Underscore.js is a JavaScript library which provides utility functions for common programming tasks. It is comparable to features provided by Prototype.js and the Ruby language, but opts for a functional programming design instead of extending object prototypes. The documentation refers to Underscore.js as "the tie to go along with jQuery's tux, and Backbone.js' suspenders." Underscore.js was created by Jeremy Ashkenas, who is also known for Backbone.js and CoffeeScript.

History
Jeremy Ashkenas created Underscore by the end of 2009 as a spin-off from the DocumentCloud project, together with Backbone.js. It was one of the earliest libraries for JavaScript to provide general functional programming utilities, taking inspiration from Prototype.js, Oliver Steele's Functional JavaScript, and John Resig's Micro-Templating.

In 2012, John-David Dalton created a fork of Underscore, named Lo-Dash (now Lodash). Lo-Dash was initially promoted as a drop-in alternative for Underscore with "consistency, customization, performance, & extras". Nevertheless, Lodash already departed from the original Underscore interface at an early stage and started making more drastic changes with the 3.0.0 release, making it necessary for Lodash users to change their code.

In May 2015, Jeremy Ashkenas announced that John-David Dalton had contacted him about merging the libraries back together. Despite concerns about code style and code size, Ashkenas was not opposed to merging some of Lodash's extensions into Underscore. At the time, there were several developers contributing to Underscore and Lodash in parallel; this group of contributors started making changes to Underscore in order to make it more like Lodash.

In parallel to this effort, however, Dalton made more drastic changes to the Lodash interface. In June 2015, he announced Lodash version 4.0.0, which distanced Lodash even further from the Underscore interface, while making a significant departure from the version 3.x series of Lodash itself as well. This prompted some projects that depended on Lodash to create their own distributions of Lodash 3.

In February 2016, Dalton announced that he considered the merge effort to be complete. He suggested that users switch from Underscore to Lodash, motivating this with usage share statistics. A maintainer of Underscore however made clear that there was no intention to stop developing Underscore as a separate library. Both libraries entered a state of low development activity after 2016.

Over time, newer versions of the ECMAScript standard have added built-in functions to the language that replicate some of the functionality of Underscore, such as Object.assign and Array.prototype.map. However, the built-in functions are sometimes less powerful than their Underscore equivalents; in particular, built-in array iteration methods such as map, filter and forEach cannot iterate over plain objects and do not support iteratee shorthands.

As of March 2021, Underscore is being actively developed by Julian Gonggrijp, who started making major contributions in March 2020. The library is still widely depended upon and is being downloaded from npm several million times every week.

Content

In essence, Underscore provides three things:

 A collection of more than 100 reusable functions, which are meant to be practically useful in everyday applications. The documentation distinguishes several categories:
 Collection functions such as find, map, min/max, groupBy and shuffle process collections of data. These functions can operate on the elements of array-like sequences as well as on the properties of objects.
 Array functions such as first/last, flatten, chunk and zip operate exclusively on array-like objects.
 Function functions such as bind, memoize, partial and debounce take a function as argument and return a new function with altered properties (higher-order functions).
 Object functions is a more foundational category, containing many functions that are also reused internally in Underscore. It can be roughly divided in two subcategories:
 Type testing functions such as isNumber, isElement and isDataView.
 Functions such as keys, extend, pick/omit, pairs and invert, which manipulate (plain) objects as data.
 Utility functions is a rest category. Among others, it includes the trivial functions identity and noop and the string manipulating functions escape, unescape and template. This category also includes the functions iteratee and mixin, which could be considered special facilities as in point 2.
 Special facilities, such as chain and iteratee, which combine with the functions under point 1 in order to enable a shorter, cleaner syntax. The special function _, which the library is named after, is central to these facilities.
 Literate source code that is meant to be read, so that it is easy to follow how the library is implemented. The documentation includes a rendered version of the source code, where the comments are on the left and the logic is on the right. The comments are formatted using Markdown and the logic has syntax highlighting. Since version 1.11, Underscore is modular. For this reason, the documentation now includes both a modular version of the annotated source, in which each function is on a separate page and the import references are clickable hyperlinks, and a single read version, where all functions are on a single page by order of dependency.

Overview and examples of functions

Underscore promotes a functional style, where multiple functions can be combined in a single expression in order to obtain new functionality. For example, the following expression uses two Underscore functions to group words by their first characters:

import { groupBy, first } from 'underscore';

groupBy(['avocado', 'apricot', 'cherry', 'date', 'durian'], first);

// result:
// { a: ['avocado', 'apricot'],
//   c: ['cherry'],
//   d: ['date', 'durian']
// }

Underscore functions are not in any way set apart from user-defined functions. Had the user implemented her own first function, the above expression would have worked equally well:

import { groupBy } from 'underscore';

const first = array => array[0];

groupBy(['avocado', 'apricot', 'cherry', 'date', 'durian'], first);

The set of functions provided by Underscore is however specifically chosen to minimize such effort, so that the user can compose functionality out of existing functions rather than writing her own.

