as an icon of joy and missionary activity.

Influences.

Most of the exhortation is Francis' own personal insight. His text cites several sources.  The main source is the "Propositions" of the synodal fathers of the XIII assembly of the Synod of Bishops, cited 27 times. Among Church Fathers, Francis cites Irenaeus of Lyon, Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo. Among medieval teachers he cites Isaac of Stella, Thomas Kempis, and Saint Thomas Aquinas. Modern authors cited by the Pope include John Henry Newman, Henri de Lubac, Romano Guardini and Georges Bernanos.  On 10 May 2015, Raúl Castro met Pope Francis at the Vatican and was presented a copy. When Donald Trump visited Vatican City on 25 May 2017, Pope Francis presented to him copies of "Evangelii gaudium" and "Laudato Si".  In May 2007, at the Fifth Episcopal Conference of Latin America in Aparecida, Brazil, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, later Pope Francis was elected by his brother bishops to chair the important committee charged with drafting the final document. The Aparecida document includes themes concerning evangelism, care for the poor and more that are also found in Evangelii Gaudium.  Analogous to Pope John Paul II's Redemptor hominis published in the first year of that papacy, Pope Francis published this document in the first year of his papacy to establish recurring themes.

In music.

On behalf of the Diocese of Limburg, Peter Reulein wrote the music for the oratorio "Laudato si' - a Franciscan Magnificat" to the libretto by Helmut Schlegel OFM. This work is based on the Latin version of the Magnificat, corresponds to the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and includes texts from the apostolic exhortation "Evangelii gaudium" and the encyclical "Laudato si'". The premiere of the oratorio took place in the Limburg Cathedral on 6 November 2016.

Response.

Adam Rasmussen, an openly "pro-Francis partisan" at Georgetown University, favors "Evangelii gaudium", wherein "Francis already spoke positively of religious pluralism", over the "Document on Human Fraternity": "Despite the commotion this document has made, what it says about religions is actually less noteworthy than what is in "Evangelii Gaudium". I don't think many people noticed section 254 when it came out because they were too busy arguing about other sections of EG!" But that "Francis takes up and even advances Vatican II's teachings on other religions" "in his first official document", did not fail to be noticed.  Pat Perriello, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, calls the document "truly remarkable", representing "...a bold new vision for the church."

Evangelii gaudium () is a 2013 apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis. In its opening paragraph, Pope Francis urged the entire Church "to embark on a new chapter of evangelism". According to the exhortation, the Church must understand itself as a "community of missionary disciples", who are "permanently in a state of mission". It has been described as "the manifesto of Francis" and a "Magna Carta for church reform."

Evangelii gaudium („Freude des Evangeliums“ bzw. „Freude über das Evangelium“) ist das erste Apostolische Schreiben von Papst Franziskus. Es wurde am 24. November 2013 promulgiert und trägt den Untertitel: "Über die Verkündigung des Evangeliums in der Welt von heute".


Classification and orbit.

"Veteraniya" is a member of the Vesta family. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,347 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1950, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 20 years prior to its discovery.

Physical characteristics.

The "Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link" (CALL) and Pan-STARRS large-scale survey classify it as a S-type and V-type asteroid, respectively.  According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid's surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 0.46 and a corresponding diameter of 5.2 kilometers, while CALL assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20. CALL therefore calculates a larger diameter of 7.8 kilometers, as the lower the albedo (reflectivity), the higher the body's diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).  A photometric lightcurve analysis by Japanese astronomer Sunao Hasegawa in 2004 has given a rotation period of hours with a brightness amplitude of in magnitude.

Naming.

This minor planet was named in honor of the Soviet veterans of the Great Patriotic War. (The term is used in Russia to describe the conflict fought between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front of World War II during 1941–1945.) The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 September 1978 ().

2011 Veteraniya, provisional designation, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 30 August 1970, by Russian astronomer Tamara Smirnova at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula, and named for the Soviet veterans of the Second World War.

(2011) Veteraniya ("1970 QB"; "1955 RE"; "1955 SN"; "1959 UA") ist ein Asteroid des Hauptgürtels, der am 30. August 1970 von Tamara Michailowna Smirnowa im Krim-Observatorium entdeckt wurde.


Location and facilities.

The halt ("Haltepunkt", technically a station without points) of Eilendorf is on the Cologne–Aachen high-speed line north of the centre of Eilendorf. The district of Nirm borders to the north. The Eilendorf Tunnel ends to the east of the station. The "Eilendorf Bahnhof" bus stop of "Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgungs-AG", the Aachen municipal bus company, lies to the west, about 200 metres from the platforms. The station has two tracks, each of which is faced by a 125 m long side platform. There is a waiting room, a ticket machine and a one-line, digital passenger information system on every platform. Noise barriers are installed on the northern platform. The platforms are monitored by video. There are also lockable bicycle boxes behind both platforms. There is a slope next to the railway line. While the entrances, which are each in the middle of a platform, are at ground level, the line toward Aachen rises from Eilendorf station, but after the station it is below the surrounding ground. The tracks cannot be crossed at the station itself, so passengers must use a bridge to the west or an underpass to the east. The straight line to Eilendorf Tunnel and Nirm Tunnel can be seen from the eastern end of the platforms.

History.

The Rhenish Railway Company ("Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft") opened the railway from Cologne to Aachen on 1 September 1841. A halt was opened at the time called "Nirm", which was renamed Eilendorf in 1865. With the building of a siding to a neighbouring sawmill, Eilendorf halt was redesignated as a station. The original, one-story station building was opened on the south side of the station in April 1897. In the meantime, passenger services were discontinued at Eilendorf station, but they resumed in 1897. A new, larger entrance building was built by Deutsche Reichsbahn in about 1920. At that time, Eilendorf station had an island platform between the two tracks, a bypass track and a track for freight handling. The latter was located at the first station building built in 1897. Eilendorf station received its current form during the electrification of the Cologne–Aachen line, which took place from 1963 to 1966. Two side platforms were replaced by a central platform. All track infrastructure, except for the platform tracks, was dismantled and the station was redesignated as a halt. The station building was demolished in 1988. A stop of the Regional-Express RE 9 "Rhein-Sieg-Express" service was established in Eilendorf in 2003. Shortly afterwards, demands were made for a second Regional-Express stop in Eilendorf and subsequently the RE 1 "NRW-Express" stopped there, thus establishing a 30-minute cycle to Cologne. The RE 9's stop in Eilendorf was discontinued at the 2009 timetable change. The platforms were increased from 38 cm to 76 cm to enable a level, barrier-free entry into the trains in 2018. The platforms, which were previously over 200 m long, were shortened to 125 m.

