Frances Yeend (; 28 January 1913 – 27 April 2008) was an American classical soprano who had an active international career as a concert and opera singer during the 1940s through the 1960s. She had a long and fruitful association with the New York City Opera (NYCO) between 1948 and 1958, after which she joined the roster of principal sopranos at the Metropolitan Opera where she sang between 1961 and 1963. She also had an extensive concert career, particularly in the United States. By 1963 she had sung in more than 200 orchestral concerts in North American with major symphonies like the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra among others.

Biography
Born Frances Leone Lynch in Vancouver, Washington, Yeend grew up in Portland, Oregon. She had very little musical training before entering Washington State University (then Washington State College) in Pullman, Washington where she studied singing. Following several years of college,  she worked as a music teacher for a few years, during which time she also sang as a recitalist and on the radio. She also made her professional opera début during this time as Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in Spokane, Washington, although it wasn't until much later that she would appear in operas frequently.

Yeend's first New York appearances were in 1943 as a member of the ensemble in the Broadway run of The Merry Widow at the Majestic Theatre with Jan Kiepura as Danilo and Marta Eggerth as Sonia. Around this time she also sang on network radio as an uncredited soloist with Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra. She joined Columbia Artists Management (CAM) in 1944 and performed the role of Micaela in a U.S tour of Bizet's Carmen that autumn.

In April 1946 Yeend made her first major concert appearance as the soprano soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Serge Koussevitzky. The following summer she performed the role of Ellen Orford in the American premiere of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes at the Tanglewood Music Festival. Yeend went on to become one of the members of CAM's Bel Canto Trio with Mario Lanza and George London. She toured North America with the group in 1947–1948.

In 1948 Yeend was invited by Laszlo Halasz, then artistic director of the New York City Opera, to join the roster of principal sopranos at the NYCO. She accepted and made her debut with the company as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata on March 20, 1948. She portrayed many other roles with the NYCO over a span of eleven consecutive seasons. Her early parts with the company were from the lyric soprano repertoire, such as Nedda, Countess Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, Micaela in Bizet's Carmen, and the three heroines in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann. Later on in her career with the company she began portraying heavier roles from the dramatic soprano repertoire, including Amelia in Menotti's Amelia Goes to the Ball, Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger, the title role in Verdi's Aida, the title roles in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca and Turandot among others. She also notably sang Felice in the United States premiere of Wolf Ferrari's I quattro rusteghi with the NYCO in 1951. Her last appearance with the company was in November 1958 as Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème.

While busy singing with the NYCO, Yeend also sang in operas with other companies in both the United States and Europe. She made her debut with the Vienna Staatsoper in 1953 as Violetta. That same year she made her first appearance at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden as Mimi. In 1956 she toured North America with the NBC Opera Theatre portraying Cio-cio-san in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Another Puccini role, the ice princess Turandot, was a part with which Yeend became particularly associated, portraying the part with the San Antonio Grand Opera Festival, Cincinnati Opera, New Orleans Opera, San Francisco Opera, Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company (1958), Vienna State Opera (1958) and at the Arena di Verona Festival (1958).

In 1959 Yeend sang her first Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser with Fort Worth Opera and portrayed her first Ariadne in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Empire State Music Festival. She appeared at the Houston Grand Opera in 1960 for her first portrayal of the role of Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre and that same year sang Abigaille in Verdi's Nabucco at the San Antonio Opera. In the summer of 1961 she portrayed Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Zoo Opera in Cincinnati. Some of her other notable international appearances included Mimì in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, Violetta at the Bavarian State Opera, Eva at the Liceu, and the Israeli premiere of Verdi's Requiem in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (1954).

Yeend made her Metropolitan Opera debut on February 13, 1961 as Chrysothemis in Strauss's Elektra in 1961 with Inge Borkh in the title role and Joseph Rosenstock conducting. She also portrayed Violetta at the Met in performances opposite both George Shirley and Charles Anthony in the role of Alfredo. Her last performance with the company was on December 4, 1963 as Gutrune in Wagner's Götterdämmerung with Birgit Nilsson as Brünnhilde, Hans Hopf as Siegfried, and Walter Cassel as Gunther. One of the last opera performances of her career was as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company opposite Mario Del Monaco in the title role in 1964.

Yeend retired from the stage in 1966 when she joined the faculty of West Virginia University as Professor of Voice/Artist in Residence. She remained in that position until 1978 when she retired from teaching. She died thirty years later at the age of 95. She was married for fifty-four years to pianist James Benner who was her second husband. She had one son, Warren Yeend, by her first marriage to Kenneth Yeend which ended in divorce.

Recordings
Yeend made a number of recordings during her career on the RCA Victor, Columbia, Mercury, MGM and DaVinci labels. Most of her recordings are of the concert repertoire, including of particular note her lauded recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the New York Philharmonic under Bruno Walter and her recording of Arthur Honegger's oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake) with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Among a relatively small number of opera recordings is the spectacular 1956 concert performance of scenes from Elektra with the Chicago Symphony and Chorus under Fritz Reiner, where she sang Chrysotemis to Inge Borkh's Elektra.

References

King records released two 78 rpm records by Frances Yeend on their 15000 series. Reference below:

Singles Discography for King Records - 15000 series
These Things Shall Pass: 1951: King: 15148: Frances Yeend: The Friendship Tree
globaldogproductions.info/k/king-15000-series.html

External links

West Virginia & Regional History Center at West Virginia University, Frances Yeend, Opera Singer, Photographs, Recordings, and Papers

1913 births
2008 deaths
American educational theorists
Voice teachers
American operatic sopranos
People from Vancouver, Washington
Washington State University alumni
West Virginia University faculty
20th-century American women opera singers
American music educators
American women music educators
American women academics
21st-century American women

Frances Yeend


Franchise can mean:

 A sports team, particularly in American football
Franchising: A business method that involves the licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business, such as:
Chain store, retail outlets which share a brand and central management
Media franchise, ownership of the characters and setting of a movie, video game, book, or toys etc., particularly in North American usage.
 Suffrage, the right to vote.

Franchise


Tarqeq or Saturn LII (provisional designation S/2007 S 1) is a moon of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on April 13, 2007, from observations taken between January 5, 2006 and March 22, 2007.

The semi-major axis of Tarqeq is 17,910,000 km and it orbits Saturn in 894.86 days. The orbit is at an inclination of 49.90° (to the ecliptic; 49.77°to Saturn's equator), with an eccentricity of 0.1081. The diameter of the moon is 7 km. It is a member of the Inuit group of non-spherical moons.

Tarqeq is named after Tarqeq, the Inuit moon god.

Saturn's moons

Tarqeq (moon)


Pont-de-Veyle is a commune. It is in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the Ain department in the east of France. It is 10 kilometers east of Mâcon, and about 400 km from Paris. In 1999, there were 1571 people living in the commune. It is on an island made where the River Veyle separates into two branches. The Veyle then flows into the River Saône, which was made the border between the Kingdom of France and the German Empire in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun.

History
Pont-de-Veyle was first started by the Lords of Bage, and legally made a city by the Counts of Savoy in 1275. It only became French in 1601 under King Henri IV of France as part of the Treaty of Lyon.

Because it was close to the border, this city had to build a castle to defend themselves against the Lords of Macon, the Sires of Beaujeu and the Princes of Dombes. The castle had 14 towers, but today only one remains, the Clock Tower and a doorway from the 14th century, joined by brick walls. Today there is very little left of these walls. The castle was surrounded by a moat filled with water. From 1750 to 1800, they pulled down the city walls and towers that had become dangerous and were about to fall down.

There are many old and historic buildings from the Renaissance and later centuries. The "Savoy" or "House of Lords", whose facade was restored, is one of the most beautiful in the region. There is a priory of Saint Benedict with its Gothic doors. There are many half-timbered houses, such as "The House of the Watchman", which was redeveloped with great care and taste. There are also many spiral staircases of stone, including one at City Hall which was part of the former College of the Jesuits. The Jesuit style church was built in 1755. The hospital which was started in 1322, still has 18th century buildings.

After the Reformation and the religious wars there was a large group of Protestants living in the city. When the Edict of Nantes, a law which gave them religious freedom, was overturned, they fled the city and went to live in Switzerland and Germany.

Jean-Louis Carra, a French journalist and revolutionary, was born in Pont-de-Veyle on 9 March 1742. He was executed by the guillotine in Paris on 31 October, 1793.

References

Pont-de-Veyle


Drag kings are female performance artists who dress in male clothes. They play male gender roles as part of an individual or group routine. Drag kings may be straight, lesbian or transgender. They often perform as macho male characters, like construction workers and rappers.

In the late 1800s/early 1900s, several drag kings became British music hall stars. British pantomime has preserved the tradition of women in male roles. Starting in the mid 1990s, drag kings started to have the fame and attention for which drag queens are known.

The term drag king was first used in print in 1972.

Drag kings are mostly a part of lesbian culture. They can be most often seen at lesbian festivals or bars. However, not all drag kings are lesbians.

References

Performing arts
Gay slang
Entertainment occupations

Drag king


Coyote Ugly is an American romantic comedy/drama movie. It is based on the real Coyote Ugly saloon. The movie is set in New York City. The movie stars Piper Perabo and Adam Garcia. It was directed by David McNally. The movie was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman. It was written by Gina Wendkos.

Plot
Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) leaves her hometown of South Amboy, New Jersey. She leaves to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a songwriter. Violet is not successful in finding someone to hire her at any recording studios. She mistakenly believes that Kevin O'Donnell (Adam Garcia) is a bar owner. She gives him a tape of Violet's demo recordings. She later finds out after his boss reveals his true identity. When Violet returns home, she finds out that her house was robbed. With only a few dollars on her, she goes to an all-night diner. There she sees three girls Cammie (Izabella Miko), Rachel (Bridget Moynahan), and Zoe (Tyra Banks). The girls are showing off hundreds of dollars in tips they earned. She then finds out that they work at a bar called Coyote Ugly.

