The Armenian Native Faith, also termed Armenian Neopaganism or Hetanism (Armenian: Հեթանոսութիւն Hetanosutiwn; a cognate word of "Heathenism"), is a modern Pagan new religious movement that harkens back to the historical, pre-Christian belief systems and ethnic religions of the Armenians. The followers of the movement call themselves "Hetans" (Armenian: հեթանոս Hetanos, which means "Heathen", thus "ethnic", both of them being loanwords from the Greek ἔθνος, ethnos) or Arordi, meaning the "Children of Ari", also rendered as "Arordiners" in some scholarly publications.

The Arordiner movement has antecedents in the early 20th century, with the doctrine of Tseghakron (Ցեղակրոն, literally "national religion") of the nationalist political theorist and Nazi collaborator Garegin Nzhdeh. It took an institutional form in 1991, just after the collapse of the Soviet Union in a climate of national reawakening, when the Armenologist Slak Kakosyan founded the "Order of the Children of Ari" (Arordineri Ukht). Neopaganism expert Victor Schnirelmann estimated the following of Armenian neopaganism to be "no more than a few hundred people".

History

Nzhdeh's and Kakosyan's experiences
The first organisation of Armenian Native Faith, the "Order of the Children of Ari" (or "Ara"; Arordineri Ukht in Armenian) was established in 1991 by the armenologist Slak (Eduard, or Edik) Kakosyan (1936–2005). He belonged to a generation of Armenian dissidents and was exiled in the 1970s from Soviet Armenia; in 1979 he fled to the United States where he became familiar with the ideas of Garegin Nzhdeh (1886–1955).

Nzhdeh was a philosopher, statesman and fedayi of the first half of the twentieth century, who left an enduring legacy in the history of Armenia, and is still one of the driving forces of Armenian nationalism. Kakosyan praised him as the "prophet of the Armenians". Nzhdeh founded a movement named Tseghakron ("religion of the nation"), which was among the core doctrines of the Armenian Youth Federation. In Nzhdeh's poetic mythology, the Armenian nation is identified as Atlas upholding the ordered world, and it makes reference to Hayk, the mythical patriarch of the Armenians, and to Vahagn, the solar and warrior god "fighter of the serpent", as means through which to awaken the Armenian nation and raise its spirit. Nzhdeh's movement took place in the aftermath of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

During his exile, Slak Kakosyan made extensive use of Nzhdeh's works to codify the Ukhtagirk ("Book of Vows"), the sacred text of the Armenian Native Faith movement. In the book, Garegin Nzhdeh is deified as an incarnation of Vahagn, the re-establisher of the true faith of the Armenians and of the Aryan values. While still in the United States, Kakosyan claimed that he had been initiated to the ancient Armenian hereditary priesthood mentioned by Moses of Chorene, changing his forename from "Edik" to "Slak". He likely became acquainted with Zoroastrian communities in the United States.

1990s: Establishment of the Children of Ari
Returning to Armenia in 1991, Slak Kakosyan gathered a community and founded the Children of Ari. They began to hold rituals on traditional Armenian holydays. The Temple of Garni became the centre of the community, a council of priests was set up in order to manage the organisation and the rites. During the 1990s, the group reached visibility in wider Armenian society. According to the scholar Yulia Antonyan, the emergence of the Armenian Native Faith is attributable to the same causes which led to the rise of other modern Pagan movements, but also Hindu and Protestant movements, in the other post-Soviet countries: The Armenian Native Faith represents the indigenous answer to the social and cultural upheavals which followed the collapse of Soviet society and of its atheist and materialist ideology.

Republican Party support and grassroots spread

Ashot Navasardyan (1950–1997) and Andranik Margaryan (1949–2007), founding fathers of the Republican Party of Armenia, were Arordiners like many other members of the party and took part in the very first ritual at the Temple of Garni. The Republican Party provided financial support for the Children of Ari until recent times, sponsored the publication of Ukhtagirk and the set up of a memorial stele to Slak Kakosyan on the grounds of the Temple of Garni. Arordiner festivals are celebrated in some regions with the support of local municipalities. Despite this strong link with the nationalist political scene, the Children of Ari does not declare a political orientation, and the priests are forbidden from joining any political party.

Although it started among the Armenian intellectual elites as a means to reawaken Armenian identity, in most recent times the Armenian Native Faith movement has expanded its contingent of adherents among the provincial and rural populations, and among the Armenian diaspora. Besides the philosophical approach of the intellectuals, the common people are driven to the Armenian Native Faith by various reasons, ranging from mysticism to a sentimental devotion to the gods. Antonyan documented the case of a thirty-five years-old woman who believed to be infertile, and who joined the Armenian Native Faith movement after she allegedly became pregnant by praying to Anahit, goddess of fertility, and to Astghik, goddess of love and beauty. The woman gave her daughter the name "Nana", another name of the goddess of fertility.

Local Arordiner communities have been organised in villages outside the capital Yerevan. The structure of the Order of the Children of Ari, and of the local communities themselves, is characterised by a clear hierarchy, with the council of priests, led by an elected chief, handling the organisation of all activities. The highest position within the hierarchy is that of the supreme priest, which has remained vacant since Slak Kakosyan's death in 2005.

2009: Avetisyan and the Armenian Aryan Order
Another party that was closely associated to the Arordiners is the Union of Armenian Aryans, led by Armen Avetisyan, headquartered in Abovyan, a city which is the second most important center of the Armenian Native Faith movement after Yerevan. The relations with the party, known for its extreme views, were cut in 2009 when Avetisyan proclaimed himself a spiritual leader and announced the initiative to build a central temple in Yerevan; as the Children of Ari expressed their opposition to the project, Avetisyan founded a separate religious group, the Armenian Aryan Order.

Beliefs

Theology and cosmology

Ar and Ara
Beliefs among the individual Arordiners vary, though there is a common theological underpinning provided by Ukhtagirk. This theology is a monism: The beginning of the first section of the book recites that "in the beginning was the Ar, and Ara was the creator". The Ar is the impersonal, without qualities, transcendent principle begetting the universe, while Ara is his personal, present form as "the Creator". The book continues telling the myth of how Ara generates the gods and how the goddess Anahit gives birth to Ari (Aryan), the form of mankind. According to Arordiner theology, Ar is the life-giving word root, and it is the origin of words like, for instance, art ("arable", "cultivation"; culture, art), aryyun ("blood"), argand ("womb"), armat ("root"), arka ("king"), ara ("male"), Arev (the Sun), Ara (manifested Ar), Ari (acting with Ar), Chari (opposing Ar). The "essence of things" and their "perfection" is represented by swastika motifs.

Ari and Chari, and the many deities
The different deities are conceived by the supreme Ara. Some Arordiners do not consider them to be separate beings, but as "incarnations of different aspects of Ara". They are organised in a cosmic duality, representing the "light side" and the "dark side" of the universal power, with the latter led by Vishap, the great snake, who is identified as being the same as Yahweh. The history of mankind itself is seen as a constant struggle between these two forces: One represented by Ari (Aryans), the right men of the creative light side; the other one represented by Chari, destructive dark-sided creatures made from soil by Vishap.

The Armenian Native Faith is polytheistic in practice. The gods of the Arordiners include: Hayk, the mythical founder of the Armenian nation, Aray the god of war, Barsamin the god of sky and weather, Aralez the god of the dead, Anahit the goddess of fertility and war, Mihr the solar god, Astghik the goddess of love and beauty, Nuneh the goddess of wisdom, Tir the god of art and inspiration, Tsovinar the goddess of waters, Amanor the god of hospitality, Spandaramet the goddess of death, and Gissaneh the mother goddess of nature.

Afterlife and eschatology
The Arordiners have a cyclical view of reality, and they believe in the reincarnation of individual souls through the genetic lineage. That is to say, men are believed to come back to life in the following generations of their own descendants, in the kin which they begot while living. According to Arordiner doctrines, the entire world goes through similar cycles, from the smaller ones represented by the days and the years, to the greatest ones represented by eras of ten thousand years.

The struggle between light and dark forces unfolds through the cycle of each era: Order and connection with the ancestors prevail during the world's summer and spring; while disorder, confusion and forsaking of the ancestral roots prevail during the world's autumn and winter. In the latter period, beings are not in harmony with Ara, they are not nourished by cosmic energy, and they fall prey of the evil Chari forces. At the darkest stage of history, though, which according to Arordiners corresponds to the current times, Vahagn manifests again and brings the Ari forces back to life.

The Ukhtagirk
Ukhtagirk, the holy book of the Armenian Native Faith, may be translated as "Book of Vows". It was the life work of Slak Kakosyan, who finished the manuscript just before his death in 2005. Kakosyan, however, is not credited as the "author" of the Ukhtagirk, but rather as the "recorder" of an eternal truth understood by inspiration, its "compiler" (kazmogh). The book was officially proclaimed the holy text of the Order of the Children of Ari in 2000, a couple of years before its completion, when the religious organisation was officially registered by the Armenian state.