Current operations.

Eilendorf station is served by following passenger services:

Eilendorf station is a station in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the Cologne–Aachen high-speed railway. It is located in the eastern Aachen district of Eilendorf near the districts of Brand, Rothe Erde and Verlautenheide.

Der Haltepunkt Eilendorf ist ein Haltepunkt im Aachener Stadtteil Eilendorf an der Schnellfahrstrecke Köln–Aachen zwischen Stolberg Hauptbahnhof und dem Bahnhof Aachen-Rothe Erde.


Early life.

Charles J. McCurdy was born at Lyme, Connecticut. His father, Richard McCurdy (1769–1857), was a graduate of Yale and a lawyer by profession, but devoted himself to agricultural pursuits and the care of his estate. His mother was Ursula Wolcott Griswold (1775–1811), granddaughter on her father's side of Governor Matthew Griswold, whose wife Ursula was the daughter of governor Roger Wolcott, sister of Oliver Wolcott, aunt of Oliver Wolcott Jr, and mother of Roger Griswold, all of whom were governors of Connecticut. Thus, McCurcy was related to many governors of the state. Among his younger brothers was Robert Henry McCurdy (1800–1880), the co-founder of McCurdy and Aldrich.  He was of Scotch Irish descent on his paternal side; as early as 1503, King James VI leased the vast majority of the Isle of Bute to the MacKurerdy family (later McCurdy). His paternal grandfather, John McCurdy, emigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1745 prior to the Declaration of Independence. His mother's family was of English descent and his maternal great-grandfather, Matthew Griswold, served as the 17th Governor of Connecticut from 1784 to 1786.  McCurdy entered Yale College in 1813, and was graduated in 1817 with high honors.

Career.

He studied law under Chief Justice Zephaniah Swift of Windham, Connecticut and was admitted to the bar in 1819.  From 1827 and 1844, McCurdy served in the Connecticut General Assembly, first in the Connecticut House of Representatives where he was Speaker of the House in 1840-41 and 1844. In 1832, he became member of the Connecticut State Senate. He was elected in 1847 and 1848 to succeed Noyes Billings as Lieutenant Governor and President of the Senate.

Diplomat and Judge.

From 1850 until 1852, he was commissioned by then Secretary of State Daniel Webster to serve as U.S. Chargé to the Austrian Empire, succeeding newspaper publisher James Watson Webb (father of H. Walter Webb, William Seward Webb, and Alexander Stewart Webb) who later served as Ambassador to Brazil. After his service, he was relieved by former doctor and newspaper editor Thomas M. Foote In 1861, he was an active member of the Peace Conference of 1861, a meeting held at Willard's Hotel in Washington, DC in an effort to avoid the U.S. Civil War.  In June 1855, he was appointed a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court, and in 1863 a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, which position he held until his retirement by constitutional limitation of age in 1867. Following his retirement, he taught at Yale Law School and received a Doctor of Laws from Yale in 1868.  In 1888, McCurdy issued a pamphlet discussing the "origin of the change in the law by which the last 40 years witnesses have been allowed to testify in court when having an interest in the decision of the suit."

Personal life.

In 1822, McCurdy was married to Sarah Ann Lord (1800–1835), his second cousin and the daughter of Richard and Anne (née Mitchell) Lord. Before her early death in 1835, they were the parents of one child:  He did not remarry after his wife's death, instead "the education of this daughter became one of his greatest pleasures, and as she developed and matured into womanhood it was his delight to make her his confidential friend and familiarize her mind with his legal and business affairs, and share with her his political, intellectual, and social interests."  McCurdy died at his home in Lyme, Connecticut on June 8, 1891. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Yale graduate in the state.

Charles Johnson McCurdy (December 7, 1797 – June 8, 1891) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1847 to 1849.

Charles Johnson McCurdy (* 7. Dezember 1797 in Lyme, Connecticut; † 8. Juni 1891 ebenda) war ein US-amerikanischer Politiker und Diplomat. Zwischen 1847 und 1849 war er Vizegouverneur des Bundesstaates Connecticut; von 1850 bis 1852 fungierte er als Gesandter der Vereinigten Staaten im Kaiserreich Österreich.


Volleyball Champions League 2013/14 (Männer)

Participating teams.

The number of participants on the basis of ranking list for European Cup Competitions:

League round.

28 teams have been drawn to 7 pools of 4 teams each.  In each pool, the competition is organised on the basis of a double round-robin system. Each team will thus play 6 matches: twice against each opponent.  Points are awarded as follows:  In case two or more teams finish with an equal number of points, they will be ranked on the basis of the following criteria:  12 teams will qualify for the "Playoff 12":  After the end of the League Round, the organizer of the "Final Four" will be determined. That team will qualify directly for the Final Four. It will be replaced in Playoff 12 by the next best second-ranked team.  The remaining second-ranked team as well 3 third-ranked teams with the best score will move to the Challenge Round of the CEV Cup.  The remaining third-ranked and all fourth-ranked teams will be eliminated.

Playoffs.

The playoffs will consist of two rounds: Playoff 12 and Playoff 6. These will be played between 14 January and 13 February 2014. Each round is played in two legs.  If the teams are tied after two legs, a "Golden Set" is played. The winner is the team that first obtains 15 points, provided that the points difference between the two teams is at least 2 points (thus, the Golden Set is similar to a tiebreak set in a normal match).  At each leg, points are awarded to the teams in the same manner as in the Group Round (3 for 3:0 or 3:1, 2 for 3:2 etc.). So, if team A defeat team B in the first leg 3:0 and lose in the second leg 1:3, team A does not advance to the next round (as it would have been expected on the basis of analogy with football competitions), but the two teams are tied with 3 points each, and a Golden Set is played.  The three teams that win in Playoff 6 round advance to the Final Four.

Playoff 12.

Copra Elior Piacenza won the golden set 15–13.

Second leg.

The 2013–14 CEV Champions League was the highest level of European club volleyball in the season and the 55th edition. It ran from October 2013 till March 2014.

Die Saison 2013/14 der Volleyball Champions League begann am 22. Oktober 2013 mit der Gruppenphase. 28 Mannschaften aus 15 Nationen nahmen am Wettbewerb teil. Deutsche Teilnehmer waren der Meister Berlin Recycling Volleys sowie der Vizemeister VfB Friedrichshafen. Österreich wurde von Hypo Tirol Volleyballteam Innsbruck und Posojilnica Aich/Dob vertreten. Für die Schweiz trat Pallavolo Lugano an.


Organization.