Functions that iterate over the contents of an array or object usually take the data as the first parameter and an iterating function or iteratee as the second parameter. In the example above, first is the iteratee passed to groupBy.

Although the iteratee is not required to use them, it receives three arguments in most cases: (1) the value at the current position in the collection, (2) the key or index of this value and (3) the whole collection. In the following example, the second argument is used in an iteratee to pick in order to select only the properties of an object of which the key starts with an uppercase letter:

import { pick } from 'underscore';

const details = {
    Official: 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart',
    informal: 'Wolfie'
};
const keyIsUpper = (value, key) => key[0] === key[0].toUpperCase();

pick(details, keyIsUpper);
// {Official: 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart'}

Many Underscore functions can be used as an iteratee, as previously illustrated with first. Apart from that, there are several common cases where the user can avoid writing an iteratee function, by using an iteratee shorthand instead. In the following example, the string 'name' is used as an iteratee shorthand in order to extract all the name properties from an array of objects:

import { map } from 'underscore';

const people = [
    {name: 'Lily', age: 44, occupation: 'librarian'},
    {name: 'Harold', age: 10, occupation: 'dreamer'},
    {name: 'Sasha', age: 68, occupation: 'library developer'}
];

map(people, 'name');  // ['Lily', 'Harold', 'Sasha']

All functions in the "collection" category, including the groupBy and map functions demonstrated above, can iterate both over the indices of an array and over the keys of an object. This is illustrated below with reduce:

import { reduce } from 'underscore';

const add = (a, b) => a + b;
const sum = numbers => reduce(numbers, add, 0);

sum([11, 12, 13]);                  // 36
sum({Alice: 9, Bob: 9, Clair: 7});  // 25

Besides functions that iterate over arrays or objects, Underscore provides a wide range of other reusable functions. For example, throttle limits the frequency with which a function is evaluated:

import { throttle } from 'underscore';

// The scroll event triggers very often, so the following line may
// slow down the browser.
document.body.addEventListener('scroll', expensiveUpdateFunction);

// Limit evaluation to once every 100 milliseconds.
const throttledUpdateFunction = throttle(expensiveUpdateFunction, 100);

// Much smoother user experience!
document.body.addEventListener('scroll', throttledUpdateFunction);

Another example is defaults, which assigns object properties only if not already set:

import { defaults } from 'underscore';

const requestData = {
    url: 'wikipedia.org',
    method: 'POST',
    body: 'article text'
};
const defaultFields = {
    method: 'GET',
    headers: {'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest'}
};

defaults(requestData, defaultFields);
// {
//     url: 'wikipedia.org',
//     method: 'POST',
//     body: 'article text',
//     headers: {'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest'}
// }

The _ function

Underscore derives its name from the function _, which serves multiple purposes.

Wrapper function

As a function, _ returns a wrapped version of any value that is passed as its first argument. This special object has all Underscore functions as methods, thus enabling a different notation that is referred to as "OOP style":

import _, { last } from 'underscore';

// "Normal" or "functional" style
last([1, 2, 3]); // 3

// "OOP style"
_([1, 2, 3]).last() // 3

This feature is used in chaining (next section). The value can be unwrapped again with the .value() method in order to further process it outside of Underscore. Values also unwrap automatically in some cases.

// Explicit unwrap
_([1, 2, 3]).value()  // [1, 2, 3]

// Automatic unwrap when coerced to number
1 + _(2)  // 3

// Automatic unwrap when coerced to string
'abc' + _('def')  // 'abcdef'

// Automatic unwrap when formatted as JSON
JSON.stringify({ a: _([1, 2]) })  // '{"a":[1,2]}'

Partial application placeholder

_ also acts as a placeholder for the partial function. partial creates a partially applied version of a function and _ can be used to leave some parameters "open" so that these can be supplied later. For example, the groupBy example from the overview can be extended as follows to turn the expression into a reusable function:

import _, { partial, groupBy, first } from 'underscore';

const groupByFirstChar = partial(groupBy, _, first);

groupByFirstChar(['avocado', 'apricot', 'cherry', 'date', 'durian']);
// { a: ['avocado', 'apricot'],
//   c: ['cherry'],
//   d: ['date', 'durian']
// }

groupByFirstChar(['chestnut', 'pistache', 'walnut', 'cashew']);
// { c: ['chestnut', 'cashew'],
//   p: ['pistache'],
//   w: ['walnut]
// }

Customization point

Furthermore, _ serves as a central customization point where users can adjust the behavior of Underscore functions to their needs. Specifically, users can override _.iteratee in order to create new iteratee shorthands, and _.templateSettings in order to customize the template function.

