Virtuoso Universal Server is a middleware and database engine hybrid that combines the functionality of a traditional relational database management system (RDBMS), object–relational database (ORDBMS), virtual database, RDF, XML, free-text, web application server and file server functionality in a single system. Rather than have dedicated servers for each of the aforementioned functionality realms, Virtuoso is a "universal server"; it enables a single multithreaded server process that implements multiple protocols. The free and open source edition of Virtuoso Universal Server is also known as OpenLink Virtuoso. The software has been developed by OpenLink Software with Kingsley Uyi Idehen and Orri Erling as the chief software architects.

Database structure

Core database engine
Virtuoso provides an extended object–relational model, which combines the flexibility of relational access with inheritance, run time data typing, late binding, and identity-based access. Virtuoso Universal Server database includes physical file and in memory storage and operating system processes that interact with the storage. There is one main process, which has listeners on a specified port for HTTP, SOAP, and other protocols.

Architecture
Virtuoso is designed to take advantage of operating system threading support and multiple CPUs. It consists of a single process with an adjustable pool of threads shared between clients. Multiple threads may work on a single index tree with minimal interference with each other. One cache of database pages is shared among all threads and old dirty pages are written back to disk as a background process.

The database has at all times a clean checkpoint state and a delta of committed or uncommitted changes to this checkpointed state. This makes it possible to do a clean backup of the checkpoint state while transactions proceed on the commit state.

A transaction log file records all transactions since the last checkpoint. Transaction log files may be preserved and archived for an indefinite time, providing a full, recoverable history of the database.

A single set of files is used for storing all tables. A separate set of files is used for all temporary data. The maximum size of a file set is 32 terabytes, for 4G × 8K pages.

Locking
Virtuoso provides dynamic locking, starting with row level locks and escalating to page level locks when a cursor holds a large percentage of a page's rows or when it has a history of locking entire pages. Lock escalation only happens when no other transactions hold locks on the same page, hence it never deadlocks. Virtuoso SQL provides means for exclusive read and for setting transaction isolation.

Transactions
All four levels of isolation are supported: Dirty read, read committed, repeatable read and serializable. The level of isolation may be specified operation by operation within a single transaction. Virtuoso can also act as a resource manager and/or transaction coordinator under Microsoft's Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MS DTC) or the XA standard.

Data integrity
Virtuoso ORDBMS database supports entity integrity and referential integrity. Virtuoso ensures that relationships between records in related tables are valid by enforcing referential integrity.  Integrity constraints include:

 NOT NULL – Within the definition of a table, Virtuoso allows data to contain a NULL value. This NULL value is not really a value at all and is considered an absence of value. The constraint of NOT NULL forces a value to be given to a column.
 Unique key – Uniqueness for a column or set of columns means that the values in that column or set of columns must be different from all other columns or set of columns in that table. A unique key may contain NULL values since they are by definition a unique non-valued value.
 Primary key – Primary key are much like unique keys except that they are designed to uniquely identify a row in a table. They can consist of a single column or multiple columns. The primary key cannot contain a NULL value.
 CHECK Constraint – Virtuoso provides on a column an integrity constraint that requires certain conditions to be met before the data is inserted or modified. If the checks are not satisfied then the transaction cannot be completed.

Data dictionary
Virtuoso stores all its information about all user objects in the database in the system catalog tables designated by db.dba*.

Components and files

Components
Virtuoso is made up of client and server components. These components typically communicate with a local or remote Virtuoso server, which include:

 Virtuoso Drivers for ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET and OLE DB
 Conductor, a web-based database administration user interface
 ISQL (Interactive SQL) and ISQO Utilities
 Documentation and Tutorials
 Samples

Installations come with two databases: a default and a demo database.

History
The Virtuoso project was born in 1998 from a merger of the OpenLink data access middleware and Kubl RDBMS.

Kubl RDBMS
The Kubl ORDBMS was one of a list of relational database systems with roots in Finland. This list also includes MySQL, InnoDB, and Solid RDBMS/Solid Technologies.

As is the case with most technology products, key personnel behind OpenLink Virtuoso, InnoDB, and Solid share periods of professional overlap that provide noteworthy insight into the history of database technology development in Finland.  Heikki Tuuri (creator of InnoDB), Ora Lassila (W3C and Nokia Research, a technology lead and visionary in the areas RDF and Semantic Web in general alongside Tim Berners-Lee), and Orri Erling (Virtuoso Program Manager at OpenLink Software) all worked together in a startup company called Entity Systems in Finland – where they were developing Common Lisp and Prolog development environments for the early generation of PC's circa. 1986–88.

Later, Orri Erling worked with VIA International, the developer of VIA/DRE in designing a LISP-based object-oriented data access layer atop the company's DBMS product. The core development team of VIA, following the company's demise in 1992, went on to found Solid Technologies under the direction of Artturi Tarjanne.

Heikki Tuuri worked at Solid for a while before starting his own database development project which became InnoDB (acquired by Oracle in 2005).

Orri Erling started his own DBMS development work in 1994, which was to become Kubl. Development of Kubl was initially financed by Infosto Group, publisher of Finland's largest free ads paper, as part of their in-house software development project for their on-line services. The on-line version of Keltainen Pörssi was at one time said to be Finland's most popular web site with 500,000 registered users. The Kubl database was prominently displayed in a "Powered by Kubl" logo on the search results.

A free trial version of Kubl was made available for download on November 7, 1996.

Kubl was marketed as a high performance lightweight database for embedded use; the development aim was to achieve top scores in Transactions Per Second tests. Pricing of the product was especially favorable to Linux users with a Linux license priced at $199.

Kubl became the cornerstone of OpenLink Virtuoso, after the technology paths of Kingsley Uyi Idehen and Orri Erling crossed in 1998, leading to the acquisition of Kubl by OpenLink Software.

Functionality realms
Virtuoso's functionality covers a broad range of traditionally distinct realms in a single product offering. These functional realms include:

 Object–relational database engine for (SQL, XML, RDF and plain text)
 Web services computing platform
 Web application server
 Web content management system (WCMS)
 NNTP-based discussion management
 Replication of homogeneous and heterogeneous data
 Mail Storage Sink and (POP3) service proxy
 DataPortability

Protocols implemented
Virtuoso supports a broad range of industry standard Web & Internet protocols that includes:

HTTP, WebDAV, CalDAV, CardDAV, SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, WS-Policy, WS-Security, WS-ReliableMessaging, WS-Routing, WS-Referral, WS-Attachment, WS-BPEL, SyncML, GData, SPARQL, SPARUL, NNTP

API support
For the database application developer and systems integrator, Virtuoso implements a variety of industry standard data access APIs (client and server) that includes: ODBC, JDBC, OLE DB, ADO.NET, ADO.NET Entity Framework, XMLA.

Content syndication and interchange format support
For the Web application developer and content syndicate(s) publishers, and consumers, Virtuoso supports standards such as: Atom, RSS 2.0, RSS 1.0, OPML, XBEL, FOAF, SIOC.

Query language support
SQL, SPARQL (with numerous extensions), XQuery (implementation of Core functions library is seriously incomplete), XPath (1.0 only), XSLT (1.0 only)

Schema definition language support
SQL's Data Definition Language, XML Schema

Usage scenarios
Virtuoso is a solution for the following system integration challenges:

 Enterprise Information Integration (EII)
 Programming Language Independent Web application deployment
 Monolithic application decomposition that leverages the principles of service-oriented architecture
 Web service based enterprise application integration via a significant amount of WS-* protocols support
 Business process management via BPEL
 Semantic Web Data Spaces Generation
 Deployment platform for injecting RDF-based Linked Data into the Semantic Data Web

Related technology areas

Data management
 Relational database management system
 List of relational database management systems
 Comparison of object–relational database management systems
 Comparison of relational database management systems

Enterprise application, information, and data integration
 Web 2.0
 Enterprise service bus
 Service-oriented architecture
 Enterprise application integration
 Data integration
 Open Semantic Framework
 Web service
 Semantic Web
 Business Integration Severs Comparison Matrix

Related products and tools
In addition to Virtuoso, OpenLink Software produces several related tools and applications:

 OpenLink Data Spaces – a Virtuoso-based platform for cost-effective creation and management of Semantic Web / Linked Data Web presence. It provides a data junction box for integrating data across third party Social network service, Blog, File sharing, Shared & Social bookmarking, Wiki, E-mail, Photo Sharing, RSS 2.0, Atom, and RSS 1.1 Content Aggregation services. In addition, to its third party integration functionality, it also includes its own rich collection of Linked Data compliant distributed collaborative applications, across each of the aforementioned Web application realms.
 Universal Data Access Drivers – High-performance data access drivers for ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET, and OLE DB that provide transparent access to enterprise databases across multiple platforms and databases.

Platforms
Virtuoso is supported on a number of 32- and 64-bit platforms including cross-platform Windows, UNIX (HP, AIX, Sun, DEC, BSD, SCO), Linux (Red Hat, SUSE) and macOS.

Licensing
In April 2006, a free software version of Virtuoso was made available under the GNU General Public License version 2.
The software is now available in Commercial and Open Source license variants.

References

External links

Atom (Web standard)
Big data products
Client-server database management systems
Column-oriented DBMS software for Linux
Cross-platform free software
Cross-platform software
Database engines
Distributed computing architecture
Document-oriented databases
Enterprise application integration
Free database management systems
Free file sharing software
Free software programmed in C
Free web server software
FTP server software
Message-oriented middleware
Metadata
Middleware
NewSQL
NoSQL
Online databases
ORDBMS software for Linux
MacOS database-related software
Products introduced in 1998
Relational database management systems
RSS
Semantic Web
SQL data access
Structured storage
Triplestores
Unix Internet software
Unix network-related software
Web services
Windows database-related software
XML software
XSLT processors

Virtuoso Universal Server


Hanna City Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-63, NORAD ID: Z-63) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station.  It is located  west-northwest of Hanna City, Illinois.  It was closed in 1968.  It is still in use by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Joint Surveillance System radar station.