The ROC Army's current operational strength includes 3 armies, 5 corps. As of 2005, the Army's 35 brigades include 25 infantry brigades, 5 armoured brigades and 3 mechanized infantry brigades. All infantry brigades stood down and transferred to Reserve Command after 2005.  This update reflects the ROCA order of battle at the conclusion of the Jinjing Restructuring Plan in 2008.  A new type of unit called defense team () is being introduced. These are formed by elements of de-activated brigades under each area defense command. The strength of a defense team may vary from one or more reinforced battalions, making it roughly equal to a regiment. The team CO is usually a full colonel.

Republic of China Army Command Headquarters.

ROC Army's former Army Missile Command was transferred to ROC Air Force in 2006.  The rank of Generalissimo was bestowed only once, to Chiang Kai-shek and currently is abolished. Since 2013, the rank of Colonel General shall be granted only in wartime.

Ranks.

Training.

The Republic of China Military Academy trains officers for the army in a four-year program.

History.

The Republic of China Army originated from Chinese National Revolutionary Army, which was founded by Sun Yat-sen's Kuomintang (KMT) in 1924, when the Whampoa Military Academy was established with Soviet military assistance. Whampoa Military Academy, which was presided by Chiang Kai-shek, was tasked with the objective of training a professional Chinese revolutionary army () to unify China during the Warlord Era. It participated in the Northern Expedition, the Second Sino-Japanese War (during World War II) and the Chinese Civil War before withdrawing with the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949.  After 1949, the ROC Army has participated in combat operations on Kinmen and the Dachen Archipelago against the PLA in the Battle of Kuningtou, and in the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. In addition to these major conflicts, ROCA commandos were regularly sent to raid the Fujian and Guangdong coasts. Until the 1970s, the stated mission of the Army was to retake the mainland from the People's Republic of China. Following the lifting of martial law in 1988 and the democratization of the 1990s, the mission of the ROC Army has been shifted to the defense of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu from a PLA invasion.  With the reduction of the size of the ROC armed forces in recent years, the Army has endured the largest number of cutbacks as ROC military doctrine has begun to emphasize the importance of offshore engagement with the Navy and Air Force. Subsequent to this shift in emphasis, the ROC Navy and Air Force have taken precedence over the ROC Army in defense doctrine and weapons procurement. Recent short-term goals in the Army include acquisition and development of joint command and control systems, advanced attack helicopters and armored vehicles, Multiple Launch Rocket System and field air defense systems. The Army is also in the process of transitioning to an all volunteer force.

Equipment.

From the 1990s onwards, the Republic of China Army launched several upgrade programmes to replace out-dated equipment with more advanced weapons, also increasing its emphasis on forces that could be rapidly deployed and were suited for combat in Taiwan's heavily urbanized environment. Orders were placed with the United States for M60A3 Patton tanks, M109A5 "Paladin" howitzers and AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters, as well as updating existing equipment.  Along with the other ROC military branches, the ROC Army has extensive experience in the construction and utilization of tunnels and bases gained during the People's Republic of China's bombardments of Kinmen and Matsu during the Cold War and many facilities are rumoured to be located underground in undisclosed locations.  The U.S. Government announced on October 3, 2008 that it plans to sell $6.5 billion worth of arms to Taiwan ending the freeze of arms sales to Taiwan. Amongst other things, the plans include $2.532 billion worth of 30 AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III Attack helicopters with night-vision sensors, radar, 173 Stinger Block I air-to-air missiles and 1000 AGM-114L Hellfire missiles. and 182 Javelin missiles will also be available with 20 Javelin command launchers and is estimated to cost $47 million.  On January 29, 2010, US Government announced 5 notifications to US Congress for arms sales to Taiwan. Of the total 6.392 billion US dollars in the 5 announcements, ROC Army will receive 60 UH-60M and other related things for cost of 3.1 Billion.

Helicopters.

In July 2007 it was reported that the ROC Army would request the purchase of 30 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters from the US in the 2008 defence budget. In October 2015 it was announced that 9 AH-64E had been grounded due to oxidation of components in the helicopters' tail rotor gearboxes and comprehensive safety checks were made on all Apaches. The 2008 defense budget also listed a request for 60 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters as a partial replacement for the UH-1Hs currently in service.

Main battle tanks.

As of 2019, the ROC army has 480 M60A3s, 450 CM11s (modified M48 turrets mated to M60 chassis), and 250 CM12s (CM-11 turrets mated to M48 hulls). The design and technology used in the tanks date back to the 1940s and 1950s, including their 105mm rifled gun and utilizing traditional steel armor plating rather than composite materials used in modern armored fighting vehicles. It is expected that majority of the ROC Army’s armored units would continue to be equipped with legacy tanks in upgraded form after the army acquires the newer modern tanks. As of 2015, some CM11 tanks are observed to be upgraded with explosive reactive armor around the turret and hull.  In October 2017, Taiwan announced an upgrade program for 450 M60A3s consisting of replacing the main gun with a new 120 mm weapon, as well as upgrading the ballistics computer, turret hydraulics, and other systems. Testing and evaluation are expected to be completed in 2019 and application of new features to start in 2020. However, in July 2018 the Ministry of National Defense renewed its interest in acquiring Abrams, and had set aside US$990 Million to purchase 108 M1A2s while modernization of existing M60A3s in service continues.  On June 7, 2019, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Taiwan has signed a $2 billion dollar weapons deal with the Trump administration, which includes a purchase of 108 M1A2T (M1A2C export variant for Taiwan) Abrams battle tanks. Taiwanese Defense officials intend to use the M1A2T Abrams battle tank to "replace Taiwan’s aging American-made M60A3 battle tanks and the Taiwanese-manufactured M48H CM11 tank". On July 8, 2019, The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Taiwan of new M1A2T Abrams tanks despite People's Republic of China's (PRC) criticism and protest of the deal. The deal includes 122 M2 Chrysler Mount Machine Guns, 216 M240 machine guns, 14 M88A2 HERCULES vehicles, and 16 M1070A1 Heavy Equipment Transporters. General Dynamics Land Systems will build the tanks at Anniston Army Depot, Alabama, and at Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio. The final signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) is confirmed on December 21, 2019. The tanks are the first sale of new tanks for ROC Army in decades from the US. Surplus M1A1 tanks were previously rejected by previous US administrations, including George W. Bush in 2001. Current ROC tanks are used M60A3 tanks and locally manufactured M48 tanks in which the initial variants are first produced in between the 1950s and 1960s.  Some criticisms were made to these M1 Abrams purchases, some analysts expressed that Taiwan's terrain and some of its bridges and roads are unsuitable for the 60-tonne M1A2. However, Taiwan's current tanks have obsolete 105-millimeter guns that may not be able to penetrate the frontal armor of modern People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Type 96 and Type 99 tanks, which can easily penetrate the Patton’s old-fashioned steel armor with their modern 125-millimeter guns. The M1A2T tank's 120-millimeter gun is capable of destroying PLA tanks without reliance on anti-tank missiles. Moreover, tanks can be used as mobile reserves for counterattacks against PLA beach landings, which was successful during Battle of Guningtou.

