History.

The first specimen of "Australopithecus aethiopicus" that was discovered is known as Omo 18. Omo 18, also known as "Paraustralopithecus aethiopicus" was discovered in southern Ethiopia by French archeologists Camille Arambourg and Yves Coppens in 1967. Omo 18 serves as a predecessor to KNM-WT 17000, which was discovered by Alan Walker and named "Australopithecus walkeri" by Ferguson (1989). The finding discovered in 1985 by Alan Walker in West Turkana, Kenya, KNM WT 17000 (known as the "Black Skull" due to the dark coloration of the bone, caused by high levels of manganese), is one of the earliest examples of robust pliocene hominids. A key feature of Omo 18 is that it has a v-shaped jaw unlike the other Australopithecus species found. Although Omo 18 was the first skull discovered of these species, many paleoanthropologists ignored the finding on the basis that it was similar to the other species of australopithecines. Once KNM-WT 17000 was discovered, interest renewed in Omo 18 and it was reclassified.

Description.

"Australopithecus aethiopicus" belongs to the group known as the robust australopithecines ("Paranthropus") along with "Australopithecus robustus" and "Australopithecus boisei". The robust australopithecines share many characteristics of the cranium and mandible, especially more robust jaws and teeth, flaring zygomatic arches, a prominent sagittal crest, and a heavier supraorbital torus, indicating a shared evolutionary development. "Australopithecus aethiopicus" has notable features that differ from the other robust australopithecines, including a larger zygomatic arch, extended ramus of the mandible, and a more prognathic face. These differences may have been developed during the evolution of "aethiopicus", but it may also suggest that "A. aethiopicus" has a different phylogenetic history than "A. robustus" and "A. boisei."  The skull is dated to 2.5 million years ago, older than the later forms of robust australopithecines. Anthropologists suggest that "P. aethiopicus" lived between 2.7 and 2.5 million years ago. The features are quite primitive and share many traits with "Australopithecus afarensis"; thus "P. aethiopicus" is likely to be a direct descendant. With its face being as prognathic (projecting) as A. afarensis, its brain size was also quite small at 410 cc.  "Paranthropus aethiopicus" was first proposed in 1967 to describe a toothless partial mandible (Omo 18) found in Ethiopia by French paleontologists. Lower jaw and teeth fragments have been uncovered. "P. aethiopicus" had a large sagittal crest and zygomatic arch adapted for heavy chewing (as in gorilla skulls). Not much is known about this species since the best evidence comes from the "Black Skull" and the jaw. There is not enough material to make an assessment of how tall they were, but they may have been as tall as "Australopithecus afarensis".  "Paranthropus aethiopicus" is considered a megadont archaic hominin; the term megadont referring to the huge size of the postcanine tooth crowns. The initial discovery was a toothless adult mandible in the Shungura formation of the Omo region of Ethiopia in 1967 (Omo 18.18). The ash layers above and below the fossils give an approximate date of 2.3-2.5 mya. There is only one mostly complete skull for this hominin, so it’s hard to make proper inferences about physical characteristics. However, it can be said that the available skull is similar to P. boisei, although the incisors are larger, the face more prognathic, and the cranial base less flexed.

Size.

Paranthropus aethiopicus skull indicated that the cheek tooth rows are long and parallel to one another. A wide gap between left and right molars from the skull found demonstrates that it had wide front teeth. Having wide front teeth is a characteristic that distinguishes it from other Paranthropus species.  Other cranial differences that distinguish it from Paranthropus robustus and Paranthropus boisei are larger incisors, smaller cranial base and mandibular corpus, as well as a shorter postcanine tooth row. Although there is no evidence of postcranial, a proximal tibia has been recovered and is believed to belong to Paranthropus aethiopicus. When looking at details from the morphology of the base of the skull, it is clear that Paranthropus aethiopicus is the least specialized, which also supports the claim that it is the ancestor of the other Paranthropus species

Habitat.

"Paranthropus aethiopicus" is originally from West Turkana and Omo lived in bushland to open woodland around an area of edaphic grasslands.

Diet.

There is not much information on the exact diet of the "Paranthropus aethiopicus", but researchers believe it had to consume a lot of food based on morphology of its mandible and sagittal crest. Its size is reported to be only one fourth of a gorilla today, hinting that its diet, despite being large, was low in nutrition.

Classification debates.

Not all anthropologists agree that "P. aethiopicus" evolved into both "Paranthropus boisei" and "Paranthropus robustus", since the skull more closely resembles that of "A. afarensis". The one clue that makes "P. aethiopicus" a possible ancestor to both "P. boisei" and "P. robustus" is the similarity in jaw size. "P. aethiopicus" is known to have lived in mixed savanna and woodland. More evidence must be gathered about "P. aethiopicus" in order to accurately describe its physiology. The bizarre primitive shape of the "Black Skull" gives evidence that "P. aethiopicus" and the other australopithecines are on an evolutionary branch of the hominid tree, distinctly diverging from the "Homo" (human) lineage.. There has been many debates on whether Paranthropus aethiopicus should even be considered its own species or should it be part of P. boisei. However, there has been enough information to support the claim that it is different enough to be its own species. These differences consist of distinct mandibular premolar cusp morphology between both species. With new findings, larger and more elaborate talonids are also evident. Paranthropus aethiopicus was seen as having too many similarities in order to be a reasonably considered as an ancestor of the other two “robust” species. These similarities consist of the cranial capacity and the basicranial features which are structurally related to size of the brain. Many researchers have came to the conclusion, based on the law of parsimony, that since "Paranthropus aethiopicus" does not differ dramatically from its ancestor that it was the one who gave rise to the other “robust” species.

Paranthropus aethiopicus (or "Australopithecus aethiopicus)" is an extinct species of hominin, one of the robust australopithecines. Aethiopicus refers to Ethiopia, which is where its fossils have been discovered as well as in Kenya. Its fossils have been discovered in Ethiopia and Kenya and have been dated to approximately 2.5 million years before present.


Scientific observations.

The most common observation to be made at a transit is to record the times when the disk of Mercury appears to be in contact with the limb of the Sun. Those contacts are traditionally referred to as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th contacts – with the 2nd and 3rd contacts occurring when the disk of Mercury is fully on the disk of the sun. As a general rule, 1st and 4th contacts cannot be accurately detected, while 2nd and 3rd contacts are readily visible within the constraints of the Black Drop effect, irradiation, atmospheric conditions, and the quality of the optics being used.  Observed contact times for transits between 1677 and 1881 are given in S Newcomb's analysis of transits of Mercury. Observed 2nd and 3rd contacts times for transits between 1677 and 1973 are given in Royal Greenwich Observatory Bulletin No.181, 359-420 (1975).  Examples of the scientific investigations based on transits of Mercury are:  Images of the November 15, 1999 transit from the Transition Region and Coronal explorer (TRACE) satellite were on Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) on November 19 Three APODs featured the May 9, 2016 transit.

1832 Mercury transit.

The Shuckburgh telescope of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in London was used for the 1832 transit of Mercury. It was equipped with a micrometer by Dollond and was used for a report of the events as seen through the small refractor. By observing the transit in combination with timing it and taking measures, a diameter for the planet was taken. They also reported the peculiar effects that they compared to pressing a coin into the Sun. The observer remarked:

1907 transit.

For the 1907 transit of Mercury, these were some the telescope used at the Paris Observatory include:  The telescopes were mobile and were placed on the terrace for the observations.

Occurrence of transits.

Transits of Mercury can only occur when the Earth is aligned with a node of Mercury's orbit. Currently that alignment occurs within a few days of May 8 (descending node) and November 10 (ascending node), with the angular diameter of Mercury being about 12′′ for May transits, and 10′′ for November transits. The average date for a transit increases over centuries as a result of Mercury's nodal precession and Earth's axial precession.  Transits of Mercury occur on a regular basis. As explained in 1882 by Newcomb, the interval between passages of Mercury through the ascending node of its orbit is 87.969 days, and the interval between the Earth's passage through that same longitude is 365.254 days. Using continued fraction approximations of the ratio of these values, it can be shown that Mercury will make an almost integral number of revolutions about the Sun over intervals of 6, 7, 13, 33, 46, and 217 years.  In 1894 Crommelin noted that at these intervals, the successive paths of Mercury relative to the Sun are consistently displaced northwards or southwards. He noted the displacements as:  Comparing these displacements with the solar diameter (about 31.7′ in May, and 32.4′ in November) the following may be deduced about the interval between transits:  Transits that occur 46 years apart can be grouped into a series. For November transits each series includes about 20 transits over 874 years, with the path of Mercury across the Sun passing further north than for the previous transit. For May transits each series includes about 10 transits over 414 years, with the path of Mercury across the Sun passing further south than for the previous transit. Some authors have allocated a series number to transits on the basis of this 46-year grouping.  Similarly transits that occur 217 years apart can be grouped into a series. For November transits each series would include about 135 transits over 30,000 years. For May transits each series would include about 110 transits over 24,000 years. For both the May and November series, the path of Mercury across the Sun passes further north than for the previous transit. Series numbers have not been traditionally allocated on the basis of the 217 year grouping.  Predictions of transits of Mercury covering many years are available at NASA, SOLEX, and Fourmilab.

Partial transits of Mercury.

Sometimes Mercury appears to only graze the Sun during a transit. There are two possible scenarios:  The possibility that, at mid-transit, Mercury is seen to be fully on the solar disk from some parts of the world, and completely miss the Sun as seen from other parts of the world cannot occur.

Past and future transits.

The first observation of a transit of Mercury was on November 7, 1631 by Pierre Gassendi. Johannes Kepler had however predicted the occurrence of transits of Mercury and Venus some time before that. Gassendi unsuccessfully attempted to observe the transit of Venus just one month later, but due to inaccurate astronomical tables, he did not realize that it was not visible from most of Europe. A transit of Venus was not observed until 1639 by Jeremiah Horrocks. The table below includes all historical transits of Mercury from 1605 on:

A transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury passes directly (transits) between the Sun and a superior planet, becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Mercury appears as a tiny black dot moving across the disk of the Sun.