Namespace handle

More generally, all Underscore functions are present as properties on _, for example also _.map and _.debounce. This makes it possible to use _ as a namespace handle. With the arrival of modules in ES6, having such a namespace handle is no longer strictly necessary, but the practice is still commonly found in code using older module systems such as AMD and CommonJS:

var _ = require('underscore');

_.groupBy(['avocado', 'apricot', 'cherry', 'date', 'durian'], _.first);

Given the existing practice, it can also be a convenient notation to clarify that one means a function specifically from the Underscore library and not a function with the same name from another library. For example, both Underscore and Async provide a function named each; to distinguish between them, one may write _.each and async.each, respectively.

Chaining

The function chain can be used to create a modified version of the wrapper produced by the _ function. When invoked on such a chained wrapper, each method returns a new wrapper so that the user can continue to process intermediate results with Underscore functions:

import { chain } from 'underscore';

const square = x => x * x;
const isOdd = x => x % 2;

chain([1, 2, 3, 4]).filter(isOdd).map(square).last()
// returns a wrapper of 9

It is not uncommon for a function implemented with Underscore to consist entirely of a return statement with a chain ending in .value():

const add = (x, y) => x + y;

// Given an array of numbers, return the sum of the squares of
// those numbers. This could be used in a statistics library.
function sumOfSquares(numbers) {
    return chain(numbers)
        .map(square)
        .reduce(add)
        .value();
}

Chaining is not exclusive to the functions that ship with Underscore. Users can enable chaining for their own functions as well by passing them to the mixin function:

import { reduce, mixin } from 'underscore';

const sum = numbers => reduce(numbers, add, 0);

mixin({ sum, square });

chain([1, 2, 3]).map(square).sum().value();  // 14
chain([1, 2, 3]).sum().square().value();     // 36

In fact, this is exactly how chaining is enabled for Underscore's own functions as well. All Underscore functions are written as regular standalone functions, without any special preparations for chaining, and then "mixed into" the _ function afterwards.

Iteratee shorthands

As previously mentioned in the overview, most Underscore functions that iterate over arrays or objects accept a shorthand notation as iteratee instead of a function. Repeating the example from that section here:

import { map } from 'underscore';

const people = [
    {name: 'Lily', details: {age: 44, occupation: 'fire fighter'}},
    {name: 'Harold', details: {age: 10, occupation: 'dreamer'}},
    {name: 'Sasha', details: {age: 68, occupation: 'library developer'}}
];

map(people, 'name');  // ['Lily', 'Harold', 'Sasha']

Under the hood, this notation is enabled by passing the shorthand value through _.iteratee in order to obtain a function. _.iteratee defaults to the iteratee function that ships with Underscore, which, depending on the value, returns a function as follows.

Paths

When the value is a string, iteratee forwards the value to property, which interprets the string as a property key. It returns a function that attempts to extract the property with the given key from its argument. The following expressions are all equivalent:

import { iteratee, property } from 'underscore';

map(people, 'name');
map(people, iteratee('name'));
map(people, property('name'));
map(people, obj => obj && obj['name']);
// ['Lily', 'Harold', 'Sasha']

Arrays and numbers are also passed to property. Arrays can be used to retrieve nested properties:

map(people, ['details', 'occupation']);
// ['fire fighter', 'dreamer', 'library developer']

Numbers can be used as array and string indices. Combining all of this, we can use the following expression to count how many times letters of the alphabet occur as the second character of a person's occupation:

import { countBy } from 'underscore';

countBy(people, ['details', 'occupation', 1]);  // {i: 2, r: 1}

Attribute hashes

When the value is an object, iteratee forwards it to matcher, which interprets the object as a set of attributes that must be matched. It returns a function that will return true or false depending on whether its argument has this same set of attributes.

import { find } from 'underscore';

find(people, {name: 'Sasha'});
// {name: 'Sasha', details: {age: 68, occupation: 'library developer'}}

find(people, {name: 'Walter'});
// undefined

null and undefined

When the value is null or undefined, iteratee returns the identity function that Underscore exports as identity. This can be used to filter out the truthy values from a collection:

import { filter, iteratee, identity } from 'underscore';

const example = [0, 1, '', 'abc', true, false, {}];

