Chitra Subramaniam

Chitra Subramaniam Duella is an Indian journalist. She is recognized in India for her investigation of the Bofors-India Howitzer deal (Bofors Scandal) which is widely believed to have contributed to the electoral defeat of former prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1989. She founded CSDconsulting, a Geneva based specialised consultancy working in the area of public health, trade policy, development directions and media. She is also the co-founder and Managing Editor of "The News Minute" – an online news website. She was an Editorial Adviser for Republic TV of Arnab Goswami . In 1989, she was honoured with the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Mediaperson.
Personal life and education.
Chitra was born in 1958, in Sindri, India. She earned bachelor's degree in English Literature at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism at Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Masters in Journalism at Stanford University. She is married to Dr. Giancarlo Duella, a mathematician and lives in Geneva, Switzerland. The couple has a daughter Nitya Duella and son Nikhil Duella. Chitra is listed in the Who's Who of south Asian women.
Career.
Chitra joined India Today, an Indian news magazine as a reporter in 1979 and continued to write for it and other Indian publications when she moved to Switzerland in 1983. She was based in Geneva as a United Nations (UN) correspondent when the Swedish State Radio reported in April 1987 that bribes had been paid to Indians and others for the sale of field howitzers to India by the Swedish arms manufacturer, Bofors.
Subramaniam continued to report on the investigations and court proceedings in Switzerland till the Swiss government handed over secret Swiss bank documents with additional details of the payments to the government of India in 1997. In 2017 she joined Republic news channel launched by Arnab Goswami. As a UN correspondent, she has reported on various issues including disarmament, the Bosnian war and peace negotiations, the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations that led to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and human rights.
The Hindu.
For her work she has received several journalism awards including the prestigious B.D. Goenka Award and the Chameli Devi Award. She is the author of several books, including; India is for Sale, a New York Times – India, best seller the cover for which was designed by one of India's best known cartoonists Mr. R. K. Laxman. In April 2012, Columbia University's School of Journalism cited a joint article by N. Ram, who headed The Hindu's investigation, and Subramanian
 among 50 Great Stories since 1915.
In 1997, Chitra Subramaniam was invited by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Prime Minister of Norway to be part of her campaign team for the post of Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Brundtland was elected as head of the WHO and she announced that global tobacco control was one of her priorities setting up a special project called which oversaw multilateral negotiations between 198 countries to conclude the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world's first treaty entirely devoted to public health. Chitra Subramaniam led the work initially on media and later in policy analysis and communications. "She reframed the debate on tobacco away from being one focused on individual frailties to one that needed to address tobacco corporate abuses and in so doing built a reinvigorated tobacco control movement. Many of her approaches used in tobacco control continue to be adapted to address other threats to health," said Dr. Derek Yacht, Senior Vice-President Pepsi (Health), USA, who worked with Subramaniam at the WHO.
After the successful completion of the FCTC mandate at the WHO, Chitra Subramaniam moved on to set up CSDconsulting which has mandates from several companies many of whom are global leaders.
In April 2012, 25 years after L'affaire Bofors came to light, Sten Lindstrom, former head of Swedish police said he was the "deep throat" who explained the modus operandi of the illegal payments when he handed over the documents to Subramaniam. In a wide-ranging interview to her published in The Hoot www.thehoot.org he spoke about probity in public life, the role of whistle-blowers in a democracy, freedom of information and the role of the media, etc. The interview became a global story.


Thunderbird (John Proudstar)