Distribution.

"Cymbopogon citratus" is native to Island Southeast Asia (Malesia). It has been introduced extensively to South Asia since precolonial times. After the World War I, lemongrass was introduced to Madagascar, South America, and Central America. It has now been naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics worldwide.  In its native range, "Cymbopogon citratus" is known as "sereh", "serai", or "serai dapur" in Indonesia and Malaysia; and "tanglad", "salai", or "balioko" in the Philippines.

Culinary uses.

"Cymbopogon citratus" is abundant in the Philippines and Indonesia where it is known as "tanglad" or "sereh". Its fragrant leaves are traditionally used in cooking, particularly for "lechon" and roasted chicken.  The dried leaves can also be brewed into a tea, either alone or as a flavoring in other teas, imparting a flavor reminiscent of lemon juice but with a mild sweetness without significant sourness or tartness.  In Sri Lanka, lemongrass is known as "sera" (සේර). It is used as a herb in cooking, in addition to its use for the essential oils.

Medicinal uses.

The leaves of "Cymbopogon citratus" have been used in traditional medicine and are often found in herbal supplements and teas.  In the folk medicine of the Krahô people of Brazil, it is believed to have anxiolytic, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant properties.  In traditional medicine of India the leaves of the plant are used as stimulant, sudorific, antiperiodic, and anticatarrhal, while the essential oil is used as carminative, depressant, analgesic, antipyretic, antibacterial, and antifungal agent.  Laboratory studies have shown cytoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties "in vitro", as well as antifungal properties (though "Cymbopogon martinii" was found to be more effective in that study).  Citronellol is an essential oil constituent from "Cymbopogon citratus", "Cymbopogon winterianus", and "Lippia alba". Citronellol has been shown to lower blood pressure in rats by a direct effect on the vascular smooth muscle leading to vasodilation. In a small, randomized, controlled trial, an infusion made from "C. citratus" was used as an inexpensive remedy for the treatment of oral thrush in HIV/AIDS patients.  Lemon grass oil contains 65-85% citral in addition to myrcene, citronellal, citronellol, and geraniol. Hydrosteam distillation, condensation, and cooling can be used to separate the oil from the water. The hydrosol, as a by-product of the distillation process, is used for the production of skin care products such as lotions, creams, and facial cleansers. The main ingredients in these products are lemon grass oil and "negros oil" (mixture of lemon grass oil with virgin coconut oil) used in aromatherapy.

Effect on insects.

Beekeepers sometimes use lemon grass oil in swarm traps to attract swarms. Lemon grass oil has also been tested for its ability to repel the pestilent stable fly, which bite domestic animals.

Cymbopogon citratus, commonly known as West Indian lemon grass or simply lemon grass, is a tropical plant native to Maritime Southeast Asia and introduced to many tropical regions.


History.

The "mayday" procedure word was originated in 1921, by a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. The officer, Frederick Stanley Mockford, was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the expression "mayday" from the French "" ('help me'), a shortened form of "venez m'aider" ('come and help me'). It is unrelated to the holiday May Day.  Before the voice call "mayday", SOS was the Morse code equivalent of the mayday call. In 1927, the International Radiotelegraph Convention of Washington adopted the voice call mayday as the radiotelephone distress call in place of the SOS radiotelegraph (Morse code) call.

Mayday calls.

If a mayday call cannot be sent because a radio is not available, a variety of other distress signals and calls for help can be used. Additionally, a mayday call can be sent on behalf of one vessel by another; this is known as a mayday relay.  Civilian aircraft making a mayday call in United States airspace are encouraged by the Federal Aviation Administration to use the following format, omitting any portions as necessary for expediency or where they are irrelevant (capitalization as in the original source):  Making a false distress call is a criminal offence in many countries, punishable by a fine, restitution, and possible imprisonment.

Other urgent calls.

Pan-pan.

"Pan-pan" (from the French: ", 'a breakdown') indicates an urgent situation, such as a mechanical failure or a medical problem, of a lower order than a "grave and imminent threat requiring immediate assistance". The suffix "medico" used to be added by vessels in British waters to indicate a medical problem ("pan-pan medico", repeated three times), or by aircraft declaring a non-life-threatening medical emergency of a passenger in flight, or those operating as protected medical transport in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. "Pan-pan medico" is no longer in official use.

Declaring emergency.

Sometimes the phrase "declaring emergency" is used in aviation, as an alternative to calling "mayday". For example, Swissair Flight 111 radioed "Swissair one-eleven heavy is declaring emergency" after their situation had worsened, upgrading from the "pan-pan" which was declared earlier.  However, the International Civil Aviation Organization recommends the use of the standard "pan-pan" and "mayday" calls instead of "declaring an emergency". Cases of pilots using phrases other than "pan-pan" and "mayday" have caused confusion and errors in aircraft handling.

Silencing other communications traffic.

"Seelonce mayday" (using an approximation of the French pronunciation of ") is a demand that the channel only be used by the vessel/s and authorities involved with the distress. The channel may not be used for normal working traffic until "seelonce feenee" is broadcast. "Seelonce mayday" and "seelonce feenee" may only be sent by the controlling station. The expression "stop transmitting – mayday" is an aeronautical equivalent of "seelonce mayday". "Seelonce distress" and "prudonce" are no longer in use since ITU WRC-07. Also only the station in charge of the distress may use "seelonce mayday".  The format for a "seelonce mayday" is MAYDAY, All Stations x3 or [Interfering station] x3, this is [controlling station], SEELONCE MAYDAY. ITU RR 2016.  "Seelonce feenee" (from French "",'silence finished') means that the emergency situation has been concluded and the channel may now be used normally. "Distress traffic ended" is the aeronautical equivalent of "seelonce feenee".  The format for the "seelonce feenee" is MAYDAY, All stations x3, this is [controlling station] x3, date and time in UTC, distressed vessels MMSI number, distressed vessels name, distressed vessels call sign, SEELONCE FEENEE. ITU RR 2016.

Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organizations such as firefighters, police forces, and transportation organizations also use the term. Convention requires the word be repeated three times in a row during the initial emergency declaration ("Mayday mayday mayday") to prevent it being mistaken for some similar-sounding phrase under noisy conditions, and to distinguish an "actual" mayday call from a message "about" a mayday call.


Life.

Anacharsis the son of Gnurus, a Scythian chief, was half Greek and from a mixed Hellenic culture, apparently in the region of the Cimmerian Bosporus. He left his native country to travel in pursuit of knowledge, and came to Athens about 589 BC, at a time when Solon was occupied with his legislative measures.  According to the story recounted by Hermippus, Anacharsis arrived at the house of Solon and said, "I have traveled here from afar to make you my friend." Solon replied, "It's better to make friends at home." Thereupon the Scythian replied, "Then it is necessary for you, being at home, to make friends with me." Solon laughed and accepted him as his friend.  Anacharsis cultivated the outsider's knack of seeing the illogic in familiar things. For example, Plutarch remarks that he "expressed his wonder at the fact that in Greece wise men spoke and fools decided." His conversation was droll and frank, and Solon and the Athenians took to him as a sage and philosopher. His rough and free discourse became proverbial among Athenians as 'Scythian discourse'.  Anacharsis was the first foreigner (metic) who received the privileges of Athenian citizenship. He was reckoned by some ancient authors as one of the Seven Sages of Greece, and it is said that he was initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Great Goddess, a privilege denied to those who did not speak fluent Greek.  According to Herodotus, when Anacharsis returned to the Scythians he was killed by his own brother for his Greek ways and especially for the impious attempt to sacrifice to the Mother Goddess Cybele, whose cult was unwelcome among the Scythians.

Ideas.

None of the works ascribed to him in ancient times, if indeed they were written by him, have survived. He was said to have written a book comparing the laws of the Scythians with the laws of the Greeks, as well as work on the art of war. All that remains of his thought is what later tradition ascribes to him. He became famous for the simplicity of his way of living and his acute observations on the institutions and customs of the Greeks. He exhorted moderation in everything, saying that the vine bears three clusters of grapes: the first wine, pleasure; the second, drunkenness; the third, disgust. So he became a kind of emblem to the Athenians, who inscribed on his statues: 'Restrain your tongues, your appetites, your passions.'  There are ten extant letters ascribed to him, one of which is also quoted by Cicero: Greetings from Anacharsis to Hanno: My clothing is a Scythian cloak, my shoes are the hard soles of my feet, my bed is the earth, my food is only seasoned by hunger - and I eat nothing but milk and cheese and meat. Come and visit me, and you will find me at peace. You want to give me something. But give it to your fellow-citizens instead, or let the immortal gods have it. All of the letters are spurious. The first nine probably date from the 3rd century BC, they are usually included among the "Cynic epistles", and reflect how the Cynic philosophers viewed him as prefiguring many of their ideas; the tenth letter is quoted by Diogenes Laërtius, it is addressed to Croesus, the proverbially rich king of Lydia, it too is fictitious: Anacharsis to Croesus: O king of the Lydians, I am come to the country of the Greeks, in order to become acquainted with their customs and institutions; but I have no need of gold, and shall be quite contented if I return to Scythia a better man than I left it. However I will come to Sardis, as I think it very desirable to become a friend of yours.  Strabo makes him the (probably legendary) inventor of the anchor with two flukes, and others made him the inventor of the potter's wheel.  Having been informed that Solon was employed to draw up a code of laws for the Athenians, Anacharsis described his occupation, saying: "Solon showed Anacharsis some laws that he was drafting for the Athenians. Anacharsis laughed at Solon for imagining that the dishonesty and greed of the Athenians could be restrained by written laws. Such laws, said Anacharsis, are like spiderwebs: they catch the weak and poor, but the rich can rip right through them." (Plutarch, Solon, https://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/biography/solon.htm)

Revival in the 18th century.

