Zhucheng Campaign

The Zhucheng Campaign (诸城战役) was a campaign fought in Shandong, and it was a clash between the communists and the former nationalists turned Japanese puppet regime force who rejoined the nationalists after World War II. The battle was one of the Chinese Civil War in the immediate post World War II era, and resulted in communist victory.
Prelude.
Like other similar clashes immediately after the end of World War II between the communists and the nationalists in China, this conflict also rooted from the fact that Chiang Kai-shek had realized that his nationalist regime simply had neither the sufficient troops nor enough transportation assets to deploy his troops into the Japanese-occupied regions of China. Unwilling to let the communists who had already dominated most of the rural regions in China to further expand their territories by accepting the Japanese surrender and thus would consequently control the Japanese occupied regions, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Japanese and their turncoat Chinese puppet regime not to surrender to the communists and kept their fighting capabilities to "maintain order" in the Japanese occupied regions, fighting off the communists as necessary, until the final arrivals and completion of the deployment of the nationalist troops. As a result, most members of the Japanese puppet regimes and their military forces rejoined the nationalists.
However, most of these former nationalists turned Japanese puppet regime forces were not from Chiang Kai-shek's own clique, but instead, they were mainly consisted of troops of warlords who were only nominally under the Chiang Kai-shek's before World War II, since they were nationalists in name only and mostly maintained their independent and semi-independent status. These warlords were only interested in keeping their own power and defected to the Japanese side when Japanese invaders offered to let them keep their power in exchange for their collaborations. After World War II, these forces of former Japanese puppet regimes once again returned to the nationalist camp for the same reason they defected to the Japanese invaders. Obviously, it was difficult for Chiang to immediately get rid of these warlords for good as soon as they surrendered to Chiang and rejoined nationalists, because such move would alienate other factions within the nationalist ranks, and these former Japanese puppet regime's warlords could still help the nationalists to gain more territories by holding on to what was under their control until Chiang completed the deployment of his own troops to take over. Chiang Kai-shek's objective was to simultaneously solve the warlord problem that had plagued China for so long and the problem of the extermination of communism, which proved to be a fatal mistake for him and his nationalist regime later on, as shown in this conflict.
Nationalist strategy.
In accordance with his strategy to simultaneously solve the warlord problem that had plagued China for so long and the problem of the extermination of communism together, Chiang Kai-shek and his followers had hoped that these former Japanese puppet regime's warlords who rejoined the nationalists would be able to hold on to the regions long enough for Chiang to deploy his own troops by holding off communists. If the communists were victorious in such conflicts, however, the result would still benefit to Chiang and China because the power of these warlords would be reduced as their military forces were smashed by the communists, and the warlord problem plagued China for so long could thus be greatly reduced, while at the same time, communists would be weakened by the fights and Chiang's own troops would have easier time to take control.
For the former nationalist turned Japanese puppet regime forces, these warlords and their troops had no problem of following Chiang Kai-shek's orders, and they were eager to prove themselves. These warlords and their troops were well aware that due to the collaboration with the Japanese invaders during the Second Sino-Japanese War, they were well hated by the general population in China, including those nationalists who refused to surrender to the enemy and fought the enemy until the eventual victory. Therefore, in the impending demilitarization after World War II, they were certainly be disarmed and discharged, which would probably be the best outcome and the power of these warlord would be reduced or even completely eliminated as a result. Chiang Kai-shek's ordering them not surrendering to the communists and fighting off the communists was a savior for them because by carrying out such orders, these warlords and their troops could legitimize themselves and thus retain their power by fighting the communists who were targeted as rebels by Chiang Kai-shek and his nationalist regime.
Communist strategy.
The communist strategy was much simpler than that of the nationalists because there was not any huge division within the communist rank like that of the nationalist. The communists already earned considerable popular support by being the only Chinese force left in the region fighting the Japanese invaders and their puppet regime after the nationalist withdrew, and after successfully establishing communist bases in the rural regions where better life was provided to the general populace in comparison to that of Japanese occupied regions, the general Chinese populace agreed that the communists were well deserved to represent the China to accept the invaders' surrender in the region and takeover the regions occupied by the invaders.
Order of battle.
Nationalist order of battle.
Jiao (胶) County – Gaomi – Zhucheng Coastal Defense Army (of Shandong Province) under the command of Zhang Buyun (张步云), totaling around 20,000 troops:
Communist order of battle.
1st Division of the Binhai (滨海) Military Region under the command of Liang Xingchu (梁兴初), totaling around 7,000 troops.
Campaign.
In late August 1945, the communist launched their general counteroffensive in Shandong against the Japanese and their Chinese puppet regime force. Communist force rapidly threatened the Jiaoji Railway and Japanese strongholds around Zhucheng were isolated. On 5 September 1945, Japanese force withdrew to Gaomi, and most of strongholds were defended by the former nationalists turned Japanese puppet regime force under the command of Zhang Buyun (张步云), who rejoined the nationalists refused to surrender to the communists. Communists, in turn, decided to take the region by force.
The defenders were scattered in different locations so the communists concentrated their force by massing a single division and attacked the isolated outposts on the very same day the Japanese troops retreated. Although the defenders enjoyed the overall numerical superiority, their morale was extremely low and the sparsely stationed garrisons had no advantage when facing the attacking enemy who enjoyed local numerical superiority, so when the communist attack begun, nearly all of the garrisons abandoned their posts and fled to the safety behind the city wall of Zhucheng. As a result, most of the region had fallen into the communist hands within a single night after continuous communist assaults. By the early morning of 6 September 1945, the eastern and western passes of Zhucheng were firmly in the attackers' hands and the attackers demanded the defenders to surrender. After the defenders refused to surrender, the communists launched their general assault at 7:00 PM and after suffering a mere several hundred fatalities, the defenders' morale completely collapsed and everyone abandoned their post and fled. The commander in charge of defense, Zhang Buyun (张步云) was unable to control the situation and was forced to lead his remaining troops to retreat to Gaomi. By 8:15 PM, communists declared the town was secured after capturing over 2,100 defenders alive. Two days later, the garrison of Rizhao abandoned the city and the communist victory was completed. However, it must be said that the despite losing most of their territory, the defenders had successfully managed to keep most of their strength: they had only lost around 2,400 out of the original 20,000, and would continue to carry on the fight against the communists until June 1946.
Outcome.
Like other similar clashes immediately after the end of World War II between the communists and the nationalists in China, this conflict also showed that Chiang Kai-shek's attempt to simultaneously solve the warlord problem that had plagued China for so long and the problem of the extermination of communism together proved to be a fatal mistake. Although the result of the campaign turned out exactly like Chiang Kai-shek and his subordinates had predicted, and consequently the power of the warlords in this region was indeed reduced as their military forces were smashed by the communists, so that the warlord problem plagued China for so long was thus reduced for this particular region, and Chiang Kai-shek's secondary objective was achieved here, any positive gains obtained by the nationalists were negated by the politic fallout. The reason was that this success of achieving the secondary objective came at a huge cost in nationalists' loss of popular support in this region formerly dominated by the Japanese, because the local population had already blamed nationalists for losing the regions to the Japanese invaders, while reassigning these former Japanese puppet regime forces as the nationalist forces to fight the communists, the only Chinese force left in the regions, only further alienated the local populace and strengthened the popular resentment to Chiang Kai-shek and his nationalist regime.
The communists did not have the dilemmas faced by the nationalists and enjoyed popular support, and thus was able to easily overwhelm their nationalist adversary, and thus achieving victory without much difficulty. Like other similar clashes immediately after the end of World War II between the communists and the nationalists in China, the political gain was much greater than the military one for the communists as result of this battle.