Violet convinces the bar owner Lil (Maria Bello) to give her an audition. Violet's first audition does not go well. However, after breaking up a fight between two customers, Lil agrees to give her a second chance. At her second audition, she throws a bucket filled with water to the fire warden. This cost Lil $250. In order to keep her job, Violet had to make up $250 in one night. Kevin turns up at the bar. He then is auctioned off to one of the women in the bar. Violet and Kevin begins a relationship.

Kevin tries to help Violet overcome her stage fright. He does this so she can sell her music. Violet is fired from the bar after Kevin gets into a fight at the bar. Violet returns to New Jersey for her best friend's wedding. When she returns, her father is sent to the emergency room after he was involved in a car accident. Violet performs at an open mic night at the Bowery Ballroom with the "Coyotes". Her father, her best friend, and Kevin arrive there for support. The performance goes well. She finally lands a deal with a record label. The movie ends with LeAnn Rimes singing Violet's song.

Cast
 Piper Perabo as Violet Sanford
 Adam Garcia as Kevin O'Donnell
 John Goodman as William Sanford
 Maria Bello as Lil
 Izabella Miko as Cammie
 Tyra Banks as Zoe
 Bridget Moynahan as Rachel
 Melanie Lynskey as Gloria
 Del Pentecost as Lou
 Michael Weston as Danny
 Melody Perkins as New Coyote
 Johnny Knoxville as College Guy
 Alex Borstein as bidding auction woman (uncredited)
 Carol Ann Susi as bidding auction woman (uncredited)
 LeAnn Rimes as Singing Voice of Violet (uncredited)
 The film has a performance by the band The Calling.
 Susan Yeagley as bidding auction woman (uncredited)
 The band playing at the end of the film is Chalk FarM.
 Michael Bay makes a cameo as a photographer.
 Kaitlin Olson as bidding auction woman.

Other websites

  Comparison of the theatrical release and the Unrated Edition, with screenshots

2000 comedy-drama movies
2000s romantic comedy movies
2000s romantic drama movies
American comedy-drama movies
American romantic comedy movies
American romantic drama movies
Movies set in California
Movies set in Los Angeles
Movies set in New Jersey
Movies set in New York City

Coyote Ugly


Plasticine is a putty-like modelling material made from calcium salts, petroleum jelly and fatty acids. It does not dry, and comes in many different colours.

Plasticine is used for children's play and for modelling more formal or permanent structures.

Because of its non-drying property, it is a good material for stop-motion animation. It has been used for several Oscar-winning films by Aardman Animations (Nick Park). The brand-name clay is sometimes mentioned in British music, such as the "plasticine porters" in The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds",  the Oasis songs "Little James" and "Shakermaker", the Placebo song "Plasticine", and the Thom Yorke song "Plasticine Figures".

Industrial history
Plasticine was invented in Bath, England in 1897 by an art teacher, William Harbutt. In 1983 production was moved to Thailand. Several attempts have been made to change the formula to evade the patent and its licences. There are a number of similar products, but none has proved more successful. There is, however, a good market for epoxy products which set hard after being applied as a liquid or putty. Plasticine does not set hard.

Plasticine is about 65%  gypsum, 10% petroleum jelly, 5% lime, 10% lanolin and 10% stearic acid. It cannot be hardened by firing, melts when exposed to heat, and is flammable at higher temperatures.

References

Art materials

Plasticine


A fuel cell makes electricity using the energy released by mixing fuel with air, a reaction which creates water and sometimes also carbon dioxide. The most common fuel for fuel cells is hydrogen, which when reacted with oxygen from air produces only water. Fuel cells work like a battery being constantly fed with fuel so it never runs out (as long as you have enough fuel). Fuel cells are an important part of the hydrogen economy. Hydrogen molecules are found in substances such as methane, water and biomass but in all cases some energy is required to extract it. There are two common ways to produce hydrogen - it can be separated from most fuels like oil, gas, coal in a process called steam reforming, or it can be extracted from water using a process called electrolysis. If the hydrogen is separated from fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is released. If the energy used to extract it from water via electrolysis comes from solar or wind, then the hydrogen produced is benign because no emissions are released. Hydrogen can also be separated from renewable biogas, which means the carbon emitted is not of fossil origin and therefore is part of the natural carbon cycle.

How to Convert Energy
Water is a molecule that consists of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.  It takes energy to separate water into oxygen and hydrogen, and energy is released when they are put back together as water.  A fuel cell puts hydrogen and oxygen back together in a way releases the energy in the form of electricity.

Fuel (the energy source, usually hydrogen) and air (which contains the oxygen) are put into opposite sides the fuel cell. In the middle of the fuel cell there is a "screen", called an electrolyte, sandwiched between two metal plates, called electrodes, which keeps the fuel and air separate. Different kinds of fuel cells get their names based on what type of screen is used to separate the fuel and air. The screen only allows specific charged molecules, also known as ions, to pass through them.

In order to create ions, electrons have to be carried from the one side of the system to the other. The electrons are split off from the fuel by the metal plate at the fuel side and need to travel to the air side to complete the reaction. Because the screen doesn't let electrons pass through, they go through a separate wire, to the other metal plate on the air side. The travel of electrons creates electric current (electricity). The wire is where electricity can be used. For example, the wire can be cut in half, and a light bulb can be connected in between the two halves.

In the meantime, the ions pass through the screen and react with the molecules (already on the other side) and electrons (which traveled through the wire, giving off energy to power electronics) on the other side. Water is formed (and, depending on the fuel type, occasionally other products), which them comes out through an exhaust pipe.

Efficiency
Fuel cells make electricity by combining oxygen and hydrogen. Efficiency is very good (about 40%-70%). They have a maximum efficiency of 83% if exhaust heat is used during the reaction. Also, fuel cells can use various fuels, for example, natural gas, methanol, LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), naphtha, kerosene etc.

Features
Some types of fuel cells produce only water, which means no pollution. Most types of fuel cell cause much less emissions than classic ("caloric") power generation. They can consume the same fuel types as classic power generators, for example Diesel engines, but they are about two times as efficient, meaning they can produce the same amount of energy with half as much fuel, and thus at least half as much pollution. Additionally, the direct conversion fuel cells use has less risk of producing secondary emissions like NOx, SOx, and particulate matter, which are side effects of combustion, contribute to global warming, and are known as criteria pollutants.

Fuel cells are very quiet. They have no moving parts aside from some fans to move air, and pumps to move water which means they very rarely require repairs, however some large fuel cells used for powering things like buildings can be quite fragile.

Because of very low pollutant emissions, fuel cells are often used in vehicles that move inside buildings, like forklifts. Because they are very quiet, they are used on some military submarines to avoid detection. Fuel is more efficiently used, which means fuel cells can work longer without getting new fuel. This lets them be used in places that are hard to get to, such as weather or research stations, space ships, or military bases.

Since spaceships are launched using rockets containing pure hydrogen and oxygen, the on-board electricity is produced using very efficient fuel cells which can use these fuels. Additionally, the fuel cells on spaceships produce pure water on their exhaust, which can be further captured and used as drinking water for astronauts, meaning absolutely nothing is wasted.

Types of Fuel Cells
Fuel cells can be classified by the type of inner screen (electrolyte). For instance, phosphoric acid fuel cells are for low temperatures. It is used in cell phones and automobile power supplies that require high currents because it is much safer. Alkali fuel cells usually contain potassium hydroxide (KOH). Methanol fuel cells are used by reacting methanol electrochemically. This type of fuel cell is a better choice for simpler system. But methanol fuel cells have low output densities as its reacting rate is slow.

Some important types of fuel cells are:
 Phosphoric Acid fuel cell (PAFC) - Phosphoric acid fuel cells are commercially available today. They are the most common fuel cells for combined heat and power generation.
 Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEM) - These fuel cells operate at relatively low temperatures (about 175 °F), have high power density, can vary their output quickly to meet shifts in power demand, and are suited for applications, such as in automobiles, where quick startup is required. All commercial fuel cell vehicles use this type of fuel cell. The drawback of these fuel cells is that they require high-purity hydrogen which is costly to produce.
 Molten Carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) - These fuel cells operate at very high temperatures which allow them to convert more complex fuels, like natural gas, into hydrogen fuel to be used by the cell itself. These take several hours to startup and shutdown, so they are only used in applications where they can keep running continuously, like stationary power for large buildings/businesses.
 Microbial fuel cell (MFC) - A fuel cell that uses respiring microbes to convert organic substrates into electrical energy, using oxidation reduction reactions.

Applications
There are many uses for fuel cells —  major automakers are working to commercialize fuel cell cars.  Toyota and Honda have released the Mirai and Clarity respectively.  Fuel cells are powering buses, boats, trains, planes, scooters, forklifts, and bicycles.  There are fuel cell-powered vending machines, vacuum cleaners and highway road signs.  Miniature fuel cells for cellular phones, laptop computers and portable electronics are predicted.  Hospitals, credit card centers, police stations, and banks use fuel cells to provide power to their facilities.  Wastewater treatment plants and landfills use them to convert the methane gas they produce into electricity.  Fuel Cells have long been used in outer space.  Telecommunications companies use fuel cells at cell phone, radio and 911 towers.

References

Energy

Fuel cell


The Superintendent of Finances () was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1561 to 1661.  The position was abolished in 1661 with the downfall of Nicolas Fouquet, and a new position was created, the Controller-General of Finances.

History

Before 1561
Prior to the creation of the position "Surintendant des finances", France's royal financial administration had been run—from the time of Charles VII—by two financial boards which worked in a collegial manner: the four Généraux des finances oversaw the collection of taxes (taille, etc.) and the four Trésoriers de France (Treasurers) oversaw revenues from royal lands (the "domaine"). Together they were often referred to as "Messieurs des finances". The four members of each board were divided by geographical circumscriptions ("recettes générales" or  "généralités"; the areas were named Languedoïl, Languedoc, Normandy, and Outre-Seine and Yonne), with the directors of the "Languedoïl" region typically having an honorific preeminence.  The double-board was assisted in its work by four "contrôleurs généraux".