The book is divided into seven parts: Astvatsashoonch ("Dictionary"), which explains the Armenian language as a mystical system of symbols related to the root Ar; Tsagumnaran ("Genesis"), which explains in mythical terms the origin of the world, the gods and mankind; Avetaran ("Book of Testaments") and Dzonaran ("Book of Odes"), which deal with philosophical and ontological categories to explain reality and values; Veharan ("Book of Greatness") and Patgamaran ("Book of Commandments"), which present mythologised descriptions of the Nazi collaborator Nzhdeh's life and ideas, respectively; and Hymnergaran ("Book of Hymns"), which is a collection of poems written by Kakosyan and his followers, as well as by authors of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The mythological parts about creation rely upon Armenian medieval sources and folk knowledge.

Chanting ritual texts from the book is considered to procure mystical experiences, and the physical book itself is crucial for some ritual activities, such as wedding ceremonies, in which the rings are passed to the bride and groom on top of a copy of the Ukhtagirk. At the same time, Arordiners do not consider their book unquestionable, but the text is open to corrections as required by changing circumstances, according to Kakosyan, who conceived the book in the terms of a changeful and adaptable truth.

Practices

Armenian Native Faith practices, rituals and representations mostly rely on the instructions given by the Ukhtagirk. For instance, it is common for the priests to make pilgrimage to Mount Khustup, where, according to the book, Garegin Nzhdeh experienced the presence of the god Vahagn. The priests' aim is to replicate such experience. The veneration of Nzhdeh and the pilgrimage to his burial site, which is located on the slopes of the Khustup, is also slowly developing within the larger community of Arordiners. In general, mountains are revered as holy, so, besides Khustup, other mountains, including Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats, function as pilgrimage destination for Arordiners.

The memory of Slak Kakosyan is also part of the cults celebrated by the Arordiner priests. The celebrations in honour of Vahagn at the Temple of Garni usually start at the memorial monument of Kakosyan, set up after his death on the site where his ashes were dispersed. The figure of Kakosyan has been mythologised in a collection of poems composed by Aren Haykyan and published in 2007. In these poems he is described as a divine man. Haykyan is also the author of poems devoted to Nzhdeh and to the gods.

Rituals

Armenian Native Faith rituals include the yearly ceremonies performed on Armenian traditional holidays, and three rites of passage: The knunk, a complex ritual of initiation; the psak, that is wedding; and death rituals. The death rituals require the cremation of the body, and its return to the four elements. Fire is symbolised by the cremation itself; then the ashes are divided into three parts, of which one is buried in the earth, one is scattered in the air of the Garni Gorge, and the third one is poured in the water of the Garni River. Afterwards, the deceased is memorialised by the collective lighting of a torch. The first Arordiner to be cremated was Kakosyan himself, at a time when cremation was illegal in Armenia. Later, Arordiners obtained by the state the right to cremate their dead.

The Armenian term knunk may be translated as "conversion" or "reversion" (to the native way of life). Yulia Antonyan observed that about ten to twenty people take part to each knunk ritual, which is held on the occasion of the public ceremonies at the Temple of Garni. At the same time, there are many Arordiners who believe that in order to worship the native gods of Armenia it is not necessary to undergo an official conversion.

Temples and idols
Arordiner public ceremonies and rituals are held at ancient sacred places, which are often in ruins. The re-appropriation of churches that were built on native sacred sites is also common. The most important of these sites is the first-century Temple of Garni, a temple which was rebuilt in 1975, which has become the main ceremonial center for the Armenian Native Faith movement.

The Arordiners have reconsecrated the temple to Vahagn, although historically it was dedicated to Mihr. They have also been given approval for the rearrangement of the compound, in order for it to match the ideal structure of ancient Armenian sanctuaries. They have added a holy spring dedicated to Slak Kakosyan and a wood of apricot trees, the holy tree of Armenian Native Faith. The temple is now organised into three sacred spaces: The first is the sacred spring, the second one is the temple proper, and the third one is the holy wood, located on a hillock. The rituals at the Temple of Garni take place following a route which starts from the spring, passes through the temple, and endly reaches the holy wood. Downhill, each newly established local Arordiner community plants a tree, symbolising the unity and well-being of the group itself. These holy trees are adorned with ribbons and handkerchiefs symbolising one's requests to the gods.

Besides the Temple of Garni, other sites considered holy by the Arordiners and used for their rituals include the Metsamor Castle (third millennium BCE), considered a site for the cult of the mother goddess, the Erebuni Fortress (eighth century BCE), Shengavit (fourth to second millennium BCE) and Zorats Karer (third millennium BCE), and the mountains. Sculptures representing the gods which have been realised within the context of modern Armenian Native Faith are inspired by both historical specimens and the creativity of modern artists.

Holidays
The Arordiners celebrate a number of holidays: Terendez, Zatik, Hambardzum, Vardavar and Khaghoghorhnek. To these holy days they add a holy day for the remembrance of ancestors (20 September), the Birth of Vahagn (21 March), the Birth of Mihr (22 December) and the Navasard, the New Year celebrated in August.

Relations with Christianity

Hetanism has many Apostolic Christian members. The Armenian Apostolic Church generally sees Arordiners as allies. A high-ranking spokesman of the Armenian Apostolic Church said:

The head of an Armenian institution catering to ex-cult members said:

Armenian Native Faith believers' attitude towards Christianity oscillates between two positions: The critique of the religion's role in Armenian history, and the conditional acceptance of the Armenian Apostolic Church as a national institution. Christianity is criticised for having destroyed the rich and highly developed ancient Armenian culture, replacing the values of courage, martial spirit and honour with those of humility, obedience and modesty, thus causing the collapse of Armenian statehood and condemning the nation to centuries of subordination to foreign powers, migrations, persecutions and massacres. According to the strongest accusations, Christianity is responsible for the "first genocide of the Armenians", which coincided with its forceful introduction in the fourth century.

At the same time, the Armenian Apostolic Church is considered an institution peculiar to the Armenian nation, and the fruit of a synthesis of Christian and indigenous elements, in which the former represent just the surface. The Arordiners see this in the church's prayers devoted to the sun and light, in church festivals overlapping indigenous Armenian festivals, and in matagh, a Christian tradition of killing an animal to eat for festal reasons and give to the poor. The Arordiners also believe that the Armenian alphabet, which church historiography says was invented by the Mesrop Mashtots, is actually an elaboration of ancient Armenian symbolism based on the motif of the swastika.

Arordiners generally do not have problems visiting Armenian churches and treating them as holy places, since many were built on the sites of pre-Christian temples. Some figures of the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church are revered as Arordiners in disguise: The catholicoi (highest-ranking bishops) Vazgen I (1954–1994) and Garegin I (1995–1999). Vasgen supported Nzhdeh and on his tombstone, instead of a cross, he has a letter of the Armenian alphabet which is considered a variant of the swastika and symbolic of seven Armenian gods. Garegin is said to have visited Garni while terminally ill, to have walked alone to the temple.

See also
Religion in Armenia

References

Citations

Sources

Armenian neoshamanism

External links
 Order of the Children of Ari — official website
 Armenian Aryan Congregation — official website

Modern pagan traditions
Modern paganism in Europe
Modern paganism by country
Religion in Armenia
Mount Ararat

Hetanism


The Gizmondo was a handheld gaming console developed by Tiger Telematics. It was released in the UK, Sweden and the U.S. starting in March 2005. Its first-party games were developed in studios in Helsingborg, Sweden, and Manchester, England. Gizmondo Europe, Ltd. was based in London, England, and was a subsidiary of Florida-based Tiger Telematics, whose chairman Carl Freer led Gizmondo's development.

Before its launch, the Gizmondo had high expectations by some journalists due to its extensive feature set, and it was aimed to compete against Nintendo and Sony; it ended up as a major sales failure. The company extravagantly spent millions on promotions such as a celebrity party at London's Park Lane Hotel, and taking part at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite never making a profit. Its American debut was delayed several times, and a widescreen version was announced shortly before its release – resulting in low sales. With fewer than 25,000 units sold, the Gizmondo was named by GamePro as the worst selling handheld console in history.

The Gizmondo was further overshadowed when Swedish press revealed criminal pasts of several executives, causing their resignations including Tiger Telematics CEO Carl Freer. Director of Gizmondo Europe Stefan Eriksson was involved in a Swedish criminal organisation, the "Uppsalamaffian" (the Uppsala mafia). By February 2006, the company was forced into bankruptcy after amassing US$300 million (£160 million) debt, and the Gizmondo stopped production. Weeks thereafter Eriksson crashed a rare Ferrari Enzo driving at 260 km/h (162 mph) in California, and was later jailed and subsequently deported for driving under the influence in connection with the crash and other criminal offenses.

History
The Gizmondo device was originally called Gametraq. Tiger Telematics first published on their website in October 2003 about the device being developed. This came in response to Nokia's N-Gage. During December that year, Gizmondo made its debut as a concept product at the Las Vegas CES in January 2004, and later appeared at the German CeBIT show in March 2004. The company and the console were renamed Gizmondo around April 2004.