Lennie Briscoe

Leonard W. Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long-running police procedural and legal drama television series "Law & Order". He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer, and was portrayed by Jerry Orbach. He was featured on the show for 12 seasons, from 1992 to 2004, making him one of the longest-serving main characters in the series' 20-year-run history, as well as the longest-serving police detective on the show. He also appeared in three "Law & Order" spin-offs, and was part of the original cast of ', appearing in only the first two episodes due to Orbach's death. He appears in 282 episodes (273 episodes of "Law & Order", two episodes of "Law & Order: Trial by Jury", one episode of ', three episodes of ', and three episodes of '), the TV movie ' and the "Law & Order" video games ', ', ' and "".
Orbach's performance as Briscoe on the New York-based series was so popular that it resulted in him being declared a "Living Landmark" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, along with fellow longtime series cast member Sam Waterston (who portrayed the prosecutor Jack McCoy on the show).
"Law & Order" universe.
Lennie Briscoe is introduced in the 1992 episode "Point of View" as the new senior detective in the New York City Police Department's 27th Detective Squad in the 27th Police Precinct's station house. In the episode "Virus", his birthday is given as January 2, 1940. His commanding officer during his first season on the show is Capt. Donald Cragen (Dann Florek); a year later, Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) takes over the 27th Squad. He was previously assigned as a detective in the 116th Squad in Queens.
Briscoe joins the squad after Det. Mike Logan's (Chris Noth) partner, Sgt. Phil Cerreta (Paul Sorvino), is shot by a black market arms dealer and transfers to a desk job in another precinct.
After Logan is transferred to Staten Island in 1995, Det. Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) becomes Briscoe's partner. Four years later, Curtis goes into early retirement to take care of his multiple sclerosis–stricken wife, and he is replaced by Det. Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) in 1999.
Character biography.
Born on January 2, 1940, Lennie Briscoe grew up in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. He had a brother. As a child, he attended P.S. 21, as his father had before him, as well as P.S. 189. He attended college at the City College of New York. A veteran of two failed marriages, Briscoe has two daughters by his first wife, the elder Julia and the younger Cathy (Jennifer Bill), and a nephew, Det. Ken Briscoe (played by Orbach's son, Chris). Cathy was born on June 23, 1971 and was murdered on March 4, 1998. By 2002, he had at least two grandchildren.
Prior to working for the NYPD, Briscoe worked at his uncle's liquor store.
Briscoe began working in the NYPD homicide department in 1981. Like most detective characters on the early seasons of the show, Briscoe carries a Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver as his service weapon.
He is a recovering alcoholic, admitting he spent "20 years in a bottle". He often makes references to being a "friend of Bill W.", which is a reference to his having attended Alcoholics Anonymous. In the 1996 episode "Aftershock", after witnessing an execution from a case that he helped investigate, Briscoe beomces a car accident victim when he falls off the wagon with disastrous results; ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) is struck and killed by a drunk driver while driving him home from a bar. He feels responsible for her death, and he remains sober for the rest of his life.
His drinking harmed his family; he was often absent from his daughters' lives, and they have distant, fractious relationships with him as adults. Briscoe blames himself, especially when Cathy, a methamphetamine addict, is murdered by a drug dealer named Danny Jones after she testifies against him in court. However, he finds closure when Jones dies from a heroin overdose. It is implied that Briscoe considered having Jones killed. One of Briscoe's former snitches had offered to kill Jones if Briscoe could get his charges reduced. Briscoe is later seen talking to the arresting officer about the snitch, but it is never confirmed if Briscoe did him the favor.
Briscoe was raised Catholic, but is Jewish on his father's side and occasionally attends Jewish services as a courtesy to his first wife. His father served in the United States Army during World War II and helped to liberate a Nazi concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. Briscoe's father suffered from Alzheimer's and had died by 1994. Briscoe did not get along with his father and once described him as a "schmuck". Nevertheless, he took several days off when his father died.
He mentions having voted for Al Gore in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. He supported the Iraq War. He plays golf, and he is also revealed to be a skilled pool player and is shown defeating an opponent in eight-ball after the break without giving up a turn.
Character highlights.
Briscoe is one of many characters on the show to have served in the military; he was at one point a corporal in the United States Army. On several occasions he has referred to his service in the Vietnam War. After leaving the Army, Briscoe joined the NYPD in the 29th Precinct in Manhattan and walked a beat there with stops at the 31st and 33rd Precincts, also in Manhattan, and the 110th and 116th Precincts in Queens, at some point reaching the rank of detective. In the 1999 episode "Marathon", he is revealed to have spent three years in the Anti-Crime Unit. Briscoe's detective shield number is 8220.
Briscoe typically has a wise-crack or joke about the victim or circumstances of death at the close of the opening scene, with the joke usually exhibiting a very deadpan delivery while at the same time being highly "on target". He likes music, but mostly music that was popular in his youth; in one episode, Curtis chides his musical taste for stopping with Bobby Darin. Briscoe used to read Langston Hughes back when he was a beatnik "for about five minutes" because "it used to work pretty good on Jewish girls from Riverdale."
Many of Briscoe's former partners and colleagues outside the series (offscreen before Briscoe joined the 27th Precinct) have been or ended up becoming corrupt. In the 1993 episode "Jurisdiction", Detective Brian Torelli (Dan Hedaya) forced a confession from a mentally handicapped man; at the end of the episode, Briscoe is present when Internal Affairs arrests Torelli for suborning perjury and obstruction of justice.
In the 1994 episode "Kids", the son of police Detective Ted Parker (Robert Hogan), a former colleague of Briscoe, is arrested for shooting another teenager. Parker and Briscoe have a private conversation during which Parker, speaking hypothetically, essentially relays to Briscoe that his son fired the shots in self defense. At the end of the episode, Parker tacitly acknowledges to Briscoe that he used his contacts in his old precinct to engineer the shooting death of a key prosecution witness in his son's case (resulting in a mistrial).
Another of Briscoe's former partners, Detective John Flynn (Kevin Conway), falsely implicates him in the 1996 episode "Corruption" for taking seized drugs from the 116th Precinct evidence room (given to him by Flynn) during their stint there several years before. Flynn makes this allegation partly to throw off the Hellman Commission, which had been convened to investigate police corruption, including the questionable shooting death of a suspect by Flynn himself at the start of the episode, and partly as revenge against Curtis, who refused to falsely defend Flynn. Briscoe, however, has an alibi—he was having an affair with Officer Betty Abrams (Caroline Kava), a married woman. Against Briscoe's wishes, Abrams testifies before the commission to exonerate him. Because of the affair, however, the commissioners question her credibility. Briscoe finally gets the truth out of Flynn with a hidden wire tap, but Flynn commits suicide before he can be further prosecuted. Briscoe is ultimately cleared.
In the 2000 episode "Amends", Briscoe has another reunion with one of his former colleagues that opens up some ugly history. While investigating a 20-year-old cold case, Briscoe learns that one of his former bosses, Tommy Brannigan (Brad Sullivan), had been convinced by his superior to accept bribes that helped promote him to lieutenant in exchange for letting a murder suspect go free. The now-retired Brannigan ultimately confesses to this in court, which helps Executive ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) in convicting the suspect of the cold case. Briscoe later forgives Brannigan for his actions.
Some decisions in Briscoe's career are controversial. In the 1998 episode "Stalker", a stalker accused of murdering a woman could have gone free because the police concluded that the victim had earlier lied to the police about previously being attacked by the stalker, thereby undermining the victim's credibility. However, after the victim is found murdered, Briscoe approaches McCoy and tells him that he now believes that the victim did not lie to the police concerning the stalker's earlier attacks and that he is willing to take the stand and state that the original police report was incorrect. Curtis was called by the defense to testify that he thought the original police report was correct. At the end of the episode, the stalker is found guilty; outside the courtroom, Briscoe and Curtis reconcile.
Shortly after Ed Green is assigned as Briscoe's partner, the two nearly come to blows during a particularly difficult investigation of a robbery-homicide in the 1999 episode "Marathon". Their primary suspect confesses as he is being arrested, but because Briscoe is the only officer within earshot, Green, Van Buren, and McCoy are placed in a difficult position with regard to the confession. Again, Briscoe is eventually vindicated, and Green and he work to rebuild their professional rapport.
Briscoe retires in the 2004 episode "C.O.D." after 12 years at the 27th Precinct and more than 30 years in the NYPD. His replacement at the 27th Precinct is Det. Joe Fontana (Dennis Farina).
Briscoe died at some point between 2004 and 2005 (Orbach himself died on December 28, 2004). Although not addressed directly on the main series until 2008, his death was implied in 2005 and confirmed in 2007 on an episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent". The three official mentions of his death were made by each of his three junior partners on the series: Mike Logan, Rey Curtis and Ed Green.
Spin-offs.
On the first season of ', Briscoe makes three guest appearances assisting his old boss, Captain Cragen (one of these reunions involves re-opening a serial murder case that Briscoe and Logan had failed to solve several years earlier in the 1994 episode "Mayhem"). Briscoe also makes a guest appearance in the ' episode "Poison" with his partner Ed Green, in which he assists the Major Case Squad on a similar case. He also appeared in three episodes of ".
Soon after his retirement, Briscoe joins ", having accepted an appointment as an investigator in the office of New York County District Attorney Arthur Branch (Fred Thompson), with partner Inv. Hector Salazar (Kirk Acevedo). He appears in only the first two episodes of this series - "The Abominable Showman" and "41 Shots".
Death and acknowledgements.
In 2005, the Lennie Briscoe character was written out after the second episode of "Trial By Jury", coinciding with Orbach's death on December 28, 2004, from prostate cancer. The character's departure from the show was originally to be in the episode "Baby Boom" in which members of the DA's office attend a memorial service for him. This scene was in fact filmed but was not included in the aired episode. Part of the scene however is included in the behind-the-scenes footage of the show's DVD set. Briscoe's absence past the second episode is never acknowledged, and he is quickly replaced by Detective Chris Ravell (Scott Cohen).
His former partners each mention his death on "Law & Order" or one of its spinoffs. In the 2007 "Criminal Intent" episode "", Mike Logan mentions that Briscoe has died, but that he still sees him alive in his dreams. In the 2008 "Law & Order" episode "Burn Card", Ed Green says that he returned to gambling briefly after Briscoe died. In the 2009 "Law & Order" episode "Fed", Rey Curtis returns to New York to bury his wife Deborah, who had finally succumbed to complications related to multiple sclerosis. He reveals to Van Buren that he had spoken with Briscoe a few days before his death, and that he was his old wisecracking self right up to the end.
Credits.
Law & Order
Law & Order: Trial By Jury


Hoje (film)

Hoje is a 2011 Brazilian drama film directed by Tata Amaral, based on the book "Prova Contrária", by Fernando Bonassi. The film was the winner of the 44th Festival de Brasília in 2011.
Starring Denise Fraga, the film tells the story of Vera, a woman who fought against the military dictatorship in Brazil and began to receive a compensation from the Government for the disappearance of her husband by Brazil's brutal military dictatorship, which arrested and tortured thousands and killed or "disappeared" many of its victims.
Plot.
Ex-political activist receives compensation from the Brazilian Government for the disappearance of her husband, victim of repression unleashed by the Brazilian military government dictatorship. With the money, she can buy the so dreamed apartment and free herself of the condition of suspension in which she lived for decades, when she was not even officially recognized as widow. When moving to the new home, she receives a visit that will change her life.