Before 1523–24, the King's Council had very little direct say on the day-to-day running of the double-boards.  In 1523, Francis I, in an effort to exert a more direct control over royal finances during his European wars and to circumvent the double-board (accused of poor oversight)—created a separate Royal Treasury (Trésor de l'Épargne) directly under the control of the King's Council (analogous institutions had existed before), but the initial results were disappointing.  From this moment through the next 40 years, numerous administrative reforms were attempted: increase in the number of "généralités"; unification of the tasks of the double-board into new positions (such as two "contrôleurs généraux" subservient to the Royal Treasurer); changes in the royal financial courts ("Cour des Comptes", "Cour des Aides"); creation of numerous provincial financial officers and boards; creation of the positions of "intendents" of finance (see below).  With the increased role of the King's Council in financial matters, certain high-ranked nobles (like Anne de Montmorency or Charles of Lorraine, Cardinal of Guise) exerted a stronger advisory role over finances.

Although there was no official "Minister of Finances" in this period, certain individuals exerted an equivalent administrative role.

Under Francis I
1518–1524: Jacques de Beaune, baron de Semblançay

Under Henry II
1552: André Guillart
1556: Jean de Saint Marcel d'Avançon

Surintendant des finances
The position "Surintendant des finances" was officially created in 1561 during the reign of Charles IX, although some royal financial advisors had performed analogous duties previously.  The position grew out of the positions of Intendants of Finances, officially created in 1552 by Henry II to oversee royal finances during the king's travels in Germany (he sought an alliance with Protestant Princes).  At the time, three Intendants of Finances were named, and one of them would also participate in the Privy Counsel, thus the designation "superintendent". In 1561, the position fell to two individuals: Artus de Cossé-Brissac and the comte de Chaulnes.  An administrative ruling on 23 October 1563 mandated once-a-week reunions of the Conseil du Roi (King's Counsel) to deal with financial questions of finances; to this meeting would come the superintendent of finances and other officers of country's financial administration, such as the Treasurer (trésorier de l'Épargne). In 1567, Cossé was promoted to maréchal de France; he resigned his post in favor of René de Birague (as did too, apparently, the comte de Chaulnes); René de Birague was thus the sole "superintendent".

In 1570, the position was assumed by the Conseil royal des finances.  Henry III suppressed the Conseil royal des finances in 1574 and named a superintendent. Henry IV replaced the superintendent with a counsel.  In this way, the position appeared intermittently, its fate tied to that of the Conseil des finances.

On 5 September 1661, Nicolas Fouquet was arrested for financial misdealings and brought to trial.  On the 12th, the position of Supertintendant was replaced by a Conseil royal des finances, attended by an intendant, named the Contrôleur général des finances; this position first fell to Jean-Baptiste Colbert.

List of Surintendants des finances
1561–1567: Artus de Cossé-Brissac;  Louis d' Ongnies, comte de Chaulnes
1568–1571: René de Birague
1574–1588: Pompone de Bellièvre
1588–1594: François d'O
1594–1597: A Council of 9 members: Pompone de Bellièvre, Henri I de Montmorency, Albert de Gondi, Gaspard de Schomberg, Jacques de la Grange-le-Roy, Pierre Forges de Fresnes, Philippe Hurault de Cheverny and Nicolas de Harlay, sieur de Sancy

1597–1611: Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully
1611–1616: A Council of 3 members: Pierre Jeannin, Guillaume de L'Aubespin and Jacques-Auguste de Thou
1616–1617: Claude Barbin
1617–1619: Pierre Jeannin
1619–1623: Henri de Schomberg
1623–1624:Charles de La Vieuville
1624–1626: A Council of 2 members: Jean de Bochart, Michel de Marillac

1626–1632: Antoine Coiffier de Ruzé, marquis d'Effiat
1632–1640: A Council of 2 members: Claude de Bullion, Claude Bouthilier
1640–1643: Claude Bouthilier
1643–1647: A Council of 3 members: Nicolas de Bailleuil; Claude de Mesmes, comte d'Avaux; Michel Particelli d'Hémery
1647–1648: Council of above without de Bailleuil
1648–1649: Charles de La Porte
1649–1650: Same council as earlier
1650–1651: René de Longueil
1651–1653: Charles de La Vieuville
1653–1659: A Council of 2 members: Nicolas Fouquet, Abel Servien
1659–1661: Nicolas Fouquet

See also
 List of finance ministers of France
 Controller-General of Finances
 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (France)
 Secretary of State of the Navy (France)
 Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi
 Early Modern France

References
 Bernard Barbiche, Les Institutions de la monarchie française à l'époque moderne, Paris: PUF, collection "Premier Cycle", 1999.
 Daniel Dessert, Argent, pouvoir et société au grand siècle, Paris: Fayard, 1984.
 Arlette Jouanna, Philippe Hamon, Dominique Biloghi, Guy Le Thiec, "Finances", La France de la Renaissance: Histoire et Dictionnaire, Paris: Laffont, 2001.

Offices in the Ancien Régime
Economic history of the Ancien Régime

Superintendent of Finances


A barrel organ plays music by using turning a barrel, with notes decided by an arrangement of pins. It is very similar to a simple music box where the pins pluck a metal harp. With a barrel organ, the pins in the barrel lift "keys" that open valves that let air from the bellows to play the pipes.

The barrel organ is sometimes wrongly called a hurdy gurdy, which is a string instrument. Barrel organs come in many different sizes from hand carried ones to large sizes carried on a wagon or trailer. Usually each barrel had a number of tunes on it, and the tune could be changed to different selection by lifting an indexing pin and sliding the barrel to the next index position. Even a small hand carried organ could play six or eight tunes. Stationary barrel organs, built into large houses or churches, were larger pipe organs, and could play longer, and more serious music. Some had different barrels or revolving barrel changers, which meant they did not need an organist to play them, and had a larger selection of music. Organs built in a church, allowed people to sing, accompanied by organ. Some of the only organ music composed by Mozart, was supposedly written for a barrel organ built into a clock.

Other websites

Musical instruments

Barrel organ


This page refers to the television series. For the book series, see "Jane and the Dragon".

Jane and the Dragon is a CGI children's animated television series based on the books of the same name by Martin Baynton. The show is directed by Mike Fallows and the motion capture is directed by Peter Salmon; it is co-produced by Weta Workshop (as Weta Productions) in New Zealand and Nelvana Limited in Canada. The series follows the comedic exploits of Jane, an adolescent girl training to be a knight, and her friend, Dragon, a talking, flying, 300-year-old, fire-breathing dragon.

The program originally aired on YTV in Canada and on ABC in Australia. From September 9, 2006, to February 26, 2021, it returned on the Qubo weekend lineup until the network's shutdown in 2021. It can be seen on Five in the UK. In American broadcasts, it bears the E/I bug. Episodes are available as part of the "Kids Suite" sold via Bell/Rogers in Canada, and are broadcast on Tuesdays on Disney Junior on the Disney Channel. It has also been on Treehouse TV.

About the series
Jane is a red head adolescent girl who lives in the late 8th or early 9th century Kippernia Castle in a small fictional kingdom called Kippernium located in southern England.

According to the backstory explained in the opening theme song, Jane was being trained to become a lady-in-waiting but had always dreamed of becoming a knight. When the prince is kidnapped by a dragon, Jane sets out to slay the beast. When Jane brings the prince back, the king makes her a knight apprentice. Jane and the dragon end up becoming best friends. Further details of this early adventure are never explained in the series. They are, however, explained in detail in the book Jane and the Dragon by Martin Baynton.

The series follows Jane's interactions with the rest of the castle's residents and their frequent adventures. Themes of integrity, loyalty, friendship, and courage are woven through the stories. Jane frequently makes errors in judgment, but every episode ends happily.

As a knight apprentice, Jane trains and performs various tasks and duties around the castle. Her master is wise Sir Theodore. Sir Ivon, a valiant but somewhat comical knight, has an apprentice of his own named Gunther, a boy whose integrity seems outwardly questionable, and whom Jane views as a rival.

Dragon helps Jane as she trains to become a knight. When she is on patrol duty, he lets her ride on his back as he flies around the kingdom. Jane, in turn, helps Dragon, who is an orphan, in his efforts to uncover the secrets of his ancestry.

In addition to her best friend, Dragon, Jane has several other friends among the castle staff. Jester the royal jester, Pepper the castle cook, and Rake the castle gardener are all about Jane's age. She is also friends with Smithy, the castle blacksmith and stable hand.

Also residing in the castle are the King and Queen, their two children, Jane's parents, and the wizard. The only non-resident of the castle seen is Gunther's father, a merchant who has regular dealings with Jane's father and the king. No other characters are seen or heard in the series. The wizard is never seen but he lives in a tower, in the far corner of the Royal Gardens near the castle. He is seemingly knowledgeable in alchemy. The younger members of the castle staff appear to be afraid of him, for some reason.

While hoping to preserve verisimilitude in its portrait of the earthy characters inhabiting a medieval castle Baynton engineered into his depiction substitute swear words to avoid controversy with parents. When frustrated or exasperated Jane is prone to exclaiming "Maggots!". In this manner the series taps into the imagination of children, encouraging them to find their own expressions that can be much more fun and creative and colourful than conventional profanity without being offensive.

Characters
The characters were voice acted (in English) by the Canadian actors credited below and physically performed and motion-captured by a team of five actors at Weta Productions in New Zealand.

