Tin Aung San

Admiral Tin Aung San (, born 16 October 1960) is a Burmese military officer who is currently serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Navy, a member of Myanmar's State Administration Council, and the Minister of Transport and Communications.
Career.
Tin Aung San was promoted as Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Navy in August 2015, succeeding Admiral Thura Thet Swe, who retired to run for political office.
Subsequently, he was appointed as a members of the SAC on 2 February 2021, in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
On the following day (3 February 2021), he was appointed as the Minister of Transport and Communications by the SAC. In this regard, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw claims that the military regime’s cabinet is illegitimate.
Sanctions.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on "Tin Aung San" since 11 February 2021, pursuant to Executive Order 14014, in response to the Burmese military’s coup against the democratically elected civilian government of Burma. The US sanctions include freezing of assets under the US and ban on transactions with US person.
The Government of Canada has imposed sanctions on him since 18 February 2021, pursuant to Special Economic Measures Act and Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations, in response to the gravity of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Canadian sanctions include freezing of assets under Canada and ban on transactions with Canadian person.
Furthermore, the British Government placed sanctions on him on 25 February 2021, following the recent military coup. The UK sanctions include The UK sanctions include freezing of assets under the UK and ban on traveling or transiting to the UK.
Personal life.
He is married to Tin Tin Aye, and has one daughter, Yin Min Thu.


Fellowship of the Bellows

The Fellowships of the Bellows was a fundraising organisation active in Latin America during World War II aimed at raising money to purchase aircraft for the Royal Air Force. Its name, organisation and rituals parodied masonic-like fraternities.
Fellowship of the Bellows groups.
Argentina.
The idea of collecting "funds through fun" for assisting the war effort was conceived at a meeting of four members of the British/Anglo Argentine community in a Buenos Aires bar. The RAF was chosen as the beneficiary because at that time almost all the volunteers from Argentina had enrolled in the RAF; with losses already having been suffered it was an emotive matter in the local community. Within a short time they publicised the concept and called an open meeting at the English Club in Buenos Aires on 14 October 1940 and the ideas were outlined from behind a curtain in order to preserve their anonymity. The meeting appointed them as a committee of "Servants", and the "Fellowship of the Bellows" (for More Air Force) took off. The "Servants" consisted of the High Wind (what he says blows), who gathered round him: Secretaries – the Whirlwinds (always in a flap); Cashier – Receiver of Windfalls; Treasurer – Keeper of the Windbag; and a Lady Member – The Windlass (very easy on the air).
The concept spread and from the start employed British humour and advertising copy-writing skills, with plays on words. The pressing need at that time was for MORE AIR FORCE, so clearly BELLOWS were needed to increase the AIR FORCE; thousands of BELLOWS to RAISE THE WIND. The funds raised were sent to the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The initiative proved to be outstandingly successful and within a very short time many other countries set up their own similar "Fellowships".
The rules they devised were (a) the Servants must remain anonymous; (b) various levels of "fellow" were created, and promotion was based on payment of one’s selected contribution multiplied by the number of confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed during the previous month, as published by the UK Air Ministry; (c) the appeal must be within the reach of everyone, with a joining fee of 1 Argentine Peso (then about £1/16th), and each "fellow" setting their own level of pledged contribution, with a minimum of 1 cent (about £1/1600th) – office boy and boss would therefore progress at the same speed, having paid up their selected rate of contribution for each plane destroyed; (d) anyone missing a monthly payment ("Blow in") could make up their arrears when they had the funds to do so, and promotion would then be achieved; (e) it must be couched in a humorous vein ("funds through fun").
Enrolment was effected by payment of the joining fee at which point one ceased being a "Snuff" ("infinitely worse than being a cross-eyed toad with athlete's foot") and became a Fellow with the rank of PUFF (Soplito) and given a badge of a particular colour, depicting a bellows, to wear in his buttonhole or brooch on her blouse. The Fellow then paid his pledged amount for each enemy plane brought down during the month. Setting the minimum so low was a masterstroke, which would enable many more potential "Snuffs" to become Fellows.
Upon joining one was issued with an official booklet which contained: one's name and Fellowship Number for accounting purposes; information on how the fellowship worked; how to make the salute for greeting "fellow bellows" (upward spiral motion of first finger of right hand depicting an eddy of wind); tear-out slips for handing in with contributions so that it could be recorded by the servants (receipts were given); a chart on the back page for monitoring one's own progress towards promotion. The Fellows were encouraged to continue to contribute because after 1,000 planes had been certified by the Air Ministry and paid for, the Fellow was promoted from PUFF (Soplito) to GUST (Rafaga) and given another distinctive badge. And so the quest for funds through fun went on: with 2,500 planes down and paid for, the GUST became a GALE (Vendaval); 5,000 planes created a HURRICANE (Huracán), 6,500 a TORNADO (Tornado) and 8,000 a TYPHOON (Tifón). With each promotion, a further distinctive badge was issued. 10,000 planes downed and paid for entitled Fellows to obtain the honour: THE ORDER OF THE BELLOWS and were given their wings; wings were added to a special badge depicting a bellows. It was a further masterstroke that the incentive of promotion encouraged continuing monthly payments.
The Fellowship of the Bellows spread with such enthusiasm and speed that the initial target of £100,000 was reached and submitted to the Air Ministry, so the Servants of the Bellows quickly created new and still more exalted ranks of promotion at each additional 2,000 plane mark, each with its winged badge, in order to keep up the momentum (Air speed). The full range of badges with their descriptions is shown below:
Badges of the Fellowship of the Bellows ("La Fraternidad del Fuelle") from publicity booklet in Spanish.
On 30 December 1940 "Time" magazine published an article entitled "Whiffs, Puffs and Snuffs" relating to the Fellowship. The Servants were horrified that their names were "leaked" in the article, obliging them thereafter to categorically deny their involvement, in accordance with their principle of anonymity.
The first Bellows plane took to the air labelled BELLOW ARGENTINA No. 1 in March 1941 after only 4½ months. Plane after plane was added, and in July 1942, 263 Squadron took delivery of 20 Westland Whirlwind fighters and the squadron adopted the nickname "Fellowship of the Bellows".
The contributions (blow-ins) were collected by an appointed "Airpocket" in every town and village and passed on to the Cashier (Receiver of Windfalls) who then took them to the Bank where the Treasurer (Keeper of the Windbag) saw that the funds were sent to the Ministry of Aircraft Production – by Airmail of course. The Fellowship spread from Argentina very rapidly to the neighbouring countries of Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil where it was taken up most enthusiastically resulting in the creation of Squadron 193, the "Brazilian Squadron". It spread further to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Curaçao, Aruba, Jamaica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Falkland Islands, Guatemala, El Salvador and even to Hong Kong.
Contributions generally went towards aircraft production. On 10 November 1944 another Bellows squadron was formally presented to Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris at Godmanchester Airfield, from funds raised by the Fellowship worldwide. This became Squadron 692 and consisted of 31 Mosquito bombers. The handover was done on behalf of the Fellowship by the High Wind and the Windlass, who by this time were in UK serving in the RNVR and WAAF.
When the Fellowship of the Bellows was wound up the total amount collected was Pesos 9,542,734.58 (approx. £600,000) of which Argentina was responsible for Pesos 3,140,000.00 (approx. £200,000). This had been sent to the Ministry of Aircraft Production through the British Patriotic Fund. In addition, Pesos 747,228.60 (approx. £50,000) was sent to the RAF Benevolent Fund, and Pesos 16,298 (approx. £1,000) was used to assist Argentine scholars abroad. The total number of Fellows was estimated to be over 200,000 including 56,000 in Argentina and 35,000 in Uruguay.
On 7 September 1945, the "Fellowships of the Bellows" blew themselves out at a mammoth "Deflation Party" at the Plaza Hotel, Buenos Aires attended by more than 1,000 "fellow bellows", including specially selected young ladies to represent each of the many Latin American countries that had raised funds in this way. Nearly 10 million Pesos (approx. £600,000) had been raised at a time when a Spitfire cost £5,000.
The founders of the Fellowship of the Bellows maintained their anonymity throughout their lives and eschewed any publicity. However, the identity of the principals can now (2014) formally be made public. The High Wind was E A (Bill) Rumboll, who was with Ernst Berg & Cia (Advertising Agency) and also worked for British Intelligence in Buenos Aires until he had to flee to Britain when his cover was blown. Then in the latter part of the war, operating out of London, he ran the escape routes through Spain to enable British servicemen to reach Gibraltar and return to Britain. Some RAF crew, who had escaped capture, returned via this route and saw active service again within 24 hours of reaching Britain. The Whirlwinds (Secretaries) were George Ward and Alan Murray of London & South America Investment Trust. The Receiver of Windfalls (Cashier) was Colin Shearer and the Keeper of the Windbag (Treasurer) was George Collins.
The Library of the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, north London contains more than eighty items relating to the Fellowship of the Bellows comprising letters, membership documents and photographs. Copies of much original material (including a montage of badges) was given to the library of the Royal Air Force Museum in January 1999, in the name of the Servants of the Bellows. Copies are kept by J W E Rumboll (second son of E A (Bill) Rumboll (1910-1978), the High Wind), who made the decision that the identity of the Servants of the Bellows should be confirmed as above.
Brazil.
Similarly in Brazil some British citizens looked for a way to help the British war effort. An initial "Spitfire Fund" was started, and donations bought Spitfires for the RAF. These aircraft purchased were identified with the names of the fundraisers which were painted on the side of the engine or under the canopy. Seeking to widen the scope of the campaign, the owner of Sloper's department store, with the help of the Brazilian Telephone Company, began a telephone campaign to obtain more donations. Also known as the "Fellowship of the Bellows" this was a complete success:
The Fellowship helped with the purchase of de Havilland Mosquitos for No. 692 Squadron RAF shortly after it was formed in January 1944.
Curaçao.
In Curaçao in the Dutch West Indies the Rotary Club founded the Curaçao chapter of the Fellowship of the Bellows, and in addition it spearheaded a drive to acquire a Red Cross lifeboat and helped establish the Prins Bernhard Foundation. Each of these channeled financial help to the mother country (the Netherlands) and Britain. Aruba in the same island group had a similar group.
Other groups.
Other places in the Americas with such groups were:
Fellowship of the Bellows RAF squadrons.
Aircraft purchased through groups of Fellowship of the Bellows went in particular to these squadrons:


Jock Ewing

John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. (1909–1982) is a fictional character in the American television series "Dallas". He was played by Jim Davis in the show's earlier seasons from 1978 to 1981, and as a young man by Dale Midkiff in the made-for-TV movie prequel "". Jock founded Ewing Oil in 1930 and was the patriarch of the Ewing family.
Character biography.
Early life and career.
John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. was born in 1909, the younger of two sons born to Leander Ewing and his wife. Through his older brother Jason, Jock got his first job in an oil field in east Texas. While riding in a train boxcar, Jock met Willard "Digger" Barnes and the two became friends. Jock, Digger and Jason all became wildcatters and began drilling their own fields. Digger had a unique ability to smell oil underground and with Jock's business skills they began making a fortune. Jason and Digger didn't get on much, while Jock stood up for Digger in those days. Jason eventually left Texas to wildcat in Alaska, marrying a woman named Nancy Shaw, with whom he had a son Jack (played by Dack Rambo) and a daughter Jamie (played by Jenilee Harrison). Jock and Digger returned to Texas from Alaska, where Jock met Digger's girlfriend, Ellie Southworth. In the long run, Digger's drinking and undependability made Miss Ellie see that Digger would never change and that Digger was not the type of man to marry, and she left Digger for Jock. Digger started to wander across the country after Ellie left him but Jock and Digger continued with their oil business ventures for a few more years. Even as late as 1939, Jock and Digger both signed a deal to share the profits of Ewing 23 between themselves and their heirs in perpetuity. However, when Ewing 6 came in, Jock put the field in his name only, to prevent Digger from gambling and drinking his half away. Digger was furious and he claimed that Jock had stolen the wells for himself, ending their friendship and business relationship.
Marriages and children.
Ellie Southworth was desperate to save Southfork, which was hit hard by the Great Depression, but Jock was reluctant to marry, even after Miss Ellie chose him over Digger, because unbeknownst to Miss Ellie, Jock was previously married to a woman named Amanda Lewis and looked after her psychiatric needs. Amanda had suffered a mental breakdown shortly after she and Jock were married and Jock put her in a mental hospital. The doctor told Jock that Amanda would never recover and advised Jock to divorce her, which he eventually did in 1930. In 1936, Jock and Miss Ellie married on the day that Miss Ellie's family was about to lose Southfork and it was well known that Jock was the only man in Dallas with the money to save the ranch. Jock had a fragile and stormy relationship with Miss Ellie's father, Aaron Southworth and with her brother Garrison; however, Barbara Southworth seemed to accept her new son-in-law, if only for Miss Ellie's sake. On his deathbed, Aaron accepted Jock as part of his family by giving him his favorite gun. Jock and Miss Ellie had three sons together, J.R., Gary and Bobby. Jock served in World War II, where he and an old army buddy, Tom Mallory, were shot down in a mission in Holland. They later returned to save the families who sheltered them. During his term in Britain, Jock had an affair with an Army nurse from Emporia, Kansas, named Margaret Hunter. Jock was shipped off to France and Margaret returned to the United States. She married her fiancé, Amos Krebbs and soon thereafter gave birth to Jock's illegitimate son, Ray Krebbs. After the war, Jock returned to Southfork and confessed to Miss Ellie about his affair with Margaret Hunter. She forgave him and they moved on. In 1948, Amos Krebbs left Margaret Hunter, leaving her to raise Ray as a single parent. In 1960, a 15-year-old Ray Krebbs showed up at Southfork with a note from his mother asking Jock to help Ray. Jock made Ray a hand on Southfork. Neither Jock, Miss Ellie nor Ray knew that Jock was Ray's father until 20 years later, when Amos Krebbs came to Dallas and revealed that Jock was Ray's father, bringing proof to back up his claim. Jock then welcomed Ray into the Ewing family and personally explained it all to his family. As the years passed from the 1930s onwards, Jock built Ewing Oil into one of the most powerful independent oil companies in Texas, much to the bitterness and jealousy of his former friend and business partner, Digger Barnes. Jock also became a successful rancher. Jock "took over raising" his eldest son J.R., showing him "tough love" and made him one of the most cunning and ruthless oil barons in the oil business. Jock came to heavily rely on J.R. in the management of Ewing Oil giving J.R. "the fever for big business" but "never taught him when to stop". Jock, for the most part, ignored his second son Gary, whom Jock considered weak and lacking the Ewing character, as Gary ran away from responsibility, began drinking excessively to handle the pressures of being a teenage husband and father and couldn't stand up to J.R.'s bullying. Jock generally spoiled his youngest son, Bobby, who Jock considered to be "the best of the lot". Bobby had the morals that J.R. lacked and embraced Jock's favoritism. However, Bobby was often emotional, short-tempered and lacked the intelligence, drive, and focus to succeed in the oil business preferring football, women, ranching and enjoying the social benefits of being a Ewing, which was earned by the hard work of Jock and J.R.
Retirement and death.
In 1977, Jock retired as president of Ewing Oil. He made J.R. his successor and took a more active role in running Southfork with foreman Ray Krebbs.
Jock and Ellie briefly separated in 1981 after Miss Ellie learned that Jock was the power behind Takapa, a land development deal that she was fighting against on the grounds of conservationism. After Ellie refused his order to back down and stay out of the matter, Jock left Southfork. However, they quickly reconciled and went on a second honeymoon to Paris. Upon returning to the United States, Jock and Miss Ellie arrived in Washington, D.C., where they were met by the U.S. State Department with a request for Jock to lead the development of the oil industry in Venezuela. Ellie returned to Southfork alone, while Jock attend conferences in Washington. Jock briefly returned to Dallas for a few hours before leaving for Venezuela. While flying back from Venezuela to Texas, the helicopter Jock was in collided with a small plane and crashed into a lake. Jock's body was never found, but he was declared dead in 1982. The storyline involving Jock's death was necessitated by the death of actor Jim Davis. A tribute to Davis was shown at the end of the episode "The Search"; a picture of Davis and the words "Jim Davis 1909-1981" was displayed for some moments as the final seconds of musical score played out before the final commercial break. A memorial headstone to Jock stands on Southfork Ranch, beside Miss Ellie's headstone and grave.
Wes Parmalee storyline.
In a storyline during the 1986–87 season of the show, a man named Wes Parmalee (portrayed by Steve Forrest) came to Dallas, where Clayton and Ray hired him as ranch foreman on Southfork. One day, Miss Ellie found Jock's belt buckle, knife, letters and photo of a young Miss Ellie in Parmalee's room. Wes then claimed to be Jock Ewing, and that he had survived the helicopter accident, which necessitated plastic surgery and rehab in a South American hospital. After passing a series of tests set by J.R. and Bobby, including X-ray tests, a polygraph test and knowledge about the Ewing family, including Jock's first wife Amanda and Ray being Jock's son, Wes convinced many in Dallas, in addition to Miss Ellie, Ray and several other members of the Ewing family, that he could be Jock. However, Clayton, Bobby and J.R. utterly refused to believe any suggestion that Wes was Jock. Bobby flew down and talked with the doctor who had treated Jock for a severe fever while he was in South America. Bobby returned to Southfork and revealed this information at a Ewing barbecue, where Jock's best friend Punk Anderson said that while he had the fever, Jock was telling the history of the Ewing family. This small piece of evidence against Wes Parmalee being Jock Ewing was seized upon. By then, Ray had told Wes that his presence was causing a lot of trouble to the family, just before Wes went to see Miss Ellie.
Miss Ellie told her family that Wes had told her that he wasn't Jock but this was moments after Bobby arrived from South America in the helicopter. Wes arrived at the barbecue where upon he went to meet with Miss Ellie played by Barbara Bel Geddes. However, the scene where this meeting with Miss Ellie supposedly happened only occurred off screen. Additionally, with hindsight the fact that his X-ray tests showed he had identical bone breakage scarring identical to Jock's, X-rays would seem to support his claim that he was actually Jock. The producers left Wes's departure deliberately ambiguous.
This particular storyline was an experiment to gauge an attempt to restore the late Jim Davis's character to the show, because the Producers had decided not to recast immediately after the actor's death. The intentions by the Producers in season ten were for Wes Parmalee to actually be revealed as Jock Ewing. Ultimately, viewer reaction to this storyline was mixed but not favorable, as Miss Ellie had found happiness with her re-marriage to Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel) and that the actor contracted to play Wes/Jock, Steve Forrest (then at 61), was sixteen years younger than his predecessor, Jim Davis. The Lorimar producers reluctantly yielded to viewers and reneged on the original outcome of the storyline, which would have restored the character of Jock Ewing to the series, leaving the character of Jock supposedly dead for good by the end of the tenth season. However because of the ambiguous nature that the character of Wes departed in, there was a possibility they could bring the character back in the future. However, the character of Wes was not referred to in any of the future seasons. Additionally, although the evidence presented by Bobby was only hearsay there was actually no concrete evidence to disprove that he was actually Jock.
Since the tenth season was broadcast and with the ambiguous ending to Wes Parmalee's departure, some fans have speculated that Wes may have actually been Jock Ewing, but left to spare Miss Ellie and his family any more pain. It is also interesting to note that Wes disappeared after meeting with Jeremy Wendell, who was interested in acquiring Ewing Oil, and who told Wes that he did not care if he was Jock or not, as he was only concerned about defrauding the Ewings.
Legacy.
After Jim Davis' death, artist Ro Kim painted a portrait of the actor in his role as Jock Ewing. The portrait became a focal point of the "Dallas" set and was featured in a number of episodes. The painting hung in the home of Dallas star Larry Hagman, who played antagonist J.R. Ewing for many years until he decided to sell the portrait at auction in spring 2011. The Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, where "Dallas" exteriors were shot, features a different Jock Ewing portrait as a focal point of its "Jock's Living Room".
Jock Ewing as played by "Jim Davis" drove the same 1978 Lincoln Mark V with the license plate EWING 1 for all four seasons in which he starred, the vehicle is still on the grounds of the Southfork ranch to this day, parked in one of the gift shops.