Thunderbird (John Proudstar) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, the character first appears in "Giant-Size X-Men" #1 (May 1975). Thunderbird was a short-lived member of the Second Genesis group of X-Men gathered together in this issue, as he died on their second mission.
An Apache Native American and Human Mutant, John Proudstar possesses superhuman athletic ability. Since his death, the character has been temporarily brought back to life in the Necrosha and Chaos War storylines. His brother, James Proudstar, known first as Thunderbird, and then as Warpath, is also a mutant and X-Men with similar capabilities.
In addition to his mainstream incarnations, Thunderbird has been depicted in other fictional universes. The most notable alternative version of the character is a member of the original Exiles team. In other media, Thunderbird is one of the main characters adapted to the live-action television series "The Gifted", which debuted in 2017, portrayed by the actor Blair Redford.
Publication history.
Writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum created Thunderbird for the new X-Men, specifically to be a member of the team who would fail the entrance exam. Having already decided that the previously introduced characters Sunfire and Banshee would fail the exam, Wein and Cockrum felt it would be unrealistic for only older characters to "flunk out", and set about creating a new character to fit this role. After developing Thunderbird, however, they decided that they liked the character — his costume in particular — too much to write him off after only one issue, and decided to keep him on.
The character debuted in "Giant-Size X-Men" #1 (May 1975). While working on the first issues of the regular series, the creative team realized that having Thunderbird as a regular character was problematic. According to Cockrum, "...we created him as an obnoxious loudmouth, and we already had an obnoxious loudmouth in Wolverine. So one of us decided to kill him off after all, just for shock value." Chris Claremont, who scripted the story, confirms that it was Wein who decided to kill the character, and added, "He figured there are two ways to do this. One, you spend years, if not decades, building up a relationship between the audience and a character, building the emotional bonds between them so when something happens to that character the audience is devastated. Or you do it right off the bat, when no one is expecting it." The story culminating in Thunderbird's death appeared in "X-Men" #94-95.
In 2000, for the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Thunderbird, writer Scott Lobdell and artist Aaron Lopresti did a two-issue series about the character, with a cover by Art Adams. Marvel Comics never published the series. At the same period, after nine years of absence, Chris Claremont returned to the X-Men to take over the titles. According to Brian Cronin from Comic Book Resources, there were likely two events that lead to the cancellation of this mini-series. Firstly, Claremont introduced a new X-Man character Neal Shaara with the codename Thunderbird. Secondly, Claremont had his own project for the 25th anniversary: "X-Men: Black Sun", which had a spotlight comic on the various members of the All-New, All-Different X-Men, including one on Thunderbird with his partner Wolverine.
In 2010, the character appeared in the front of a teaser featuring X-Men characters believed to be dead titled "All New, All Different". Thunderbird was one of the feature characters in the 2011 two-issue limited series "Chaos War: X-Men".
Fictional character biography.
Origins.
John Proudstar was born into an Apache tribe on a reservation in Camp Verde, Arizona. As a teenager, he discovered he possessed the mutant abilities of superhuman senses, strength, speed, stamina, and sturdiness.
Proudstar was drafted into the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and earned the rank of corporal. He returned to his tribe after the war, but he was unhappy and listless.
He was then recruited by Professor Charles Xavier to join his third group of X-Men. Eager to prove his prowess, Proudstar agreed and assumed the superhero codename Thunderbird. He assisted the other X-Men in rescuing the original X-Men from Krakoa the mutant island.
During the weeks of training that followed, the ill-tempered and individualistic Thunderbird often found himself going head to head with the X-Men's leader Cyclops. The new team's second mission took them to Valhalla Base, Colorado, to combat Count Nefaria and the Ani-Men. When Nefaria attempted to make his escape in a jet plane, Proudstar leapt on board. Disregarding Professor X's orders to jump to safety, Thunderbird hammered at it with his bare fists. The plane exploded, killing Proudstar. Count Nefaria is later revealed to have survived the crash.
Thunderbird's brother James Proudstar has similar powers, although to a much greater degree. He is also an X-Man who first used the codename Thunderbird then switched to Warpath when he joined X-Force team.
When Warpath goes to visit Thunderbird's grave during the "Necrosha" storyline, he encounters the Demon Bear. After defeating the creature, with the aid of Ghost Rider, he learns that former Purifier Eli Bard has dug up Thunderbird and everyone else buried there. It is revealed that Bard used a version of the Technarch virus to resurrect Thunderbird and the others as his servants. Thunderbird is later seen with Selene's Inner Circle and Caliban being led to the ruins of Genosha, which she dubs Necrosha. Thunderbird fights Warpath, who snaps his neck and then kills Selene. Thunderbird's spirit is seen departing, telling his brother that he "can let go now".
During the "Chaos War" storyline, Thunderbird is among the fallen X-Men members (along with Banshee, Moira MacTaggert, Esme and Sophie of the Stepford Cuckoos, and three deceased dupes of Multiple Man) to return from the dead after what happened to the death realms. He remembers the last time he was revived briefly during the events of Necrosha, albeit faintly. Thunderbird leads the revived X-Men members to looking for a diary written by Destiny that might hold the key to defeating Amatsu-Mikaboshi while evading Carrion Crow, Eater of the Dead. Thunderbird called upon the mythical Thunderbird to get him and his group away from the Carrion Crow. He and the group discover that Moira MacTaggert has been possessed by Destiny's ghost. In the aftermath of the defeat of the Chaos King, Thunderbird is returned to the afterlife after reality is restored by Hercules. Thunderbird contemplates that his life finally means something and hopes that next time he was resurrected, it will be with Sophie.
When the X-Men made Krakoa a mutant paradise, the resurrection protocols brought back many dead mutants including Thunderbird. He was seen at The Green Lagoon watching Dazzler's concert.
Powers and abilities.
Thunderbird was a mutant who possessed superhuman strength (sufficient to rip apart a fighter jet with his bare hands), speed (he was fast enough to outrun a bison, possibly much faster), and stamina due to his dense musculature. His senses were also enhanced, enabling him to become a highly adept tracker.
Thunderbird had military training in hand-to-hand combat.
Analysis.
In "Native Americans in Comic Books - A Critical Study," Michael A. Sheyahshe compared John Proudstar to Tupac Shakur, noting that "Thunderbird becomes even more popular, posthumously, than he ever was while living."
In September 2001, Bill Rosemann, the marketing communications manager of Marvel Comics, announced that "The death of Thunderbird!", "Uncanny X-Men" #95 had been classed number 32 in the 100 best Marvel Comics.
Other versions.
Age of Apocalypse.
In the Age of Apocalypse universe, John Proudstar is at the head of a religious group Ghost Dance whose members perform nightly dances asking the ancient spirits to bring an end to Apocalypse's reign. They also provided safe passage to Avalon through the Infernal Gallop. When Nightcrawler had the mission to travel to Avalon and bring back the mutant known as Destiny, he forced Proudstar to provide them passage. Betrayed by Danielle Moonstar, the Madri learned of Proudstar and the Infernal Gallop's location at Ghost Dance. The Madri soldiers killed all the members of Ghost Dance.
Earth X.
In the Earth X reality, John Proudstar's life is very similar. Thunderbird is seen in the Realm of the Dead talking with Professor X both believing they are still alive.
Exiles.
An alternate version of John Proudstar is an original member of the Exiles, a group of superhumans tasked with fixing damaged realities. This Thunderbird is captured by Apocalypse during his time with the X-Men and unwillingly transformed into one of his Four Horsemen, namely War.
Thunderbird's time with this group is relatively short, several months at most. He serves mainly as the powerhouse of the group. In the third story arc, he meets another alternate version of himself, who has become the shaman of Alpha Flight, and this arc is largely centered on his internal conflicts. Later, Thunderbird sacrifices himself to hold an anti-matter bomb within the body of Galactus, which forces the world-devourer to leave Earth after the massive injury the bomb causes. Although his physical body heals from the damage caused by the detonation, he is left in a coma. He is replaced by Sasquatch and the team are forced to leave him behind. His body is later discovered in the Panoptichron, a crystal city that lies between realities, but has yet to be returned to his home reality.
During his time with the Exiles, he develops a romantic relationship with teammate Nocturne, who is pregnant with his child when he becomes comatose. (However, she later loses the child for unexplained reasons.) Issue #16 shows flashbacks of previously unseen scenes between the two characters that further develop their relationship.
This version of Thunderbird is considerably more powerful than the mainstream one, due to Apocalypse's augmentations. His skin is covered by retractable armor plates that harden when he enters battle, considerably increasing his durability, and even at the base level, his power statistics are above his main continuity counterpart. His power increases with his rage, akin to the Hulk who he once defeated in close combat, and his appearance becomes more bestial as he does so.
A side-effect of Apocalypse's modifications is that Thunderbird no longer has a sense of taste. He nevertheless enjoys smelling things.
Thunderbird wakes up and escapes the stasis wall in the Panoptichron. He helps Psylocke and Cat regain control of the Panoptichron during Doctor Doom's assault, and is later reunited with Nocturne when the Exiles and New Excalibur team up to save Roma and the Captain Britain Corps. Thunderbird leaves the team shortly after to be with Nocturne on Heather's earth.
House of M.
In the "House of M" reality, John Proudstar appears as a police detective for the New York Police Department and as the leader of the strike force known as the "Brotherhood." Proudstar eventually made a deal with Wilson Fisk to bring in Luke Cage's gang as both a matter of pride and to end his criminal activities. Thunderbird's efforts resulted in Cage's Avengers battling the Brotherhood, in which their defeat caused Magneto to disband it.
What If?
Alternate versions of the character are present in some issues of "What If?" which is a series of comic books whose stories explore how the Marvel Universe might have unfolded if key moments in its history had not occurred as they did in mainstream continuity.
In other media.
Television.
Animated.
Thunderbird appears in the "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" episode "The X-Men Adventure" of Season 3, aired in 1983, voiced by John Stephenson. He is shown as a member of the X-Men. In this incarnation, Thunderbird possesses the ability to shapeshift into a variety of North American animals and does not demonstrate any of his abilities from the comics. When it came to Thunderbird's shapeshifting into a grizzly bear to break down a door, Iceman muttered "I didn't know you could do that!"
Thunderbird is displayed in the opening credits of the "X-Men" animated series, an animated television series, which debuted in 1992 and ended in 1997. In the part of the intro where the heroes and villains charge at each other, the character is shown as part of Magneto’s Brotherhood, but he was never planned to be a villain. Larry Houston, who designed the opening credits with Will Meugniot, needed to find equilibrium between the X-Men and their adversaries. He added two characters on the villain side, an unnamed mutant and John Proudstar / Thunderbird, who are visible in the "Slave Island" episode where the X-Men visit Genosha. In "Previously on X-Men: The Making of an Animated Series" made by the series showrunner Eric Lewald, it is explained that Thunderbird was originally intended to die in the opening storyline of the X-Men series, to reflect his death in the first mission of the "All-New, All-Different X-Men". Finally, it was decided not to kill the only Native American character and he was replaced by the mutant shapeshifter Kevin Sydney / Morph who later turned up alive in later episodes.
Live-action.
Thunderbird is one of the main characters in the live-action television series "The Gifted", portrayed by Blair Redford. He is a leader of the Mutant Underground, and was in a relationship with his girlfriend Sonya Simonson/Dreamer.
Bust.
In 2003, Dynamic Forces created a bust of Thunderbird. Nick Barrucci, president of Dynamic Forces, said "The X-Men have such a rich, yet tragic history. To commemorate, DF worked to create two busts presenting the heroes of the X-Men who gave the ultimate sacrifice — their lives. So, we are starting our 'Memorial' Diorama line with two of the biggest heroes - Colossus and Thunderbird!"


Frederick Charles Adler

Frederick Charles Adler (usually known as F. Charles Adler) (born on 2 July 1889 in London and died 16 February 1959 in Vienna) was an English-German conductor.
Adler studied with Gustav Mahler and served as chorus master at the premiere of Mahler's "Eighth Symphony". He was held at Ruhleben internment camp during World War I. He worked as a conductor in Germany in the 1920s, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1933. He made many recordings of the works of Mahler and Anton Bruckner. He made the first commercial recordings of Mahler's "Third" and "Sixth" symphonies. His recordings of Bruckner symphonies are unusual in that they use the first published editions rather than the later critical editions. (Hans Knappertsbusch was the only other major conductor to stick with the first editions consistently.) His recording of Bruckner's "Sixth Symphony" is, as of 2006, the only recording ever made of the 1899 first published edition. His recording of Bruckner's "Ninth Symphony" is one of only two available to use the first edition prepared by Ferdinand Löwe in 1903 following Bruckner's death.
Adler also promoted much modern music, both in the SPA Music Festival he led in Saratoga Springs, New York and for various record labels (including SPA, Unicorn, and CRI). Adler's recordings were made in Vienna, mostly with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under a variety of pseudonyms for contractual reasons (e.g., Vienna Philharmonia Orchestra, Vienna Orchestra, Vienna Konzertverein).


Hawthorne USO Building

The Hawthorne USO Building, at 950 E St. in Hawthorne, Nevada, was built in 1941 as a World War II United Services Organization (USO) social hall. It opened in January 1942. It is a simple "modified I plan" standard "USO Type D Federal Recreation Building", on Hawthorne's main street.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It was deemed significant for association "with the purpose and activities of the USO in Nevada during
World War II" and for association with the West Coast U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot, sited in Hawthorne in 1928 after New Jersey's Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Depot blew up.