British Formula One driver Jenson Button appeared on magazine adverts for the Gizmondo, and also had his own licensed video game for the device, Chicane, though it never released due to a dispute with Tiger Telematics and the developer of the game. In London's Regent Street, Tiger Telematics threw a party with several celebrities invited to promote the device. Busta Rhymes, Jodie Kidd and Pharrell Williams were among the celebrities invited, of whom some performed. There were also two television adverts that aired after release. Also, in an attempt to promote the console, Gizmondo's executive Stefan Eriksson took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race of 2005 in a Gizmondo-sponsored Ferrari 360 Modena GTC.

The Gizmondo's problems were compounded by the involvement of Eriksson in Swedish organized crime, and later for crashing a Ferrari Enzo in Malibu, California, which was apparently owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland. He pleaded guilty to numerous criminal charges which led him to 2 years in jail.

In 2007, GameTrailers named it "the worst console of all time."

Widescreen Gizmondo
Tiger Telematics announced a new Gizmondo model for release in Q2 2006. It was intended to have a larger, 4" widescreen screen and upgrades like Wi-Fi, TV-out support, an improved 480 × 272 pixel resolution, a 2-megapixel camera, and a 500 MHz processor. It also included tri-band GSM technology, effectively making it a mobile phone too. It also featured new icons on the buttons. The widescreen Gizmondo was announced just a few weeks before the U.S. launch of the Gizmondo, possibly prompting some potential customers to not buy the Gizmondo, and instead wait for the improved model, in an example of the Osborne effect. Tiger Telematics promised to show the device at CES 2006 in January; however, it never appeared there. Shortly thereafter Tiger went bankrupt, and thus the new Gizmondo was never released.

Release

United Kingdom
Gizmondo was released in the United Kingdom on 19 March 2005, priced at £229.  The Gizmondo was available from the Gizmondo flagship store on London's Regent Street, via Gizmondo's online shop, and other high-street and online retailers such as Argos, Dixons, Currys, John Lewis, although it was never clear how many units were actually introduced into those retail channels.

The SMS service of the Gizmondo enabled people to send messages by pre-pay Vodafone accounts bundled in with the device.

The Gizmondo sold 1000 units within an hour of launch. In April, a month after the initial release, a variant of the console with GPS-assisted "Smart Adds" advertising enabled was released with an RRP of £129.

Sweden
Gizmondo was launched in Sweden in the late Summer of 2005, with both "Smart Adds" and normal units available. Rather than opening flagship stores, the manufacturer relied on established retailers such as Webhallen. "Smart Adds" were never enabled for the Swedish market, even though the technology "was there".

United States

In the United States, the Gizmondo launched on October 22, 2005. Retail price was $400 for a unit without "Smart Ads", or $229 for a "Smart Ads" enabled device. It was available only at kiosks located in shopping malls throughout the U.S. (operated by National Kiosk, LLC, located in the western corner of North Carolina). Only 8 of the planned 14 games were ever released in the U.S., along with no CoPilot GPS software, though the software was sold on the British site for a week or two. There was little to no advertising, and some of their advertising was even put in magazines of Nintendo Power (Nintendo's official magazine). Plans to distribute the handheld through other retailers never materialized.

Games

The Gizmondo launched in the United Kingdom with only one game, Trailblazer. The console launched in the United States with a line-up of eight titles, including Trailblazer. In addition to these eight, six others were released in Europe only. A further 30 titles were known to have been in development for the system, but all were canceled before their release due to Tiger Telematics' bankruptcy. Also all games released in North America were effectively launch titles.

Certain games were claimed to be capable of using "augmented reality", most notably the unreleased game Colors. It was intended to be the first GPS video game, with the ability to track a user's real world movements in real time. Additionally several games including Gizmondo Motocross 2005, Hockey Rage 2005, and Sticky Balls had bluetooth multiplayer features. The accessibility to purchase Gizmondo games was limited. In the United States, games were only available through a small numbers of kiosks located in shopping malls across the country. After Tiger Telematic's bankruptcy, the Gizmondo and its games were left without any proper marketing or distribution.

Fan site Gizmondo Central reviewed all games, and Trailblazer and SSX 3 had the best score. Sticky Balls and FIFA Football 2005 were second-best.

Smart Adds
The "Smart Adds" system was intended as a way for advertisers to subsidize part of the cost of the unit. The apparent misspelling of the name was intentional and a trademark and company name were registered in the UK as "Smart Adds", though even Tiger Telematics occasionally slipped up and referred to it as Smart Ads in their publicity material. A "Smart Adds"-enabled Gizmondo cost less (£129/$229), but would display advertisements on the Gizmondo's screen at random intervals when the user entered the home screen. These advertisements would be downloaded via the device's GPRS data connection, and would be targeted based on data inputted to the device. A maximum of three ads would be shown per day. Some ads would include special offers in the form of vouchers or barcodes, and some would utilize the device's GPS system to direct users to the nearest store carrying the advertised product.

However, the "Smart Adds" service was never activated, and users who paid the reduced price for a "Smart Adds"-enabled device did not receive any advertisements through their device.

Technical specifications

 Display: 72 mm (2.8 inch) TFT screen
 Resolution: 320 × 240 pixels
 CPU: Samsung ARM9 processor running at 400 MHz
 Graphics: Nvidia GoForce 3D 4500
 Graphics RAM: 1.2 MB 128-bit SRAM
 Graphics Performance: 1,000,000 polygons per second
 RAM: 64 MB 16-bit SDRAM
 ROM: 64 MB
 Sound: Built-in speaker
 Communication: Bluetooth class 2 for multiplayer gaming, GSM tri-band
 Ports: Stereo headset socket, Mini-USB client, SD flash card reader
 Power: Removable battery
 Temperature Range:
 OS: Windows CE
 Multimedia: MPEG 4 video playback, ability to play back MP3, WAV and MIDI files via Windows Media Player 9
 JPEG camera
 Removable SIM card
 GPS tracking application
 GPRS mapping application
 GPRS Class 10
 SMS
 MMS receive and send
 WAP 2.0
 Polyphonic ring tones
 Flight mode

Successor
Former Gizmondo director Carl Freer announced to a Swedish newspaper in November 2007 his intentions for a new Gizmondo, and said there were already 35 games in place, a manufacturing base in Shenzhen, China, and that he hoped the handheld would retail at US$99.

The original planned launch date was May 2008, but this was quickly pushed back to November 2008, along with details of a new company, Media Power, behind the launch, headed by Carl Freer and his Swedish partner Mikael Ljungman, with development apparently proceeding according to the new schedule at least until September. By December 2008, the console had still not appeared, which Freer blamed on the difficult economic conditions. The device was delayed to 2009 as a result. The latest design prototype turned it into a smartphone running both Windows CE or Google Android.

However, since then the Media Power website went offline. Co-founder Mikael Ljungman was later arrested, extradited to Denmark and convicted of serious fraud due to his activities at IT Factory. Nothing more has been announced about the device by Freer, effectively confirming its cancellation.

In popular culture
A reference to the Gizmondo is made in the British movie Goal!, when a meeting takes place in a Gizmondo store.

References

External links

Products introduced in 2005
Discontinued handheld game consoles
Handheld game consoles
ARM-based video game consoles

Gizmondo


The Lea Valley lines are two commuter lines and two branches in North East London. They run along the valley of the River Lea. They were part of the Great Eastern Railway and they are now part of the Anglia Route of Network Rail.

On 31 May 2015, services from London Liverpool Street to Chingford, Cheshunt and Enfield Town were transferred to London Overground. Services between London Liverpool Street and Stratford via Tottenham Hale to Hertford East and Bishops Stortford remain with Greater Anglia.

References

London Overground
Rail transport in London

Lea Valley lines


The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep was an American twin-engined advanced trainer aircraft used by the United States during World War II to bridge the gap between single-engined trainers and twin-engined combat aircraft. The AT-9 had a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration, retractable landing gear and was powered by two Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines.

Development
Curtiss-Wright anticipated the requirement for this type of "high-performance" aircraft and designed the Curtiss-Wright CW-25, a twin-engined trainer, which possessed the takeoff and landing characteristics of a light bomber. Using the same basic design as the larger Cessna AT-17 Bobcat, the new CW-25 was designed to simulate the demands of multi-engined operations. The design featured a small layout, grouping two Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines forward and using a retractable tailwheel landing gear to achieve the performance necessary to meet the requirements of an advanced trainer. The single CW-25 prototype acquired for evaluation had a welded steel-tube fuselage structure with the wings, fuselage and tail unit fabric-covered.

Operational history

The first prototype Model 25 flew in 1941 and the production version entered service as the AT-9 in 1942. Named the "Fledgling" by Curtiss-Wright, it commonly became known as the "Jeep" in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The prototype CW-25 had a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and fabric-covered wings and tail units, but production AT-9s were of stressed metal skin construction.

The AT-9 was purposely designed to be less stable and proved to be difficult to fly or land, which made it particularly suitable for teaching new pilots to cope with the demanding flight characteristics of a new generation of high-performance, multi-engined aircraft such as the Martin B-26 Marauder and Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

A total of 491 AT-9s were built before production ended and a new production run of 300 of the generally similar AT-9A commenced.

