Lokpal

A Lokpal ( lokapāla, "caretaker of people") is an anti-corruption authority or body of ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India. The current Chairperson of Lokpal is Pinaki Chandra Ghose. The Lokpal has jurisdiction over central government to inquire into allegations of corruption against its
public functionaries and for matters connected to corruption. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was passed in 2013 with amendments in parliament, following the Jan Lokpal movement led by Anna Hazare in 2011. The Lokpal is responsible for enquiring into corruption charges at the national level while the Lokayukta performs the same function at the state level. Minimum age of Lokpal (chairperson or member) on the date of assuming office as the chairperson or member should not be less than 45 years.

As of March 2019, and ever since the related Act of Parliament was passed in India. Retired Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose is appointed as the first Lokpal of India by a committee consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on 23 March 2019 wheareas the members are appointed w.e.f 27 March 2019.  It consists of a chair person and eight members, half of whom are judicial members who are or have been a Judge of the Supreme Court or a Chief Justice of a High Court and the other half being non-judicial members are people of impeccable integrity and outstanding ability having special knowledge and expertise of not less than twenty-five years in the matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, law and management.

History
The term "Lokpal" was coined by Dr. L.M.Singhvi in 1963. The concept of a constitutional ombudsman was first proposed in parliament by Law Minister Ashoke Kumar Sen in the early 1960s. The first Jan Lokpal Bill was proposed by Adv Shanti Bhushan  in 1968 and passed in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969, but did not pass through the Rajya Sabha. Subsequently, 'lokpal bills' were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, again by Ashoke Kumar Sen, while serving as Law Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, and again in 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008, yet they were never passed. Forty five years after its first introduction and after ten failed attempts, the Lokpal Bill was finally enacted in India on 18 December 2013.

The Lokpal Bill provides for the filing, with the ombudsman, of complaints of corruption against the prime minister, other ministers, and MPs. The first Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) recommended the enacting of the Office of a Lokpal, convinced that such an institution was justified, not only for removing the sense of injustice from the minds of citizens, but also to instill public confidence in the efficiency of the administrative machinery.

Following this, the Lokpal Bill was, for the first time, presented during the fourth Lok Sabha in 1968, and was passed there in 1969. However, while it was pending in the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha was dissolved, and thus the bill was not passed.

The bill was revived several times in subsequent years, including in 2011. Each time, after the bill was introduced to the House, it was referred to a committee for improvements, to a joint committee of parliament, or to a departmental standing committee of the Home Ministry. Before the government could take a final stand on the issue, the house was dissolved again. Several conspicuous flaws were found in the 2008 draft of the Lokpal Bill. The basic idea of a lokpal is borrowed from the Office of the Ombudsman, which has the Administrative Reforms Committee of a lokpal at the Centre, and lokayukta(s) in the states.

Anna Hazare fought to get this bill passed, and it did pass on 27 December 2011, around 9:30, with some modifications. These were proposed as the Jan Lokpal Bill. However, Hazare and his team, as well as other political parties, claimed that the Lokpal Bill passed was weak, and would not serve its intended purpose. So the proposed bill by the ruling Congress Party has yet to be accepted in the Rajya Sabha. As of 29 December 2011, the bill has been deferred to the next parliamentary session, amid much controversy and disruption by the LJP, RJD and SP parties. The media at large, and the opposition parties, claimed the situation had been staged.

Jan Lokpal Bill movement

Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's Ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists, seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within one year and conduct trials for the case within the next year.

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (a former Supreme Court Judge and former Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (a Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (a RTI activist), the draft Bill envisaged a system in which a corrupt person found guilty would go to jail within two years of the complaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth confiscated. It also sought power for the Jan Lokpal to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without requiring government permission.

Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and others, like Anna Hazare, Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Mallika Sarabhai are also members of the movement, called India Against Corruption. Its website describes the movement as "an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption." It goes on to state: "We have all come together to force/request/persuade/pressurize the Government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. We feel that if this Bill were enacted it would create an effective deterrence against corruption."

Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption crusader, began a fast-unto-death, demanding that this bill, drafted by Civil Society, be adopted. The website of the India Against Corruption movement calls the Lokpal Bill of the government an "eyewash", and hosts a critique of that government bill. It also lists the difference between the bills drafted by the government and civil

Features of the Jan Lokpal Bill
 An institution called Lokpal at the centre and Lokayukta in each state will be set up.
 Like the Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.
 Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in the next one year, so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.
 The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.
 If the work of any citizen is not done in a prescribed time, in any government office, Lokpal will impose a financial penalty on the guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant. So, one may approach the Lokpal or the Lokayukta if one's ration card or passport or voter card have not been made in time, with no reason being cited for doing so, or if the police does not register one's case, or if any other work has not been done within the prescribed time, without any valid reason being cited for doing so. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. One may also report any case of corruption to Lokpal, like rations being siphoned off, poor quality roads being constructed or government funds being siphoned off.
 The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal will be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months if the charges are found to be true.
 CVC, the departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of the CBI, however, will not be merged with the office of the Lokpal. The Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.
 It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.

Powers of the Lokpal
The Lokpal has jurisdiction to inquire into allegations of corruption against anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, or a Minister in the Union government, or a Member of Parliament, as well as officials of the Union government under Groups A, B, C and D. Also covered are chairpersons, members, officers and directors of any board, corporation, society, trust or autonomous body either established by an Act of Parliament or wholly or partly funded by the Union or State government. It also covers any society or trust or body that receives foreign contribution above ₹10 lakh (approx. US$14,300/- as of 2019).

The Lokpal, however, cannot inquire into any corruption charge against the Prime Minister if the allegations are related to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space, unless a full Bench of the Lokpal, consisting of its chair and all members, considers the initiation of a probe, and at least two-thirds of the members approve it. Such a hearing should be held in camera, and if the complaint is dismissed, the records shall not be published or made available to anyone.

A complaint under the Lokpal Act should be in the prescribed form and must pertain to an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act against a public servant. There is no restriction on who can make such a complaint. When a complaint is received, the Lokpal may order a preliminary inquiry by its Inquiry Wing, or refer it for investigation by any agency, including the CBI, if there is a prima facie case. Before the ordering of an investigation by the agency, the Lokpal shall call for an explanation from the public servant to determine whether a prima facie case exists. This provision, the Act says, will not interfere with any search and seizure that may be undertaken by the investigating agency. The Lokpal, with respect to Central government servants, may refer the complaints to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). The CVC will send a report to the Lokpal regarding officials falling under Groups A and B; and proceed as per the CVC Act against those in Groups C and D.

The Inquiry Wing or any other agency will have to complete its preliminary inquiry and submit a report to the Lokpal within 60 days. It has to seek comments from both the public servant and "the competent authority," before submitting its report. There will be a ‘competent authority’ for each category of public servant. For instance, for the Prime Minister, it is the Lok Sabha, and for other Ministers, it will be the Prime Minister. And for department officials, it will be the Minister concerned.

A Lokpal Bench consisting of no less than three members shall consider the preliminary inquiry report, and after giving an opportunity to the  public servant accused of corruption for his/her defence, decide whether it should proceed with the investigation. It can order a full investigation, or initiate departmental proceedings or close the proceedings. It may also proceed against the complainant if the allegation is false. The preliminary inquiry should normally be completed within 90 days of receipt of the complaint.

After the investigation, the agency ordered to conduct the probe has to file its investigation report in the court of appropriate jurisdiction, and a copy of the report has to be filed before the Lokpal. A Bench of at least three members will consider the report and may grant sanction to the Prosecution Wing to proceed against the public servant based on the agency’s chargesheet. It may also ask the competent authority to take departmental action or direct the closure of the report. Previously, the authority vested with the power to appoint or dismiss a public servant was the one to grant sanction under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Now this power will be exercised by the Lokpal, a judicial body. In any case, the Lokpal will have to seek the comments of the ‘competent authority’ as well as the public servant’s comments before granting such sanction.

The Lokpal will have a Secretary, who will be appointed by the Lokpal Chairperson from a panel of names prepared by the Union government. The Secretary will be of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India. The Lokpal will have to appoint an Inquiry Wing, headed by a Director of Inquiry, and a Prosecution Wing, headed by a Director of Prosecution. Until these officers are appointed, the government will have to make available officers and staff from its Ministries and Departments to conduct preliminary inquiries and pursue prosecution. The institution will also have to appoint other officers and staff.

Public servants will have to declare their assets and liabilities in a prescribed form. If any asset(s) found in their possession is/are not declared, or if misleading information about these are furnished, it may lead to an inference that assets were acquired by corrupt means. For public servants under the State governments, the States have to set up Lokayuktas to deal with charges against their own officials.

Fundamental duties
 To make jurisdictions against corruption cases with the Lokpal.
 To judge whether a case is genuine or whether a fake complaint has been made.

Anna Hazare, a Gandhian rights activist, had started a fast unto death at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding the passing of the bill. Hazare called off his hunger strike on 9 April 2011, bringing to an end his 98-hour protest after the government issued a gazette notification constituting a 10-member Joint Committee of government ministers and civil society activists, including him, to draft a bill for the creation of an effective Lokpal. Thousands of people from all over India, especially youth, supported Anna Hazare's cause by attending candle lit marches and conducting online campaigns through social media.

Recently yoga guru, Swami Ramdev, fasted for this cause for 9 days from 4 to 12 June 2011. He wanted the Government of India to accept various demands, which mainly included those related to the Lokpall Bill.