Liang Shoupan

Liang Shoupan (; 13 April 1916 – 5 September 2009) was a Chinese aerospace engineer. The chief designer of China's first generation of anti-ship missiles including the HY-1 and HY-2, he is regarded as the "father of China's cruise missile program". He also designed the C-101, C-801 and other missiles. He was an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the International Academy of Astronautics. In 2006, he was one of the five scientists who received the Highest Achievement Award of China's aerospace industry.
Early life and education.
Liang was born on 13 April 1916 in Fuzhou, Fujian, Republic of China. His father Liang Jingchun () was an official in the Ministry of Justice of the Beiyang government, and served as an advisor to the Kuomintang government in Taiwan after 1949. He spent his childhood in Beijing and attended secondary schools in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
In June 1933, Liang entered Tsinghua University to study aeronautical engineering. As soon as he earned his bachelor's degree in June 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out. He enlisted in the Republic of China Air Force and studied at its advanced aeronautical engineering program. In August 1938, he went to the United States to study aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his master's degree in just a year, and returned to China in February 1940.
Career.
From February 1940 to August 1942, Liang taught aeronautical and mechanical engineering at the National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming. Starting in August 1942, he worked at Guizhou Aeronautical Engine Factory as an engineer and designer for three years. After the surrender of Japan in August 1945, he joined Zhejiang University as a professor, and was appointed chair of the Aeronautical Engineering Department in June 1949.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Liang became a professor at Harbin Institute of Military Technology in September 1952. In May 1956, he was transferred to the newly established Fifth Academy (for aerospace and missile research) of the Ministry of National Defense and awarded the military rank of colonel. A leading scientist in the start-up phase of the Fifth Academy, he was put in charge of rocket engine research and later comprehensive design.
After the Fifth Academy was upgraded to the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building in 1965, Liang served as head of the Third (Sub-) Academy, in charge of the development of anti-ship missiles for coastal defence. He was the chief designer of HY-1 and HY-2 (known in the West as the Silkworm) anti-ship missiles, and the C-101 supersonic missile. From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, he was the chief designer of the C-801 anti-ship missile, which was comparable to the Exocet of France. After 1982, he served as vice director of the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Aerospace Industry (the former Seventh Ministry).
Liang served as a delegate to the Third, Fourth, and Fifth National People's Congresses, and was a member of the Third, Sixth, and Seventh National Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Liang died on 5 September 2009 in Beijing, at the age of 93.
Honours and recognition.
Liang was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980 and of the International Academy of Astronautics in 1985.
Liang was conferred a Special Prize of the State Science and Technology Progress Award in 1988 and the Qiu Shi Distinguished Scientist Prize in 1994. In 2006, he was one of the five scientists who received the Highest Achievement Award for the first 50 years of China's aerospace industry, together with Qian Xuesen, Ren Xinmin, Tu Shou'e, and Huang Weilu.


The Sailor Takes a Wife

The Sailor Takes a Wife is a 1945 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Whorf and starring Robert Walker and June Allyson.
Plot.
During World War II, a sailor in New York City who is about to be shipped out to Europe marries a woman he has just met. Then he unexpectedly receives a medical discharge.
Reception.
According to MGM records, the film earned $2,269,000 in the US and Canada and $290,000 elsewhere, making a profit of $683,000.


Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer, songwriter and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during the Second World War. She was widely referred to as the "Forces' Sweetheart" and gave outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma during the war as part of Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".
She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the United Kingdom and the United States, and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" and her UK number-one single "My Son, My Son". Her last single, "I Love This Land", was released to mark the end of the Falklands War. In 2009, at the age of 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart with the compilation album "". In 2014, she released the collection "Vera Lynn: National Treasure" and in 2017, she released "Vera Lynn 100", a compilation album of hits to commemorate her centenary—it was a No. 3 hit, making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album in the charts. By the time of her death in 2020 she had been active in the music industry for 96 years.
Lynn devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She was held in great affection by Second World War veterans and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century.
Early life.
Vera Margaret Welch was born in East Ham, Essex, now part of the London Borough of Newham, on 20 March 1917. She was the daughter of plumber Bertram Samuel Welch (1883–1955) and dressmaker Annie Martin (1889–1975), who had married in 1913. In 1919, when Lynn was two years old, she fell ill with diphtheritic croup and nearly died. She was sent to an isolation unit and was discharged after three months there. As a result of her hospitalisation, her mother was very protective of her and did not allow her to visit friends or play in the street for a long time afterwards. Lynn recalled her mother was not as strict with her elder brother Roger as she was with her.
She began performing publicly at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother Margaret's maiden name "Lynn" as her stage name when she was eleven. Her first radio broadcast, with the Joe Loss Orchestra, was in 1935. At this point she appeared on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz. In 1936, her first solo record was released on the Crown label, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire". This label was absorbed by Decca Records in 1938. She supported herself by working as an administrative assistant to the head of a shipping management company in London's East End. After a short stint with Loss she stayed with Kunz for a few years during which she recorded several standard musical pieces.
Career.
In 1937, Lynn made her ﬁrst hit recordings, "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and "Red Sails in the Sunset".
Wartime career.
Lynn's wartime contribution began when she would sing to people who were using London's tube station platforms as air raid shelters. She would drive there in her Austin 7 car. Between 1937 and 1940, she also toured with the aristocrat of British dance bands, Bert Ambrose as part of the Ambrose Octet; the group appeared in broadcasts for the BBC and for Radio Luxembourg. She left Ambrose in 1941.
Lynn is best known for the popular song "We'll Meet Again", written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. She first recorded it in 1939 with Arthur Young on Novachord, and later again in 1953 accompanied by servicemen from the British Armed Forces. The nostalgic lyrics ("We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day") were very popular during the war and made the song one of its emblematic hits.
During the Phoney War, the "Daily Express" asked British servicemen to name their favourite musical performers: Vera Lynn came out on top and as a result became known as "the Forces' Sweetheart". In July 1940, Lynn made her first appearance as a "fully fledged solo act" in Coventry.
Her continuing popularity was ensured by the success of her radio programme "Sincerely Yours", which began airing in 1941, with messages to British troops serving abroad. However, in the aftermath of the fall of Singapore in February 1942 the programme was taken off air for 18 months out of fear that the sentimental nature of her songs would undermine the "virile" nature of British soldiers. Instead, "more traditionally martial classical music" was promoted.
Lynn and her quartet continued to perform songs most requested by the soldiers. Lynn also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas. Her other great wartime hit was "The White Cliffs of Dover", words by Nat Burton, music by Walter Kent. In 1943, she appeared in the films "We'll Meet Again" and "Rhythm Serenade".
During the war years, she joined the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) and toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for British troops.
Between 1942 and 1944, she appeared in three movies with wartime themes.
In March 1944, she went to Shamshernagar airfield in Bengal to entertain the troops before the Battle of Kohima. Her host and lifelong friend Captain Bernard Holden recalled "her courage and her contribution to morale". In 1985, she received the Burma Star for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese-occupied Burma.
Postwar career.
Lynn's "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" in 1952 became the first record by a British performer to top the charts in the United States, remaining there for nine weeks. She also appeared regularly for a time on Tallulah Bankhead's US radio programme "The Big Show". "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not", gave Lynn three entries on the first UK Singles Chart.
Her popularity continued in the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son", a number-one hit in 1954 which she co-wrote with Gordon Melville Rees.
In 1955, Lynn began her first television series and in 1955, she signed an exclusive contract with the BBC for two years of radio and television work.
In 1960, she left Decca Records (after nearly 25 years) and joined EMI. She recorded for EMI's Columbia, MGM and HMV labels. She also recorded Lionel Bart's song "The Day After Tomorrow" for the 1962 musical "Blitz!"; she did not appear onstage in the play, but the characters in the play hear the song on the radio while they shelter from the bombs.
In 1967, she recorded "It Hurts To Say Goodbye", a song which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. Vera Lynn was the subject of "This Is Your Life" on two occasions, in October 1957 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre, and in December 1978, for an episode which was broadcast on 1 January 1979, when Andrews surprised her at the Café Royal, London.
She hosted her own variety series on BBC1 in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was a frequent guest on other variety shows such as the 1972 "Morecambe & Wise" Christmas Show. In 1972, she was a key performer in the BBC anniversary programme "Fifty Years of Music". In 1976, she hosted the BBC's "A Jubilee of Music", celebrating the pop music hits of the period 1952–1976 to commemorate the start of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee year. For ITV she presented a 1977 TV special to launch her album "Vera Lynn in Nashville", which included pop songs of the 1960s and country songs.
The Royal Variety Performance included appearances by Vera Lynn on four occasions: 1960, 1975, 1986 and 1990. Lynn was also interviewed about her role in entertaining the troops in the India-Burma Theatre, for "The World at War" series in 1974. Lynn is also notable for being the only artist to have a chart span on the British single and album charts reaching from the chart's inception to the 21st century – in 1952 having three singles in the first ever singles chart, compiled by "New Musical Express", and later having a 1 album with "We'll Meet Again – The Very Best of Vera Lynn".
Recording career.
Vera Lynn made her solo recording debut with the song "The General's Fast Asleep" on 3 October 1935, accompanied by the Rhythm Rascals (a pseudonym for Jay Wilbur's orchestra). The 9" 78 rpm single was issued on the Crown Records label, which went on to release a total of 8 singles recorded by Vera Lynn and Charles Smart on organ. Early recordings include "I'm in the Mood for Love" and "Red Sails in the Sunset".
In 1938, the Decca label took over control of the British Crown label and the UK-based Rex label; they had also issued early singles from Lynn in 1937, including "Harbour Lights". In late September 1939, Vera Lynn first recorded a song that continues to be associated with her: "We'll Meet Again" was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca label issued all of Lynn's records, including several recorded with Mantovani and His Orchestra in 1942, and with Robert Farnon from the late 1940s. These were only available as 78 rpm singles, which contained only two songs as an A and a B-side. In the mid-1950s, Decca issued several EP singles, which comprised between two and four recordings per side, such as "Vera Lynn's Party Sing Song" from 1954. Lynn was the first British artist to have a number one in U.S. charts, achieved with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart", which stayed at the top for nine weeks in 1952. Singles were now issued on two formats: the known 78 rpm 10" shellac discs, and the recently introduced 45 rpm 7" vinyl single. In the late 1950s, Lynn recorded four albums at Decca, the first; "Vera Lynn Concert" remains her only live recording ever issued on vinyl.
In 1960, after more than 20 years at Decca Records, Lynn signed to the US based MGM Records. In the UK, her recordings were distributed by the His Master's Voice label, later EMI Records. Several albums and stand-alone singles were recorded with Geoff Love & His Orchestra. Norman Newell also took over as Lynn's producer in this period and remained with her until her 1976 album "Christmas with Vera Lynn". Recording at EMI Records up until 1977, Lynn released thirteen albums with material as diverse as traditional hymns, pop and country songs, as well as re-recording many of her known songs from the 1940s for the albums "Hits of the Blitz" (1962), "More Hits of the Blitz" and "Vera Lynn Remembers – The World at War" (1974). In the 1980s, two albums of contemporary pop songs were recorded at the Pye Records label, both including covers of songs previously recorded by artists such as ABBA and Barry Manilow.
In 1982, Lynn released the stand-alone single "I Love This Land", written by André Previn, to mark the end of the Falklands War. Lynn's last recordings before her retirement were issued in 1991 via the "News of the World" newspaper, with proceeds in aid of the Gulf Trust.
Later years.
Lynn sang outside Buckingham Palace in 1995 in a ceremony that marked the golden jubilee of VE Day.
The United Kingdom's VE Day ceremonies in 2005 included a concert in Trafalgar Square, London, in which Lynn made a surprise appearance. She made a speech praising the veterans and calling upon the younger generation always to remember their sacrifice, and joined in with a few bars of "We'll Meet Again". This would be Lynn's final vocal performance at a VE Day anniversary event.
Following that year's Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance Lynn encouraged the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins to assume the mantle of "Forces' Sweetheart". In her speech Lynn said: "These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured, and for some families life would never be the same. We should always remember, we should never forget, and we should teach the children to remember".
In September 2008, Lynn helped launch a new social history recording website, "The Times of My Life", at the Cabinet War Rooms in London. Lynn published her autobiography, "Some Sunny Day", in 2009. She had written two previous memoirs: "Vocal Refrain" (1975) and "We'll Meet Again" (1989).
In February 2009, it was reported that Lynn was suing the British National Party (BNP) for using "The White Cliffs of Dover" on an anti-immigration album without her permission. Her lawyer claimed the album seemed to link Lynn, who does not align with any political party, to the party's views by association.
In September 2009, at the age of 92, Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it to No. 1 in the British album chart. Her compilation album "" entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August, and then climbed to No. 2 the following week before reaching the top position, outselling both the Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles. With this achievement, she surpassed Bob Dylan as the oldest artist to have a number one album in the UK.
In August 2014, Lynn was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to "The Guardian" opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue. In May 2015, she was unable to attend "," in London but was interviewed at home by the "Daily Mirror".
Three days before her 100th birthday on 17 March 2017, a new LP entitled "Vera Lynn 100" was released through Decca Records. The album, setting Lynn's original vocals to new re-orchestrated versions of her songs, also involves several duet partners including Alfie Boe, Alexander Armstrong, Aled Jones and the RAF Squadronaires. Parlophone, which owns Lynn's later recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, released a collection of her songs recorded at Abbey Road Studios entitled "Her Greatest from Abbey Road" on 10 March 2017, including five previously unreleased original recordings. By October 2017, she was the best-selling female artist of the year in the UK, having sold more albums than contemporary artists like Dua Lipa and Lana del Rey.
Lynn received two nominations at the 2018 Classic Brit Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year and was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In January 2020, a new painted portrait of Lynn was given as a gift from London Mint Office to at the Royal Albert Hall in connection with the 75th anniversary of the peace in 1945. The portrait is painted by Ross Kolby and was unveiled by Lynn's daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones and Britain's Got Talent winner Colin Thackery.
On 5 April 2020 the song "We'll Meet Again" was echoed by Queen Elizabeth II in a television address she delivered addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Lynn and Katherine Jenkins duetted virtually (Jenkins singing next to a hologram) at the Royal Albert Hall, which was empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honours and cultural references.
In 1976, Lynn received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She received the Freedom of the City of London in 1978. In 2000, she received a "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award in a nationwide poll in which she won 21% of the vote. A street named in her honour, Vera Lynn Close, is situated in Forest Gate, London. She was awarded the honorary degree of Master of Music (M.Mus) in 1992 by the University of London.
In 2018, Lynn received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Classic Brit Awards. In January 2019, it was reported that The London Mint Office had commissioned acclaimed Norwegian artist Ross Kolby to paint a portrait of Dame Vera. The painting was unveiled on 13 January 2020 and hangs in the Royal Albert Hall in London where Dame Vera performed on 52 occasions.
Lynn's visit to the Burma front during the Second World War was included in the British television documentary series "The World at War" in 1974 and narrated by Lord Olivier. A short interview made for the documentary is included in Episode 14, "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma 1942–1944".
On their 1979 album "The Wall", Pink Floyd released a song titled "Vera", referencing Vera Lynn and the song "We'll Meet Again" with the lyrics "Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? / Remember how she said that / We would meet again / Some sunny day?". "We'll Meet Again" was also used as an intro to the live performances of "The Wall" in 1980 and 1981 (as can be heard on "Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81"). The 1982 film "Pink Floyd – The Wall" opens with "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot" performed by Lynn.
The ending of Stanley Kubrick's black comedy film about the triggering of World War III (and the nuclear annihilation of civilization), "Dr. Strangelove", shows several minutes of nuclear explosions, with a musical accompaniment of the 1953 version of We'll Meet Again with Vera Lynn and an armed services chorus.
A preserved example of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 class of steam locomotives at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is named "Dame Vera Lynn". One of two new boats for the Woolwich Ferry service, which were delivered via Tilbury in autumn 2018, was named "Dame Vera Lynn" in her honour.
On his 2018 album "Would You Still Be in Love", Anthony Green released a song titled "Vera Lynn" that referenced her songs "We'll Meet Again" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square".
Charity work.
In 1953, Lynn formed the cerebral palsy charity SOS (The Stars Organisation for Spastics) and became its chairperson. The Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust was founded in 1976, with Lynn its chairperson and later its president.
In 2002, Lynn became president of the cerebral palsy charity The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and hosted a celebrity concert on its behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. In 2008, Lynn became patron of the charitable Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for ALL.
She became the patron of the Dover War Memorial Project in 2010; the same year she became patron of the British charity Projects to Support Refugees from Burma/Help 4 Forgotten Allies. In 2013 she joined a PETA campaign against pigeon racing, stating that the sport is "utterly cruel".
In August 1985, she appeared on stage at Crystal Palace Bowl, with Hawkwind, Doctor and the Medics and several other rock bands, for the finale of a benefit concert for Pete Townshend's Double-O anti-heroin charity.
Personal life.
During the Second World War, Lynn lived with her parents in a house she had bought in 1938 at 24 Upney Lane, Barking.
 In 1941, Lynn married Harry Lewis, a clarinetist, saxophonist and fellow member of Ambrose's orchestra whom she had met two years earlier. They rented another house in Upney Lane, near her parents' house. Lewis became Lynn's manager prior to 1950, after leaving his own career behind.
After the Second World War, Lynn and Lewis moved to Finchley, north London. The couple lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, from the early 1960s onwards, living next door to their daughter.
The couple had one child in March 1946, Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis (now Lewis-Jones). Her husband died in 1998. Lynn said her reason for only having one child was so that she could carry on working, since she would have been unable to do so had she had more children.
Death.
Vera Lynn died on 18 June 2020 at her home in East Sussex aged 103. Tributes to Lynn were led by the Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth II sending private condolences to Lynn's family and Clarence House issuing tributes from Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, also led with tributes in Parliament, while musicians like Sir Paul McCartney and Katherine Jenkins and public figures like Captain Tom Moore discussed her profound impact. On the day of her death, regular programming on the BBC was stopped in order to air tributes to the singer. The Band of the Coldstream Guards convened the same day to play her song "We'll Meet Again". After Lynn's death, Jenkins began campaigning to erect a statue of her by the White Cliffs of Dover, a location referenced in another of her famous songs.
Lynn was given a military funeral, which was held on 10 July 2020 in East Sussex. The procession made its way from her home in Ditchling to the Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton; it was widely attended by the public. Ditchling was decorated with poppies, a symbol of military remembrance. Ahead of the funeral, the White Cliffs of Dover had images of Lynn projected onto them, as "We'll Meet Again" was being played across the English Channel. Her cortege was accompanied by members of the Royal Air Force, the British Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal British Legion, as well as the Battle of Britain Spitfire flypast, which followed the cortege and passed over Ditchling three times (10 July 2020 was the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain). Her coffin was draped in a Union Flag with a wreath. At the family service at the Woodvale Crematorium chapel, she was serenaded by a Royal Marine bugler. Her family have said a public memorial service will be organised for some time in the future.
External links.
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[[Category:British women in World War II]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau]]
[[Category:Cultural history of World War II]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Deaths in South East England]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:English centenarians]]
[[Category:English female singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Entertainments National Service Association personnel]]
[[Category:London Records artists]]
[[Category:MGM Records artists]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:People from Ditchling]]
[[Category:People from East Ham]]
[[Category:Singers awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Singers from London]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:United Kingdom home front during World War II]]
[[Category:Women autobiographers]]
[[Category:Women centenarians]]