In 1788 Jean Jacques Barthelemy (1716–95), a highly esteemed classical scholar and Jesuit, published "The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger in Greece" about a young Scythian descended from Anacharsis. The 4-volume work was an imaginary travel journal, one of the first historical novels, which Klemperer called "the encyclopedia of the new cult of the antique" in the late 18th century. It affected the growth of philhellenism in France at the time. The book went through many editions, was reprinted in the United States and translated into German and other languages. It later inspired European sympathy for the Greek struggle for independence and spawned sequels and imitations through the 19th century.

Anacharsis (; ) was a Scythian philosopher; he travelled from his homeland on the northern shores of the ancient Iran, to Athens, in the early 6th century BC, and made a great impression as a forthright and outspoken barbarian, that is, a non-Greek speaker. He very well could have been a forerunner of the Cynics, in part because of his strong, but playful, "parrhesia". None of his works have survived.


Warbands.

The official rulebook which was released in 1999 introduced several warbands which players are able to use. These included human mercenaries from the Empire provinces of Reikland, Middenheim and Marienburg, cult of the possessed, witch hunters, the sister of Sigmar, the undead, and skaven.  A Mordheim Annual was released in 2002, increasing the number of officially available warbands. The expanded set of warbands introduced orcs and goblins, dwarf treasure hunters, human mercenaries from the Empire province of Ostland and Averland, high elves and Kislev.

Reduction in official support.

Games Workshop ceased releasing updated rules and material for the game in 2004. Preliminary suggestions for official rules were last released in 2006 though official moves in support of the game have been non-existent for even longer. In February 2008 Games Workshop amended their mail-order indexes, removing numerous Mordheim models from their online store. In February 2010 Games Workshop stopped supplying the Mordheim rulebook for purchase as a physical book. In April 2014 the previously available digital downloads of rulebooks and other materials were removed from the Games Workshop website.

Computer game adaptation.

A computer based adaptation of the game titled was released for personal computers in November 2015 and consoles in October 2016.  There is also a version for mobile devices, Mordheim: Warband Skirmish, by Legendary Games.

Unofficial material.

Mordheim continues to enjoy a cult following and fans of the game have suggested further developments to the rules. Border Town Burning is the biggest post 2004 development in Mordheim. It contains detailed expansion rules for campaigns in the Cathayan borderlands, detailing the merchant travels along the "Silk Road" from Cathay to the Old World. Relics of the Crusades (refer to external links below) is another expansion set, this time set in Araby during the Crusades. The setting is very detailed and was originally published through official channels and so can be said to be semi-official. The Coreheim rules modification that streamlines and balances the original Mordheim rules so that play progresses faster and more weapons options are viable. The name 'Coreheim' is a play on words which signifies that the designers thought that the setting, featuring only a handful of warbands, had been diluted by the introduction of so many later warbands.  As a Games Workshop "Specialist Game" Mordheim receives only very limited official support regarding both gaming products (such as models) and rules tweaks/updates.

Mordheim is a tabletop game published by Games Workshop in 1999. It is a skirmish variant of the company's Warhammer Fantasy game but set on a warband or "skirmish" scale. Mordheim was designed by Alessio Cavatore, Tuomas Pirinen and Rick Priestley. Besides being a typical miniature skirmish game, Mordheim also features a campaign system. Warbands gain experience and equipment as the campaign progresses, in a similar nature to role-playing games.


Early life.

His earlier life is obscure, as are his ancestry and ethnicity. One theory suggests that he was of Roman origin as contemporary Frankish chroniclers refer to his father as an enemy Roman. Several Dukes of Aquitaine have been suggested as Odo's father: Boggis or Bertrand, or Duke Lupus I. According to the spurious Charte d'Alaon, Hubertus was one of Odo's brothers.  Odo succeeded to the ducal throne maybe as early as 679, probably the date of the death of Lupus, or 688. Other dates are possible, including 692, but he was certainly in power by 700.

Early leadership.

The historian Jean de Jaurgain cites him as fighting in 711 against the Visigoth Roderic in Pamplona. In 715 he declared himself independent during the civil war raging in Gaul. It is not likely that he ever took the title of king.  In 718, he appears raising an army of Basques (""hoste Vasconum commota"") as an ally of Chilperic II of Neustria and the Mayor of the Palace Ragenfrid, who may have offered recognition of his kingship over Aquitaine. They were fighting against the Austrasian mayor of the palace, Charles Martel, but after the defeat of Chilperic at Soissons that year, he made peace with Charles by surrendering to him the Neustrian king and his treasures.

Between Umayyads and Franks.

Odo was also obliged to fight both the Umayyads and the Franks who invaded his kingdom. On 9 June 721 he inflicted a major defeat upon Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani at the Battle of Toulouse, the first major battle lost by the Muslim Umayyad forces in their military campaign northwards, claiming the lives of thousands of Umayyad soldiers. The heroic victory was celebrated with gifts from the Pope, who declared the Aquitanian duke a Champion of (Roman) Christianity and solidified his independence.  In order to help secure his borders against the Umayyads, he married his daughter, probably named Lampegia, to the Muslim Berber rebel lord Uthman ibn Naissa, called "Munuza" by the Franks, the deputy governor of what would later become Catalonia.

Battles of Garonne, Tours and death.

In 731, the Frankish Charles Martel, after defeating the Saxons, turned his attention to the rival southern realm of Aquitaine, denounced Odo's alliance with Uthman ibn Naissa, and crossed the Loire, so breaking the peace treaty held with Odo. The Frankish leader ransacked Aquitaine twice, seizing Bourges too, and Odo engaged the Frankish troops but was defeated. Charles went back to Francia.  Meanwhile, the Umayyads were gathering forces to attack Odo's ally in the Pyrenean region of Cerdanya (maybe Catalonia) Uthman ibn Naissa. In 731, the Berber lord was subject to the attack of an expedition led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, overcoming and killing the rebel leader, and capturing Odo's daughter, who was sent as prisoner to a harem in Damascus. Busy as Odo was trying to fend off Charles's thrust, he didn't make it to help his ally.  In 732, Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi's troops raided Vasconia, advanced towards Bordeaux and ransacked the city. Odo engaged them but was defeated by the Umayyads near Bordeaux. Following the defeat, Odo re-organised his scattered forces, and ran north to warn Charles Martel, Mayor of the palaces of Neustria and Austrasia, of the impending threat and to appeal for assistance in fighting the Arab-Berber advance, which he received in exchange for accepting formal Frankish overlordship. The duke, aged almost 80, joined Charles Martel's troops and was to form the Frankish army's left flank, while the Umayyads and the multinational army commanded by Charles built up their forces somewhere between Vienne and Clain to the north of Poitiers in preparation for the so-called Battle of Tours (732, or possibly 733).  Odo led his forces to play a major role in defeating the Umayyad army when they broke into the main Cordovan camp and set fire to it, sparking confusion and wreaking havoc with the enemy's rearguard. The alliance defeated the Umayyads at the Battle of Tours in 732, and expelled them from Aquitaine.  After the battle, Charles headed back north to his domains in Francia—Neustria and Austrasia— and duke Odo was left as ruler in Aquitaine and Vasconia. In 735 the Duke Odo abdicated or died, and was succeeded by his son Hunald. He may have died in a monastery where he retreated, perhaps as late as 740. Odo the Great's popularity in Aquitaine is attested by the "Vita Pardulfi".  The name of the character of king Yon de Gascogne in the 12th-century tale "The Four Sons of Aymon" is probably a corruption of Odo.

Odo the Great (also called "Eudes" or "Eudo") (died 735), was the Duke of Aquitaine by 700. His territory included Vasconia in the south-west of Gaul and the Duchy of Aquitaine (at that point located north-east of the river Garonne), a realm extending from the Loire to the Pyrenees, with the capital in Toulouse. He fought the Carolingian Franks and made alliances with the Moors to combat them. He retained this domain until his abdication in 735. He is remembered for defeating the Umayyads in 721 as they advanced down the Garonne through Aquitaine. He was the first to defeat them decisively in Western Europe. The feat earned him the epithet "The Great".


Biography.

Early years.

Silverberg was born to Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York. A voracious reader since childhood, he began submitting stories to science fiction magazines during his early teenage years. He received a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, in 1956. While at Columbia, he wrote the juvenile novel "Revolt on Alpha C" (1955), published by Thomas Y. Crowell with the cover notice: "A gripping story of outer space". He won his first Hugo in 1956 as the "best new writer".  That year Silverberg was the author or co-author of four of the six stories in the August issue of "Fantastic", breaking his record set in the previous issue. For the next four years, by his own count, he wrote a million words a year, mostly for magazines and Ace Doubles. He used his own name as well as a range of pseudonyms during this era, and often worked in collaboration with Randall Garrett, who was a neighbour at the time. (The Silverberg/Garrett collaborations also used a variety of pseudonyms, the best-known being Robert Randall.) From 1956 to 1959, Silverberg routinely averaged five published stories a month, and he had over 80 stories published in 1958 alone.  In 1959, the market for science fiction collapsed, and Silverberg turned his ability to write copiously to other fields, from historical non-fiction to softcore pornography. "Bob Silverberg, a giant of science fiction... was doing two [books] a month for one publisher, another for a second publisher, and the equivalent of another book for a magazine... He was writing a quarter of a million words a month" under many different pseudonyms including about 200 erotic novels published as Don Elliott. In a 2000 interview, Silverberg explained that the erotic fiction (published under the pseudonym "Don Elliot")

Literary growth.