Greenland in World War II

The fall of Denmark in April 1940 left the Danish colony of Greenland an unoccupied territory of an occupied nation, under the possibility of seizure by the United Kingdom or Canada. To forestall this, the United States acted to guarantee Greenland's position. However, with the entrance of the United States into the war in December 1941, Greenland became a combatant.
From 1941 until 1945, the United States established numerous and extensive facilities for air and sea traffic in Greenland, as well as radio beacons, radio stations, weather stations, ports, depots, artillery posts, and search-and-rescue stations. The United States Coast Guard also provided a considerable portion of the civilian resupply task up and down both coasts.
Economically, Greenland traded successfully with the United States, Canada, and Portugal, which, supplemented by the cryolite exports, caused a reanimation and permanent realignment of the island's economy.
Neutrality.
Before the war, Greenland was a tightly controlled colony of Denmark, otherwise closed off to the world. After the invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Greenland was left on its own, because the Royal Navy seized any ships arriving from Axis-controlled Europe. The United Kingdom and Canada initially laid plans to occupy points of interest on the island, but the United States, still neutral, firmly rejected "third party" intervention there. The sheriffs ("landsfogeder") of South and North Greenland, Eske Brun and Aksel Svane, invoking the emergency clause of a 1925 law specifying how Greenland was ruled, declared Greenland a self-ruling territory, believing this to be in the best interests of the colony as Denmark was occupied by Germany. This step was taken in coordination with the Danish ambassador to the United States, Henrik Kauffmann, and the US State Department, and comported with the American declaration of 1920 that no third nation would necessarily be accepted as a sovereign in Greenland. This diplomatic stance was seen as an extension of the Monroe Doctrine.
Although the Danish government continued in power and still considered itself neutral, it was forced to obey German wishes in foreign policy matters. Kauffmann immediately recognized that his government was unable to exercise its full sovereignty, and therefore began to act in an independent capacity. On 13 April he took counsel with the Greenland sheriffs, and after some controversy they agreed to recognize him as their representative in the United States. Since the United States would not offer diplomatic recognition and aid to Greenland unless the local administration was independent, the sheriffs informed the local advisory parliament ("Landsraad") on 3 May that "there was no choice" but to act as a sovereign nation. The Danish Government continued to send orders to the colony via radio and through Portugal, but these messages were ignored. In this decision they were influenced by their determination to avoid becoming subject to a Canadian occupation and thus being drawn into the war.
The Greenlanders were also aware of the heavy Norwegian presence in Canada. In the event that Canada attempted to occupy the colony, they were worried that Free Norwegian Forces would be stationed in the area. This was a cause for concern, as the Norwegians had been vying for control over part of the territory until the Permanent Court of International Justice settled the dispute in 1933. Instead, they requested the protection of the United States, whose Treasury Department agreed to dispatch the U.S. Coast Guard vessels, and with supplies and a consular team to establish a provisional consulate at Godthaab. Accepting the protection of the Americans, a third party, was seen as less of a threat to Greenland's sovereignty. "Comanche" arrived at Ivigtut on 20 May, and Godthaab on 22 May, thereby establishing direct diplomatic relations with Greenland. Canada sent a consul and vice-consul to Godthaab two weeks later.
In 1940, the chief concern of all interested parties was to secure the strategically important supply of cryolite from the mine at Ivigtut. Cryolite was a key component used in the production of aluminum. Due to diplomatic considerations, no American soldiers could be used to protect the mines so the U.S. State Department recruited fifteen Coast Guardsmen who were voluntarily discharged and in turn hired by the mine as guards. Three-inch naval deck guns were supplied by "Campbell" and the recently arrived along with eight machine guns, fifty rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. In this way the United States maintained neutrality and still preempted British-Canadian plans for the island.
The Dane, Eske Brun, decided that Greenland should undertake its own measures to ensure its sovereignty. He made an appeal to the Greenland's guides and hunters to join an elite unit tasked with patrolling the most remote areas of the colony. Using the rifles left by the Americans, he directed the creation of what became the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol ("Slædepatruljen Sirius"). The 15 man volunteer team was made up of native Inuit, Danish colonists, and Norwegian expatriates.
Germany made no attempts to reach Greenland in 1940. However, three Norwegian vessels reached Norwegian stations on the East Coast. Two were intercepted by the Royal Navy, one (which was left to go) by the U.S. Coast Guard. In violation of Greenlandic neutrality, the Royal Navy demolished the Norwegian stations, drawing an American protest, and a German reconnaissance plane made a flight over the East Coast in November in order to check on a Norwegian station that had not been heard from.
In 1941, the situation shifted towards delivery of Lend-Lease aircraft to Britain via the North Atlantic island "stepping stones." Again, the United Kingdom and Canada pressed for an operation to establish an airfield near Cape Farewell. This led the United States and the Greenland government to formalize an American protectorate in order to preserve the island's neutrality. Following surveys in 1940 and 1941, two locations for air bases were located, and a naval base established close to Ivigtut. The American bases and stations were codenamed under the Bluie West and Bluie East moniker.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt took a strong personal interest in Greenland's fate. On 9 April 1941, the anniversary of the German occupation, the Danish envoy Kauffmann, against the instructions of his government, signed an executive agreement with Secretary of State Cordell Hull, allowing the presence of American troops and making Greenland a "de facto" United States protectorate. The cryolite mine in Ivigtut was a unique asset that made it possible for Greenland to manage fairly well economically during the war. The United States supplied the island and sent patrol boats to survey the east coast of Greenland although this activity was limited by seasonal ice. The Coast Guard, in coordination with Eske Brun, created the Northeast Greenland Sledge Patrol, consisting of 15 men, many of them former hunters in the area. Their task was to patrol the coast to discover any German activity. However, in 1941 there was no such landing, although the Norwegian resupply trawler was encountered in September. Among its otherwise innocuous crew and passengers was a civilian Norwegian who intended to provide weather reports for German contacts in Norway. This ship was seized and brought to Boston by the Coast Guard. In 1941, Royal Navy ships continued to interfere with weather stations on the east coast. A couple of reconnaissance aircraft from Norway flew over Scoresbysund.
Greenland enters the war.
When the United States entered the war with Germany on 11 December, Greenland became a warring nation. Remaining contact with Copenhagen was broken off, rationing and daylight saving time was introduced, and local currency and stamps printed. In 1942, the U.S. Army took over protection of the Ivigtut mine, and combat patrols began to be flown from Bluie West One, which became the headquarters for both the Coast Guard Greenland Patrol and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Greenland Base Command. A third air base was established at Bluie East Two during the summer.
The Greenland population, which had been 18,000 natives and fewer than 500 Danes, was augmented by thousands of U.S. servicemen. Relations with the Americans were excellent, as they provided news, provisions, humanitarian aid, and entertainment in addition to greatly expanding the island's infrastructure. In 1944 a five kroner coin was struck in Philadelphia, to be used by American soldiers. Greenland's commercial interests in North America were maintained by the Greenland Delegation with the aid of Kauffmann and Svane. Brun remained in Greenland as head of a unified administration.
German weather stations.
Both the Allies (Britain in particular) and Germany tried to gain a monopoly on weather data in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Meteorological intelligence was important as it affected military planning and the routing of ships and convoys. Greenland became an important part of this North Atlantic weather war. Beginning in August 1942, the Germans established four clandestine weather stations on the east coast. The first expedition on Sabine Island was detected in the spring, but was withdrawn successfully before it was attacked. The fall 1943 expedition at Shannon Island also operated successfully over the winter and spring and was withdrawn by air. Two expeditions in October 1944 were seized by the Coast Guard before they could get established.
The German weather station "Holzauge" at Hansa Bay on the northeast coast of Sabine Island was discovered by a team from the Sledge Patrol on 11 March 1943. The Germans realized they had been discovered, and gave chase to the team, who had to abandon their equipment (including their dog teams) and retreat to the station at Eskimonæs, to warn Ib Poulsen, the Sledge Patrol commander. Poulsen reported the German base to the Greenland government on 13 March 1943, and asked for automatic weapons and further orders. Governor Brun officially designated the patrol the "Army of Greenland" and named Poulsen its captain, effective 15 March.
The Germans attacked Eskimonaes on 23 March, seized it and then burned the station two days later. Though unhurt in the firefight, the entire Sledge Patrol contingent based there was forced to make a 400-mile trek to the station at Ella Island without sleds, food, or equipment. On 26 March, while returning to Sabine Island, the Germans ambushed Corporal Eli Knudsen at Sandodden, and accidentally killed him with a machine-gun burst meant for his dogs. In late-April, Lieutenant Hermann Ritter, the officer in command of the German detachment, was taken prisoner by Marius Jensen, a member of the Sledge Patrol, and brought to the Americans after a long journey to Scoresby Sound.
The German base on Sabine was bombed by USAAF bombers from Iceland. It was then seized by a Coast Guard landing party, but all German personnel save one person had already been evacuated by a Dornier Do 26.<ref name="Dege/Barrxx">Dege & Barr (2004), p. xx</ref> Apart from fire exchanged between German aircraft and American ships, this was the only offensive air attack on the Greenland mainland. An American air force formation attacked the station on 14 May to make sure it could be of no use to the Germans. On April 22, 1944, six Sledge Patrol members attacked the "Bassgeiger" weather station and in the ensuing skirmish a German lieutenant died. The station was subsequently evacuated on June 3.
The last German weather station, "Edelweiss II", was captured by U.S. Army forces and its crew taken prisoner on 4 October 1944. The American troops landed from the icebreaker , which later transferred the prisoners to . The German transport ship , which was resupplying the station, was seized by "Eastwind", renamed "Eastbreeze" and commissioned in the United States Coast Guard.<ref name="Dege/Barrxxx">Dege & Barr (2004), p. xxx</ref>
Greenland played an important role in North Atlantic air traffic during the war, but the island's role as a major base for anti-submarine warfare assets was hampered by adverse weather, winter darkness, and difficult logistics. For a long period, a flight of six PBY Catalinas of VP-6(CG) was maintained at Bluie West One, carrying out a great variety of missions.
Aftermath.
On 5 May 1945, Greenlanders celebrated the liberation of Denmark in Nuuk. The Greenland Administration under Eske Brun surrendered its emergency powers and again came under direct control from Copenhagen. Kauffmann returned to Copenhagen, where treason charges against him were dropped, and the Danish parliament ratified his agreement with the United States. The United States presence continued in decreasing numbers until the Kauffmann-Hull agreement was replaced by a new base treaty in 1951. The American presence brought Sears catalogs, with which Greenlanders and Danes ordered modern appliances and other products by mail. The successful experience of an independent Greenland led to a dramatic restructuring and modernization of Danish policy with respect to the colony.
The Greenland Sledge Patrol suffered only one casualty during the war - Corporal Eli Knudsen in March 1943.
The remains of the police station in Eskimonæs exists to this day. The only fully remaining structure is the outhouse, as it was not burnt by the Germans. The rest is well-preserved in the arctic environment.
In fiction.
A scene in the thriller "The Manchurian Candidate" includes an American veteran of the struggle against the German weather stations in Greenland giving a rather fanciful account of his experiences.
The novel "Ice Brothers" by former U.S. Coast Guard officer Sloan Wilson tells of the experiences of the crew and the hardships they faced aboard a small Coast Guard cutter that was part of the Greenland Patrol.