Carl-Fredrik Algernon

Rear Admiral Carl-Fredrik Robert Algernon (9 October 1925 – 15 January 1987) was a Swedish Navy officer. Algernon was head of the National Swedish War Materials Inspectorate from 1981 to 1987.
Career.
Algernon was born on 9 October 1925 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of head of department Carl Algernon and his wife Dagmar (née Alderin). He became acting sub-lieutenant in 1947 and was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1949. Algernon did flight interaction education from 1955 to 1956 and completed the staff course at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1956 to 1957. Algernon was promoted to lieutenant in 1959, was a member of the 1961 Defense Commission and was staff adjutant in the Coastal Fleet from 1962 to 1964 and was a lecturer at the Swedish National Defence College from 1964 to 1967. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1965.
He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1965 and to commander in 1966 and was a member of the Navy Officer Investigation from 1969 to 1971 when he was promoted to captain. Algernon was commanding officer of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla ("Första jagarflottiljen", 1. jaflj) from 1971 to 1972 when he was promoted to captain of the 1st rank. He was vice chief at the staff of Eastern Military District (Milo Ö) from 1972 to 1974 and chief of Section 2 in the Defence Staff from 1974 to 1978 when he was promoted to rear admiral. Algernon served afloat on various types of ships in the Swedish Navy during 1947-55, 1958-64, 1968-69 and 1971-72. He was head of the Military Office of the Minister of Defence from 1978 to 1979 and its subsequent agency, the Ministry of Defence's International Unit ("Försvarsdepartementets internationella enhet", Fö/INT) from 1979 to 1981 when he was appointed head of the National Swedish War Materials Inspectorate, a governmental agency tasked with supervising and revise exports of war materiel to foreign countries.
Bofors scandal and death.
At the outbreak of the Bofors scandal in the late 1980s he became one of the leading investigators into the scandal despite the fact that he was a personal friend of the CEO of Bofors, Martin Ardbo, for many years.
Algernon died when he was hit by a train at the Stockholm metro station T-Centralen on 15 January 1987. Earlier on the day he had a meeting with the CEO of Nobel Industrier (the new owners of Bofors), Anders Carlberg, about the allegations of smuggling against the company. During the conversation, Carlberg had told Algernon about an internal investigation which had confirmed that smuggling had existed. Due to Algernon's position as a leading investigator of the Bofors scandal, it was speculated that he might have been assassinated (i.e. pushed down on the railway). The subsequent investigation into his death, which ended on 11 March 1987, concluded that he had committed suicide.
Personal life.
In 1947 he married Margareta Erlandson (born 1925), the daughter of construction engineer Harald Erlandson and Signe (née Hallgren).


CC Clique

The CC Clique (), or Central Club Clique (), was one of the political factions within the Kuomintang (The Chinese Nationalist Party), in the Republic of China (1912–49). It was led by the brothers Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu, friends of Chiang Kai-shek.
Chen Lifu and his older brother Chen Guofu were nephews of Chen Qimei, who until his assassination by the Chinese warlord Yuan Shih-kai in 1916 was the mentor of upcoming Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. Because of those personal ties, the Chen brothers came to direct the organizational operations of the Chiang-dominated KMT, founding their own political organization known as the CC Clique.
Considered to be the extreme right of the Kuomintang alongside the Blue Shirts Society, the CC Clique represented traditionalists, anti-Communists, anti-Japanese and land interests. They stood closest to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, influencing appointments and promotions, and held the largest block of votes in the Central Executive Committee. Chen Li-fu was considered the party head. Its members included many of the elite within the party, including such people as Chiang Kai-shek's wife Soong Mei-ling and H.H. Kung. They influenced intelligence, trade, banking, the military, education, and propaganda.
The CC Clique placed loyal followers throughout the party and the government machinery, ensuring influence in the bureaucracy, educational agencies, youth organization and labor unions. The brothers also influenced the KMT's Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, one of Chiang's two main police and intelligence bodies. Chen Lifu freely admitted that these units caused
considerable criticism ("The Storm Clouds", p. 68).
Notable members.
Wang Tseng-shan, a Chinese Muslim, was the KMT commissioner of Civil Affairs in the Xinjiang Coalition Government from 1946–47, and was associated with the CC Clique. The Uyghur Masud Sabri was also a CC Clique member, as was the Tatar Burhan Shahidi and the KMT-general and Han-Chinese Wu Zhongxin.


Swing Shift Maisie

Swing Shift Maisie (also known as Swing It, Maisie) is a 1943 romantic comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It is the seventh in a series of 10 films starring Ann Sothern as Maisie, preceded by "Maisie Gets Her Man" (1942) and followed by "Maisie Goes to Reno" (1944). Her co-stars are James Craig and Jean Rogers.
Plot.
Maisie Ravier loses her job as an assistant in Horatio Curley's dog act as a result of a minor quarrel with test pilot "Breezy" McLaughlin. Breezy gets Curley a job at the Victory Aircraft factory where he works and offers to use his influence on Maisie's behalf too. However, she insists she can get a job there on her own merits. She lands on the swing shift at the factory. Breezy does, however, get her a room at the boarding house owned by Maw Lustvogel. Despite her initial dislike for him, Maisie starts falling in love.
Maisie stops a suicide attempt by failed actress Iris Reed, who lives across the hall, and persuades her to get a job in the same place. Her kindness backfires on her when Breezy is more attracted to Iris. The two soon become engaged.
When Breezy gets his wish to join the United States Army Air Forces, he asks Maisie to look after Iris while he is away being trained. Maisie finds this a difficult task, as Iris turns out to like men altogether too much. When Iris gets fired, she uses her feminine charms to get Judd Evans, a factory clerk, to pay the rent for an apartment in his building. She skips out without paying Maw the back rent she owes, even though Maisie gives her $20 to do so, and she has just received a $100 money order from Breezy.
Maisie finds Judd comforting Iris after another "suicide attempt". She orders Iris to tell Breezy that she no longer loves him when he comes home on leave to marry her. However, Iris secretly accuses Maisie of suspicious behavior to the factory's security department. While Maisie is being questioned, Iris and Breezy drive to Yuma, Arizona to get married. Maisie cleverly confesses to being a saboteur and implicates Iris and Breezy as fellow agents. They are stopped by the police, but let go after Breezy produces his identification. However, Breezy learns that Maisie is being held, even though Iris told him that she left to attend the funeral of an aunt. Having learned of Iris's shady character, Breezy goes back to Maisie. She is initially unwilling to take him back, but eventually gives in.
Production.
In "Swing Shift Maisie", Ann Sothern was reprising a familiar role as the "gum-cracking, back-talking Brooklyn bombshell". MGM studio bosses knew, however, that the series was a profitable and popular franchise.
Unlike aircraft factory settings for other wartime films such as "Captains of the Clouds" (1942) that used the Lockheed Vega Burbank factory, "Swing Shift Maisie" was set in a fictitious "Victory Aircraft". MGM studios had bought two Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft for a film project on the air war in North Africa, simply titled "P-38". The project was never realized but one of the aircraft was featured in "A Guy Named Joe" (1943). The other P-38 appears in the factory scene in "Swing Shift Maisie".
"Swing Shift Maisie", filmed at Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale (Los Angeles), also used a Northrop A-17A, Seversky SEV-3 and Douglas DC-3 in some scenes.
Reception.
Film critic Theoore Strauss in his review for "The New York Times", thought "Swing Shift Maisie" had become stale, but still saw the charms of the main character. "She is still the hapless little Miss Fixit all too often hurt by the people she helps, the good fairy from the honky tonks who behaves as if the world were filled with nothing but the nicest people. Her taste is not precisely refined. It runs to furbelows, bric-a-brac and ugly little dogs. Her conversation is not always as elegant as it aspires to be. But Maisie has a very strict credo even if it never got beyond the grammar-school stage. Above all she has a heart. Maisie isn't synthetic, but her latest adventure is."


List of rulers of Mutapa

List of rulers of Kingdom of Mutapa.
Territory located in present-day Zimbabwe.
Mwenemutapa = "Lord of the Conquered Land".


Military Vicariate of South Africa


Bethnal Green tube station disaster


Gyanendra Khadka

Gyanendra Khadka () (died 2003) was a journalist of Nepal who was killed by Maoist insurgents during the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. He was brutally murdered by a group of Maoist rebels on 7 September 2003, in Jyamire village of Sindhupalchok District, Nepal.
At age of 35, Khadka was working as a reporter with the state-owned news agency Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS).
Khadka was abducted from a school in the village by four gunmen and they tied his hands with a rope. When his wife searched for and discovered him, he was tied to a volleyball pole in the middle of the village. The rebels then slit his throat with a Khukuri (a knife) in front of his wife.


Zimbabwe Cabinet of 2008


Hejiang Province

Hokiang, () was a province in Northeast China, which was established in 1945. It was c.52,300 sq mi (135,500 km²) in size and the provincial capital was Jiamusi.
History.
Medieval history.
From 698 to 936, the Mohe-Korean kingdom of Balhae (Bohai) occupied northern Korea and parts of Northeast China and Primorsky Krai, consisting of the Nanai, the Udege, and the Evenks and descendants of the Tungus-speaking people and the people of the recently fallen Goguryeo kingdom in Korea. Hejiang settled at this moment by Northern Mohe tribes were submitted to Balhae Kingdom under King Mun and reign King Seon's reign (818-830) :
King Seon administrated their territories by creating three prefectures :
Balhae was an early feudal medieval state of Eastern Asia, which developed its industry, agriculture, animal husbandry, and had its own cultural traditions and art. People of Balhae maintained political, economic and cultural contacts with the southern Chinese Tang Dynasty, as well as Korea and Japan.
Modern history.
The province was formed in 1945 after the capture of Japanese controlled Manchukuo. In 1949, the province was incorporated into the Songjiang Province and in 1954 the whole area was included into the Heilongjiang Province.