History
Hanna City Air Force Station (AFS) was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the Air Defense Command permanent radar network. Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the permanent network.

Receiving the Defense Secretary's approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.   were acquired between 1952 and July 1959. The Air Force constructed and operated the station, which included over 35 buildings and miscellaneous smaller structures.

The 791st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated at Hanna City AFS on 10 May 1951 and began operations using AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-4 radars, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station.  As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.

In 1958 Hanna City AFS replaced the AN/FPS-3 with an AN/FPS-20 search radar, and added an AN/FPS-6A height-finder radar. During 1959 the AN/FPS-4 was replaced by a second height-finder radar (AN/FPS-6B), and Hanna City AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-07 at Truax Field, Wisconsin. After joining, the squadron was redesignated as the 791st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 November 1959. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.  On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-85.

In 1964 the AN/FPS-20A was upgraded and redesignated as an AN/FPS-67, and an AN/FPS-90 replaced the AN/FPS-6B height-finder radar. The AN/FPS-67 was upgraded to an AN/FPS-67B in 1968. The AN/FPS-6A was removed some time in this time frame.

The 791st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 18 June 1968, and the site was closed on 30 June due to budget reductions. The radar towers and four buildings were transferred to the FAA and site remains an active JSS radar site.

The remainder of the site was then declared excess to the General Services Administration on 28 January 1969 and conveyed to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) on August 8, 1969.  It operated as Hanna City Work Camp, an Illinois Department of Corrections minimum security prison. The old USAF buildings were still in use up to 2002 and structures used as observation towers appeared to be the old four-legged steel temperate radar towers.

The Hanna City Work Camp closed in October 2002 and the state of Illinois turned over the work camp site to Peoria County in 2009. As of August 2009, the site was occasionally being used for training of Peoria County Sheriff's Office for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). As of 2012, the FAA radar was still at the site and Peoria County was looking for ideas for usage of the remainder of the property, including creation of an agribusiness incubator or community organic farm.

Air Force units and assignments

Units
 Constituted as the 791st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
 Activated on 10 May 1951
 Redesignated as 791st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 November 1959
 Discontinued and inactivated on 18 June 1968

Assignments
 543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 10 May 1951
 31st Air Division 6 February 1952
 20th Air Division, 1 March 1956
 37th Air Division, 15 October 1958
 30th Air Division, 1 April 1959
 Chicago Air Defense Sector, 1 June 1959
 20th Air Division, 1 April 1966
 30th Air Division, 1 December 1967 – 18 June 1968

See also
 List of United States Air Force aircraft control and warning squadrons
 United States general surveillance radar stations

References

 Information for Hanna City AFS, IL  on Radomes.org

Installations of the United States Air Force in Illinois
1951 establishments in Illinois
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites
Joint Surveillance System radar stations
Aerospace Defense Command military installations
Buildings and structures in Peoria County, Illinois
Military installations established in 1951
Military installations closed in 1968

Hanna City Air Force Station


Extradition is how someone who has committed a crime, or is suspected to have committed a crime, is handed from one  jurisdiction to another. Usually, the country that wants the person makes a formal request to the other. Under international law, there is no obligation to extradite a person. There is a web of treaties, which state under what conditions extradition is possible.

In general:
 The offense for which the person is sought must be punishable in both countries, usually it must also carry a minimum sentence.
 The person extradited has the right to get a fair trial.
 The trial must not be political in nature.
 Many countries refuse extradition if there is the possibility of the death penalty being imposed, or of torture.
 Many countries refuse to extradite their own nationals

People who move to a different location to escape legal charges are called fugitives.

Examples
In 2019 protestors in Hong Kong demonstrated against a new extradition law proposed by the government of mainland China.

References

International law

Extradition


Batter is thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan. Batter is used mainly for pancakes, light cakes and as the coating for some fried foods. The word batter comes from a French word battre. Battre means beat. Many batters require vigorous beating or whisking in their preparation.

A number of batters are made by combining dry flour with liquids, like eggs, milk and water. Often, a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to fluff up the batter while it cooks. The mixture may be naturally fermented for this actual purpose, as well as to add flavor.

The viscosity of batter may be from very 'heavy" to "thin". Heat is applied to the batter, often by frying, baking or steaming in order to cook the ingredients and to "set" the batter in a solid form.

Beer batter
Beer is a popular ingredient in batters used to coat food before frying. One reason is that a basic batter can be made from flour, beer and some salt. The purpose of using beer is so the bubbles in the beer will add lightness and body to the batter. The practice of beer battering is popular in several countries, including the United States, Iceland, Germany and Australia.

References

Doughs

Batter (cooking)


Bas-relief is a type of relief (sculpture) that has less depth to the faces and figures than they actually have, when measured proportionately (to scale).  This technique keeps the natural shapes of the figures and allows the work to be seen from many angles without twisting the figures themselves.

There is a continuation of the bas-relief technique into the next category, altorilievo, or high relief. High relief makes deeper images than bas-relief. Instead of shallow backgrounds that are a few inches (cm) deep at most, they can be up to several feet (a few meters) deep in altorilievo.

Some of the best examples of bas-relief are the Assyrian Lion Hunt Reliefs, which are housed at the British Museum. The attention to detail and appearance of the lions moving make them stand out, especially for the time period they were made in.

Images
These images are made to be seen in 3D with the use of colored glasses and might not appear correctly without them.

Related pages
Relief

Other websites

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02341a.htm

References

Sculpture

Bas-relief


A business is an organization where people work together. In a business, people work to make and sell products or services. Other people buy the products and services. The business owner is the person who hires people for work. A business can earn a profit for the products and services it offers. The word business comes from the word busy, and means doing things. It works on regular basis.

Originally, individual trades people were qualified, and they hired assistants. The invention of the joint-stock company meant a new era in business. By this means, some people put up the money as capital, and others used it to run the business. There is a law which says this kind of company is a "legal entity": it has a legal life separate from its owners or shareholders. In this way, a company can outlive the people who started it. This idea was invented in medieval times, but really flowered in the 19th century. It has spread around the world since then.

Most businesses are created for commerce. There are big and small businesses. For example, one person can open a small barber-shop. A big business, like Microsoft,  employs thousands of people all over the world.

Some businesses need fixed locations. Examples are an office, store, or farm. For some businesses the worker goes to different locations. Examples are carpenters or electricians. They usually bring everything they need for work in their truck.

Business can also mean the work or current state of a business. A business owner might say: "I am doing a lot of business" or "My business is good" or "Business is bad".

The term can also be used in a more general way. As a noun, it can be used, for example, to speak about a broad area of activity.

References

Basic English 850 words

Business


A badge is a device, patch, or accoutrement which is given and/or can be displayed to indicate some feat of service. It can be for a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fire). It may also be a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple means of identification. They are also used in advertising and publicity.

Symbols

Badge


A triathlon is a sport that consists of three different events one after another without resting in between.  Usually, they are swimming, cycling, and running.  Triathlon has been in the Olympic Games since 2000.  One of the hardest and most famous triathlons is the Ironman Triathlon, which involves swimming two miles, biking a hundred miles, and then running a marathon.

Events in athletics

Triathlon


The cytosol (also known as intracellular fluid (ICF) or cytoplasmic matrix, or groundplasm) is the internal fluid of the cell, and a part of cell metabolism occurs here.

Proteins within the cytosol play an important role in signal transduction pathways and glycolysis.

Cytosol mostly consists of water, dissolved ions, small molecules, and large water-soluble molecules (such as protein). It contains about 20% to 30% protein.

Normal human cytosolic pH is (roughly) 7.0 (i.e. neutral), whereas the pH of the extracellular fluid is 7.4.

The texture of cytosol being described as granular can be attributed to the fact that in order to study the texture, an electron microsope must be used, which requires a process of dehydration prior to study.

References
Life: the science of biology. Purves, Sadava, Orians, Heller. Sunderland, MA. Sinauer Associates, Inc. 2004.  (ILM USA)

Metabolism

Cytosol


Reginald Herbert Dixon, MBE, ARCM (16 October 1904 – 9 May 1985) was an English theatre organist who was primarily known for his position as organist at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, a position he held from March 1930 until March 1970. He made and sold more recordings than any other organist before him, or since. He was in high demand throughout the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. During his fifty-year career he was one of the top-selling artists, his prolific output ranking alongside that of Victor Silvester and Bing Crosby.

Biography

Early life
Dixon was born in Ecclesall, Sheffield on 16 October 1904. By the age of two, Dixon started to play the organ and piano. Seeing the keen spirit and potential that he possessed for music made his father realise that his son was worthy of tuition. In addition to Dixon's tuition he also practised two hours a day on piano.  By the age of twelve, he was already performing in concerts at local music festivals, and by the age of thirteen, he began taking lessons in organ at his local church. At the age of thirteen, he had to give up his schooling in order to continue his music studies. He was now practising at least 8 hours per day or more. He also had applied for the post of organist at Birley Carr Methodist church and was chosen from several applicants, and was also assistant organist at Hillsborough Methodist church. He enrolled at the University of Sheffield studying counterpoint and harmony, and was awarded Associate of the Royal College of Music (ARCM) when he was 17 years old.

Cinema experience
Dixon auditioned at the Stocksbridge Palace, near Sheffield. The piece he played was Debussy's "Arabesque" and he was employed as pianist and musical director, for the sum of £3 per week. Dixon gained a lot of experience in this job, and greatly enlarged his repertoire and developed his technique further. After eighteen months, Dixon accepted a job as pianist and deputy organist at Chesterfield Picture House, where his wage was £5 a week. To supplement this wage, he was also giving lessons. At Chesterfield he was called upon more and more often to play the organ, and when he was 21, he became a fully professional theatre organist. A year later he became organist and pianist of the Heeley Palace in Sheffield, and was still teaching. For practice he was also playing at the Regent Cinema on a 2/8 Wurlitzer, which he became fond of. He was employed as orchestral organist at the West End cinema in Birmingham, from where he changed over to become organist at the Regent Cinema, in Dudley. Here he played a 2/6 Wurlitzer, and it was while he was here that Dixon was giving lessons to Harry Farmer.

