Background.

The project was to build the remaining section of an outer ring link connecting Geneva, (Cornavin station) with Annemasse running through Geneva's west, south and south eastern suburbs. It was planned to enhance the public transport network of the Geneva region, which increasingly over the years has become a trans-frontier conurbation, with thousands of cross-border daily commuters travelling between the Geneva area and surrounding regions of France. It links the CFF route Lausanne – Geneva Cornavin – Geneva Airport and the SNCF route Geneva Cornavin – Bellegarde-sur-Valserine – Lyon with lines in the Haute Savoie serving Thonon-les-Bains, Évian-les-Bains, the valley of the Arve to St Gervais and Chamonix and from Annemasse to Annecy.  The origins of the project go back to 1850. In 1888 the Eaux-Vives to Annemasse line was opened. At Eaux Vives, the abutments were built for a bridge across the main road on the alignment of the proposed link round to Cornavin. This Geneva ring was part of a proposed new link to the Simplon route to Italy, using a direct route from Paris and Dijon under the Jura mountains via the Faucille tunnel to Geneva, round the 'CEVA' route and along the south side of Lake Geneva to St-Maurice. This was never realised due to competition from the Vaud canton which succeeded in keeping the Dijon – Vallorbe – Lausanne – St Maurice route as the main Simplon line to Italy.  A contract of 1912 between the Confederation and the canton said that each partner would pay one third of construction costs of CEVA and SBB a further third.  In 1949 the first section of the ring was built, connecting Cornavin Station to a large new freight marshalling yard at La Praille, but was used only for freight. Until 2013 the Eaux-Vives – Annemasse line remained an isolated shuttle served by SNCF trains, although the line (infrastructure) was legally the Geneva State Railway ().  After numerous false starts over a century, the ring line project was reborn in the 1990s and a passenger service was introduced on the "" line as far as Lancy-Pont-Rouge station which opened on 19 December 2002 and is the present terminus for the regional trains coming from Coppet in Vaud, after passing through Geneva's Cornavin station. Pont Rouge acts as an interchange to the Geneva tram route 15.  The first official CEVA project work was undertaken in the last two years, and consisted of widening Cornavin station on its south side, to allow room for a platform for use by CEVA trains. This entailed the wholesale moving of a historic listed building by a few metres.

Construction.

Approval of the plans by the Federal Office of Transport was given on 5 May 2008, but opponents brought the case to court. The Federal Administrative Court rejected the plea in June 2011 but the opponents also took the last step, going to the Federal Court.  On 28 March 2012, the Federal Administrative Court rejected all remaining objections, thus concluding the legal process and allowing the works to proceed freely.  In 2012, the Eaux-Vives station closed and the disused Chêne-Bourg station was reopened until 1 April 2013, when all train services stopped to allow construction to start. A substitute bus service from Annemasse to Eaux-Vives is running.  CEVA line will be electrified with the Swiss 15 kV 16.7 Hz including a track to one of the Annemasse platforms. To simplify electrification situation in the Geneva area, the portion between Genève-Cornavin and Bellegarde was changed from 1500 V DC to 25 kV 50 Hz AC in Summer 2014.  The new service over the CEVA line, expected to open in December 2019, will be branded as Léman Express and operated with new Stadler FLIRT electric multiple unit trains built in Switzerland by Stadler Rail.

Route.

Upon completion a continuous railway route will run from Cornavin Station via La Praille, Bachet-de-Pesay, over the river Arve, in tunnel under the commune of Champel, and on past Eaux-Vives, underground to Annemasse, if a financing for the French part of the new infrastructure can be found.  The CEVA project consists of four principal sectors:

CEVA (Cornavin‒Eaux-Vives‒Annemasse) is an orbital rail line designed to connect the main Gare de Cornavin railway station of Geneva (Switzerland) on the north of Lake Geneva with Gare d'Annemasse in Annemasse (France), to the south of Lake Geneva. The link allows through running between the main Swiss rail network and the isolated line east of Annemasse in Haute-Savoie, which was served until 2013 by French SNCF services. A new station was constructed on the route at and the line between this station and the border was replaced with a double track line in tunnel. Track already existed as far as Stade de Genève station, and the full route opened on 12 December 2019.

Die Bahnstrecke Genève–Annemasse, auch als CEVA (Cornavin–Eaux-Vives–Annemasse) bezeichnet, verbindet seit dem 15. Dezember 2019 den grenznahen französischen Ort Annemasse mit dem schweizerischen Genf und seinem Hauptbahnhof Cornavin.


Personal life.

Cottrell-Boyce was born in 1959 in Rainhill, to a Catholic family. He attended St Bartholomew's Primary School in Rainhill and West Park Grammar School.  He read English at Keble College, Oxford, where he went on to earn a doctorate. He wrote criticism for the magazine "Living Marxism". As a result, there was supposedly always a copy of the magazine on sale in the newsagent set of long-running British soap "Coronation Street", while Cottrell Boyce was on the writing staff of that programme.  The then Frank Boyce met Denise Cottrell, a fellow Keble undergraduate, and they married in Keble College chapel. Together they have seven children. He is also a patron of the Insight Film Festival, a biennial, interfaith festival held in Manchester, UK, to make positive contributions to understanding, respect and community cohesion. His favourite foods are fish finger sandwiches, marmite and wine gums.

Career.

After he met Michael Winterbottom, the two collaborated on "Forget About Me". Winterbottom made five further films based on screenplays written by Cottrell-Boyce, "Butterfly Kiss", "Welcome to Sarajevo", "The Claim", "24 Hour Party People" and "Code 46". Their 2005 collaboration, "A Cock and Bull Story", is their last according to Cottrell-Boyce, who asked that his contribution be credited to "Martin Hardy", a pseudonym. He told "Variety", "I just had to move on... what better way to walk away than by giving Winterbottom a good script for free?"  Other film directors Cottrell-Boyce has worked with include Danny Boyle ("Millions"), Alex Cox ("Revengers Tragedy"), Richard Laxton ("Grow Your Own") and Anand Tucker ("Hilary and Jackie").  Cottrell-Boyce has been praised by Roger Ebert as one of the few truly inventive modern-day screenwriters. He has spoken against the "three-act structure" and the "hero's journey" formulas, which are often regarded as axiomatic truths in the business.  In addition to original scripts, Cottrell-Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction. His first novel "Millions" was based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name; it was published by Macmillan in 2004. Cottrell-Boyce won the annual Carnegie Medal from the British librarians, recognising it as the year's best children's book published in the U.K. His next novel "Framed", he made the shortlist for both the Carnegie and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. He adapted it as a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. He made the Carnegie shortlist again for "Cosmic" (2008). In 2011, he was commissioned to write a sequel to the Ian Fleming children's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was published in October 2011 as "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again" In addition to "Coronation Street", he wrote many episodes of the soap opera "Brookside", as well as its spin-off "Damon and Debbie".  He wrote and staged his first original theatre production "Proper Clever" at the Liverpool Playhouse during the city's European Capital of Culture Year, in 2008. On 18 September 2010, he co-presented the Papal Visit at Hyde Park with TV personality Carol Vorderman. In June 2012, he assumed the position of Professor of Reading (the first such professorship) at Liverpool Hope University.  Cottrell-Boyce was the writer of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, whose storyline he based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest". He collaborated with director Danny Boyle and other members of the creative team, including designer Mark Tildesley, in the development of the story and themes, and wrote "short documents that told the story of each segment" to provide context for choreographers, builders and other participants. He also wrote the brochure, the stadium announcements and the media guide for presenter Huw Edwards.  Three months later, Cottrell-Boyce won the 2012 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for "The Unforgotten Coat". That story of a crosscultural friendship was inspired by a Mongolian girl he met as a writer visiting her school, whose family was subsequently deported by the British immigration office. It was commissioned by Reader Organisation of Liverpool and 50,000 copies were given away. The Guardian Prize is judged by a panel of British children's writers and recognises the year's best book by an author who has not yet won it. Interviewed by the sponsoring newspaper, Cottrell Boyce told "The Guardian" that "I'm definitely a children's writer[;] that's what I want to be. I'm always trying to get rid of everything else.... The movies I'm doing are ones that have been on the blocks for a long time."  Cottrell-Boyce was made an Honorary Doctor of Literature at Edge Hill University on 16 July 2013. In 2014, Cottrell-Boyce wrote an episode of "Doctor Who", titled "In the Forest of the Night". He also wrote the second episode of the tenth series, "Smile". In September 2015, Cottrell-Boyce held the keynote speech at the Children ́s and Young Adult Program of the 15th international literature festival berlin.  In January 2018, he was on the victorious Keble College, Oxford "University Challenge" "famous alumni" team; he got almost all of the points scored by Keble (total score 240) and was lionized on social media as a consequence; Reading University scored 0 in that game, thus making television history.

Cottrell-Boyce has won two major British awards for children's books, the 2004 Carnegie Medal for "Millions", which originated as a film script, and the 2012 Guardian Prize for "The Unforgotten Coat", which was commissioned by a charity.