Infantry vehicles.

CM-32 Yunpao, an 8x8 armoured personnel carrier locally manufactured, will replace ageing M113s and V-150 armoured vehicles. It is a modular vehicle platform capable of accepting various configurations for specific combat requirements. As of 2019, an IFV version of Yunpao armed with Orbital ATK 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II cannons, CM-34, is planned for production. Production of a version with a 105-mm assault gun, which is modeled on that of the CM-11 Brave Tiger main battle tank, is also scheduled to be completed by 2023.

Air defense.

Long and medium range air defense systems are operated by the Republic of China Air Force with the Army assuming much of the SHORAD mission. The most modern air defense system of the Army is the indigenously developed Antelope.  The ROCA is in the process of fielding the Surface-to-Air TC-2 medium range air defense system. Development of a surface launched TC-2 began with the ROCN in 1994.  On June 7, 2019, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Taiwan has signed a $2 billion weapons deal with the Trump administration, which includes a purchase of "250 surface-to-air Stinger missile systems." Taiwan's ROC Army already has 2,223 Stinger missile systems.

Artillery.

On September 23, 2019, Defense Minister Yen De-fa () confirmed the Republic of China Armed Forces has requested the purchase of M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers from the United States. The number planned to order is undisclosed but 100 M109A6 artillery is estimated by the media. It is important to note the latest M109 artillery in the series is currently M109A7.  As of 2019, the ROC Army’s current artillery in service consists of M109A2 and M109A5 systems, 8 inch M110A2 self-propelled howitzers and 155mm M114 towed howitzers. These systems have exceeded their service life with the oldest being the M114, which has been in service for 68 years, while the youngest artillery system, the M109A5, has been in service for 21 years. The last artillery system that entered service is the M109A5s, which are ordered in 1996 and taken delivery in 1998.

The Republic of China Army (ROCA) is the largest branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. An estimated 80% of the ROC Army is located on Taiwan, while the remainder are stationed on the Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, Dongsha and Taiping Islands.

Das Heer der Republik China (Taiwan) umfasst 200.000 Soldaten. Es ist die größte Teilstreitkraft des Staates und gliedert sich schwerpunktmäßig in drei Armeen: Armee Nord (6. Korps, HQ: Taoyuan), Armee Mitte (10. Korps, HQ: Taichung) und Armee-Süd (8. Korps, HQ: Chisan).


Coups and censorship.

The Rabuka administration censored the "Fiji Times" for a while following the first military coup of 14 May 1987. In protest, the newspaper published an edition with large blank spaces, where articles censored by the military would have been placed.  The "Fiji Times" announced on 5 December 2006, in the wake of the overthrow of the civilian government by the military, that it was suspending publication rather than bow to government censorship. Military officers had visited the premises that evening to prohibit the publication of any "propaganda" in support of the deposed government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. The online edition would be continuing publication as normal, however. Just before midday on 6 December, the military granted permission for the "Times" to resume publication without censorship.  The "Times" reported on 9 December that two members of the public had been detained and questioned by the Military over letters they had written to the "Times" editor during the week, and were given a "verbal warning."  Nonetheless, from December 2006 to April 2009, the "Times" was able to publish continuously articles critical of the interim government. The latter voiced its displeasure, but did not impose censorship. Following the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis, however, all Fiji's media were censored, including the "Fiji Times". Censors are present in the paper's newsrooms. The newspaper's chief editor Netani Rika told Radio New Zealand International that "his journalists continue to cover every story in detail as if they were working in a democratic country without restrictions. And he says they challenge the censors by putting every possible news item before them." The website of the "Fiji Times" has also been censored since April 2009.

Criticism.

The Fiji Labour Party was once highly critical of the "Fiji Times", accusing it of political bias. In July 2008, the party published a report alleging that the "Fiji Times" had collaborated with others in a deliberate effort to unseat the 1999/2000 Labour-led government.

The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by "George Littleton Griffiths" (1844 Woolwich, England - 1908 Suva, Fiji), it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating.

Die Fiji Times ist eine englischsprachige Tageszeitung, mit einem Teil in der Fidschisprache, die in der Hauptstadt Suva auf Fidschi herausgegeben wird.


Canal tunnel.

Construction.

On 4 April 1794, construction of the "Huddersfield Narrow Canal" (then known as the "Huddersfield Canal"), linking Ashton-under-Lyne and Huddersfield via a tunnel was authorised by an Act of Parliament. Benjamin Outram was appointed the consulting engineer after his report in October 1793 estimated the cost of the canal and tunnel at £178,478. Nicholas Brown surveyed the route. Outram thought that geology of the hill through which the tunnel would pass was of gritstone and shale, and not present any difficulties. Work on the tunnel would start at a dip in the hill at Red Brook and the tunnel would be driven simultaneously from both ends. Steam engines would keep the works drained during construction.  Outram was the site engineer and Brown was superintendent and surveyor. During July 1795, John Evans was appointed to manage boring the tunnel. By mid-1796, of tunnel had been cut, some of which had been lined. Considerable effort had been spent constructing small tunnels to supply waterwheels to raise spoil and water from intermediate adits. By the autumn, concerned that such work was expensive, Outram abandoned building extra workfaces and concentrated on boring out from both ends. Although cheaper, the completion date was extended.  Other factors had slowed progress; a shortage of funding and poor working practices also contributed. Cutbacks in drainage provision hampered tunnelling as larger quantities of water entered the workings. In September 1797, Outram advised the committee that Thomas Lee, the contractor, had made large losses as a result of the difficulties and could not complete his contract. He was awarded more money for timber, an increased rate per yard for completion and an extra year in which to finish the tunnel.  By mid 1799, of the tunnel had been finished and had been excavated, but not completed. In October 1800, the Peak Forest Canal Company, who were keen to trade, suggested a tram road should be built to bypass the tunnel until it was completed but no action was taken. The next tunnel contract failed to attract any takers and canal engineer John Varley, who had repaired parts of the canal which had been damaged by floods, was invited to work on the tunnel. Soon thereafter, mine owner Matthew Fletcher was asked for his opinion; he suggested that time could be saved by tunnelling in both directions from Redbrook pit, which was kept dry by a large steam engine. He estimated that it would cost £8,000 but a contractor could not be found and tunnelling continued from both ends.  In 1801, Outram resigned after work had stopped for a lengthy period. Brown was dismissed. In late 1804, a sub-committee visited Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal, Butterley Tunnel on the Cromford Canal and the Norwood Tunnel on the Chesterfield Canal. It recommended that a towing path should be built through the tunnel but the extra cost and delay were not affordable. Desperately short of money, the canal company obtained a new Act of Parliament in 1806 to raise additional finance and allow an extra toll for using the tunnel. In 1807, Thomas Telford was asked for his advice. He produced a plan, which was followed until the work was completed.  On 9 June 1809, both ends of the tunnel met. On 26 March 1811, the tunnel was complete and a grand opening ceremony was held on 4 April; a party of invited guests, followed by several working boats, entered the tunnel at Diggle and completed the journey to Marsden in one hour and forty minutes. The tunnel had cost £160,000, making it the most expensive canal tunnel to have been built in Britain. It was also the longest, deepest and highest. The tunnel was long, underground at its deepest point, and above sea level. It was extended at the Marsden end in 1822 by when Tunnel End Reservoir's overflow was diverted over the tunnel mouth. The tunnel was also extended at the Diggle end in 1893 by to accommodate the 1894 rail tunnel. The extensions made the tunnel long. A survey carried out before restoration using a modern measuring system gave the length as which is the accepted figure.