In the mid-1960s, science fiction was becoming more serious and sophisticated. Frederik Pohl, then editing three science fiction magazines, offered Silverberg carte blanche in writing for them. Thus inspired, Silverberg returned to the field that gave him his start, paying far more attention to depth of character development and social background than he had in the past and mixing in elements of the modernist literature he had studied at Columbia.  Silverberg continued to write rapidly—Algis Budrys reported in 1965 that he wrote and sold at least 50,000 words ("call it the equivalent of a commercial novel") weekly—but the novels he wrote in this period are considered superior to his earlier work; Budrys in 1968 wrote of his surprise that "Silverberg is now writing deeply detailed, highly educated, beautifully figured books" like "Thorns" and "The Masks of Time". Perhaps the first book to indicate the new Silverberg was "To Open the Sky", a fixup of stories published by Pohl in "Galaxy Magazine", in which a new religion helps people reach the stars. That was followed by "Downward to the Earth", a story containing echoes of material from Joseph Conrad's work, in which the human former administrator of an alien world returns after the planet's inhabitants have been set free. Other acclaimed works of that time include "To Live Again", in which the memories and personalities of the deceased can be transferred to other people; "The World Inside", a look at an overpopulated future; and "Dying Inside", a tale of a telepath losing his powers.  In the August 1967 issue of "Galaxy", Silverberg published a 20,000-word novelette called "Hawksbill Station". This story earned Silverberg his first Hugo and Nebula story award nominations. An expanded novel form of "Hawksbill Station" was published the following year. In 1969 "Nightwings" was awarded the Hugo for best novella. Silverberg won a Nebula award in 1970 for the short story "Passengers", two the following year for his novel "A Time of Changes" and the short story "Good News from the Vatican", and yet another in 1975 for his novella "Born with the Dead".

Later developments.

After suffering through the stresses of a major house fire and a thyroid malfunction, Silverberg moved from his native New York City to the West Coast in 1972, and he announced his retirement from writing in 1975. In 1980 he returned, however, with "Lord Valentine's Castle", a panoramic adventure set on an alien planet, which has become the basis of the Majipoor series—a cycle of stories and novels set on the vast planet Majipoor, a world much larger than Earth and inhabited by no fewer than seven different species of settlers. In a 2015 interview Silverberg said that he did not intend to write any more fiction.  Silverberg received a Nebula award in 1986 for the novella "Sailing to Byzantium", which takes its name from the poem by William Butler Yeats; a Hugo in 1987 for the novella "Gilgamesh in the Outback", set in the "Heroes in Hell" universe of Bangsian Fantasy; a Hugo in 1990 for "Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another". The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted Silverberg in 1999, its fourth class of two deceased and two living writers, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America made him its 21st SFWA Grand Master in 2005.

Personal life.

Silverberg has been married twice. He and Barbara Brown married in 1956, separated in 1976, and divorced a decade later. Silverberg and science fiction writer Karen Haber married in 1987. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before the age of 30, Silverberg was independently wealthy through his investments and once owned the former mansion of New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

Awards.

Hugo Awards  Locus Award  Nebula Awards

Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand Master of SF. He has attended every Hugo Awards ceremony since the inaugural event in 1953.


Early life.

Miloš Teodorović was the son of Teodor "Teša" Mihailović (died 1802) from Dobrinja, and Višnja (died 18 June 1817). His family descended from the Bratonožići tribe. This was the second marriage of his mother Višnja, from which also sprung Jovan (1787–1850) and Jevrem (1790–1856). From Višnja's first marriage, with Obren Martinović (died 1780) from Brusnica, Miloš had half-brothers Jakov (died 1811) and Milan (died 1810), and half-sister Stana. After the death of Obren, Višnja moved from Brusnica and married Teodor in Dobrinja. Although many historians put 1780 as the year when Miloš was born, according to foundation plaque in the wall of the Old Church in Kragujevac, his capital, he was 35 when the church was finished in 1818, meaning that he was born in 1783. After the death of his brother Milan, a famed revolutionary with great reputation among the people, Miloš adopted the surname Obrenović. In official documents, his name was sometimes written Miloš Teodorović Obrenović (; ).

First Serbian Uprising.

Miloš fought in the First Serbian uprising until its very end in 1813. He was wounded in the battle for Užice. His half-brother Milan also took part in the Uprising, rising to become the voivode of the Rudnik district, until his death in 1810. After Milan's death, Miloš adopted the surname of his half-brother, Obrenović. This name was the patronymic which his half-brother derived from Obren, the first name of his own father (Miloš's step-father). After the rebellion collapsed, Miloš was among the few of its leaders that remained in Serbia to face the returning Ottomans.

Second Serbian Uprising.

In April 1815, Prince Miloš organized and led the Second Serbian uprising. After defeating the Turks, and Napoleon's defeat in Russia, the Turks agreed to the terms of the agreement from 1815. After the killing of Karađorđe Petrović, in 1817, Obrenović became the leader of the Serbs. As a result of the agreement, Serbia gained some autonomy, but remained under Ottoman sovereignty. Miloš Obrenović was left in power as its absolute ruler.  Between the end of 1828 and the autumn of 1830, Prince Miloš created a so-called "legislative commission" to translate the Code Napoléon into Serbian and codify the laws and customs of the country. After discussing the commission, Miloš invited two distinguished legal specialists to come from Hungary to prepare a more suitable criminal and civil code of laws for Serbia. They were Vasilije Lazarević, "Bürgermeister" (mayor) of Zemun, and Jovan Hadžić, lawyer, poet, and member of the municipal senate of Novi Sad.  In January 1831, Prince Miloš informed a great national assembly that he had obtained an imperial edict from the Sultan ending all direct obligations of Serbian peasants to their former Turkish lords, guaranteeing Ottoman recognition of Serbian autonomy in most matters of internal administration, and offering Serbia the prospect of territorial aggrandizement, as well as the express right to institute schools, courts, and a governmental administration of her own. The Sultan's decrees of 1830 and 1833 expanded the same rights to a larger territory, and made Serbia a sovereign principality, with Miloš Obrenović as hereditary prince. A Metropolitanate of Serbia was established in Belgrade as an autonomous unit of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Russia's status as the guarantor of Serbia's autonomy was also recognized.

Reign.

The supporters of the rule of law often rebelled against Miloš's government. Following one such rebellion, he agreed to adopt a constitution, the "Sretenje" or Candlemas constitution, in 1835. The move was opposed by neighboring Austria, the ruling Ottoman Empire and Russia. It is believed that the three great empires saw the constitution as a danger to their own autocratic systems of government. Metternich's Austria particularly ridiculed the fact that Serbia had its own flag and foreign ministry. Miloš abolished the constitution at the demand of Russia and Turkey, and it was replaced by the "Turkish" Constitution of 1838.  Miloš abdicated in 1839 in favor of his sons—Milan, who died a few weeks later, and Mihailo, who then became prince. Mihailo was deposed in 1842, and the family was out of power until 1858, when it returned with Miloš restored as prince for the last two years of his life.

Legacy.

Miloš Obrenović was given the epithet "the Great". He was proclaimed "Father of the Fatherland" by the National Assembly.

Marriage and children.

In 1805, Miloš married Ljubica Vukomanović (September 1785 – Vienna, 26 May 1843). The couple had eight children whose names are known. It is speculated that Ljubica had other pregnancies that resulted in miscarriages, stillbirths, or children who died shortly after birth, with some sources giving a number as high as 17 pregnancies.

Prince Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia (; ; 18 March 1780 or 1783 – 26 September 1860) born Miloš Teodorović (; ) was Prince of Serbia from 1815 to 1839, and again from 1858 to 1860. He participated in the First Serbian uprising, led Serbs in the Second Serbian uprising, and founded the House of Obrenović. Under his rule, Serbia became an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire. Prince Miloš ruled autocratically, consistently refusing to share power, which generated strong domestic opposition. During his rule, Miloš I bought a number of estates and ships from Ottoman Turks and also became a prominent trader. He was the richest man in Serbia and one of the richest in the Balkans, with estates in Vienna, Serbia and Wallachia.


Description.

"Eryngium alpinum" is a hemicryptophyte, its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis more or less erect with a few leaves. The roots are deep and robust.  The stems are solitary and erect, usually with three branches on the apex and with longitudinal purple stripes. This plant generally reaches about in height, with a maximum of. The basal leaves are oval or heart-shaped, wide and long, with toothed hedges and a long petiole. The cauline leaves are sessile and progressively more divided.  The inflorescences are dense umbels at the top of the main branches. They are bright green at the bases and the stiff, bristly bracts are blue. They are about 4 cm long and 2 cm diameter and the bracts are up to long. The flowers inside are about 2 mm long. The peripheral flowers are sterile and the internal flowers are hermaphroditic. Both types are actinomorphic and pentamerous, with five petals. Flowering occurs in July through September. The flowers are -insect-pollinated. The fruit is a spiny achene about half a centimeter wide.

Distribution and habitat.

This plant is native to Austria, Liechtenstein, Croatia, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Slovenia. It grows in subalpine scrub, rocky areas and wet pastures, preferably in limestone, at an altitude of above sea level.

Cultivation.

"E. alpinum" is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its blue and purple flowerheads. It requires dry, well-drained soil and full sun.

Conservation.

Wild populations of the species are in decline due to overcollection for ornamental use and habitat degradation from recreational activity and grazing. Numerous local extinctions of subpopulations have occurred.

Salina () is one of the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily, southern Italy. It is the second largest island in the archipelago.


Description.