Anna Hazare on 8 June 2011, declared that he would again fast unto death on 16 August, if the Lokpal bill were not passed by the Parliament of India by 15 August, which is the Independence Day of India.

On 16 June, Civil Society reported that only 15 points, of 71, that they recommended have been agreed to by the Joint Committee consisting of five central ministers. Following differences with the Civil Society, the team of five central ministers decided to forward two drafts of the Lokpal Bill to the Cabinet, one from each side. Anticipating some sort of police action against his fast, intended for 16 August, social activist Anna Hazare said he would ask the Supreme Court to prevent any situation similar to the police crackdown on Baba Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan.

"The government said, ‘we will suppress the agitation of Anna Hazare as had been done in the case of Ramdev’. Is this democracy or autocracy? You cannot suppress.... That is why we will go to the Supreme Court tomorrow," Hazare told reporters, adding "the Constitution has given right to every citizen to lodge a protest. We will launch the agitation from August 16."

On 27 December 2011, the Lokpal bill was passed by the Lok Sabha after a day-long debate and amendments. The Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy have been kept out of the jurisdiction of the Lokpal. The bill also keeps the CBI independent.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
The historic Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 was passed by Indian Parliament paving the way for establishment of a Lokpal (Ombudsman) to fight corruption in public offices and ensure accountability on the part of public officials, including the Prime Minister, but with some safeguards.

Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50% will be judicial members 50% members of Lokpal shall be from SC/ST/OBCs, minorities and women. Selection of chairperson and members of Lokpal through a selection committee consisting of PM, Speaker of Lok Sabha, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI. Eminent jurist to be nominated by President of India on basis of recommendations of the first four members of the selection committee "through consensus". Lokpal's jurisdiction will cover all categories of public servants. All entities (NGOs) receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of Rs 10 lakh per year are under the jurisdiction of Lokpal. Centre will send Lokpal bill to states as a model bill. States have to set up Lokayuktas through a state law within 365 days.

 Lokpal will have power of superintendence and direction over any central investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them by the ombudsman.
 A high-powered committee chaired by the PM will recommend selection of CBI director. The collegium will comprise PM, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India PM has been brought under purview of the Lokpal, so also central ministers and senior officials.
 Directorate of prosecution will be under overall control of CBI director. At present, it comes under the law ministry.
 Appointment of director of prosecution to be based on recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission.
 Director of prosecution will also have a fixed tenure of two years like CBI chief.
 Transfer of CBI officers investigating cases referred by Lokpal with the approval of watchdog.
 Bill incorporates provisions for attachment and confiscation of property acquired by corrupt means, even while prosecution is pending.
 Bill lays down clear timelines for preliminary enquiry and investigation and trial. Provides for special courts Public servants will not present their view before preliminary enquiry if the case requires 'element of surprise' like raids and searches.
 Bill grants powers to Lokpal to sanction prosecution against public servants.
 CBI may appoint a panel of advocates with approval of Lokpal, CBI will not have to depend on govt advocates.
On 15 May 2018, Mukul Rohtagi (Former Attorney General of India) has been appointed as an eminent jurist in the selection panel of Lokpal.

List of Chairpersons of the Lokpal Committee


Notomulciber sexnotatus

Notomulciber sexnotatus is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Stephan von Breuning and de Jong in 1941. It is known from Sumatra.


Cluj-Napoca City Hall

Cluj-Napoca City Hall, located at 3 Moților Street, is the seat of government for Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Built at the end of the 19th century after the plans of architect Ignác Alpár, it features a Viennese baroque facade with a corner clock tower. Affixed to the tower was the seal of Kolozs County, of which the city was the seat when it was part of Austria-Hungary before 1918, as the building initially housed the county's headquarters. The building was erected according to the city's 1798 development plan, whereby every new building had to be approved by the city council. During its days as county headquarters, the building served multiple purposes–as a political, administrative and fiscal centre. At the same time, the large halls hosted exhibitions of both established and younger artists, and, starting at the turn of the 20th century, the city's balls.

The building is classified as a historic monument by the Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony.

Notes


Filippo Zappata

Filippo Zappata (6 July 1894 – 30 August 1994) was an Italian engineer and aircraft designer.

Life

Zappata was born in Ancona in 1894. He worked for Gabardini, Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CANT), Blériot, Breda, and Agusta.

In the 1930s the engineer Filippo Zappata designed a series of successful multi-engined hydroplanes such as the CANT Z.501 flying boat, CANT Z.506 floatplane, and CANT Z.1007 medium bomber. In association with test pilot Mario Stoppani, Zappata's designs flew 15 first flights and set 41 world aeronautical records.

In the early 1940s he designed a large four-engined airliner, the Breda-Zappata BZ.308, but the project was initially abandoned and only one airplane was produced after WW2.

The B.Z.308 was a four-engined civil transport developed -as a project- initially by fascist Italy for operation over both European and transatlantic routes.

A single airplane was finally built in 1948 -the only one created in Italy for long range commercial service- and was used between Italy and Italian Somalia in the 1950s.

Indeed on 27 August 1948 the Bz 308 made its maiden flight in front of civil and military authorities, politicians and the Italian President. The prototype, which passed to the Italian Air Force in 1950, was used to fly between Rome and Mogadishu until 21 February 1954, when it was damaged beyond repair by a collision with a cement truck, and was abandoned in a field in Somalia before being broken up.

It was also the first Italian transatlantic aircraft, and the first aircraft to fly into the new Malpensa airport in 1948.

Filippo Zappata  died at Gallarate in 1994, at the age of 100.

Endnotes


WSHU-FM

WSHU-FM (91.1 FM) is a National Public Radio-affiliated radio station operated by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut servicing Connecticut and Long Island, New York. It features news and classical music programming. Programs produced at WSHU and distributed nationally include Sunday Baroque.

Translators


Leila Meskhi

Leila Meskhi (, ; born 5 January 1968) is a retired Georgian professional female tennis player. She was ranked world No. 12 on 5 August 1991. Her best performance at a Grand Slam tournament came when she got to the quarterfinals of the 1990 US Open, defeating Akiko Kijimuta, Natasha Zvereva, Katia Piccolini and Linda Ferrando before losing to eventual champion Gabriela Sabatini.

WTA career finals

Singles: 11 (5 titles, 6 runner-ups)

Grand Slam performance timeline

Singles

External links


Martin Adamský

Martin Adamský (born July 13, 1981) is a Czec professional ice hockey player. He currently plays with HC Oceláři Třinec in the Czech Extraliga.

He started with HC Oceláři Třinec during the 2010–11 season.


Qızılca, Goygol

Qızılca (also, Kyzyldzha) is a village and municipality in the Goygol Rayon of Azerbaijan.  It has a population of 2,703.  The municipality consists of the villages of Qızılca, Damcılı, Danayeri, Yalqışlaq, and Yeni Qızılca.


Sándor Pécsi

Sándor Pécsi (18 March 1922 – 4 November 1972) was a Hungarian actor born in Sajószentpéter, Hungary. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1948 and 1972 before dying on 4 November 1972 in Budapest, Hungary.

Selected filmography
 Mickey Magnate (1949)
 Különös házasság (1951)
 Young Hearts (1953)
 Liliomfi (1954)
 Dandin György, avagy a megcsúfolt férj  (1955)
 St. Peter's Umbrella (1958)
 Yesterday (1959)
 Germinal (1963)
 The Golden Head (1964)
  A pénzcsináló (1964)
 The Boys of Paul Street (1969)
 Szerelmi álmok – Liszt (1970)


Harry McCrory

Harry Nickel McCrory (August 1, 1871 – May 9, 1907) was an American football coach.  He served as the third head football coach
at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia and he held that position for the 1895 season.  His coaching record at West Virginia was 5–1.

McCrory also served as the head football coach at Ohio Northern University in 1894 while he was attending pharmacy school.

McCrory later worked as a druggist in West Virginia. He married Bessie Lee Nuzum in 1897. He died of bright's disease in 1907. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Fairmont.

Harry McCrory's grandson, Lee Harland McCrory (son of George Harland McCrory; 1898–1977) was presented with an alumni award from West Virginia University.

Head coaching record


Malé náměstí

Malé náměstí is a square in Old Town, Prague, in the Czech Republic.

External links


Daniel Sili

Daniel Sili (born 25 October 1930) is a Brazilian water polo player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics.


Abnormally Attracted to Sin

Abnormally Attracted to Sin is the tenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released 19 May 2009, in standard and limited CD/DVD edition. The album debuted on Billboard 200 at no. 9, giving Amos her seventh Top 10 album in the US. Unlike Amos' previous releases since 2000, which drew upon various external sources such as feminism, religion and politics, the album is considered a mainly personal album.

The album's lead single is "Welcome to England". The song was a moderate hit on Triple A radio in the US. The release was supported by the Sinful Attraction Tour in the US, Europe, and Australia.

Background
Amos lifted Abnormally Attracted to Sins title from a line spoken by one of the main characters in the 1955 film Guys and Dolls.

The album itself was written and conceived in two stages: first during Amos' 2007 world tour, while promoting American Doll Posse, followed by a creative spurt of writing and composing the following year, in July 2008, when Amos reconnected with her former music industry mentor Doug Morris while she was visiting California to promote her graphic-novel anthology, Comic Book Tattoo.