After a time, Dixon left for a job at the New Victoria Cinema in Church Street, Preston, where he played a 2/9 Wurlitzer.

The Tower Ballroom
In March 1930, Dixon was invited to audition for the position of organist at Blackpool's Tower Ballroom, which, at the time, contained a 2/10 Wurlitzer. Previous to this audition, there had been two other organists, Max Bruce and James Hodgetts FRCO. The Wurlitzer's job had been to provide music for dancing, however neither organist could tackle the difficult task of keeping a strict tempo.
After auditioning, Dixon was given a trial, with the ultimatum that, if he did not make a success of playing the Wurlitzer for dancing, both he and the Wurlitzer would go. Once he had mastered playing in strict tempo, Dixon further developed his playing style, with a strong bass line, and both hands providing accompaniment and melody. Dixon was mainly left-handed and he often played the accompaniment rhythm with his left hand as well as the melody using second touch. This left his right hand free to supplement the music. This became Dixon's trade mark instantly recognisable style.
Soon enough, Dixon had fully exploited the 2/10 Wurlitzer's capabilities. Since this was holding him back, and the dancers, this made Dixon plan a larger, more suitable instrument. Within weeks of his appointment at the Tower, the BBC were broadcasting Mr R. H Dixon from the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool.
One such broadcast was as follows:

"Chromatic Waltz No. 5" (Godard)
"Cheer Up and Smile" – (Conrad)
"Sing, You Sinners" (Sam Coslow)
Falling in Love Again (Hollander)
"When I Passed The Old Church Door" (Nicholls)
"Exactly Like You" Fields
"Gee! But I'd Like to Make You Happy" (Shay and Ward)
"Oh My Maiden, My Maiden" (Lehar)
"Blue is The Night" Fisher

This broadcast was different from any previous organ broadcast, and with Dixon's unique style, nothing like it had been heard before. Dixon was also playing alongside bandleader Bertini in concerts, dance sessions, radio broadcasts and recordings.

By 1931, Dixon's broadcasts were becoming highly popular, and the time slot was expanded from 30 minutes, to 45 minutes, and were made as often as 5 times a week to the UK alone. Regular broadcasts were also being made to the British Empire, and Dixon was often in the ballroom in the very early hours of the morning, broadcasting live to places such as Canada, India, Africa and Australia.

During the winter months, Dixon toured the UK, visiting cinemas and concert halls all over the country. These venues soon filled to capacity, like the Tower Ballroom was daily filled to its capacity of 7,000 people. In 1933 the Daily Mail stated that Dixon was the "most popular of all cinema organists".

In March 1935, the organ which Dixon had longed for was first broadcast. The new 3/13 Wurlitzer was broadcast to the British Empire, and after, the Tower Company was inundated with telephone calls from people giving praise to the new organ, and Dixon's handling of the new instrument.  Later that year, he made a broadcast from Manchester Road Congregational Church, Nelson, with the music of Bach, Handel and Massenet.  The new Wurlitzer was also heavily used in the Tower Company's annual production of Handel's "Messiah" with Dixon at the console. His first appearance (of many) at the console of the BBC Theatre Organ in St George's Hall, Langham Place was on 24 November 1936.

After a spell away from radio in winter 1938, there was much speculation about Dixon leaving his Tower post to become the new BBC organist, after Reginald Foort had recently resigned from the post. Dixon said to this "I am under contract with the Tower company for another three years and I have also fixed up for a long winter with the Bernstein's Theatres Limited – the Granada theatres. If I had the offer of the job, I do not think I would accept it. I certainly would not take it if the finances were the same as applies to Mr Foort" Later that year, the "Daily Express" voted Dixon as Britain's number-one organist. He came top of a nationwide poll, and had double, or more than double the votes of any other organist.

On 14 July 1939 Dixon, and Horace Finch, gave the first public performance of the new Opera House Wurlitzer, the last new Wurlitzer Organ to come to the UK.

Second World War
In 1940, Dixon joined the R.A.F. During his time there, he was often called upon to entertain service personnel, and was still to be heard on radio occasionally, as well as playing for concerts at the Tower Ballroom. While in the RAF he attained the rank of Flying Officer, and he left the RAF as Squadron Leader.  In 1946, he returned to the tower, and was busier than ever. In addition to his Tower broadcasts, he was also broadcasting from Europe.

1950s
By 1952, Dixon had made over 1,000 broadcasts, and had already made several television appearances. In the later half of 1952, Dixon fell ill, through being overworked and completely exhausted. After a few months, he was back in full health, and returned to the Tower Ballroom. In 1954, he starred in BBC's You're Only Young Once and in 1955, he performed for Queen Elizabeth II, at the console of the 3/13 Wurlitzer of Blackpool's Opera House, for the Royal Variety Performance. After the show, the Queen said to him that she often listened to him on the radio. By now, Dixon had been at the tower, and on radio, for 25 years, and had performed, according to the Empire News, to over 60 million people live at the Tower ballroom alone, and radio listening figures were now topping 6 million for each broadcast he made.

In 1956, he had his own radio show on the BBC called Meet Me at the Tower, which he was joined with guest organist and often by the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra. In addition to this, he still had his normal broadcasts to play for.  In his weekly articles in the "Daily Herald", he had done much speculating as to who would turn on the Blackpool Illuminations that year. The Blackpool Illuminations have been an annual attraction since 1879, and the switch on ceremony was a prestigious event. Up until that time celebrities such as Prince George the Duke of Kent, George Formby, Jacob Malik (Soviet Ambassador), John H. Whitney (U.S. Ambassador), Valerie Hobson and Dame Anna Neagle had all turned on Blackpool's illuminations. Dixon soon found out that it was himself who was to turn on the illuminations that year, and the event was televised to a Europe-wide audience.

In December 1956 a fire, which started in the Tower Lounge Restaurant, spread to the Ballroom. Fortunately the organ survived owing to its position above the proscenium arch, however, the console was badly damaged but was later fixed.  While the Tower ballroom was being restored at the cost of £500,000, Dixon resumed his schedule in the Empress Ballroom, where in 1935, a 3/13 Wurlitzer had been installed. In 1958, he returned to the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer, and things proceeded as normal, in the newly restored ballroom.

On 3 July 1958, The Bulletin newspaper reported that Dixon was to have an operation that Sunday, quoting him as saying "A nerve in my right elbow is affecting the hand". It was "the result of an injury received in a motorcycle smash when I was a youth." The Bulletin reported that "He wanted to postpone the operation until the end of the season, but doctors have warned him that delay might mean losing the use of the hand".   He returned to the ballroom and its Wurlitzer later in the same month, having made over 2,000 broadcasts.

1960s
In July 1966, the Reading Eagle newspaper of Reading, Pennsylvania, US, reported "There are many places in the U.S where people go to dance to the music of big orchestras, such as the Hollywood Palladium or New York's Roseland Ballroom, but in England, as many as 2,500 dancers and 4,000 spectators on a single evening patronise the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool to hear Reginald Dixon play the organ". In the same year, Dixon was awarded an MBE for his services in entertaining the public and radio listeners the world over. At the ceremony in Buckingham Palace, while pinning on his medal, Queen Elizabeth II said to him, "I have often listened to you, you must have been there [at the Tower Ballroom] for a long time now". Dixon replied, "Yes ma'am. I have been there since March 1930, but it does not seem as long as that".

In 1969, he was also awarded by the BBC for the years of pleasure he had given to millions. The same year, Dixon announced his retirement from his Tower Ballroom post in order to spend more time with his family.

At the end of the season, Dixon retired from playing for dancing at the Ballroom, but continued to play for Sunday concerts as normal. It was on 29 March (Easter Sunday) 1970 that he gave his final concert on the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer, an event which was recorded and broadcast by the BBC, and he was also interviewed by Robin Richmond for the BBC's The Organist Entertains.

Retirement
Dixon's retirement from the Tower did not mean retirement altogether. He was still broadcasting to a very large audience, and he was also on tour across the UK and Europe, fulfilling engagements with various organ societies and clubs, determined to see the organ's survival. While in the Netherlands, he was also on radio and TV, as well as making a new LP. In addition, he had requests from both the US and Australia to conduct tours.

He died on 9 May 1985 in Blackpool, aged 80. He was cremated at Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool.

Discography
Between 1932 and 1958, Reginald Dixon released some 296 records on 78rpm discs which the table below lists. It does not include releases on 45rpm, 33⅓rpm or cassette releases.

Release year is listed month/year.

References

1904 births
1985 deaths
English organists
British male organists
Fellows of the Royal College of Organists
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Musicians from Sheffield
Royal Air Force officers
Theatre organists
20th-century English musicians
20th-century organists
20th-century British male musicians
People from Ecclesall
Alumni of the University of Sheffield
Associates of the Royal College of Music

Reginald Dixon


Beauchastel is a town and commune of the Ardèche département, in the southern part of France.

History
The name of the village comes from the "Bel Castrum" castle, built in the 12th century by the Lords Retourtour and Briand. It was ruined during the French Wars of Religion, and today only the tower remains.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Beauchastel was one of the last salt stores (grenier à sel) of the country.

Related pages
Communes of the Ardèche department

Communes in Ardèche

Beauchastel


National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) is used in the United States to provide a measure of the relative seriousness of burning conditions and threat of wildfires.

Background

John J. Keetch, a fire researcher in the southeast, wrote that "One of the prime objectives of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) is to provide as  accurate a measure as possible of the relative seriousness of burning conditions and thereby, NFDRS can serve as an aid to fire control programs."