 Jane Turnkey (voiced by Tajja Isen, motion-captured by Angela Green) – 12-year-old Jane is a young skinny girl (the TV series occurs 2 years after the novel where she was 10) and the daughter of The King's Chamberlain and the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting. She has green eyes and wavy light red hair. She found her life as a future lady-in-waiting to be boring, and wanted to become a knight and experience adventure. When she heard that the King's son Prince Cuthbert had been kidnapped by a dragon, she set out to rescue him and slay the dragon. However, upon meeting the dragon Jane befriended him instead. Her courage in rescuing the prince led the King to make Jane a knight's apprentice, and she has been training hard ever since. While it is unknown if she is aware that her maternal grandfather was a knight, she does not know that in fact both her grandfathers were knights. Jane is close friends with Jester, Pepper, Smithy, and Rake, and has a fierce rivalry with her fellow apprentice, Gunther, but most of her time is spent with Dragon, exploring tunnels in his cave, studying Dragon Runes, or patrolling. Jester is Jane's closest human friend, whom she often confides in about her various problems, and drags along on some of her adventures. Jester has romantic feelings for Jane and in the episode "Mismatched", it is implied that Jane returns these feelings. Gunther and Jane have a strong rivalry as the castle's only two squires, though on some occasions they have been known to be civil and compassionate towards each other. Jane wields a special sword, which she found in Dragon's cave. It is made of special metals and was forged by the fire of dragons. Its unique properties make it capable of piercing dragon skin (which most ordinary weapons can not do, since dragon skin is so thick and hard). However, since Dragon trusts Jane entirely, and since Jane has vowed to protect Dragon at all costs, he does not mind her use of the sword. The sword's hilt also doubles as a special type of removable whistle, which, when attached and twirled around on a long string, lets out a sound that Dragon can hear from great distances. It is very effective for calling Dragon to Jane's aid when she needs him.
Cleva – Jane's horse.
 Milton Turnkey (voiced by Ben Campbell, motion-captured by Aaron Alexander) – 38-year-old Milton Turnkey is the royal Chamberlain as well as Jane's father. The son of a knight, his father died in battle defending the castle. He oversees all of the kingdom's finances and negotiates trade deals with the surrounding kingdoms. He is very intelligent and, despite having to deal with financial matters on a daily basis, he is far from greedy and is quite humble. He loves his family very much, almost to the point of being a bit overprotective of Jane at times (a trait he shares with Dragon) and is generally supportive of Jane's efforts at knighthood and helps both her and Dragon when the need arises. The efforts of the Merchant to try and swindle the kingdom, as well as King Caradoc's occasional spending splurges can at times prove to be great sources of stress for him.
 Adeline Turnkey (voiced by Jill Frappier) – 36-year-old Adeline Turnkey (née d'Ark), is the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting. She was born in the year 776 to Sir John d'Ark, the First Knight of the King. Her maiden name resembles that of the famous real-life female warrior, Joan of Arc. She loves her family, but her relationship with Jane can be strained at times. She has concerns over Jane's plan to become a knight and does not always approve of the influence that Dragon seems to have over her daughter. She would have preferred it if Jane had instead followed in her footsteps and wanted to become a lady-in-waiting. She also opposes some of Jane's tomboyish looks and behaviors, to the point that she forbids Jane from attending a royal ball unless she wears a dress, for fear of embarrassment (resulting in Jane and the other children holding their own dance in the courtyard, away from the adults). For the most part, Jane's mother seems to be content with her life and her position.
 Dragon (voiced by Adrian Truss) – Dragon is a young member of an airborne herbivore species of dinosaur who evolved over millions of years from carnivorous ground-dragons. He is Jane's best friend and is usually there when she needs him. He himself indicates that he is at least 200 years old in the series. A tapestry created on the castle's creation (allegedly 300 years ago) depicts him as a hatchling. Outside of the show, creators have described him as 300 years old (with a potential to live 1000) and born "about 300 years ago" in a cave not far from the castle. It is there that he meets Jane for the first time. His home is on the mountain, full of secret tunnels and traps. Dragon is an orphan, so he had to teach himself how to fly as well as other things to survive. As a baby, he was captured by humans and kept as a pet, and was traded many times before escaping. He taught himself how to speak and stayed away from all humans, whom he would call a "short-life". After many years, he set out on a mission to discover more about the history of dragons. Dragon saw a rune in the dragon language on his cave wall, that had been left by his father many centuries before, that indicated a child. Thinking Prince Cuthbert was that child, and that he may be able to help explain what happened to the other dragons (which had long since vanished), he swooped down and took him, hoping he could help decipher the runes. But the prince was no help at all. Meanwhile, at the castle, Jane realized this was her opportunity to finally use her secret training and she journeyed to the cave, with plans to slay Dragon. Soon, however, she realized Dragon was friendly and brought back the prince, to everyone's relief. The King, in gratitude, made Jane a squire—a knight in training. After being discovered by Jane, he accompanied her and helped her with her goal of becoming a knight. He is also friends with Jane's friends Rake, Smithy, Pepper, and Jester. Dragon enjoys toilet jokes, burning things, teasing Jane and her friends, lazing about the castle, and having adventures. Despite being centuries old, Dragon has a childlike and innocent personality and is extremely friendly. However, he can be very protective and quick to anger if he thinks his friends, especially Jane, are threatened, and he will consider any challenge to Jane's honor to mean a challenge to his own as well. Dragon is also known to be a talented singer, possessing a splendid falsetto voice, though he does not like admitting it. Dragon gets his ability to fly with such relatively small wings by storing the methane gas produced from the foods he eats. The gas is stored in two sac-like organs in his body. The lighter-than-air gas reduces his weight and allows him to fly surprisingly fast for a creature of his size. The drawback is that the same gas also fuels his fire-breath. If Dragon were to use up his gas reserves in a fight (or a fit of sneezing) he would be unable to fly until he ate and produced more gas to replace what was used. He can increase his potential for fiery breath by consuming raw iron. Both his sight and his hearing are far better than a human's. Though Dragon has been known to fly the other children around when needed or at Jane's request, he has never let any of the kingdom's adults ride him. Dragon's scales often cause him great itching, which has been referenced several times in the series. Short-life weapons cannot pierce Dragon's skin, but is sensitive enough that Jane can tickle him. He has a very big heart (physically and emotionally). He is also very attracted to cows and finds their general shape and behavior amusing, especially their mooing.
 Jester (voiced by Mark Rendall, motion-captured by Aaron Alexander.) – 14-year-old Jester is the jester of the king's royal court. He was left at the castle at the age of 7 by his parents who thought it was best for him. Because of his multitude of talents which include reading, singing, composing, dancing, juggling, cartwheeling, and entertaining with marionettes, he was appointed to the title of royal court jester. He is not paid for his services but receives free education and housing (of which, considering the time period, the education alone would be highly valuable). Jester, whose real name he keeps a secret, is generous and gifted with an excellent memory and a quick wit. There have been occasions when his quick wit has gotten him into trouble with authority, but Jester always means well and would never deliberately hurt another person's feelings. Jester is Jane's "best human friend", and extremely loyal; he often provides her with encouragement and was the first person to help Jane on her path to becoming a knight by smuggling her a suit of armor. He also harbors romantic feelings for her, and it is slightly suggested that she might like him in return. Beneath his hat (his entire outfit is based on puzzle pieces) he has a dirty blonde hair color. Dragon calls him "Floppy Hat" and "Jingle-Boy". Jester has an interesting Roman name. Gunther thinks it must be embarrassing. One day he will reveal his name to Jane.
 Jethro "Smithy" Junior (voiced by Alex House, motion-captured by David Hoskins) – 14-year-old Smithy is the castle blacksmith/stable hand. He keeps the horses shod, the swords sharp, and the armor in good repair. He has invented many labor-saving devices for the castle. He also has a way with animals, a calm confidence that all creatures seem to respond to—all except Dragon.Smithy is calm, caring, and quiet. He is also the most mature of Jane's friends and always keeps his head in an emergency. Although he is always willing to help a friend, Smithy will seldom ask for help himself. Dragon's clumsiness goes hard for Smithy, who often has to clean up after him or find ways to salvage burnt items.  His father either ran off or died in his earlier years. This is mentioned in the episode when Dragon and Jane are stuck in a cave-in.
Pig – Smithy has a pet female pig called "Pig". She often runs in a wheel that pumps the bellows for his fire, and Smithy says he cares about her just like Jane does Dragon. He describes her as "never gets too tired" and "is always there for me".
Verbena "Pepper" Salter (voiced by Sunday Muse, motion-captured by Ban Abdul.) – 12-year-old Pepper is the castle cook. Although the same age as Jane, she is not as slim and has developed womanly curves earlier than her. Her parents work at salting herring and they took her to the castle to find better work for her. As a cook, she works long hours in the royal kitchens and is rarely able to go outside, which is why she has a pale complexion. Pepper loves cooking and puts a lot of effort into experimenting with new dishes.  She uses many strange expressions, such as "lovely as linen", "top table!" and "clean as a cauliflower", and can be shy, but is always ready to help her friends. She is especially close to Rake, indicating a budding romance between the two. She has hugged Rake after receiving a flower from him.
Drake "Rake" Gardener Junior (Voiced by Will Seatle Bowes, motion-captured by Nick Blake.) – 13-year-old Rake is the royal gardener. He is introverted and deeply devoted to his craft. His gardening talents are displayed in the topiary of the Royal Garden, although he seems to spend more time growing foodstuffs than maintaining ornamental plants. He also has his own compost pile, which he maintains by himself (this helps relieve the castle of Dragon's foul-smelling waste). He plans to make his compost famous throughout the kingdom. He has rarely been outside the castle walls, or even to the higher places within the castle. The only recorded time he has left the castle is to go out with Jane and Dragon to collect herbs and plants from the forest, mostly as a gesture to give Pepper new spices and herbs for her cooking. There is an indication that he is afraid of dark stairs, but he does not show signs of claustrophobia in the castle's kitchens. He may be acrophobic, as evidenced by his fear of stairs, and when riding Dragon he at first did not want to open his eyes and look down. He is afraid of the wizard who also lives in the castle. He has also expressed fear of Dragon. He and Pepper, the cook, are openly affectionate to one another, hinting at a budding romance between the two.
Gunther Breech (voiced by Noah Reid, motion-captured by David Hoskins) – 14-year-old Gunther is the loner of the castle. He struggles to balance his loyalty to his merchant father and his loyalty to the Knight's Code of Honour. Gunther's father Magnus believes that being a knight is simply about being a good swordsman, and has no problem with coercing Gunther into dishonorable activities. These situations reveal Gunther's greatest strength: his quick and resourceful thinking. Gunther often manages to resolve the sticky situations his father creates without damaging the merchant's reputation. Although Gunther cannot be relied upon to always make an ethical decision, he usually will act morally by the end of an episode. He can easily best Jane when it comes to strength, but lacks her nimble feet and people skills and so is far less popular with others. Gunther is secretly jealous of Jane, and the two of them are in constant competition for which of the two is the better knight in training. Working for his father often causes Gunther to fall behind with his studies. Because Jane does not have the same problem, Gunther occasionally attempts to level the playing field. For example, when Dragon inadvertently reveals Jane's fear of the dark and Gunther finds out, Jane reminds Gunther that it is against the Code to reveal a weakness of a fellow knight. Gunther then asks Sir Ivon about having the maze test at night, without explicitly mentioning Jane's fear of the dark, thus exploiting Jane's weakness without directly violating the Code. Many fans  speculate that Gunther and Jane could be romantically linked, due to the constant teasing and needing to prove themselves to each other. When members of the castle witnessed Gunther teasing Jane and assumed that they were sweethearts, however later it is shown that Jester and Jane possibly feel something for each other. Gunther has mentioned having a "lady friend" fond of roses, after having earlier seen Princess Lavinia and Jane (a former lady-in-waiting) carrying some.
Magnus Breech (voiced by Clive Walton, motion-captured by Aaron Alexander) – 41-year-old Magnus Breech is a wealthy merchant as well as Gunther's father. He is greedy and does things such as making a fake dragon egg and having Gunther steal a dragon's tooth just to get money. He hates Dragon and is always trying to get him to leave the kingdom, one way or another. His family is not well thought of in Kippernia, as they started their fortune by trading with enemy forces when the castle was under siege two generations ago.
King Caradoc (voiced by Juan Chioran, motion-captured by Nick Blake) – 30-year-old King Caradoc Cedric Bartok Kippernook is a good-humored soul but has little patience for the affairs of state (though he is concerned for his subjects and will listen to their concerns openly). He much prefers hunting, fishing, and dancing – a lifestyle that has put a considerable financial strain on the kingdom. This is shown when he spends a large amount of money on a portrait of his queen. He also loves cabbage. He is the younger brother to the real "King Caradoc" (died before crowning), keeping his brother's name so people remember him (his own boyhood name was "Rathbonne"). In many ways, he can be childish and is prone to bursts of innocent and childlike enthusiasm. In some ways, his children (the young prince and princess) can seem even more mature than he is. However, it is not uncommon to hear great wisdom and insight come from his lips when the need arises. He loves his family and cares about his subjects very much.
Queen Gwendolyn (voiced by Alex Belcourt) – 28-year-old Queen Gwendolyn Hulda Ankarcrona Kippernook comes from Scandinavia. She is the daughter of a noble family and came to England on a business trip with her father, where she eventually fell in love with and married Caradoc. She is beautiful, kind, and gentle, and because of this everyone is in awe of her. Jane believes the king's support and her mother's gradual acceptance of Jane's knightly aspirations is because of the queen's urgings in private. Gwendolyn desires to build a peaceful world for her children to live in. She can, however, be somewhat shallow over her own physical appearance at times. She is very conscious of how other people view her. She feels the pressures of being expected to be beautiful and ladylike since she is the queen. Her favorite food is peas.
Prince Cuthbert (voiced by: Cameron Ansell, motion-captured by David Hoskins) – 8-year-old Prince Cuthbert Hakan Kippernook is the heir apparent of the kingdom. Born a sickly child, he was pampered and doted on by his parents as well as the court staff. A selfish child, he tends to take what he wants and is hard to impress. His life hit a sour note on the birth of his sister, which meant he had to now share all the affection that was previously reserved for him. Cuthbert usually thinks about short-term goals; he is focused on avoiding work and enjoying food, but he also desires his parents to be proud of him. The prince had been kidnapped by Dragon (prior to the start of the series), precipitating the friendship between Jane and Dragon. He seems to hold no ill feelings or resentment towards Dragon for his kidnapping. Despite his flaws, Cuthbert has a soft spot for animals, and considers hunting a cruel and unnecessary sport.
Princess Lavinia (voiced by Isabel De Carteret, motion-captured by Ban Abdul) – 6-year-old Princess Lavinia Pernilla Kippernook is a sweet, caring little girl. She looks up to Jane as a true hero. She sometimes dreams of becoming a knight like Jane, and will often pay more heed to Jane than she will to her parents. Lavinia sometimes wears a pair of costume dragon wings which were made for her by Smithy so she could pretend to be a dragon. She enjoys playing games, looking through Rake's garden and hearing stories from Jane. She loves Dragon and like her brother, also has a soft spot for animals and finds hunting to be a rather poor and cruel sport. Her favorite food is strawberries.
Sir Theodore Boarmaster (voiced by Aron Tager, motion-captured by Nick Blake) – 66-year-old Sir Theodore is a wise knight. As Jane's mentor, he displays patience and understanding. He was best friends with Jane's paternal grandfather, who was also a knight and who died in battle protecting the castle. He has sworn to Jane's mother to never tell Jane about it, but with the way Jane pokes around, it is only a matter of time before the truth is revealed. His family comes from a long line of dragonslayers, which is revealed one day when Jane stumbles upon his family's broken ancestral sword, hidden in his clothing chest. The sword is a dragon blade like Jane's, only the blade has the pointed half missing, with a grey carving of a dragon being pierced with a sword. When confronted with his family's past actions, Sir Theodore begs for Dragon's forgiveness for his ancestors' cruel behavior. Dragon shows that all is forgiven by melting Sir Theodore's sword into molten rubble. This leaves Jane with the only known sword capable of harming Dragon. She offered at that time to also have her sword burned, but since Jane will only use her sword to defend Dragon, he once again reiterates his trust of her with its use.
Trencher – Trencher is Sir Theodore's trained falcon and Jane is being trained in falconry with him.
Sir Ivon Mackay (voiced by Ben Campbell, motion-captured by David Hoskins) – 44-year-old Sir Ivon is loud, enthusiastic, short-tempered, and very Scottish. He is also Gunther's mentor. He has a deep love of weapons of any kind, from swords and axes to the fearsome chopping-machines he invents himself. None of the gadgets he invents have been shown to work, including his "Bowling Ball of Doom", "Boomerang of Vengeance", or "Fearsome Fool Flattener"; they all backfire. Despite his love of violence and fighting, he has a kind underlying nature, although this is often canceled out by his impatience. He tries to do his best with Gunther, but it is clear he is oblivious to the Merchant's manipulations, and often gives his young apprentice odious chores as punishment for his shortcomings.