Operation.

When the tunnel opened, the canal became a through route, 13 years after the rest of the canal had been completed and 17 years after work began, at a total cost of £123,803. Despite multiple problems, its construction showed that the technique of quantity surveying had advanced. Telford's plan covered every eventuality and was followed until the canal opened. Between 1811 and 1840, the tunnel was used on average by 40 boats daily. The tunnel is brick-lined in some places, though some sections of bare rock were left exposed.  The tunnel is only wide enough for one narrowboat for much of its length and to save on cost, a tow-path was not provided. Canal boats were horse-drawn when it opened and the boats were legged through the tunnel – one or more boatmen lay on the cargo and pushed against the roof or walls of the tunnel with their legs. Professional leggers were paid one shilling and six pence for working a boat through the tunnel which took one hour and twenty minutes for an empty boat and three hours with a full load. The limited load capacity and the lack of a tow-path damaged the competitiveness of the whole canal when compared to the rival Rochdale Canal, which was only a few miles to the north and competed with the Huddersfield Canal for business.  Although there were widened passing places in the tunnel for handling bi-directional traffic, intense competition between boat crews was a hindrance and two-way operation in the tunnel was impractical. The canal company introduced one way working, for which one end of the tunnel was closed by a locked chain to prevent access unless authorised. A similar arrangement remains in use.  In 1846, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was purchased by the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway. The canal tunnel was used during the construction of the first railway tunnel and no shafts were needed. The canal provided an easy means of removing the excavated spoil. When the railway tunnel was completed, several cross passages were retained.  The last commercial boat passed through the tunnel in 1921 and the canal was closed to traffic in 1944 when maintenance ended and the tunnel fell into a state of disrepair. The last boat to pass through the tunnel before its restoration was the Rolt/Aickman expedition in the "Ailsa Craig" in 1948. Writing in 1948, L. T. C. Rolt described the journey as taking two hours, during which the speed was kept very low to avoid damage to the boat.  The canal had become obstructed in several places on both sides of the Pennines and the tunnel, which had become unsafe was closed by large iron gates at each end. A local newspaper described a trip organised by the Railway and Canal Historical Society during 1961, which was held to commemorate 150 years since the canal's opening. The expedition used a single narrowboat, which departed Marsden around 11 a.m. and emerged from the Diggle portal around 1 p.m.

Restoration.

In the 1990s, the canal and tunnel benefitted from a £5 million restoration project to re-open the entire canal. Several rock-lined parts of the tunnel were stabilised by rock bolts where possible and concrete was used to stabilise the rock face where this was impractical. In May 2001, the tunnel was re-opened to traffic.  Most modern canal boats are diesel-powered and it was considered unsafe for boaters to navigate the tunnel using diesel power because of its length and the lack of ventilation and so electric tug boats haul the narrowboats through. Typically three or four boats are linked together with the electric tug at the head, and they proceed through the tunnel while the boat crews travel in the tug. A British Waterways operative steers the last boat in the chain and no personnel are allowed to travel on the intermediate boats. Despite the use of rudimentary protection measures, strips of thick rubber conveyor belting on the boat gunwales and roofs, impact damage to the unsteered boats was common with this method of working.  In September 2007, significant repairs were required to one of the electric tugs and British Waterways carried out a trial for self-steer operation. The trip boat "Pennine Moonraker" was taken through the tunnel under her own power by owner John Lund, shadowed by a BW electric tug. Since the 2009 season, boats have been allowed to travel through the tunnel under their own power with an experienced chaperone on board to guide its passage, followed by a service vehicle through one of the parallel disused railway tunnel.

Railway tunnels.