Baobabs reach heights of and have trunk diameters of. The Glencoe baobab, a specimen of "A. digitata" in Limpopo Province, South Africa, was considered to be the largest living individual, with a maximum circumference of and a diameter of about. The tree has since split into two parts, so the widest individual trunk may now be that of the Sunland baobab, or Platland tree, also in South Africa. The diameter of this tree at ground level is and its circumference at breast height is.  "Adansonia" trees produce faint growth rings, probably annually, but they are not reliable for aging specimens, because they are difficult to count and may fade away as the wood ages. Radiocarbon dating has provided data on a few individuals of "A. digitata". The Panke baobab in Zimbabwe was some 2,450 years old when it died in 2011, making it the oldest angiosperm ever documented, and two other trees – Dorslandboom in Namibia and Glencoe in South Africa – were estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old. Another specimen known as Grootboom was dated and found to be at least 1275 years old. Greenhouse gases and global warming appear to be factors reducing baobab longevity.

Species.

Of the nine species accepted six are native to Madagascar, two are native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and one is native to Australia. One of the mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island. It was introduced in ancient times to south Asia and during the colonial era to the Caribbean. It is also present in the island nation of Cape Verde. The ninth species was described in 2012, and is found in upland populations of southern and eastern Africa. The African and Australian baobabs are almost identical despite having separated more than 100 million years ago, probably by oceanic dispersal.  Species include:

Habitat.

The Malagasy species are important components of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. Within that biome, "Adansonia madagascariensis" and "A. rubrostipa" occur specifically in the Anjajavy Forest, sometimes growing out of the tsingy limestone itself. "A. digitata" has been called "a defining icon of African bushland".

Ecology.

Baobabs store water in the trunk (up to ) to endure harsh drought conditions. All occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season. Across Africa, the oldest and largest baobabs began to die in the early 21st century, likely from a combination of drought and rising temperatures. The trees appear to become parched, then become dehydrated and unable to support their massive trunks.  Baobabs are important as nest sites for birds, in particular the mottled spinetail and four species of weaver.

Food uses.

Leaves.

Leaves may be eaten as a leaf vegetable.

Tree.

In Tanzania, the dry pulp of "A. digitata" is added to sugarcane to aid fermentation in brewing (beermaking).

Other uses.

Some baobab species are sources of fiber, dye, and fuel. Indigenous Australians used the native species "A. gregorii" for several products, making string from the root fibers and decorative crafts from the fruits. Oil from the seed is also used in cosmetics, particularly in moisturizers.

Adansonia is a genus of deciduous trees known as baobabs. They are native to the regions of Madagascar and mainland Africa. The tree has also been introduced to other regions such as Australia and Asia. The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described "Adansonia digitata". The baobab is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths.


Algorithm.

Like Dijkstra's algorithm, Bellman–Ford proceeds by relaxation, in which approximations to the correct distance are replaced by better ones until they eventually reach the solution. In both algorithms, the approximate distance to each vertex is always an overestimate of the true distance, and is replaced by the minimum of its old value and the length of a newly found path. However, Dijkstra's algorithm uses a priority queue to greedily select the closest vertex that has not yet been processed, and performs this relaxation process on all of its outgoing edges; by contrast, the Bellman–Ford algorithm simply relaxes "all" the edges, and does this formula_1 times, where formula_2 is the number of vertices in the graph. In each of these repetitions, the number of vertices with correctly calculated distances grows, from which it follows that eventually all vertices will have their correct distances. This method allows the Bellman–Ford algorithm to be applied to a wider class of inputs than Dijkstra.  Bellman–Ford runs in formula_3 time, where formula_2 and formula_5 are the number of vertices and edges respectively.  Simply put, the algorithm initializes the distance to the source to 0 and all other nodes to infinity. Then for all edges, if the distance to the destination can be shortened by taking the edge, the distance is updated to the new lower value. At each iteration that the edges are scanned, the algorithm finds all shortest paths of at most length edges (and possibly some paths longer than edges). Since the longest possible path without a cycle can be formula_1 edges, the edges must be scanned formula_1 times to ensure the shortest path has been found for all nodes. A final scan of all the edges is performed and if any distance is updated, then a path of length formula_2 edges has been found which can only occur if at least one negative cycle exists in the graph.

Proof of correctness.

The correctness of the algorithm can be shown by induction:  Lemma. After "i" repetitions of "for" loop,  Proof. For the base case of induction, consider codice_1 and the moment before "for" loop is executed for the first time. Then, for the source vertex, codice_2, which is correct. For other vertices "u", codice_3, which is also correct because there is no path from "source" to "u" with 0 edges.  For the inductive case, we first prove the first part. Consider a moment when a vertex's distance is updated by codice_4. By inductive assumption, codice_5 is the length of some path from "source" to "u". Then codice_6 is the length of the path from "source" to "v" that follows the path from "source" to "u" and then goes to "v".  For the second part, consider a shortest path "P" (there may be more than one) from "source" to "v" with at most "i" edges. Let "u" be the last vertex before "v" on this path. Then, the part of the path from "source" to "u" is a shortest path from "source" to "u" with at most "i-1" edges, since if it were not, then there must be some strictly shorter path from "source" to "u" with at most "i-1" edges, and we could then append the edge "uv" to this path to obtain a path with at most "i" edges that is strictly shorter than "P"—a contradiction. By inductive assumption, codice_5 after "i"−1 iterations is at most the length of this path from "source" to "u". Therefore, codice_8 is at most the length of "P". In the "i" iteration, codice_9 gets compared with codice_8, and is set equal to it if codice_8 is smaller. Therefore, after "i" iterations, codice_9 is at most the length of "P", i.e., the length of the shortest path from "source" to "v" that uses at most "i" edges.  If there are no negative-weight cycles, then every shortest path visits each vertex at most once, so at step 3 no further improvements can be made. Conversely, suppose no improvement can be made. Then for any cycle with vertices "v"[0],..., "v"["k"−1],  codice_13  Summing around the cycle, the "v"["i"].distance and "v"["i"−1 (mod "k")].distance terms cancel, leaving  codice_14  I.e., every cycle has nonnegative weight.

Finding negative cycles.

When the algorithm is used to find shortest paths, the existence of negative cycles is a problem, preventing the algorithm from finding a correct answer. However, since it terminates upon finding a negative cycle, the Bellman–Ford algorithm can be used for applications in which this is the target to be sought – for example in cycle-cancelling techniques in network flow analysis.

Applications in routing.

A distributed variant of the Bellman–Ford algorithm is used in distance-vector routing protocols, for example the Routing Information Protocol (RIP). The algorithm is distributed because it involves a number of nodes (routers) within an Autonomous system (AS), a collection of IP networks typically owned by an ISP. It consists of the following steps:  The main disadvantages of the Bellman–Ford algorithm in this setting are as follows:

Improvements.

The Bellman–Ford algorithm may be improved in practice (although not in the worst case) by the observation that, if an iteration of the main loop of the algorithm terminates without making any changes, the algorithm can be immediately terminated, as subsequent iterations will not make any more changes. With this early termination condition, the main loop may in some cases use many fewer than iterations, even though the worst case of the algorithm remains unchanged.  Yen's second improvement first assigns some arbitrary linear order on all vertices and then partitions the set of all edges into two subsets. The first subset, "E", contains all edges ("v", "v") such that "i" < "j"; the second, "E", contains edges ("v", "v") such that "i" > "j". Each vertex is visited in the order "v", "v",..., "v", relaxing each outgoing edge from that vertex in "E". Each vertex is then visited in the order "v", "v",..., "v", relaxing each outgoing edge from that vertex in "E". Each iteration of the main loop of the algorithm, after the first one, adds at least two edges to the set of edges whose relaxed distances match the correct shortest path distances: one from "E" and one from "E". This modification reduces the worst-case number of iterations of the main loop of the algorithm from to formula_10.  Another improvement, by, replaces the arbitrary linear order of the vertices used in Yen's second improvement by a random permutation. This change makes the worst case for Yen's improvement (in which the edges of a shortest path strictly alternate between the two subsets "E" and "E") very unlikely to happen. With a randomly permuted vertex ordering, the expected number of iterations needed in the main loop is at most formula_11.

Trivia.

In China, an algorithm which adds a first-in first-out queue to the Bellman–Ford algorithm, known as SPFA, published by Edward Moore in 1959 and rediscovered by Fanding Duan in 1994, is popular with students who take part in the and International Collegiate Programming Contest.

The Bellman–Ford algorithm is an algorithm that computes shortest paths from a single source vertex to all of the other vertices in a weighted digraph. It is slower than Dijkstra's algorithm for the same problem, but more versatile, as it is capable of handling graphs in which some of the edge weights are negative numbers. The algorithm was first proposed by, but is instead named after Richard Bellman and Lester Ford Jr., who published it in 1958 and 1956, respectively. Edward F. Moore also published the same algorithm in 1957, and for this reason it is also sometimes called the Bellman–Ford–Moore algorithm.


Biography.

Film career.

George Stevens was born in Oakland, California, the son of Landers Stevens and Georgie Cooper, both stage actors. Drama critic Ashton Stevens and film director James W. Horne were his uncles. He also had two brothers, Jack, a cinematographer, and writer Aston Stevens. He learned about the stage from his parents and worked and toured with them on his path to filmmaking. He broke into the movie business as a cameraman, working on many Laurel and Hardy short films, such as "Bacon Grabbers" (1929) and "Night Owls" (1930). His first feature film was "The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble" in 1933.  In 1934 he got his first directing job, the slapstick "Kentucky Kernels". His big break came when he directed Katharine Hepburn in "Alice Adams" in 1935. He went on in the late 1930s to direct several Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies, not only with the two actors together, but on their own. In 1940, he directed Carole Lombard in "Vigil in the Night", and the film has an alternative ending for European audiences in recognition of World War II, which at the time the U.S. had not yet entered.  During World War II, Stevens joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946, under General Eisenhower. His unit shot footage documenting D-Day—including the only Allied European Front color film of the war—the liberation of Paris and the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River, as well as horrific scenes from the Duben labor camp and the Dachau concentration camp. Stevens also helped prepare the Duben and Dachau footage and other material for presentation during the Nuremberg Trials. In 2008, his footage was entered into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as an "essential visual record" of World War II.  One result of his World War II experiences was that his subsequent films became more dramatic. The motion picture "I Remember Mama" from 1948 was the last movie that he made with comic scenes. He was responsible for such classic films as "A Place in the Sun", "Shane", "The Diary of Anne Frank", "Giant" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told". He ended his directing career with the 1970 film "The Only Game in Town" with Warren Beatty and Elizabeth Taylor. In the same year, he was head of the jury at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1973 he was a member of the jury at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.