Frank Cottrell Boyce (* 23. September 1959 in Rainhill, Merseyside, England; Familienname "Cottrell Boyce") ist ein britischer Autor von Büchern, Drehbüchern und Theaterstücken, außerdem Universitätsprofessor. Cottrell Boyce verfasste seit 1987 Drehbücher für neun Fernsehserien, 13 Kinospielfilme, drei Fernsehspielfilme sowie für die Eröffnungsfeier der Olympischen Sommerspiele 2012. Außerdem veröffentlichte er seit 2004 neun Romane für junge Leser, von denen sechs in deutschsprachiger Übersetzung vorliegen. Zu seinen bekanntesten Büchern gehören "Millionen" und seine Tschitty-Trilogie, in der er Ian Flemings Kinderbuchklassiker "Tschitti Tschitti Bäng Bäng" weitererzählt. Außerdem veröffentlichte er verschiedene Kurzgeschichten, Hörspiele und Theaterstücke. Cottrell Boyce ́s Drehbücher wurden unter anderem von Michael Winterbottom und Danny Boyle verfilmt. Für seine Bücher erhielt er national wie international ein positives Presseecho und wurde er unter anderem mit den bedeutendsten Preisen der englischen und deutschen Kinder- und Jugendliteraturszene ausgezeichnet, darunter die Carnegie Medal (2004), der Luchs des Jahres (2004), der Guardian Children’s Fiction Award (2012), der Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis (2013) und der James Krüss Preis für internationale Kinder- und Jugendliteratur (2015). Das neueste Drehbuch verfasste Cottrell Boyce für den Kinospielfilm "Die Liebe seines Lebens – The Railway Man" (2013). Sein neuester Kinderroman ist "The Astounding Broccoli Boy" (2015). Am 9. September 2015 hielt er die Eröffnungsrede des Kinder- und Jugendprogramms beim 15. Internationalen Literaturfestival Berlin, die den Titel "Open The Castle Gates" trug. Cottrell Boyce lebt in Blundellsands bei Liverpool.


Life.

Mātā Amritānandamayī Devi is an Indian guru from Parayakadavu (now partially known as Amritapuri), Alappad Panchayat in Karunagappally, Kollam District, in the state of Kerala. Born to a family of fishermen in 1953, she was the third child of Sugunanandan and Damayanti. She has six siblings.  As part of her chores, Amṛtānandamayī gathered food scraps from neighbours for her family's cows and goats, through which she was confronted with the intense poverty and suffering of others. She would bring these people food and clothing from her own home. Her family, which was not wealthy, scolded and punished her. Amṛtānandamayī also began to spontaneously embrace people to comfort them in their sorrow. Despite the reaction of her parents, Amṛtānandamayī continued. Regarding her desire to embrace others, Amṛtānandamayī commented, "I don't see if it is a man or a woman. I don't see anyone different from my own self. A continuous stream of love flows from me to all of creation. This is my inborn nature. The duty of a doctor is to treat patients. In the same way, my duty is to console those who are suffering."  Amṛtānandamayī rejected numerous attempts by her parents to arrange for her marriage. In 1981, after spiritual seekers had begun residing at her parents' property in Parayakadavu in the hopes of becoming Amṛtānandamayī's disciples, the Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Math (MAM), a worldwide foundation, was founded. Amṛtānandamayī continues to serve as chairperson of the Math. Today the Mata Amritanandmayi Math is engaged in many spiritual and charitable activities.  In 1987, at the request of devotees, Amṛtānandamayī began to conduct programs in countries throughout the world. She continues to do so annually.

Darshan.

Amṛtānandamayī's form of giving darshana is hugging people. As to how this began, Amṛtānandamayī said, "People used to come and tell [me] their troubles. They would cry and I would wipe their tears. When they fell weeping into my lap, I used to hug them. Then the next person too wanted it... And so the habit picked up." Amṛtānandamayī has embraced more than 33 million people throughout the world for over 30 years.  When asked, in 2002, to what extent she thought her embraces helped the ills of the world, Amṛtānandamayī replied, "I don't say I can do it 100 percent. Attempting to change the world [completely] is like trying to straighten the curly tail of a dog. But society takes birth from people. So by affecting individuals, you can make changes in the society and, through it, in the world. You cannot change it, but you can make changes. The fight in individual minds is responsible for the wars. So if you can touch people, you can touch the world."  Amṛtānandamayī's darshana has been the centerpiece of her life, as she has received people nearly every day since the late 1970s. Given the size of the crowds coming to seek Amṛtānandamayī's blessings, there have been times when she has given darshana for more than 20 continuous hours.

Teachings and public image.

In the book "The Timeless Path", Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri, one of Amṛtānandamayī's senior disciples, wrote: "The [spiritual] path inculcated by Amma is the same as the one presented in the Vedas and recapitulated in subsequent traditional scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita." Amṛtānandamayī herself says, ""karma" [action], "jñana" [knowledge] and "bhakti" [devotion] are all essential. If the two wings of a bird are devotion and action, knowledge is its tail. Only with the help of all three can the bird soar into the heights." She accepts the various spiritual practices and prayers of all religions as but different methods toward the same goal of purifying the mind. Along these lines, she stresses the importance of meditation, performing actions as karma yoga, selfless service, and cultivating divine qualities such as compassion, patience, forgiveness, self-control, etc. Amṛtānandamayī has said that these practices refine the mind, preparing it to assimilate the ultimate truth: that one is not the physical body and mind, but the eternal, blissful consciousness that serves as the non-dual substratum of the universe. This understanding itself Amṛtānandamayī referred to as "jivanmukti" [liberation while alive]. Amṛtānandamayī said, ""Jivanmukti" is not something to be attained after death, nor is it to be experienced or bestowed upon you in another world. It is a state of perfect awareness and equanimity, which can be experienced here and now in this world, while living in the body. Having come to experience the highest truth of oneness with the Self, such blessed souls do not have to be born again. They merge with the infinite." Amritanandamayi is known for frequently referring to herself in the third person as "Amma", which is a common spiritual practice in Hinduism.

Social Issues.

In her public talks and in articles, Amritanandamayi has taken up several social issues, including the importance of selfless service, the need for inter-religious harmony, for environmental protection and of desegregating science and spirituality. She also regularly speaks on the importance of women's empowerment and gender equality as well as that of humankind cultivating what she refers to as "viśva-mātrutvam" — an attitude of motherliness towards all beings in creation, specifically through expressing compassion, patience and selflessness. She has also spoken out against human trafficking and forced prostitution, speaking at the Vatican and signing the Universal Declaration Against Slavery in an event organized by Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2014. And in 2018, under the patronage of Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, she participated in a similar event aimed at protecting children from abuse and predation via the Internet. In July 2015, Amritanandamayi delivered the keynote address at a United Nations Academic Impact conference on technology and sustainable development, co-hosted by Amrita University. There, she requested the scientific community to infuse its research with awareness and compassion, stressing the importance of keeping the aim of uplifting the poor and suffering in mind when undertaking technological research. She has spoken several times at the United Nations and twice at the Parliament of the World's Religions.

Bhajans.

Amṛtānandamayī has recorded more than 1,000 bhajans, or devotional songs, in 35 languages. She has also composed dozens of bhajans and set them to traditional ragas. Regarding devotional singing as a spiritual practice, Amṛtānandamayī says, "If the bhajan is sung with one-pointedness, it is beneficial for the singer, the listeners, and Nature as well. Later when the listeners reflect on the songs, they will try to live in accordance with the lessons enunciated therein." Amṛtānandamayī has said that in today's world, it is often difficult for people to attain deeply focused concentration in meditation. A person can be aided in reaching this level of concentration with bhajans.

Humanitarian Work.

Amritanandamayi is founder and chairman of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math and the founder of Embracing the World. Embracing the World is a global network of local and regional charitable organizations and projects that has grown out of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math's India-based charitable projects. The organizations' focus is on providing the poor with the five basic needs of food, shelter, healthcare, education and livelihood. The organizations also conduct work in the fields of disaster relief and environmental protection as well as on conducting research and developing new technologies to help the poor and needy.

Food.

In India, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math provides 10 million free meals to poor people annually via its various centres. Likewise, Embracing the World feed more than 150,000 annually in North America through 49 centres that conduct a program called "Mother’s Kitchen," started in 1987. Other feed-the-hungry programs exist in Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Spain, Kenya, Brazil, Slovenia and Australia. The Math is also currently deploying filtration systems with the goal of providing clean drinking water in 5,000 village centres throughout India, which would provide water purification to 10 million villagers.

Shelter.

Since 1998, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has constructed over 47,000 houses for the homeless in 75 locations throughout India. It also runs an orphanage for 500 children in Kerala, and Embracing the World manages a children’s home in Nairobi.

Healthcare.

The Mata Amritanandamayi Math manages the 1,100-bed super-speciality hospital Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, which it launched in 1998, as well as several other free healthcare clinics, medicine dispensaries, hospices in India. It is also in the process of constructing a 2,000-bed hospital in Delhi NCR. In total, the math has provided totally free medical care and surgeries to more than four million people since 1998. This includes super-specialty surgeries including heart surgeries, brain surgeries and kidney transplants. Aside from free treatment, Amrita Institute provides care on a sliding scale, allowing people to pay what they can afford. This is often a minimal percent of the total medical cost.

Livelihood.

In 1998, the Math started a program titled Amrita Nidhi that provides lifetime pensions to destitute widows and to people who are physically and mentally challenged. As of 2019, a total of 100,000 people were enrolled. It also started AmritaSREE (Self-Reliance, Empowerment & Employment) in 2006. This program has helped more than 200,000 women form Self-Help Groups throughout India.

Education.