Three railway tunnels run parallel to each other and the canal tunnel. They are level for the whole length, which had the operational benefit of providing the only section of level track on the line where water troughs could be installed to provide steam locomotives with water without the requiring the train to stop. Both the single-track bores have ventilation shafts at Cote, Flint and Pule Hill and the double-track tunnel is ventilated via three shafts at Brunn Clough, Redbrook and Flint. Drainage adits interlink with one another, including the canal tunnel, into which water is discharged.  In 1846, work commenced on a railway tunnel for the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway. It ran parallel to, and to south of the canal tunnel at a slightly higher level. From the canal tunnel, thirteen adits were driven to facilitate excavating the railway tunnel. The railway company had bought the canal company to provide access. Boats transferred excavated spoil and moved construction materials. Canal access increased the rate of construction, which took a little over two years; in comparison, the Woodhead Tunnel, which was slightly shorter took seven years to built despite the work being done by the same contractor, Thomas Nicholson. The tunnel was driven and lined by up to 1,953 navvies working 36 faces. The tunnel advanced at up to per week. Nine men died during its construction. In 1848, the central single-track tunnel was completed by the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR), who had acquired the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway midway through its construction. Costing £201,608, the tunnel is long. When opened, trains were accompanied through the tunnel by a pilot man or pilot engine and their re-emergence was communicated between signal boxes situated at either end by a telegraph system devised by Henry Highton.  The 1848 tunnel soon became a bottleneck for rail traffic between Huddersfield and Manchester. Even before its completion, plans were in consideration for a second tunnel alongside it. When economic case became clear, Thomas Nelson, who built the first railway tunnel, was awarded the contract. As with the first tunnel, the canal tunnel was linked to the second by 21 adits which passed underneath Nicholson's tunnel, allowing spoil to be removed by boat. Construction was disrupted by strike action by tunnellers and bricklayers over disputes about payment and shift length. In February 1871, the second rail tunnel, to the south of the first, was opened.  Even two tunnels could not provide sufficient capacity to satisfy demand and in 1890, the L&NWR embarked on providing four tracks on most of the line which required constructing a twin-track tunnel.  Construction was done under the guidance of AA MacGregor and carried out by 1,800 men who lived in the paper mills at Diggle and 54 wooden huts near the eastern side. Once again the tunnel was driven from adits, this time 13 adits were connected to the first railway tunnel. The canal tunnel was extended at the Diggle end to accommodate the third rail tunnel, which ran close past it. For most of its length, the new bore is to the north of the canal tunnel, but passes over the canal tunnel just inside each tunnel entrance. When the work was completed, the tunnel was long. To speed the excavation, 40 breakups were opened using around of gelignite. About 25 million bricks, which were mostly produced locally were used in the tunnel lining.  A unlined section of tunnel collapsed in April 1894 blocking the tunnel for a week. On 1 August 1894, the new tunnel was passed for use by inspector Major Yorke. The opening of the double-track tunnel provided additional capacity for the L&NWR, allowing them to temporarily close the single bores for maintenance. As of 2018, the double-track bore is the fifth-longest rail tunnel in Britain, after the new High Speed 1 tunnels, the Severn Tunnel on the Great Western Main Line, and the Totley Tunnel on the Sheffield to Manchester route.  Only the 1894 rail tunnel is in use for rail traffic, although all three rail tunnels are maintained. In 1966, the 1848 single-track rail tunnel was closed followed by the 1871 single-track tunnel in 1970. The 1848 tunnel provides an emergency escape route for the other tunnels and has been made accessible to road vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances. Both the 1848 and 1871 tunnel are used by maintenance personnel for access. During the 2000s, Network Rail proposed reinstating rail traffic through the 1848 and 1871 tunnels to increase capacity on the Leeds–Manchester Transpennine route, but after a reappraisal after the decision to electrify the Transpennine line, it was reported in 2012 that reinstatement was unnecessary.

Visitor centre.

The Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre at the Marsden end of the tunnel is in the former warehouse used for transshipment of goods from canal barge to packhorse between 1798 when the canal reached Marsden and 1811 when the tunnel opened. The centre contains exhibitions on the history of the tunnels, the canal tunnel's recent restoration and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Tunnel End Cottages, which once housed canal maintenance workers, houses a cafe and the booking office for 30-minute boat trips into the tunnel. The tourist trips use electric tugs that push a passenger-carrying barge.  The visitor centre is about half a mile (0.8 km) west of Marsden railway station which can be reached via the canal towpath. Adjacent to the railway station is the headquarters of the National Trust's Marsden Moor Estate which has a public exhibition, "Welcome to Marsden", that gives an overview of the area and its transport history.

The Standedge Tunnels () are four parallel tunnels through the Pennine hills at the Standedge crossing between Marsden in West Yorkshire and Diggle in Greater Manchester in northern England. Three are railway tunnels and the other is a canal tunnel. Before boundary changes in 1974, both ends of the tunnels were in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Die Standedge-Tunnels ("Standege Tunnels" []) unterqueren das Penninen-Gebirge im nördlichen England. Der etwa fünf Kilometer lange Verkehrsweg nordöstlich der Stadt Manchester umfasst vier Tunnel, davon drei normalspurige Eisenbahntunnel und einen Kanaltunnel des Huddersfield-Narrow-Kanals. Zwei der Eisenbahntunnel sind stillgelegt. Der Kanaltunnel ist der längste und höchstgelegene im Vereinigten Königreich. Die nördlichen Tunnelportale liegen bei dem Ort Marsden, die südlichen in der Nähe des zu Saddleworth gehörenden Dorfes Diggle.


Life and professional career.

Schliessmann was born in Aschaffenburg, Germany. He is also a professional scuba diver and serves as an Ambassador for the "Protecting of Our Ocean Planet" program of the Project AWARE Foundation. The inspiration of the variety of colours of the underwater world he converts into differentiated sounds in his artistic interpretations, a phenomenon called synesthesia. In several segments of an interview with Oliver Fraenzke in "The New Listener" entitled "Interview: Burkard Schliessmann", Schliessmann describes his experiences of these feelings and impressions.  He also is engaged in the study of philosophy and photography.  Schliessmann performed at Steinway Hall in New York and is an official artist of Steinway & Sons. He has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist throughout the world and has participated in music festivals in Europe, among these the Münchner Klaviersommer, the festival “Frankfurt Feste”, the Valldemossa Chopin Festival and the Maurice Ravel Festival in Paris. He received invitations from orchestras like the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt, WDR Radio Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Symphony Orchestra Wuppertal and the New Philharmonic Westfalia, in addition to other orchestras.  He has received honors and awards for his performances and his musical recordings and has been the subject and guest artist on many radio and television programs. His repertoire comprises Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Scriabin, the Second Viennese School up to the Avantgarde.

Musical style, interpretation and artistry.

"Schliessmanns' approach to the piano, though guided by a piercing intellect, remains essentially intuitive", so a reviewer in the introduction to an interview in "High Performance Review HPR", USA.  Schliessmann himself stated in a conversation about the "Goldberg Variations" with James Reel in 2008,  According to Phil Muse, "Schliessmann is essentially a romantic, and as such he is the last sort of pianist you would expect to just play the notes as written, without comment."  James Harrington argued in "American Record Guide" in 2010 that "Schliessmann arrives at his own unique interpretations, with reverence for the past (Cortot, Michelangeli, Rubinstein, and Horszowski especially). While each phrase is impeccably shaped, there is an overall thrust to each work that holds everything together. He uses rubato sparingly, and while he embraces the virtuosity in the music, it never overrides other musical content. After a half century of listening to a number of these works, I must say that Schliessmann shed new light on most of them."  Peter J. Rabinowitz described in "Fanfare" in 2011 Schliessmann "as a fiercely intellectual pianist." He added: He's intellectual in two senses. First, he approaches this music with a tremendous store of background knowledge – knowledge about the composers and their works, about their early receptions, about their critical writings, about their literary inspirations, and about the cultural milieu in which they found themselves. Second, he performs the music with a rigorous sense of the ways its details contribute to its form, both in terms of its overall architecture and in terms of its vertical structure. Not that he sounds anything like Pollini, much less Rosen (to mention just two other pianists often tagged as intellectuals); his playing is far lusher and less severe than Pollini's (listen to the gorgeous shifts in color in the Barcarolle), far more flexible than Rosen's. Still, if you're looking for playing with splashy virtuosity, heightened emotionality, and an extroverted interpretive style, you won't find it here.