Raymond Offord

Air Commodore Raymond John Offord, AFC (17 September 1931 – 2011) was a senior Royal Air Force officer in the Cold War period, and the seventeenth Commandant Royal Observer Corps. Offord was Station Commander of RAF Lossiemouth from 1974 to 1975 and held the dual appointments of Air Officer Commanding Air Headquarters Cyprus and Deputy Commander, British Forces Near East / Cyprus from 1983 to 1985.
Service history.
Early RAF career.
Offord first joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice on the 57th entry at the No. 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton. In February 1952 he transferred as a cadet pilot and was granted a short service commission on 27 February 1952 in a rank of acting pilot officer that was made substantive in June 1953.
In June 1954 he was promoted to flying officer while serving with No. 56 Squadron where he was the ground commentator for the RAF's Firebirds air display team who flew English Electric Lightnings. In June 1957 he transferred to a permanent direct commission. Promotion to flight lieutenant arrived five months later in December 1957. In September 1962 he was posted as a headquarters staff officer with the Special Projects Division of Headquarters Military Air Traffic Organisation, during which period he was promoted to squadron leader.
On 19 July 1968 Offord was promoted to wing commander and he returned to flying duties as Officer Commanding No. 80 Squadron flying English Electric Canberras. In October of the following year he was transferred as Officer Commanding No. 31 Squadron also on Canberra operations. After a short tour as a Staff Officer, with the Air Secretariat Division of the Directorate of Air Personnel, Offord was promoted to acting group captain and appointed as the Station Commander of RAF Lossiemouth.
His rank as a group captain was made substantive in 1975 and he was posted as the Operations Officer with RAF Germany. In December 1977 he was appointed as Assistant Chief of Staff (Offensive Operations) at Headquarters Second Allied Tactical Air Force. He held the dual appointments of Air Officer Commanding Air Headquarters Cyprus and Deputy Commander, British Forces Near East / Cyprus from 1983 to 1985.
Royal Observer Corps.
On 12 April 1980 Offord was promoted to air commodore and assumed the position of Commandant Royal Observer Corps, taking over from Air Commodore John Howe. Offord inherited an organisation that was vastly more efficient and professional after sweeping changes introduced by his predecessor, but one whose communications infrastructure was creaking at the seams with outdated equipment and unprotected telephone links.
Offord pressed for the improvements identified and recommended by a Home Defence Review to be implemented. The Emergency Control Network was woefully outdated and improvements were essential. The national air raid and nuclear fallout warning systems were given priority and the whole system was revitalised and re-equipped. Inter group radio communications were introduced. Offord was stunned by the primitive facilities and the stark environment in the underground monitoring posts and during 1981 he arranged for a HQ working party to re-examine the possible improvements with regard to future heating, lighting, ventilation and feeding provision that would eventually start to filter through over coming years.
On behalf of the whole ROC, Air Commodore Offord presented an engraved Caithness Glass rosebowl to Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer to mark their wedding on 29 July 1981.
Offord oversaw the final closing of the last ROC secondary training base at Derby, the only remaining such facility that had survived since the 1953 reorganisation. By the end of Offord's tenure as Commandant the upgrade of the warning system and post communications was all but completed. On 20 February 1983 Offord handed over control of the ROC to Air Commodore George Black.
Later RAF duty.
On leaving the Royal Observer Corps Offord was appointed Air Officer Commanding at the Air Headquarters Cyprus and also took on the dual role of Deputy Commander, British Forces Cyprus. This was Offord's final RAF tour of duty and he retired on 17 September 1986. Ray Offord died in 2011.


Skateman

Skateman was a comic book produced by Neal Adams, and published by Pacific Comics in November 1983. It is primarily known as an industry curiosity, a widely derided comic produced by one of comics' most highly regarded and influential creators.
Publication history.
One issue of "Skateman" was published, cover-dated November 1983. Its 19-page lead story was written and drawn by Neal Adams. Accompanying it were two five-page backup features: "Korlack of Futureworld" by writer and penciler Jack Arata, and inker Andy Kubert; and "Rock Warrior" by writer-artist Paul S. Power.
Fictional character biography.
Billy Moon is a martial arts enthusiast and Vietnam veteran who has found a career in roller derby. In the wake of the murder of his best friend by biker gangs, Moon sinks into depression, only to meet a young Hispanic boy named Paco. Paco's comic-book collection inspires Moon to wrap a scarf around his face and fight crime with his roller skates.
Critical reception.
"Skateman" is primarily known for its artistic failings, despite being the product of the highly regarded and influential comics creator Neal Adams. Historian Don Markstein called its protagonist "one (of) the least-acclaimed heroes of all time". The "Slings & Arrows Comic Guide" rhetorically asked, "What was Neal Adams thinking?"; and in January 1991, Kitchen Sink Press's "World's Worst Comics Awards" listed "Skateman" #1 as the worst comic of the previous 25 years. Similarly, Tom Orzechowski has stated that "Skateman" is "known in the industry as the World's Worst Comic Book".
Other criticism came from sources such as cartoonist Francesco Marciuliano, who stated that Skateman could have only fought crime when he wasn't "being hauled in by police for emergency psychiatric evaluations";Heavy.com, which listed Skateman as among the "20 Worst Superheroes"; "SFX", which listed Skateman's roller skates as among the "most ludicrous" weapons in comic books; the Huffington Post, which stated that a film adaptation of "Skateman" "should never get made"; and Comics Alliance, which called Adams' effort "legendarily terrible".
The "San Diego Reader" said that "Skateman" made "Dazzler" "seem like Proust by comparison", and partially attributes the fall of Pacific Comics to "(s)everal palletloads of unsold "Skateman" comics".