In 1954 there were eight different fire danger rating systems in use across the United States. Better communication and better transportation were beginning to make mutual assistance agreements between fire control agencies more practical than in the past. State compacts, and in the case of the federal government, interagency and interregional agreements were bringing fire control teams together from widely separated areas of the county. It became necessary to establish a national system for estimating Fire danger and fire behavior to improve and simplify communications among all people concerned with wildland fire.

Work on a national rating system began in 1959. By 1961, the basic structure for a four-phase rating system had been outlined and the fire phase (spread phase) was ready for field testing. However, since the remaining phases of the rating system – ignition, risk, and fuel energy – were not available, a number of fire control agencies preferred to remain with the systems then in use. Adaptations, interpretations, and additions to the spread phase quickly followed, making it obvious that the spread phase was not uniformly applicable across the country.

More research followed and in 1965 a research project headquartered in Seattle was established to provide a fresh look at the needs and requirements for a national, fire danger, rating system. After canvassing many fire control agencies across the country, the Seattle research group recommended new directions for research that would lead to the development of a complete, comprehensive, National Fire Danger Rating System. A target date of 1972 was established for getting a complete system ready for operational use.

In 1970, a preliminary version of the system was tested at field sites in Arizona and New Mexico. In 1971, an improved version of the system was used operationally in the Southwest. Field trials were also conducted elsewhere across the country at stations from Maine to California and from Florida to Alaska. The system then became operational nationwide in 1972.

When work started in 1968 on the NFDRS a framework was constructed.  A philosophy had to be adopted in order to allow the development of the system to proceed.  NFDRS provides a uniform consistent system that possesses standards which agencies with wildfire suppression responsibility can apply and interpret.

NFDRS characterizes expected burning conditions for areas of 10,000 to 100,000 ac (4000 to 40,000 ha). The system has a low resolution.
 Considers initiating fires only.
 Considers containment as opposed to extinguishment.
 Relates containment job to flame length.
 The ratings are to be interpretable and meaningful.
 Ratings are to be used in combination.
 Ratings are to be linear and relative.
 Ratings between fuel models are comparable.
 Ratings are for the worst case in the Fire Danger Rating Area.

Types of fire

NFDRS recognizes four types of fire:

 Ground fires burn in natural litter, duff, roots or sometimes high organic soils. Once started they are very difficult to detect and control.
 Surface fires burn in grasses and low shrubs (up to 4.ft tall) or in the lower branches of trees. Surface fires may move rapidly.  Ease of control depends upon the fuel involved.
 Crown fires burn in the tops of trees. Once started, they are very difficult to control since wind plays an important role in crown fires.
 Spotting fires can be produced by crown fires as well as wind and topography conditions. Large burning embers are thrown ahead of the main fire. Once spotting begins, the fire will be very difficult to control.

Structure
NFDRS is a complex set of equations with user-defined constants and measured variables to calculate the daily index and components that can be used for decision support.

A Fire Danger Rating level takes into account current and antecedent weather, fuel types, and live and dead fuel moisture.

Preparedness Classes

The bottom line of the National Fire Danger Rating System in the day-to-day operation of a fire prevention and suppression program is the staffing class. The staffing class is sometimes referred to as the action class, adjective class, precaution class, preparedness class, or the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL).

The assumption behind staffing levels is that the continuum of fire danger can be divided into discrete intervals to which preplanned management actions are keyed. In other words, for each staffing level or adjective class, there should be a management action that addresses the dispatch of suppression resources that constitutes an appropriate level of response. Staffing levels, or adjective class ratings, are ways of linking fire danger information to fire management decisions. The designations for the various class or staffing levels are numerical (I to IV), or adjective (Low to Extreme).

The first step in establishing staffing levels is the selection by the state or federal land management agency of an NFDRS component or index that best describes the total fire problems in their protection area. Both state and federal land management agencies in Washington use the Energy Release Component (ERC) to determine staffing levels or adjective class ratings for the general public.

From statistical analysis of historical fire weather data, agencies were able to determine various percentiles in the distribution of historical ERC data that serve as breakpoints for various fire management decisions. Land management agencies in Washington use the 90th and 97th percentile of the ERC as a basis for determining staffing levels. In Western Washington, the 90th and 97th percentiles in the ERC frequency distribution are 44 BTUs per square foot and 55 BTUs per square foot.

Outputs
The output section of the NFDRS structure chart is the components or simply the outputs that are based in fire behavior description.but expressed in the broader context of fire danger rating.

 Spread Component – Displays a value numerically equivalent to the predicted forward rate of spread of a head fire in feet  per minute. It is a function of fuel model characteristics, live fuel moistures, the 0 to  dead fuel moisture (heavily weighted to the 1-hour timelag fuels), wind speed and slope class. It is highly variable from relative humidity, wind, and live fuel moisture.
 Ignition Component – Displays the probability of a firebrand causing an ignition requiring a suppression action.
 Keetch-Byram drought index
 Burning Index – An NFDRS index relating to the flame length at the head of the fire, it is an estimate of the potential difficulty of fire control as a function of how fast and how hot a fire could burn. It has been scaled so that the value, divided by 10, predicts the flame length at the head of a fire. For example, an index of 75 would predict a flame length of . It is a function of the Spread Component and the Energy Release Component and has moderate variability. It is sensitive to fuel models.and can trace seasonal trends reasonably well for models with heavy dead or live components. Because it uses wind and relative humidity, it is also very sensitive to weather observation errors.

Adjective Class Levels
Fire Danger is expressed using these levels.
 LOW – Fuels do not ignite readily from small firebrands although a more intense heat source, such as lightning, may start fires in duff or light fuels.
 MODERATE – Fires can start from most accidental causes, but with the exception of lightning fires in some areas, the number of starts is generally low.
 HIGH – All fine dead fuels ignite readily and fires start easily from most causes.
 VERY HIGH – Fires start easily from all causes and, immediately after ignition, spread rapidly and increase quickly in intensity.
 EXTREME – Fires start quickly, spread furiously, and burn intensely.  All fires are potentially serious.

Maps
Each day during the fire season, national maps of selected fire weather and Fire danger components of the National Fire Danger Rating System are produced by the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS-MAPS), located at the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana. Current fire danger and forecast fire danger maps are available.

References

External links
Current fire weather map from the National Weather Service
Inventory of the National Fire Danger Rating System Collection, 1911–2004, Forest History Society Library and Archives, Durham, North Carolina

Fire prevention
Firefighting in the United States
Fire
United States Forest Service
Wildfires in the United States
Meteorological indices

National Fire Danger Rating System


Instant runoff voting is a method of electing one political candidate to office from a list of more than two, but it can also be used for other group decisions. Voters rank the candidates from favorite to least favorite, with only their top choices being counted each time. Ballots are counted, and a series of simulated rounds is conducted. If no candidate has a majority of the votes in any round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those voters' next choice votes are then counted. This is repeated until a candidate has a majority.

Instant runoff voting has been used in Australia's lower house for more than 80 years. That house is strongly dominated by two parties. It has also been used to elect mayors in some cities in the United States. Voter turn out is typically the same as with plurality voting.

Proponents believe instant runoff voting allows them to vote for their first choice candidate and still help the lessor of evils if the first choice is eliminated. They believe Instant Runoff Voting to be the only way let voters vote their true intentions and undermine the two-party system. By having more candidates on the ballot, incumbents are more likely to be kicked out of office.

Opponents argue that if at least three candidates have a chance of winning, voting for one's favorite could cause a compromise candidate to lose in the first round. Their favorite might then lose against the least preferred candidate in the second round. Voters' votes cannot be transferred to their second choice if their second choice is eliminated before their first choice is. Voters often use their first choice vote for a compromise vote, the same as with plurality.

While theoretically simple, instant runoff voting often requires computers because the rankings on each ballot matter for determining the elimination order and can not be counted in aggregate. Opponents of Instant runoff voting often oppose computer counting of ballots, since it is difficult for ordinary citizens to count the ballots by hand and catch any fraud. The fact that a candidate has fewer votes does not mean the candidate is less popular but that the candidate was squeezed out on both sides of the political spectrum. Instant runoff voting can eliminate centrists in the last elimination.

Voting systems

Instant Runoff Voting


"Asian Population Studies" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community, and the 37th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on NBC on January 20, 2011.

Plot
The study group regathers after the winter break. Annie (Alison Brie) hints that she met someone she likes, and the others try to guess who it is. Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) tries and fails to interest them in the fact she is getting back with her ex-husband. Chang (Ken Jeong) again requests to join the group, but Jeff (Joel McHale) flatly rejects him.

The group goes for their first class of the semester, Anthropology, taught by a now-sober Duncan. Troy (Donald Glover) accidentally tells Pierce (Chevy Chase) that Shirley had sex with Chang at the Halloween party no one can remember ("Epidemiology"). Doctor Rich (Greg Cromer), Jeff's nemesis from pottery class ("Beginner Pottery"), enters and sits with Annie. Jeff realizes that Rich is the one Annie has a crush on.

In the cafeteria, Britta (Gillian Jacobs) realizes a sober Duncan will make the class more difficult. Annie suggests they ask Rich to join the study group. When Jeff objects, Annie suggests they have a mixer and invite a number of people from class to pick one as the next study group member. Shirley's ex-husband Andre (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) shows up. When he goes for ice cream, Britta tells Shirley that she should reconsider her decision, to which Shirley blurts out that she is pregnant and 8 weeks along. Troy and Pierce realize that she might be carrying Chang's baby.

At the mixer, Troy tries to find out if Shirley had sex with Andre around Halloween, but fails. Pierce suggests that simply telling Shirley would be kinder to her. Jeff brings a pretty girl named Quendra (Marcy McCusker), hoping that will lure Pierce, Troy, and Abed to ask her to become a member instead of Rich, but something Pierce says makes her storm out. Rich brings kettle corn, instantly gaining popularity. Chang confronts Abed (Danny Pudi) about the fact that he wasn't invited, but Abed just acts like a malfunctioning robot.