During her stay in California that year, Amos revisited some of the old homes and haunts she had frequented as a twenty-something struggling artist in LA during the late '80s. She made a point of visiting the old church behind her old apartment. In past interviews, Amos has stated how songs such as "Crucify" and "Precious Things" were written while living behind this church, listening to endless sermons and worship-songs for hours at a time, alone, hurt and depressed following her failure as a musician (1988's Y Kant Tori Read), and her role as a victim and survivor of physical and sexual assault. It was a threshold moment for Amos, providing her a time of respite, solace and a bit of reflection regarding her life and past. Memories of this time and these places, coupled with some of her own reflections and conclusions as a wife, mother and maturing woman, led to a spontaneous creative spell for the new album. This provided a catalyst for "a second batch of songs", as Amos puts it, which would end up fleshing out the rest of the album.

Themes and content
While Amos's four previous albums were highly influenced by conceptual frameworks and overarching narratives, Abnormally Attracted to Sin marks a return to a more personal album. The songs serve as loosely veiled confessions, stark and, at times, exuberant disclosures through which Amos explores her own experiences, and how she has both defined and been defined by them throughout her life and career. Amos stated about the record: "it is not a concept album. It is a red-headed woman singing songs."

During an interview with Out Magazine, Amos used the song "Maybe California", a track from the album in which a mother ruminates on leaving her husband and child(ren) "better off" as she contemplates suicide, to explain just how personal writing and composing both the song and the record as a whole were for her: "I wouldn’t have written this record if I hadn’t been pushed — for all kinds of reasons. I don’t want to go into all of it but “Maybe California” doesn't come from nowhere. You're not able to write that by having a drink with somebody who's had the experience and you haven't. You have to be pushed to that place." She speaks of the mother figure in the song:  "there's nothing that she can give to stop this terrible emotional cancer that has taken over her family - her life - everything around her." Adding credence to the notion that the song is deeply autobiographical, Amos chose to highlight the despair older, more mature women, such as herself, face: "I began to realize how serious this quiet, tragic problem was and that it's not okay to talk about it, whereas teen suicide - it gets discussed and it's almost something where there are [forums] for it. But mothers contemplating this - my God - they're just going to put you in a nuthouse."

On another album track, "Ophelia", Amos addresses her own moments of insecurity and self-loathing as a "mature woman". She observed:

On the nature of her songwriting, Amos stated: "My songs might be confessional, but I don’t like giving away too many details. One of the reasons I’ve made ten albums and maintained my family life is that I respect my own privacy." She confessed, "At times, I have used made-up characters to keep the media at bay." During an interview, she commented: "I guess the girl that released Little Earthquakes was not a mother, and she was in her 20s, and there were a lot of things that she really did discover. She found her voice...and then nine records later, the woman who is putting out Abnormally Attracted to Sin knows what she did with her voice."

Art direction

For the album's artwork and promotional images, Amos enlisted fashion photographer Karen Collins. "I love the way [Collins] shoots women," Amos stated about the photographer's work. "It's not vulgar or demeaning, but I find it just sexy. They look empowered to me, and I like her style." The setting for the album's artwork is a cream-colored hotel room, with various photos of Amos depicting different ideas of sensuality through images such as voyeurism and sadomasochism, both of which tie into the ideas of power explored throughout the album. Collins' images was used for the cover artwork on both single releases from the album.

Visualettes/The Road Chronicles
16 video clips, one for each song, was released as "The Road Chronicles" on a bonus DVD for the deluxe edition of the album. From the very beginning, Abnormally Attracted to Sin was intended to be an audio-visual project including visuals linked to the music. Filming these so-called visualettes became a significant catalyst for the development of the music of the album itself.

Christian Lamb, who has worked with artists such as Madonna, Incubus, and Ozzy Osbourne, was initially hired by Amos to shoot footage of her 2007 American Doll Posse World Tour for an intended concert DVD release. However, after disagreements with her label over creative issues and financing the release, Amos left Epic records, and the concert DVD was never released.

As a result of this sudden bit of inspiration when working on her next album, Amos requested that Lamb shoot additional footage for this project instead, forming the idea for a complementary "road chronicle" that would accompany Abnormally Attracted to Sin. Amos also stated that viewing the 2007 footage directly inspired her to write some of the songs. That the original footage dates back to the previous album period can observed in the video clips as Amos' fashion, styling and appearance is the same as the artwork and promotion during the release and tour supporting American Doll Posse.  The footage was shot in HD and Super 8. Seemingly inspired more by fashion, scenery and art, rather than by silent films or typical music videos, The Road Chronicles is composed of 16 vignettes in which Amos can be seen in dream-sequences infused with myriad metaphors, symbols, images, locations and haute couture fashion-pieces, meant to evoke and open up the themes and experiences tackled on each of the corresponding album songs. Commenting on not pursuing a more traditional form of music videos, Amos stated: "I began to really think about the idea of a story being told through the visuals and yet the song itself giving us all the information – that’s our dialogue. I didn’t want any lip-syncing." About the look of the visualettes, Amos has said: "We wanted to do pretty much 8mm and more of a late ‘60’s, indie kind of feeling and that began the visualette world."

The visuals are described by Lamb as "an intimate portrait of Tori travelling through arresting cityscapes such as London, New Orleans, LA and San Francisco". While the production value of the footage is notably low-budget, and the clips do not pass themselves off as contemporary music videos, the style and consistency of the clips was complimented as a nice addition and deciphering of Amos's typically convoluted and high concept lyrics. As one commentor observed: "They work because they are a jumping off point to understanding the songs better and allow us to see how Tori works creatively, something the audience is rarely allowed to glimpse."

The tracklist for The Road Chronicles visualette DVD is very different from the LP release. Amos stated: "I think the visualettes connect [the songs] as well. The order is different though, which was very intentional. The order of the visual side of things is different than if you're just putting the sonic thing on headphones and taking a walk. I felt like you had to experience it very, very differently."

Critical reception

The album received modest to generally positive reviews from critics, with most negative comments aimed at the album's extensive running time rather than its musical content, a criticism that has been laid on Amos for her previous albums since 2000 as well. According to Metacritic, it has an aggregate score of 62/100, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".

"[Amos's 10th] studio release finds her in full command of her expanded arsenal, creating an overall sound that's as psychedelic as it is classic," wrote Billboard, adding, "the sounds coupled with [the] lyrical content [found on the album] — metaphors rendered through literary heroines, religious imagery, exotic food, cities as characters, triple entendres — make for a singular tapestry that, as the artist matures, requires less and less prior knowledge of her catalog to enjoy." Slant Magazine gave the album a mixed, yet mostly positive, review, exclaiming unapologetically, "It's a genuine relief that [this album] lacks the cumbersome structural conceit of Scarlet's Walk or the dissociative identity disorder of American Doll Posse. Rather than suffocating her songs under a pretentious broad construct, here Amos allows them to stand on their own merits and, in turn, demonstrates the superior craft upon which she first made her name." Slug Magazine called it "one of 2009’s finest albums," while the Los Angeles Times praised the album's "canny balance between Victorian-inspired decadence, mythical pathos and arch camp." Entertainment Weekly magazine noted, "Sometimes her brains get a little too big for her Bible. But when she's banging on her piano over layers of lush electronics, she's got the rapture part down."

Reviews in Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q were less favorable, although, while criticizing it as a "long haul", the latter did admit that the album contained "some of the best [songs] Amos has written." Spin noted, "Amos writes no less penetratingly than she did on her first album about the way women navigate the intersection between sex and power," while PopMatters lauded the album for its experimental sound, calling it an "exploration of the journey from that dark, quiet beginning to that beautifully indulgent conclusion," praising the album's "twists and turns along the way." musicOMH added that the album "turns out to be a collection of tracks that simply doesn't work as a whole because it can't properly be listened to in one go. Pity, for somewhere in amongst it all Tori proves that she's still capable of producing a storming album."

The music website, Drowned in Sound, concluded, "Occasionally vague, sometimes incohesive and a little self-indulgent it may be, but ultimately Abnormally Attracted to Sin is an abnormally attractive piece of work, and another fine example of the shining talent that is Tori Amos."

Commercial performance
Abnormally Attracted to Sin sold 41,000 copies during its first week of release in the US, and peaked at no. 9 on the Billboard 200. This was a weaker performance than her previous album American Doll Posse, but still continues Amos's album success in the Top 10. As of February 2010, according to WorldWideAlbums, the album had sold 221,000 copies globally.

Track listing

Bonus track

Note
"Oscar's Theme" is available on the standard digital version of the album when purchased through iTunes, and on the standard physical album in Australia and the UK.

Personnel
 Tori Amos – vocals, piano, Rhodes, Organ, synths, producer
 Matt Chamberlain – drums & percussion
 Jon Evans – bass
 Mac Aladdin – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12 string, mandolin
 John Philip Shenale – string arrangements, synths, B3 Organ
 Mark Hawley – mixer
 Marcel van Limbeek – mixer
 Christian Lamb – videography
 Karen Collins – photography

Production and release history
Amos finished writing and composing Abnormally Attracted to Sin during the spring and summer of 2008. Recording commenced with Amos accompanied by long-time collaborators Matt Chamberlain, Jon Evans, Mark Hawley/"Mac Aladdin" (Amos's husband), and John Philip Shenale, at Amos's husband's studio, Martian Studios, in Cornwall, with final mixing and mastering extending into the initial months of 2009.