Amritanandamayi is founder and chancellor of Amrita University, a five-campus, multi-disciplinary research university that in 2019 was ranked as the eighth-best university in India by NIRF, is accredited with an 'A' grade by NAAC, and was selected as an "Institute of Eminence" by the Indian Government in 2019. Under Amritanandamayi's guidance, the university puts a strong focus on research-and-development to uplift the sick and poor. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math also runs a scholarship program that currently provides 50,000 scholarships for economically challenged children throughout India, and Embracing the World provides scholarships outside of India in times of need, such as in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Disaster Relief.

Within India, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has been involved in relief-and-rehabilitation efforts following natural disasters since 2001, and Embracing the World has come to aid in the wake of several disasters outside of India as well. Embracing the World has provided a total of $75 million in disaster-relief work since 2004. The disasters after which the Mata Amritanandamayi Math and Embracing the world have conducted relief-and-rehabilitation work include: the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Katrina (2005), the 2008 Bihar flood, the 2005 Gujarat flood, the Maharashtra floods of 2005, Cyclone Aila of 2009, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the 2013 North India floods, Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, the 2014 India–Pakistan floods, the May 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2015 South Indian floods, the Puttingal temple fire of 2016, Hurricane Maria of 2017, Cyclone Ockhi of 2017, the 2018 Kerala floods, and the 2019 Kerala floods. In 2019, the Math gave Rs. 500,000 to each of the families of the 40 CRPF soldiers who were killed in the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Environmental Protection.

On 11 September 2015, Amritanandamayi donated US$15 million to the Government of India's Namami Gange "Clean the Ganges" program for the specific purpose of constructing toilets for poor families living along the Ganges River. On 27 September 2015, Amritanandamayi pledged that her NGO would dedicate the value of another US$15 million to toilet construction and other sanitation efforts specifically in the Indian state of Kerala. Amritanandamayi's organization has been cleaning the Pampa River and Sabarimala Kerala Temple pilgrimage site annually since 2012.

Controversies.

Book by Sreeni Pattathanam.

Sreeni Pattathanam, the Kerala-based head of the Indian Rationalist Association, wrote "Matha Amritanandamayi: Sacred Stories and Realities", a controversial critique first published in 1985. The author claimed that all the "miracles" of Amṛtānandamayī were falsified. It was further written that there had been many suspicious deaths in and around her ashram that required police investigation.  On 9 August 2002, "Deshabhimani", a Malayalam daily newspaper published a similar account, demanding investigation into the same deaths Pattathanam found suspicious. On 24 September 2002, "Deshabhimani" officially apologised for the report, publishing an article titled "Report that Suspicious Deaths at Amritanandamayi Math Are Growing Was Incorrect". The article stated: "We now state with conviction that there was nothing suspicious about deaths that happened in the Math. Some of the deaths mentioned in the article did not even take place at the Math." The article went on to explain that relatives of the deceased had personally contacted Deshabhimani in order to correct the misinformation conveyed in the original article. In several cases, the editors noted the relatives had contacted Deshabhimani to explain they were at the bedsides of elderly kin who had died of natural causes, with no suspicious aspects regarding the passings.  In 2004, the Kerala State Government sanctioned criminal prosecution of Patthathanam, the owner of the publishing company, and the printer of the book on grounds that religious sentiments had been offended and for the libelous statements in the book. The order followed directions from the Kerala High Court to the Home Department for considering an application by T.K. Ajan, a resident of the Mata Amṛtānandamayī Math. CPI leader Thengamam Balakrishnan protested the move against Pattathanam.

Source of foreign aid.

In June 2007, Shantanu Guha Ray wrote in "Tehelka" weekly that Amṛtānandamayī Math, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Baba Ramdev, and other NGOs and religious organisations had large annual turnover of INR crores. In June 2007, novelist Paul Zacharia wrote on Tehelka that Amṛtānandamayī is free from the typical scrutiny on money that has foreign connections. In May 2008, the president of Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, U. Kalanathan, urged the state government to conduct an enquiry into Amṛtānandamayī's assets. He said the sources of her income and its utilisation should be investigated. In June 2008, writer Sukumar Azhikode demanded the state government to probe the source of foreign aid received by her organisation.

Allegations by Gail Tredwell.

In 2013, Gail Tredwell, a former disciple of Amṛtānandamayī, self-published a memoir of her 1980–99 tenure in Amṛtānandamayī's ashram. She made some allegations in this memoir as well as media interviews which preceded and followed the release of the book. The allegations, including the claim that Tredwell was physically assaulted by Amṛtānandamayī, have not been substantiated. Both Amṛtānandamayī and representatives of her ashram denied the allegations, saying that they were untrue and were aimed at exacting revenge for unfulfilled desires. In an interview in April 2014, Amṛtānandamayī spoke in depth about the incident, saying, "Even now, Amma is only filled with love for that daughter. I am praying that virtue and goodness come. Time will shine forth the truth."

Attacks.

In August 2005, Amṛtānandamayī was attacked by a man named Pavithran. He was sitting with other followers praying and singing in front of Amṛtānandamayī. He then rushed to Amṛtānandamayī with a knife, but was overpowered by a group of disciples. Amritanandamayi's disciple Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri said Pavithran was of "unstable mind". Pavithran was also bruised and taken to a hospital immediately. Amritanandamayi, who forgave Pavithran, said, "All those who are born will die one day. I am going ahead keeping this reality in mind. I will carry on. I will continue to give darshan to the devotees coming here to meet me."  On 1 August 2012, a 25-year-old law student from Bihar, Satnam Singh Mann, attempted to barge onto the podium of Amṛtānandamayī at her ashram in Kollam. According to police, he was screaming and reciting words in Arabic. He was overpowered by devotees, who handed him over to the police.

Publications and documentaries.

Amṛtānandamayī's disciples have transcribed her conversations with devotees and spiritual seekers to create approximately a dozen books of her teachings known as "Awaken Children". The addresses she has delivered at various international forums have also been published in book form. Beginning in April 2011, a bi-weekly message from Amṛtānandamayī has appeared in the Lifestyle section of the "Express Buzz" Sunday supplement of the "New Indian Express" newspaper. She also writes a regular blog in the spiritual publication "Speaking Tree".  She has been featured in various documentaries and films:

Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī (born Sudhamani Idamannel; 27 September 1953), better known simply as Amma ("Mother"), is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, guru and humanitarian, who is revered as a hugging saint by her followers.

Amma oder Mata Amritanandamayi (Malayalam: മാതാ അമൃതാനന്ദമയി; Sanskrit: माता अमृतानन् दमयी, Mātā Amṛtānandamayī; * als "Sudhamani Idamannel" am 27. September 1953 in Parayakadavu, Kerala) ist eine indische geistliche Führerin mit weltweiter Anhängerschaft. Von ihren Anhängern wird sie "Amma" bzw. "Ammachi" (Malayalam/Tamil „Mutter“) genannt und als Avatar-Guru verehrt.


Description.

There are two dimensions in aiming a weapon:  The projectile trajectory is affected by atmospheric conditions, the velocity of the projectile, the difference in altitude between the firer and the target, and other factors. Direct fire sights may include mechanisms to compensate for some of these. Handguns and rifles, machine guns, anti-tank guns, tank main guns, many types of unguided rockets (although missiles, mortars, howitzers, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and artillery in general, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, etc., are indirect), and guns mounted in aircraft are examples of weapons primarily designed for direct fire.  NATO defines indirect fire as "Fire delivered at a target which cannot be seen by the aimer." The implication is that azimuth and/or elevation 'aiming' is done using instrumental methods. Hence indirect fire means applying 'firing data' to azimuth and elevation sights and laying these sights. Indirect fire can be used when the target is visible from the firing position. However, it is mostly used when the target is at longer range and invisible to the firer due to the terrain. Longer range uses a higher trajectory, and in theory maximum range is achieved with an elevation angle of 45 degrees. Indirect fire is most commonly associated with field artillery (although field artillery was originally and until after World War I a direct fire weapon, hence the bullet-shields fitted to the carriages of guns such as the famous M1897 75 mm) and mortars. It is also used with naval guns against shore targets, sometimes with machine guns, and has been used with tank and anti-tank guns and by anti-aircraft guns against surface targets.  It is reasonable to assume that original purpose of indirect fire was to enable fire from a 'covered position', one where gunners can not be seen and engaged by their enemies (that and as the range of artillery lengthened, it was impossible to see the target past all the intervening terrain). The concealment aspect remains important, but from World War I equally important was the capability to concentrate the fire of many artillery batteries at the same target or set of targets. This became increasingly important as the range of artillery increased, allowing each battery to have an ever-greater area of influence, but required command and control arrangements to enable concentration of fire. The physical laws of ballistics means that guns firing larger and heavier projectile can send them further than smaller-calibre guns firing lighter shells. By the end of the 20th century, the typical maximum range for the most common guns was about 24 to 30 km, up from about 8 km in World War I.  During World War I, covered positions moved further back and indirect fire evolved to allow any point within range to be attacked, "firepower mobility", without moving the firers. If the target cannot be seen from the gun position, there has to be a means of identifying targets and correcting aim according to fall of shot. The position of some targets may be identified by a headquarters from various sources of information (spotters): observers on the ground, in aircraft, or in observation balloons. The development of electrical communication immensely simplified reporting, and enabled many widely dispersed firers to concentrate their fire on one target.  Until the introduction of smart munitions the trajectory of the projectile could not be altered once fired.

History.