Invincible Super Man Zambot 3

 is a Super Robot anime series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yoshitake Suzuki, featuring character design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and produced by Sunrise. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1977. The series lasted for 23 episodes.
Story.
There once existed a planet named Beal, until it was wiped out by the mysterious entity known as Gaizok. The few remaining survivors escaped to Earth and split into three families, named Jin, Kamie, and Kamikita respectively. While attempting to start a new life, the collectively known "Jin Family" prepared for the inevitable Gaizok invasion on Earth and its giant mechanical beasts known as "Mecha Boosts". In order to defend their new home, they have built three vehicles which when combined form the mighty Zambot 3. The Jin Family must not only defend against Gaizok attacks, but also harsh criticisms from the very people they protect, who blame the Jin Family for the invasion in the first place.
The show begins as a typical Super Robot anime, but made an effort to give a realistic explanation to the "strangeness" seen in precedent anime. It gives a rational explanation "why young children are chosen for the pilots", and tries to depict civilians' sufferings under the invasion of aliens. A much darker twist begins in episode 16 with the introduction of the cruel Human Bombs, which within two episodes leads to deaths that tug on the audience's heartstrings. Indeed, most protagonists are killed in the tragic ending. For these reasons, Zambot 3 is regarded as the most important forerunner to the Real Robot anime.
Director Yoshiyuki Tomino's nickname, "Kill 'Em All Tomino" originates from this work.
Characters.
Jin Family.
Zambot 3 Crew.
Kappei Jin is the main character of Zambot 3 and pilot of the Zambird/Zambo Ace as well as controlling the primary functions of the titular robot. At 12 years old, Kappei is always eager to get into dangerous, high-risk situations, be it in battle against one of Gaizok's Mecha Boosts or against his rival Kōzuki. While Kappei is generally willing to go into battle, he will at times run into an emotional dilemma, generally stemming from civilian backlash against the Beal-Seijin. Kappei is also very athletic and a skilled martial artist. His best friends are his pet dog, Chiyonishiki and the girls Aki and Michi. Out of the entire team, Kappei is the only member to survive the final battle, as Uchūta and Keiko perish in a successful suicide attack, Chiyonishiki is killed when the Zambo Ace's right lower leg (which houses his cockpit) is destroyed, and the rest of the Jin Family dies when their ship burns up while they are giving Kappei time to escape.
Chiyonishiki is Kappei's pet dog akita inu and his faithful friend, who "copilots" Zambird alongside Kappei. Yoshinori Kanada of Studio Z misunderstood him as a robot dog, so there are some scenes which implicate his robotic nature.
Uchūta Kamie is 15 years old and pilot of the Zambull. While Uchūta is more mature than Kappei, he is about as eager to jump into battle, to the point that early on in the series Kappei and Uchūta would argue over who should be doing most of the fighting. Uchūta has to deal with a family that is not as devoted to the fight against Gaizok as himself. In the final battle, he and Keiko perish in a successful suicide attack.
Keiko Kamikita is 14 years old and pilots of the Zambase. On the Kamikita's ranch, Keiko's hobbies are archery and horseback riding. While not as overtly aggressive as her male teammates, Keiko is if anything more willing to fight Gaizok, even at times attempting to pilot despite bodily injury. While Keiko has the strongest convictions of the team, she is also perhaps the most emotionally vulnerable. One of Keiko's most famous lines is, "Please transform, and don't make a girl say 'please!'" In the final battle, she and Uchūta perish in a successful suicide attack.
Other Jin Family members.
Heizaemon Kamikita is Keiko's grandfather and commander of the King Beal.
Gengoroh Jin is Kappei's father.
Ichitaroh Jin is Kappei's older brother.
Hanae Jin is Kappei's mother and the only family survivor of the Jin family. Including Kappei.
Umee Jin is Kappei's grandmother.
Humans.
Shingo Kōzuki is 13 years old and the leader of a local gang of kids. Shingo (most frequently referred to as Kōzuki in the series) is essentially Kappei's rival, as both have tendencies to play in the most dangerous ways possible, e.g. fighting each other with anchors. Like Kappei, Shingo is a skilled martial artist. Shingo is a civilian and does not pilot any anti-Gaizok vehicles, but he is nevertheless thrust into the middle of the conflict due to both circumstances beyond his control and through his own actions. Shingo has a mother and a sister, Kaoru, of whom he is very protective.
Kaoru Kōzuki is Shingo's little sister. Unlike most others, Kaoru sees the Jin Family and particularly Kappei as good people.
Aki is 12 years old and can be seen as Kappei's "love interest." Along with her best friend, Michi, Kappei frequently takes them along on his adventures, both in and out of Zambird. Aki is very sensible and confident, and will give Kappei a few harsh words if need be. At the same time, she is rather impressed by Kappei and the Zambird. The Zambot Archives book refers to Aki and Michi as the "Kappei Fan Club."
Michi is 12 years old and best friends with Aki. Michi, like Aki, tends to follow Kappei for one reason or another. Shyer and more reserved than Aki, Michi is usually worried about what will happen to them whenever Kappei does anything dangerous/stupid. The Zambot Archives book refers to Aki and Michi as the "Kappei Fan Club."
Hamamoto is 12 years old and Kappei's first known child who has a Human Bomb in his back. Jin Kappei's try to save him by that bomb but there is no solved medicine to trust throughout Hamamoto known that he is becoming died. And cried over his family when the Bomb killed a lot of people where Kappei becoming crying that he can't solve this problem.
Kenta is 12 years old and Kappei's second friend who has an human bomb in it.
Gaizok.
Gaizok is the mysterious entity responsible for the destruction of the planet Beal. He seeks to do the same to Earth as he did to Beal, and perhaps other planets as well. No one knows Gaizok's true motives or even his true identity, including his subordinate, Killer the Butcher. In the last episodes, Gaizok is revealed to be an extremely evolved artificial intelligence, that was once created by an ancient, super-advanced civilization, with the task of destroying anyone that would display aggressive feelings. But, having turned mad with old age, Gaizok has come to the conclusion that every feelings are dangerous and must be suppressed, meaning the destruction of all sentient beings.
Killer the Butcher is the most prominent villain in Zambot 3. Butcher is responsible for sending out Mecha Boosts to attack the Earth, particularly Japan. Butcher is a rather eccentric villain, and is seen constantly indulging in luxuries, be it eating endless amounts of meat, trying on jewelry, or attempting to sun bathe despite being inside of the Bandok. However, this extravagance does not make him any less ruthless. Butcher was sent to kill the humans, and that's exactly what he plans to do. Butcher's headquarters is the powerful mobile fortress, Bandok.
Gizzar is Butcher's right-hand man and field commander coming up with diabolical plots. Unlike Butcher he takes his job very seriously and is very thin, but he is still just as ruthless. Gizzar is often Butcher's whipping boy whenever something goes wrong.
Barettar is a field commander nearly identical to Gizzar except for muscular and has scars all over his face.
Zubutar is the Bandok's chief designer of the Mecha-Boosts.
Snai-Sworders are small snail-like reconnaissance robots used by Butcher to observe battles. They possess no offensive capabilities.
Bandok is the four-legged robot space fortress commanded by Butcher. For the first nine episodes it serves as only a headquarters near Earth's orbit where Mecha-Boosts are produced. In episode ten it comes to Earth and releases a series of Beltar Tanks to defend itself. After Mecha-Boost Tracid is destroyed, Zambot 3 attempts to attack only for a barrier to knock it away. In the next episode it is forced to flee back into space after being destroyed internally by Zambo Ace. Returns to Earth in episode 18 as the primary facility for converting humans into living bombs, keeping itself underwater at well over twelve hundred meters below the surface until Zambot 3 discovers its location. The head detaches itself and starts firing extremely large torpedoes at Zambot 3 from its mouth as well as stops the Moon Attack with an energy barrier. It retreats to space again in episode 19 after large quantities of damage and the energy barrier being destroyed by Zambot 3's Moon Attack and destruction of Mecha-Boost Gaidar. In episode 21 the Bandok uses well over two thousand space mines and homing missiles with eyeballs for nose cones called Gaizok Missiles to attack the King Beal as the Jin family approaches for the final battle. When King Beal is close enough, each arm of the Bandok fires a Bandok Cannon presumably just as powerful as the Ion Cannon. After 2nd Beal rams into its underside the main body is ultimately destroyed with the head being all that is left. In its final battle in episode 22 the head piloted by Butcher fires Bandok Missiles and eye lasers only for it to be finished off by the Ion Cannon.
Red Knight Deathcain and Blue Knight Heldyne are the two knights of Gaizok sealed within the Bandok as its guardians. Both appearing in episode 22 after most of the Bandok was destroyed, Butcher is forced into battle by Gaizok with both of these death personified knights as a last resort. Both appear as European knights on horses. Each one is armed with a small round shield that fires lightning bolts that can be combined for an extremely bright flash that launches swords and maces, although Deathcain possesses a sword while Heldyne possesses a double sided lance.
Mecha-Boosts
Mechanical weapons and vehicles.
Bealian machines.
Zambot 3.
Zambot 3, along with the King Beal, are the primary defenses against the Gaizok invasion. Zambot 3 is formed when the Zambird, Zambull and Zambase combine by a sequence called Zambot Combination. There is a separate cockpit for each pilot. In the final battle, the Zambull and Zambase are destroyed in Uchūta and Keiko's successful suicide attack, and the Zambo Ace is damaged beyond repair.
Height: 60 meters

Weight: 500 tons

Output: 350,000 horsepower (260 MW)

Energy source: Ion energy

Main weapons
Weaknesses: Zambot 3 has very few glaring design flaws, but the most prominent one is that its armor begins to fail when in waters deeper than 7000 meters.
Zambird/Zambo Ace.
Pilot: Kappei Jin
Zambird is a high-speed aerial vehicle which is able to go faster than Japan Self-Defense Force fighter jets. Zambird can transform into the humanoid Zambo Ace. Zambo Ace's primary armament is its Zambo Magnum. Zambird forms primarily the head and the inner torso of Zambot 3 and has two cockpits, with Kappei in the left and Chūnishiki in the right (which ultimately leads to the latter's demise).
Main Weapons
'Zambird'
'Zambo Ace'
Zambull.
Pilot: Uchūta Kamie
Zambull is a tank-like vehicle that has the most hitting power out of the three parts of Zambot 3. Zambull forms the outer torso and arms of Zambot 3, as evidenced by the large fists that sit on top of Zambull.
Main Weapons
Zambase.
Pilot: Keiko Kamikita
Zambase functions as both an attack and support vehicle. In addition to possessing its own weapons for offense, Zambase also carries spare ammunition and Zambo Magnums for Zambo Ace, as well as remote cameras for reconnaissance. Zambase forms primarily the legs of Zambot 3, and is also responsible for overseeing balance and power distribution throughout the entire robot.
Main Weapons
Video games.
Zambot 3 has made an appearance in several "Super Robot Wars" titles.
References.
"". IMDB.