Second encirclement campaign against the Honghu Soviet

The second encirclement campaign against the Honghu Soviet was a series of battles launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government that was intended to destroy communist Honghu Soviet and its Chinese Red Army in the local region. It was responded by the Communists' second counter-encirclement campaign at Honghu Soviet (), also called by the communists as the second counter-encirclement campaign at Honghu Revolutionary Base (), in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended their soviet republic in the Honghu region against the Nationalist attacks from 1 March 1931, to early June, 1931.
Prelude.
After their defeat in the first encirclement campaign against the Honghu Soviet in early February 1931 and the subsequent forced withdraw to regroup, nationalist forces launched the second encirclement campaign against the communist base in Honghu on 1 March 1931. The nationalists believed that their poorly supplied communist enemy would not have sufficient time to recover from previous battles in the last encirclement campaign, and they must not wait too long to provide more times for their communist enemy. The nationalist commander-in-chief was the same one in the first encirclement campaign against the Honghu Soviet, the 10th Army commander Xu Yuanquan (徐源泉), whose 10th Army was not deployed directly in the campaign, but instead, deployed some distance away from the battlefield as strategic reserve. The brunt of the fighting was to be carried out mostly by troops of regional warlords who were nominally under the command of Chiang Kai-shek.
The communists were not jubilant after their victory achieved in first encirclement campaign against the Honghu Soviet, because they were fully aware the nationalist withdraw was only temporary and it was only matter of time before the nationalists resume their assault on Honghu Soviet. To better prepare the defense of their homebase against the new wave of the imminent nationalist attacks which had already begun, communists restructured their organization in Honghu Soviet. In the early March 1931, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCoCPC) sent Xià Xī (夏曦) to Honghu Soviet for restructuring. To better coordinate administrative activities, CPC Hunan–Western Hubei Bureau was formed, and to better coordinate political activities, CPC provisional Hunan–Western Hubei provincial committee was formed. To better coordinate military affairs, Revolutionary military committee was formed, and Xià Xī was named as the CPC party secretary of the Hunan–Western Hubei Bureau, and the chairman of the revolutionary military committee. Cui Mei (崔玫) was named as the party secretary of the CPC provisional Hunan–Western Hubei provincial committee, and he was later succeeded by Yang Guanghua (杨光华). This restructure of communist party apparatus was proven to be catastrophic later on, when Xià Xī carried out huge purges on local communist ranks, resulting in causing more damage than the military actions taken by their nationalist enemy.
Order of battle.
Nationalists:
Communists:
First stage.
On 1 March 1931, the nationalist Newly Organized 11th Division and a brigade of the nationalist 48th Division crossed the Yangtze River and attacked the communist base on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. The local communist force was unable to repel the numerically and technically superior nationalist force, and was forced to fall back, and nationalists took Lotus Pond (Ouchi, 藕池), Stone Head (Shishou, 石首) as a result.
Communists were fully aware that they were no match for the enemy and reasoned that if they were to concentrate their forces and face off the enemy, they would be annihilated. Instead, the communists decided to split their forces into two, operating on both banks of the Yangtze River, and once the nationalists were stretched out too thin, the communists would counterattack. The primary objectives of communists were to defend their base on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, and to reestablish their base in the northern bank of the Yangtze River when possible, and if the enemy was overstretched and provided the needed opportunity, the communist would establish new bases if possible. Under the command of Duan Dechang (段德昌), the communist Independent Regiment and CPC party apparatus crossed the Yangtze River, and began guerrilla warfare in the regions of Qianjiang (潜江), Mianyang (沔阳) and Jiangli (监利), deep behind the nationalist line in the heart of the nationalist-controlled area. Under the command Zhou Yiqun (周逸群), the communist force on the southern bank of the Yangtze River also began guerrilla warfare, and at the same time, a portion of the force penetrated deep into the regions around the Dongting Lake, while another portion of the force escorted the local populace to the Eastern Mountain (Dongshan, 东山) region.
Second stage.
In early April, 1931, nationalist 142nd Brigade of the 48th Division, 44th Brigade of the 15th Division, Newly Organized 11th Division, and the 19th Division attacked toward Eastern Mountain region from Tiaoxuankou (调弦口), Wanyu (万庾), Huarong County, and Yueyang respectively. After two major clashes at regions of Rape-Turnip Temple (Sanweisi, 三葑寺) and Pine Wood Bridge (Songbanqiao 松板桥), the communist attempt to check the nationalist advance was crashed. Local communist regular army and the communist Huarong Guerrillas were forced to withdrew to the north of the Yangtze River by mid-April, and the nationalist force succeeded in taking the Eastern Mountain region. However, by this time, the nationalist force was overstretched, and was unable to eradicate the remaining communist guerrillas in the newly conquered region, and moreover, their rear was constantly harassed by the communists forces that had crossed the Yangtze River, and with the bulk of the force deployed away during the campaign, there was simply not enough troops to stay behind to guard the vast areas in the rear. Realizing the nationalists had overstretched themselves way beyond the threshold, the communists jumped on the opportunity to counterattack.
While the crack troops of the nationalist force was penetrating deep into the enemy territory and taking more lands, their rear was guarded by the second rate troops most consisted of poorly trained conscripts who were drafted just shortly prior to the first encirclement campaign against the Honghu Soviet. Seizing the opportunity, communist force on the northern bank of the Yangtze River including the Independent Regiment attacked and took the town of Red River (Zhuhe 朱河) for four time, annihilated the 2nd Regiment of the nationalist Newly Organized 2nd Brigade in the process, forcing the nationalist brigade to be out of the action for the rest of the campaign. The communist force operated on the northern bank of the Yangtze River also attacked the town of Fengkou (峰口) twice, completely annihilated two battalions of the nationalist Newly Organized 3rd Brigade in the process. A regiment of the nationalist Newly Organized 3rd Brigade consisted of newly drafted conscripts could not handle the pressure and after suffering a defeat that did not produce too much casualties, the surviving conscripts in the regiment deserted "en masse". The destruction of the two nationalist newly organized brigades caused the total collapse in the new nationalist positions on the north bank of the Yangtze river, losing nearly all of the territories newly taken from the communists during their earlier success, and the communists thus successfully reestablished their original base on the northern bank of the river.
Third stage.
The complete recovery of the communists on the northern bank of the Yangtze River marked the beginning of the communist counteroffensive. In April 1931, the communist Independent Regiment was expanded to have a second regiment, the 26th Regiment, and the new formation was renamed as the 9th Division of the 3rd Army, even though the new unit is only a brigade-sized formation at the best, since it only had two regiments. Additional communist military units were also formed, including Hunan–Western Hubei Garrison Regiment, Mianyang Independent Regiment, Training Regiment and the Independent battalions of guerrillas of several counties in the communist base. After the reorganization, communists took the initiative by attacking the nationalists, and in the battle fought in the region of Laoxinkou (老新口) in mid April, the previously badly mauled nationalist Newly Organized 3rd Brigade was struck again with disastrous result: after each of the two surviving regiments of the nationalist Newly Organized 3rd Brigade lost a battalion completely in the battle, the four surviving battalions of the two regiments of the nationalist Newly Organized 3rd Brigade disintegrated when the conscripts in the surviving units deserted en masse. The nationalist Newly Organized 3rd Brigade ceased to function and only existed in names on papers, and after the devastating defeat, regions including Dragon Gulf (Longhaiwan, 龙海湾), Bear's Mouth (Xiongkou, 熊口), Han River Mouth (Hanhekou, 汉河口), and Dafengkou (大丰口) fell back into the communist hand by late April in a domino effect.
As warlords' armies begun to crumble, the strategic reserve, Chiang Kai-shek's own troop, the 10th Army could not offer any help because of the heightened tension between Chiang and warlords in Guangdong and Guangxi, so the 10th Army was redeployed to Changsha for the preparation to face off the warlords from the two provinces in case war broke out. Taking advantage of the infighting among the nationalists themselves, the communist force on the northern bank of the Yangtze River attacked toward Jiangling County, and by early June 1931, in a series of battles fought in the regions of Three Official's Palace (Sanguandian, 三官殿), Sand Hill (Shagang, 沙岗), Puji Temple (Pujiguan, 普济观), Haoxue (郝穴), and Wang Family's Bridge (Wanjiaqiao, 汪家桥), communist force on the northern bank of the Yangtze River succeed in killing over two thousand nationalist troops, capturing more than a thousand guns from the defeated nationalists. The communist force on the southern bank of the Yangtze River also made impressive gains in that it retook the Eastern Mountain region, but during the process, their commander-in-chief Zhou Yiqun was killed in action in a battle near Yueyang. However, this nationalist achievement was not enough to avert the strategic failure of the encirclement campaign and the nationalists were forced to withdraw and call off the campaign. The communists not only successfully defended their base, but also further strengthened it by expanding into the regions around Tongting Lake, and the communist force on the southern bank of the Yangtze River crossed the Yangtze River after the campaign, and reorganized into the 26th Regiment of the 9th Division of the 3rd Army of the Chinese Red Army.


Military ordinariate

A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation.
Until 1986, they were called "military vicariates" and had a status similar to that of apostolic vicariates, which are headed by a bishop who receives his authority by delegation from the Pope. The apostolic constitution "Spirituali militum curae" of 21 April 1986 raised their status, declaring that the bishop who heads one of them is an "ordinary", holding authority by virtue of his office, and not by delegation from another person in authority. It likened the military vicariates to dioceses. Each of them is headed by a bishop, who may have the personal rank of archbishop. If the bishop is a diocesan rather than a titular bishop, he is likely to delegate the daily functions to an auxiliary bishop or a lower cleric.
Some nations have military ordinariates of the Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy.
The personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church announced on 20 October 2009 are similar in some ways to the existing military ordinariates. But the jurisdiction of military ordinariates is cumulative to that of the diocesan bishops.


May Thirtieth Movement

The May Thirtieth Movement () was a major labor and anti-imperialist movement during the middle-period of the Republic of China era. It began when the Shanghai Municipal Police opened fire on Chinese protesters in Shanghai's International Settlement on May 30, 1925 (the Shanghai massacre of 1925). The shootings sparked international censure and nationwide anti-foreign demonstrations and riots.
Roots of the Incident.
In the aftermath of 1924's Second Zhili–Fengtian War China found itself in the midst of one of the most destructive periods of turmoil since 1911. The war had involved every major urban area in China, and badly damaged the rural infrastructure. As a result of the conflict the Zhili-controlled government, backed by varied Euro-American business interests, was ousted from power by pro-Japanese warlord Zhang Zuolin, who installed a government led by the generally unpopular statesman Duan Qirui in November 1924. Though victorious, the war left Zhang's central government bankrupt and Duan exercised little authority outside Beijing. Authority in the north of the country was divided between Zhang and Feng Yuxiang, a Soviet Union-backed warlord, and public support for the northern militarists soon hit an all-time low, with southerners openly disparaging provincial governors as "junfa" (warlords). With his monarchist leanings and strong base in conservative Manchuria, Zhang represented the far right in Chinese politics and could claim few supporters. Meanwhile, the KMT (Nationalist) and Communist parties (allied as the First United Front) were running a diplomatically unrecognized Soviet-backed administration in the southern province of Guangdong.
Alongside public grief at the recent death of China's Republican hero Sun Yat-sen (12 March 1925), the KMT sought to foment pro-Chinese, anti-imperial and anti-western organizations and propaganda within major Chinese cities. Chinese Communist Party groups were particularly involved in sowing dissent in Shanghai through the far-left Shanghai University. Shanghai's native Chinese were strongly unionised compared to other cities and better educated, and recognised their plight as involving lack of legal factory inspection, recourse for worker grievances or equal rights. Many Chinese families were also aggrieved by an upcoming Child Employment Bill, proposed by the Shanghai Municipal Council, that would have stopped children under the age of 12 from working in mills and factories (many working-class homes relied on wages brought in by children). Educated Chinese were also offended by the council's plan to introduce a new censorship law, forcing all publications in the Settlement to use the publisher's true name and address.
In early months of 1925, conflicts and strikes on those matters intensified. Japanese-owned cotton mills were a source of contention, and fights and demonstrations between Japanese and Chinese employees around the #8 Cotton Mill became regular occurrences. In February a group of Japanese managers were attacked while leaving work and one of them was killed. In response, Japanese foremen took to carrying pistols while on duty. The escalation of ill-feeling culminated on May 15, when during a violent Neo-Luddite-style riot inside the mill, a Japanese foreman shot a demonstrator named Ku Chen-Hung dead. Over the following weeks Ku Chen-Hung became viewed as a martyr by Chinese unions and student groups (though not by the Chinese authorities or the middle-class, who noted his political affiliations and close family membership to a prominent criminal gang). Numerous protests and strikes subsequently began against Japanese-run industries.
A week later a group of Chinese students, heading for Ku's public "state" funeral and carrying banners, were arrested while traveling through the International Settlement. With their trial set for May 30, various student organisations convened in the days before and decided to hold mass demonstrations across the International Settlement and outside the Mixed Court.
The Nanjing Road Incident.
On the morning of May 30, 1925, just after the trial of the arrested students began, Shanghai Municipal Police arrested 15 ringleaders of a student protest being held on and around Nanking Road, in the foreign-controlled International Settlement. The protesters were held in Louza (Laozha) police station, which by 2:45 pm was facing a "huge crowd" of Chinese that had amassed outside. The demonstrators demanded the arrested ringleaders be returned to them and in a number of cases entered the police station, where (according to SMP officers) they tried to either block the foyer or gain access to the cells. Police on Nanking Road reported the crowd, which was between 1,500-2,000 strong, started good-naturedly but became more aggressive as arrests were made.
After forcing protesters out of the charge room, a picket of police (there was only a skeleton staff of approximately two dozen officers overall, predominantly Sikh and Chinese, with three white officers) was set up to prevent demonstrators from entering the station. In the minutes before the shooting, police and some witnesses reported that cries of "kill the foreigners" were raised as the demonstration turned violent. Inspector Edward Everson, station commander and the highest-ranking officer on the scene (as the police commissioner K.J. McEuen had not let early warnings of public demonstrations interfere with his attendance at the city's Race Club) eventually shouted, "Stop! If you do not stop I will shoot!" in Wu. A few seconds later, at 3:37 pm, and as the crowd was within six feet of the station entrance, he fired into the crowd with his revolver. The Sikh and Chinese policemen then also opened fire, unleashing some 40 rounds. At least four demonstrators were killed at the scene, with another five dying later of their injuries. At least 14 injured were hospitalized, with many others wounded.
Strikes and martial law.
On Sunday, May 31, crowds of students posted bills and demanded shops refuse to sell foreign goods or serve non-Chinese. They then convened at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, where they gave a list of demands, including punishment of the officers involved in the shooting, an end to extraterritoriality and closure of the Shanghai International Settlement. The president of the Chamber of Commerce was away, but eventually his deputy agreed to press for the demands to be carried out. Nevertheless, he subsequently sent a message to the foreign Municipal Council that his consent was given under duress.
The Municipal Council declared a state of martial law on Monday, June 1, calling up the Shanghai Volunteer Corps militia and requesting foreign military assistance to carry out raids and protect vested interests. Over the next month Shanghai businesses and workers went on strike, and there were sporadic outbreaks of demonstration and violence. Trams and foreigners were attacked, and there was looting of shops that refused to uphold the boycott of foreigners. Servants to foreigners refused to work, and almost a third of Chinese police failed to turn up for their shifts. The gas works, electricity station, waterworks and telephone exchange became entirely run by Western volunteers.
The numbers of Chinese killed and injured in the May 30 Movement's riots vary: figures normally vary between 30 and 200 dead, with hundreds injured. Policemen, firemen and foreigners were also injured, some seriously, and one Chinese police constable was killed.
Aftermath.
The incident shocked and galvanized China, and the strikes and boycotts, coupled with further violent demonstrations and riots, quickly spread across the country, bringing foreign economic interests to a near standstill. The 15 "ringleaders" originally arrested on May 30 were given light or suspended sentences by Shanghai's foreign-run Mixed Court.
The target of public ire moved from the Japanese (for the death of Ku Chen-Hung) to the British, and Hong Kong was particularly affected (the strikes were there known as the Canton-Hong Kong strike). Further shootings by foreigners upon Chinese protesters occurred at Canton, Mukden and elsewhere, although a reported incident at Nanking that became a "cause célèbre" for anti-imperialists was apparently carried out by local Chinese authorities. Indeed, the Chinese warlords used the incident as a pretext to further their own political aims. While Feng Yuxiang threatened to attack British interests via force and demanded a public apology, Zhang Zuolin, who effectively controlled Shanghai's Chinese outskirts, had his police and soldiers arrest protesters and Communists and assist the Settlement forces.
Two investigations into the events of May 30 were ordered, one by Chinese authorities and one by international appointees, Justice Finley Johnson (presiding), Judge of the Court of First Instance in the Philippines (representing America), Sir Henry Gollan, Chief Justice of Hong Kong (representing Britain) and Justice Kisaburo Suga of the Hiroshima Court of Appeal (representing Japan). The Chinese authorities refused to participate in the international investigation, which found 2-1 that the shooting justifiable. Only the Justice Finley from America disagreed and recommended sweeping changes, including the retirement of the chief of the Settlement Police, Commissioner McEuen, and Inspector Everson. Their forced resignation in late-1925 would be the only official result of the inquiry.
By November, with Chiang Kai-shek having finally wrested power from his rivals after Sun Yat-sen's death and with Chinese businesses wishing to return to operation (the Settlement had begun cutting electricity to Chinese mills), the strikes and protests began to fizzle out. In Hong Kong, however, they would not totally end until mid-1926. The Kuomintang's support for the movement, and its Northern Expedition of 1926–27, eventually led to reforms in the governance of the International Settlement's Shanghai Municipal Council and the beginning of the removal of the Unequal Treaties.
The May Thirtieth events caused the transfer of the Muslim Chengda College and Imam (Ahong) Ma Songting to Beijing.
Memorial.
In the 1990s, the May Thirtieth Movement Monument was installed at People's Park.