Musically, the album production features a dark and intricately "detailed sonic landscape", as Amos put it. Of the trip-hop and electronic influences on the album, the artist stated: "I want to make audio mescaline", referring to the hallucinogenic, LSD-like drug. PopMatters reflected that the album's sound "is like the electronic experiments of From the Choirgirl Hotel crossed with film noir". On developing the sound of one of the songs and of the album in general, Amos declared, "It became much more of a technology experiment [with] the piano being there but in this strange world."

"I think that that there are a lot of different styles on the record," continued Amos in another interview. "I’ve been composing now for over 40 years, and each song in a way takes you to this different place. Maybe some of them are dark, rich caves. Hopefully there’s a nice piano player sitting there taking your request in the cave."

Abnormally Attracted to Sin was recorded in Amos's home studio, Martian Engineering Studios in Cornwall, with longtime collaborators Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, Mac Aladdin on guitar, and John Philip Shenale arranging the strings. Amos served as record producer. The album is the first for Amos with Universal Republic, a "joint venture" that developed unexpectedly soon after her departure from her previous label.

Like all of Amos's post-Atlantic releases, Abnormally Attracted to Sin is offered in both standard and limited edition versions, the latter including a DVD containing "The Road Chronicles" visualettes for each album track, albeit in a different running order. The album was also issued as a double vinyl LP album.Release history:'''

Charts

Additionally, the album debuted at #2 on the following two genre-specific Billboard charts: the Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums chart and the Top Rock Albums chart.

Singles chart
"Welcome To England" served as the lead single from Abnormally Attracted to Sin. The single was released for digital download on April 14, 2009, in the US, and on May 25, 2009 in the UK, a week after the release of the album. Like most of Amos's singles released this decade, "Welcome to England" was released only as a digital single. The single entered the Billboard Triple A chart in May 2009, and in June ascended into the chart's top 10, making it Amos's fifth single to reach the Triple A top 10.

"Maybe California" reached #1 in Portugal.

The album track "Flavor" was later re-worked as both an orchestral and an electronic remix for Amos' Gold Dust'' retrospective compilation, reaching the no. 1 spot on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs.


Wenying Zhuang

Wenying Zhuang (July 27, 1948) is a Chinese mycologist. She is known for her contributions to the study of species diversity and phylogeny of Ascomycetes.

Early life

Wenying Zhuang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She is the daughter of Qiaosheng Zhuang, a wheat breeder and academician of the Chinese Academy of Science.

Wenying studied Plant Pathology in Department of Agronomy at Shanxi Agricultural College (now Shanxi Agricultural University) from 1973 to 1975, and then entered Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), where  she received a Master of Science degree in Mycology in 1985.  She continued graduate study in Mycology at  Cornell University, earning a Ph.D in 1987, under  Richard P. Korf.

Career
In 1975, Wenying started work as a lecturer at Shanxi Agriculture University. She was appointed as an assistant professor at the Institute of Microbiology Mycology Division of the CAS. After she received her Ph.D, she returned to China and continued her academic career on mycology in the same laboratory in the Institute of Microbiology. She worked as postdoctoral research fellow at Cornell University from July 1990 to January 1991. In 1991 she began working at the Systematic Mycology and Lichenology Laboratory of the Institute of Microbiology, CAS (now upgraded as National Key Laboratory of Mycology.

She has served as the director of Systematic Mycology and Lichenology Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology, CAS for two terms. In 2009, she was elected as a CAS Academiciana. She serves as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Editorial Committee of Cryptogamic Flora of China, and an Editorial Board Member of international mycological journals Fungal Diversity, Mycotaxon and Phytotaxa. She is an Honorary Member of the Mycological Society of America, and Executive Committee Member of the International Mycological Association.

On October 19, 2010, Wenying was elected Third World Academy Society (TWAS) Academician in the 21st annual conference.

As a professor in CAS, she has supervised seven doctoral students and two master students.

Scientific work

She worked on wild resource surveys, collections, and study of species diversity of certain groups of Ascomycetes through tropical and northwest areas of China, including Henan, Hubei, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Hainan, Fujian provinces and Taiwan. She continues a phylogeny study on her own collections and Institute of Microbiology specimens.

Another main contribution of her study is molecular phylogeny of Ascomycetes, between species or genera with similar anatomical structures in Otidea, Pyronemataceae, Penicillium, Nectriaceae and Helotiales, utilizing molecular bio-information methods such as ITS, 28S rDNA partial sequencing, and other nucleotide sequence analysis.

She established 9 new genera, 152 new species, and 18 new sub-species and 257 species reports found in China.

Recognition

A genus is named in her honor: Wenyingia, in the family Pyronemataceae. It is a monotypic genus, which contains a single species, Wenyingia sichuanensis ,found in western Sichuan Province.

In 1995, Wenying was awarded Third prize of Natural Science from Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Publications

Wenying has published 180 papers, of which 97 are in SCI indexed journals. She has written and published 5 books and chapters in other 8 books so far.

Selected books

Selected articles


Wasp Network (film)

Wasp Network is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Olivier Assayas. It stars Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Wagner Moura, and Gael García Bernal. Based on Fernando Morais' book, The Last Soldiers on the Cold War, it tells the story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2019.

Plot
A Cuban airplane pilot René Gonzalez flies to Miami, Florida to infiltrate an anti-Castro organization, leaving his wife and daughter in Havana.

Cast
 Penélope Cruz as Olga Gonzalez
 Édgar Ramírez as René Gonzalez
 Wagner Moura as Juan Pablo Roque
 Gael García Bernal as Gerardo Hernandez
 Ana de Armas as Ana Magarita Martinez
 Leonardo Sbaraglia as Jose Basulto

Production
In April 2017, it was announced that Olivier Assayas would write and direct Wasp Network. Based on Fernando Morais' book called The Last Soldiers on the Cold War, it would tell the story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s. In May 2018, it was announced that Pedro Pascal and Édgar Ramírez would star in the film. In September, Penélope Cruz, Wagner Moura and Gael García Bernal were added to the cast. Adria Arjona was added to the cast in December. In February 2019, Ana de Armas was cast.

Filming began in Cuba on February 18, 2019, and wrapped on May 4, 2019.

Release
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2019. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Deauville American Film Festival, the San Sebastián International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival. Netflix acquired the distribution rights to the film in January 2020.

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 27 reviews, with a weighted average of 4.83/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Nicholas Barber of BBC gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an entertaining and often glamorous cloak-and-dagger thriller in which the sun is always shining and the actors are all gorgeous." Jay Weissberg of Variety wrote, "it leaves viewers gratified by the filmmaking bravura and the sheer pleasure of watching this superb cast in top form, but also feeling shortchanged." Xan Brooks of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "What it lacks is an emotional charge and a fine-grained texture." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a big, handsomely shot movie with a strong cast and stunning location work" and "a knotty tangle of endless back and forth between too many characters, situations and settings to make for satisfying storytelling."


Héctor Milián

Héctor Milián (born 1968) is a Cuban wrestler. He won an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1992. He won a gold medal at the 1991 World Wrestling Championships.


Yobuko

In Japanese folklore the  is a yōkai (a supernatural monster) thought to reside in the San'in region and the city of Tottori. It was believed to be the cause of echoing.

Mythology
The Yobuko was thought to live in the mountains, and whenever a traveler entered the mountains and raised their voice, it would mimic them and call back.

In the artwork of Shigeru Mizuki, the Yobuko is depicted as a young boy with one leg, a large face, and wearing a straw rain hat. In the Oki Islands he was called  and was said to be a bird.


Ivanjševci ob Ščavnici

Ivanjševci ob Ščavnici () is a small village in the valley of the upper course of the Ščavnica River in the Municipality of Gornja Radgona in northeastern Slovenia.

Name
The name of the settlement was changed from Ivanjševci to Ivanjševci ob Ščavnici in 1955.


Zhang Hongfan

Zhang Hongfan () (1238–1280) was a Han Chinese general of the Mongol Empire (afterwards the Yuan Dynasty) in China. As commander of the Mongol army and navy, he annihilated the Southern Song by crushing the last Song resistance at the Battle of Yamen in 1279, where he is said to have captured 8000 enemy vessels. He is also known for capturing the Song loyalist Wen Tianxiang (1236–1283).

Zhang was born in Dingxing, in present day Hebei province. Dingxing had been part of the Liao empire and Jin empire and was part of the Mongol empire at the time of his birth. His father, Zhang Rou, led local forces defending against the Mongols in the dying days of the Jin Dynasty, but switched his allegiance to the Mongols in 1218 and was later ennobled by the Yuan Dynasty.

Although some later books and retellings claim that Zhang was a traitor who turned against the Song Dynasty, this is not historically accurate, since Zhang's place of birth had not been part of the Song empire and his family had served the Jin, then the Mongols. Some historians claim  that Zhang was related to Zhang Shijie, the Song general who lost the Battle of Yamen against the Mongols before dying in a storm, as Zhang Shijie's family was also from present day Hebei under Jin rule.

Deng Guangjian, a fellow townsman of Wen Tianxiang, was tutor to Zhang Hongfan's family after he was rescued from attempting to drown himself at the Battle of Yamen. In his biography of Wen Tianxiang, Deng Guangjian describes Zhang Hongfan as courteous and friendly towards Wen after his capture. On his deathbed, Zhang had also pleaded with the Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan to spare the life of Wen Tianxiang. Aside from these descriptions in Wen's biography, Deng also wrote a preface to Zhang's various collected writings.