Indirect arrow fire by archers was commonly used by ancient armies. It was used during both battles and sieges.  For several centuries Coehorn mortars were fired indirectly because their fixed elevation meant range was determined by the amount of propelling powder. It is also reasonable conjecture that if these mortars were used from inside fortifications their targets may have been invisible to them and therefore met the definition of indirect fire.  It could also be argued that Niccolò Tartaglia's invention of the "gunner's quadrant" (see clinometer) in the 16th century introduced indirect fire guns because it enabled gunlaying by instrument instead of line of sight. This instrument was basically a carpenter's set square with a graduated arc and plumb-bob placed in the muzzle to measure an elevation. There are suggestions, based on an account in "Livre de Canonerie" published in 1561 and reproduced in "Revue d'Artillerie" of March 1908, that indirect fire was used by the Burgundians in the 16th Century. The Russians seem to have used something similar at Paltzig in 1759 where they fired over trees, and their instructions of the time indicate this was a normal practice. These methods probably involved an aiming point positioned in line with the target. The earliest example of indirect fire adjusted by an observer seems to be during the defence of Hougoumont in the Battle of Waterloo where a battery of the Royal Horse Artillery fired an indirect Shrapnel barrage against advancing French troops using corrections given by the commander of an adjacent battery with a direct line of sight.  Modern indirect fire dates from the late 19th century. In 1882 a Russian, Lt Col K. G. Guk, published "Field Artillery Fire from Covered Positions" that described a better method of indirect laying (instead of aiming points in line with the target). In essence, this was the geometry of using angles to aiming points that could be in any direction relative to the target. The problem was the lack of an azimuth instrument to enable it; clinometers for elevation already existed. The Germans solved this problem by inventing the lining-plane in about 1890. This was a gun-mounted rotatable open sight, mounted in alignment with the bore, and able to measure large angles from it. Similar designs, usually able to measure angles in a full circle, were widely adopted over the following decade. By the early 1900s the open sight was sometimes replaced by a telescope and the term goniometer had replaced "lining-plane" in English.  The first incontrovertible, documented use of indirect fire in war using Guk's methods, albeit without lining-plane sights, was on 26 October 1899 by British gunners during the Second Boer War. Although both sides demonstrated early on in the conflict that could use the technique effectively, in many subsequent battles, British commanders nonetheless ordered artillery to be "less timid" and to move forward to address troops' concerns about their guns abandoning them. The British used improvised gun arcs with howitzers; the sighting arrangements used by the Boers with their German and French guns is unclear.  The early goniometric devices suffered from the problem that the layer (gun aimer) had to move around to look through the sight. This was very unsatisfactory if the aiming point was not to the front, particularly on larger guns. The solution was a periscopic panoramic sight, with the eyepiece to the rear and the rotatable top of the sight above the height of the layer's head. The German Goertz 1906 design was selected by both the British and the Russians. The British adopted the name "Dial Sight" for this instrument; the US used "Panoramic Telescope"; the Russia used "".  Elevations were measured by a clinometer, a device using a spirit level to measure a vertical angle from the horizontal plane. These could be separate instruments placed on a surface parallel to the axis of the bore or physically integrated into some form of sight mount. Some guns had clinometers graduated in distances instead of angles. Clinometers had several other names including "gunner's level", "range scale", "elevation drum" and "gunner’s quadrant" and several different configurations. Those graduated in ranges were specific to a type of gun.  These arrangements lasted for most of the 20th century until robust, reliable and cost-effectively accurate gyroscopes provided a means of pointing gun or launcher in any required azimuth and elevation, thereby enabling indirect fire without using external aiming points. These devices use gyros in all three axes to determine current elevation, azimuth and trunnion tilt.

Related issues.

Before a gun or launcher can be aimed, it must be oriented towards a known azimuth, or at least towards a target area. Initially, the angle between the aiming point and target area is deduced, or estimated, and set on the azimuth sight. Each gun is then laid on the aiming point, with this angle in order to keep them aimed roughly parallel to each other. However, for artillery another instrument, called either a director (United Kingdom) or aiming circle (United States), became widespread and eventually the primary method of orienting guns in most if not all armies. After being oriented and pointed in the required direction a gun recorded angles to one or more aiming points.  Indirect fire needs a command and control arrangement to allot guns to targets and direct their fire. The latter may involve ground or air observers or technical devices and systems. Fire may be either "adjusted" or "predicted". The latter (originally called "map shooting") means firing data is calculated to include corrections for non-standard conditions. It also requires the target location to be precisely known relative to the gun location. Predicted fire was introduced in World War I.  Adjusting (originally "ranging") means some form of observation is used to correct the fall of shot onto the target; there are several possible reasons for this:  Adjusted and predicted fire are not mutually exclusive, the former may use predicted data and the later may need adjusting in some circumstances.  There are two approaches to the azimuth that orients the guns of a battery for indirect fire. Originally "zero", meaning 6400 mils, 360 degrees or their equivalent, was set at whatever the direction the oriented gun was pointed. Firing data was a deflection or switch from this zero.  The other method was to set the sight at the actual grid bearing in which the gun was oriented, and firing data was the actual bearing to the target. The latter reduces sources of mistakes and made it easier to check that the guns were correctly laid. By the late 1950s, most armies had adopted the bearing method, the notable exception being the United States.

Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim by observing the fall of shot and calculating new angles.

Indirektes Feuer ist ein militärischer Begriff. Er bezeichnet ein Richtverfahren, bei dem das Ziel von der Feuerstellung eines Waffensystems aus nicht sichtbar ist und daher über ein Hilfsziel indirekt anvisiert oder eine Schießgrundlage aus Kartendaten ermittelt werden muss. Die Zielaufklärung erfolgt von einer Beobachtungsstelle abseits der Feuerstellung. Artillerie und Mörser schießen in der Regel indirekt.


Further notation.

When the first fundamental form is written with only one argument, it denotes the inner product of that vector with itself.  The first fundamental form is often written in the modern notation of the metric tensor. The coefficients may then be written as :  The components of this tensor are calculated as the scalar product of tangent vectors and :  for. See example below.

Calculating lengths and areas.

The first fundamental form completely describes the metric properties of a surface. Thus, it enables one to calculate the lengths of curves on the surface and the areas of regions on the surface. The line element may be expressed in terms of the coefficients of the first fundamental form as  The classical area element given by can be expressed in terms of the first fundamental form with the assistance of Lagrange's identity,

Example.

The unit sphere in may be parametrized as  Differentiating with respect to and yields  The coefficients of the first fundamental form may be found by taking the dot product of the partial derivatives.  so:

Length of a curve on the sphere.

The equator of the sphere is a parametrized curve given by with ranging from 0 to 2. The line element may be used to calculate the length of this curve.

Area of a region on the sphere.

The area element may be used to calculate the area of the sphere.

Gaussian curvature.

The Gaussian curvature of a surface is given by  where,, and are the coefficients of the second fundamental form.  Theorema egregium of Gauss states that the Gaussian curvature of a surface can be expressed solely in terms of the first fundamental form and its derivatives, so that is in fact an intrinsic invariant of the surface. An explicit expression for the Gaussian curvature in terms of the first fundamental form is provided by the Brioschi formula.

In differential geometry, the first fundamental form is the inner product on the tangent space of a surface in three-dimensional Euclidean space which is induced canonically from the dot product of. It permits the calculation of curvature and metric properties of a surface such as length and area in a manner consistent with the ambient space. The first fundamental form is denoted by the Roman numeral,

Die erste Fundamentalform oder metrische Grundform ist in der Mathematik eine Funktion aus der Theorie der Flächen im dreidimensionalen euklidischen Raum, einem Teilgebiet der klassischen Differentialgeometrie. Die erste Fundamentalform ermöglicht unter anderem die Behandlung folgender Aufgaben:


Career.

Early life.

Nathan Harrell East was born on December 8, 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Thomas and Gwendolyn East. He is one of eight children (five boys and three girls) raised in San Diego, where the family moved when he was four. East first studied cello from seventh through ninth grade and played in local Horace Mann junior high school's orchestra. At age fourteen he developed an interest in the bass guitar, playing in church (Christ The King) for folk masses with his brothers Raymond and David. He was active in his (Crawford) high school's music programs along with a local top 40 band called "Power". He has said his early influences included Charles Mingus, Ray Brown and Ron Carter on upright bass; and James Jamerson, Paul McCartney and Chuck Rainey on electric bass. He studied music at UC San Diego. Nathan East is also an accomplished amateur magician member of The Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts.

Music career.

East is a founding member of the contemporary jazz band Fourplay with Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour on guitar (later replaced by Larry Carlton and Chuck Loeb) and Harvey Mason (drums).  He has worked with Bobby Womack (on the album "The Poet"), Babyface, Anita Baker, The Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel, Gail Ann Dorsey, Bryan Ferry, Herbie Hancock, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Earth, Wind & Fire, B.B. King, Kenny Loggins, The Love Unlimited Orchestra, The Manhattan Transfer, Laura Pausini, Savage Garden, Sting, Barry White, and Stevie Wonder. He co-wrote the song "Easy Lover" for Phil Collins and Philip Bailey. In 2013, he recorded the bass line for the 2013 hit "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk, which won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (2014). Since the 1980s, East has been a member of Eric Clapton's studio and touring bands. East was invited to play at in Washington, D.C. in 2009.  In early 2010, he was invited to join American Grammy Award-winning rock band Toto on their reunion tour to benefit member Mike Porcaro, who had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. East later joined Toto for their 2011 and 2012 tours as well. He joined Eric Clapton's band for concerts in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Dubai in February and March 2014 and again for the Madison Square Garden and Royal Albert Hall concerts of May, 2015.  East's debut self-titled solo album "Nathan East" was released on March 25, 2014. During recording, he was joined by several of his longtime associates, including Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, Eric Clapton, Ray Parker Jr., and Greg Phillinganes.