Wu Changde

Wu Changde (; born 1952) is a retired general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). He served as deputy director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission from 2011 to 2017.
Biography.
Wu Changde was born in 1952 in Dayu County, Jiangxi Province. He joined the PLA in December 1970 and the Communist Party of China in 1972. He graduated from the Department of Philosophy of Fudan University in Shanghai.
Wu was appointed deputy director of the political department of the Nanjing Military Region from July 2003, and director of the political department of the Chengdu Military Region from June 2007. In July 2011, he became a deputy director of Political Work Department .
Wu Changde attained the rank of major general in 1997 and lieutenant general in 2008.
On 31 July 2013, he was promoted to general ("shang jiang"), the highest rank for Chinese military officers in active service.
Wu was a member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (2012–2017).


Derek Wood (author)

Derek Wood (1930 – 2 May 2003) was the author of "Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook". Wood was the editor of "Jane's" the publishers of a wide range of military handbooks and weekly defence newsletters until he retired in 1993. For more than 30 years, Derek was the doyen of aviation specialists in Fleet Street and enjoyed a reputation for unimpeachable integrity. He was renowned, not only for his expertise and keen intellect, but also for his steadfast refusal to compromise moral stands in a notoriously competitive field.
Royal Observer Corps.
A lifelong and keen aircraft spotter, Derek was a sparetime volunteer member of the Royal Observer Corps for nearly fifty years and wrote the history of the Corps in his 1975 book "Attack Warning Red : The Royal Observer Corps and the Defence of Britain, 1925 to 1975", later updated in 1992 when the Corps was stood down. Derek joined the Royal Observer Corps in 1947 and served on posts near Chichester, London, and at Cuckfield (north of Brighton) after moving there in the 1960s. As a journalist and aerospace expert he did his utmost to further the Corps' standing in both military and civil areas.
In the late 50s, the aircraft reporting role was being phased out and the ROC became the field force of the UKWMO run by the Home Office. In the Sixties the Home Office was quietly planning to sever the Corps' link with the RAF, take it out of uniform, and completely integrate it within UKWMO. Derek got wind of this and, as aviation correspondent of the "Sunday Telegraph", wrote an article warning that if such a plan was implemented it was likely that at least 80 percent of Corps would resign.
The Home Office was furious and demanded that the Commandant, Air Commodore Gresswell, remove Derek from the Corps immediately. Fortunately, Gresswell refused to do so. The plan was quietly dropped and Derek went on to serve the Corps for many more years.
Besides running the Post at Cuckfield as Chief Observer, he was much in demand on the lecture circuit and gave talks to the RAF Staff College at Bracknell, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Society of British Aerospace Companies, as well as ROC Groups and Cluster meetings, all over the country.
Author.
Derek Wood came into prominence as an author when his book "The Narrow Margin", regarded as the definitive history of the Battle of Britain, was published. He was an adviser on the set of the eponymous film, and the book is used by military historians and lecturers to this day. Others of his books include "Project Cancelled", an account of Britain's abandoned aircraft projects, "Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook" and, of course, "Attack Warning Red", the official history of the Royal Observer Corps.
He started preparing to write the history of the ROC way back in 1972 and when "Attack Warning Red" was published in 1976, and its update in 1991 when the Corps stood down, he put its achievement on permanent record. In 1983, Derek started the magazine called "Jane's Defence Weekly", and retired in 1993.
Books.
Wood's most famous and successful military book was "The Narrow Margin" on which the major feature film "Battle of Britain" was based.