Notes


After Capitalism

After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action is a 2012 book by United States author Dada Maheshvarananda, an activist, yoga monk and writer. The book argues that global capitalism is terminally ill because it suffers from four fatal flaws: growing inequity and concentration of wealth, addiction to speculation instead of production, rising unsustainable debt and its tendency to exploit the natural environment. The author proposes a grassroots movement for economic democracy with cooperatives and local economies based on the Progressive Utilization Theory or Prout, a post-capitalist model conceptualized by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar of India. The book includes a conversation with Noam Chomsky and essays by Frei Betto, Johan Galtung, Leonardo Boff, Sohail Inayatullah, Marcos Arruda, Ravi Batra and others.

Background
The author's first book, After Capitalism: Prout’s Vision for a New World, with a preface by Noam Chomsky, was published in 2003 and, subsequently, translated into nine other languages. However, when the author started to update it, he discovered that both the world and the development of Prout had changed so much that more than 80 percent of the text was actually new material. Beyond this, economic democracy, a fundamental demand of Prout, was also starting to resonate with the Indignados Movement of Spain and the global Occupy Movement. Hence this book has a new title.

Content
Chapter 1: The Failure of Global Capitalism and Economic Depressions: A brief review of colonialism, the economics of the Cold War, common practices by multinational corporations, the Global Financial Crisis of the 2000s, economic depressions and global capitalism's four fatal flaws. "How to Live Through Economic Turmoil" by Mark A. Friedman.

Chapter 2: A New Social Paradigm Based on Spiritual Values: An ecological and spiritual perspective, Prout's philosophical base, universal spirituality, the concept of Cosmic Inheritance, the problems with materialism, and Neohumanism. Definition of social progress, definition of the dynamic web of life or “Pramá”, how it is lost and how it can be restored. The benefits of meditation for activists. "The Importance of Prout and its Concept of Pramá" by Dr. Leonardo Boff.

Chapter 3: The Right to Live!: The minimum necessities of life guaranteed to all, pharmaceutical corporations vs. generic medicines, comparing Prout to Marxism, Communism and Participatory Economics. The Five Fundamental Principles of Prout and how they can be used to evaluate social policies, factors that motivate people to work and economic indicators for setting the minimum and maximum wages. "Striving to Achieve Affordable Health Care for All in Kenya" by Didi Ananda Rucira.

Chapter 4: Economic Democracy: Industry, commerce and service in three levels, how to provide housing for all, economic decentralization and socio-economic regions, comparing the welfare economics of Amartya Sen to Prout. Barter trade, Prout's monetary system, taxation, "A Proutist Response to Land Value Capture" by Dr. John Gross.

Chapter 5: Cooperatives for a Better World: Human nature competitive or cooperative? Successful cooperatives around the world, the Mondragón cooperatives, how worker cooperatives function, what makes cooperatives successful? Examples of small-scale cooperatives in Maleny, Australia and the Venezuelan cooperative experience.

Chapter 6: An Agrarian Revolution and Environmental Protection: The deepening crisis in agriculture, food sovereignty, Prout's agrarian revolution, agricultural cooperatives, ideal farming and the benefits of growing your own food. Agro- and Agrico-Industries, the benefits of a balanced economy. Prout Master Units, community supported agriculture (CSA), the Food, Farms and Jobs program of Illinois. Endangered rainforests, forest preservation strategies, tribal knowledge of medicinal plants, the Future Vision Ecological Park in Brazil and a block-level planning exercise.

Chapter 7: A New Perspective on Class, Class Struggle and Revolution: History and the Social Cycle, bloodless revolution and armed struggle, a new vision of history. The Sarkar Game. The exploitation of women throughout history and today, and the awakening of women. "Comparing the Class Analysis of Marx and Sarkar" by Dr. Ravi Batra and "Prout’s Social Cycle" by Dr. Johan Galtung.

Chapter 8: Spiritual Revolutionaries: Sarkar's vision of Sadvipras, spiritual activism, facing our shadows. Goodness, evil and how to train heroes. Emotionally intelligent leaders and how to inspire others and yourself. "Becoming Sadvipras" by Satya Tanner and "Prout Lessons from Development Work in West Africa" by Dada Daneshananda.

Chapter 9: A New Concept of Ethics And Justice: Increase in violent crime, ethics for personal and social transformation, cardinal human values as the basis for legal justice, restorative justice and re-education centers for personal transformation, transforming prisoners through yoga and meditation, drug abuse as a health issue.

Chapter 10: “Our Culture is Our Strength!” Cultural Identity and Education: Psychic exploitation, culture, civilization and pseudo-culture, an educational revolution, Neohumanist schools, local and global languages, mass movements and guerrilla street theater. "Future Tasmania" by Liila Hass and "Using Prout to Evaluate and Support a Community Samaja Movement: The Maya of Panimatzalam, Guatemala" by Dr. Matt Oppenheim

Chapter 11: Prout's Governance: Different views on governance, democratic reforms, constitutional proposals based on Prout, a universal bill of rights, world government. "Transformative Strategies and the Futures of the Prout Movement" by Dr. Sohail Inayatullah.

Chapter 12: A Call to Action: Strategies for Implementing Prout: “Another World is Possible!”
Organizing marginalized farmers, how to be an ideal activist. The Prout Research Institute of Venezuela and the Prout Institute (Eugene, Oregon, USA). Model cooperatives and community service projects, mass movements, a popular youth movement in Hungary and protests against global capitalism. Hope for the future.

Chapter 13: A Conversation with Noam Chomsky: About The Occupy Movement, economic democracy and cooperatives, limiting the accumulation of wealth, consciousness raising, and Latin America.

Afterword: "The Possibility of Creating Another World is in Our Hands" by Frei Betto.

Appendices: Discussion questions about the book, designing Prout Study Action Circles, Prout slogans.

Critical response

Praise
Bill Ayers in Left Eye on Books wrote, “In just a few pages I felt the brotherly embrace of a comrade-in-arms, a soul-mate, and a companion; further along his fierce intelligence and original insights challenged me to make new connections; by the end I was inspired to re-imagine next steps in my own efforts at movement-making.” Gar Alperovitz, author of America Beyond Capitalism, wrote, "An ambitious and stimulating attempt to connect spiritual principles with the pragmatic work of building a better world." Gregory Wilpert, author of Changing Venezuela by Taking Power, wrote, "After Capitalism is a crucial contribution towards figuring out where we want to go, not only after capitalism, but now, as we try to build the new world within the old." Ecologist Bill McKibben wrote, "There are plenty of interesting leads in these pages that will get you thinking!" George Katsiaficas, activist and author of Asia's Unknown Uprisings, wrote: "With grace and intelligence, Dada Maheshvarananda illuminates paths of personal enlightenment and global transformation." Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics, wrote, "A broad ecological, social, political and spiritual awareness informs this vision of a new economic future." David Schweickart, author of another book entitled After Capitalism, wrote, "This is an amazing book, breathtaking in its range and ambition." Peter Bohmer, activist and faculty at the Evergreen State College, wrote, “I enthusiastically recommend this book for a college classroom and for those who are organizing for economic and social justice.”

Mixed
Jeff Fleischer in ForeWord Reviews wrote, "Most of the book is simply an explanation of Prout, and has the same strengths and weaknesses of the theory itself. While many of the goals advocated by Maheshvarananda and Prout supporters—such as diminishing income inequality and promoting citizen cooperatives—are certainly admirable, the theory is often vague about how they would be achieved or what a transition to a Prout economy would look like on a large scale... Too often, After Capitalism will seem naively unrealistic to opponents of Prout's vision while simultaneously obscure and lacking in specifics for those who would like to see its principles applied... Maheshvarananda is more effective in his critique of how current economic systems have created global wealth inequality, and at citing statistics for how poverty has spread even in wealthier nations. The most interesting parts of the book, however, are the guest contributions, which serve as case studies of using Prout principles in specific, smaller-scale projects around the world. While these contributions are quite short, they offer some of the detail lacking in the overall treatise."


Da Vinci Project

The Da Vinci Project was a privately funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft.  It was formed in 1996 specifically to be a contender for the Ansari X Prize for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft.  The project was based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and led by Brian Feeney.

The original da Vinci Project is no longer operating.  A documentary was filmed throughout much of the project's life from 2000 through post-X Prize roundup footage in 2008. The documentary accumulated some 1000 hours or so of footage. It was a private undertaking by Michel Jones of Riverstone Productions, Toronto, and as of early 2009 was still in a preliminary stage of editing and completion.

The project last  participated in the X Prize Cup 2005, displaying a mock-up of its Wild Fire MK Vl spacecraft.

Spacecraft design
The project's design was a rocket-powered spacecraft to be air-launched from a helium balloon at an altitude of about 21 km (65,000 ft).  The project scope included design and construction of both the spacecraft and the launching balloon. The chosen design can be described as a manned rockoon.

History and status
The project was established in 1996. It is named after Leonardo da Vinci, who, among innumerable other inventions, was the first recorded person to design an aircraft. The project was staffed entirely by volunteers.

The project unveiled a mockup of their spacecraft, Wild Fire, on August 5, 2004 at a hangar at Downsview Airport in Toronto. At this point, it was considered a contender for the Ansari X Prize]], and Tier One had just given notice of their planned competitive flights.  When announcing the unveiling, the da Vinci Project also appealed for funds to fly Wild Fire.  An agreement was reached with GoldenPalace.com, and the project subsequently gave the required 60-day notice that they would make the Ansari X Prize competitive flights. GoldenPalace.com, known for its marketing gimmicks, was to place a soccer ball kicked out of the stadium by David Beckham during the 2004 Euro World Cup inside the space craft.