Eventually, Annie calls for a vote, pointing out that Rich is the only candidate who has stayed. Jeff, desperate to keep Rich out of the study group, agrees to sponsor Chang. Jeff tries to convince the group to pick Chang over Rich, pointing out that they know very little about Rich, and his perfect behavior is too good to be true.

The vote is evenly divided, with Jeff, Abed, and Britta voting for Chang, and Annie, Troy, and Pierce voting for Rich. Shirley breaks the tie by voting for Chang despite a threat from Pierce. Angry, Pierce callously reveals that Shirley had sex with Chang on Halloween and that the baby might be his. Chang says that explains the photos on his phone, which he shows to a horrified Shirley.

Later, Annie confronts Jeff in the men's room and demands an explanation for his apparent jealousy. Jeff can only say that relationships are complicated. Britta then asks Jeff to get Andre to fix things with Shirley. Jeff finds Andre, who blames himself for leaving her in the first place, and that he will raise the child whether it is his or Chang's. When Abed reports that Rich has rejected Annie for a date due to their age difference, Jeff rushes off dramatically in the rain to apologize and express his admiration to someone, eventually revealed to be Rich. Jeff confusedly explains his desire to learn Rich's "power" of being perfect so that he can abuse it. Explaining that he can't fake being good just to get away with bad things, Rich invites him in.

In the epilogue, Rich visits 'Troy and Abed in the Morning' to demonstrate how to make kettle corn, even though he knows it's not a real TV show.

Production
The episode was written by Emily Cutler and directed by Anthony Russo.

Continuity
Troy mentions the disturbing call he got from Chang on Halloween in the episode "Epidemiology".

Cultural references

Pierce owns a LaserDisc edition of Emmanuelle in Space.

At one point, Jeff compliments Andre on his garish woolen sweater; Andre replies, "My dad gave it to me." This is a reference to Malcolm-Jamal Warner's stint as Theo Huxtable, son of Cliff Huxtable (noted for his brightly-colored sweaters) on The Cosby Show.

Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Asian Population Studies" reached approximately 4.733 million households with a 2.2 rating/6% share in the 18–49 demographic.

This episode received positive review from the critics, with Samantha Urban of Dallas News writing, "You have to admire Community for being the only show on the Thursday night lineup that can get away with an ending that is sentimental without being saccharine, while still being funny and contributing to character development."

Kelsea Stahler of Hollywood.com wrote, "We've come to expect a lot from Community, so it's not going to get a gold star every week. This is one of those weeks. This week's episode was solid (and to be honest I can't think of a time when an episode of Community wasn't), but my favorite aspect wasn't the plot or even the one-liners, which are always on-point, it's the element of incredible attention to detail."

References

External links
"Asian Population Studies" at NBC.com

2011 American television episodes
Community (season 2) episodes
Pregnancy-themed television episodes

Asian Population Studies


After the Flood () is a 1982 novel by the Swedish novelist P. C. Jersild. It was well received as it played into the contemporary fear of nuclear holocaust. P.C. Jersild was an active anti-nuclear campaigner as part of the Nobel Prize–winning NGO, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.

Plot summary
Jersild used his medical knowledge of the long-term effects of a nuclear holocaust to great effect in this novel, which relates the adventures of a young man dumped on the island of Gotland some 30 years after a worldwide nuclear catastrophe. Humanity is about to go out with a whimper. The only inhabitants of the island are a band of aging convicts and a handful of religious women, also advanced in years, plus a few hermits. The economy is reduced to barter and plunder and the only medical care is provided by an ex-baseball player, who becomes the reluctant mentor of the protagonist. A ray of hope is introduced in the story with the arrival of a young Finnish woman, but it all ends in misery.

References
 Books - In Short: Fiction, The New York Times review. January 5, 1986.
 Facts about P. C. Jersild: contribution to Swedish literature, Encyclopædia Britannica.

1982 Swedish novels
1982 science fiction novels
Swedish science fiction novels
Novels set in Gotland
Post-apocalyptic novels
Novels set in Sweden
Swedish-language novels

After the Flood (novel)


A well is a hole that is dug into the Earth to get a fluid. Most wells are to get water. There are also oil well s and gas wells.

A qanat is an ancient complex water well system used in the Middle East. Wells can be as simple as a hole that a bucket on a rope can be lowered into, or very complex with pipes and high-powered pumps to get the water out. Most cities that are not close to fresh water lakes or rivers get their water from wells.

It is important to be careful what rubbish is put into the ground near a well. If something toxic is put in the ground, it could go in the groundwater and the well and make people sick.

Water is a problem for many African countries. Many charities are helping to build wells in local villages need not go far to get water.

A well only works if underneath there is an aquifer which feeds it.

Basic English 850 words
Tools
Aquifers

Well


Alexander Kipnis ( – May 14, 1978) was a Russian-born operatic bass. Having initially established his artistic reputation in Europe, Kipnis became an American citizen in 1931, following his marriage to an American. He appeared often at the Chicago Opera before making his belated début at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1940.

Early life
Aleksandr Kipnis was born in Zhitomir, the capital of the Volhynian Governorate, in the Russian Empire (today part of Ukraine). His impoverished family of seven lived in a Jewish ghetto. After his father died, when he was aged 12, he helped support the family as a carpenter's apprentice and by singing soprano in local synagogues and in Bessarabia (now Moldova) until his voice changed. As a teenager he took part in a Yiddish theatrical group, until he entered the Warsaw Conservatory at age 19. The conservatory did not require a high-school diploma. His education included the study of the trombone, double bass and conducting. All the while he continued to sing in synagogues. On the recommendation of the choirmaster, he traveled to Berlin and studied voice with Ernst Grenzebach who was also a teacher of Lauritz Melchior, Meta Seinemeyer, and Max Lorenz. At the same time he sang second bass in Monti's Operetta Theater.

When the First World War started, Kipnis was interned as an alien in a German holding camp. While singing to himself he was overheard by an army captain whose brother was general manager of the Wiesbaden Opera. Kipnis was released from custody and he was engaged by the Hamburg Opera. He made his operatic debut in 1915, singing three Johann Strauss songs as a "guest" in the party scene of the operetta Die Fledermaus. In 1917, he moved to the Wiesbaden Opera, having gained invaluable stage experience. He sang in more than 300 performances at Wiesbaden until 1922, when he joined the Berlin Staatsoper.

International career
The following year Kipnis visited the United States with a touring Wagnerian company. For nine seasons, between 1923 and 1932, he was on the roster of the Chicago Civic Opera.
In 1927, at the Bayreuth Festival, he appeared as Gurnemanz in Wagner's Parsifal under Karl Muck and recorded the Good Friday Music under Siegfried Wagner. (A purported live performance recording in 1933 under Richard Strauss has been generally discounted.) He also appeared at the Salzburg Festival.

Kipnis was under contract with the Berlin Opera until 1935, when he was able to break his contract and flee Nazi Germany. He appeared for three seasons as a guest performer with the Vienna State Opera in 1936–1938.  Just after the Anschluss he left Europe and settled permanently in the United States. By the time he was finally signed by the Metropolitan in 1940 he had appeared in most of the world's major opera houses. In addition to those European and American theatres already mentioned in this article, he was heard at the United Kingdom's foremost venue for singers, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, (in 1927 and 1929–1935), and also at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1926–1936).

Kipnis was regarded throughout the inter-war years as being one of the greatest basses in the world. He was praised for the beauty of his smooth and mellow voice and the excellence of his musicianship. As befitted his status, he was invited to appear with the top conductors of his day. They included Ernest Ansermet, John Barbirolli, Thomas Beecham, Leo Blech, Fritz Busch, Albert Coates, Karl Elmendorff, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Robert Heger, Herbert von Karajan, Josef Krips, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer, Hans Knappertsbusch, Serge Koussevitzky, Erich Leinsdorf, Willem Mengelberg, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Pierre Monteux, Karl Muck, Arthur Nikisch, Eugene Ormandy, Hans Pfitzner, Fritz Reiner, Artur Rodziński, Hans Rosbaud, Hermann Scherchen, Richard Strauss, George Szell, Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter and Felix Weingartner.

Kipnis showed signs of vocal deterioration during the 1940s and he retired from the Met in 1946. He made his last concert appearance in 1951. Since his debut in 1915, he had sung at least 108 roles, often in more than one language, and his performances in opera and oratorio numbered more than 1600. He died in Westport, Connecticut in 1978, aged 87.

Critical appreciation
Among Kipnis's most celebrated roles were the bass parts in operas by Mozart and Wagner, as well as the title role in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and the part of Rocco in Fidelio by Beethoven. In Germany he also was renowned as a Verdi singer. He was a distinguished interpreter of German lieder and Russian songs, too.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Kipnis's chief bass rivals were the vibrant Italians Nazzareno De Angelis, Ezio Pinza and Tancredi Pasero in the Verdi repertoire, and the black-voiced Norwegian Ivar Andresen in the Wagner repertoire. His recordings of lieder by Brahms, Wolf and Schubert are highly prized today, as are his many impressive operatic recordings, especially those dating from the 1920s and 1930s.

Family
In 1925 Kipnis married Mildred Eleanor Levy, whose father, Heniot Levy, a noted pianist and composer, had emigrated from his native Poland to Chicago. Their son Igor Kipnis (1930–2002) was a celebrated harpsichordist. Following in similar creative footsteps, Kipnis's grandson, Jeremy R. Kipnis (born 1965), has become known as a photographer, record producer, film director, and recently creator of  The Kipnis Studio Standard – The 21st Century Ultimate Screening Room Design, an evolution of George Lucas's and Tom Holman's THX Motion Picture & Sound Standards.