On playing Bach, Schumann and Chopin.

In 2008, Schliessmann said that he played Bach more than any other composer and that he had played the complete organ works at the age of 21 – and this by memory.  In a segment of an interview with James Reel in "Fanfare" entitled "Burkard Schliessmann Articulates His Approach to Bach", Schliessmann speaks about the surreal and metaphysical experience of playing the Bach "Goldberg Variations". According to Schliessmann, "Bach really cannot be seen, understood, and interpreted from an isolated point. Bach has to be explored as part of something complete, unique, of a universe – an aspect of human realism." This Schliessmann also stated in broadcastings on SWR, WDR and HR.  According to Schliessmann, "Chopin is the crowning and climax of piano-playing. It's something so unique, all-affecting in emotionalism, musical architecture, and structure, that all past giants are present in it: Bach and Mozart. Chopin's elegance is so singular, that again you need much experience to convey his music in the real and original style. The question of rubato is very sensitive: It's nothing arbitrary, but much more something well calculated and well proportioned, something that is integrated in the classical strength of form, which is constructed on the profound knowledge of the polyphonic and contrapuntal structures of Bach and Mozart."  In another interview with Peter J. Rabinowitz in "Fanfare" entitled "Cannons Camouflaged by Flowers: Burkard Schliessmann Talks about Chopin", Schliessmann stated, "To approach Chopin, you have to separate him stylistically completely from Schumann. Schumann admired Chopin very much and saw him as friend, but Chopin himself had much less interest in and esteem for Schumann. Whereas the young Schumann's creative path led in the opposite direction, from classical forms – however deeply revered, to the freedom of subjective self-expression - this is an absolute deep contrast to Chopin, who found himself favoring a "classical" form of musical essence. He needs to bring nothing in from outside, the music is nearly "absolute"."

Instruments.

In a segment of an interview in "Fanfare" entitled "A Philosophy, Not a Profession: The Art of Burkard Schliessmann", Peter J. Rabinowitz wrote that Schliessmann is a connoisseur of the mechanics of the piano and he insists that his concert instruments be in perfect condition. He described that according to Schliessmann the quality of the sound has its source, as well, in the quality of his piano technician, Georges Ammann.  "I don't want to be conceited," Schliessmann said, "absolutely not, but it's a fact that piano and player have to blend into one."  Peter J. Rabinowitz added that for Schliessmann "the interaction between piano and concert hall is also extremely important. He often travels with his own favored instruments (especially if there is a recording or broadcast involved), and he carefully adjusts to any hall in which he plays."  Schliessmann stated: "I need a day to hear the hall and to place the piano at the right position. This maximizes the impact on the audience."  James Inverne wrote in "Steinway International Pianos Magazine" that "Schliessmann owns two treasured Steinways. They were carefully selected after years of searching." One, Schliessmann said, is a "very orchestral" instrument and is used for large scale works. The other "is very sensitive and sensible, great for chamber music." He added: "The search for the ideal instruments was entirely worth it: My pianos are alive to me and a mirror of me. It was vital to get it right."

About live concerts and studio recordings.

According to Peter J. Rabinowitz, the artistic fulfilment of Schliessmann's performances is the communication with his audience. Phil Muse commented: "There is a strong personality behind his performances, one that always has a decided opinion about the music" and the "FAZ" described his concert appearances as a "mystic fusion".  Peter J. Rabinowitz explained, "this give and take is so important that, when recording in a studio, he likes to bring a few friends along to serve as an audience."  Schliessmann himself said: "Sometimes, I ask one, two, or more people just to sit in the audience and to listen to me with concentration as I play. It's stimulating for me, and I try to build up a situation like that in a recital with a live audience. This helps me to play in a way that electrifies people."  The interview in "Fanfare" entitled "Cannons Camouflaged by Flowers: Burkard Schliessmann Talks about Chopin" concluded with a statement of Schliessmann:

Discography (selected).

Schliessmann records for Arthaus Musik, MSR-Classics and Bayer. In June 2014 Schliessmann signed a further recording contract with the British label Divine Art for the worldwide releasing of selected piano works and cycles from Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin.

Television and radio productions.

Schliessmann has appeared in a number of television and radio productions on the European television stations ARD, ZDF, WDR, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, ARTE, 3-SAT, EinsFestival,, Classical TV and the US channels Classic Arts Showcase, WSMC, WWFM, WUOT and WDPR. These include:

Memberships.

Schliessmann is a member (Master Instructor) of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) and of the Canon Professional Network. He is also a long-term member of the Frankfurter Gesellschaft für Handel, Industrie, Wissenschaft und Kultur, Lions Clubs International and American Guild of Organists.

Burkard Schliessmann is a German classical pianist and concert artist with an active international career. He attended the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts and graduated with a Master's degree. He studied under several internationally recognized musical artists and participated in master classes conducted by Shura Cherkassky and Bruno Leonardo Gelber.

Burkard Schliessmann (* in Aschaffenburg) ist ein deutscher klassischer Konzertpianist. Schliessmann zählt zu den bedeutendsten Pianisten der Gegenwart und lebt heute vorwiegend in den USA.


Plot.