The da Vinci Project initially announced that it would fly first on October 2, 2004, launching from Kindersley, Saskatchewan.  This was only three days after the first expected X Prize flight, by Scaled Composites, on September 29, 2004.  However, on September 23, 2004 the da Vinci project announced that they would not be ready. Scaled Composites won the X Prize on October 4, 2004.

Hardware

The rocket and support equipment was mostly COTS components with a hybrid propulsion system using nitrous oxide and a spin cast paraffin fuel engine in a re-loadable and expendable cardboard cartridge. The most notable development problem was finding a practical low cost solution to the thermal contraction of the liquid paraffin fuel when it cooled and solidified inside the cartridge inner casing.
The capsule used two automotive racing seats and aviation BRS parachute systems and was designed and modeled with finite element software. The nozzle was carbon fiber exterior with a tough, thermally insulating inner coating. The combustion chamber was metallic, although a wound carbon fiber exterior was planned but never completed. The planned tracking system used a four car team with networked laptop computers using a hybrid cellular and shortwave radio with the capability of automatically predicting the landing spot so a support team could converge on the landing spot hand prior to landing. The highest forces were predicted to be at re-entry, peaking at approximately at up to 6G. Development, construction and testing continued in earnest until the second flight of the X Prize on October 4, 2004.

Structure
The project had a small group of core area leaders and relied heavily on volunteer efforts. It followed a variety of business models including share ownership partners, technology partnerships, employee style volunteering, integrator as well as technology/IP aggregator. Many of the expensive components were donated by businesses in exchange for recognition on the website homepage, since removed.


Axial turbine

An axial turbine is a turbine in which the flow of the working fluid is parallel to the shaft, as opposed to radial turbines, where the fluid runs around a shaft, as in a watermill. An axial turbine has similar construction as an axial compressor, but it operates in the reverse, converting flow of the fluid into rotating mechanical energy.

A set of static guide vanes or nozzle vanes accelerates and adds swirl to the fluid and directs it to the next row of turbine blades mounted on a turbine rotor.

Stage velocity triangle
The angles in the absolute system are noted by alpha (α) and the angles in the relative system are noted by beta (β). Axial and tangential components of both absolute and relative velocities are shown in the figure. Static and stagnation values of pressure and enthalpy in the absolute and relative systems are also shown.

It is often assumed that the axial velocity component remains constant through the stage. From this condition we get,
cx = c1 cos α1 = c2 cos α2:= w2 cos β2 = c3 cos α3 = w3 cos α3
Also, for constant axial velocity yields a useful relation:

tan α2 + tan α3 = tan β2 + tan β3

Single impulse stage
A single-stage impulse turbine is shown in Figure

There is no change in the static pressure through the rotor of an impulse machine. The variation of pressure and velocity of the fluid through the stage is also shown in Figure.

The absolute velocity of the fluid increases corresponding to the pressure drop through the nozzle blade row in which only transformation of energy occurs. The transfer of energy occurs only across the rotor blade row. Therefore, the absolute fluid velocity decreases through this as shown in the figure.
In the absence of any pressure drop through the rotor blades the relative velocities at their entry and exit are the same for frictionless flow. To obtain this condition the rotor blade angles must be equal. Therefore, the utilization factor is given by

Multi stage velocity compounded impulse

When the pressure drop available is large, it cannot all be used in one turbine stage. A single stage utilizing a large pressure drop will have an impractically high peripheral speed of its rotor. This would lead to either a larger diameter or a very high rotational speed. Therefore, machines with large pressure drops employ more than one stage.

One of the methods to employ multi-stage expansion in impulse turbines is to generate high velocity of the fluid by causing it to expand through a large pressure drop in the nozzle blade row. This high velocity fluid then transfers its energy in a number of stages by employing many rotor blade rows separated by rows of fixed guide blades. A two-stage velocity compounded impulse turbine is shown in Figure

The decrease in the absolute velocity of the fluid across the two rotor blade rows (R1 and R2) is due to the energy transfer; the slight decrease in the fluid velocity through the fixed guide blades (F) is due to losses. Since the turbine is of the impulse type, the pressure of the fluid remains constant after its expansion in the nozzle blade row. Such stages are referred to as velocity or Curtis stages.

Multi stage pressure compounded impulse
There are two major problems in velocity-compounded stages:
The nozzles have to be of the convergent-divergent type for generating high (supersonic) steam velocity. This results in a more expensive and difficult design of the nozzle blade rows.
High velocity at the nozzle exit leads to higher cascade losses. Shock waves are generated if the flow is supersonic which further increase the losses.

To avoid these problems, another method of utilizing a high pressure ratio is employed in which the total pressure drop is divided into a number of impulse stages. These are known as pressure-compounded or Rateau stages. On account of the comparatively lower pressure drop, the nozzle blade rows are subsonic (M < 1). Therefore, such a stage does not suffer from the disabilities of the velocity stages.

Figure shows the variation of pressure and velocity of steam through the two pressure stages of an impulse turbine. The nozzle blades in
each stage receive flow in the axial direction.

Some designers employ pressure stages up to the last stage. This gives a turbine of shorter length as compared to the reaction type, with a penalty on efficiency.

Reaction stages
Figure shows two reaction stages and the variation of pressure and velocity of the gas in them. The gas pressure decreases continuously over both fixed and moving rows of blades. Since the pressure drop in each stage is smaller as compared to the impulse stages, the gas velocities are relatively low. Besides this the flow is accelerating throughout. These factors make the reaction stages aerodynamically more efficient though the tip leakage loss is increased on account of the relatively higher pressure difference across the rotor blades.

Multi-stage reaction turbines employ a large pressure drop by dividing it to smaller values in individual stages. Thus the reaction stages are like the pressure-compounded stages with a new element of “reaction” introduced in them, i.e. of accelerating the flow through rotor blade rows also.

Blade-to-gas speed ratio

The blade-to-gas speed ratio parameter (velocity ratio) σ = u/c2. Efficiencies of the turbine stages can also be plotted against this ratio. Such plots for some impulse and reaction stages are shown in the figure.

The performance of steam turbines is often presented in this form. The curves in Figure also show the optimum values of the velocity ratio and the range of off-design for various types of stages. The fifty per cent reaction stage shows a wider range. Another important aspect that is depicted here is that in applications where high gas velocities (due to high pressure ratio) are unavoidable, it is advisable to employ impulse stages to achieve practical and convenient values of the size and speed of the machine. Sometimes it is more convenient to use an isentropic velocity ratio. This is the ratio of the blade velocity and the isentropic gas velocity that would be obtained in its isentropic expansion through the stage pressure ratio.

Losses and efficiencies

The losses occur in an actual turbine due to disc and bearing friction. Figure shows the energy flow diagram for the impulse stage of an axial turbine. Numbers in brackets indicate the order of energy or loss corresponding to 100 units of isentropic work (h01 – h03ss).

It is seen that the energy reaching the shaft after accounting for stage cascade losses (nozzle and rotor blade aerodynamic losses) and leaving loss is about 85% of the ideal value; shaft losses are a negligible proportion of this value.


Herman Churchill

Herman Churchill (1869–1941) was an American historian and college professor. He served as the founding chairman of the History Department of Rhode Island State College, and was the namesake of the Herman Churchill Award for Excellence in History given annually to the top honors history student at the University of Rhode Island.

Early life, education and family
Herman Churchill was born in Scott, New York on 9 October 1869 to Sylvanus Amos Churchill and Caroline (Eadie) Churchill. He studied literature and rhetoric at Syracuse University, earning a A.B. degree in 1894. He earned his A.M. in Letters from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1902. Churchill married Cora Mae Boyce on 15 June 1898 in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and they had three children: Irving Lester Churchill (1901-1995), Florence Hermenia Churchill (1905-1920), and Arthur Chester Churchill (1911-2001).

Professional career and legacy
Churchill began his academic career as an instructor of English literature at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1903. In the fall of 1907, he accepted a position as head of the English Department at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas until 1909 when he accepted a similar position at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1912, Churchill made his final move in accepting the position as head of the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at Rhode Island State College. Afterward in 1921, Churchill was appointed as the founding head of the History Department by the college president, Howard Edwards. During his professional career, Churchill was active in civic affairs in the community, serving as president of the Tavern Hall Club in 1929, and he was active in genealogical research. He was active in the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society and Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was a charter signatory of the Rhode Island chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.  He died at his home in Kingston, Rhode Island on 13 April 1941, shortly after retiring from the college in 1940. The Herman Churchill Award for Excellence in History is given to highest achieving students graduating in history at the University of Rhode Island was named for Churchill.


Clear title

Clear title is the phrase used to state that the owner of real property owns it free and clear of encumbrances.  In a more limited sense, it is used to state that, although the owner does not own clear title, it is nevertheless within the power of the owner to convey clear title.  For example, a property may be encumbered by a mortgage.  This encumbrance means that no one has clear title to the property.  However, standard terms in a mortgage require the mortgage holder to release the mortgage if a certain amount of money is paid.  Therefore, a buyer with enough money to satisfy both the mortgage and the current owner can get clear title.

According to Investopedia: "A clear title is a title without any kind of lien or levy from creditors or other parties and poses no question as to legal ownership. For example, an owner of a car with a clear title is the sole undisputed owner, and no other party can make any kind of legal claim to its ownership."