Equipment.

With Yamaha, East developed a custom 5-string bass guitar signature model, the BBNE (modeled after his early 1980s BB5000 5-string bass). The second signature bass, the BBNE2, was released in 2001. A limited edition 30th Anniversary version (the BBNE2 LTD) was released in 2011. He has also used custom 6-string prototypes of his BBNE2 bass guitar between 2003 and 2005, along with his black 1980s LB-1 Motion 5-string bass and a pair of 6-string TRB6P models. Yamaha introduced the NE1 Parametric EQ Pedal, otherwise known as the "Magic Box" in the early 2000s. This pedal essentially gives the player the ability to use the "Nathan East EQ curve" on any bass they choose. East also plays a Yamaha SLB200 Silent Upright Bass.

Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is considered one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego (1978). He is a founding member of contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay and has recorded, performed, and co-written songs with performers such as Bobby Womack, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Joe Satriani, Peter Gabriel, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Daft Punk, and Herbie Hancock.

Nathan East (* 8. Dezember 1955 in Philadelphia) ist Bassist der Jazzband Fourplay und hat mit diversen Größen der Rock-, Blues-, Pop- und Jazz-Szene als Studio- und Live-Musiker zusammengearbeitet, unter anderem mit Barry White, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, Al Jarreau, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Kenny Loggins, Phil Collins, George Harrison, Babyface, Eros Ramazzotti, Daft Punk, Herbie Hancock, Toto und Michael Jackson.


Plot.

Harry Bliss (Nicholson) runs a guard dog service and is going through counseling with his wife, Adele (Lauren Tom). A serial killer is on the loose in Los Angeles, so when the apartment of classical singer Joan Spruance (Barkin) is ransacked and she starts receiving threatening phone messages, Joan moves into the Hollywood Hills home of her sister, Andy (D'Angelo).  Joan does not feel safe there, either, because she is harassed by Andy's ex-lovers. She hires a guard dog from Harry's company, and Harry is soon providing more than protection for the beautiful singer.  Harry is a natural-born liar who, because of his profession, feels that he lives by a code of honor – even if he cannot quite explain it – as one thing after another spins out of his control. Joan is soft and vulnerable as she is badgered by her conductor husband, harassed by unknown callers, menaced by men from her sister's past, and "helped" by Harry.

Reception.

Critical reception.

"Man Trouble" was not well received by the majority of critics. It currently holds a 7% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C" on scale of A+ to F.  "The New York Times" review said "Not much about "Man Trouble," a sad mess of a romantic comedy directed by Bob Rafelson, written by Carole Eastman and starring Jack Nicholson, suggests that these three collaborated on one of the most haunting and representative films of another day."  "Variety"'s review said that "Jack Nicholson fans should feel cheated by "Man Trouble", an insultingly trivial star vehicle. After some initial business attracted by his name on the marquee, film is fated for pay-cable use."  Film Four's review stated: "Sold on the proven teamwork of director Rafelson and actor Nicholson -- who had previously worked together on "Five Easy Pieces", "The King of Marvin Gardens" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice" -- this romantic comedy proved to be one of their least inspired collaborations. Nicholson plays a grouchy dog-trainer who slowly loosens up in the presence of romantically challenged opera singer Barkin, who needs to get some canine security after a series of death threats. Obviously intended to be a bright and breezy romantic-comedy thriller, it ends up a mangy old mutt of a movie thanks to a charmless script and disastrous casting decisions."  According to "Time Out" magazine: "The trouble is, the film never seems to know where it's headed. Not quite a romance, a thriller or a comedy, it's a movie with an on-going identity crisis. Barkin, playing against type, produces a shrill caricature of femininity, while Rafelson indulges Nicholson's familiar soft-spoken laxity, another of his personable rogues."  Jack Nicholson earned a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor for his performances in both this film and "Hoffa", but lost the trophy to Sylvester Stallone for "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot".

Box office.

The film opened in 1,004 theatres and grossed $2,034,475 in its opening weekend. It grossed 67% less the following weekend and was pulled from theatres shortly thereafter with a gross of only $4 million.  With a budget of $30 million, including almost $8 million paid to Nicholson, the film made a loss for Pentamerica, their second consecutive box-office bomb after "Folks!". Fox expected to recover their $8 million marketing expenses.

Man Trouble is a 1992 romantic comedy starring Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin. It was directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Carole Eastman, who together had been responsible for 1970's "Five Easy Pieces".

Man Trouble – Auf den Hund gekommen (Originaltitel: "Man Trouble") ist eine US-amerikanische Filmkomödie aus dem Jahr 1992. Die Regie führte Bob Rafelson, das Drehbuch schrieb Carole Eastman. Die Hauptrollen spielten Jack Nicholson und Ellen Barkin.


Introduction to the career.

Before starting the professional career, in 2000, Plawgo won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Santiago de Chile and finished third with his colleagues from the 4x400 meters relay. Several months later in Osaka, the 19-year-old Pole gained a great time of 48.16s and broke the national record of Paweł Januszewski (48.17s.). The achievement was repeated by Plawgo in the semi-final of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Career as a senior athlete.

At the 2002 European Indoor Championships in Vienna, the Pole was first in the 400 meters and won another gold in the 4x400 meters relay. The line-up of the Polish relay was Plawgo, Piotr Rysiukiewicz, Artur Gąsiewski and Robert Maćkowiak. One year later, at the European U-23 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Plawgo finished first with a good result of 48.45s.  Quite disappointing for Plawgo could be the 2004 Summer Olympics. The sportsman from Bytom was one of the Polish medal hopes. However, the best he could achieve was the 6th place in the Olympic Final. Plawgo was also a member of the Polish 4x400 meters relay (Piotr Klimczak, Marcin Marciniszyn, Plawgo and Rysiukiewicz) which didn't manage to qualify to the final and was classified on the 10th position.  During the 2006 European Championships in Goeteborg, Plawgo won a silver medal in the 400 meters hurdles. His result in the final was 48.71s. One year later, in June, the Pole finished second at the Super League in Munich. Originally, the winner, Periklís Iakovákis, was disqualified by the judges but later the decision was altered and the Greek remained first.

The World Championships in Osaka.

The biggest success of Plawgo in the professional career was achieved in 2007, during the World Championships in Osaka. The Japanese city, in which he set the national record in 2000, remained lucky for the hurdler and he finished the competitions with two bronze medals. First of them was won, obviously, in the 400 meters hurdles. The Pole was outpaced only by the Dominicanian legend Felix Sanchez (silver medal – 48.01s.) and magnificent Kerron Clement who finished first with 47.61s., establishing the best 2007 result in this event. Plawgo broke his own record of Poland with 48.12s. The Polish 4x400 meters relay was third in the final with 3:00:05, losing to the USA (2:55:56) and Bahamas (2:59:18). The final line-up was Plawgo, Daniel Dąbrowski, Marciniszyn and Kacper Kozłowski.

After the successful 2007.

After the championships in Osaka, Plawgo won three meetings. The most valuable victory was the first position at the Golden League meeting in Berlin, with 49.01s. The most successful year in the '81 born sportsman's career was crowned by winning the IAAF World Final in Stuttgart with satisfying 48.36s. Plawgo was granted the prize of the best athlete of September 2007 by the European Association of Athletics. He was classified on the second position by "Track and Fields News" magazine in their ranking of the best 400 meters hurdles runners in 2007 and on the third place in the IAAF world ranking. What's more, Plawgo came 7th in the contest of "Przegląd Sportowy" (the only sport daily newspaper in Poland) and was the winner of "Złote Kolce" contest in 2007.  Before the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Plawgo became a medal hope of Polish fans again. Unfortunately, several weeks before the Olympic Games beginning, the Polish athlete caught an injury of his foot, which complicated his preparations to the most significant competitions of the season. Nevertheless, Plawgo made a good impression in Beijing. He repeated his '2004 performance and finished 6th with 48.52s.

Marek Plawgo (born 25 February 1981 in Ruda Śląska) is a Polish athlete. He mainly competes in the 400 meters hurdles, but he also starts in the 400 meters and the 4 x 400 meters relay.

Marek Plawgo (* 25. Februar 1981 in Ruda Śląska) ist ein ehemaliger polnischer Sprinter und Hürdenläufer. Marek Plawgos Spezialdisziplin ist der 400-Meter-Hürdenlauf. Außerdem startete er bei internationalen Meisterschaften regelmäßig für die polnische 4 × 400 m-Staffel. Mit 48,12 Sekunden ist er der aktuelle polnische Rekordhalter über 400 m Hürden. Der mehrmalige polnische Meister gewann 2002 bei den Halleneuropameisterschaften in Wien die Goldmedaille im 400-Meter-Lauf. Bei den Olympischen Spielen 2004 in Athen erlief er sich den sechsten Platz über 400 Meter Hürden.


Structure.

In 2009, the British Energy subsidiary group was structured accordingly:

History.

Early history and development.