Personal life.

Stevens was the father of television and film writer-producer-director George Stevens, Jr., the first CEO and director of the American Film Institute. George Jr. produced and directed the documentary about his father "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey" in 1984 and is the father of Stevens's grandson Michael Stevens (1966–2015), who was also a television and film producer-director.

Death.

Stevens died following a heart attack on March 8, 1975, on his ranch in Lancaster, California, north of Los Angeles. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.

Awards.

As a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, Stevens headed the U.S. Army Signal Corps unit that filmed the Normandy landings and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. For these contributions, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.  Stevens has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1701 Vine Street. He won the Academy Award for Best Director twice, in 1951 for "A Place in the Sun" and in 1956 for "Giant". He was also nominated in 1943 for "The More the Merrier", in 1954 for "Shane", and in 1959 for "The Diary of Anne Frank".

Archives.

The moving image collection of George Stevens is held at the Academy Film Archive. The film material at the Academy Film Archive is complemented by material in the George Stevens papers at the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library.

George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. Among his most notable films are "A Place in the Sun" (1951; winner of six Academy Awards including Best Director), "Shane" (1953; Oscar nominated), "Giant" (1956; Oscar for Best Director), and "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959; nominated for Best Director).


Early career.

Villars was born at Moulins (in the present-day département of Allier) in a noble but poor family — his father was the diplomat Pierre de Villars. He entered the French army through the corps of pages in 1671. He distinguished himself at twenty in the Siege of Maastricht in 1673 during the Franco-Dutch War and after the bloody Battle of Seneffe a year later he was promoted on the field to mestre de camp (colonel) of a cavalry regiment.  The next promotion would take time in spite of a long record of service under Turenne, The Great Condé and Luxembourg, and of his aristocratic birth, as he had incurred the enmity of the powerful Louvois. He was finally made "maréchal de camp" in 1687.  In the interval between the Dutch wars and the formation of the League of Augsburg, Villars, who combined with his military gifts the tact and subtlety of the diplomatist, was employed in an unofficial mission to the court of Bavaria, and there became the constant companion of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria.  He returned to France in 1690 and was given a command in the cavalry of the army in Flanders, but towards the end of the War of the Grand Alliance, in 1698, he went to Vienna as ambassador.

War of the Spanish Succession.

It was Villars' part in the next war, beginning with Friedlingen (1702) and Hochstadt (1703) and ending with Denain (1712), that has made him most famous. For his part in the battle of Friedlingen he received the marshalate, and for the pacification of the insurgent Cévennes he received the Saint-Esprit order and the title of duke. Friedlingen and Hochstadt were barren victories, and the campaigns of which they formed were characterized by lost opportunities. Villars' glory thus begins with the year 1709 when France, apparently helpless, was roused to a great effort of self-defence by the stringent demands of the Coalition.  In that year he was called to command the main army opposing Prince Eugène of Savoy and Marlborough on the northern frontier. During the famine of the winter he shared the soldiers' miserable rations. When the campaign opened the old Marshal Boufflers volunteered to serve under him, and after the terrible battle of Malplaquet, in which he was gravely wounded (by a musketball to the knee), he was able to tell the king: "If it please God to give your majesty's enemies another such victory, they are ruined."  Two more campaigns passed without a battle and with scarcely any advance on the part of the invaders, but at last Marlborough manoeuvred Villars out of the famous "Ne plus ultra" lines, and the power of the defence seemed to be broken. But Louis made a last effort, the English contingent and its great leader were withdrawn from the enemy's camp, and Villars, though still suffering from his Malplaquet wounds, outmanoeuvred and decisively defeated Eugène at Denain. <br> This victory saved France, though the war dragged on for another year, where Villars led the Rhine campaign (1713), in which he took Landau, led the stormers at Freiburg and negotiated the Treaty of Rastatt and the Treaty of Baden with Prince Eugène.

"Villars" residence.

"Villars," named for Marshal Villars, was built in Moulins, Allier during the reign of Louis XV. The 18th century historical monument was used as a cavalry barracks. It was partially destroyed during World War II and was restored by François Voinchet, Architect of Historic Monuments and is now the Centre National du Costume de Scene museum.

Regency.

Villars played a conspicuous part in the politics of the Regency period as the principal opponent of Cardinal Dubois, and only the memories of Montmorency's rebellion prevented his being made constable of France. He took the field for the last time in the War of the Polish Succession (1734), with the title "marshal-general of the king's armies", that Turenne had held before him. But he was over eighty years old at this point, and after opening the campaign energetically he died at Turin on 17 June 1734.

Legacy.

Villars's memoirs show us a "fanfaron plein d'honneur", as Voltaire calls him. He was indeed boastful, and also covetous of honours and wealth. But he was also described as an honourable man of high courage, moral and physical, and certainly a very skilled soldier. He was famous for his love for young men as wrote the Duchess of Orleans in her letters.  The memoirs, part of which was published in 1734 and afterwards several times republished in untrustworthy versions, were for the first time completely edited by the Marquis de Vogüé in 1884–92.

Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Prince de Martigues, Marquis then Duc de Villars, Vicomte de Melun (8 May 1653 – 17 June 1734) was a general of Louis XIV of France, one of only six Marshals who have been promoted to Marshal General of France.


History.

The Abyssinian cat as it is known today was bred in Great Britain. It is alleged that British soldiers deployed to North Africa in the nineteenth century returned home with kittens purchased from local traders.

Description.

Appearance.

The Abyssinian is a slender, fine-boned, medium-sized cat. The head is moderately wedge-shaped, with a slight break at the muzzle, and nose and chin ideally forming a straight vertical line when viewed in profile. They have alert, relatively large pointed ears. The eyes are almond-shaped and are gold, green, hazel or copper depending on coat color. The legs tend to be long in proportion to a graceful body, with small oval paws; the tail is likewise long and tapering.

Coat and colors.

Abyssinian kittens are born with dark coats that gradually lighten as they mature, usually over several months. The adult coat should not be excessively short and is ideally fine, dense and close-lying, silky to the touch. The ticked or agouti effect that is the trademark of the breed—genetically a variant of the tabby pattern—should be uniform over the body, although the ridge of the spine and tail, back of the hind legs and the pads of the paws are always noticeably darker. Each hair has a light base with three or four bands of additional color growing darker towards the tip. The base color should be as clear as possible; any extensive intermingling with grey is considered a serious fault. A tendency to white on the chin is common but likewise must be minimal. The typical tabby M-shaped marking is often found on the forehead.  The breed's original color standard is a warm deep reddish-brown base with black ticking, known as "usual" in the United Kingdom and as "ruddy" elsewhere. Sorrel (also called cinnamon or red), a lighter coppery base with chocolate brown ticking, is a unique mutation of this original pattern. Other variants have been introduced by outcrossing to the Burmese and other shorthaired breeds, notably blue (on a warm beige base) and fawn (on a softer creamy peach base). The less common chocolate and lilac are not recognized in the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) breed standard but have been granted full champion status in The International Cat Association (TICA) and in the UK. The UK also recognizes the Silver Abyssinian, in which the base coat is a pure silvery white with black (called "usual silver"), blue, cream or sorrel ticking. Various other color combinations are in development, including the "torbie", in which a patched tortoiseshell pattern in any of these colors is visible under the tabby banding.  The breed owes their distinctive coat to a dominant mutant gene known as Ta. The first cat to have its entire genome published was an Abyssinian named Cinnamon.

Temperament.

Abyssinians are a popular breed thanks in large part to their unusual intelligence and generally extroverted, playful, willful personalities. They are said to become depressed without constant activity and the attention of their owners. Veterinarian Joan O. Joshua has written that the "dog-like attachment to the owners" of Abyssinian and Burmese cats causes "greater dependence on human contacts". This stands in contrast to the mere "tolerant acceptance of human company" based around "comforts" that multiple other breeds display.  With their interest in playing with their owners combined with their curious intelligence, Abyssinians are known as the "Clowns of the Cat Kingdom". They have an active, outgoing nature, yet tend to be quiet cats. They have soft chirrup-like vocalizations which do not sound like the expected "meow". They are affectionate and friendly toward people.

Health.

The breed can be prone to gingivitis, which can lead to more serious periodontitis. Familial renal amyloidosis or AA amyloidosis, a kidney disorder due to a mutation in the AA amyloid protein gene, has been seen in Abyssinians. The Abyssinian has had severe problems with blindness caused by a hereditary retinal degeneration due to mutations in the rdAc gene. However, the prevalence has been reduced from 45% to less than 4% in 2008 in the country of Sweden. With the widespread availability of rdAc mutation detection tests and services, such as those provided by the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, it is possible to reduce the disease frequency in all populations of Abyssinian.

Genetic diversity.

The 2008 study "The Ascent of Cat Breeds: Genetic Evaluations of Breeds and Worldwide Random-bred Populations" by Lipinski et al. conducted at UC Davis by the team led by leading feline geneticist Dr Leslie Lyons found that the Abyssinian has a low level of genetic diversity, a heterozygosity value of 0.45 within a range of 0.34–0.69 for all breeds studied, and has genetic markers common to both Southeast Asian and Western breeds indicating that cats from both Asia and Europe were used to create the breed.

Related breed.

Somali cats are the same genetic stock as Abyssinians but are recessive for a gene responsible for long-hair. Ocicats came about from the accidental crossbreeding of Abyssinians and Siamese breeds.