Recordings
CD reissues of his recorded work include:
 The Best of Alexander Kipnis – arias and songs by Wagner, Mozart, Verdi, Gounod, Brahms, Meyerbeer, Wolf and Halevy in recordings selected by his son, Igor Kipnis, and issued by Pearl (Pavilion Records Ltd.), GEMM CD 9451.
 "Alexander Kipnis, Mussorgsky, Boris Godunov" contains excerpts from Boris recorded in 1945 by RCA and a selection of Russian arias and songs. album 60522-2-RG
 Austrian Preiser Records issued several well-filled CD recitals devoted to Kipnis.
 German TIM AG, Die Zauberflöte, 2 CD's. Kipnis as Sarastro, Vienna Philharmonic (conducted by Toscanini) 1937 Order No. 205179 EAN 4011222051790

References

Sources
 Shawe-Taylor, Desmond: Kipnis, Alexander in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992)

External links

1891 births
1978 deaths
20th-century Russian male opera singers
20th-century American male opera singers
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Operatic basses
Musicians from Zhytomyr
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
Jews from the Russian Empire
Jewish opera singers

Alexander Kipnis


Letter case is the difference between uppercase/capital letters and lowercase letters for certain writing systems. The name comes from letters on a printing press, where uppercase letters were stored on top of the lowercase letters in a drawer. Their formal names are "majuscule" and "minuscule" in the same order. Writing systems that have letter case include the Latin alphabet, the Greek alphabet, and the Cyrillic alphabet.

When the first alphabets were made, they only had capital letters. Overtime, especially during the Middle Ages, lowercase letters were made to write more quickly. Other than Greek and Latin, European languages made no clear differences between capital and lowercase letters until the year 1300.

Different languages have different rules for when to capitalize or not to capitalize letters. For example, German always capitalizes nouns, while English only capitalizes proper nouns, so while German would write "the automobile" as "das Auto", English would not do the same. However, nearly all languages with letter case capitalize the first letter of the first word of every sentence.

Alphabet
Typography

Letter case


The forehead of humans is the flat space of skin above the eyes, between the eyebrows and where your hair starts to grow. It exists to make room for the brain inside the skull.

A doctor or nurse will often touch someone's forehead to check whether or not they have a fever. This is because of the many blood vessels in the head and face.

In ancient Greece individuals with large foreheads were classified as intellectual because of their incredibly large "brain". Nowadays this is not the case.

According to the OED Forehead can be pronounced either 'forhed' or 'forrid'.
'Forrid' used mostly around the Isle of Sheppey area.

Face

Forehead


Headingley is an area of Leeds, West Yorkshire.  It is situated about 3 miles from Leeds City Centre.  Headingley has a large student population and is also known for the Headingley Stadium.  Headingley railway station has train services to Leeds City Centre, Harrogate and York.

Leeds

Headingley


Wellwater Conspiracy was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993. The band was created by members of the grunge-era side project Hater. Wellwater Conspiracy featured Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and ex-Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain. The band originally featured Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd, who left the band in 1998. Various other artists have contributed to the band's albums, notably Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, and Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil.

History
Wellwater Conspiracy was formed in 1993 by Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd, and John McBain. All three were also members of the band Hater at the time. Wellwater Conspiracy's first recording sessions took place in the basement of Cameron's house. The band released three singles in the mid-1990s. The group released its debut album, Declaration of Conformity, on June 17, 1997 through Third Gear Records to general critical acclaim. Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone said, "Declaration of Conformity suggests that these Soundgarden expats have left the Seattle sound behind for trippy psychedelia that recalls such '60s freak icons as Syd Barrett and 13th Floor Elevators."

Shortly after the release of the band's debut album, Shepherd left the band, and Cameron was chosen to replace Jack Irons as the drummer for the rock group Pearl Jam. However, Cameron and McBain were intent on keeping the band going as a permanent side project, and with Cameron taking over lead vocal duties, the band released three more Wellwater Conspiracy albums following its debut album. The band's second album, Brotherhood of Electric: Operational Directives, was released on February 9, 1999 through Time Bomb Recordings. Greg Prato of AllMusic said Wellwater Conspiracy "offer another intriguing collection of 60's-tinged ditties."

On May 22, 2001, Wellwater Conspiracy released its third album, The Scroll and Its Combinations, through TVT Records. Chris Handyside of Rolling Stone said that "amid all the fuzz and minor chord bombast is an edgy, hard-rock post-millenial tension." On September 9, 2003, the band released the self-titled Wellwater Conspiracy through Megaforce Records. David Fricke of Rolling Stone said Wellwater Conspiracy "upgrade the fragrant eccentricity of vintage U.K. flower power—spaced riffing, spiked-afternoon-tea lyrics—with modern muscle."

The band's music featured a psychedelic garage rock sound. The band often performed with other musicians, many of whom were friends of the band. Notable appearances included keyboardist Glenn Slater of folk rock group The Walkabouts, guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, vocalist Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, and vocalist/guitarist Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss.

Members
Matt Cameron – Vocals, Drums (1993-2004)
John McBain – Guitar
Ben Shepherd – Vocals (1993–1998)

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other appearances

See also
List of alternative rock artists

Notes and references

External links

Alternative rock groups from Washington (state)
Musical groups disestablished in 2004
Musical groups established in 1993
Musical groups from Seattle
Rock music duos

Wellwater Conspiracy


(), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (Guards), is the police force of the Republic of Ireland. The service is headed by the  Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in Phoenix Park in Dublin.

Terminology

The old English language name of the force was the Civic Guard, but this title is no longer used. Garda Síochána na hÉireann is usually rendered as the "Guardian of the Peace of Ireland" or the "Guardians of the Peace (of Ireland)".

The full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. It is known, in decreasing order of formality, as  ( pronounced ); the ; the  (in the preceding names,  "guard" is a collective noun, like police); the   ( [GAR-DEE]; "guards", plural); or the Guards.

An individual officer is also called a  (plural ), or, informally, a guard. A police station is called a  station.  is also the lowest rank within the force, also used as a title (e.g. " John Murphy"), analogous to the British term "constable" or the American "officer" ("deputy/trooper/etc.").  "Guard" is the most common form of address used by members of the public speaking to a garda on duty. A female officer was once officially referred to as a  (; "female guard"; plural ). This term was abolished in 1990, but is still used colloquially in place of the now gender-neutral .

Organisation

The force is headed by the Commissioner. Immediately below him are two Deputy Commissioners, one in charge of "Operations" and the other "Strategy and Change Management".  The Chief Administrative Officer has responsibility for resource management (personnel, finance, ICT and accommodation) has the same rank as a Deputy Commissioner. There are twelve Assistant Commissioners: one for each of the six geographical Regions, and the remainder dealing with various national support functions. At an equivalent or near-equivalent level to the Assistant Commissioners are the positions of Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of ICT and Executive Director of Finance.

The six geographical "Assistant Commissioners" command the six "Garda Force Regions", which are currently:
Dublin Metropolitan
Eastern
Northern
Southern
South-Eastern
Western

Reporting to the Assistant Commissioners are about 50 Chief Superintendents, about half of whom supervise what are called Divisions. Each Division contains a number of Districts, each commanded by a Superintendent assisted by a team of Inspectors. Each District contains a number of Subdistricts, which are usually commanded by Sergeants.

Usually each Subdistrict contains only one Garda station. A different number of  are based at each station depending on its importance. Most of these stations employ the basic rank of Garda, which was referred to as the rank of Guard until 1972. The most junior members of the force are students, whose duties can vary depending on their training progress. They are often have clerical duties, as part of their extra curricular studies.

The Garda organisation also has over 2,500 civilian support staff covering areas such as human resources, occupational health services, finance and procurement, internal audit, IT and telecommunications, accommodation and fleet management, scenes-of-crime support, research and analysis, training and general administration. The figure also includes industrial staff such as traffic wardens, drivers and cleaners. It is ongoing government policy to bring the level of non officer support in the organisation up to international standards - thus enhancing its capacity and expertise in a range of specialist and administrative functions, and releasing more of its police officers for core operational duties.

Reserve Gardaí

The Garda Síochána Act 2005 provided for the establishment of a Garda Reserve, consisting of 4,000, to assist the force in performing its functions, and supplement the work of members of the Garda Síochána.

The job of the Garda Reserve is "to be a source of local strength and knowledge". Reservists carry out duties decided by the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. With reduced training, these duties and powers must be operated under the supervision of regular members of the Force, and are also limited from those of regular members.

As of November 2010 there are 850 graduated Garda Reserve, and another 148 in further training, the first batch of 36 Garda Reserves graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College, in Templemore.

Sections
Bureau of Fraud Investigation
Central Vetting Unit
Criminal Assets Bureau
Garda Emergency Response Unit
Regional Support Unit
Garda Information Services Centre
Garda Síochána College
Garda Síochána Reserve
Garda Traffic Corps
National Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Garda National Immigration Bureau
Garda National Drug Unit
Garda National Surveillance Unit
 Operational Support Unit that consists of:-
Garda Air Support Unit
Garda Dog Unit
Garda Mounted Unit
Garda Water Unit
Organised Crime Unit
Garda Public Order Unit
Garda Regional Support Units
Special Detective Unit
Garda Technical Bureau

Unarmed Gardaí
Most uniformed members of An Garda Síochána do not usually carry firearms. It is a tradition of the service that standard policing is carried out in both rural and urban areas by uniformed officers equipped only with a wooden truncheon. From March 2007 all new Gardaí have been issued with ASP extendable batons, with existing members trained in time. In addition, the Garda Commissioner announced in October 2008 that all Gardaí are to be issued with Pepper Spray. As of December 2009, all Gardaí have been trained and issued with this Spray.