British Energy was established and registered in Scotland in 1995 to operate the eight most modern nuclear power plants in the UK. It took the two AGR plants from Scottish Nuclear and five AGR and a sole PWR plant from Nuclear Electric. The residual Magnox power stations from these two companies were transferred to Magnox Electric which later became the generation division of British Nuclear Fuels. The company was privatised in 1996.  It retained major technical offices at Barnwood, formerly the HQ of Nuclear Electric, and Peel Park, formerly the HQ of Scottish Nuclear.  In June 1999, in an attempt to become an integrated generating and retail company, British Energy bought the retail electricity and gas supplier SWALEC based in Wales, providing 6% of the England and Wales electricity supply market. However it was unable to purchase another retailer at a reasonable cost to create a widespread retail presence, so sold SWALEC a few months later to Scottish and Southern Energy.  British Energy bought the 2,000 MWe Eggborough coal fired station from National Power in 2000 to provide a more flexible power production facility and reduce penalty charge risks from the New Electricity Trading Arrangements introduced in March 2001. Despite this, the new arrangements led to a significantly lower electricity price for inflexible base load power stations such as British Energy had. The purchase of Eggborough occurred at the peak of the market for power stations, and in 2002 the value of the station was written down by half.  In 2001, the company was the major partner in taking on an operating lease to become the operator of Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario, Canada. The resultant subsidiary was called Bruce Power. As part of financial re-structuring, Bruce Power was sold to a consortium of Canadian investors in February 2003.  In 2007 British Energy entered into a 7-year partnership agreement with Doosan Babcock Energy to provide technical, engineering and operational support across all British Energy sites. The agreement was at the time held to be potentially worth around £550 million, bringing up to 800 jobs into Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Financial difficulties.

The company faced financial trouble from 2002, when it first approached the British government for financial aid. This followed a slump in wholesale energy prices, a failure to obtain relaxations on the Climate Change Levy, and renegotiations of its back-end fuel costs with BNFL, as well as issues with a number of its reactors (resulting in much capacity being offline during critical periods of the company financial crisis) and a failure to complete a timely sale of its joint-venture share in AmerGen. Parties to the resulting talks included bondholders, significant but unsecured creditors, power purchase agreement counterparties, and a group of secured creditors known as the Eggborough banks; who had provided financing for the purchase of the Eggborough coal-fired power plant in 2000.  The plan that resulted from these talks nearly eliminated any equity interest of existing stockholders; the firm's creditors waived over £1bn of debts in return for control of the company. Shareholders received only 2.5% of the shares of the new company.  On 22 September 2004 the UK government's investment of over £3 billion in the restructured firm was approved by the European Commission. On 24 September the company was reclassified as a public body in what the Office for National Statistics described as a reflection of "the control that can be exercised by government over British Energy". This move was described by "The Times" as a de facto nationalisation of the group.

Restructuring.

Under the British Government's restructuring programme the Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF) acted as a creditor and liability receiver for British Energy Group. In return, a mechanism was put in place whereby NLF could carry out a cash sweep of the organisation and claim 65% of British Energy's available cash flow each year, on top of a fixed annual contribution. British Energy was allowed to borrow up to £700m under the arrangements, with the NLF providing £275m.  The British Government also assumed British Energy nuclear fuel liabilities worth between £150m and £200m p.a. over ten years. These fuel liabilities extended until 2086.  Despite its financial problems and government help with its fuel liabilities, British Energy's Chief Executive claimed, on 20 June 2006, that nuclear power stations would be economically viable without government guarantee or subsidy if the operation of the energy market was changed.  The British Government's interest in British Energy at this time was managed by the Shareholder Executive on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).  The restructuring of British Energy was subject to three National Audit Office reports; in May 1998, February 2004 and March 2006.  In 2007 the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee reported on the restructuring. They noted that the taxpayer had been left to underwrite large liabilities, revalued at £5.3 billion, while creditors who would have received little on liquidation received bonds and shares worth £3.9 billion in 2006.

Disposal of government interest.

In July 2006 the government announced that they were considering selling part of their interest in British Energy. On 30 May 2007 it was announced that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry would instruct the Nuclear Liabilities Fund to sell up to approximately 450 million shares, representing around 28% of the Fund's interest in British Energy. The Fund's cash sweep percentage would be reduced from around 64% to approximately 36% following the sale. Revenue from the sale was used to diversify the Nuclear Liabilities Fund's assets.

Acquisition by EDF.

On 24 September 2008, it was announced that Électricité de France (EDF), the state owned French energy company, had agreed a takeover of the company, paying £12.5 billion. Centrica purchased a 20% share of British Energy from EDF in August 2009.  On 1 April 2010, EDF transferred the coal-fired Eggborough Power Station to the plant's bondholders as per an earlier agreement, and in compliance with commitments made to the European Commission when agreeing the acquisition of British Energy.

Operations.

At the time of the EDF acquisition, British Energy operated the following power stations:  In 2005 British Energy announced a 10-year life extension at Dungeness B, that would see the station continue operating until 2018, and in 2007 announced a 5-year life extension of Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B until 2016.  Following an outage in 2006 when an increase in creep-induced defect in boiler tubes was observed, Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B were restricted to about 70% of normal output from 2007 and operated at reduced boiler outlet temperatures. After recovery, operation at 80% of the nominal output was allowed.  It was announced in December 2009 that new stations would be built at existing land owned around Sizewell and Hinkley Point stations. Dungeness was considered but was thought to be a poor choice for a new build.

British Energy was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France (EDF) in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal-fired power station.

British Energy war eines der größten Energieerzeugungs-Unternehmen im Vereinigten Königreich und im FTSE 100 Index gelistet. Zu British Energy gehörten acht Kernkraftwerke in Großbritannien sowie das Kohlekraftwerk Eggborough. Der Sitz der Firma war die schottische Stadt East Kilbride. British Energy wurde 1995 gegründet, um die acht modernsten Kernkraftwerke Großbritanniens zu betreiben. 1996 wurde British Energy privatisiert. British Energy wurde am 24. September 2008 von EDF Energy, einer Tochtergesellschaft der französischen Électricité de France (EDF), für 12,5 Milliarden Pfund übernommen. Die Transaktion wurde im Februar 2009 finalisiert.


Early life.

Born in Ohio, Parker was the youngest son of Joseph Parker and his wife Jane Shannon. He was the great-nephew of Ohio Governor Wilson Shannon. He was raised on the family farm near Barnesville, Ohio. He attended Breeze Hill Primary School, followed by the Barnesville Classical Institute, a private school. He taught in a county primary school to pay for his secondary education. At 17, he began an apprenticeship in law, called "reading the law" with an established firm, and passed the Ohio bar exam in 1859 at the age of 21.  Parker moved to St. Joseph, Missouri between 1859 and 1861, where he joined his maternal uncle's law firm of Shannon and Branch. On December 12, 1861, Parker married Mary O'Toole, with whom he had sons Charles and James. By 1862, Parker had his own law firm. He represented clients in the municipal and country courts.

Political career.

In April 1861, Parker ran as a Democrat for part-time position of city attorney for St. Joseph. He served three one-year terms, from April 1861 to 1863. When the American Civil War broke out four days after Parker took office, he enlisted in a pro-Union home guard unit, the 61st Missouri Emergency Regiment. He had reached the rank of corporal by the end of the war.  During the 1860s, Parker continued both his legal and political careers. In 1864, he formally split from the Democratic Party over conflicting opinions on slavery. He ran as a Republican for county prosecutor of the Ninth Missouri Judicial District. By the fall of 1864, he was serving as a member of the Electoral College and voted for re-election of Abraham Lincoln. In 1868, Parker won a six-year term as judge of the Twelfth Missouri Circuit.  Parker was nominated for Missouri's 7th congressional district on September 13, 1870, backed by the Radical faction of the Republican party. He resigned his judgeship and devoted his energy to his campaign. Parker won the election after his opponent withdrew two weeks prior to the vote. Parker was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives of the 42nd and 43rd United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875. He was the caucus nominee of his party for United States Senator in 1874.  The first session of the 42nd Congress convened on March 4, 1871. During his first term, Parker helped to secure pensions for veterans in his district and campaigned for a new federal building to be built in St. Joseph. He sponsored a failed bill designed to enfranchise women and allow them to hold public office in United States territories. He also sponsored legislation to organize the Indian Territory under a territorial government.  Parker was again elected to Missouri's 7th district in the forty-third Congress. A local paper wrote of him, "Missouri had no more trusted or influential representative in... Congress during the past two years".  In his second term, Parker concentrated on Indian policy, including the fair treatment of the tribes residing in the Indian Territory. His speeches in support of the Bureau of Indian Affairs gained national attention.  In 1874, Parker was the caucus nominee of the Republican Party for a Missouri Senate seat. But, the political tide had shifted in Missouri; it seemed unlikely that the legislature would elect him to the Senate, so he sought a presidential appointment as judge for the Western District of Arkansas.

Federal judicial service.