Because of its difficult flying characteristics the AT-9 was not offered for sale to civilians after the war, although many non-flying examples were given to ground schools for training purposes.

Variants
CW-25
Prototype with fabric covered fuselage and tail surfaces
AT-9
Production aircraft with stressed-skin covering and two Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines, 491 built.
AT-9A
AT-9 with Lycoming R-680-11 radial engines and revised hydraulic system, 300 built before production ended in February 1943.

Operators

 United States Army Air Forces
 United States Air Force

Surviving aircraft

 41-12150 – AT-9 on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. It required extensive restoration, and was the product of the museum staff incorporating two incomplete airframes together, along with parts fabricated on site.
 42-56882 – AT-9 in storage at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. It was recovered from a crash site in 1993 and turned over to the museum for restoration. However, the aircraft is incomplete and will require a long and extensive restoration for display.

Specifications (AT-9)

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

 Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft, 1907–1947. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. .
 Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. .

External links

 National Museum of the United States Air Force Fact Sheet

Curtiss AT-09
AT-9
World War II trainer aircraft of the United States
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1941
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft

Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep


The Opal: A Pure Gift for the Holy Days, was an annual gift book, founded by Rufus Wilmot Griswold and published in New York by John C. Riker, from 1844 to 1849. Content included short stories, illustrations and poems.

Griswold began soliciting contributions for the annual in 1843, initially intending to call it The Christian Offering. It was first edited by Nathaniel Parker Willis, John Keese and finally by Sarah Josepha Hale. It was in the 1844 issue that Edgar Allan Poe first published "Morning on the Wissahiccon". Other contributors included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth F. Ellet and John Greenleaf Whittier.

References

Sources

Literary annuals
Publications established in 1844

The Opal (annual)


Trifels Castle () is a reconstructed medieval castle at an elevation of  near the small town of Annweiler, in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. It is located high above the Queich valley within the Palatinate Forest on one peak of a red sandstone mountain split into three. Trifels Castle is on the peak of the Sonnenberg, and on both of the other two rock elevations there are castle ruins: Anebos Castle and Scharfenberg Castle (demotically called Münz).

Trifels Castle has been gradually restored since the 19th century and today replicas of the Imperial Regalia (Reichskleinodien) of the Holy Roman Empire are on display here. It is—together with Hambach Castle—one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

History
The castle in Rhenish Franconia was first mentioned in a 1081 deed of donation, when it was held by a local noble Diemar, a relative of Archbishop Siegfried I of Mainz. From him Trifels passed to the Imperial Salian dynasty. Emperor Henry V in 1113 made it a Reichsburg (Imperial Castle), rejecting the inheritance claims raised by Archbishop Adalbert of Mainz. The archbishop, allied with Henry's opponent Lothair of Supplinburg, had to spend several years of imprisonment at Trifels.

Upon the death of Emperor Henry V in 1125, his nephew Duke Frederick II of Swabia made the castle a place of safekeeping for the Imperial Regalia of the Hohenstaufen emperors until in 1220 Frederick II of Hohenstaufen moved them to Waldburg Castle in Swabia.

Trifels Castle is also famous as the site where Richard the Lionheart, King of England was imprisoned after he was captured by Duke Leopold V of Austria near Vienna in December 1192 on his return from the Third Crusade. Handed over to Emperor Henry VI of Hohenstaufen, a period of three weeks of captivity at Trifels from 31 March to 19 April 1193 is well documented. According to one legend, Richard was found by the trobador Blondel de Nesle, who reported the king's location to his friends; in fact, Richard's location was not a secret.

Trifels Castle lost its importance with the Interregnum.  After the fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the castle was pledged several times.  In 1330, it was mortgaged to the Electoral Palatinate.  It finally fell to the Dukes of Palatinate-Simmern and Zweibrücken in 1410 and decayed after the Thirty Years' War. Deserted and derelict, the ruin served as a stone quarry, as a result of which the late-Romanesque residential building almost completely disappeared and the outer bailey for the most part.

From about 1840, the Wittelsbach kings of Bavaria had the castle rebuilt.  After Ludwig I of Bavaria had reconstruction plans prepared by his court architect August von Voit already in 1851, Georg von Schacky made a reconstruction drawing in 1881 and the Trifels Association (founded in 1860) had carried out structural measures in 1882, in particular the erection of the great well arch, the Munich architect Rudolf Esterer designed a monumental rebuilding project following the model of south Italian Hohenstaufen castles, initiated by the Trifels Association and born by the cultural-political ideology of the Nazi epoch.

The Nazi era reconstruction in 1938–1942 and later reconstructions in 1946–1959 (residential building), 1960 (1st castellan's house), 1963–1966 (heightening of the keep), 1972–1978 (safeguarding and enclosing wall) and 1988–1989 (2nd castellan's house) utilized in part the preserved walls from the Middle Ages or those found by archaeological investigations in 1935–1937, but also in many cases rigorously ignored the original medieval findings and created essentially an architectural reinterpretation of the 20th century.

The present-day castle is in large parts not true to the medieæval original. It is characterized by a large well tower outside the ring wall, linked to the castle by a bridge. The surrounding rocky landscape is a popular venue for mountaineers.

Gallery

References

Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century
Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate
Landmarks in Germany
Imperial castles
Museums in Rhineland-Palatinate
Historic house museums in Germany
Rock castles
Geography of the Palatinate (region)
Rock formations of Rhineland-Palatinate
Richard I of England
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor

Trifels Castle


The        Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, is an architecturally and historically significant building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capitol         is at the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and South Monroe Street in downtown Tallahassee, Florida.

The Historic Capitol, sometimes called "The Old Capitol", built in 1845, was threatened with demolition in the late 1970s when the new capitol building was built.  Having been restored to its 1902-version in 1982, the Historic Capitol is directly behind the new Capitol building. Its restored space includes the Governor's Suite, Supreme Court, House of Representatives and Senate chambers, rotunda, and halls. Its adapted space contains a museum exhibiting the state's political history, the Florida Historic Capitol Museum, which is managed by the Florida Legislature. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the Historic Capitol Building (Restoration) on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.

The New Tower houses executive and legislative offices and the chambers of the Florida Legislature (consisting of the Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives).

The Florida Department of Management Services maintains the Capitol Complex, which is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding state holidays).

Names
The buildings are universally, though informally, known as the Old Capitol and the New Capitol; the former is sometimes called the Historic Capitol, or also, confusingly, the Florida State Capitol. The latter was its official name prior to the construction of the New Capitol in 1977, and was so called by the National Park Service even after the New Capitol was operating. Its legal name today, however, is the Florida Historic Capitol Museum. The New Capitol, as a whole, does not have a legal name. When it was planned, the Capitol Complex (which is a legal name) was going to consist of the House and Senate chambers, and the twenty-two-story office building.

History

Tallahassee was named Florida's capital in 1824, midway between the then-largest cities in the state, St. Augustine and Pensacola. The first territorial government met in a log building. A capitol building was constructed in 1826 but never completely finished. It was torn down in 1839 to make room for the erection of the present structure, which was completed in 1845, just prior to Florida's entry into the United States as the 27th state. Several additions to the historic capitol have been made throughout the years. Frank Pierce Milburn made the first expansion in 1902 by adding the classical style dome. In 1923, Henry Klutho additions included two new wings and a marble interior. Finally, large wings for the House and Senate chambers were added to the north and south ends of the building in 1936 and 1947, respectively.

The 1902 Capitol building was the last statehouse in which all of Florida's political business was housed under one roof. A decade later, the Florida Supreme Court moved into its own building just west of the Capitol Complex, across S. Duval Street.

The decision to build a new capitol
The 1960s were a time of political renewal in Florida that led to the Constitution of 1968 and the end of the Pork Chop Gang. The thrust of the renewal was to force conservative, north Florida politicians to cede power to the greatly expanded (in population and economic power) central and south Florida, until then seriously underrepresented in the legislature. As part of this discussion, the possible relocation of Florida's capital (convenient only to the north Floridians) closer to the state's center of population was considered.

A ballot question asked Florida voters to decide on the location of Florida's capital. Other major contenders were Ocala, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Through the ballot process, the voters decided the capital would remain in Tallahassee.

The decision to preserve the Old Capitol

The architects who designed the New Capitol were given the starting assumption the Old Capitol — which had to remain in use until the New Capitol was completed — would be removed. Therefore, the design of the New Capitol in no way reflected the style of the old one. The site design, also, was prepared under the assumption the space occupied by the Old Capitol would be vacant. Since the preservation movement did not begin until after the New Capitol had been completed, and the demolition was being prepared for, it was too late to make any changes to either the New Capitol or the site.

The Historic Capitol was saved through citizens' action led by Secretary of State Bruce Smathers and then wife Nancy McDowell. The efforts were successful and the building was restored to its 1902 appearance, the final House and Senate chambers having been demolished (though there are no surviving drawings or photographs to inform restoration of the interior). Architectural highlights include the elaborate art glass dome, red and white striped awnings, and a representation of the Florida State Seal over the entry columns.