He Yizhen

He Yizhen (; 1910–2008) was a Chinese physicist. She contributed to applying spectroscopy to the steel industry in China and to the research in amorphous state physics. Her research specialty in amorphous physics was metallic glass. She filled up the blank of spectroscopy research in China, and became the first person to measure the whole internal friction peak of metallic glass. He Yizhen was one of the founders of the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hefei. The research emphases of the institute are nuclear engineering, special metallic materials, and internal friction of solid.
Early life.
He Yizhen was born to a scholarly family as the eldest child in 1910, soon before Qing dynasty, the last dynasty of China, was overthrown. Her father, He Cheng, participated in the Xinhai Revolution which subverted the Qing Dynasty. Because He Cheng contributed to political reform, his family became powerful in the new period of history. The new government, Republic of China, was established in 1912.
When He was born, it was still a common practice for women to bind their feet. Her grandmother, Wang Xiechangda, was an open-minded educator and social activist for women’s rights, who became a prominent influence in He Yizhen's life. Wang believed that women should go to school and argued against bound feet, established Zhehua Women’s School. Yizhen, along with her seven brothers and sisters, graduated from Zhenhua School.
She had seven siblings: He Zeming, He Zehui, He Zerong, He Zeying, He Zeyuan, He Zecheng, and He Zeqing. All the eight brothers and sisters became scientists in their own right. Yizhen, Zehui, and Zeying are known as the "Three He sisters" in Chinese scientific circle.
Education.
He graduated at Zhenhua Girls School in 1926 and subsequently attended Ginling College, where she studied Mathematics and Physics. Following her graduation from Ginling College in 1930, He taught at a missionary school for one year. Her father provided He with a sum of money for either dowry or abroad tuition, with the implicit understanding that he was encouraging her to continue her education. He's two aunts who resided in the United States helped her obtain scholarships from Mount Holyoke College (MHC) and Wellesley College in 1931, where she chose to continue her postgraduate education. She obtained a Master’s degree in Chemistry and physics from MHC in 1933. Though He had intended to return to China after her graduation, her mentor recommended her to pursue higher degree. She pursued a doctorate in physics degree from University of Michigan Ann Arbor in 1937 and was awarded Barbour scholarship, which was especially built for Asian women. In her Ph.D. research, He focused on spectroscopy of transition metals.
At the time she was pursuing her postgraduate studies, Chinese women attending college were rare, particularly women studying science. In China, He's cousin Wang Mingzhen had initially obtained funds from Tsinghua University to study abroad, but ultimately had been refused because the dean of the university refused to provide funding for a woman to study. He, Wang, and He's sister Zehui would later obtain doctoral degrees in physics from the United States and Germany, despite attempts to dissuade them from continuing to studying physics.
Career.
He returned to China in 1937, at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Her family moved from Suzhou to Beijing. Because of her father’s close friendship with the principal of Yenching University, He obtained a position there as a lecturer. In 1939, He left Beijing and took a position as lecturer in Donghao University in Shanghai.
After her marriage to Ge Tingsui in 1941, He returned to the United States with her husband. Through her previous academic connections, she was recommended for a position at a college and eventually became a research assistant to Dr. Ralph A. Beebe at Amherst College. Her research topic was the measurement of thermal adoption in chemistry, rather than spectroscopy. Because she was pregnant, she only stayed in the position for several months and focused on raising her children, who were born in 1942 and 1947. She also worked for briefly at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Metal Research Institute of the University of Chicago. He returned to China in 1949, after founding of the People's Republic of China, and became a professor at Yenching University.
From 1952, He began working at the Institute of Metal Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research focused on improving the production rate of China's nascent steel industry through the application of spectroscopy to alloy steel and slag analysis in steel industry and solved issues in steel production. She published two representative papers: “Effect of Microstructure of Steel on Spectral Analysis” and “Cup Electrode Solution Arc Method for Spectral Analysis of Open Hearth Slag”. On behalf of China, she attended the 6th International Conference of Raman Spectroscopy in 1956, in Holland.
From 1966 to 1976, He's research was interrupted by effects of China's Cultural Revolution. She was forced to endure humiliating punishments as a result of her experience studying abroad and her wealthy background. In 1969, she was dispatched to rural area Panjin to labor for two months as punishment.
When the Cultural Revolution of China ended in 1976, He continued her theoretical research. She became a pioneer in exploring amorphous state physic and metallic glass fields and measured crystallization internal fraction peak of metallic glass and found a new type of internal fraction peak. Subsequently, she published two formative papers: “Effect of the Isothermal Effectiveness Near the Peak of the Metallic Glass Pd80Si20Tg”, and “A New Peak Near Metallic Glass T”. Her papers won the Second Class Prizes of The State Scientific and Technological Progress Award of Chinese Academy of Science in 1988. She would go on to win the Third Class Prizes of The Natural Science Award of Chinese Academy of Science in 1995 and 1996 and was involved in compiling the book, "Amorphous Physics".
In October 1982, she became one of the founders of Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Science. She was one of five scientists who could be called “sir” (an outdated honorific form for intellectuals regardless of gender). He continued her research about metallic glass at the new institute.
Personal life.
In 1941, He Yizhen married Ge Tingsui, an expert in nuclear physics. Ge later became a leading researcher at the Institute of Metal Research and Institute of Solid State Physics. They developed a competitive relationship with one another due to their studies in the same field.
The couple met at Yenching University, where He had been a lecturer and was three years older than Ge. Because He came from a wealthy and influential family, she had a number of admirers; her family did not approve of her relationship with Ge became he came from a poor family and also suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, for which a valid treatment was not available at the time. Furthermore, Ge's political beliefs clashed with He's father, who disagreed with Ge's support of the political activism of students. In opposition to her family's wishes, she married Ge; their marriage became a much-told tale in Chinese academic world and their love letters are still preserved in their biographies.
After their marriage, Ge obtained the opportunity to study in the United States with He, where they remained from 1941 to 1949. Their two children were born in the United States and eventually became scientists: their daughter Ge Yunpei (1942-2013) was a professor in Shenyang Jianzhu University, while their son Ge Yunjian (born 1947), is an expert in robotics. The couple returned to China in 1949, where they both worked for the Chinese Academy of Science for decades. When Ge was dispatched to work in Hefei in 1980, He's husband and children persuaded her to stop her research to join him in Hefei.


The Voice of the Turtle (film)

The Voice of the Turtle is a 1947 romantic comedy film directed by Irving Rapper and starring Ronald Reagan, Eleanor Parker, Eve Arden, and Wayne Morris. It was based on the long-running 1943 stage play "The Voice of the Turtle" by John Van Druten. In the 1950s, it was re-released and shown on television under the title One for the Book.
Plot.
It is December 1944 in New York City. Sally Middleton, a naive young actress, is jilted by her lover, a theatrical producer, for becoming too serious about their relationship. Heartbroken, Sally vows not to let herself fall in love again. Nevertheless, she agrees to a dinner date with Bill Page, an Army sergeant on a weekend pass, after Bill is stood up by her sophisticated friend Olive Lashbrooke.
When Bill has trouble getting a hotel room, he ends up spending the weekend at Sally's apartment, which is considered risque under the social mores of the time. Although Bill and Sally sleep in separate rooms, the arrangement creates awkward situations for Sally, especially when she finds herself developing feelings for Bill.
Olive, having at first set her sights on a Navy officer, has second thoughts and makes a play for Bill. But Bill has fallen for Sally, and eventually convinces her to set aside her fears and start a new romance with him, one that they both hope will end in marriage.
Box office.
According to Warner Bros records the film earned $2,617,000 domestically and $499,000 foreign.
Critical Reception.
Many critics compared the film to the original play, which finished its Broadway run one week after the film's release. "Time" magazine complained, "The movie is most coyly prurient where the play was most pleasantly candid," while the "New York Times" found the film version more satisfying because it was "morally wholesome and ideally romantic."


Reach for Glory

Reach for Glory is a 1962 British film adaptation of John Rae's 1961 novel, "The Custard Boys", directed by Philip Leacock. It received a United Nations Award.
Plot.
A group of boys, evacuated during World War II from London to a coastal town, form a gang and play war games. Too young to fight in the war and afraid it will be over by the time they come of age, the group members, who are also in the school's Army Cadet Force initiate a battle with the local teenagers. Curlew, a local youth, invites an Austrian Jewish refugee with whom he has formed a close relationship to take part in the shenanigans. At first the Jewish boy, Stein, is scorned because of his "Germanic" heritage but is later allowed to join. When Stein runs off during a fight, the youths decide to give him a fake court-martial and execution, but real bullets are used by a freak mistake and Stein is killed.


Lobengula

Lobengula Khumalo (1845–1894) was the second king of the Northern Ndebele people (historically called Matabele in English). Both names in the Ndebele language mean "the men of the long shields", a reference to the Ndebele warriors' use of the Zulu shield and spear.
Background.
The Matabele were descendants of a faction of the Zulu people who fled north during the reign of Shaka following the "mfecane" ("the crushing") or "difaqane" ("the scattering"). Shaka's general, Mzilikazi led his followers away from Zulu territory after a falling-out. In the late 1830s, they settled in what is now called Matabeleland in western Zimbabwe, but they claimed the sovereignty of a much wider area.
Members of the tribe had a privileged position against outsiders whose lives were subject to the will of the king. In return for their privileges, however, the Ndebele people both men and women had to submit to a strict discipline and status within the hierarchy. That set out their duties and responsibilities to the rest of society. Infringements of any social responsibility were punished with death, subject to the king's seldom-awarded reprieve. This tight discipline and loyalty were the secret of the Ndebele's success in dominating their neighbours.
Birthright.
After the death of Mzilikazi, the first king of the Ndebele nation, in 1868, the "izinduna", or chiefs, offered the crown to Lobengula, one of Mzilikazi's sons from an inferior wife. Several impis (regiments) disputed Lobengula's ascent, and the question was ultimately decided by the arbitration of the assegai, with Lobengula and his impis crushing the rebels. Lobengula's courage in the battle led to his unanimous selection as king.
Coronation.
The coronation of Lobengula took place at Mhlahlandlela, one of the principal military towns. The Ndebele nation assembled in the form of a large semicircle, performed a war dance, and declared their willingness to fight and die for Lobengula. A great number of cattle were slaughtered, and the choicest meats were offered to Mlimo, the Ndebele spiritual leader, and to the dead Mzilikazi. Great quantities of millet beer were also consumed.
About 10,000 Matabele warriors in full war costume attended the crowning of Lobengula. Their costumes consisted of a headdress and short cape made of black ostrich feathers, a kilt made of leopard or other skins and ornamented with the tails of white cattle. Around their arms they wore similar tails and around their ankles they wore rings of brass and other metals. Their weapons consisted of one or more long spears for throwing and a short stabbing-spear or assegai (also the principal weapon of the Zulu people). For defence, they carried large oval shields of ox-hide, either black, white, red, or speckled according to the impi (regiment) they belonged to.
The Ndebele maintained their position due to the greater size and tight discipline in the army, to which every able-bodied man in the tribe owed service. "The Ndebele army, consisting of 15,000 men in 40 regiments [was] based around Lobengula's capital of Bulawayo."
Rule.
In 1870 Lobengula granted Sir John Swinburne's London and Limpopo Mining Company the right to search for gold and other minerals on a tract of land in the extreme southwest of Matabeleland along the Tati River between the Shashe and Ramaquabane rivers, in what became known as the Tati Concession. However, it was not until about 1890 that any significant mining in the area commenced.
Lobengula had been tolerant of the white hunters who came to Matabeleland; he would even go so far as to punish those of his tribe who threatened the whites. However, when a British team (Francis Thompson, Charles Rudd and Rochfort Maguire) came in 1888 to try to persuade him to grant them the right to dig for minerals in additional parts of his territory, he was wary about entering into negotiations. Lobengula gave his agreement only when his friend, Leander Starr Jameson, a qualified medical doctor, who had once treated Lobengula for gout, proposed to secure money and weaponry for the Matabele in addition to a pledge that any people who came to dig would be considered as living in his kingdom. As part of this agreement, and at the insistence of the British, neither the Boers nor the Portuguese would be permitted to settle or gain concessions in Matabeleland. Lobengula sent two emissaries to the British queen, Victoria. However, they were delayed by Alfred Beit's associates at the port. The 25-year Rudd Concession was signed by Lobengula on 30 October 1888.
Matabele War.
The First Matabele War began in October 1893, and the British South Africa Company's overwhelming military force led to devastating losses for the Ndebele warriors, notably at the Battle of the Shangani. As early as December 1893, it was reported that Lobengula had been very sick, but his death sometime in early 1894 was kept a secret for many months, and the cause of his death remains inconclusive. By October 1897, the white colonists had successfully settled in much of the territory known later as Rhodesia, and Matabeleland was no more.
Personal life.
He had well over 20 wives, possibly many more; among them were Xwalile, daughter of king Mzila of the Gaza Empire, and Lozikeyi.