On May 26, 1874, President Grant nominated Parker as Chief Justice of the Utah Territory to replace James B. McKean. At his own request, Parker was instead nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 18, 1875, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. It had been vacated by Judge William Story, who resigned under threat of impeachment for allegations of corruption.  Parker was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 19, 1875, and received his commission the same day. He served in this position until his death in office, on November 17, 1896.  Parker arrived in Fort Smith on May 4, 1875, initially without his family. Parker's first session as the district judge was on May 10, 1875, with court prosecutor W. H. H. Clayton. He served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas for fourteen of Parker's twenty-one years on the court.  In May 1875, Parker tried 18 men during his first session of court, all of whom were charged with murder; 15 were convicted in jury trials. Parker sentenced eight of them to a mandatory death penalty. He ordered six of the men to be executed at the same time on September 3, 1875. One of those sentenced to death was killed trying to escape. The governor commuted the sentence of another to life in prison due to his youth. In an interview with the "St. Louis Republic" on September 1, 1896, Parker said that he had no say in whether a convict was to be hanged due to compulsory death sentences, and that he favored "the abolition of capital punishment".  Parker's court had final jurisdiction over federal crimes in the Indian Territory from 1875 until 1889, as there was no court available for appeals. The Five Civilized Tribes and other Native American tribes in the Indian Territory had jurisdiction over their own citizens through their tribal legal systems and governments. Federal law in Indian Territory applied to non-Indian United States citizens.  According to Congress, the federal court for the Western District of Arkansas was to meet in four separate terms each year: in February, May, August, and November. The court had such a large caseload that the four terms ran together. Parker's court sat six days a week in order to ensure prosecuting as many cases as possible each term, and often up to ten hours each day. In 1883, Congress reduced the jurisdiction of the court, reassigning parts of the Indian Territory to federal courts in Texas and Kansas; however, the increasing number of European-American settlers moving into the Indian Territories still increased the court's workload.  From May 1, 1889, Congress made changes to allow appeals of capital convictions to the United States Supreme Court. Forty-four cases in which Parker imposed the death penalty were appealed to the Supreme Court. It overturned and ordered a re-trial for 30 of them.  While serving as a district judge in Fort Smith, Parker also served on the Fort Smith School Board. He was the first president of St. John's Hospital, established by the local St. John's Episcopal Church. (In the 21st century, the hospital is known as Sparks Health System). In his time on the court, Parker presided over a number of high-profile cases, including the trial of Crawford Goldsby, known as "Cherokee Bill", and the "Oklahoma Boomer" case involving David L. Payne, a non-Indian who illegally settled on lands in the Indian Territory. In 1895, Parker heard two cases involving Crawford Goldsby ("Cherokee Bill"). In the first, Goldsby was charged with killing a bystander during a general-store robbery in 1894. He was convicted in a case that lasted from February 26 to June 25, 1895, and Parker sentenced him to death. While awaiting execution, Goldsby attempted to escape prison and killed a prison guard. He was tried again and convicted in Parker's court; the judge sentenced him to death on December 2, 1895. Goldsby was hanged on March 17, 1896.

Later years.

Keeping up with continued settlement in the West, the Courts Act of 1889 established a federal court system in the Indian Territory. This decreased the span of jurisdiction of the Western District Court at Fort Smith.  Parker clashed with the Supreme Court on a number of occasions. In around two-thirds of cases appealed to the Supreme Court from his court, his rulings were upheld. In 1894, Parker gained national attention in a dispute with the Supreme Court over the case of Lafayette Hudson. Hudson was convicted of assault with intent to kill and sentenced to four years' imprisonment. He appealed to the Supreme Court and was granted bail. Parker refused to release Hudson on the grounds that statute law did not provide the Supreme Court with the authority to demand Hudson's release.  In 1895, Congress passed a new Courts Act which removed the remaining Indian Territory jurisdiction of the Western District, effective September 1, 1896.

Death and legacy.

When the August 1896 term began, Parker was at home, suffering from Bright's disease and too ill to preside over the court. The jurisdiction of the court over Indian Territory was ended on September 1, 1896. Reporters wanted to interview Parker about his career, but had to talk to him at his bedside. Parker died on November 17, 1896, of a number of health conditions, including heart degeneration and Bright's disease. His funeral in Fort Smith had the highest number of attendees up to that point. He is buried at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.  In 21 years on the federal bench, Parker tried 13,490 cases; more than 8,500 defendants either pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial. He sentenced 160 people to death and 79 were executed; the others either died while incarcerated, or were acquitted, pardoned, or had their sentences commuted.

Isaac Charles Parker (October 15, 1838 – November 17, 1896) was an American politician and jurist. He served as a United States Representative from Missouri and was appointed as the first United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, which also had jurisdiction over Indian Territory.

Isaac Charles Parker (* 15. Oktober 1838 in Barnesville, Ohio; † 17. November 1896 in Fort Smith, Arkansas) war ein berüchtigter Richter im Wilden Westen.


History.

Background.

The economy of the then Province of São Pedro of Rio Grande do Sul of the Empire of Brazil was mainly focused on the production of jerky and leather. The province depended entirely on the domestic market, but the overvalued exchange rate and the tariff benefits then offered meant that imported beef was cheaper. Thus, the "estancieiros" of the region, among then the famous Bento Gonçalves, began a rebellion against the Imperial Government. After a meeting, it was decided that armed militias would be formed inside the province to take over the government under Bento's leadership.  At first the objective was to take over the province's government, which was successfully done, and enter into negotiations with the regent Diogo Antônio Feijó to demand a new government acceptable to the regional elite. Meanwhile, the newly appointed Imperial Governor of the Province,, completely rejected by that elite, nevertheless took office. This was seen by the landowners as a declaration of war. Araújo Ribeiro then began gathering his soldiers who had been scattered since October, and hunting down Farroupilhos. He ordered the Provincial Assembly to be closed and removed Bento Gonçalves from the command of the National Guard. In Rio de Janeiro the imperial government closed the custo-me house in the provincial capital Porto Alegre for as long as the city was in the hands of the rebels, restricting the arrival of ships. Soon open conflict began, as imperial forces secured the city and rebels retaliated against them.

Independence.

With the overwhelming victory of the rebels, led by Antônio de Sousa Neto, the separatist idea took shape. At night ideological questions were revised and Lucas de Oliveira and Joaquim Pedro, ardent republicans, catechized Neto, arguing that there was no other way out but to embark on the path of independence and that there was no other popular desire but desire of freedom, of abolition of slavery and of democracy under the republican system. Neto came to sympathize with the idea but resisted before a probable disapproval of his peers. He thought that such a proclamation of a new Republic should start from Bento Gonçalves, the great commander of all rags. They contended that Bento had already decided on the republic, that "rigid hierarchy was a thing of the empire, and that the republican system was centered on the people, their wants and needs, and not on the governing elite".  Finally, with the acquiescence of Colonel Neto, they began to write the Proclamation of the Riograndense Republic that he would read out before his assembled troops, on 11 September 1836. Bento Gonçalves was advised of this and was later proclaimed President.  Here is the text read by General Antônio de Sousa Neto in front of his ranks:  "Brave comrades of the 1st Cavalry Brigade! Yesterday you obtained the most complete triumph over the slaves of the Court of Rio de Janeiro, which, envious of the local advantages of our province, makes mercilessly pour the blood of our compatriots, in order to make her prey to her ambitious sights. Miserable! Whenever their satellites have appeared before the free forces, they have succumbed, without this fatal disappointment making them give up their infernal plans. There are countless injustices made by the Government. His despotism is the most atrocious. And will we suffer so much shame? No, our comrades, the Rio Grande, are willing, like us, not to suffer for the longer time the arrogance of a tyrannical, arbitrary, and cruel government like the present. In every corner of the province there is no other echo than that of independence, republic, freedom or death. This echo, majestic, which they constantly repeat, as a part of this soil of free men, makes me declare that we proclaim our provincial independence, for which our work for liberty and the triumph we obtain yesterday, on these miserable slaves of absolute power. Comrades! We who are the 1st Brigade of the Liberal Army, must be the first to proclaim, as we proclaim, the independence of this province, which is disconnected from the rest of the Empire, and forms a free and independent state, with the title Riograndense Republic, and whose manifesto to the civilized nations will be done competently. Comrades! Let's shout for the first time: Long live the Riograndense Republic! Long live the independence! Long live the Republican Army of Rio Grande!"  "Campo dos Menezes, 11 September 1836 - Antônio de Sousa Neto, colonel-commander of the 1st brigade."  The other Brazilian provinces were called to unite as federated entities in the republican system. A national anthem was adopted, along with a flag, still used by the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The capital was also established in the small city of Piratini, from which came a new nickname, the Republic of Piratini.  From this moment on, the immediate end of the Ragammuffin Revolution occurred and the Ragamuffin War began.

Confederation.

As the war progressed with successive ragamuffin victories, the Riograndense Navy led by the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi and the gaucho David Canabarro advanced to the Province of Santa Catarina to attack the city of Laguna. Laguna was taken, with the help of the Laguna people themselves, on 22 July 1839. On 29 July the Juliana Republic was proclaimed an independent country, linked to the Riograndense Republic by ties of confederalism, and David Canabarro became its first President.  With the capture of Laguna, half of the imperial province was in the hands of the republican separatists, however, the rampage was contained by entrenched imperial troops. Shortly afterwards the empire reacted with full force, destroying the Riograndense Navy and advancing rapidly on the rebels in Santa Catarina. The retaking of Laguna on 1 November 1839 put an end to the Juliana Republic.

Dissolution.