Mount Schwerdtfeger

Mount Schwerdtfeger () is a mountain in the Royal Society Range, Antarctica; it is named after Werner Schwerdtfeger, senior meteorological researcher, University of Wisconsin–Madison, a driving force in the study of Antarctic meteorology. His specialty was the study of the barrier winds east of the Antarctic Peninsula.


Cazador (comics)

Cazador () is an Argentine comic that was published since 1992, during different time periods. It is famous for initiating a new age of adult comics in Argentina.  It was written and drawn by Ariel Olivetti, Jorge Lucas, Mauro Cascioli and Claudio Ramirez.  The comic had three editions.

Fictional Character Biography

A possible origin of the character was revealed in a flashback: His grandfather had been a soldier in Vlad Tepes's service (from whom he had learned the many ways of torture).  His father had been a conquistador who came to America and sired him with a native girl whose tribe had cannibalistic tendencies. Finally, the man who'd come to be known as El Cazador de Aventuras became a wanted criminal in America during the times of the Spanish conquest. He formed a band of outlaws and massacred many native villages thus obtaining food. One of his favorite pastimes was to torture natives branding them with red hot irons on their foreheads. The brand was a Christian cross. He claimed to be doing God's work that way.
One of the natives claimed he knew where a great mountain of precious metal was and promised to take them in exchange for his life. Believing it to be the famous legend of El Dorado, Cazador and his men followed their guide only to fall into a trap. Cazador was captured and branded with his own symbol inverted on the forehead. Demons were introduced in his body and he became essentially immortal. After his ordeal, he went insane, killed his own men and devoured them.

Almost 500 years later, he lives in an abandoned church, uses the inverted cross as his symbol, and has become an unstoppable serial killer. Despite this, he has some friends like the bizarre Italian-American mobster called Tío Pastafrola.

Publication history

Volume one (1992-1999)
The first issue of Cazador appeared in October 1992. The star of the title is a big, dumb, murderous, womanizing brute. A homage/parody of DC Comics's character Lobo and Simon Bisley, one of the main artists on Lobo. The stories contained high levels of dark and gross humor focused on parodizing the socio-political environment in Argentina and many elements and personalities of pop-culture (zombies, Quake videogame, Sailor Moon, Diego Maradona, President Carlos Menem, Don King, Mike Tyson, etc.) while telling adventures with extreme levels of violence and gore. The first seven issues were in black and white, but in 1995 the first color issues appeared. The comic ceased publication because of a great debt that the authors owed to the publisher.

Volume two (2000-2001)
The comic returned in November 2000 drawn by Mauro Cascioli. There were no great changes, and aside from more a detailed drawing style and a slightly larger format.  The comic kept the same tone as the past edition. The final issue appeared on December 22, 2001.

Volume three (2010-current)

Powers and abilities

Cazador’s greatest power comes in the form of an Indian curse that wouldn’t let him die. Cazador is almost 500 years old, yet he remains in the same age and physical state he was when the curse was first set upon him.

The curse not only prevents his aging, but also allows him to survive without the need of food or drink.

He is still physically vulnerable, though, which means that he can be temporarily “killed” by severely damaging his body, but he will always come back, seemingly regenerating his body entirely in the process.

The way his immortality power works, however, is not totally understood, as it has manifested in several different ways through the years. Sometimes, Cazador has been reduced to merely a fleshy torso and head, and somehow remained alive. Other times, he would be “killed” by simply punching a hole through his chest.

On another occasion, he took a point-blank handgun headshot, without showing any signs of brain damage, yet some time later, he suffered temporary amnesia when losing a chunk of his brain, after a demon struck his head with a war hammer.

Even his body regeneration seems erratic at times: on one of the occasions he revived, his eyes and lower limbs were missing, and did not regenerate at all, requiring him to eventually “borrow” eyes and legs from innocent bystanders to fully recover. It is possible that the “unreliability” of his immortality is associated with its status as a curse, thus effectively becoming a torment for his bearer, rather than a grim, but effective benefit.

Cazador’s regenerative skills were also the responsible of creating one of his greatest foes: Final (The Ultimate Abomination), a “brother” born of a cyst that was surgically removed from Cazador’s behind on issue #9, and later grew all by itself into a full humanoid shape. This monstrosity has displayed regenerative skills as efficient as those of Cazador himself, coming back several times after being apparently killed for real.

As descendant of a deadly family of mercenaries, and due to the harsh lifestyle he had since childhood, Cazador has become a master in the use of all kinds of weaponry. From machine-guns to knives, to broad swords, anything is a deadly instrument of doom when Cazador is using it.

In the past, his weapon of choice was a huge automatic revolver, packed with great firepower, but prone to getting stuck in the middle of battle. This gun was eventually eaten, on issue #3, by one of Cazador's major enemies, the Swearing Demon Balrog, and was never seen again since.

From there on, and despite the fact that he has a seemingly endless cache of weapons stacked below the dungeons of his cathedral (including ACME “Atomik” grenades), Cazador didn’t carry a “weapon of choice” anymore, instead relying on what opportunity could bring upon him. Although it is known he has sometimes hidden small handguns in his underpants, just in case of an emergency. This contingency allowed him to survive against seemingly overwhelming odds on issue #29, when he was surrounded by the whole Mortal Kombat roster on the island of the ninja warlord Sinister Claw.

Despite not having any formal type of training in unarmed combat, Cazador still manages to defeat most of his enemies by sheer brute force alone (and he has a lot of sheer brute force to share). He is a brawler in the purest sense of the word.

Still, his lack of true fighting skills take its toll when Cazador is forced to fight in earnest against opponents as strong and powerful as him, who have been known to overwhelm him with relative ease. Besides his arch-enemy, the Demon Lord Melkor, Cazador has been brought down by the zombie Indian Cacique Patoruzú, his “brother”, Abominación Final, a group of anonymous ninja assassins, and the cyborg boxer Mike Tyson, in the rematch bout they had (although Tyson ultimately lost the fight because Cazador’s friend and trainer, Argentine former boxer “Roña” Osvaldo, KO’ed him with a lead pipe).

External links
Historieteca: Historia de Cazador


The Serviço de Informações Estratégicas de Defesa or SIED (Portuguese for: Defense Strategic Information Service) is the foreign strategic intelligence agency of Portugal.

SIED's mission is to produce information aimed at safeguarding the national independence, the national interests and the external security of the Portuguese State.

Together with the SIS (Portugueses domestic intelligence agency), the SIED is a component of the SIRP (Portuguese Intelligence System).

History
The existence of SIED was originally envisaged by the Law of the Information System of the Portuguese Republic in 1984. However, even before being activated, it was merged with the Military Information Service (SIM), originating the SIEDM (Strategic and Military Information Service). This was activated in 1997.

In 2004, the SIEDM lost its military component and was renamed SIED.


Feyzullah Mirza Qajar

Feyzullah Mirza Qajar (; ; ) also Fazullah-Mirza Qajar (; ) (b. December 15, 1872 - d. 1920) - was a prince of Persia's Qajar dynasty and a decorated Imperial Russian and Azerbaijani military commander, having the rank of Major-General. In the Russian imperial army, he was the commander of the 1st Caucasian Native Cavalry Division, and the commander of Ganja garrison in the army of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Early life
He was born on 15 December 1872 to Shafi Khan Qajar in Shusha, Elisabethpol Governorate. He was a senior great-grandson of Bahman Mirza. He received general education in the Tbilisi Cadet Corps. Starting the military the service on 30 August 1891, he started his second education at the Nikolayev Cavalry School. After graduating from college in the 1st category, he was released on August 7, 1893 as a cornet to the 43rd Tver Dragoon Regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant rank on 15 March 1899. On November 20, 1901, he was appointed acting head of the regiment’s weapons and non-combat team. March 15, 1903 promoted to headquarters captain.

Russo-Japanese war
After the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, then the staff captain of the 43rd Tver Dragoon Regiment, Feyzulla was transferred at the end of March 1904 to the 2nd Dagestani Horse Regiment and put under command of Colonel Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski. As part of the regiment, he participated in raids and clashes, including the well-known attack of 2nd Dagestan cavalry regiment against Japanese positions near the village of Landungou on 14 January 1905, and was seriously wounded in the right leg. He was reported to be valiant and brave by his superiors. And was promoted to yesaul on same day. Towards end of the war, on March 21, 1906 he was appointed rittmeister and returned to the 43rd Tver Dragoon Regiment.

He was appointed as the commander of the 4th squadron of Russian Army on 16 November. He was a member of the regimental court since January 29th. From June 19 to 28, he was at the headquarters of the Caucasian Cavalry Division "to examine health for being reckoned with the Emperor Alexander I's Committee on the wounded." He was assigned by committee to the 3rd class wounds. On August 26, 1912 for the successes in service, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Later on April 18, 1913, Feyzulla was transferred to the 10th Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. He served as a junior staff officer of the 3rd squadron.

World War I
He was sent to Lvov to be at the disposal of the commander of the 2nd cavalry corps, his former commander Huseyn Khan Nakhichivanski, this time to serve among Caucasian Native Cavalry Division on 27 November, 1914. Soon after he was promoted to colonel on 5 January 1915. He rose to be second-in-command of Tatar Cavalry Regiment on March 4, 1915 replacing the commander of the Chechen cavalry regiment - Colonel Alexander Svyatopolk-Mirskiy, who died in battle. He was seriously wounded and evacuated to Russia after a battle near the village of Vali-Salchi in Romania on 9 December 1916. He returned to duty and took command of the Chechen cavalry regiment on 25 February 1917 after his treatment. On May 17, 1917, he was promoted to major general, and on May 30 he was appointed commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division. He was the first commander of the division by 30 September.