Zhongshan Park (Shenzhen)

Zhongshan Park () is a public urban park in Nanshan, Shenzhen, China. Built in 1925 and subsequently named after Sun Yat-Sen (also known as Sūn Zhōngshān), the first president of the Republic of China, it is the oldest surviving park in Shenzhen.
A section of the northern city walls of Nantou dating back to 1394, are preserved within the park. The park was renovated and reopened to the public in 1999. It also features a carving of Sun Yat-Sen, the largest of its kind in the country.


Obedingwa Mguni

Obedingwa Mguni (1 December 1962 – 18 June 2019) was a Zimbabwean politician who was a Member of Parliament representing the Mangwe Constituency from 2013-2019.
Background Information.
He was Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in Zimbabwe (2015-2017), and the 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe’s ZANU PF Parliamentary Deputy Chief Whip. He was also ZANU PF’s Provincial Treasurer in Mat. South. He was also the chairperson of Democratisation, Good Governance and Human Rights in Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliament.
Born on 1 December 1962, he was married to Hlalani Mguni (M. 1993) and together they had three children Doris, Bongani and Simphiwe.
Political career.
Mguni took part in the Rhodesian Bush War between 1975 and 1980. From Empandeni he went to Zambia where he attended Mkushi College before he went to Libya for guerrilla training. In 1980 he was demobilised and began teaching until 1986, before he went to South Africa where he joined the South African government. He was a businessman from 2005–2019.
Other career achievements.
While in South Africa he worked in SARS: Customs and Excise, beginning as a customs officer until he became the National compliance manger. He was the National Chairperson and a youth coordinator at the Guta Ra Mwari congregation South Africa from 2003-2013, he then became the International Chairperson at the Guta Ra Mwari congregation from 2014-2019. Was the founder of Madlala soccer and Netball tournaments held annually in Mangwe as well as the Rural International Women's day celebrations held annually in Mangwe.
Death.
Obedingwa Mguni died a sudden death, he had a short illness of 3 days caused by a combination of pneumonia and diabetes mellitus type 2. He died in West end Clinic in Harare on the 18th of June 2019, after collapsing while in the Parliament Clinic and being rushed to West end clinic in an ambulance. He is survived by his wife, three children, and grandson.


Zhu Fuxi

Zhu Fuxi (; born July 2, 1955) is a general ("shang jiang") of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). He served as the inaugural Political Commissar of the Western Theater Command, and the last Commissar of the Chengdu Military Region.
Biography.
Zhu was born in Linhai, Zhejiang province. In 2002 he was named head of the Political Department of the 12th Group Army. In 2003 he was named deputy secretary-general of the People's Liberation Army General Political Department (GPD). In December 2005, he was promoted to secretary-general. In February 2008, he was named head of the cadres department of the GPD. In December 2009, he became head of the Political Department of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. In July 2011, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. In November 2012, he was promoted to Political Commissar of the Chengdu Military Region. In February 2016, after the military regions were re-organized, Zhu was appointed to the post of Political Commissar of the Western Theater Command, one of only two lieutenant generals to be appointed to a commander or commissar position of a Theater Command. In July 2016, he was promoted to the rank of general.
In January 2017, Zhu was removed from his post as Political Commissar of the Western Theater Command, and was replaced by Lt. Gen. Wu Shezhou. It was an unusual move because at the age of 61, Zhu had not reached the retirement age of 65 for an officer of his rank.
Zhu was a member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.


Sekuru Kaguvi

Sekuru Kaguvi (Kagubi, Kakubi), was a "svikiro" (medium), a nationalist leader in pre-colonial Zimbabwe, and a leader in the Shona rebellion of 1896-1897 against European rule, known as the First Chimurenga. The soubriquet "Kaguvi" was given to him because he was said to speak for the traditional Shona spirit Mwari. When the rebellion collapsed, he was charged with the murder of an African policeman called 'Charlie', whom he had accused of collaborating with the colonial authorities. Kaguvi was found guilty and hanged in 1898.
Some Ndebele historians say that the form "Kaguvi" is a bastardization of his name by Europeans, and that his real name was "Kakubi Ncube". They also claim that together with Nehenda, he ensured that the Shona would rise up at the same time as the Ndebele people in the First Chimurenga.
The name "Kaguvi" was also given to a man called Gumboreshumba (c1870-1898), who claimed to speak for the original Kaguvi's spirit. Gumboreshumba was one of the many people who claimed to be mediums of famous First Chimurenga personae during the so-called Second Chimurenga. Gumboreshumba (meaning: "lion's paw"), lived in Chikwaka's village by Goromonzi Hill, Zimbabwe. He had four wives, one of whom was Chief Mashonganyika's daughter. The other three wives were received from a headman named Gondo. It is alleged that Gumboreshumba Kaguvi was known as a source of good luck in hunting and that he was able to speak to trees and rocks. He was believed to be the spirit husband of the other great Shona "svikiro", Nehanda.


Mukarakate

Mukarakate is a place in the north-eastern Murewa district of Zimbabwe. The district is in Mashonaland East province of Zimbabwe. It is almost entirely inhabited by Shona-speaking people (specific dialect: Zezuru). The traditional rulers of the area are the Nhowe people, whose chieftainship is called Mangwende. Many of the Nhowe people use Mukarakate as a surname, because it is the name of a great-great-ancestor of the tribe. Their totem is 'Moyo Muzukuru', which uses the bull as its symbolic animal. However, in practice, the tribe strictly holds only the heart of the animal as sacred, not the whole animal. Currently, the Mangwende Chieftainship is vacant following the death of Jonathan Tafirenyika Chibanda who passed on in South Africa on the 16th of December 2013. Chief Jonathan Mangwende was once president of the chief's council. Jonathan Tafirenyika Chibanda was the son of Chief Chataika Chibanda Mangwende. Chibanda became chief Mangwende in 1926 and died in 1936. Chibanda only ruled for 10 years. Jonathan Tafirenyika Chibanda become chief Mangwende in 1968. Prior to that he was a teacher at Chinhenga primary school. It is widely believed that the next Chief Mangwende will come from the Bokoto lineage.
In modern-day Zimbabwe, the surname is still widely used in the area. Mukarakate is at the border post of Mrewa south and Mutoko South
Contrary to the above, major aspects of the Mangwende Chieftainship history were missed. Please refer to article on Mangwende.
http://www.geody.com/geospot.php?world=terra&map=col&ufi=10644189&alc=mkr&start=100
Zhombwe mountains


James Peter Obeyesekere III

Deshamanya James Peter Obeyesekere III (14 July 1915 – 23 October 2007) was a Sri Lankan politician and aviator. A Senator, he was also a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Finance.
Early life and education.
Born to Sir James Peter Obeyesekere II, a barrister who was an advocate of the colonial era Supreme Court of Ceylon and served as the last Maha Mudaliyar (the chief native interpreter and adviser to the British Governor of Ceylon). His grandfather was Sir James Peter Obeyesekere I.

Educated at the Royal College, Colombo, Obeyesekere went on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge gaining a MA. There he was a member of the Cambridge Union Society and of the Debating Team of Trinity College. An accomplished sportsman, he was awarded a half blue in athletics at Cambridge, later becoming a certified athletics coach and excellent horseman and equestrian. He went on to become a barrister.
Aviation.
With the outbreak of World War II he joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron becoming a qualified pilot, he was invited to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot, however he turned down the offer and instead joined the Royal Observer Corps. In November 1946, he flew his single-engined Auster Autocrat home to Ceylon from England, becoming the first Ceylonese to make such a flight. Throughout the epic journey, Obeyesekere was accompanied by Sqdn. Ldr. Roderick A.F. Farquharson in an identical Auster. Farquharson's not insignificant role in that epic flight was described in contemporary newspaper reports and early articles by Obeyesekere himself.
His aviation interests were also strong as he was the Chairman of the Colombo Flying Club until its takeover by the government. He gave his Auster to the Ceylon Air Academy for civilian pilot training. The aircraft was destroyed in a fatal accident on March 11, 1971, but nearly 40 years later it was rebuilt for static display at the Sri Lanka Air Force Museum, Ratmalana in memory of his flight from England to Ceylon.
Racing.
A racing enthusiast he competed in many racing events in Sri Lanka, India and England. He won the Grand Prix de Lanka. He was the vice patron of the Classic Car Club of Ceylon and was the only Asian to be elected an Honorary Life Member of the prestigious Bentley Drivers’ Club. He was also members of the British Automobile Racing Club and of the Cambridge University Automobile Club. Obeyesekere was very active in the scout movement and was a former president of the Sri Lanka Scout Association.
Political career.
James Obeyesekere and his wife Siva, supported their kinsmen, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike when he left the United National Party and formed the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1951, becoming founding members. He contested the parliamentary seat of Mirigama in the 1952 general election, but lost. After S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959, he contested from his constituency the Attanagalla electorate in the 1960 July general election and entering parliament. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike's widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike who became prime minister appointed Obeyesekere as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and thereafter Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance. He did not contest the 1965 general election, stepping down in-favor of Sirimavo Bandaranaike to take over her late husband's constituency, in return Obeyesekere was appointed a Senator serving until the Senate was abolished in 1971. His wife entered politics in 1965 contesting from the Mirigama electorate, which was her home town. He contested the 1977 general election from Mirigama and was defeated by Mahendra Wijeratne. In 2006, he was conferred the national honour of Deshamanya by President Mahinda Rajapakse.
Family.
He married Sivagami Dassanaike, they had two children, James Peter IV and Chantal.


Loot (2008 film)

Loot is a 2008 documentary film directed by Darius Marder. It follows amateur treasure hunter Lance Larson in search of buried treasure from World War II, with the help of the two US war veterans—Darrel Ross and Andrew Seventy—responsible for burying them. A major theme of the film involves the emotional risks of digging up one's past.
The film premiered on HBO2 on May 20, 2009. It won Best Documentary at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival.


Civilian casualties in the Second Intifada