Dance in Zimbabwe

Dancing in Zimbabwe is an important aspect of the Zimbabwean culture, tradition, spirituality and history. There are many dances that reflect the culture of the people, although the dances may have changed throughout the years. Ethnic diversity is also a key factor in influencing the dances of the Zimbabwean culture. These dances are self-reflective, for the entire community because all music and dance are communal events. Dance to Zimbabweans is a very spiritual, powerful tool that carries on traditions, and chronicles the important events of their history and culture.
Background.
The Republic of Zimbabwe has a population that is about 16 million people; the majority, about 76%, live in rural areas. This is a very important detail in light of how many crops are produced by Zimbabwe: coffee, corn, wheat, sugar, tea, and cotton. This agricultural aspect of life is apparent in many of the dances they perform The official language is English, although the Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í, and traditional ethnic religions are also practiced. There are at least 20 ethnic groups in Zimbabwe, the majority being Shona (about 5 million people) and Ndebele (about 2 million people). There is some division between these groups due to battles between the Shona and Ndebele people in the previous century. Each group has its own history, subculture, and political significance, yet they share many religious and cultural beliefs as well. Every aspect of their culture influences the dances in which they perform.
Music.
The three distinctive instruments of Zimbabwe include drums (ngomas), the mbira, and the marimba. Different sizes, shapes, tightness of the membranes, and materials used to make drums produce different tones and pitches, just as the different sized wood strips of a marimba create different tones. The mbira is perhaps the most important instrument used. It is plucked with the fingers to produce the melody, and is often used during religious rituals by spirit mediums in order to communicate with ancestral spirits. The mbira, and consequently the mbira dance, has been around for a long time, according to archaeological digs. Mbiras have been uncovered and dated back to the twelfth century.
Character and Purpose.
Dances may be performed for enjoyment or entertainment, during many rituals including spirit possession, to re-create history, as an art form, and as a means of courting. Zimbabwean dance has a very distinct, individual style because the tempo of the music and dance is influenced by the spirit of the dancers. This brings a unique, personal element to the dance culture, as well as flexibility in interpretation of the dances. The dances can be very powerful and can be interpreted differently by each performer and each member of the audience. There are many distinguishing characteristics that define Zimbabwean dance. Rhythm is the most important element to all African dance. Polyrhythms are extremely important, just as they are in the music of Zimbabwe, and all of Africa. The performer can pace their movements in a way that creates a new rhythm to the dance. There is a very downward, earth-bound orientation to all Zimbabwean dances. The knees are often flexed, or soft, and there are flat-footed, shuffling movements that represent the belief in the spirit of the earth being the provider of fertility. Other elements to Zimbabwe dances include isolations, angularity (with the body bent at the waist), asymmetry, improvisation, a swinging quality, and movements outward from the hip. Dances are very self-reflective, evident in the improvisation and emotion expressed, and as with the music of Africa, participation is a key element. People either sing, play an instrument, or dance along; there are rarely spectators. Spirituality is very influential to Zimbabwean dance. Dance is a means of expressing their spirituality, and some evangelical churches in Zimbabwe even incorporate dancing into their worship.
There are three main groups in which the dances of Zimbabwe may be classified. The first is ritualistic. This is the broadest category, and includes the most ancient, traditional dances. The second is commemorative. Commemorative dances show the political and social trends of the time. The last is griotic, which includes the historical and ritual dramas. The griotic dances are specifically used to signify oral history using storytelling, music, and praise songs to convey important historical events. Classical dance in Zimbabwe is considered the ‘high art of the culture’, and is very important in meeting the requirements of the aesthetic. The beauty and complexity of the rhythms and movements are very important elements. Classical dances retain specific choreography, complexity, and contexts throughout changing times. article
Traditional dance : Asante Welsh,(1985).
Traditional dance in Zimbabwe is constantly changing. Traditional dance must adapt to the changing times without becoming too Westernized in order for the traditional culture to remain. The people of Zimbabwe encourage change, but they want to do it within themselves, not change through outside cultural influences. Traditional dances must accommodate change in order to remain tradition, and continue to withstand the test of time. The traditional purposes for many dances have changed, the reason for performing dances change, however the meaning and significance of the dances remain constant. Conventionally, the people of Zimbabwe dance for important people, for example, on the tarmac at the airport at the arrival of Government officials. Traditionally, Zimbabwean dance is not set for the concert stage. A dance, such as a ritual of spirit possession, may last twelve hours, or even days in length. Time is a very important aspect of these dances because the dancer must have time to enter the spirit world of possession, and re-enter the material world. This spiritual experience is difficult to perform on a concert stage with limited time, and is often acted out, or abbreviated in concert-type settings. These dances are preferably performed in a natural setting. In neo-traditional dances, on the other hand, the contexts of the dances have changed, and are considered to be ‘traditional-like’. The dance may carry the same importance, and even comprise the same movements, but since the context has changed, the dance is no longer considered strictly traditional. These neo-traditional dances are wonderful keepers of history, and chroniclers of time change for this reason. As the dances change to reflect cultural changes such as politics, weather, urbanization, and outside influences, they show the timeline of history in the culture. This also results in a highly emotional link to the dances and events that they represent because people are relating to their everyday lives and struggles.
Mbira dance is a characteristic, traditional ritual dance, accompanied by the mbira instrument. It is designed for specific occasions, usually religious in nature, and it is used to express the people. The Mbira dance is often used to lure spirits to come out through spirit mediums and communicate with the people. This dance is carried on by the elders of the tribes, and is very powerful in its spiritual traditions.
The Dinhe dance is a religious dance that is also performed to lure spirits into speaking to the people. A lot of war movements and movements of joy are used in this dance. This dance also reflects the agricultural aspect of life, and such props reflecting these themes may also be used. The Dinhe dance uses different songs to accompany the dance, and the mood of the song indicates which spirits trying to be conjured. The Mhande dance is performed by the midlands tribes and traditional is very important to the dance. The Mbakumba dance is a polyrhythmic dance that is traditionally performed after harvest and is still used today for entertainment.
The Jerusarema dance and the Muchongoyo dance are two of the most important, distinctive dances in Zimbabwe, and are both accompanied by drums. Both of these dances are traditional, and can be recognized by the people almost immediately upon the first few movements of the dance. The Jerusarema dance represents the Shona culture and it is polyrhythmic with circular motions, and acrobatics and repetition are very prominent. The Jerusarema dance is a traditional dance that can be performed at celebrations, funerals, recreational competitions, and is also performed as a war dance. Funerals have a significant purpose for the dance because the dance is used to usher the dead out and into the ancestral spirit world wherein they may be called upon in future ritualistic ceremonies. Traditional clothing, which includes dried-grass skirts and bare chests, is used during the performance of the Jerusarema dance, and the colors of black or dark blue and white, which are the traditional colors of the Shona people, are worn. The Mbende Jerusarema dance was relisted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. In addition, Mbende/Jerusarema was outlawed by Christian missionaries during the colonial period due to the provocative nature of the movements that characterize this dance style. The Muchongoyo dance represents the Ndebele culture and is traditionally performed in preparation for war and after war, especially when the Ndebele are victorious. The Muchongoyo is also used as a military training exercise, and is characteristically performed with a stick and a shield. The Muchongoyo dance is also a social and recreational dance, and does not have a religious feature; instead it highlights the events of the society. The signature movement is stamping, and dramatic gestures as well as a mimetic element are essential. The dress is neo-traditional, accommodating the changing times, but still resembling the traditional costume. Males historically perform this dance; however females participate by creating the music.


Willy Blok Hanson

Willy Blok Hanson (1914 – December 22, 2012) was a Javanese-born Canadian dancer and choreographer. The "Toronto Star" has called her a "Canadian dance legend."
Biography.
Personal life.
Hanson was born in Java, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) in 1914. Her father was Dutch-Chinese while her mother was of French-Indonesian descent. She studied dance and gymnastics at a dance academy in Vienna, Austria, but was forced to return to the Dutch East Indies with the outbreak of World War II. She arrived back in Java during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia. She was accused of spying and espionage by Japanese authorities and imprisoned for fifty-five days.
She met her first husband, an Australian soldier, after World War II. The couple had one daughter (who was Willy Blok Hanson's only child) in 1947, Christilot Hanson, who would later become a four-time Canadian Olympic equestrian. The family moved to Toronto, Canada, in 1951. Willy Blok Hanson and her first husband divorced in the early 1970s. She remarried twice. Her second marriage was to a University of Toronto professor of aeronautical engineering. Hanson's short third marriage was to a 27-year-old medical student when she was in her seventies.
Career.
Willy Blok Hanson opened her first dance studio near Bay and Bloor Streets in Toronto during the 1950s. She also joined a trio of dancers who performed weekly on CBC Television. She transitioned to choreography, creating dances and routines for prominent artistic figures, including the Canadian Film Board and film director, Norman Jewison.
Hanson owned another, well-known dance and personal training studio located at Church and Wellesley Streets before her retirement when she was 75 years old. Her client list included rappers, professional dancers and entertainment industry executives.
Hanson died at her apartment in the Church and Wellesley neighborhood of downtown Toronto on December 22, 2012, at the age of 98. She had previously joked that she planned to live to 100 in a 1991 interview with the "Toronto Star", saying, "I will never surrender to old age." She was survived by her only daughter, Christilot Boylen, two grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.