In 2011, the Florida Department of Management Services, in conjunction with MLD Architects, began restoration of the Historic Capitol's cupola, which included new copper roofing, and Tallahassee's most photographed landmark unveiled its new dome in April 2012.

The New Capitol

Architecture and layout

The Capitol Complex design was a joint venture of the architectural firms of Edward Durell Stone of New York City and Reynolds, Smith & Hills of Jacksonville. It was built according to Stone's signature style of "Neoclassicism", with an ornate grill surrounding a white-columned box. The design symbolized the growth and development of Florida.

The Capitol is usually referred to as a twenty-two-story building with a height of 345 feet. However, including the three underground floors, it is a 25-story building (the sixth floor is only accessible through the freight elevator). The Governor and the Cabinet members have their offices on the Plaza Level of the Capitol. Floors two through four of the base structure of the Capitol are used for the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives; the offices of the Senate President, Secretary and Sergeant at Arms; the House Speaker, Clerk, and Sergeant at Arms; some legislative committee offices and meeting rooms; and Member offices.

The Legislative Chambers are on the fourth floor with their respective public viewing galleries on the fifth floor. The floors between the observation deck and the first five floors are executive and legislative offices. There is a cafeteria on the lower level, a snack bar on the tenth floor, and the Florida Welcome Center just inside the west Plaza Level entrance. Florida Welcome Center staff conducts guided tours for groups of 15 or more and self-guided tours are available during business hours. The Senate office building and the House office building are each four stories high and on either end of the Capitol Complex. The bridges on the second and third floors allow people to walk between the Capitol and office buildings. These buildings contain primarily committee meeting rooms and legislative offices. The Knott Building was attached to the Capitol by a skywalk in 1999. The west front is known formally as Waller Park, for Curtis L. Waller, Judge of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2003, the dolphin statue "Stormsong" by Tallahassee artist Hugh Nicholson was added within Waller Park's Florida Heritage Fountain.

Points of interest

Capitol grounds

On the northeast corner of the Capitol Complex is the Florida Sri Chinmoy Peace State Marker. East of the House Office Building is a replica of the Liberty Bell. The replica was a gift to the citizens of Florida as a symbol of the 1950 United States Savings Bonds Independence Drive. Within the Capitol Courtyard is a memorial in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dedicated in 1984. South of the King Memorial is The Florida Fraternal Order of Police Law Enforcement Memorial (dedicated in 2000). The memorial has the names of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Outside of the Senate Office Building is a monument dedicated to Floridians who have received the Purple Heart medal.

On the lawn of the Old Capitol sit two marble obelisks. The northern one is the Leon County Civil War Memorial; The memorial commemorates Floridian Confederate soldiers who fought in the U.S Civil War.

The Capitol Complex grounds are maintained by the Florida Department of Management Services.

The Capitol

The Plaza Level holds several items of note besides the offices of the Governor and the Cabinet. In the Rotunda, a copy of the State Seal cast in bronze is mounted on terra verde marble sits. This is not the current seal, but one in use when building was completed. It is surrounded by five smaller seals representing the nations and kingdoms that exerted sovereignty over all or parts of Florida (France, Spain, Great Britain, the Confederate States of America, and the United States). North of the Rotunda is the Florida Women's Hall of Fame and the Fallen Firefighters Wall of Honor. To the south are the Florida Artists Hall of Fame and a memorial for Florida's Medal of Honor recipients. Southwest of the Rotunda is the Heritage Chapel, an area designed to serve as a meditative space. Opposite to the Chapel is a plaque that states: "This plaque is dedicated to Senator Lee Weissenborn whose valiant effort to move the Capitol to Orlando was the prime motivation for the construction of this building." The west Plaza Level is the Florida Welcome Center and the "Images of the Sunshine State" murals by Florida artist James Rosenquist. The Florida Welcome Center offers maps, brochures, including a self-guided tour pamphlet, and related information.

The public viewing galleries for the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate are on the fifth floor. A series of murals of Florida's history by Christopher Still encircle the House chamber floor. Outside of the Senate galleries is the Five Flags Mural by Renee Faure depicting people from Florida history.

The Observation Deck is the top or twenty-second floor of the Capitol building. The deck is  above the Plaza Level and  above sea level. In the east wing is an art gallery featuring a rotating display of artwork by Florida resident artists and a series of bronze plaques on the inductees of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. The southern side is the Freedom Shrine.

Florida Legislative Research Center & Museum
The capitol is home to the Florida Legislative Research Center & Museum, which features exhibits about Florida's legislative history.  The archives include art, historic photographs, documents and oral histories. The Gallery at the Historic Capitol features changing exhibits of photographs from the museum.

See also
Florida Democratic Party
Marshall Ledbetter
Republican Party of Florida
List of state and territorial capitols in the United States

References

External links

Florida's Historic Capitol - official site with history, exhibit and tour information
Official brochure of the Historic Capitol
History of Florida's Capitols - Florida Department of State
The Old Capitol (The Florida Center of Political History and Governance)
Florida Department of Management Services
Florida Legislative Research Center & Museum - official site for the Historic Capitol

Government of Florida
State capitols in the United States
Buildings and structures in Tallahassee, Florida
Historic buildings and structures in Leon County, Florida
Museums in Tallahassee, Florida
History museums in Florida
Government buildings in Florida
Edward Durell Stone buildings
Tourist attractions in Tallahassee, Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Tallahassee, Florida
Neoclassical architecture in Florida
History of Tallahassee, Florida
Government buildings with domes
1845 establishments in Florida
Government buildings completed in 1845

Florida State Capitol


Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger (English: Cycle for a Percussionist) is a composition by Karlheinz Stockhausen, assigned Number 9 in the composer's catalog of works. It was composed in 1959 at the request of Wolfgang Steinecke as a test piece for a percussion competition at the Darmstadt Summer Courses, where it was premièred on 25 August 1959 by Christoph Caskel. It quickly became the most frequently played solo percussion work, and "inspired a wave of writing for percussion".

Instrumentation
The work is written for one percussionist playing a marimba, vibraphone (motor off), 4 tom-toms, snare drum, güiro (one or several, if necessary), 2 African log drums (each producing 2 pitches), 2 suspended cymbals of differing sizes, hi-hat, 4 almglocken (suspended, clappers removed), a suspended "bunch of bells" (preferably Indian bells or tambourine mounted on a stand), at least 2 high pitched triangles, gong (with raised boss in center) and tam-tam.

Form
The title of Zyklus is reflected in its form, which is circular and without a set starting point. The score is spiral-bound, and there is no "right-side up"—it may be read with either edge at the top. The performer is free to start at any point, and plays through the work either left to right, or right to left, stopping when the first stroke is reached again. (In this way, it is an example of what Stockhausen calls "polyvalent" form.) The instruments are arranged in a circle around the performer, in the order they are used in the score. The notation is only conventional in some details, and an early review of this first graphic score by Stockhausen remarked that "The initial impression is that one is looking not at a score, but at a drawing by Paul Klee". Zyklus contains a range of notational specificity, from exactly fixed at one extreme, to open, "variable" passages at the other. Stockhausen composed these elements using a nine-degree scale of statistical distribution, but states that the listener is not "supposed to identify these nine degrees when you hear the music, nevertheless the music that results from such a method has very particular characteristics...".

In principle, the percussionist decides on the starting point and direction through the score only at the moment of commencing a performance, but in practice this is almost universally worked out well in advance. Only the percussionist and composer Max Neuhaus has consistently performed spontaneous versions.

Filmography
Brandt, Brian, and Michael Hynes (prod.). 2014. Stockhausen: Complete Early Percussion Works. Steven Schick, James Avery, Red Fish Blue Fish. DVD recording, region 0, NTSC, Dolby 5.1 surround/DTS 5.1 surround, aspect ratio 16:9, color. Mode 274. New York: Mode Records.

References

Cited sources

Further reading
 Frisius, Rudolf. 2008. Karlheinz Stockhausen II: Die Werke 1950–1977; Gespräch mit Karlheinz Stockhausen, "Es geht aufwärts". Mainz, London, Berlin, Madrid, New York, Paris, Prague, Tokyo, Toronto: Schott Musik International. .
 Gerber, Stuart W. 2003. "Karlheinz Stockhausen's Solo Percussion Music: A Comprehensive Study". DMA diss. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati.
 Gill, Michael James. 1988. "Zyklus: A Performer's Analysis" [and] "A Video Taped Timpani Method Utilizing Computer Assisted Instruction for Ear Training". Ph.D. diss. Hattiesburg: The University of Southern Mississippi.
 Silberhorn, Heinz. 1977. "Analyse von Stockhausens Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger". Zeitschrift für Musiktheorie 8, no. 2:29–50.
 Stockhausen, Karlheinz. 1964. "Nr. 9: Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger (1959)." In his Texte zur Musik, vol. 2 (Aufsätze 1952–1962 zur musikalischen Praxis), edited by Dieter Schnebel, 73–100. DuMont Dokumente. Cologne: Verlag M. DuMont Schauberg.
 Williams, B. Michael. 2001. "Stockhausen: Nr. 9 Zyklus". Percussive Notes 39, no. 3 (June): 60–62, 64–67.