The Abyssinian is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive "ticked" tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors. In nomenclature terms, they are also known as simply Abys. The breed is named for Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia), where it is believed to have originated.


Types.

Some well-known occupational diseases include:

Lung diseases.

Occupational lung diseases include asbestosis among asbestos miners and those who work with friable asbestos insulation, as well as black lung (coalworker's pneumoconiosis) among coal miners, silicosis among miners and quarrying and tunnel operators and byssinosis among workers in parts of the cotton textile industry.  Occupational asthma has a vast number of occupations at risk.  Bad indoor air quality may predispose for diseases in the lungs as well as in other parts of the body.

Skin diseases.

Occupational skin diseases are ranked among the top five occupational diseases in many countries.  Occupational skin diseases and conditions are generally caused by chemicals and having wet hands for long periods while at work. Eczema is by far the most common, but urticaria, sunburn and skin cancer are also of concern.  Contact dermatitis due to irritation is inflammation of the skin which results from a contact with an irritant. It has been observed that this type of dermatitis does not require prior sensitization of the immune system. There have been studies to support that past or present atopic dermatitis is a risk factor for this type of dermatitis. Common irritants include detergents, acids, alkalies, oils, organic solvents and reducing agents.  The acute form of this dermatitis develops on exposure of the skin to a strong irritant or caustic chemical. This exposure can occur as a result of accident at a workplace. The irritant reaction starts to increase in its intensity within minutes to hours of exposure to the irritant and reaches its peak quickly. After the reaction has reached its peak level, it starts to heal. This process is known as decrescendo phenomenon. The most frequent potent irritants leading to this type of dermatitis are acids and alkaline solutions. The symptoms include redness and swelling of the skin along with the formation of blisters.  The chronic form occurs as a result of repeated exposure of the skin to weak irritants over long periods of time.  Clinical manifestations of the contact dermatitis are also modified by external factors such as environmental factors (mechanical pressure, temperature, and humidity) and predisposing characteristics of the individual (age, sex, ethnic origin, preexisting skin disease, atopic skin diathesis, and anatomic region exposed.  Another occupational skin disease is Glove related hand urticaria. It has been reported as an occupational problem among the health care workers. This type of hand urticaria is believed to be caused by repeated wearing and removal of the gloves. The reaction is caused by the latex or the nitrile present in the gloves.  High-risk occupations include:

Historical.

Donald Hunter in his classic history of occupational diseases discusses many example of occupational diseases. They include:

Prevention.

Prevention measures include avoidance of the irritant through its removal from the workplace or through technical shielding by the use of potent irritants in closed systems or automation, irritant replacement or removal and personal protection of the workers.  In order to better prevent and control occupational disease, most countries revise and update their related laws, most of them greatly increasing the penalties in case of breaches of the occupational disease laws. Occupational disease prevention, in general legally regulated, is part of good supply chain management and enables companies to design and ensure supply chain social compliance schemes as well as monitor their implementation to identify and prevent occupational disease hazards.

An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or in other worker populations. The first such disease to be recognised, squamous-cell carcinoma of the scrotum, was identified in chimney sweep boys by Sir Percival Pott in 1775. Occupational hazards that are of a traumatic nature (such as falls by roofers) are not considered to be occupational diseases.


Life and work.

Dobrovský was born at Balassagyarmat, Nógrád County, in the Kingdom of Hungary, when his father Jakub Doubravský (1701, Solnitz (Czech: Solnice), Bohemia 1764, Bischofteinitz (Czech: Horšovský Týn), Bohemia) was temporarily stationed as a soldier there. His mother was Magdalena Dobrovská (1733, Tschaslawsko (Czech: Čáslavsko), Bohemia 1797).  He received his first education in the German school at Horšovský Týn in Plzeň district, made his first acquaintance with the Czech language and soon made himself fluent in it at the Německý Brod gymnasium, and then studied for some time under the Jesuits at Klatovy. In 1769 he began to study philosophy at the University of Prague. In 1772 he was admitted among the Jesuits at Brno and was preparing for a Christian mission in India. However, the entire order was dissolved in the Czech lands in 1773 and Dobrovský thus returned to Prague to study theology.  After holding for some time the office of tutor to Count Nostitz, he obtained an appointment first as vice-rector, and then as rector, in the general seminary at Hradisko (now part of Olomouc); but in 1790 he lost his post through the abolition of the seminaries throughout the Habsburg Empire, and returned as a guest to the house of the count. At this time, he wrote some of the most important works in Slavic studies, historiography and philology.  In 1792 he was commissioned by the Bohemian Academy of Sciences to visit Stockholm, Turku, Saint Petersburg and Moscow in search of the manuscripts which had been scattered by the Thirty Years' War, and on his return he accompanied Count Nostitz to Switzerland and Italy.  In the 1780s Dobrovský participated in the academic life of Prague. In 1784, he helped to set up the Royal Czech Society of Sciences, and in 1818 the National Museum of what was to become Czechoslovakia and eventually the Czech Republic.  However, his reason began to give way in 1795, and in 1801 he had to be confined in a lunatic asylum, but by 1803 he had completely recovered. The rest of his life was mainly spent either in Prague or at the country seats of his friends Counts Nostitz and Czernin, but his death occurred in Brno, where he had gone in 1828 to study in the local libraries.  While his fame rests chiefly on his labours in Slavonic philology his botanical studies are not without value in the history of the science.  Between 1948 and 1968 Czech poet Vladimír Holan lived in the so-called "Dobrovský House" on Kampa, often saying that the "Blue Abbé" (a nickname by which Dobrovský was known) would sometimes visit him.

Most important works.

See Palacký, "J. Dobrowskys Leben und gelehrtes Wirken" (1833).

Josef Dobrovský (17 August 1753 – 6 January 1829) was a Czech philologist and historian. He was one of the most important figures of the Czech National Revival, along with Josef Jungmann.


Palmarès.

Classic races.

After finishing second in 1974 behind Roger De Vlaeminck and in 1976 behind Marc Demeyer of Belgium, Moser finally won Paris–Roubaix, his favorite race, three consecutive times. Moser had seven podium finishes in Paris–Roubaix; only De Vlaeminck, with nine, has more. In 1978, he beat De Vlaeminck and Jan Raas of the Netherlands; in 1979, he beat De Vlaeminck and Hennie Kuiper of the Netherlands; and in 1980, he beat Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle of France and the German, Dietrich Thurau. Moser came in third in 1981 behind Bernard Hinault and Roger De Vlaeminck, and was also third in 1983 behind Hennie Kuiper and Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle. He rode Paris–Roubaix in his final season as a cyclist in 1987. Other victories include the 1975 and 1978 Giro di Lombardia and the 1984 Milan–San Remo.

Other classics.

Moser won the 1974 Paris–Tours, the 1977 Züri-Metzgete, the 1979 Gent–Wevelgem, and the 1977 Flèche Wallonne.

Grand Tours.

Moser had some success in the three-week grand tours. He rode the Tour de France in 1975, and although he won two stages, led the race for seven days and won the young rider competition, he never rode the Tour again; the mountains did not suit him. However, he won the 1984 Giro d'Italia, in front of Laurent Fignon of France and Moreno Argentin of Italy. Taking advantage of an unusually flat course, Moser used time-trialing ability to overcome what others had gained in the mountains. He also won the points classification in the Giro d'Italia in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1982.

Other accomplishments.

He competed in the individual road race and team time trial events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.  Moser won the 1977 world road racing championship in San Cristobal, Venezuela, in front of Thurau and Franco Bitossi. Moser was also silver medallist in 1976, behind Freddy Maertens of Belgium and second in 1978 to Gerrie Knetemann of the Netherlands.  On 19 January 1984, in Mexico City, Moser broke the 1972 hour record of Eddy Merckx. He rode 50.808 kilometers, on an aerodynamic bike with full disc wheels more advanced than the conventional bike Merckx used in 1972. As a result, in 1997 the Union Cycliste Internationale banned hour records set on bikes featuring technological advantages. Under the new rules, Merckx's record wasn't broken until 2000. Moser auctioned his bicycle to benefit UNICEF.  He was a member of the Regional Council of Trentino-Alto Adige from 1993 until 1998.

Rivalries.

Moser's biggest rival was Giuseppe Saronni.

After retirement.

Moser started a bike company, Moser Cicli, constructing race bikes in a workshop in Trento. Production is 2,000-3,000 frames annually.  He was the first chairman of the CPA (Cyclistes Professionels Associés), a union for professional riders of TT/I and TT/II league of teams (now UCI WorldTeams and UCI Professional Continental Teams, respectively). He held the position from 1999 until 2007.  Moser also became a viticulturist, cultivating different varieties of grapes. He continued his father's winery with his children Francesca, Carlo and Ignazio on the family estate "Maso Villa Warth" in Val di Cembra, on the hills just north of Trento. He is also a passionate hunter and was the host of the television series ""A Caccia con Moser"" "(Hunting with Moser)" on Sky Italia's channel "Caccia TV".

Francesco Moser ( or ; ;; born 19 June 1951 in Palù di Giovo, Trentino), nicknamed "Lo sceriffo" (The sheriff), is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer.


Name.

The Czech word "Brod" means "ford" in English. The settlement became a town in the mid 13th century and for distinction from another places of the same name it was firstly named "Smilův Brod" ("Smil's Ford") after its founder Smil of Lichtenburk. However, later it became called "Německý Brod" ("German Ford", German: "Deutschbrod") because of its predominantly German population, and as the opposite of Český Brod ("Czech Ford") near Prague. The Germans made up most of the population of the town since 13th until the first half of 15th century. Because of Anti-German sentiment after World War II, the town was renamed "Havlíčkův Brod" ("Havlíček's Ford") in honor of the 19th century writer and publicist Karel Havlíček Borovský, who was born in nearby village and grew up and studied in the town. It is one of very few examples of personal honorification in Czech toponymy. The rather long official name is commonly abbreviated "HB", or colloquially "Havlbrod" or just "Brod" (when there's no need to distinguish).