Jiaochangkou incident

The Jiaochangkou incident () was a political riot that took place on 10 February 1946 in Jiaochangkou in the centre of Chongqing City, which was the wartime capital of the Republic of China and declared the second capital () after the war by the Nationalist (Kuomintang or KMT)-led government. During 1945-46, KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held political negotiations over the future of China in the city. The incident marked an open rivalry between the two parties, which eventually led to a civil war that ended up with a CCP victory.
Background.
During 1945-47, under United States mediation, KMT and CCP agreed to negotiate a coalition government. One of the results of the negotiations was the Double Tenth Agreement between the two parties, where they agreed to hold an open multi-party talks named Political Consultative Conference (PCC) as soon as possible.
The PCC was held in Chongqing during 10-31 January 1946, which received both local and nationwide attention. The CPC organised many support meetings for these conference across the country, which were routinely disrupted by the secret police of the Nationalist government attempting to encourage anti-CPC sentiments. Multiple organisations in Chongqing formed a coalition in support of the conference, which 8 rallies with over 3,000 participants during 12-27 January. On 10 February 1946, the coalition held a success meeting, which was participated by a number of CCP-affiliated or pro-CCP organisations and was chaired by Zhou Enlai, Guo Moruo, Shen Junru, Luo Longji, Ma Yinchu, Li Gongpu.
The incident.
CCP description.
According to CCP's description, the Chongqing branch of KMT started following and threatening those who attended the rallies since 16 January and plotted to disrupt the rallies. On 2 February, the coalition elected 20 plus pro-CCP board members and decided to hold presidential election of the coalition on 10 February. On the morning of 10 February, KMT organised several leaders of pro-KMT associations, who claimed to be the board of the coalition and occupied the meeting chamber before the pro-CCP board members arrived. Zhou Dehou, president of the pro-KMT Chongqing Commercial Chamber, shouted in the chamber, "we elected Liu Deqiao, the representative of the Farming Association representing over 80% of the Chinese population, as the president of the coalition!" and then called the meeting to order. Li Gongpu and Shi Fuliang rushed to the front, trying to stop Zhou, but was beaten by the secret police in disguise of the coalition members. Guo Moruo, Tao Xingzhi, Zhang Naiqi and a number of journalists and trade union members were also beaten. It was not until the arrival of the CPC representatives Zhou Enlai and Mao Ruofei, and the pro-CCP KMT general Feng Yuxiang that the agents left the meeting chamber.
KMT description.
On 10 February, different associations celebrated the success of PCC in Jiaochangkou. Before the meeting, the board of the coalition prepared to elect Li Dequan as the president of the coalition. During the meeting, a number of participants disobey the order of the meeting, advocating Li Gongpu as the president, which led to dissatisfaction among the participants. Tan Qin, the Medical Association Secretary called out loud, "please obey the order of the meeting!" and then asked to elect Liu Deqiao as the president, along with support from several other representatives. When Liu arrived at the front to make his speech, Li tried to stopped Liu from using the microphone, which led to physical fights and chaos in the meeting chamber, where Li Gongpu, Guo Moruo, Shi Fuliang and other board members were beaten by the participants.
Aftermath.
Open rivalry between CCP and KMT.
On the following day, Liu Deqiao sued Li Gongpu, Zhang Naiqi, Zhu Xuefan, Tao Xingzhi and Shi Fuliang in the local court for their violation of order and physical damages on others. Yet, in the court debates, the accusation was not successful for Li and others were obviously hurt. On that night, China Democratic League called for an assembly, which appointed Zhou Enlai and Zhang Junmai to complain to Chiang Kai-shek about the incident. However, since Chiang had left for Shanghai, Zhou and Zhang only met KMT Secretary Wu Tiecheng, calling for a thorough investigation. After the incident, the CPC were convinced that peaceful settlements with the Nationalist government was no longer an option. Mao Zedong claimed that Chiang Kai-shek was not interested in forming a coalition government, and therefore the only way for the CPC to survive is to win their revolution "on the battlefield".
Murders of Li Gongpu and Wen Yiduo.
On 11 July 1946, Li Gongpu was murdered by KMT secret agents in Kunming. On 15 July, famous Chinese poet Wen Yiduo, who made an improvised public speech strongly condemning the murder of Li, was also killed soon after his speech in Kunming. The two murders led to United States concerns over the safety and free speech of Chinese scholars under KMT rule and Chinese intellectuals' distrust towards the KMT government.


Pra Frente, Brasil

Pra Frente, Brasil () is a 1982 Brazilian drama film directed, written and produced by Roberto Farias. It tells the fictional story of a man mistakenly arrested by a group linked to the military dictatorship during the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Plot.
The film is set on mid 1970, when the military regime's "economic miracle" and the victory of the Brazil national football team on the FIFA World Cup serves as a distraction for the persecution of opposition leaders by the political police of the dictatorship.
Under this context, Jofre Godoi da Fonseca, an alienated middle class man, is mistaken for Sarmento, a political activist he met at an airport prior to his assassination. He is then arrested and brutally tortured by a paramilitary group of vigilantes sponsored by influential businessmen to hunt down people deemed "subversive" by the regime.
Jofre's wife Marta and his brother Miguel join forces to investigate his disappearance. After they fail to get enough support from law enforcement agents, Mariana, leader of a left-wing resistance group and Miguel's former girlfriend, helps them. Their efforts proved to be useless after Jofre is killed on a failed escape attempt.


Walt Kowalski

Walter "Walt" Kowalski is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 2008 American film "Gran Torino". He was portrayed by Clint Eastwood, who also directed the film.
Character biography and creation.
Walt is a misanthropic and irritable Polish-American former auto worker who becomes embroiled in a conflict involving a Hmong family and a gang. Walt had served in the Korean War and had killed a teenage North Korean soldier who had been trying to surrender to him; despite having killed numerous other enemy soldiers in the war, the teen’s death especially haunts him, and has ever since. He is a retiree who formerly worked at a Ford automobile plant, and he owns a Gran Torino he had helped assemble. He also owns an M1 Garand rifle and an M1911A1 pistol, both of which he kept from the Korean War. Walt's wife, Dorothy Kowalski, is dead by the beginning of the film.
Nick Schenk, the writer of the script of the film, said "Walt is like a lot of shop teachers and coaches that you have in school. He's the kind of guy who's just waiting for you to screw up so he can roll his eyes at you." Eastwood has said that the car is "sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant" and that the gun "is sort of a symbol of his days in the military. … He's clinging to the memory of the war. You'll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with."
Anthony Breznican of "USA Today" said that even though Clint Eastwood had served in the Korean War (in a non-combat role) he "has little in common with Kowalski." Jenkins explained that Walt is "a man of action who's offended by the Catholic church's dogmatic insistence that it understands mortality better than a grizzled vet who's seen comrades die." Jenkins added that Walt also "learned firsthand that self-sacrifice is not transcendent" in a similar manner to John Bradley, the protagonist of "Flags of Our Fathers", and Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the protagonist of "Letters from Iwo Jima". Jenkins explained that Walt ultimately "assumes a Christ-like posture, both to save his new friends and to put Janovich in his place." John Serba of "The Grand Rapids Press" argues that Eastwood in "Gran Torino" "finds his focus on" Walt and "When Walt wields his weapons with righteous fury, Eastwood the actor shows us a damaged man suffering a horrible wartime flashback, without stating it outright." Serba argues that the "suggestiveness makes it easier to overlook the inexperience of his supporting cast and the occasionally overstated, transparent dialogue." Biancolli said that Eastwood, as Walt, "just keeps doing his Dirty Harry glare, whipping out guns real and imaginary. But it's hard not to see him as Mr. Wilson [George Everett Wilson] — Dennis the Menace's crotchety neighbor. Skinnier, hairier, no mustache."
Development.
Nick Schenk said that he got the inspiration for Walt Kowalski from several war veterans he met while working as a clerk in a liquor store. Schenk explained that "I just knew this character well. When I was working construction, I'd meet a lot of guys like Walt Kowalski. Because I liked history, I'd always be the one that the older guys on the site would tell their stories to." He originally intended for Walt's car to be a Ford because a Ford assembly line was near Schenk's location in the Minneapolis area. He was not aware that Harry Callahan, the main character in "Dirty Harry", drove a Gran Torino. Schenk said that the vehicle could have been a Crown Victoria but he preferred the sound of the name "Gran Torino." Schenk said that individuals told him that he would not be successful in selling a script that had an elderly man as the main character, and especially one who sounds like he has racist views.
Racism and intolerance.
Walt holds many prejudices towards Asians because of his experience in the Korean War, and more recently because of the success of Japanese automakers (which is somewhat responsible for the struggle of Ford and other US marques, leading to the decimation of the auto industry in Michigan) and his dislike of rice burners (in contrast to traditional American muscle cars). He frequently calls the Asians in his community "gooks", though his usage of the slur appears to be less insulting as the film progresses.
Todd McCarthy of "Variety" said that Walt's "racist mutterings, which employ every imaginable epithet for Asians, are blunt and nasty, but Eastwood grunts them out in an over-the-top way that provokes laughs, and his targets are no less sparing of him." Walt originally perceives his Hmong neighbors as being generic Asians rather than as the Hmong that they are. Mark Jenkins of National Public Radio says "He hates everything new or foreign, so much so that he growls at the modern world like a junkyard dog." Charity says that the character's "racist (Archie) Bunker mentality thaws" when Sue introduces him to Hmong food.
John Serba of "The Grand Rapids Press" says that the intolerance demonstrated by Walt "goes deeper than skin color" since he is also against stupidity, "trait that transcends superficialities". Serba adds that "his definition of unintelligent is broader than the average person's, thus, his conversations tend to become confrontations quickly, and perhaps surprisingly, to our amusement."
Morality.
Wanda Teays, author of "Seeing the Light: Exploring Ethics Through Movies", said that Walt originally is a "moral absolutist" who believes that values are universal and do not differ at all even if the context is different. She said that after Walt beats a gangster in retaliation for an attack on Thao Vang Lor, the gangsters retaliate by attacking Sue Lor. Teays said that this causes him to rethink his tactics.
Similarities and differences with other Eastwood characters.
Tania Modleski, author of "Clint Eastwood and Male Weepies," said that "[f]or many reviewers, Gran Torino represents the final step in
Eastwood's repudiation of the Dirty Harry persona. If "Unforgiven" ends up being equivocal in its attitude toward violence and vigilantism, "Gran Torino" appears to accept the impotence of the lone avenging hero" and that the impotence "is perhaps underlined by Walt's repeated gesture of pointing his finger at villains as if it were a gun." Amy Biancolli of the "Houston Chronicle" said that even though Walt, an "old fart," does not have the same name as Inspector Harry Callahan, the protagonist of "Dirty Harry", played by Eastwood, "there's no mistaking the rasp in his voice or the uncompromising crankiness of his "Weltanschauung"." Tom Charity of "CNN" said that Walt, "Like other Eastwood heroes before him, Walt sacrifices his independence by accepting that others depend on him." Serba said that Walt, who is "bitter, hopelessly cranky," "shares a sense of moral certainty" with Callahan, but that Walt "is infused with the wisdom and weariness" that Callahan does not have. Jenkins said that Walt is similar to Frankie Dunn, a character played by Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby".
Reception.
Tania Modleski, author of "Clint Eastwood and Male Weepies," said that "by melodramatically sacrificing his life, Eastwood as Walt and as himself becomes God" because "Eastwood is in a sense resurrected by the reviewers who appear to want to immortalize him" and so "many reviewers accord him the masculine qualities that old age has threatened to take away from him." Modleski said that three female reviewers, Manohla Dargis, Ann Hornaday, and Stephanie Zacharek, "seem particularly invested in shoring up "Clint's" masculinity, denying, in a sense, the impotence that his character's failure to use violence except to beget more violence against those he would defend might appear to suggest" and that "[t]he attention they lavish on Eastwood's body is noteworthy."
Serna said that "Walt's Archie Bunker-ish sandpaper brusqueness" gives the film "a refreshing, if not outright surprising, levity." Jenkins argued that Walt "is just not convincing, even as a semi-comic character" because the racism espoused by Walt "is as one-dimensional as his reluctant heroism". Peter Howell of the "Toronto Star" said that Eastwood "transforms a stereotypical racist into a fully realized character."