The force, when originally created, was armed, but the Provisional Government reversed the decision and reconstituted the force as an unarmed police force. This was in contrast to the attitude of the British Dublin Castle administration, which refused appeals from the Royal Irish Constabulary that that force be disarmed. In the words of first Commissioner, Michael Staines, TD:

According to Tom Garvin such a decision gave the new force a cultural ace: "the taboo on killing unarmed men and women who could not reasonably be seen as spies and informers."

Armed Gardaí

Although a mostly unarmed force, certain units of the Gardaí, such as detective units, the regional support units, and the Emergency Response Unit are commissioned to carry firearms. The original stock of Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers are being replaced by the Sig Sauer P226 and Walther P99C semi-automatic pistols. Regional Support Units have Heckler & Koch MP7 sub-machine guns in addition to issue pistols and non-lethal weapons such as tasers and pepper spray. They serve as a first response to back up regular Garda officers in critical situations due to a rise of incidents that involve firearm use. In order to be issued with a firearm, or to carry a firearm whilst on duty, a Garda must be in possession of a valid gun card.

Vehicles

Garda patrol cars are mainly white, with yellow and blue fluorescent livery whereas traffic unit vehicles adopt the battenburg pattern. The Garda crest is also present on vehicles. An Garda Síochána also use unmarked patrol cars in their duties and use of such vehicles is increasing becoming a matter of cost rather than the need to hide the vehicles, as the amendments to the exterior of the vehicle such as LED strobes, Tetra aerials and bumper LEDs in particular are extremely visible.

History

The Civic Guard was formed by the Provisional Government in February 1922 to take over the responsibility of policing the fledgling Irish Free State. It replaced the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and the Irish Republican Police of 1919-1922. In August 1922 the force accompanied Michael Collins when he met the Lord Lieutenant in Dublin Castle.

The Garda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 enacted after the creation of the Irish Free State on 8 August 1923, provided for the creation of "a force of police to be called and known as 'The Garda Síochana'". Under section 22, The Civic Guard were deemed to have been established under and to be governed by the Act. The law therefore renamed the existing force.

During the Civil War of 1922-23, the new Free State set up the Criminal Investigation Department as an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency unit. It was disbanded after the end of the war in October 1923 and elements of it were absorbed into the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

In Dublin, policing remained the responsibility of the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP, founded 1836) until it merged with the Garda Síochána in 1925. Since then the Garda has been the only police force in the state now known as the Republic of Ireland, with the exception of the Military Police within the Irish Defence Forces, the Airport Police, and Dublin Port and Dún Laoghaire Harbour police forces.

Scott Medal
First established in 1925, the Scott Medal for Bravery is the highest honour for bravery and valour awarded to a member of the Garda Síochána. The first medals were funded by Colonel Walter Scott, an honorary Commissioner of the New York Police Department. The first recipient of the Scott Medal was Pat Malone of St. Luke's Cork City who - as an unarmed Garda - disarmed Tomás Óg Mac Curtain (the son of Tomás Mac Curtain).

To mark the United States link, the American English spelling of valor is used on the medal. The Garda Commissioner chooses the recipients of the medal, which is presented by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

In 2000, Anne McCabe - widow of Garda Jerry McCabe, who was killed by armed Provisional IRA bank robbers, accepted the Scott Medal for Bravery that had been awarded posthumously to her husband.

The Irish Republican Police had at least one member killed by the RIC 21 July 1920.
The Civic Guard had one killed by accident 22 September 1922 & another was killed March 1923 by Frank Teeling. Likewise 4 members of the Oriel House Criminal Investigation Department were killed/Died of wounds during the Irish Civil War.  The Garda Roll of Honour lists 31 members of the Garda killed between 1922 and 1999. {See Below}

Garda Commissioners
The first Commissioner, Michael Staines, who was a Pro-Treaty member of , held office for only eight months. It was his successors, Eoin O'Duffy and Éamon Broy, who played a central role in the development of the force. O'Duffy was Commissioner in the early years of the force when to many people's surprise the ability of the force to succeed despite being unarmed was established. O'Duffy later became a short-lived political leader of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts before heading to Spain to fight alongside Francisco Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Broy had greatly helped the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Anglo-Irish War, while serving with the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP). Broy's fame grew in the 1990s when he featured in the movie Michael Collins, in which it was misleadingly suggested that he had been murdered by the British during the War of Independence, when in reality he lived for decades and headed the Garda Síochána from 1933 to 1938. Broy was followed by Commissioners Michael Kinnane (1938–52) and Daniel Costigan (1952–65).  The first Commissioner to rise from the rank of ordinary Garda was William P. Quinn, who was appointed in February 1965.

One later Commissioner, Edmund Garvey, was sacked by the Fianna Fáil government of Jack Lynch in 1978 after it had lost confidence in him. Garvey won 'unfair dismissal' legal proceedings against the government, which was upheld in the Irish Supreme Court This outcome required the passing of the Garda Síochána Act 1979 to retrospectively validate the actions of Garvey's successor since he had become Commissioner. Garvey's successor, Patrick McLaughlin, was forced to resign along with his deputy in 1983 over his minor involvement in a political scandal. The current Commissioner, since December 2010, is Martin Callinan.

Past reserve forces

During the Emergency (as World War II was known in Ireland) there were two reserve forces to the Garda, An Taca Síochána and the Local Security Force.

An Taca Síochána had the power of arrest and wore uniform, and were allowed to leave the reserve or sign-up as full members of the Garda at the end of the war before the reserve was disbanded. The reserve was established by the Emergency Powers (Temporary Special Police Force) Order, 1939.

The Local Security Force (LSF) did not have the power of arrest, and part of the reserve was soon absorbed into the Irish Army Reserve under the command of the Irish Army.

Policing abroad
Since 1989, the Garda has been part of United Nations peace-keeping forces. Its first mission was when a 50 strong force was sent to Namibia. Since then the force has acted in Angola, Cambodia, Cyprus, Mozambique, South Africa and the former Yugoslavia. The force's first fatality abroad was Garda Sergeant Paul M. Reid, who was fatally injured while on duty with the United Nations UNPROFOR at "Sniper's Alley" in Sarajevo on 18 May 1995.

Members of the Garda also serve in the Embassies of Ireland in London, The Hague, Madrid and Paris. Members are also seconded to Europol in The Hague, Holland and Interpol in Lyon, France. There are also many members working directly for UN and European agencies such as the War Crimes Tribunal.

Garda officers also co-operate with members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to combat cross-border crime. They have also accompanied politicians from the Republic, such as the President on visits to Northern Ireland.

Under an agreement with the British Government and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Garda and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland are allowed to inspect the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria, England.

Controversy and allegations involving the force
Like every police force in the world the Gardaí have had many complaints against them including allegations of discourtesy, harassment and perjury (lying to a court). A total of 1,173 complaints were made by the public against the Gardaí in 2005, while over 2000 complaints were made in 2009.

Some incidents involving the Garda have attracted wide scale attention—such as those that led to the Morris and Barr Tribunals—and have resulted in broad reform initiatives. Other reports suggest that people who frequent gay and lesbian establishments feel that the Gardaí are not doing enough to tackle reported homophobic crime in Ireland. In 2007 there was also some debate when a potential Sikh applicant of the Garda Reserve requested that he be allowed wear a turban in place of a standard uniform cap - Ultimately the provision was not made as it was stated that the force had the same uniform requirements for all members.

Mishandling of cases and complaints

The Kerry Babies case was one of the first public inquiries into mishandling of a Garda investigation. Later, in the 1980s, the Ferns Report (an inquiry into allegations of clerical sexual abuse) described as "wholly inadequate" the handling of one of eight formal complaints made to Wexford gardaí, but noted that the remaining formal complaints were handled in an "effective, professional and sensitive" manner.

The Gardaí were also criticised in the Murphy Report in relation to the handing over of the case of Fr. Edmondus (a pseudonym) to Archbishop McQuaid by Commissioner Costigan. Some very senior Gardaí were criticised for regarding priests as being outside their remit in 1960. On November 26, 2009, then Commissioner Fachtna Murphy apologised for the failure of An Garda Siochána to protect victims of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. He said that inappropriate relationships and contacts between gardaí and the Dublin Archdiocese had taken place at a time of undue or misguided deference to religious authorities and that these were incompatible with any investigation. On 27 November 2009 he announced that a senior investigator would examine the findings in the report.

The Gardaí were criticised by the commission of investigation into the Dean Lyons case for their handling of the investigation into the Grangegorman killings. In his report, George Birmingham said that the Gardaí had used leading questions in their interviews with Lyons, and had failed to act on a suspicion that Lyons' confession was unreliable. For a period, the gardaí involved in the case failed to act on the knowledge that another man, Mark Nash, had confessed to the crime. They were also criticised for failing to keep adequate records of their interviews with Lyons.

Allegations resulting in Tribunals of Inquiry

In the 1990s and early 2000s there were a series of allegations, including suggestions of corrupt and dishonest policing in County Donegal. This became the subject of a judicial inquiry: the Morris Tribunal. The tribunal found that some gardaí based in County Donegal had invented a Provisional IRA informer, made bombs and claimed credit for locating them, and attempted to frame Raphoe publican Frank McBrearty Junior for murder– the latter case involving a €1.5m settlement with the State. In a report to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Morris Tribunal expressed grave concern about "organised insubordination" within the force that "proper discipline has been lost from Garda", suggesting that a few mischief-makers abused their positions within the Garda and used the disciplinary process to damage the force. The tribunal also expressed concern that recruits were brought into an undisciplined culture that had the potential to do great damage in the longer term, and warned that a "terrible and costly" waste of talent would occur if the situation continued. These scandals damaged the reputation and standing of the force in County Donegal.