History.

Settlement in Brod has been documented as far back as the 12th century. After silver was discovered in the area, the Bohemian nobleman Smil of Lichtenburk (Lichtenburg) invited German miners to settle the area; Brod received its city rights in 1257. Although the townspeople were German-speakers in a predominantly Czech-speaking land, the people of Brod became loyal subjects of the Bohemian crown. In the 13th and 14th centuries it was a center for silver mining, although its importance gradually declined in the latter century. Because the German townspeople supported King Sigismund during the Hussite Wars, Brod was sacked on 22 January 1422 by Jan Žižka. The town was resettled by predominantly Czech-speaking population in 1429 and experienced a cultural flowering during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since 1429 the majority of the town's population was ethnically Czech. Until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the "Deutschbrod - Nemecky Brod" district, one of the 94 "Bezirkshauptmannschaften" in Bohemia.  Brod was industrialized during the 19th century with an emphasis on textiles. Railway came here in 1870 and the station later became an important hub.  After the World War II, the town was renamed "Havlíčkův Brod". In the late 1980s Brod's center was declared a national treasure.  Nowadays Havlickuv Brod is a calm city although there are many rail stations located there as it's a cross way between many districts.

Transportation.

Havlíčkův Brod is both road and railway hub. There are five rail lines leading off the main station: to Kolín and Prague (operating since 1870), to Pardubice (1871), to Brno (1898), to Jihlava (1871) and a local line to Humpolec (1894). Historically, the main line running through the town was Vienna-Znojmo-Jihlava-Kolín, but after WWII the line to Brno was rebuilt, made double-track and electrified, and Praha-HB-Brno became one of main passenger and freight train routes in Czechoslovakia. Though at the break of 20th and 21st centuries its importance dropped, as all international expresses were transferred to the 1st National Railway Transit Corridor (via Česká Třebová), it is still a relevant alternative route.  The town is also a crossing of two major Czech roads, No. 34 from České Budějovice to Svitavy and No. 38 from Mladá Boleslav to Jihlava and Znojmo (and on to Vienna). The D1 motorway Praha-Brno is accessible by both of these roads (exits are about 20 km from HB).

International relations.

Twin towns — Sister cities.

Brod is twinned with:

Havlíčkův Brod (), until 1945 Německý Brod (; ) is a district town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It is located roughly in the geographical centre of the state, on the Sázava River in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and it has a population of about 23,000. It lies in the historical land of Bohemia, near its border with Moravia.


Biography.

In 1953 he went to Moscow to study at the faculty of mathematics, but in two years he quit and entered the State Film Institute (VGIK) where his teachers were Alexander Dovzhenko and Mikhail Chiaureli. While still a student, he began working at the Gruziafilm studios in Tbilisi, first as an assistant director and then as an editor of documentaries.  In 1958 he directed his first short film "Akvarel". In 1961 he graduated from VGIK with a diploma in film direction. When his medium-length film "Aprili" (1961) was denied theatrical distribution, Iosseliani abandoned filmmaking and in 1963–1965 worked first as a sailor on a fishing boat and then at the Rustavi metallurgical factory. "Aprili" was finally released only in 1972.  In 1966 he directed his first feature film "Giorgobistve" that was presented at the Critics' Week at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival and won a FIPRESCI award there. When his 1976 film "Pastorali" was shelved for a few years and then granted only a limited distribution, Iosseliani grew sceptical about getting any artistic freedom in his homeland. Following Pastorali's success at the 1982 Berlin Film Festival, the director moved to France where in 1984 he made "Les Favoris de la Lune". The film was distinguished with a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Since then Venice became a showcase for all his subsequent films.  In 1986 he was a member of the jury at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival.  In 1989 he again received a Special Jury Prize for "Et la Lumiere Fut" and in 1992 the Pasinetti Award for Best Direction for "La Chasse aux Papillons". After the dissolution of the Soviet Union he continued to work in France where he made the documentary "Seule Georgie" (1994) which was followed by the sardonic and allegorical "Brigands - Chapitre VII" (1996).  In 1995 he was a member of the jury at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival.  In 2011 his film "Chantrapas" was selected as the Georgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.  In 2011 Otar Iosseliani received a lifetime achievement honor – the at the Munich International Film Festival. It was given by his former pupil, a Georgian filmmaker Dito Tsintsadze.

Political views.

Iosseliani holds political views that are considered Russophobia by some observers. In particular, in the aftermath of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war he expressed his political views in an interview to Ukrainian Weekly 2000 news agency: We (Georgians) will never be at peace with Russia again. Previously we felt contempt for it, but now what we feel is hatred -- and this is very serious. So, go live with your Russians the way you want to. [...] But there will be no way back! (for Georgians) Two hundred years of patience and contempt are over now!  In 2011, while appearing on Echo of Moscow, Ioseliani claimed that journalists intentionally distorted his words about Russians and attributed to him things he had never said.

Otar Iosseliani (, born 2 February 1934) is a Georgian-film maker. He was born in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, where he studied at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire and graduated in 1952 with a diploma in composition, conducting and piano.


Record format.

A SRV record has the form:  An example SRV record in textual form that might be found in a zone file might be the following:  This points to a server named sipserver.example.com listening on TCP port 5060 for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) protocol services. The priority given here is 0, and the weight is 5.  As in MX records, the target in SRV records must point to hostname with an address record (A or AAAA record). Pointing to a hostname with a CNAME record is not a valid configuration.

Provisioning for high service availability.

The "priority" field determines the precedence of use of the record's data. Clients should use the SRV records with the lowest-numbered priority value first, and fall back to records of higher value if the connection fails. If a service has multiple SRV records with the same priority value, clients should load balance them in proportion to the values of their "weight" fields. In the following example, both the "priority" and "weight" fields are used to provide a combination of load balancing and backup service.  The first three records share a priority of 10, so the weight field's value will be used by clients to determine which server (host and port combination) to contact. The sum of all three values is 100, so bigbox.example.com will be used 60% of the time. The two hosts, smallbox1 and smallbox2 will be used for 40% of requests total, with half of them sent to smallbox1, and the other half to smallbox2. If bigbox is unavailable, these two remaining machines will share the load equally, since they will each be selected 50% of the time.  If all three servers with priority 10 are unavailable, the record with the next lowest priority value will be chosen, which is backupbox.example.com. This might be a machine in another physical location, presumably not vulnerable to anything that would cause the first three hosts to become unavailable.  The load balancing provided by SRV records is inherently limited, since the information is essentially static. Current load of servers is not taken into account, unless TTL values are low enough (around a minute or lower) that the priority (or weight) values can be quickly updated.

Usage.

SRV records are common in conjunction with the following standardized communications protocols:  In Microsoft Windows 2000 clients query for SRV records to determine the domain controller for a given service. SRV records are also used by Outlook 2007, 2010 and Macintosh 10.6 mail to locate the Exchange Autodiscover service. In Microsoft Windows networks domain controllers register their network service types for Active Directory in the DNS.  A registry of service names for SRV records & protocols is maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) as defined in RFC 6335.

A Service record (SRV record) is a specification of data in the Domain Name System defining the location, i.e., the hostname and port number, of servers for specified services. It is defined in RFC 2782, and its type code is 33. Some Internet protocols such as the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) often require SRV support by network elements.


Military career.

Tallard was granted a commission in the French army at the age of 15. He later served under the prince de Condé in the Netherlands, and from 1674, under Turenne in Alsace. He was promoted "maréchal de camp" in 1678, and served in the Nine Years' War (1688–1697).  His friendship with King Louis XIV ensured a position of authority. After the war he served for two years as ambassador to the Court of St. James's, where his exceptional knowledge of European political affairs proved highly valuable. When King James II died in September 1701, King Louis recognised James's son as his successor to the throne of England. Consequently, King William III expelled Tallard from London in 1702.  Tallard's military career reached its height during the War of the Spanish Succession. On 7 September 1703 the duc de Burgundy and Tallard took the town of Breisach. Tallard proceeded to attack Landau in mid October. A relief force under the Prince of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) was roundly defeated by Tallard's force at the Battle of Speyerbach on 15 November. As a result, Landau fell two days later. Shortly after, Tallard was created Marshal of France.  In 1704, Tallard was sent to reinforce Maximilian II Emanuel's and Marshal Marsin's Franco-Bavarian army on the Danube, which was under threat from the Duke of Marlborough's and Prince Eugene's allied army. Tallard set out on 1 July from Strasbourg, but although the six day siege of Villingen proved abortive, (abandoned on 22 July), the French Marshal was able to bring 34,000 men through the Black Forest, reaching Ulm on 5 August. Tallard was placed in overall command of the combined Franco-Bavarian army, but the subsequent Battle of Blenheim on 13 August 1704 resulted in complete destruction of his forces. Decisively beaten, he was captured and taken back to England and housed on parole in Newdigate House Nottingham. The writer Daniel Defoe reported that his "small, but beautiful parterre, after the French fashion" was one of the beauties of Nottingham.

Later life.

On his release in 1711 he returned to France. Despite the calamity of Blenheim, Louis appeared to bear the Marshal no ill will. Tallard was made a duke in 1712 and became a Peer of France in 1715. In King Louis XIV's testament, Tallard was appointed to the Council of Regency but the duc d'Orléans had the testament nullified. He was elected president of the Académie des Sciences in 1724 and, in 1726, he became a French minister of state. He died in 1728.

Family.

He married Marie-Catherine de Grolée de Viriville-La Tivolière and had one son;

Camille d'Hostun de la Baume, duc de Tallard (14 February 1652 – 20 March 1728) was a French noble, diplomat and military commander, who became Marshal of France.