Camp Butner

Camp Butner was a United States Army installation in Butner, North Carolina during World War II. It was named after Army general and North Carolina native Henry W. Butner. Part of it was used as a POW camp for German prisoners of war in the United States and this site eventually became the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner. The camp site was chosen in the late summer of 1941 to have a major training area, built with construction starting in January 1942. In just 6 short months, over 1,700 buildings were constructed. There were enough beds in the enlisted barracks alone to accommodate over 35,000 soldiers.
Several major US Army divisions used the camp as a staging area during the war, to assemble and organize prior to being deployed to both the European and Pacific theaters. Divisions like the 35th Infantry Division, 78th Infantry Division, and 89th Infantry Division came to Camp Butner prior to heading to Europe.
After the war, the camp was used as a major facility for the demobilization and deactivation of Army units returning from combat. Among the units deactivated at the camp were the 3d United States Infantry Regiment and the 4th Infantry Division.
The Camp was also the location of the Battalion Surgeon's Assistant school and had a convalescent hospital for wounded troops that operated much like Walter Reed does today.
Today.
Camp Butner Training Center is currently under North Carolina Army National Guard ownership. Since 2005 it has played host to the Civilian Marksmanship Program's Eastern Junior Highpower Clinic & Championship, taught by the United States Marine Corps Mobile Marksmanship Unit. Its 1000-yard range, designated Range 4, is frequently host to a variety of shooting matches, including those sponsored by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The CMP's Eastern Games and Creedmoor Cup are held annually at Camp Butner, lasting two weeks.
A museum dedicated to the soldiers, civilians and prisoners of war who called the camp home from 1942–1946, operated by the 501c3 nonprofit Camp Butner Society, is currently housed in the sports arena on 24th Street that was built with the rest of the camp in 1942. The Society has the last remaining wooden structure of its type original to Camp Butner that will eventually house the museum but will require extensive funding and restoration before that can occur.


National Association of NGOs

The National Association of NGOs (NANGO) is an umbrella organisation of over 1000 NGOs in Zimbabwe established in 1962. NANGO is committed to “strengthen, represent and coordinate the work of NGOs in Zimbabwe by creating space, promoting networking, dialogue and engagement to enable the fulfilment of members’ visions and missions”. NANGOs vision is “a proactive community of NGOs responsive and committed to the sustainable development needs of all people in Zimbabwe and the full realisation of human rights, democracy, good governance and poverty alleviation.”


Phil Carter

Phillip Eugene Carter is an American lawyer, writer, and former officer in the United States Army.
Carter was a founding member of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and he also served as a principal of the Truman National Security Project. He was senior fellow and counsel at the Center for a New American Security, and director of the CNAS research program on the Military, Veterans & Society. Beginning September 2018, he served as the Director of the Personnel & Resources Program at the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center in Washington, D.C. Carter now works as senior corporate counsel for Tableau, a Salesforce company, and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.
Education.
Carter attended the University of California, Los Angeles, earning a Bachelor's Degree there in 1997, and his Juris Doctor in 2004. Carter also received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship in 1996.
Legal career.
Carter practiced law as an associate at McKenna Long & Aldridge, first in Los Angeles, and later in New York City.
He specialized in government contracts and national security law there, including representation of leading defense and aerospace contractors.
He contributed to amicus briefs for FAIR v. Rumsfeld and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Carter took a leave of absence from his law firm in 2005-06, after being called to active duty by the Army, to serve in Iraq.
In June 2008, Carter took a leave of absence to join the Barack Obama campaign as its national veterans director. He returned to his position at McKenna Long & Aldridge in 2010 after resigning as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Policy.
In 2011, Carter left McKenna to join Caerus Associates, a strategy and design consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia, as the company's Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel.
In 2013, Carter left Caerus to join CNAS, a defense policy think tank in Washington, as senior fellow and counsel. At CNAS, Carter directed the Military, Veterans, and Society research program, and also served as the think tank's counsel. In 2018, Carter left CNAS to join the RAND Corporation, where he now directs RAND's personnel and resources research program for the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center, the federally-funded research and development center (FFRDC) that supports the Department of Homeland Security.
In 2020, Carter left RAND to practice law as senior corporate counsel for Tableau, a Salesforce company. In addition to this work, Carter also teaches at Georgetown University Law Center as an adjunct professor.
Writing career.
He wrote the "Intel Dump" blog beginning in 2002. In 2008, he began writing this blog for "The Washington Post", and edited the Convictions legal blog for Slate magazine.
Carter's articles have appeared in many other publications, including the "New York Times", "Washington Monthly", "Wall Street Journal", and "Chicago Tribune". In 2006, he won an award (with Dahlia Lithwick and Emily Bazelon) for a feature on torture that appeared in "Slate".
Government service.
In November 2020, Carter was named a volunteer member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States Army service.
Carter served on active and reserve duty for nine years in the U.S. Army as a Military Police and Civil Affairs officer. He served from 1997 to 2001, including assignments in Korea, Texas and the Mojave Desert. From October 2005 to September 2006, he was an embedded adviser with the Iraqi police in Baqubah, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province.
His team's work was profiled by "The Wall Street Journal" in a June 13, 2006, front-page story, and by NPR as well.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Policy.
The Washington Post reported in February 2009 that Carter was slated to be the new Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, following speculation on Pentagon blogs about his appointment.
 The Pentagon formally announced Carter's appointment on May 6, 2009.
Carter was the fourth official to be appointed to this post, replacing career diplomat Sandra Hodgkinson.
In November 2009 Carter announced his resignation, effective in December 2009, for personal reasons.
The exact date he submitted his resignation was not made public.
In his position, he traveled frequently to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. Carter was the chief architect of the Obama administration plan to close Guantanamo Bay, and bring detainees to a maximum security prison in Northwest Illinois. His last official trip was to Thomson, Illinois, the site of a prison the Obama administration has decided to use to house some captives currently held in detention in Guantanamo, in Cuba.