On 20 April 2000, members of the Emergency Response Unit shot dead, from behind, 27-year-old John Carthy at the end of a 25-hour siege as he left his home in Abbeylara, County Longford with a loaded shotgun in his hands. There were allegations made of inappropriate handling of the situation and of the overuse of armed force by the Gardaí. This led to a Garda inquiry, and later a Tribunal of Inquiry chaired by Mr Justice Robert Barr. This inquiry was established on 1 July 2002, and the hearing of evidence was completed on 7 December 2004. The final report was expected within six months, but publication of the report was delayed until 20 July 2006. The official findings of the tribunal were that Sgt Michael Jackson made 14 mistakes in his role as negotiator during the siege, and that he failed to make real efforts to achieve resolution during the armed stand-off. It further stated however that Sgt Jackson was limited by lack of experience and resources (psychologists, solicitors, dogs). The tribunal recommended that there be an urgent review of Garda command structures, and that the ERU be with stun guns and other non-lethal options, including "non-compliant firearms support police dogs".

The Barr tribunal also recommended a formal working arrangement between Gardaí and State psychologists, and improvements in Garda training (especially for the ERU in siege situations, including those with mental illness as a factor). This included a recommendation that local Garda superintendents undergo refresher training for one week every year as scene commanders and a similar refresher course for ERU officers of the rank of inspector or superintendent. Garda Commissioner Conroy, in a letter to the family of John Carthy, stated that the force was 'truly apologetic' for his death. Former Superintendent Joe Shelley, whose failure to interview John Carthy was cited in the Barr Tribunal Report as "extraordinary", and who was also severely criticised in the Report of the Morris Tribunal into the controversial death of Richie Barron, was awarded a top-up bonus of €110,000 when he took early retirement in July 2005. Mr Justice Morris described Shelley's probe as "prejudiced, tendentious, utterly negligent in the highest degree".

Allegations involving abuse of powers
One of the first charges of serious misconduct against the force came from the handling of the Sallins Train Robbery in 1976. This case eventually led to a serious miscarriage of justice and accusations that a "Heavy Gang" within the force intimidated and tortured accused. This eventually led to a Presidential pardon for one of the accused.

In 2004, an RTÉ Prime Time documentary accused elements within the Garda of abusing their powers by physically assaulting people arrested. A retired Circuit Court judge  (W. A. Murphy) suggested that some members of the force had committed perjury in criminal trials before him but later stated that he was misquoted, while a Minister of State (Dick Roche, a junior government minister) accused Gardaí in one instance of "torture". The Garda Commissioner accused the television programme of lacking balance.

The Prime Time documentary followed footage published by the Independent Media Centre Ireland showing scuffles between Gardaí and Reclaim the Streets demonstrators. One Garda in this footage was later convicted of common assault, which is a summary matter, while several other Gardaí were acquitted.

Allegations about cross-border policing
The family of Eddie Fullerton, a Buncrana Sinn Féin councillor killed in his home by members of the Ulster Defence Association in 1991, have criticised the Gardaí's handling of the investigation and in 2005 they started a campaign for an inquiry.

The Smithwick Tribunal is also investigating allegations of collusion following the deaths of two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers killed by the Provisional IRA as they returned from a meeting with the Gardaí in the Republic of Ireland following a recommendation from the Cory Collusion Inquiry.

Operations around the Corrib Gas Project

Protests at the proposed Royal Dutch Shell Corrib gas refinery in Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo have seen a large Garda operation at its construction sites with up to 200 Gardaí involved, making it the single biggest policing operation in the country at times.  By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 Million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 Million by the end of January 2009.  This is comparable to the €20 Million budgeted for Operation Anvil, targeting organised crime, criminal gangs and their associates. A section of road used by the protesters has been dubbed the Golden Mile by Gardaí because of the overtime opportunities. Complaints have been made about the Garda handling of the protests and several TDs, including  former Green Party leader Trevor Sargent have criticised the Garda's handling of the situation.

Reform initiatives
Partly as a result of some of the above incidents, the Garda Síochána has undergone a number of reforms in recent years. The Morris Tribunal in particular recommended major changes to the way the force's management, discipline, promotion and accountability arrangements.  Many of these recommendations were enacted by the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

Mr Justice Morris also said that the code of discipline was extremely complex and, at times, "cynically manipulated" to promote indiscipline across the force. Judicial reviews, for example, were cited as a means for delaying disciplinary action.

The fall-out form the Morris Tribunal was considerable.  While fifteen members of the force were sacked between 2001 and 2006, and a further 42 resigned instead of being dismissed, Commissioner Conroy said that he was limited in what he could do to deal with members whose misbehaviour is cited in public inquiries.

New procedures and code of discipline
With strong support from opposition parties, and reflecting widespread political consensus, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform responded to many of these issues by announcing a new draft code of discipline on 17 August 2006. The new streamlined code introduced new procedures to enable the Commissioner to summarily dismiss a Garda alleged to have brought the force into disrepute, abandoned duties, compromised the security of the State or unjustifiably infringed the rights of other persons.

In addition, a four-member "non officer management advisory team" was appointed in August 2006 to advise on implementing change options and addressing management and leadership challenges facing the Gardaí. The advisers were also mandated to promote the ideas of performance management, succession planning, recruitment of non officers with specialist expertise, and improved training. The advisory team included Senator Maurice Hayes, Emer Daly (former director of strategic planning and risk management at Axa Insurance), Maurice Keane (former group chief executive at Bank of Ireland), Michael Flahive (Assistant Secretary at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform) and Dr Michael Mulreany (assistant director general at the Institute of Public Administration).

Enhanced non officer support

Clerical and administrative support has been greatly increased in recent times. In the two-year period from December 2006 to December 2008 whole-time equivalent civilian staffing levels were increased by over 60%, from under 1,300 to approximately 2,100, in furtherance of official policies to release more desk-bound Gardaí for operational duties and to bring the level of general support in line with international norms. A new tier of middle and senior non officer management has also been introduced in a range of administrative and technical/professional support areas. A Chief Administrative Officer at Deputy Commissioner level was appointed in October 2007 to oversee many of these key support functions.

Garda Inspectorate
In accordance with Section 115 of the Garda Síochána Act, the Garda Síochána Inspectorate consists of three members who are appointed by the Irish Government. The job of the Inspectorate, is to:
 Carry out, at the request or with the consent of the Minister, inspections or inquiries in relation to any particular aspects of the operation and administration of the Garda Síochána,
 Submit to the Minister (1) a report on those inspections or inquiries, and (2) if required by the Minister, a report on the operation and administration of the Garda Síochána during a specified period and on any significant developments in that regard during that period, and any such reports must contain recommendations for any action the Inspectorate considers necessary.
 provide advice to the Minister with regard to best policing practice.

The first Chief Inspector (since July 2006), is former Commissioner of Boston Police, Kathleen O'Toole.  She reports directly to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

From 2006 to 2009, O'Toole was supported by two other inspectors, Robert Olsen and Gwen M. Boniface. Olsen was Chief of Police for 8 years of the Minneapolis Police Department. Boniface is a former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, and was one of 3 female police commissioners in Canada when appointed in May 1998. She suggested that rank and file Gardaí were not equipped to perform their duties or protect themselves properly. She also suggested that routine arming may become a reality but dismissed the suggestion that this was currently being considered.

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission

Over 2000 complaints were made against the organization in 2009. The Garda Commissioner referred over 100 incidents where the conduct of a garda resulted in death or serious injury to the Ombudsman for investigation. Also newly instrumented, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (usually called the Garda Ombudsman or GSOC) replaces the earlier system of complaints (the Garda Síochána Complaints Board).

When it became fully operational on 9 May 2007, the Commission was allowed to:
 Directly and independently investigate complaints against members of the Garda Síochána
 Investigate any matter, even where no complaint has been made, if it appears that a Garda may have committed an offence or behaved in a way that justified disciplinary proceedings
 Investigate any practise, policy or procedure of the Garda Síochána with a view to reducing the incidence of related complaints

The Members of the Garda Ombudsman Commission  are: Dermot Gallagher (Chairman; former Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs), Carmel Foley (former Director of Consumer Affairs), and Conor Brady (former Editor of The Irish Times and author of a book on the history of the Gardaí).  The Commission's first Chairman was Kevin Haugh (a High Court Judge) who died in early 2009, shortly before his term of office was to conclude.

Public Attitudes to An Garda Siochana

The Garda Public Attitudes Survey 2008 found that 81% of respondents were satisfied with the Gardaí, although 72% believed the service needed improvement. 91% agreed that their local Gardaí were approachable.

The survey also found that 8% of people believed a Garda has acted unacceptably towards them; this rate was highest in Dublin South Central at 14%, lowest in Mayo at 2%. The most common complaint was of Gardaí being disrespectful or impolite.

Garda Band

The Garda Band is a public relations branch of the Garda Síochána, and was formed shortly after the foundation of the force. It gave its first public performance on Dún Laoghaire Pier on Easter Monday, 1923. The first Bandmaster was Superintendent D.J. Delaney and he formed a céilí and pipe band within the Garda Band. In 1938, the Dublin Metropolitan Garda Band (based at Kevin Street) and the Garda Band joined and were based at the Garda Headquarters in Phoenix Park.

The band was disbanded in 1965. However to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Garda Síochána it was reformed in 1972.

Besides providing music for official Garda functions (such as Graduation Ceremonies at the Garda College) the band has a community orientated programme each year performing at schools, festivals and sporting events. It has a long association with Lansdowne Road for Rugby union and Soccer Internationals, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin and the Rose of Tralee Festival.

In 1964 the band toured America and Canada under Superintendent J. Moloney, and has also travelled to international events and represented the country at police festivals and concerts in Switzerland, Germany and Northern Ireland.

References

Other websites

 Official site -
 Garda Representative Association
  Ombudsman Commission
 http://ireland.archiseek.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/phoenix_park/garda.html
 Association of  Sergeants and Inspectors
 http://www.business2000.ie/cases/cases/case2.htm
 Morris Tribunal
  Act 2005
 http://www.esatclear.ie/~garda/honour.html

Law enforcement agencies
Organizations based in the Republic of Ireland

Garda Síochána