Left-Winger (comics)

Left-Winger is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history.
He first appeared in "Captain America" #323 (Nov 1986).
Fictional character biography.
Hector Lennox was born in Houston, Texas. He was a U.S. Army veteran who grew bored during peace-time service. He signed up for the Power Broker's strength augmentation process, and joined the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. Later, his army friend John Walker, the Super-Patriot, approached him to form a team of superhumans. This new team was known as the B.U.C.s (Bold Urban Commandos) or "Buckies", and consisted of Lennox, Lemar Hoskins, and Jerome Johnson.
The Super-Patriot publicly spoke out against the original Captain America, and the Buckies (who pretended to be Cap's supporters) staged opposition to Walker and pretended to attack him at a rally in Central Park as a publicity stunt. Walker defeated these protesters and proclaimed to Captain America that the people should decide who was worthy of being Captain America. Left-Winger also participated in an attack on foreign students. Eventually, the Commission on Superhuman Activities selected Walker to replace Steve Rogers as Captain America, and chose Lemar Hoskins to become his partner Bucky (and later as Battlestar).
Lennox and Johnson were left behind, feeling betrayed and angered. They chose the names Left-Winger and Right-Winger respectively. They wore stolen Guardsmen armor and battled Walker and Hoskins. The pair upstaged the new Captain America at a patriotic rally and press conference, attacking him and revealing Walker's identity to the press out of jealousy over his new-found success. As a result, Walker's parents were killed by the militia group The Watchdogs, nearly driving Walker into a mental breakdown. Walker blamed his former partners for his parents' deaths, and he stalked them. When he caught up to Left-Winger and Right-Winger, he tied them to an oil tank which was detonated by a torch-saber and left them to die. They barely survived the explosion due to their bodies' enhanced physiology, leaving them terribly burned and in critical condition.
Later, Walker became the U.S. Agent and joined the West Coast Avengers. Left-Winger and Right-Winger, alongside several others, were plucked from different time periods by Immortus to serve in the third Legion of the Unliving. They battled U.S. Agent, who slew them again not believing them to be authentic.
Eventually, it was revealed to Walker that the pair had survived the explosion and were hospitalized in Houston. After undergoing painful treatment for the burns they received, they had committed suicide. When Walker learned of this, he was remorseful.
Powers and abilities.
As a result of augmentation of his physical attributes by Dr. Karl Malus on behalf of the Power Broker, Left-Winger has superhuman strength, stamina, reflexes & reactions, and endurance.
Left-Winger carries a torch-sabre which would ignite at the touch of a button and projected a foot-long fiery "blade" as hot as a blowtorch. It can burn through thick steel within seconds.
Left-Winger had moderate street-fighting experience, basic army training, and rigorous wrestling training.


Rabo Karabekian

Rabo Karabekian is a fictional character and the narrator and protagonist of the 1987 novel "Bluebeard" by American author Kurt Vonnegut.
In Vonnegut's fiction.
He is an abstract expressionist artist who appears first in the 1973 novel "Breakfast of Champions" as the artist of the $50,000 painting "The Temptation of Saint Anthony". He was met with resentment by people in the book who felt that the purchase of his painting was a waste of money.
Vonnegut's 1987 novel "Bluebeard" is largely a fictional autobiography of Karabekian, and is told primarily as a first person narrative.
Karabekian's parents were survivors of the Armenian genocide. They moved to California, where young Rabo's talent as an artist became apparent. However, although capable of incredible photorealism, his teacher generally felt his work had no soul (that is, it failed to invoke an emotional response in the viewer). His father was a cobbler who did repairs until he became obsessed with making elaborate cowboy boots.
As a young man, he joined the Army to serve in World War II and because of his artistic skills was assigned to a camouflage unit. Unfortunately, while in service near the front, his position was overrun, costing him an eye, over which he wore a patch for the rest of his life.
Before the war, Karabekian wrote to the famous artist, Dan Gregory showing him his paintings and begging Dan to mentor Karabekian. Karabekian instead ends up in a relationship with Dan's assistant, who ships Karabekian expensive paints and materials. After Karabekian mails a painting made with the new paints to Dan, in a rage, Dan realizes the paintings were made with his paints, and in a drunken rage hits the assistant down the stairs, breaking her legs. Dan, realizing he could be arrested tells the assistant she can have one thing she wants as long as she doesn't press charges. The assistant tells Dan to mentor Karabekian, which he does.
After the war, Karabekian became friends with many abstract expressionists, including Jackson Pollock. Karabekian was able to make some money selling paintings he had bought from civilians during the war and, unlike his friends, was able to support himself while pursuing his art. He could pay other artists' bills, and they paid their debt in art. As a result, he eventually accumulated the world's largest private collection of abstract expressionist works.
Karabekian did have major commissions of his own, including murals. Rejecting his photorealistic roots, his works tended to be abstract, consisting of a revolutionary house paint called Sateen Dura-Luxe on canvas as the background, topped with colored tape. Although he claimed the works were completely abstract, he admitted to himself that the tape represented the aura of living creatures on a landscape. Unfortunately, his choice of materials was a poor one - the not-so-revolutionary Sateen Dura-Luxe and tape eventually fell off, essentially destroying all of his work over time. Sateen Dura-Luxe turned out to be highly toxic when exposed to air, so his leftover stock sits in his basement.
As Karabekian's better-known work looked very simple, many of his friends doubted he had real artistic talent. However, when he was in the mood, he could paint photographically and spent years apprenticing with Dan Gregory, an illustrator. During the preparation of one of his works, he proved his talent to a friend by caricaturing him in dust smeared on canvas.
Karabekian's "secret" in "Bluebeard" is held in a large old potato barn building on his estate that he never lets anyone enter.
"The Temptation of Saint Anthony" costs $50,000 and is solid green with one thin, vertical, Day-Glo orange strip of tape. Karabekian defends the painting at the end of Vonnegut's 1973 novel "Breakfast of Champions" as a representation of the only pristine element of humanity: "their awareness". Karabekian further describes his views in "Bluebeard" as seeing every person as a thin and bright neon tube representing their soul and their awareness.
Karabekian's "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" also appears in Vonnegut's 1982 novel "Deadeye Dick".
The Secret.
Throughout the novel "Bluebeard" it is mentioned that Karabekian is housing a secret item inside the potato barn on his property. Eventually, after the insistence of Circe Berman, Karabekian reveals that inside the barn is his last painting, named "Now It's the Women's Turn," which he intended to be shown after his death. The painting is an enormous photo-realistic picture of Karabekian's experience of World War Two where he and five-thousand two-hundred and eighteen other prisoners of war, gypsies, and concentration camp survivors were dumped in a valley when the German forces realized that the war was lost. The painting, which becomes enormously successful as a tourist attraction, is meant to be the only painting that Karabekian created which contained "soul."


Military Ordinariate of Germany

The Military Ordinariate of Germany (; "Deutsches Militärordinariat") is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the German Armed Forces and their families.
Franz-Josef Overbeck, who was appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, was also appointed Military Ordinary for Germany on 24 February 2011.
History.
The first military bishop was appointment on 22 May 1868. A military vicariate was established on 20 July 1933, but it was not until 7 January 1938 that the first military vicar was appointed. It was elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986. The Episcopal seat is located at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist Patron of Breslavia ("Basilika St. Johannes der Täufer Patron von Breslau") in Berlin, Germany.


Liang May Seen

Liang May Seen ( 1871 – 1946) was the first woman of Chinese descent to live in Minnesota. She overcame an impoverished childhood in China and teenage years spent in a San Francisco brothel to become a respected leader in the Chinese immigrant community in Minneapolis.
Early life and emigration.
Liang May Seen was born in southern China's Guangdong Province around 1871. In 1885, at the age of fourteen, her parents sold her to a man who promised that Liang would be marrying a wealthy Chinese American merchant. Instead he sold her to a brothel in San Francisco. At the brothel, Liang May Seen was forced to provide sexual services for businessmen, but she plotted her escape. She contacted the Presbyterian Mission Home for assistance. On July 21, 1889, she slipped away from a banquet and was picked up in a carriage sent by the Mission Home.
Liang lived at the Mission Home for three years. Besides converting to Christianity and learning housekeeping skills, she took classes in English, Cantonese, and mathematics. In 1892, a Chinese businessman from Minneapolis, Woo Yee Sing, visited the mission looking for a wife. There he found Liang; they were married that summer and she moved with him to Minneapolis.
Life in Minnesota.
Woo Yee Sing had immigrated to the United States at the age of eighteen, moving to San Francisco in the early 1880s. He arrived to face severe anti-Chinese violence. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act - which restricted Chinese immigration to the United States - had also bolstered the segregation and social exclusion of Chinese immigrants already in the United States.
Most of the Chinese men who came to the Midwest during the 1880s and 1890s moved from the West Coast to escape this kind of violence. Woo Yee Sing moved for the same reason. Minnesota was not free from violence or discrimination, however. In 1912 a small bomb was set off near Woo's restaurant, and his son recalled being taunted and called racist names. Like many Chinese men at this time, Woo became a laundry operator. In 1883, Woo Yee Sing and his brother Woo Du Sing opened a restaurant. Canton Cafe, later known as John's Place, was the first Chinese restaurant in Minneapolis.
When Liang joined Woo in Minneapolis, she was the first Chinese woman to live in Minnesota. She made friends quickly, however. Because of her time at the Mission Home, she was fluent in English and had experience with cross-cultural friendships. Many of the white women she befriended in Minneapolis were neighbors and patrons of the curio shop she opened in 1904. Others, such as suffragist Mabeth Hurd Paige, were friends through organizations like the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Liang May Seen and Woo Yee Sing were both very involved with the Westminster Presbyterian Church. The church and its Chinese Sunday School were important institutions for many Chinese immigrants in Minneapolis. Westminster began teaching English lessons to Chinese men in 1882, and Woo Yee Sing was one of their first students. Although Westminster did not begin teaching English to Chinese women until 1920, the church was one of few places where women - both white and Chinese - could take on leadership roles through their involvement with social and religious activities. Most other civic organizations did not accept Chinese Americans until the 1930s or 1940s.
The Chinese community in Minneapolis began growing after 1900. As Minnesota's Chinese men achieved economic success, more of them were able to bring their wives and families from Guangdong Province. When Chinese women moved to Minneapolis, Liang was there to help them acclimate to their new country.
One of these women, Minnie Wong, became lifelong friends with Liang. Wong's husband, Wong Gee, brought her to Minneapolis in the early 1900s. Liang May Seen and Minnie Wong were both from Kaiping, and they spoke the same dialect. They visited each other frequently, and together they taught Westminster's first English classes for women.
In 1906, Liang May Seen and her husband expanded their family. They were never able to have biological children, but they adopted a young boy named Howard from San Francisco. Liang was also very close to her niece, Margaret Woo Chinn.
Liang died in 1946. She lived long enough to see the 1943 end of immigration laws excluding the Chinese.