New Women

New Women () is a silent Chinese film released in Shanghai on February 3, 1935 by the Lianhua Film Company. It is sometimes translated as New Woman. The film starred Ruan Lingyu (in her penultimate film) and was directed by Cai Chusheng. This film became Ruan Lingyu’s better known work, as with her suicide on International Women’s Day, March 8 1935 made this film known for it status of new women is modern china a sensation.
The product of "New women" has been the result of a social economic trend and reform social movement that has been going on for decades. It offered criticism to China's traditional ideology and offered a change in china’s “old women” to “new women” as an alternative social convention."New Women" was based upon the life of Chinese actress and writer, Ai Xia, who had committed suicide in 1934. Ai Xia's death following her role in A Modern Woman (1933), inspired Cai Chusheng to emulated the tragedy in this film.
A print of the film is currently maintained by the China Film Archive.
Synopsis.
The film deals with an educated and modern young woman, Wei Ming (Ruan Lingyu), living in 1920s Shanghai. As the film begins, Wei Ming is working as a music teacher for a school, and harbouring dreams of becoming a writer.  Dr. Wang, the school board minister, who is also Wei Ming's old classmate Zhang Xiuzhen's husband, likes Wei Ming and wants her to become his concubine. Wei Ming ignores his advances as she falls in love with the editor of a publishing company Yu Haichou. Yu Haichou, however, refuses Wei Ming's advances. Wei Ming soon befriends her neighbour Aying who is a factory worker who teaches patriotic work songs to her coworkers. Doctor Wang, angered by Wei Ming's rejection, plans to retaliate against Wei Ming. He convinces the principal of the school to fire Wei Ming. At the same time Wei Ming's older sister and her daughter come to Shanghai for Wei Ming's help as they need money. Wei Ming's daughter, Xiao Hong, is shown to be suffering from pneumonia and after arriving in Shanghai her condition begins to deteriorate. Wei Ming writes a novel called “The Tomb of love” and hopes that the payment can reduce her financial burden but she realizes too late that the she cannot be paid in advance. Under such harsh circumstances, Wei Ming decides to become a "slave for one night” and prostitute herself. Unexpectedly, her first client is Doctor Wang. Wei Ming angrily hits Dr. Wang and runs away. She helplessly watches her daughter dies, then commits suicide afterwards by taking sleeping pills. Yu Haichou takes Wei Ming to the hospital where Aying attempts to inspire her to continue living. Wei Ming cries out "I want to live, I want revenge". However, the doctor can no longer rescue Wei Ming and she dies. The publisher and the journalist cynically joins to sponsor Wei Ming's funeral for publicity benefits. Aying continues to lead her factory women workers in choral singing classes, the film ends with a scene of Aying and her factory coworkers walking out of the factory.
Reception.
This film was interpreted by many as an example of the leftward development of Cai's politics and the traditional constraints on women in mass media and urban society. One newspaper reviewer praised "the number of films with 'the woman question' as their subject over the past few years" and declared that "it is inevitable that this kind of film would go on to influence many aspects of the women's movement to come." 'The woman question' or "funu wenti," was centred around the discussion of love, marriage, education and employment for women. The term "new women" also symbolised the start of modernist discourse in China. There was a lot of publicity and media interest surrounding the social construction of gendered subjectivity in the 1930s. One viewer reflected on his experience watching the movie with a female companion—he recalls his date was angered by the portrayal of Wei Ming criticising Wei Ming's weakness and stating that she was not the "modern" woman at all.
The release of New Women was marred by a backlash from the press who objected to their profession's unflattering portrayal in the film. When the film opened in Shanghai the commercial press took the film's narrative to task for depicting the news media as slanderous and the potential New Woman as suicidal. The Journalists’ Union loudly protested the film's characterization of their trade and the spectre of negative publicity pressured Lianhua studio into making an open apology. In an attempt to clear away accusations that the movie was “condoning” the suicide of New Women, the producers made a public relations show of their virtue by agreeing to screen the film at a fundraiser for a women's educational center on International Women's Day, March 8. The target of much of their ire became the suicide of the film's star, Ruan Lingyu one month after the movie premiered on March 8, the same day as the screening of the film at the women's educational center. The reception and publicity the film received was directly tied to Ruan's suicide by barbiturates. Her death was purportedly due to the gossip and exposure surrounding her personal life. In her final note, she stated, "Gossip is a fearful thing", attributing her suicide to the same kind of media harassment her character Wei Ming experienced. The idea of the protagonist's "crisis in subjectivity" was brought to life by Ruan's suicide. It provoked much debate in the Shanghai news media on the controversy over the representation and status of women in popular culture and shed a light on the increasing feminist problems of modernity. Much discussion surrounded the similarities between Ai Xia, Ruan, and her character Wei Ming, all sources of scrutiny in 'the woman question' of urban China in the 1930s. Some criticised the representation of new woman in the film as not focusing on family duties and pressured the idea of an independent new woman, conveying the traditional Chinese ideals which needed reformation.
Historical background.
In the early 20th century china, the traditional social morals, dictated that women must be modest and reserved in their homes, but after the refounding of the Republic of China in 1911, the grip to traditionalism started to weaken. These include more education, employment opportunities for women and they became more common in the public eye. Reformers started to rise to promote “social equality” in society for free love, free from sexual discrimination, and freedom of choice.
Following the May Fourth Movement, the term "xin nüxing" (new woman) was popularized. The direct translation of "nüxing" is "female sex". However, before the May Fourth Movement, women in China were described by the term "funü" which emphasized familial and gender roles rather than biological sex. The new woman's role in modern China was often debated by intellectuals, liberals, and The Nationalists and the Communist. Nonetheless, the "new woman" icon found its way into popular media in the forms of film, photographs, magazines, fashion advertisements and calendar posters. Cai Chusheng's film is considered to be the most well-known of the "new woman" genre films. The pioneers of the Chinese Women's Liberation Movement began to pay attention to women's equality of employment and economic independence. They argued that the fundamental reason why women had lost their independence for thousands of years lie in their financial attachment to men and the denial of property rights. Lu Xun once regarded economic independence as the premise of women's liberation, and Li Dazhao believed that women's employment was the basis of equality between men and women.
Director Cai Chusheng and scriptwriter Sun Shiyi based the plot of "New Women" on the life and death of actress Ai Xia. While Wei Ming, played by Ruan Lingyu was a teacher, Ai Xia was an actress that committed suicide in 1934 at the age of 21 after starring in a movie that she wrote herself called "A "Modern Woman"". Ai Xia was condemned by the popular press when they found out about a single act of prostitution to raise money in order to afford medicine for her sick daughter. Cai Chusheng was thought to have been affiliated with Ai Xia in some way and made "New Women" for personal reasons. Ai Xia's suicide and legacy in the film industry in China made her become a symbol for the Chinese women's emancipation. Ai Xia was one of the new-style women emerging in early 20th century China. During these times, female suicide was not an uncommon occurrence with Confucian and patriarchal pressures for women to be mothers and wives while not expressing their true selves. Ai Xia represented this ideology of new women being a young intellectual woman that reflected the need for modernity of fashion, customs and emancipation from men. Ruan Lingyu ended up playing a role that was relatable to her own life. Ruan Lingyu committed suicide on International Women's Day (March 8, 1935) by overdosing on sleeping pills. Her suicide note apparently contained a line which says "gossip is a fearful thing" (人言可畏), although recent researchers have doubted the note's authenticity as it appeared to have been forged by Tang Jishan. Even China's preeminent intellectual Lu Xun was appalled at the details surrounding Ruan's death and wrote an essay entitled "Gossip is a Fearful Thing", denouncing the tabloids. Her funeral procession was three miles long, three women committed suicide during it and the New York Times ran a front page story, calling it “the most spectacular funeral of the century.”
At that time, female writers were respected in Shanghai. However, the rise of the status of women in society was perceived by some to be a threat to man's status in the family and in society. Therefore, females still needed time for society to adapt to the modernisation and let others accept them.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jiangsu, and other coastal areas were the first places where women workers appeared. Some women also raised money to set up shops and businesses to create opportunities for other women. Some industries even preferred to recruit female employees and paid equal salaries to female and male employees for the first time. Teachers and doctors were the first intellectual professions for women, and women soon appeared in banks and shops as well. They even found work as actors, writers, translators, and editors. Wei Ming in New Women, is like Ai Xia or Ruan Lingyu in that they are the products of this era.
Music.
There were two important songs in the movie. One is called "Huangpu River", Aiyin's revision of "Peach Blossom River". This song was cut from the film in order to pass the government’s censors. The other is "Song of the New Women", which appeared at the end of the film. It was composed by Nie Er, a young musician who also wrote the melody later chosen for the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. The song culminates in a revolutionary verser which envisions the simultaneous dissolution of class and gender divisions.
Reputation.
Today, the film's reputation has become firmly established as one of the classic examples of 1930s Chinese film. The organizers of the 5th Asia-Pacific Triennial on Contemporary Art referred to the film, in their retrospective of Ruan Lingyu's work, as a "Masterpiece in the spirit of the May 4th tradition."
As a glorious chapter that marks the beginning of Cai Chusheng's film career, the film "New Women" is a remarkable one. There are episodes and no dialogues when the film is released. It can be regard as a transitional bridge from Chinese silent films to sound films. In the film, Ruan Lingyu's performance can also be described as powerful and sorrowful.
The story is allegedly based on the talented actress Ai Xia who committed suicide under the dual pressure of survival and spirit of being the spotlight. The director Cai Chusheng was deeply affected by her death and realized that Ai Xia's life and death is of great social significance. He hoped to make a movie based on her story to educate the female population that suicide is not the solution. As a make-up version of Ai Xia's tragic fate, the actress Ruan Lingyu starred as the main protagonist in "New Women". The protagonist in the story has been abandoned by her oppressive patriarchal family to start an independent life as a writer. She wrote the autobiographical novel "The Tomb of Love." However, it was impossible for her to escape the fate of suicide as in reality, females were mere playthings of male desires and a gimmick in the commercial operation of the publishing industry. The film has caused an uproar due to the violation of the patriarchal society before its release, and eventually led to the death of Ruan Lingyu. A rebellious new woman's echo-like record of self-destruction seems to show quite clearly the fragile collusion between women and the society. In addition to the message that the film conveys, the death of Ruan Lingyu after a month of the film's premiere is regarded as a female tragedy under the commercial and star system, which illustrates the tragic impact of the new woman and patriarchal/male culture. It is also a reflection of the conflict between left-wing movies and the right-wing newspaper. Interestingly, this conflict did not damage the reputation of the director of the film, Cai Chusheng, but ultimately sacrificed the reputation and life of actress Ruan Lingyu. The film "New Women" is now closely linked to the death of Ruan Lingyu, as a symbol of the dangers of mass media and female objectivity in the film industry.