Episodes

Awards and nominations
The show was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production in 2007.

Reception
Andrea Graham of Common Sense Media gave it 5 out of 5 stars and called it "a soaring delight." Graham also wrote: "With its lovable characters, engaging story lines, and wit reminiscent of the Shrek series, Jane and the Dragon may capture the attention of the entire family."

References

External links

 Dragonblade - A Jane and the Dragon novel by Martin Baynton
 The Royal Archives – official site (archived)
 YTV's Jane and the Dragon site
 Weta Workshop's Jane and the Dragon Section
 TFL.org approved Fanlisting
 Brief article (with images) from Weta about filming the motion capture sessions

2000s Canadian animated television series
2000s Canadian children's television series
2000s New Zealand television series
2005 Canadian television series debuts
2005 New Zealand television series debuts
2006 Canadian television series endings
2006 New Zealand television series endings
Canadian computer-animated television series
Canadian children's animated comedy television series
Canadian children's animated education television series
Canadian children's animated fantasy television series
Canadian television shows based on children's books
New Zealand children's animated comedy television series
New Zealand children's animated fantasy television series
English-language television shows
Animated television series about children
Animated television series about dragons
Television series set in the Middle Ages
Television series by Nelvana
Television series by Corus Entertainment
Treehouse TV original programming
YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming
NBC original programming
Telemundo original programming
Ion Television original programming
Qubo

Jane and the Dragon (TV series)


In graphical user interfaces and consoles a desktop environment is a location on a personal computer that helps the user get around on the computer.  The desktop itself is a place in the operating system used for short cuts to computer files and folders on the hard drive. Computer icons (small pictures) are used to represent files/folders. Clicking  these icons will open or start a folder or program. The desktop is the area where the start menu is if the computer has a start menu.

Usually the desktop is the main screen on the computer. If no programs or folders are open, the computer will display the desktop.

The most common desktop environment on personal computers is the one given by Microsoft Windows; another common environment is the one given by Apple Mac OS X. Other mostly-used desktop environments for Unix-like operating systems using the are KDE, GNOME, Xfce. There are also other desktop environments, including : Aston, EDE, Graphical Environment Manager, IRIX Interactive Desktop, Sun's Java Desktop System, Mezzo, Project Looking Glass, ROX Desktop, UDE, Xito, XFast.

Examples of Desktop Environments

Software
Desktop Environments

Desktop environment


A Hatchet is a special axe that can be used with one hand. It can be used as a tool, for example to cut wood, or as a weapon. Hatchets have been in use since the Mesolithic. The use of hatchets is typical for the Neolithic.Hatchets are often carried by hikers because they can be used to chop woob or kindling for  a fire. In shape a hatchet looks like a tohmahawk but they are often a bit smaller and have thicker blades.

Cutting tools
tools

Hatchet


The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an agency of the United States government. It works to protect human health and the environment. The EPA does this job by writing rules and making sure that they are followed. The idea for the EPA was first thought of by President Richard Nixon. The EPA was started on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed a presidential order. The order starting the EPA was approved through discussions in the Senate and the House. The agency is led by an administrator, who is appointed by the President, and accepted by the Senate. The EPA is not a cabinet department, but the administrator is usually cabinet rank.

The EPA is headquartered in Washington D.C.. It has regional offices for 10 different regions. It has 27 laboratories. The agency does environmental testing, research, and education. The role of the EPA is to enforce and maintain national standards with different kinds of laws. The agency also works with industries
and all levels of government in many kinds of ways to stop polluting Earth. They also try to save energy.

The EPA has about 17,000 employees working full-time. They may hire more people with more contracts. More than half of the people working at the EPA are scientists, engineers, or environmental protection specialists. The other groups work in law, money, information, and public actions.