Compositions by Karlheinz Stockhausen
1959 compositions
20th-century classical music
Percussion music
Serial compositions

Zyklus


Indie rock is a subgenre of alternative rock music which originated in the United Kingdom and North America in the early 1980s. Initially a form of independent music, it was based on small labels with low budgets which produced lo-fi rock records. Indie rock, as a genre, is very diverse; indie rock has several subgenres, and each vary greatly in style. Nevertheless, indie rock distinguishes itself from indie pop as it is generally rougher and more hard-edged.

Indie rock and alternative rock are often used interchangeably. Nevertheless, there are some differences between the genres. Initially, the term "indie" was used for British-based music, whilst "alternative" for American. In 1986, British magazine NME released a cassette, C86, which defined much of the sound of what is today regarded as "indie" music, notably the usage of jangly guitar sounds, retro elements borrowing from 1960s rock bands, and a DIY, amateur-like sound.

According to About.com, the term indie has two different general meanings in the UK and North America. In the UK, "indie" is a term used to describe "melancholy" and "non-rock" ballad-based music; in North America, on the other hand, "indie" is often used to refer to retro-sounding, "twee" and "Anglophilic" music.

Today, indie rock has been able to find some commercial success. Popular indie rock acts and artists include R.E.M., Pavement, Regina Spektor and Superchunk, to name a few.

Additionally, indie rock has fused to create several new genres and subgenres. Indietronica, or indie electronic music, is a genre which fuses elements of indie rock, pop and electronic music, and often makes usage of synthesizers and drum machines. Alternative dance music, or indie dance, is also a genre which fuses elements of electronic dance music, alternative rock, indie rock and new wave, usually incorporating elements of the rock genres and using them in a dance-based context.

References

Indie rock


Anchiornis ('near bird') is a genus of small, feathered, troodontid dinosaurs. Anchiornis huxleyi is named in honour of Thomas Henry Huxley, the first to propose a close evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. A complete individual would be 34 cm (13 in) and weigh only 110 g (3.9 oz), making it the smallest known feathered dinosaur.

Anchiornis fossils have been found in Liaoning, China, dating to the first part of the late Jurassic period, 160 to 161 million years ago.

Description
Anchiornis is a small, early troodontid dinosaur with a triangular skull like other troodontids. Also, Anchiornis had long legs, usually an indication of a strong runner. However, the extensive leg feathers indicate that long legs may be an vestigial trait, because running animals tend to have reduced, not increased, hair or feathers on their legs. The forelimbs of Anchiornis were also very long, unusual among troodontids (which tend to be short-armed) but similar to dromaeosaurids and early birds, emphasizing its basal ('primitive') position among dinobirds.

Feathers
While the first specimen of Anchiornis, found in the 2000s, preserved only faint traces of feathers around the preserved portion of the body, the well-preserved second specimen showed nearly complete feather preservation, allowing researchers to identify the structure of the feathers and how they were distributed.

As in other early birds, such as Microraptor, Anchiornis had large wings, made up of flight feathers attached to the arm and hand (as in modern birds) as well as flight feathers on the hind legs, forming an arrangement of fore and hind wings. The forewing of Anchiornis was composed of 11 primary feathers and 10 secondary feathers. Unlike Microraptor, the primary feathers in Anchiornis were about as long as the secondaries and formed a more rounded wing, with curved but symmetrical central vanes, a small and thin relative size, and rounded tips, all indicating poorer aerodynamic ability compared to its later relative. In Microraptor and Archaeopteryx, the longest forewing feathers were closest to the tip of the wing, making the wings appear long, narrow, and pointed. However, in Anchiornis, the longest wing feathers anchored near the wrist, making the wing broadest in the middle and tapering near the tip for a more rounded, less flight-adapted profile.

The hind wings of Anchiornis were also shorter than those of Microraptor, and were made up of 12–13 flight feathers anchored to the tibia (lower leg) and 10–11 to the metatarsus (upper foot). Also unlike Microraptor, the hind wing feathers were longest closer to the body, with the foot feathers being short and directed downward, almost perpendicular to the foot bones. Unlike any other known Mesozoic dinosaur, the feet of Anchiornis (except for the claws) were completely covered in feathers (much shorter than the ones making up the hind wing).

Two types of simpler, downy (plumaceous) feathers covered the rest of the body, as in Sinornithosaurus. Long downy feathers covered almost the entire head and neck, torso, upper legs,and the first half of the tail. The rest of the tail bore pennaceous tail feathers (rectrices).

Colour
In 2010, a team examined numerous points among the feathers of an extremely well-preserved Anchiornis specimen to survey the distribution of melanosomes, the pigment cells that give feathers their colour. By studying the melanosomes and comparing them with those of modern birds, the scientists were able to map the colours and patterning present on Anchiornis when it was alive. Though this technique had been used before, Anchiornis became the first Mesozoic dinosaur for which almost the entire life colouration was known.

Most of the body feathers of Anchiornis were grey and black. The crown of head feathers was mainly reddish with a grey base and front, and the face had rufous speckles among predominantly black head feathers. The fore and hind wing feathers were white with black tips. The coverts (shorter feathers covering the bases of the long wing feathers) were grey, contrasting the mainly white main wings. The larger coverts of the wing were also white with grey or black tips, forming rows of darker dots along mid-wing. These took the form of dark stripes or even rows of dots on the outer wing (primary feather coverts) but a more uneven array of speckles on the inner wing (secondary coverts). The shanks of the legs were grey other than the long hind wing feathers, and the feet and toes were black.

Like many modern birds, Anchiornis exhibited a complex pattern of coloration with different colours in speckled patterns across the body and wings, or "within- and among-feather plumage coloration". In modern birds, such colour patterning is used in communication and display, either to members of the same species (e.g. for mating or territorial threat display) or to threaten and warn off competing or predatory species.

Palaeobiology
Anchiornis is notable for its long forelimbs, which were 80% of the total length of the hind limbs. This is similar to Archaeopteryx; long forelimbs are necessary for flight. Anchiornis also had a more avian wrist than other non-avialan theropods. The authors first thought that Anchiornis could fly or glide. However, further finds showed that the wings of Anchiornis, while well-developed, were short when compared to later species like Microraptor, with relatively short primary feathers that had rounded, symmetrical tips, unlike the pointed, aerodynamically proportioned feathers of Microraptor. So the animal could glide, but probably not fly.

Anchiornis has long hind legs, suggesting a fast-running lifestyle. However, the legs and even feet and toes of Anchiornis were covered in feathers, making it unlikely that Anchiornis was a capable ground runner. A tree-based glider is the probable life-style.

Related pages
 Origin of birds

References

Coelurosaurs
Jurassic dinosaurs
Feathered dinosaurs

Anchiornis


A cleaner (or janitor) is someone who takes away garbage and cleans surfaces. Cleaners sometimes  repair things, and maintain their equipment in good working order, as well as dusting, washing, waxing and polishing.

Heavy duty cleaners often move furniture, large containers of recycled materials and waste, and other objects, and operate large buffers and other weighty equipment. "Light" duty cleaners clean chalk boards, windows, shelves, desks, light fixtures, and ledges. Some duties, like using a vacuum cleaner, can be done by either "light" or "heavy" duty cleaners. Cleaners can clean offices, staircases, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, sidewalks, elevators, escalators, and other areas. Cleaners can specialize in washing windows, or in cleaning carpets, hospitals, food processing plants, or construction sites. Cleaners who discover seriously damaged surfaces and equipment on their sites can notify specialists, like plumbers and carpenters, about the need for professional repairs.

Cleaners are also alert for security problems, like vandalism, signs of theft (forced windows or doors, missing computers or stock), blocked fire escape routes, lights or fire alarms not working, or trespassers. When these occur, the cleaners promptly notify their sites' Security Officers and Site Supervisors. Janitors know how to keep themselves and their sites safe, by immediately removing hazards like broken class, spilled fluids, and waste from kitchens and bathrooms, and by checking hand rails, floor mats, stairs, automated doors, escalators, elevators, intercoms, and plumbing.

References

Domestic work

Cleaner


The Cincinnati Federation of Teachers (CFT) is a labor union representing teachers, paraprofessionals, support personnel and others in the Cincinnati public school system.  The union is Local 1520 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFL–CIO.

The union's official name is the Cincinnati Teachers Union, but is more commonly referred to as the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers or CFT.

History
The CFT was formed on December 18, 1936 as Local 479 of the AFT. Lacking the legal right to bargain collectively, the nascent union pushed for higher wages, an end to discrimination against married women teachers, smaller class sizes and desegregation.

The CFT competed for the allegiance of teachers with the Cincinnati Teachers Association (CTA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). In the post-World War II era, the CFT focused on desegregation more than wages and benefits, or a collective bargaining relationship. The CTA, which emphasized higher teachers wages and was much more aggressive in its dealings with the school district administration, added many new members (often at the expense of CFT). By 1952, CFT had only a small number of active members.