Home Defense

Home Defense is a 1943 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film shows Donald Duck and his three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie serving as civilian aircraft spotters during World War II. The film was directed by Jack King; Clarence Nash voices the characters.
Plot.
The story takes place during World War II in which Donald Duck and his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, are serving as civilian aircraft spotters on the West Coast of the United States. In order to detect the sound of approaching enemy aircraft, Donald uses a listening apparatus consisting of headphones and a large horn amplifier pointed skyward.
One morning at the listening post, Donald accidentally wakes up Huey, Dewey, and Louie who were sleeping nearby. The boys, serving as Donald's gun crew, retaliate by faking an airborne invasion as a prank. They fill a motorized toy plane with gingerbread paratroopers and fly it around the amplifier. Donald awakes, sees the plane, and shoots it down with his home-made anti-aircraft battery. As the plane is falling to earth, the gingerbread men deploy. When Donald sees the parachutes, he panics and hides in the grass while Huey, Dewey, and Louie create artificial combat noises. When Donald finally discovers the ruse, he angrily calls his nephews to attention and relieves them of duty. The nephews tearfully leave as Donald continues to listen for aircraft alone.
Later, Donald hears the sound of a bee buzzing near the amplifier and believes that his nephews are playing a trick on him again. However, when he sees the boys are not up to anything, Donald returns to the listening post and continues to hear the bee, imagining the sound is approaching Japanese forces. Donald quickly reinstates the boys and has them man a large cannon. Donald carefully calculates the position of the sound and relays orders to Huey, Dewey, and Louie in aiming the cannon. After following Donald's instructions, the nephews aim the cannon directly at the acoustic horn where the bee is. Despite their objections, Donald orders them to fire the weapon, which sends the amplified blast into Donald's ears. The nephews laugh while Donald goes into his characteristic temper tantrum while suspended off the ground by his earphones.
Home media.
The short was released on May 18, 2004 on ' and on December 6, 2005 on '.
Additional releases include:


Ziwa

Ziwa is an archaeological site in Nyanga District, Zimbabwe, containing the remains of a vast late Iron Age agricultural settlement dated to the 15th century. Ziwa was declared a National Monument in 1946 and is currently under consideration for World Heritage listing. The site contains a large variety of stonework structures including stone terraces running along contours of hills and steep landscapes. Archaeological investigations have also uncovered important aspects of pottery and rock art.
Before the declaration of the site as a National Monument, Ziwa had been part of the commercial farms area and was thus under private ownership. A great deal of damage or degradation of antiquities may have been wrought during this period as the farmer used the property as a cattle ranch. Currently a site museum (with tourist facilities such as camping, guided tours, walking trails, bird viewing, etc.) has been established to represent the Ziwa heritage and other archaeological sites in the Nyanga district.
Despite the abandonment of the site by its inhabitants in the 18th Century, Ziwa continued to be of significance to the later communities that settled in its neighbourhood.
Description.
Ziwa bears evidence of human occupation for all the major archaeological periods identified in Zimbabwe's archaeological sequence. That is from hunter-gatherer periods of the Stone Age to historical times. The of land comprise: Stone Age deposits, rock art sites, early farming communities settlements, a landscape of later farming communities marked by terraces and field systems, hill forts, pit structures and stone enclosures, iron smelting and forging furnaces and numerous remains of daub-plastered housing structures.


Teng Weizao

Teng Weizao (; 1917–2008), was a Chinese economist and educator. He served as President of Nankai University, and the Chairman of China and United States Economic Association (). Teng was a pioneer of Chinese modern economics study, especially in the fields of multinational corporation and Japanese economy.
Life.
Teng was born in Funing County, Jiangsu Province in January 1917. He graduated from the Department of Agriculture Economics, Zhejiang University in 1942. He did his postgraduate study at the National Southwestern Associated University during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
1946, Teng was pointed as a teacher of Nankai University. 1950-1953, he served as the dean of the School of Economics, Nankai University. From October 1981 to January 1986, He was the President of Nankai University.
When Teng died in 2008, many prominent Chinese politicians came to his funeral.


Elias Fund

The Elias Fund is a nonprofit organization funding community development and education for Zimbabwean youth.
Overview.
The Elias Fund began with a simple purpose - help one man raise his children. Today EF empowers Zimbabwean communities to build a promising future for their children through poverty alleviation. As a grassroots organization, the Elias Fund focuses on indigenous empowerment to alleviate poverty from the bottom-up.
Mission statement.
The Elias Fund's mission statement is: "Spreading hope and opportunity in Zimbabwe through indigenous empowerment, and engaging the current youth culture of the United States by encouraging a positive identity centered on social justice."
History.
In 1994, Elias Sithole, a gardener in Zimbabwe, met American songwriter Chad Urmston. Elias shared his dream of one day helping his three sons with a university education. This dream was put to song and became a popular piece with Urmston's band Dispatch. After the band broke up in 2004, brothers Eric and Scott Byington were approached to fundraise for a small initiative to sponsor Elias’ sons’ education.
A successful fundraiser was hosted in the summer of 2005 with enough money being raised for all three of Elias’ sons. Eric and Scott, along with a team of four others, took off to Zimbabwe to go find Elias. While they were gone, over 1,200 young people signed-up to do something more for Zimbabwe even though nothing more had been planned or publicized. It became apparent to Eric and Scott that what had started as a single fundraiser for one man’s family could be turned into a full-time organization for Zimbabwe’s development.
And so with the fan-base of Dispatch in support, Eric and Scott turned their relationship with Elias into the organization the Elias Fund is today. EF is now operating in three specific communities providing support to indigenous organizations focused on education, food aid and micro-grants. From one man’s dream has sprung a movement spreading hope and opportunity in Zimbabwe.


Swan Island Shipyard

The Swan Island Shipyard was a shipyard on Swan Island in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was constructed by the industrialist Henry J. Kaiser in 1942 as part of the U.S. Maritime Commission's Emergency Shipbuilding Program in World War II. The Swan Island yard was one of three Kaiser Shipyards in the Portland area, along with the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation and the Vancouver Shipyard.
Before the opening of the shipyard, Swan Island was the location of the Swan Island Municipal Airport. The Port of Portland leased the airport to the U.S. federal government in March 1942. The completed Swan Island yard began production in July 1942 with eight shipways. The Swan Island Shipyard was one of four shipyards in the United States specifically designed to produce T2 tankers. It produced 153 tankers over the course of the war, all of them of the T2-SE-A1 design.