EPA offices
 Office of the Administrator (OA)
 Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM)
 Office of Air and Radiation (OAR)
 Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)
 Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA)
 Office of Environmental Information (OEI)
 Office of General Counsel (OGC)
 Office of Inspector General (OIG)
 Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)
 Office of Research and Development (ORD)
 Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER)
 Office of Water (OW)

EPA regions

Each EPA regional office is responsible within its states for putting into use the Agency's programs, except those programs that have been chosen only for that state.

 Region 1: responsible within the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
 Region 2: responsible within the states of New Jersey and New York.  It is also responsible for the US territories of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
 Region 3: responsible within the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
 Region 4: responsible within the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
 Region 5: responsible within the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
 Region 6: responsible within the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
 Region 7: responsible within the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
 Region 8: responsible within the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
 Region 9: responsible within the states of Arizona, California, Hawai'i, Nevada, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa.
 Region 10: responsible within the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Each regional office also puts into use of programs on Native American land, except those programs for Tribal authorities.

References

United States government agencies
Environmental organizations
1970 establishments in the United States

United States Environmental Protection Agency


The Battle of Beiping–Tianjin (), also known as the Battle of Beiping, Battle of Peiping, Battle of Beijing, Battle of Peiking, the Peiking–Tientsin Operation, and by the Japanese as the  (25–31 July 1937) was a series of battles of the Second Sino-Japanese War fought in the proximity of Beiping (now Beijing) and Tianjin. It resulted in a Japanese victory.

Background
During the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 8 July 1937, the Japanese China Garrison Army attacked the walled city of Wanping (宛平鎮) after an ultimatum to allow its forces to search for an allegedly missing soldier had elapsed. Wanping, in the neighborhood of Lugou Bridge, was on the main railway line west of Beiping and was of considerable strategic importance. Prior to July 1937, Japanese forces had repeatedly demanded the withdrawal of the Chinese forces stationed at this place.

Chinese General Song Zheyuan ordered his forces to hold their positions and attempted to avert war through diplomacy.

On 9 July, the Japanese offered a ceasefire and truce, one of the conditions of which was that the Chinese 37th Division, which had proven "hostile" to Japan, be replaced with another division from the Chinese 29th Army. This condition was agreed to by the Chinese the same day. However, from midnight of 9 July, Japanese violations of the ceasefire began to increase and Japanese reinforcements continued to arrive. Lieutenant General Kanichiro Tashiro, commander of the Japanese China Garrison Army, fell ill and died on 12 July and was replaced by Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Katsuki.

Muslim General Ma Bufang of the Ma clique notified the Chinese government that he was prepared to lead his army into battle against the Japanese when they started the attack on Beiping. Immediately after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Ma Bufang arranged for a cavalry division under the Muslim General Ma Biao to be sent east to battle the Japanese. Ethnic Turkic Salar Muslims made up the majority of the first cavalry division which was sent by Ma Bufang.

Order of battle

Diplomatic maneuverings
Meanwhile, the Japanese civilian government of Prime Minister Konoe in Tokyo held an extraordinary cabinet meeting on 8 July, and resolved to attempt to defuse hostilities and settle the issue diplomatically. However, the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff authorized the deployment of an infantry division from the Chosen Army, two independent combined brigades from the Kwantung Army and an air regiment as reinforcements. This deployment was rescinded on 11 July on news that negotiations were being held by the commander of the Japanese Northern China Area Army and the Chinese 29th Army on location, and with Japanese diplomats at the Chinese capital of Nanjing. However, even after General Song Zheyuan, Commander of the 29th Army and head of the Hebei-Chahar Political Council, was reported to have come to terms on 18 July, the Japanese Army pushed forward the deployment of reinforcements citing lack of sincerity on part of the Chinese central government. This mobilization was strongly opposed by General Kanji Ishihara on the grounds that an unnecessary escalation in the conflict with China was endangering Japan's position in Manchukuo vis-à-vis the Soviet Union. At Ishihara's urging, the deployment was delayed while Konoe used his personal contacts with Japanese acquaintances of Sun Yat-sen in an effort to establish a direct diplomatic settlement with the Kuomintang central government in Nanjing. This secret diplomacy failed when elements within the Japanese military detained Konoe's emissary on 23 July, and the mobilization of reinforcements was restarted on 29 July.

One week later, the Commander of the Japanese Northern China Area Army reported that, having exhausted every means of peaceful settlement, he had decided to use force to "chastise" the Chinese 29th Route Army and requested approval from Tokyo. In the meantime, mobilization orders were issued for four more infantry divisions.

Langfang Incident

Despite the nominal truce, numerous violations of the ceasefire continued, including another shelling of Wanping by Japanese artillery on 14 July.

By 25 July, Japanese reinforcements in the form of the IJA 20th Division arrived and fighting reerupted first at Langfang, a city on the railroad between Beiping and Tianjin, between companies of Japanese and Chinese troops. A second clash occurred on 26 July, when a Japanese brigade attempted to force its way through Guanghuamen Gate in Beiping to "protect Japanese nationals". The same day Japanese planes bombed Langfang.

The Japanese then issued an ultimatum to General Song demanding the withdrawal of all Chinese forces from the outskirts of Beiping to the west of the Yongding River within 24 hours. Song refused, ordered his units to prepare for action, and requested large reinforcements from the central government, which were not provided.

On 27 July, as the Japanese laid siege to Chinese forces in Tongzhou, one Chinese battalion broke out and fell back to . Japanese planes also bombed Chinese forces outside Beiping and reconnoitered Kaifeng, Zhengzhou and Luoyang. On the same day Emperor Hirohito sanctioned an imperial order to bring stability to the strategic areas in the region.

On 28 July, the IJA 20th Division and three independent combined brigades launched an offensive against Beiping, backed by close air support. The main attack was against Nanyuan and a secondary attack against Beiyuan. Bitter fighting ensued with both General Tong Linge Deputy Commander of Chinese 29th Army and General Zhao Dengyu commanding Chinese 132nd Division being killed, and their units suffering heavy casualties. However, a brigade of Chinese 38th Division under General Liu Chen-san pushed back the Japanese in the Langfang area while a brigade of the Chinese 53rd Corps and a portion of the Chinese 37th Division recovered the railway station at Fengtai.

However, this was only a temporary respite, and by nightfall General Song admitted that further combat was futile and withdrew the main force of Chinese 29th Army south of the Yungging River. Tianjin Major General Zhang Zizhong was left in Beiping to take charge of political affairs in Hebei and Chahar provinces with virtually no troops. General Liu Ruzhen's New Separate 29th Brigade was left in Beiping to maintain public order.

Tongzhou Incident

On 29 July, the Japanese collaborationist East Hopei Army troops mutinied against the Japanese in Tongzhou, killing most of their Japanese advisors and other civilians, including women and children.

Fall of Tianjin
Meanwhile, on the coast at dawn of 29 July, the IJA 5th Division and Japanese naval forces separately attacked Tianjin and the port at Tanggu, which were defended by units of Chinese 38th Division and volunteers under acting commander Liu Wen-tien. General Huang Wei-kang's brigade defended the Taku Forts gallantly and also attacked a nearby Japanese airfield, destroying many aircraft. However, with increasing Japanese reinforcements his position was untenable, and that night (30 July) General Zhang Zizhong was ordered to withdraw toward Machang and Yangliuching south of Tianjin, abandoning the city and Taku Forts to the Japanese.

Fall of Beiping
On 28 July, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Song Zheyuan to retreat to Baoding in southern Hebei province. Over the next two days, intense fighting took place in Tianjin, where the Chinese forces put up a stiff resistance, but subsequently the Chinese retreated south along the lines of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway and the Peiping-Hankow Railway.

On 4 August, General Liu Ruzhen's remaining forces withdrew into Chahar. Isolated, Beiping was captured by the Japanese without further resistance on 8 August 1937. General Masakazu Kawabe entered the city on 18 August in a military parade, and posted proclamations at important points announcing that he was the new military governor of the city. Zhang was allowed to retain his position as mayor, but left the city secretly a week later.

Aftermath
With the fall of Beiping and Tianjin, the North China Plain was helpless against the Japanese divisions which occupied it by the end of the year. The Chinese National Revolutionary Army was in constant retreat until the hard fought Battle of Taierzhuang.

Zhang was vilified relentlessly by the Chinese press, and reviled as a traitor. Upon arrival at Nanjing he apologized publicly. Since he later died fighting against the Japanese, the Kuomintang posthumously pardoned Zhang for the events in Beiping.

See also
History of Beijing

References

Sources
Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China.  Pg.177-180  Map 2

External links

Discussion and Map of Peiking Tientsin Operation
International Military Tribunal Proceedings

Conflicts in 1937
Battle of Beiping-Tianjin
1937 in Beijing
1937 in Japan
20th century in Tianjin
July 1937 events
August 1937 events
Events in Tianjin

Battle of Beiping–Tianjin


A traffic sign or a road sign is a sign put at the side of roads to give information to drivers. It can direct people driving where to go or what to do.

A road sign is something that gives information by means of a symbol, or in only 1 or 2 words. It helps people in their vehicles on the road. Some signs include: give way, stop, keep left, no U-turn, no parking, zebra crossing ahead, and much more.  Traffic signs are very useful. Without signs and traffic lights there would be many accidents and arguments on the road.

Traffic sign


CSS General Rusk, built as a merchantman at Wilmington, Del., in 1857, was seized from the Southern Steamship Co., by the State of Texas at Galveston in 1861. She served as reconnaissance and signal boat with the Texas Marine Department in and about the waters of Galveston Harbor during the latter half of 1861, trying unsuccessfully on several occasions to slip past the Federal blockade. In early November 1861 she rendered aid to Royal Yacht following that vessel's capture and firing by Union forces from USS Santee, and managed to save her from complete destruction and tow her to safety. In December 1861 she was ordered to take part in the defense of Buffalo Bayou, San Jacinto River.

Her most memorable exploit was the capture on 17 April 1861 off Indianola, Tex., of SS Star of the West, the first Union transport to make news in the Civil War.