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
In the spring and summer of 1918 he served in the Separate Azerbaijan Corps. In early July, the Separate Azerbaijan Corps was disbanded by the Turkish command and its units merged together with the 5th Caucasian and 15th Çanakkale Turkish divisions to form Caucasian Islamic Army of Nuri Pasha. He was appointed cavalry inspector of the Caucasian Islamic Army. He was appointed commander of the equestrian division of the Azerbaijani army on 23 December 1918, later being appointed as the commander of the Ganja garrison on 9 January 1919, by order of the Minister of War, Samad Mehmandarov. His later fate is known. According to the Azerbaijani historian Shamistan Nazirli, after the Sovietization of Azerbaijan and the suppression of the anti-Soviet uprising in Ganja, Feyzulla Mirza Qajar was arrested, taken to Baku and executed by the Bolsheviks on the island of Nargin.

Family
He was married to Khurshid Nakhchivanskaya (1894-1963) a singer in Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theatre, daughter of Rahim khan Nakhchivanski, elder brother of Jamshid Nakhchivanski.

Awards

 Order of St. Anne 4th rank with the inscription "for courage" (3 November 1904)
 Order of St. Stanislav 3rd rank with sword and ribbon (9 January 1905)
 Order of St. Anne 3rd rank with sword and ribbon
 "For the successes in struggles with the Japanese" (25 June 1905)
 Order of Lion and the Sun 3rd degree (28 January 1907)
 Order of St. Stanislav 2nd rank with sword (31 January 1915)
 Order of Saint Vladimir 4th rank with sword and ribbon (14 March 1915)
 Order of Saint Vladimir 3rd rank with sword (15 July 1915)
 Order of St. Anne 2nd rank with sword (9 September 1915)
 Order of St. George 4th rank with sword (17 October 1915)


Dirty Face Creek

Dirty Face Creek is a stream in Johnson County, Iowa, in the United States.

Dirty Face Creek was so named because the children of an early settler there often had dirty faces.


Greenback, Tennessee

Greenback is a city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was at 1,064, according to the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Early history
Located near modern-day Greenback, Morganton Ferry (initially called Wear's Ferry) was an important crossing of the Little Tennessee.  It was established in the late 18th century, and had grown into a small community known as "Portville" by 1810.  The community was chartered as "Morganton" after local merchant Gideon Morgan in 1813.  Around this time, the Tellico agent relocated to Fort Southwest Point (now Kingston), and a road quickly developed between this fort and Maryville.  Since the road crossed the Little Tennessee at the Morganton Ferry, the road became known locally as Morganton Road.

In the years leading up to the Civil War, a cave in the Morganton and Greenback area is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, perhaps reflecting the area's ties to abolitionist-heavy Blount County.  The William H. Griffitts House, located just outside Greenback, was also a stop on the Underground Railroad.

In 1859, entrepreneur Jesse Kerr established a hotel and health resort at the mineral-rich Sulphur Springs near the base of Chilhowee Mountain several miles southeast of Morganton (the resort was located near the modern junction of US-129 and TN-336).  The resort was connected to Morganton Road by a stagecoach road which roughly paralleled what is now Highway 95.  This resort was purchased by Indiana businessman Nathan McCoy in 1885, and a new 3-story, 60-room hotel was completed the following year. The resort was renamed "Allegheny Springs."

Founding and later history

In 1876, Lorenzo Thompson established Thompson's Stand, a general store located a few miles east of modern Greenback.  In 1882, Thompson applied for federal post office.  He initially hoped to use the name "Thompson's Station," but the name was already in use.  After several other names were rejected, Thompson settled on "Greenback," a name inspired by the local Greenback Party politician, Jonathan Tipton.

In the late 1880s, the Knoxville Southern Railroad (not to be confused with the larger Southern Railway) began building a rail line connecting Knoxville with Blue Ridge, Georgia.  Developers bought up the land surrounding this railroad's intersection with Morganton Road with plans to develop a town, initially known as "Allegheny" after the resort hotel to the south.  Lots were sold, and a depot was constructed in 1891.  Thompson moved his post office, still known as "Greenback," to the Swanay Brothers Store in the new town.  The name "Greenback" gradually came to be favored over "Allegheny," and the railroad changed the name of the station to "Greenback" in 1897.

By the late 1890s, Greenback had three stores, a barbershop, blacksmith shop, school, livery stables, a hotel, and two baseball teams (segregated between white and black players).  The Knoxville Southern was purchased by the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad, which was in turn purchased by the Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railroad in 1895.  The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N), which was building a rail line between Cincinnati and Atlanta, purchased the Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern in 1902.  The L&N's Greenback Depot, completed in 1914, still stands in Greenback, and has since been remodeled by Ron Edmondson as a community events center.  The Greenback Drug Company, opened in 1923, still stands and has served as a community restaurant and diner for the past few decades.  Locals still call it "the drugstore" and meet there for food and community.

Prior to the Great Depression, thirty-four commercial buildings were constructed in Greenback.  Over half of these, however, were destroyed in a series of six major fires during this period.  Though the community's growth slowed, Greenback was officially incorporated in 1957, with Glenn McTeer as its first mayor.  A community center— built by the town's residents with no outside help or outside funding— was completed in 1978.  It now houses a library, the city hall, and recreational facilities.

On September 22, 1964, one of the first confrontations between the Tennessee Valley Authority and conservation groups over the proposed Tellico Dam project took place in a meeting at Greenback High School.  TVA had called the meeting in hopes of gaining the support of locals, and the agency was surprised when most of the 400 or so in attendance vehemently opposed the project.  TVA Chairman Aubrey Wagner, who spoke on the Authority's behalf, was continuously interrupted throughout his speech.  At one point, Wagner was shouted down by legendary Monroe County judge Sue K. Hicks, who as president of the Fort Loudoun Association feared the destruction of the historic fort's site by the proposed dam's reservoir.

In 2011, H&R Block featured Greenback in its national advertising campaign.  The campaign, known as "Greenbacks for Greenback," included a review of many of the citizens' taxes - a program H&R Block calls "second look."  The campaign saved locals more than $14,000 in taxes.  The savings were revealed in a celebration with the community at Greenback School.  Television, radio and print advertising featured the historic Greenback Depot, the Greenback Drugstore Diner, Greenback School and the Greenback Historical Society as well as many people who call Greenback home.

2010-2012 Tornadoes

In 2010, a small EF-1 tornado touched down south of US 411. In 2011, three tornadoes touched down. One, an EF-3 tornado, touched down in March 2011, and caused major damage and injuries, though no deaths. Two EF-0 tornadoes touched down during the April 27, 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak, though no major damage or injuries were reported. On February 29, 2012, an EF-0 tornado touched down, though no major damage or injuries were reported.

Geography
Greenback is located at  (35.655751, -84.164898).  The city is situated around the junction of Tennessee State Route 95 and Morganton Road, with the greater community extending to U.S. Route 411 to the south and U.S. Route 321 to the north, and along Morganton Road westward to East Tellico Parkway (which follows the shores of Tellico Lake).  A small commercial area is located around the intersection of Highway 411 and Highway 95.

The relatively flat land in and around Greenback is part of a valley carved by Baker Creek, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River.  Chilhowee Mountain and the Great Smoky Mountains are visible to the south.  The Red Knobs, part of a heavily-dissected ridge typical of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley range, rise just north of Greenback's city limits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which  is land and  (1.80%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1064 people, 396 households, and 298 families residing in the city. The population density was 149.9 people per square mile (58.1/km2).

As of the 2000 census, there were 416 housing units at an average density of 58.7 per square mile (22.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.59% White, 0.94% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.52% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, there were 380 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city as of 2000, the population was spread out with 3.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The 2000 census reported a median income for a household in the city was $31,042, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $27,222 versus $23,393 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,914. About 11.1% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.


Alberta Township, Benton County, Minnesota

Alberta Township is a township in Benton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 818 as of the 2010 census.

Alberta Township was organized in 1868. It was named for an early settler named Albert.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land.

The north half of the city of Gilman is within the township geographically but is a separate entity.

Unincorporated communities
 Brennyville
 Jakeville
 North Benton

Major highways
  Minnesota State Highway 25

Adjacent townships
 Morrill Township, Morrison County (north)
 Lakin Township, Morrison County (northeast)
 Granite Ledge Township (east)
 Maywood Township (southeast)
 Gilmanton Township (south)
 Mayhew Lake Township (southwest)
 Graham Township (west)
 Buckman Township, Morrison County (northwest)

Cemeteries
The township contains three cemeteries: Fairview, Polish National Catholic Church and Saint Elizabeth.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 772 people, 251 households, and 210 families residing in the township.  The population density was 21.3 people per square mile (8.2/km²).  There were 256 housing units at an average density of 7.1/sq mi (2.7/km²).  The racial makeup of the township was 99.35% White, 0.13% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 0.13% from two or more races.

There were 251 households out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.9% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the township the population was spread out with 32.4% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.5 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $48,958, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $34,615 versus $22,366 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,027.  About 7.2% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.