United States military ration

United States military ration refers to various preparations and packages of food provided to feed members of the armed forces. U.S. military rations are often made for quick distribution, preparation, and eating in the field and tend to have long storage times in adverse conditions due to being thickly packaged and/or shelf-stable. The current ration is the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).
History.
18th and 19th centuries.
From the Revolutionary War to the Spanish–American War, the United States army ration, as decreed by the Continental Congress, was the garrison ration, which consisted of meat or salt fish, bread or hardtack, and vegetables.
There was also a spirit ration. In 1785, it was set at four ounces of rum, reduced to two ounces of whiskey, brandy, or rum in 1790. In 1794, troops about to enter combat or who were engaged in frontier service could receive a double ration of four ounces of rum or whiskey; this was extended in 1799 to include troops engaged in fatigue duties. It was discontinued in 1832 and replaced with a ration of coffee and sugar, which was increased in 1836. In 1846, a spirit ration was reinstated for issue to troops engaged in construction or surveying duties; this was discontinued in 1865.
During the American Civil War, both armies struggled to keep their soldiers adequately fed. Difficulties with food logistics led to a multitude of rations.
World War I.
In World War I three types of rations came into usage by the American forces: "the Reserve ration", "the Trench ration", and "the Emergency ration" (also known as the "Iron ration").
"Iron Ration" (1907–1922).
The first attempt to make an individual ration for issue to soldiers in the field was the "iron ration", first introduced in 1907. It consisted of three three-ounce cakes (made from a concoction of beef bouillon powder and parched and cooked wheat), three one-ounce bars of sweetened chocolate, and packets of salt and pepper that was issued in a sealed tin packet that weighed one pound. It was designed for emergency use when the troops were unable to be supplied with food. It was later discontinued by the adoption of the "Reserve Ration" but its findings went into the development of the emergency D-ration.
"Trench Ration" (1914–1918).
This ration was issued in the early part of the war to address a problem. Soldiers fighting in the front lines needed to be supplied with their daily rations, but cooked food prepared at field kitchens was sometimes spoiled by gas attacks. The trench ration was the answer. It was a variety of canned meats (salmon, corned beef, sardines, etc.) that were commercially procured and sealed in a large tin box covered in canvas. It was bulky and heavy and the soldiers began to get weary of the limited menu and it was soon replaced by the Reserve Ration.
"Reserve Ration" (1917–1937).
The reserve ration was first issued during the latter part of World War I to feed troops who were away from a garrison or field kitchen. It originally consisted of 12 ounces of fresh bacon or one pound of canned meat known as the "Meat Ration"—usually, corned beef. Additionally, two 8-ounce cans of hard bread or hardtack biscuits, a packet of 1.16 ounces of pre-ground coffee, a packet of 2.4 ounces of granulated sugar, and a packet of 0.16 ounces of salt were issued. There was also a separate "tobacco ration" of 0.4 ounces of tobacco and 10 cigarette rolling papers, later replaced by brand-name machine-rolled cigarettes.
After the war, there were attempts to improve the ration based on input from the field. In 1922, the "Meat Ration" was revised, consisting of one pound of meat (usually a combination of dried beef and canned corned beef). This was supplemented by hard chocolate, 14 ounces of hard bread or hardtack biscuits, coffee, and sugar. In 1925, the "Meat Ration" was changed, removing the dried beef in favor of canned pork and beans, and reducing the bread component. The corned beef allowance was also reduced in size (older rations continued to be issued, however). In 1936, menu planners attempted to introduce more variety by developing an alternate "Meat Ration" consisting of an "A"-menu (canned corned beef) and a "B"-menu (canned pork & beans). The A & B Reserve or combat ration was canceled after being superseded in 1938 by the Field Ration, Type C.
Field Rations during World War II.
After 1918, the army ration system went through several revisions, eventually leading to the:
A-rations were generally whatever meat and produce could be obtained locally, so there could be great variety from one theatre of operations to the next. B-rations were generally used when there was inadequate refrigeration for perishable A-rations. The composition of the D-ration did not change much throughout the war but the C-ration developed many variations.
A- and B-rations were only served at bases or established camps in rear areas as they require cooking. C-rations could be eaten hot or cold and required no special preparation or storage, so these could be served almost anywhere.
During the war a new ration for assault troops, the "K-ration", was developed. K-rations were originally intended to be used as short duration rations for only 2–3 days, but cost concerns and later standardization led to its overuse, contributing in some cases to vitamin deficiencies and malnourishment.
There were various other special rations developed for specific circumstances, including:
Post WWII rations.
Some of these specialized rations were discontinued during the war due to cost concerns, forcing commanders to adopt standardized rations in their place. The K- and D-rations were declared obsolete after World War II but canned wet rations in the form of the C-ration (later the MCI) continued until 1983, when they were replaced by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).
A-rations and B-rations are still used today.
Current.
Currently, the following food is available to troops:
The composition of these rations are predetermined in a way to make sure that soldiers are properly fed and equipped with the necessary nutrients in order to maximize energy levels. There are certain levels of nutrients that are recommended by the Military Nutrition Research Committee. As a baseline, it is recommended that there be at least 2,400 kcal in each ration, in which those rations are constructed of different levels of numerous vitamins and nutrients.
Ration waste disposal.
The military prioritizes the burn disposal of the waste because, if not taken care of properly, it can lead to more problems. The goal achieved from the proper disposal includes: the elimination of vermin problems, airborne diseases, and preventing any enemy militaries from obtaining the waste to use as resources for themselves or as intelligence against the United States.


Earl Stone


Seong Moy

Seong Moy (; April 12, 1921 – June 9, 2013) was an American painter and printmaker. Moy was born in a small town outside of Canton, China; he emigrated to the United States at the age of 10 in 1931, and joined other members of his family who had settled in St. Paul, Minnesota. During this time, Moy attended school during the day, and trained in his uncle's restaurant as an assistant chef when not in school. In 1934, Moy was introduced to art classes at the WPA Federal Art Project School through a friend. For the next few years, Moy studied art first at the Federal Art Project, and later at the St. Paul School of Art under Cameron Booth, and the WPA Graphic Workshop at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN. Advisors recognized his talent and permitted him to take more classes while maintaining a job.
In 1941 he moved to New York City where he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Art Students League of New York and the Hoffman School of Art. This lasted until the fall of 1942, when he enlisted with the United States Army Air Forces, serving in the China-India-Burma Theater as an aerial reconnaissance photographer with the 14th Air Force, the "Flying Tigers".
After the war Moy married and brought his wife Sui Yung to New York. He returned to the Art Students League on the G.I. Bill and re-established his relationship with Cameron Booth, who was now teaching in New York. Moy experimented with printmaking at the Atelier 17 in New York.
In the 1950s, Moy became a professor, teaching almost forty years at colleges, universities, and institutions:
In 1955 Moy won a Guggenheim Fellowship. His woodcuts from this time are notable in their use of subject matter from Chinese classics, combined with the formal techniques of Abstract Expressionism. For example, his woodcut "Inscription of T'Chao Pae #II" (1952) explores the potential of archaic Chinese calligraphy, illustrating the artist's aim, in his own words, to "recreate in the abstract idiom of contemporary time some of the ideas of ancient Chinese art forms."
He returned to China at the age of 85, in 2008, with his wife, daughters and grandchildren to the rural villages where he and his wife were born in the 1920s. He had a great effect on his family and many who knew him in his life. Moy died in New York on June 9, 2013. He was survived by his wife of sixty six years, Sui Yung, his daughters, Jacqueline and Adrienne, and two grandchildren, Eamon and Fiona.
His work can be found in the permanent collections of a number of museums in the United States, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Vero Beach Museum of Art, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Fellowships.
In 1941, Moy attended to the Art Students League in New York by earning a scholarship. He studied painting and printmaking under Vaclav Vytlacil and Will Barnet. He also won another scholarship to the Hans Hofmann School of Art.
In 1948, Moy was awarded a fellowship to study printmaking at Stanley William Hayter's legendary Atelier 17 graphic arts studio which is in New York. Although it was the ideal environment for Moy, he needed a studio for printmaking. Moy described Atelier 17 as“an exchange of points of view, exchange of ideas, what one is trying to do and searching for some newness in technical innovations to fit in with a situation.”In 1950: Moy received a Whitney Fellowship, the biggest award of his career. Consequently, he was suggested to visit artist position at the University of Minnesota, which is the place that he began to teach. Moy went on to teach at the University of Indiana, Smith, Vassar, and Columbia.
In 1955, Moy won a Guggenheim Fellowship. His woodcuts from this time are notable in their use of subject matter from Chinese classics, combined with the formal techniques of Abstract Expressionism. For example, his woodcut "Inscription of T'Chao Pae #II" (1952) explores the potential of archaic Chinese calligraphy, illustrating the artist's aim, in his own words, to "recreate in the abstract idiom of contemporary time some of the ideas of ancient Chinese art forms."
Between 1970 and 1989, Moy served as Professor of Art at City College of New York, and as an instructor at the Art Students League teaching for more than twenty years.


Politics of the United States during World War II

The United States maintained its Constitutional Republic government structure throughout World War II. Certain expediencies were taken within the existing structure of the Federal government, such as conscription and other violations of civil liberties, and the internment and later dispersal of Japanese-Americans. Still, elections were held as scheduled in 1944.
President of the United States.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Vice President Henry A. Wallace won the election of 1940, and were at the helm of the nation as it prepared for and entered World War II. Roosevelt sought and won a fourth term in office in 1944, but this time with Harry S. Truman as his Vice President. Roosevelt, who had been a victim of polio early in life, died in April 1945, and Truman assumed the Presidency through the end of the war.
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Joint Chiefs were military officers, as opposed to the above, who were for the most part civilians.
In addition, the following offices reported to the Joint Chiefs of Staff:


Prosper Bernard

Prosper Bernard, S.J. (in ; ) (May 25, 1902 – March 18, 1943) was a Canadian Jesuit priest who was executed by a Japanese officer in China in 1943.
Biography.
In 1935, he became a Jesuit priest of the Roman Catholic Church. He left for China in January 1938, a week after Dr. Norman Bethune, the famous Canadian medical doctor. In China, he took the Chinese name of Nà Shì Róng. At that time, Japan was occupying part of China. On December 8, 1941, he was both director of the school of Taolou and that village's pastor when Canada, the United States, and Britain declared war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was immediately arrested and brought to Fengxian, away, and put in house arrest in the church compound with two other Canadian priests. These three Canadian priests continued to operate a school from inside that same church compound in Fengxian. On March 18, 1943, they were executed by a Japanese officer for trying to preserve this school. In 1990, the people of Fengxian erected a monument to their memory.
References.
Father Bernard's nephew, Dr. Prosper Bernard, chairman of the board of trustees of the University Consortium of the Americas and Professor of Business at the Université du Québec in Montreal, has written the following books concerning Father Prosper Bernard:


The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter

The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter is a 1980 documentary film and the first movie made by Connie Field about the American women who went to work during World War II to do "men's jobs." In 1996, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The film's title refers to "Rosie the Riveter", the cultural icon that represented women who manned the manufacturing plants which produced munitions and material during World War II.
Connie Field got the idea for the film from a California Rosie the Riveter reunion, and, with grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and other charitable sources, conducted interviews with many hundreds of women who had gone into war work. Out of these she chose five representatives—three black, two white—all marvelously lively, intelligent, and articulate women who recall their experiences with a mixture of pleasant nostalgia and detached bitterness.
The reminiscences are intercut with the realities of the period – old news, films, recruiting trailers, March of Time clips, and pop songs such as "Rosie the Riveter." These often serve to highlight the disparities between how women were portrayed in wartime media and the actual experiences of these five women.
Reception.
"The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter" premiered at the New York Film Festival in 1980, which at that time was one of the most important film festivals in America, and went on to be screened at over 50 film festivals around the world. The film was released in movie theaters in the United States, England and Australia to rave reviews. "The Los Angeles Times" called it "warm, engaging and poignant" and went on to say "the film has that Studs Terkel-like ability to discover the extraordinary in seemingly ordinary people. Terrific." Of the Rosies themselves "The London Times" said "the resilience, spirit and humour of Connie Field's indomitable heroines sends you out elated and loving them."
The film earned fifteen international awards for Best Documentary, was named "One of the Ten Best Films of the Year" by a number of publications, including the Village Voice and Film Comment, and was voted "Best Independent Feature of the Year" in American Film Magazine. It was originally broadcast on PBS's American Experience and numerous international TV stations such as Channel 4 in England and the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The film has been in active distribution for over 30 years.
"The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter" was preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in conjunction with the Library of Congress in 2013.


Until the Final Hour

Until the Final Hour (), also published as "Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary" or simply "Hitler's Last Secretary" is a memoir of the last days of Hitler's government, written by Traudl Junge ("née" Humps) in 1947, but not published until 2002 (in German) and 2003 (in English). The book was part of the basis for the 2002 Austrian documentary "Im toten Winkel - Hitlers Sekretärin" (titled "Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary" in English) and the film "Der Untergang" ("The Downfall") in 2004.
Synopsis.
This memoir deals with the years (1942–1945) that Traudl Junge spent with Adolf Hitler as his personal secretary. When he first hired her, by chance as it turns out, she was 21 years old and was sought out because a secretary needed to be replaced.
During Traudl Junge's time with Hitler, she claims that she was blind to the genocidal activities that were conducted around her because she was so spellbound by Hitler's paternal charisma.
She also describes in great detail some of the luxuries that she and other secretaries took advantage of while working for Hitler. For instance, she was treated to tea-parties and dinner parties with Hitler, Eva Braun, the other secretaries (all women), and the military chiefs.
Traudl married Hans Hermann Junge, one of Hitler's military "orderlies". Although they were in love, they were hesitant to marry so soon because they had not known each other for very long. Hitler, however, goaded her into marrying Junge, which occurred in June 1943.
As the years passed, Hitler's health deteriorated, Germany began losing the war, and Hans Junge was killed in combat at the front in August 1944.
They traveled a great deal, going from the East Prussia "Wolfsschanze" (Wolf's Lair), to the Berghof, to Munich, to the "Reichskanzlei" (Reich Chancellery) and back, all by way of train. Once the Red Army began sweeping across eastern Europe after Stalingrad fell, the "Wolfsschanze" had to be abandoned.
Hitler had two bunkers built around the Reich Chancellery for protection from the air raids. The author was in the Reich Chancellery, the "Vorbunker" (upper bunker) and the lower "Führerbunker" with Hitler. Therein, they (along with Eva Braun and the others) awaited the eventual, inevitable fall of Berlin to the Soviet Army.
"Reichsführer-SS" Heinrich Himmler provided everyone with cyanide capsules. Hitler stated outright he would stay in Berlin, head up the defense of the city and shoot himself before he would surrender to the Soviet Union. The mood in the bunker in the final days was one primarily of depression and hopelessness. Hitler was dubious that the cyanide capsules would be powerful enough to kill him, so before he attempted his suicide, he tested a capsule on his beloved dog Blondi. The capsule killed Blondi almost instantly. In the afternoon of 30 April, Hitler killed himself with a gunshot wound to the right temple, using his own Walther PPK semiautomatic pistol chambered for 7.65 mm/.32 ACP. Eva Braun, his bride of fewer than 40 hours, used cyanide by itself. Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda poisoned their six children with cyanide (to Junge's horror) and their bodies were found, in their beds in the "Vorbunker", by the Soviets a few days later. Goebbels and his wife either committed suicide or had the SS guards shoot them ("eyewitness" accounts differ on this point).
Eventually, Junge and others still in the bunker complex were led out by SS-"Brigadeführer" Wilhelm Mohnke to try and break out of the Soviet encirclement. She and another secretary wanted to avoid the Soviets, so they decided to flee. Junge was eventually captured by soldiers of the Soviet Red Army but was held only briefly when she was later in the custody of the Americans. Considered to be merely a "young follower" she was quickly released and was never prosecuted for any crime.
In 1989 her manuscript detailing the war years was first published in the book "Voices from the Bunker" by Pierre Galante and Eugene Silianoff (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons).


National Camps Corporation

The National Camps Corporation was a British government-funded non-profit organisation established under the Camps Act 1939. The role of the corporation was to construct and administer camps in the countryside that could be used for educational experiences.
Origins.
In the context of preparations for war, a Camps Act was passed in April 1939, which provided for the construction of government-financed camps for use as educational holiday centres for children during peacetime, and as camps for evacuees during war. The Act prompted the creation of the National Camps Corporation to oversee these camps. Lord Portal was given the task of chairing the corporation. The initial funding given to the corporation was £1.2 million, half of which was as a loan.
Construction of the camps.
The government's expectation was that the corporation would construct fifty camps, but in reality only 31 were built in England and Wales, with a further five in Scotland. The cessation of the construction of new camps was mainly due to the increased costs as a result of war, and the realisation that such camps were not a completely adequate solution to the problem of evacuation. The sites were chosen by Lord Portal and members of the board, out of an original short-list of 155, although some of these sites were taken by the Royal Air Force before the corporation could decide on them. The design of each camp was similar, consisting of huts made out of Canadian cedarwood, designed by architect Thomas Smith Tait. Each camp was designed to accommodate approximately 350 children. The average cost of each camp was £25,000.
Wartime and post-war use.
During the Second World War these camps were used as schools for evacuated children, run by local education authorities. The first camp to be used in this way was at Kennylands, near Reading. Some modifications were required for this purpose, as the camps had been intended for temporary holiday guests, rather than a semi-permanent population. This had the obvious consequence of reducing the number of evacuees who could be housed at such camps to under 9,000 nationally. Nevertheless, in November 1940 the Minister of Health Malcolm MacDonald described the camps as "one of the most significant pieces of work that Parliament has lent its hand to in recent times".
In the decades following the war, most of these camps were sold to county councils and education authorities for use as schools. Of especial interest is Amber Valley Camp in Derbyshire used by Derby School starting in June 1940 on completion. The boys and masters having previously been located at Overton Hall, near Ashover, where they were all moved on Saturday 2 September by Derby Corporation petrol engine buses. Amber Valley Camp was used for several years by Derby Corporation for children/pupils living in Derby to enjoy the freedom of a very rural countryside for one month at a time. The valley where most of the dormitories, toilet facilities, meeting room, classrooms, laboratories, accommodation for site warden and one master and his family had to be demolished when Severn Trent Water Authority flooded the whole valley to create Ogston Reservoir. The one remaining large building at the top of the valley is now occupied by the Ogston Sailing Club where they have their clubroom, changing facilities, kitchen and bar. This large building had been used from 1940 to 1945 as the main school dining room, 'tuck shop' and masters' (teachers) common room. Built of cedarwood in 1940 the building is still as sound as originally. Most years it hosts a special school reunion of former school pupils who attended Derby School during the years of WWII.


Sergio de Castro (economist)

Sergio de Castro Spikula is a Chilean economist who served the military junta headed by Augusto Pinochet as economy and finance minister. De Castro was one of the Chicago boys, trained in economics at the University of Chicago. Sergio de Castro is one of the authors of the influential text known as "El ladrillo", writing its prologue.


Shi Changxu

Shi Changxu (; 15 November 1920 – 10 November 2014) was a Chinese metallurgist. He served as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Born in Xushui District, Hebei, he attended National Northwestern Engineering Institute (a predecessor of Northwestern Polytechnical University) until 1945. He then studied for his master's degree in the United States, at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, before receiving a doctoral degree in 1952 from the University of Notre Dame. Shi was a recipient of the 2010 Highest Science and Technology Award. He died in Beijing at the age of 93 in 2014.
The asteroid 28468 Shichangxu, discovered in 2000, is named after him.