During the early part of 1862 General Rusk was placed by General Hebert, commanding Texas Marine Department, under the control of Maj. T. S. Moise, Assistant Quartermaster, who colluded to transfer the steamer to his associates, authorizing them to place her under the British flag and employ her in blockade running. After a single successful round-trip there under the name Blanche she was bound for Havana in October 1862 when pursued by USS Montgomery, Comdr. C. Hunter, USN. While attempting to escape the steamer was run aground near Marianao, Cuba, and seized by a Montgomery boat crew. Efforts to get her towed off the bar and underway again ended when fire broke out and consumed both ship and cargo. The incident occasioned strong protest from England under whose flag she sailed, and Spain in whose territorial waters she was captured.

References

Ships of the Confederate States Navy
Ship fires
Maritime incidents in October 1862
Blockade runners of the Confederate States Navy
Ships built in Wilmington, Delaware
1857 ships

CSS General Rusk


Martha Carson (March 19, 1921 – December 16, 2004), born Irene Amburgey, was an American gospel-country music singer most popular during the 1950s.

Biography

Early life and rise to fame
Amburgey was born in Neon, Kentucky (since absorbed into Fleming-Neon). She and her two sisters were spotted by radio barn-dance impresario John Lair and invited to join the cast of the WSB Barn Dance in Atlanta in 1938. The Amburgey sisters were given the hayseed names of Minnie, Marthie, and Mattie. After Amburgey left the group and teamed with her husband, mandolin player James Carson, in the 1940s, the stage name stuck and she became Martha Carson. The duo performed (with Martha on guitar) as the "Barn Dance Sweethearts". By the time of her divorce from James Carson in 1950, Martha had begun making solo appearances on Knoxville's WNOX radio. However, she couldn't record because the Barn Dance Sweethearts' label, Capitol, had them contracted through 1957 and refused to let her go solo, instead trying to pair her up with other male singers.

She began doing session work instead, appearing on The Carlisles' "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" and other recordings by that group of unrelated performers headed by WNOX stalwart Bill Carlisle.

Height of her career
Things began to change after Carson met Fred Rose in Nashville. He helped convince Capitol to let her record alone, and in 1951 she made her solo-single debut with "Satisfied", a gospel song she had written in response to audience disapproval over her divorce. The combination of Carson's powerful alto voice and the song's propulsive handclap backbeat formed one of the blocks on which early rock & roll was built. The song featured backup by Carlisle, Chet Atkins, and Carson's sister, Opal, now known as Jean Chapel. Although the song was not a hit at first, it gained momentum continuously over the next several years.

By this time, Carson had written over 24 songs, and toured with country stars, such as Ferlin Husky, Jimmy Dickens, Moon Mullican, and Elvis Presley. After their performances, she and Presley sang gospel duets, and he later claimed that she had more influence on his stage style than anyone else.

In 1954, she married her second husband, Xavier Cosse, a pop music promoter. Thanks in part to her husband, Carson was able to acquire a recording contract with RCA Victor in 1955, for whom she released her first studio album that same year.

By 1955, Carson was living and recording all her work in New York. She had a series of minor hits that included "Journey to the Sky", "This Ole House", and "Saints and Chariot", a combination of two old favorites that Presley later covered in concert. After signing with the William Morris Agency in 1957, Carson and Crosse became full-time residents of New York, and she gained national exposure by appearing on The Steve Allen Show. She moved temporarily away from gospel-oriented music and toward citified country-pop, appearing on Tennessee Ernie Ford's television program and pursuing a style shaped in part by his big, low vocals and pop orchestral arrangements. It was a successful move for a time, but by the late 1950s, her star began to wane.

1960–2004: Later career
She remained in the music scene during the later 1960s and 70s, writing and performing in Tennessee, but she did not record again until the Starday/Gusto company approached her in 1977, asking her to re-record some of her songs for a Greatest Hits album. Carson agreed, and also recorded some of the new songs she had recently written.

In the late 1970s, with her two sons grown, she began to devote more time to her love of music, playing many areas of the southern states. Audiences greeted her with great affection. She made appearances on Pop! Goes the Country and Nashville Now, and one of her songs was featured on an episode of the TV series Fame in 1983. Her comeback was cut short by the illness of her husband, Xavier. She went into retirement to care for him until his death in November 1990.

In 2001, Carson's 80th birthday party was attended by many country singers including Melba Montgomery, Sonny James, Kitty Wells and Stonewall Jackson (musician). On December 16, 2004, Carson died at age 83.

Singles

References

External links
 Martha Carson Homepage

1921 births
2004 deaths
American gospel singers
American women country singers
American country singer-songwriters
Grand Ole Opry members
People from Letcher County, Kentucky
RCA Victor artists
Apex Records artists
20th-century American singer-songwriters
Country musicians from Kentucky
Singer-songwriters from Kentucky
Kentucky women musicians
Singers from Kentucky
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women

Martha Carson


Lawrence Sherry (July 25, 1935 – December 17, 2006) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed relief pitcher from 1958 to 1968, most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1959 World Series as the Dodgers won their first championship since relocating from Brooklyn just two years earlier. After his playing career, Sherry managed in the minor leagues before serving as a major league coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the California Angels.

Early life
Sherry was born in Los Angeles, California, and was Jewish.  He was born with clubfeet, for which he needed surgery as an infant and wore special shoes.  He attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles.  His brother Norm Sherry also played in Major League Baseball (MLB). The two played together on the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 to 1962, and occasionally formed a battery, with Larry pitching and Norm catching.

Baseball career
From Los Angeles, Sherry made his debut with his hometown Dodgers on April 17,  – just their third game after moving west.  Adding to the pressure, the game was played on the road against their hated rivals, the San Francisco Giants, who had also relocated from New York City.  Sherry had a brief outing, facing four batters without recording an out, and appeared in only four more games all year.

But he returned with a solid season in , winning 7 games with only two losses, with an earned run average of 2.19.  He was named MVP of the 1959 World Series, in which the Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox in 6 games, and also received the Babe Ruth Award.  Sherry completed all four Dodger victories during the Series, winning two of them and saving the two others, and had a 0.71 ERA in  innings.

In  he won a career-high 14 games, finished 38 games (4th in the league), pitched in 57 games (6th in the league), and even received support for MVP, coming in 20th in the voting.

In 1961 he was 5th in the NL in saves (15) and games finished (34), and 9th in games pitched (53). In 1962 he was 7th in saves (11) and games pitched (58).

He was traded to the Tigers for Lou Johnson and cash just before the  season, and spent three and a half years with his new club, earning a career-best 20 saves in 1966, 3rd-best in the AL.

He was traded to the Houston Astros for Jim Landis for the second half of the 1967 season, and ended his career with three games for the California Angels in .

Sherry retired with a record of 53–44, 606 strikeouts, 82 saves and a 3.67 ERA in 416 games and  innings.

Through 2010, he was 5th all-time in career games (directly behind Dave Roberts), 8th in strikeouts (directly behind Barney Pelty), and 9th in wins (directly behind Barry Latman) among Jewish major league baseball players.

Coaching career
After his pitching career, Sherry managed in the farm systems of the White Sox (1970–1972) and Pittsburgh Pirates and coached in the Dodgers' minor league organization.  He was the Pirates' MLB pitching coach in 1977 and 1978, then held the same post with the California Angels in 1979 and 1980.

Accolades
In a 1976 Esquire magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Sherry was the relief pitcher on Stein's Jewish team.  [Esquire, Vol. 86 (July, 1976), 74–75, 115.]

In 1993 Sherry was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Sherry marketed a popular 'Larry Sherry Pitch Back' in the early 1960's
that returned a pitched ball.

Death
On December 17, 2006, Sherry died at his home in Mission Viejo, California, after a long battle with cancer.

See also
List of select Jewish baseball players

References

External links

SABR biography
Larry Sherry - Baseballbiography.com
MLB Obituary
Obituary, December 20, 2006, The New York Times

1935 births
2006 deaths
Asheville Tourists managers
Bakersfield Indians players
Baseball players from Los Angeles
California Angels coaches
California Angels players
Deaths from cancer in California
Detroit Tigers players
Fairfax High School (Los Angeles) alumni
Fort Worth Cats players
Great Falls Electrics players
Hawaii Islanders players
Houston Astros players
Jewish American baseball coaches
Jewish American baseball managers
Jewish American baseball players
Jewish Major League Baseball players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball pitching coaches
Mobile White Sox players
Newport News Dodgers players
Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
Pueblo Dodgers players
Santa Barbara Dodgers players
Seattle Angels players
Spokane Indians players
Baseball players from Mission Viejo, California
Baseball players from Orange County, California
St. Paul Saints (AA) players
Tucson Toros players
World Series Most Valuable Player Award winners
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews

Larry Sherry


Chess is a twa-player strategy board gemme played on a chessboord, a checkered gameboard wi 64 squares arranged in an aicht-bi-aicht grid. It is ane o the warld's maist popular gemmes, played bi millions o fowk warldwide at home, in clubs, online, bi correspondence, an in toornaments.

Baith player begins the gemme wi 16 pieces: ane keeng, ane queen, twa ruiks, twa knights, twa bishops, an aicht pawns. Ilkane o the sax piece types muives different. Pieces is uised tae attack an captur the opponent's pieces, wi the objective tae 'checkmate' the opponent's king bi placin it unner an inescapable threat o captur. In addeetion tae checkmate, the gemme can be wan bi the voluntary resignation o the opponent, that teepically occurs whan ower muckle hantle material is lost, or gif checkmate appears unavoidable. A gemme mey result in a draw in several wyes, whaur neither player wins. The coorse o the gemme is dividit intae three phases: openin, middlegame, an endgemme.

The first offeecial Warld Chess Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed his title in 1886; the current Warld Champion is Indian chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. In addeetion tae the Warld Championship, thare the Weemen's Warld Championship, the Junior Warld Championship, the Warld Senior Championship, the Correspondence Chess Warld Championship, the Warld Computer Chess Championship, an Blitz an Rapid Warld Championships. The Chess Olympiad is a popular competeetion amang teams frae different nations. Online chess haes opened amateur an professional competeetion tae a wide an varied group o players. Chess is a recognised sport o the Internaitional Olympic Committee an internaitional chess competeetion is sanctioned bi the Warld Chess Federation (FIDE), which adoptit the nou-standard Staunton chess set in 1924 for uise in aw offeecial gemmes. Thare mony chess variants an aa, wi different rules, different pieces, an different boords.