In their prime, Pittsburgh boxers Henry "Razor" Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (Robert De Niro) become rivals after two fights, one in which Kid beats Razor and one in which Razor beats Kid, the only defeats of their careers. Before they have a rematch, Razor announces his retirement without explanation, infuriating Kid and costing them a big payday.  Years later, Razor is low on money and working in a shipyard when he's visited by promoter Dante Slate, Jr. (Kevin Hart), who wants Razor to provide a motion capture performance for a video game. It was Slate's father whose shady business dealings ended up leaving Razor in dire financial straits. The soft-spoken Razor wants no part of this stunt. Kid, a showoff who runs a bar and a car dealership, is all for it. Razor begrudgingly accepts $15,000 needed to care for his ailing former trainer Lightning Conlon (Alan Arkin) and pay his overdue bills.  At the recording studio, Razor is surprised and taunted by Kid, who was also invited by Slate. The two get into a fight and damage the studio before being arrested. Cellphone footage of the fight is uploaded on YouTube and goes viral, giving Slate the idea of organizing a final grudge match between Razor and Kid, which he will promote as "Grudgement Day."  Kid eagerly accepts. Razor is forced to do so as well, not receiving his $15,000 and then learning he has been fired from the shipyard. At the press conference to announce the grudge match, Razor is approached by his ex-girlfriend Sally Rose (Kim Basinger), who cheated on him with Kid during their youth and ended up becoming pregnant. Now widowed, Sally wants to reconnect with Razor, but he is reluctant.  Razor asks old trainer Lightning to get him back in shape. Kid expects gym owner Frankie Brite (LL Cool J) to train him, but Frankie mocks the fight and is of little help. Kid is approached by his estranged biological son, B. J. (Jon Bernthal), against Sally's wishes. The two begin to bond after B. J. gives Kid helpful advice regarding his technique, and is invited to be his trainer.  Lightning finds out Razor is blind in one eye. A fight could cause permanent damage, so Lightning and Sally both implore Razor to call it off, but he decides to go through with the fight.  Kid takes his grandson Trey to celebrate the news that the Grudge Match is sold out. B. J. believes they're going to a movie, but Kid takes the child to a bar, then leaves him on his own while hooking up with a groupie. Trey ends up accidentally starting Kid's car while he's in the backseat having sex. Kid prevents an accident, but he is arrested, and B. J. is infuriated that he endangered the boy. Kid apologizes to B. J. and gives him a scrapbook that he kept of B. J.'s sports career in school, proving he hadn't been uninterested in him throughout the years. B. J. forgives him.  When the Grudge Match begins Kid gains the upper hand, severely beating Razor by unknowingly exploiting his blind eye. Upon learning of Razor's condition, however, Kid stops focusing on the eye and helps Razor to his feet. Razor turns the fight to his favor, but likewise helps Kid on his feet after nearly knocking him out. The fight ends and the judges decide it on points. Razor is declared the winner by a very close split decision. He celebrates with Sally and Lightning, while a satisfied Kid enjoys the company of B. J. and Trey, who are proud of what he has accomplished.  In a post-credits scene, Razor has a new TV, on which he and Lightning view a performance by Kid on "Dancing with the Stars" and quickly deduce that he's having sex with his partner. In another, Slate tries to set up another grudge match between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Holyfield refuses several increasingly higher offers to fight Tyson before showing interest when Slate offers Holyfield a role in a fourth "Hangover" film. Tyson, frustrated by this, approaches Slate angrily before the scene ends.

Cast.

Jim Lampley, Steve Levy, John Buccigross, Mike Goldberg, Chael Sonnen, Larry Merchant, Roy Jones, Jr., Michael Buffer, Mike Tyson, and Evander Holyfield appear as themselves. Kim Basinger's daughter, Ireland Basinger Baldwin, appears as Young Sally.

Production.

Filming commenced in New Orleans, Louisiana, in late 2012 and wrapped in March 2013 while several different establishing shots of Downtown Pittsburgh and the Edgar Thomson Steel Works were shot in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. A trailer was released on September 12, 2013. The climatic fight scene was filmed on location at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Reception.

Critical response.

"Grudge Match" received generally negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 29% based on 130 reviews with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, ""Grudge Match" is sporadically funny but meandering, and its strong cast is largely mired in a plot that's overrun with cliches." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 35 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.  Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" called the film "A preposterous, worthless mediocrity.... Never have I yearned more passionately to climb into my time machine and journey back to before my memory of Raging Bull was needlessly trashed by this incredibly depressing and worthless mediocrity".  Sylvester Stallone was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performance in this film (along with "Bullet to the Head" and "Escape Plan"), but he lost to Jaden Smith for "After Earth". (It was Stallone's 14th bid for the "prize", a record, which he has "won" four times, also a record.)

Box office.

"Grudge Match" grossed only $7 million in its opening weekend, finishing in 11th place at the box office. Made on a $40 million budget, the film made only $45 million worldwide, making it a box office disappointment.

Grudge Match is a 2013 American sports comedy film starring Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone as aging boxers stepping into the ring for one last bout. Stallone and De Niro have both previously been in successful boxing films ("Rocky" and "Raging Bull", respectively) and worked together in "Cop Land". The film is directed by Peter Segal. It was previously scheduled for a January 10, 2014 release, but was moved up to December 25, 2013.

Zwei vom alten Schlag (Originaltitel: "Grudge Match)" ist eine US-amerikanische Filmkomödie von Peter Segal aus dem Jahr 2013 mit Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger und Sylvester Stallone in den Hauptrollen.


Description.

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The color pattern is highly variable. The dorsum in adult males is consistently tan to brown. There are varying levels of yellow or brown spots, or yellow blotches that may cover most of the dorsum. The yellow spots might have dark brown centers or edging. Most specimens have a brown or dark brown canthal stripe that runs from the nostril through the eye to at least the forelimb insertion, sometimes further to the inguinal region of the hind limb. The throat is canary yellow. The belly is grayish blue or white. The limbs are salmon red to red, with the concealed parts of the thighs being bright orangish red. In adult females, the dorsal ground color varies from orangish brown to mustard yellow. The canthal region is dark brown in most individuals, and that coloration may extend from the posterior of the orbit to the forelimb insertion. The dorsum may be completely without patterns, or the patterns can resemble the males ones, or may include large brown blotches with neon yellowish green borders. The abdomen is white with a light pink to grayish blue throat; the limbs have similar color. The hands and feet may be salmon red. In both males and females, the flanks and dorsum may have a lighter brown coloration than the remainder of the dorsum, or range from light gray to salmon red. Juveniles and subadults have coloring that transitions from a lime green dorsum (often with a white dorsolateral line) to the adult coloration described above.

Habitat and conservation.

"Hyperolius castaneus" occurs in swamps in montane grassland and forest at elevations of above sea level.

Conservation.

First assessed as "vulnerable" in 2004, this species is now listed as "least concern" due to the discovery that it occurs more widely than previously thought (now a 73,498 km2 estimated extent of occurrence) and because, despite ongoing habitat loss, there is currently an abundance of suitable habitats within its range. It is considered to be an abundant species. It is present in several national parks.

Hyperolius castaneus is a species of frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in the highlands of western Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda as well as eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Common names of this species include Ahl's reed frog, brown reed frog, and montane reed frog. The status of the putative subspecies "Hyperolius castaneus rhodogaster" is unclear, and it may actually be a distinct species. Also "Hyperolius constellatus", now a distinct species, was formerly recognized as a subspecies of "H. castaneus".

Hyperolius castaneus ist ein Riedfrosch, der an den Hängen der Gebirge lebt, die den Zentralafrikanischen Graben begrenzen. Da er in seinem relativ kleinen Verbreitungsgebiet recht häufig ist, gilt sein Bestand als Indikator für die Bedrohung der Bergwälder im Westlichen Rift zu denen auch die Hänge der Virunga-Vulkane zählen, auf denen die Berggorillas heimisch sind.