In 1964, in the wake of the formation of the United Federation of Teachers and a surge in teacher union militancy within the union, the AFT issued a new charter for a union of Cincinnati educators and the Cincinnati Teachers Union (CTU) became Local 1520.

The CTU began an aggressive campaign to elect pro-union supporters to the city council, mayor's office and school board. The goal was to elect a majority of elected officials willing to pass a collective bargaining law. In 1976, the CTU was successful in winning passage of a collective bargaining ordinance. In the election which followed-in which teachers could vote for the CTU, CTA or no union-CTU won easily. It negotiated its first contract in the following months. CTU later won an election to represent paraprofessionals (such as school nurses, teachers aides, librarians, counselors, school health personnel and others).

In 1979, Tom Mooney, a teacher of government in a Cincinnati high school, was elected president of the CTU.

In early 1980, Cincinnati public school office personnel represented by the Association of Cincinnati Public Schools Office Personnel (ACPSOP) voted to affiliate with CTU.

Ohio's Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act, enacted in 1984, provided additional legal support for the CTU's collective bargaining relationship.

In 2000, Mooney stepped down as CTU president after winning election as president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT).  CTU began calling itself the "Cincinnati Federation of Teachers" (CFT) after Mooney's departure, although many union members still prefer CTU.

The CFT is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Cincinnati Central Labor Council, and the Ohio AFL–CIO.

References
 CFT History, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers' website
 Kemme, Steve. "Teachers' advocate dies." Cincinnati Enquirer. December 4, 2006.

External links
 Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, Local 1520, AFT, AFL–CIO

Trade unions established in 1936
Trade unions established in 1964
American Federation of Teachers
Education trade unions
Education in Cincinnati
Trade unions in Ohio

Cincinnati Federation of Teachers


Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American playwright and poet. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923. She was the third female to win the award. Millay was also a feminist. She used the name Nancy Boyd during her career. Millay's fame began around 1912 when she entered a poem, "Renascence", in a contest in The Lyric Year.

Early life

On February 22, 1892, Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of the best American poets, was born in Rockland, Maine. When she was eight years old, her mother Cora, left her father because he could not support the family; therefore, Cora raised her three daughters on her own and changed Millay's future career in a huge way. When she was a young girl, Millay decided to train her writing skills even though she moved many times and didn't have much money. A few years later, they lived in Cora's Aunt's house, where she began writing her first poem.

How She Became an Author
Edna St. Vincent Millay became a famous author by adding the newest point of view with old ones to form a special American poetry. Her first poem, "Forest Trees," was written when she was fourteen and appeared in St. Nicholas Magazine. Within the next four years, St. Nicholas published five more of her poems. Three years later, her poem, "The Land of Romance," got the gold award of The St. Nicholas League and was reprinted in Current Literature in April. In 1913, she took several classes at Barnard College, where she prepared for moving to Vassar. The days in Vassar College also changed Millay's career. This college became a good place to develop her talent. She became a writer for Vassar Miscellany and a good school songwriter. Until the year of 1917, Millay left a lot of work for Vassar College.

Influences on Her Writings
After Cora, Millay's mother, left her husband, she raised her three children and helped them to learn American language arts by reading old books with them. When Millay got older, she went to Vassar College, where she learned how to be a good poet. In 1923, Millay married 43-year-old Eugen Jan Boissevain, who supported Millay's career and took care of housework for her. These events made Edna St. Vincent Millay a successful American writer.

Her Major Works
In her life, Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote a lot of plays and poetry collections. The most famous one is "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver." This book won her the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1923. Also, as a good writer, she wrote five plays early in her living. For example, "The Lamp and the Bell" would be the best play she wrote in the 1920s. Published in 1921, "The Lamp and the Bell" was a play written for Vassar College about love between women. Moreover, she also wrote down "The King's Henchman" in 1927. This opera was described as "the most effectively and artistically wrought American opera ever to reach the stage."

Plays

 Two Slatterns and a King(1921)
 The Lamp and the Bell(1921)
 The King's Henchman(1927)

Poetry Collections

 The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver(1923)
 The Buck in the Snow(1928)
 Mine the Harvest(1954)

Her Influence on Society
During her 58 years of life, Edna St. Vincent Millay left many works that have made a change in American society. She once said, "this book, when I am dead, will be a little faint perfume of me. People who knew me well will say she really used to think that way." By leaving this famous sentence, Millay supported Americans to put out their thoughts in words. In addition, she also made young Americans think that they had the ability to change the world by saying, "the young generation forms a country of its own. It has no geographical boundaries. ... These young people are going to do things. They are going to change things." She tried to change the society by supporting these young people to believe in themselves.

The End of Her Life

On October 19, 1950, Millay was found in her house, alone, without a breath. Several years before, Millay had a nervous breakdown and stopped writing. Although she slowly got better because of her husband's care, her husband, Eugen Jan Boissevain, died in 1949 due to serious cancer. One year after, Millay fell down in her house and was found eight hours after her death. Later on, Nancy Milford, the writer who also wrote million-selling Zelda, published the first biography about Millay's life in the book, Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St Vincent Millay in 2001, giving the entire world a chance to get to know the life of this famous author.

References

American stage actors
Writers from Maine
1892 births
1950 deaths
Vassar College alumni

Edna St. Vincent Millay


Francis Reginald Scott  (1899–1985), commonly known as Frank Scott or F. R. Scott, was a lawyer, Canadian poet, intellectual, and constitutional scholar. He helped found the first Canadian social democratic party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, and its successor, the New Democratic Party. He won Canada's top literary prize, the Governor General's Award, twice, once for poetry and once for non-fiction. He was married to artist Marian Dale Scott.

Life and work
Scott was born on August 1, 1899, in Quebec City, the sixth of seven children. His father was Frederick George Scott, "an Anglican priest, minor poet and staunch advocate of the civilizing tradition of imperial Britain, who instilled in his son a commitment to serve mankind, a love for the regenerative balance of the Laurentian landscape and a firm respect for the social order." He witnessed the riots in the city during the Conscription Crisis of 1917.

Completing his undergraduate studies at Bishop's University, in Lennoxville, Quebec, Scott went to Magdalen College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar and was influenced by the Christian socialist ideas of R. H. Tawney and the Student Christian Movement.

Scott returned to Canada, settled in Montreal, studied law at McGill University, and eventually joined the law faculty as a professor. While at McGill, Scott became a member of the Montreal Group of modernist poets, a circle that also included Leon Edel, John Glassco, and A. J. M. Smith.
Scott and Smith became lifelong friends. Scott contributed to the McGill Daily Literary Supplement, which Smith edited; when that folded in 1925, he and Smith founded and edited the McGill Fortnightly Review. After the Review folded, Scott helped found and briefly co-edited The Canadian Mercury. Scott, assisted by Smith and Leo Kennedy, also anonymously edited the modernist poetry anthology New Provinces (in which he published ten poems), which was published in 1936.

The Great Depression greatly disturbed Scott; he and the historian Frank Underhill founded the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR) to advocate socialist solutions in a Canadian context. Through the LSR, Scott became an influential figure in the Canadian socialist movement. He was a founding member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and a contributor to that party's Regina Manifesto. He also edited a book advocating Social Planning for Canada (1935). In 1943, he co-authored Make This Your Canada, spelling out the CCF national programme, with David Lewis. Scott was elected national chairman of the CCF in 1942, and would serve until 1950.

In March 1942 Scott co-founded a literary magazine, Preview, with the Montreal poet Patrick Anderson. Like the earlier Montreal Group publications, "Preview orientation was cosmopolitan; its members looked largely towards the English poets of the 1930s for inspiration."

In 1950–1951 Scott cofounded Recherches sociales, a study group concerned with the French–English relationship. He began translating French-Canadian poetry.

In 1952 he served as a United Nations technical assistance resident representative in Burma to help build a socialist state in that country.

During the 1950s, Scott was an active opponent of the Duplessis regime in Quebec and went to court to fight the Padlock Law. He also represented Frank Roncarrelli, a Jehovah's Witness, in Roncarelli v Duplessis all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, a battle that Maurice Duplessis lost.

Scott began translating French-Canadian poetry, publishing Anne Hébert and Saint-Denys Garneau in 1962. He edited Poems of French Canada (1977), which won the Canada Council prize for translation.

Scott served as dean of law at McGill University from 1961 to 1964 and served on the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. In 1970 he was offered a seat in the Senate of Canada by Pierre Trudeau. Although he declined the appointment, he supported Trudeau's imposition of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis same year.

Scott opposed Quebec's Bill 22 and Bill 101, which established the province within its jurisdiction as an officially-unilingual province within an officially-bilingual country.

After his death on January 30, 1985, Scott was interred in Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal.

Recognition
Scott won the 1977 Governor General's Award for non-fiction for his Essays on the Constitution and the 1981 Governor General's Award for poetry for his Collected Poems.

The Royal Society of Canada elected Scott a fellow in 1947, and awarded him its Lorne Pierce Medal in 1962.

Scott won the Molson Prize in 1965.