Until the year 1840, one could perceive a period of ascent ragamuffin, with several victories in the military field. After this period, a situation of decay, beginning with the fall of Laguna, is perceptible. With the Imperials controlling the great cities, the rags were retained in the interior, and soon internal quarrels began.  Bento Gonçalves, still in the year 1840, due to the failures, waved to the empire with the possibility of agreement. Bento asked the imperials for safeguards so that his comrades could cross with impunity the places conquered by the empire, in order to settle with the imperial chiefs the details of a collective surrender of the ragamuffin rebels. They actually carried a letter of this design. But there was another oral message to be given to those leaders, which could not be written. The maneuver, however, was so well thought out and executed that it would fool even his fellow combatants, and motivated a letter of disapproval written by Domingos José de Almeida, then Vice-President and Minister of Finance of the Riograndense Republic. The fighting continued on several fronts. Meanwhile, a Constituent Assembly had been called on 10 February 1840, but maneuvers of Bento Gonçalves, who did not want to lose power, led to the promulgation only in 1842 of the Constitution of the Republic.  Facing internal conflicts, economic and military problems against the forces of the Empire, the Republic was forced to start the peace negotiations. In 1844, Fructuoso Rivera proposed to broker peace between legalists and republicans. Manuel Luís Osório was sent to the camp of Rivera, where he met with Antônio Vicente da Fontoura, to inform that the Duke of Caxias, leader of the imperial forces, rejected the proposal of peace, but that there could be negotiations with the government, but without third parties. Vicente da Fontoura was sent to court to discuss peace.  Caxias received instruction from the empire, which feared the advance of Rosas in the disputed territory, to propose honorable conditions to the rebels, such as an amnesty of officers and men, incorporating them into the Imperial Brazilian Army with their ranks preserved, allowing the Governor of the Province to be elected by the Provincial Assembly, and raising taxes on meat imported into Brazil from the Platine region.  However, one question remained unanswerable, that of slaves freed by the Republic to serve in the Republican army. For the Empire of Brazil, it was unacceptable to recognize the freedom of slaves given by a sedition, although it did annihilate the leaders of the same revolt.  Finally, on 1 March 1845, peace was signed: the Ponche Verde Treaty, after almost ten years of war. Among its main conditions were the amnesty full to the rebels, the liberation of the slaves who fought in the Republican Army and the election of a new provincial president by the ragamuffins. Partial or full compliance with the treaty to date raises discussions. The impossibility of a regionally restricted abolition of slavery, persistence of animosity between local leaders and other administrative and operational factors may have at least hindered, if not prevented full compliance with it. Such discussion is referred to the main article of this subject. The Riograndense Republic was reattached to the Brazilian Empire.

Flag.

The official flag of the Riograndense Republic was green, yellow and red. There were differing accounts for its design: one version indicated that the colors-symbols of Brazil, yellow-green and red, symbolized the republic, intersecting them; another that the green represented the forest of the pampas, the red, the revolutionary ideal, and the yellow the riches of the gaucho territory; another still that it combined the green of the Portuguese flag and the yellow of the Spanish flag (respectively, the most important and second most important colonizers of the territory of the state of Rio Grande do Sul), interspersed by the vertical red stripe symbolising federation in the platine region from the time of Jose Gervasio Artigas (1764-1850). However, green would only be added to the Portuguese flag in 1910, 65 years after the end of the Farroupilha Revolution, which discards this latest version. Likewise, the current flag of the state of Rio Grande do Sul comes to have the same colors, having been added the coat of arms of the Riograndense Republic in the middle of the flag.

Government.

The Riograndense Republic was created as a constitutional presidentialist republic. Its first President, Bento Gonçalves, was appointed by the Ragamuffin Assembly and took office on 6 November 1836, along with 4 vice presidents:  In 1841 Bento Gonçalves was imprisoned by the imperial forces in Bahia, far away from his army, and it a new president, José Gomes de Vasconcelos Jardim, was elected and immediately appointed the new ministry of the republic:  Throughout the war they were named generals of the republic:  The Constitution of the Riograndense Republic was completed in 1843, after seven years of independence from the Brazilian Empire. It was signed, "by the very fist of all the deputies" in Alegrete (when it was still a town), on 8 February 1843. The document includes the names of José Pinheiro de Uchôa Cintra, Francisco de Sá Brito, José Mariano de Matos, Serafim dos Anjos France, Domingos José de Almeida.  Among its articles was written: "Detached the Riograndense people of the Brazilian communion, resumes all the rights of primitive freedom, makes use of these imprescriptible rights constituting an independent Republic, takes in the extensive scale of the sovereign states the place that is responsible for the sufficiency of their resources, civilization and natural riches that assure you the full and complete exercise of your independence, eminent sovereignty and dominion, without objection to the sacrifice of the smallest part of this same independence or sovereignty to another nation, government or any strange power. Piratini, 29 August 1838"  This legacy of ragamuffin, came to be considered as the legitimate cradle of Brazilian Republican law.

Armed forces.

The Imperial Brazilian Navy controlled the main communications media of the province, the Patos Lagoon, between Porto Alegre, Pelotas and Rio Grande, and most of the navigable rivers. In spite of this, it was constantly attacked by ragamuffins, when near the ravines of the rivers. On 1 February 1838, a troop of two thousand rags and a battery of artillery were able to attack two gunboats and a barge on the Caí River, killing almost all the sailors, imprisoning one of the commanders and capturing their ships, thus beginning the creation of the Riograndense Navy.  In 1838 Giuseppe Garibaldi had known Bento Gonçalves still in his prison, in Rio de Janeiro, and gave him a corso letter to imprison imperial ships. On 1 September 1838, Garibaldi was appointed captain-lieutenant, commander of the Riograndense navy.  A shipyard was set up next to a weapons and ammunition factory in Camaquã, at the resort of Ana Gonçalves, sister of Bento Gonçalves. There Garibaldi coordinated the construction and armament of two war-craft. At the same time, Luigi Rossetti went to Montevideo, seeking the help of Luigi Carniglia and other indispensable professionals. After a few weeks, the equipment of masters and workers was complete. Some sailors came from Montevideo and others were recruited around.  After the construction of the boats and launched into the water, they captured some merchant ships, but there was not much success against the powerful imperial navy. The Riograndense Navy was completely destroyed in 1839 after their defeat in Santa Catarina.

International recognition.

The United Provinces of Rio de la Plata at the time were being unified by the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas and tried to recover the Uruguayan territory (Platine War), not excluding also the possibility of aid to the Riograndense separatists. Juan Manuel de Rosas, the Argentine dictator, offered support so that David Canabarro continued the fight. Juan Manuel de Rosas was removed from power in Argentina in a confrontation involving Brazilian troops.  Alongside the "de facto" recognition by the Argentine Confederation, Uruguay started to recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Riograndense Republic, but the diplomatic process was not completed. The United Kingdom and France recognised the new republic under the condition that its port would be open to French and British ships.

Religious schism.

The parishes of Rio Grande do Sul were linked to the bishopric of Rio de Janeiro, which brought several obstacles to the Riograndense Republic. To break with the Empire of Brazil, the "farroupilhas" separated completely from the court. On 22 June 1838, they named Father Chagas as apostolic vicar, denying obedience to the bishop of Rio de Janeiro, creating a schism in the Catholic Church of the then Province of St. Peter of Rio Grande do Sul. The apostolic vicar had true religious authority: and appointed priests and dispensed marriages. Father Chagas was excommunicated and his acts were declared unlawful by the bishop of Rio de Janeiro - the maximum authority of the Catholic Church in Brazil. Likewise, most of the Gaucho clergy adhered to the new ecclesiastical authority.  The situation lasted until the end of the Ragamuffin Revolution (1835–45). With the defeat, the priest Chagas sought a reconciliation with the bishop of Rio de Janeiro, having been secretary of the new bishop of Porto Alegre.  After the end of the revolution, Father Fidêncio José Ortiz was entrusted by the bishop of Rio de Janeiro to review all the acts practiced and other documents.

Legacy.

The Riograndense Republic is symbolically perennial in the flag and coat of arms of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, just as other Brazilian states maintained in their civic symbols evocations of relevant deeds. Its territory derived from the partial split of the Province of São Pedro do Rio Grande do Sul, which had its limits totally defined in relation to Uruguay only after the end of the Ragamuffin War (1835–45). After the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic (1889), the whole territory of the Province became one of the federal units of Brazil, the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Question about the document of the Ponche Verde Treaty.

In a hypothesis of invalidity of the Ponche Verde Treaty, because of the lack of formalities or incompetence of the signatories, the Republic remaining in the following days would lack sovereignty, since it does not have the requisites that legitimize it:  Among the many understandings about what is State, we can mention the signed in the Convention of Montevideo on 26 December 1933, Brazil being one of the signatories. In this convention the state definition consists of a (a):

The Riograndense Republic, often called the Piratini Republic ( or ), was a "de facto" state that seceded from the Empire of Brazil roughly coinciding with the present state of Rio Grande do Sul. It was proclaimed on 11 September 1836, by General Antônio de Sousa Neto, as a direct consequence of the victory obtained by Gaúcho oligarchic forces at the Battle of Seival (1836), during the Farroupilha Revolution (1835–1845). It had a constitution adopted in 1843 and was recognised only by Britain, France, and Uruguay.

Die Riograndensische Republik oder Republik Piratini (Portugiesisch: "República Rio-Grandense" oder "República do Piratini") war ein Staat im südlichen Brasilien. Sie wurde am 11. September 1836 nach der Schlacht von Ceibal im Rahmen einer Abspaltung von Brasilien geschaffen und durch General Antônio de Sousa Neto ausgerufen, der Bento Gonçalves da Silva zum Präsidenten bestimmte. Die Verfassung der Republik wurde 1843 in Alegrete verabschiedet. Hauptstadt war die Stadt Piratini. Sousa Neto führte die Republik durch die Farrapen-Revolution.