Syne the seicont hauf o the 20t century, computers hae been programmed tae play chess wi increasin success, tae the pynt whaur hame computers can play chess at a vera heich level. In the past twa decades computer analysis haes contributit significantly tae chess theory, parteecular in the endgemme. The computer Deep Blue wis the first machine tae owercome a reignin Warld Chess Champion in a match, whan it defeatit Garry Kasparov in 1997.

References

Freemit airtins

Internaitional organisations
 FIDE – Warld Chess Federation

Offeecial rules – FIDE Laws o Chess
FIDE leet o tap ratit players
 ICCF – Internaitional Correspondence Chess Federation
 ACP  – Association o Chess Professionals

News
 Chessbase news
 The Week in Chess

Ither
 ChessGames.com – online chess database an community
 Chess records – details o langest gemme, maist passed pawns, fewest captures etc.
Blodig – Wimmer, Bavaria, Germany 1988 : full gemme wi 17 consecutive captures
CHESS RECORDS in Palview leet o unusual chess gemmes (gemmes in full)
 A sample chess gemme
 The Chess Encyclopedie

Abstract strategy gemmes
Board gemmes
Board wargemmes

Gemmes o mental skill
Indie inventions
Sport in Iran
Tradeetional board gemmes

Chess


Władziu (or Vladziu) Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987), best known as Liberace, was an American pianist and vocalist of Polish-Italian origin.

Liberace's career lasted four decades. It included concerts, recordings, movies, television and endorsements. During the 1950s–1970s he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world. He lived a life of flamboyant excess both on and off the stage.

Records
The success of Liberace's syndicated television program made him a popular recording artist. From 1947-51, he released 10 albums. By 1954, it jumped to nearly 70. He released several recordings through Columbia Records, including Liberace by Candlelight. He sold over 400,000 albums by 1954. His most popular single was "Ave Maria", selling over 300,000 copies.

His albums included popular songs at the time, such as "Hello, Dolly!". He also played his versions of classical music for the composed by Chopin and Liszt. Many fans of classical music criticized them (and Liberace's skills as a pianist in general) for being "pure fluff with minimal musicianship". In his life, he received six gold records.

Personal life and death

Liberace was born on May 16, 1919 in West Allis, Wisconsin.

During his career, LIberace denied being homosexual. He successfully won lawsuits against The Daily Mirror newspaper and Confidential magazine, who had reported some of his gay relationships. He was awarded damages and legal fees. Towards the end of his life his chauffeur sued him for "palimony". The lawsuit was unsuccessful.

He died of pneumonia caused by AIDS/HIV on February 4, 1987 in Palm Springs, California, aged 67.

Other reading

Biographies
 Crying All the Way to the Bank, by Revel Barker (Famous Trials) 2009
 The Liberace Story, by Chester Whitehorn (editor). Screen Publications Inc, New York, 1955 (softcover – #4 in the Candid Profile series)
 Liberace: On Stage and Off, by Anthony Monahan. GRT Music Productions, Sunnyvale California, 1976 (hardcover)
 Liberace: The True Story, by Bob Thomas. St. Martins Press, New York, 1987 (hardcover)
 Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, by Scott Thorson with Alex Thorleifson. E.P. Dutton, New York, 1988 (hardcover)
 Liberace: A Bio-Bibliography, by Jocelyn Faris. Greenwood Press, Westport CT, 1995
 Liberace: An American Boy, by Darden Asbury Pyron. University of Chicago Press, 2000, (hardcover) Read an excerpt.
 Liberace (Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians), by Ray Mungo and Martin B. Duberman. Chelsea House Publications

References

Other websites

 The Liberace Foundation
Liberace video footage after winning the case against the Daily Mirror
 Excerpts from Cassandra's column
 Transcript of CNN interview with Scott Thorson about his time with Liberace
 Yesterday's News:  June 18, 1959: Liberace wins libel suit
 Liberace's Greatest Songs DVD review and history of Liberace's syndicated television series.
 Liberace Museum To Close

1919 births
1987 deaths
Deaths from pneumonia
Actors from Wisconsin
American movie actors
American pianists
American stage actors
American television actors
Deaths from AIDS
Gay men
Infectious disease deaths in California
LGBT actors
LGBT musicians
LGBT people from Wisconsin
LGBT singers
Musicians from Wisconsin
Singers from Wisconsin

Liberace


Spherical geometry is the use of geometry on a sphere. It was started for cartography, as well as for making maps of stars. It is different from Euclidean geometry (which is always on a plane), and Non-Euclidean geometry. Points are defined in the same way as they are in Euclidean geometry: A point is at a defined location on the sphere. A "staight line" is different though: It is the shortest path between two points, which stays on the surface of the plane. Some theorems of Euclidean geometry cannot be used on the sphere, many of them have been adapted though.

Fields of geometry

Spherical geometry


George Ernest Wright (September 5, 1909 – August 29, 1974), was a leading Old Testament scholar and biblical archaeologist. An expert in Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, he was especially known for his work in the study and dating of pottery. He was associated with the biblical theology movement.

Biography
He was born on September 5, 1909, in Ohio, son of a Presbyterian minister. He received his B.A. from the College of Wooster (Ohio) and his Bachelor of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1934.  The same year he was ordained in the Presbyterian church.

He studied with William Foxwell Albright at Johns Hopkins University, where he received his M.A. (1936) and PhD. (1937).  He taught Old Testament History and Theology at McCormick Seminary from 1939 to 1958. He joined the faculty of Harvard Divinity School in 1958, where he was Parkman Professor and the Curator of the Semitic Museum (the latter beginning in 1961) until his death from a heart attack on August 29, 1974.

Legacy
Professor Wright published numerous monographs and articles on subjects ranging from biblical theology to Palestinian archaeology.
He was also the founder of the periodical The Biblical Archaeologist, a magazine now known as Near Eastern Archaeology Magazine. He was a staunch defender of the relevance of Old Testament study to the Christian faith.

Archaeological expeditions
During his teaching career, professor Wright directed three archaeological expeditions:
 (1956–1974) Drew-McCormick Archaeological Expedition to Shechem;
 (1964–1965) Hebrew Union College Biblical and Archaeological School Expedition at Gezer;
 (1971–1974) Joint American Expedition to Idalion, Cyprus (1971–1974).

Bibliography
Some of his publications include:
 The pottery of Palestine from the earliest times to the eighteenth century B.C (1937);
 Iron: the date of its introduction into common use in Palestine (1939)
 The Old Testament: Impediment or bulwark of the Christian faith? -McCormick Seminary addresses-(1945);
 God Who Acts, Biblical Theology as Recital (1952);
 The faith of Israel (1952);
 The Biblical doctrine of man in society -Ecumenical biblical studies- (1954);
 The pottery of Palestine from the earliest times to the end of the early Bronze Age (1962);
 Archaeology, history, and theology (1964);
 The challenge of Israel's faith (1956);
 The Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956);
 Biblical Archaeology (1957);
 Bringing Old Testament times to life (1957);
 The Book of the Acts of God: Christian Scholarship Interprets the Bible, with Reginald H. Fuller (1957) Full text. Doubleday.
 A hiding place of sinners: An exposition of Jeremiah 7:1-15 ... -A sermon delivered in the McCormick Seminary Chapel, Feb. 3; to the pre-Lenten conference ... of Harvard Divinity School on Feb. 12.- (1958);
 An introduction to Biblical archaeology -Studies in theology- (1960);
 The Bible and the ancient Near East: Essays in honor of William Foxwell Albright (1961);
 Isaiah (1964);
 Biblical Archaeology (1962);
 The Old Testament Against Its Environment (1962);
 Shechem, Biography of a Biblical City (1965);
 The Book of the acts of God: Modern Christian scholarship interprets the Bible (1965);
 The Old Testament and Theology (1969);
 The thousand years before Christ (1969);
 The book of Isaiah -The Layman's Bible commentary-(1972);

References

External links
 The papers of George Ernest Wright are in the  Harvard Divinity School Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1909 births
1974 deaths
American orientalists
American biblical scholars
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Harvard Divinity School faculty
Christian Hebraists
Old Testament scholars
College of Wooster alumni
McCormick Theological Seminary alumni
American magazine editors
20th-century American writers
20th-century American archaeologists

G. Ernest Wright


Doaba () is the region of Indian Punjab surrounded by the rivers Beas and Sutlej.  The name "Doaba" literally translates to "land of two rivers" ("Do" two, "Ab" river; Farsi).  It is one of the most fertile regions of the world, and was the centre of the Green Revolution in India.  To this day, it remains one of the largest per capita producers of wheat in the world.

The people of Doaba started out as agriculturalists, but have now diversified into education, sports and entrepreneurship.

Punjab, India

Doaba


Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea. It has an extremely short and strangely shaped land border with Åland, an autonomous province of Finland, on the small uninhabited island of Märket in the Baltic.

The name literally means up land, a name which is commonly encountered in especially older English literature. Its Latinised form, which is occasionally used, is Uplandia.

Provinces of Sweden

Uppland


Covent Garden is a huge piazza or open area in London, between the West End and the City of London. It is north of The Strand and east of Trafalgar Square. Once it was a huge fruit, vegetable and flower market with many taverns, theatres, coffee-houses, prostitutes and brothels.

Now it is a huge commercial area and "tourist trap". The former market has been redeveloped, keeping its glass roof and cast iron spans. The area is hugely popular with visitors to London, and has a number of remarkable buildings nearby.

The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, is the main theatre for ballet and opera in London. It has several rehearsal rooms with full-size stages, a large costume department and restaurants.

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is nearby. It has been purchased and restored by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Bow Street is also nearby; it is a boundary road to Covent Garden. This was the road where the original police force of London, the Bow Sreet Runners, was formed in the 1740s. The Bow Street Magistrate's Court was one of the most famous criminal courts in London until it was closed in 2006. It is going to be a boutique hotel.

Areas of London
London Borough of Camden
City of Westminster

Covent Garden