In 1966, Scott received an honorary doctorate from Sir George Williams University, which later became Concordia University.

Leonard Cohen added music to Scott's villanelle, "A Villanelle for Our Time", and recorded it on his album Dear Heather.

Scott is the subject of a number of critical works, as well as a major biography, The Politics of the Imagination: A Life of F. R. Scott by Sandra Djwa.

Publications

Poetry
 Overture. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1945.
Events and Signals. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1954.
The Eye of the Needle: Satire, Sorties, Sundries. Montreal: Contact Press, 1957.
Signature. Vancouver: Klanak Press, 1964.
Selected Poems. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1966.
Trouvailles: Poems from Prose. Montreal: Delta Canada, 1967.
The Dance Is One. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1973.
The Collected Poems of F. R. Scott. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1981.

Translations
St-Denys Garneau & Anne Hebert: Translations/Traductions. Translated by F. R. Scott. Vancouver: Klanak Press, 1962.
Poems of French Canada. Translated by F. R. Scott. Burnaby, BC: Blackfish Press, 1977.

Except where indicated, bibliographical information on poetry courtesy of Canadian Poetry Online.

Non-fiction
Social Reconstruction and the B.N.A. Act – 1934
Labour Conditions in the Men's Clothing Industry – 1935 (with H. M. Cassidy)
Social Planning for Canada – 1935.
Canada Today: A Study of Her National Interests and National Policy – 1938
Canada's Role in World Affairs – 1942
Make This Your Canada: A Review of C.C.F. History and Policy – 1943 (with David Lewis)
Cooperation for What? United States and British Commonwealth – 1944
The World War Against Poverty – 1953 (with R. A. MacKay and A. E. Ritchie)
What Does Labour Need in a Bill of Rights – 1959
The Canadian Constitution and Human Rights – 1959
Civil Liberties and Canadian Federalism – 1959
Dialogue sur la traduction – 1970 (with Anne Hebert)
Essays on the Constitution: Aspects of Canadian Law and Politics – 1977

Edited
New Provinces: Poems of Several Authors (with A. J. M. Smith and Leo Kennedy). Toronto: Macmillan, 1936.
The Blasted Pine: An Anthology of Satire, Invective and Disrespectful Verse – 1957 (with A. J. M. Smith)

Discography
 Six Montreal Poets. New York: Folkways Records, 1957. Includes A. J. M. Smith, Leonard Cohen, Irving Layton, F. R. Scott, Louis Dudek, and A. M. Klein. (cassette, 60 mins)
Canadian Poets on Tape. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 1969, 1971. (cassette, 30 mins)
A Poetry Reading. Toronto: League of Canadian Poets, 1982. (cassette, 60 mins)
Celebration: Famous Canadian Poets CD London, Ontario: Canadian Poetry Association — 1999   (CD#4) (with James Reaney )

Except where noted, discographical information courtesy Canadian Poetry Online.

See also
List of Bishop's College School alumni

References

External links

University of Calgary biography
Canadian Poetry Online: F.R. Scott  – 6 poems (Lakeshore, Laurentian Shield, The Canadian Authors Meet, A Grain of Rice, W.L.M.K., Resurrection)
 http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/scott_fr/pub.htm
Archives of F.R. Scott (Francis Reginald Scott fonds, R5822) are held at Library and Archives Canada

1899 births
1985 deaths
20th-century Canadian male writers
20th-century Canadian poets
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Anglican poets
Anglican socialists
Anglophone Quebec people
Bishop's University alumni
Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery
Canadian Anglicans
Canadian Christian socialists
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Canadian male poets
Canadian modernist poets
Bishop's College School alumni
Canadian King's Counsel
Canadian Rhodes Scholars
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Companions of the Order of Canada
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers
Governor General's Award-winning poets
Lawyers in Quebec
McGill University Faculty of Law alumni
Academic staff of the McGill University Faculty of Law
Canadian scholars of constitutional law
Writers from Quebec City

F. R. Scott


Current condition
Vast Indus plains have had vegetation taken away to grow crops. Very little wildlife lives there and only animals like the jackal, mongoose, jungle cat, civet cat, scaly anteater, desert cat and the wild hare live in these areas.

Parts of Thal desert and Cholistan desert are now being irrigated. The Chinkara is the only animal living there now. The blackbuck, who lived there once in big numbers, is now extinct. However, efforts are being made to reintroduce them back into the country.

Irrigated forest plantations are now being made. These give very good conditions for chinkara, hog deer and blue bull to live in.

The striped hyena and the wolf are found almost everywhere in the country. However, little is known about the black bear and brown bear populations.

Birds of prey like the peregrine, cherrug or saker falcons, tawny eagle, imperial and greater spotted eagles, osprey, awesome
shikra, and the black-winged kite live throughout Pakistan but their population statuses are unknown.

Other websites
World Wildlife Foundation Pakistan on YouTube

Flora and fauna of Pakistan


Hartnup disease (also known as "pellagra-like dermatosis" and "Hartnup disorder") is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder affecting the absorption of nonpolar amino acids (particularly tryptophan that can be, in turn, converted into serotonin, melatonin, and niacin). Niacin is a precursor to nicotinamide, a necessary component of NAD+.

The causative gene, SLC6A19, is located on chromosome 5. It is named after the British family, Hartnup, who had this disease.

Signs and symptoms
Hartnup disease manifests during infancy with variable clinical presentation: failure to thrive, photosensitivity, intermittent ataxia, nystagmus, and tremor.

Nicotinamide is necessary for neutral amino acid transporter production in the proximal renal tubules found in the kidney, and intestinal mucosal cells found in the small intestine.  Therefore, a symptom stemming from this disorder results in increased amounts of amino acids in the urine.
Pellagra, a similar condition, is also caused by low nicotinamide; this disorder results in dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia.

Hartnup disease is a disorder of amino acid transport in the intestine and kidneys; otherwise, the intestine and kidneys function normally, and the effects of the disease occur mainly in the brain and skin. Symptoms may begin in infancy or early childhood, but sometimes they begin as late as early adulthood. Symptoms may be triggered by sunlight, fever, drugs, or emotional or physical stress.  A period of poor nutrition nearly always precedes an attack. The attacks usually become progressively less frequent with age.  Most symptoms occur sporadically and are caused by a deficiency of niacinamide.  A rash develops on parts of the body exposed to the sun.  Mental retardation, short stature, headaches, unsteady gait, and collapsing or fainting are common.  Psychiatric problems (such as anxiety, rapid mood changes, delusions, and hallucinations) may also result.

Causes
Hartnup disease is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Heterozygotes are normal. Consanguinity is common. The failure of amino-acid transport was reported in 1960 from the increased presence of indoles (bacterial metabolites of tryptophan) and tryptophan in the urine of patients as part of a generalized aminoaciduria of the disease. The excessive loss of tryptophan from malabsorption was the cause of the pellagra like symptoms. From studies on ingestion of tryptophan it seemed that there was a generalized problem with amino-acid transport. In 2004, a causative gene, SLC6A19, was located on band 5p15.33. SLC6A19 is a sodium-dependent and chloride-independent neutral amino acid transporter, expressed predominantly in the kidneys and intestine.

Diagnosis
The defective gene controls the absorption of certain amino acids from the intestine and the reabsorption of those amino acids in the kidneys. Consequently, a person with Hartnup disease cannot absorb amino acids properly from the intestine and cannot reabsorb them properly from tubules in the kidneys.  Excessive amounts of amino acids, such as tryptophan, are excreted in the urine.  The  body is thus left with inadequate amounts of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. With too little tryptophan in the blood, the body is unable to make a sufficient amount of the B-complex vitamin niacinamide, particularly under stress when more vitamins are needed.

In Hartnup disease, urinary excretion of proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine remains unchanged, differentiating it from other causes of generalized aminoaciduria, such as Fanconi syndrome. With urine chromatography, increased levels of neutral amino acids (e.g., glutamine, valine, phenylalanine, leucine, asparagine, citrulline, isoleucine, threonine, alanine, serine, histidine, tyrosine, tryptophan) and indican are found in the urine. Increased urinary Indican can be tested by Obermeyer test.

Treatment
A high-protein diet can overcome the deficient transport of neutral amino acids in most patients.  Poor nutrition leads to more frequent and more severe attacks of the disease, which is otherwise asymptomatic. All patients who are symptomatic are advised to use physical and chemical protection from sunlight: avoid excessive exposure to sunlight, wear protective clothing, and use  chemical sunscreens with a SPF of 15 or greater. Patients also should avoid other aggravating factors, such as photosensitizing drugs, as much as possible.  In patients with niacin deficiency and symptomatic disease, daily supplementation with nicotinic acid or nicotinamide reduces both the number and severity of attacks.  Neurologic and psychiatric treatment is needed in patients with severe central nervous system involvement.

See also
 Citrullinemia
 Cystinosis
 Cystinuria

References

External links

Rare diseases
Amino acid metabolism disorders
Autosomal recessive disorders
Skin conditions resulting from errors in metabolism
Membrane transport protein disorders

Hartnup disease