// The following expressions are all equivalent.
filter(example);
filter(example, undefined);
filter(example, iteratee(undefined));
filter(example, identity);
// [1, 'abc', true, {}]

Overriding _.iteratee

Users can override _.iteratee in order to create custom shorthands. The following example illustrates how one may use this to implement regular expression filtering:

import {
    iteratee as originalIteratee,
    isRegExp,
    mixin,
    filter,
} from 'underscore';

function iteratee(value, context) {
    if (isRegExp(value)) {
        return string => value.test(string);
    } else {
        return originalIteratee(value, context);
    }
}

mixin({iteratee});

filter(['absolutely', 'amazing', 'fabulous', 'trousers'], /ab/);
// ['absolutely', 'fabulous']

See also

 Lodash
 Prototype.js
 JavaScript framework
 JavaScript library

References

External links

Functional Javascript by Oliver Steele (internet archive; osteele.com only retains a screenshot)
JavaScript Micro-Templating by John Resig, the original inspiration for _.template

JavaScript libraries
Software using the MIT license

Underscore.js


Anna of Hohenstaufen (1230 – April 1307), born Constance, was an Empress of Nicaea. She was a daughter of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and Bianca Lancia.

Empress
She married Nicaean Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes as part of an alliance between her father and her husband. Some historians regard the alliance as a result of their common hostility to the papacy. The marriage occurred in 1244; it is recorded by the chronicles of both George Acropolites and George Pachymeres. Constance took the name Anna following her marriage. Constance was only 14, and was accompanied to Nicaea by a governess, the Marchesa della Fricca. According to George Acropolites the governess became the mistress of John III and "rival in love" of Anna.

In time the Marchesa came to have considerable influence at court. Nicephorus Blemmydes called her "rival empress". However Blemmydes' negative criticism resulted in an attempt at his life by her followers. Blemmydes survived, and Marchesa lost the favor of John III, who dismissed her from court. Blemmydes' account was later included in his autobiography.

Widow
Constance remained empress until the death of her husband on 3 November 1254. Her stepson Theodore II Laskaris succeeded to the throne. By that time Frederick II had also died. Pachymeres records her staying in Nicaea through the reigns of both Theodore II (1254–1258) and her step-grandson John IV Laskaris (1259–1261). Alice Gardner suggested that she was still politically useful as a hostage against the remaining members of the House of Hohenstaufen, particularly her brother Manfred of Sicily.

John IV was underage through his brief reign. His regent and co-ruler was Michael VIII Palaiologos, who maneuvered John IV aside. After the Nicaeans regained Constantinople and re-established the Byzantine Empire, Michael deposed John IV and later blinded him. According to Pachymeres, around this time Michael fell in love with Anna and attempted to marry her, but the widowed Empress rejected him. Deno Geanakoplos points out "what militates against Pachymeres' statement, however, is the question why Michael, merely for love of Anna, would be willing to risk almost certain excommunication by the Patriarch Arsenios without the gaining of an important political benefit." Michael's aim was to gain an alliance with Manfred, but with Anna's refusal, the anger of his own wife, and threat of ecclesiastical censure by Arsenios, Michael dropped the proposal. She was given magnificent presents and allowed to leave the new court for the Kingdom of Sicily in 1263. This gesture secured the release of Michael's general Alexios Strategopoulos, who had been captured by the Despot of Epirus, Michael II Komnenos Doukas.

Again known as Constance, she joined the court of Manfred. When he was killed at the Battle of Benevento (1266) and was succeeded by his victorious enemy Charles of Anjou, Constance fled Sicily for Aragon, where her niece, Manfred's daughter Constance, was the consort of Crown Prince Peter. She remained for some time at the court of King James I of Aragon, but eventually retired as a nun to a monastery in Valencia, where she died.

Notes

External links

1230 births
1307 deaths
Hohenstaufen
Children of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Laskarid dynasty
13th-century Byzantine people
13th-century Byzantine women
14th-century Byzantine women
Empresses consort of Nicaea
Women in medieval European warfare
Women in 13th-century warfare
13th-century Italian women
13th-century Italian nobility
Daughters of emperors
Daughters of kings

Anna of Hohenstaufen


Diuris recurva, commonly called the mini donkey orchid is a species of orchid that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has one or two leaves at its base, up to six small pale yellow and brownish flowers and grows in winter-wet places between Badgingarra and Kalbarri.

Description
Diuris recurva is a tuberous, perennial herb with one or two linear leaves that are  long, about  wide and folded lengthwise. Up to six pale yellow flowers with brownish to dark burgundy-coloured markings,  long and  wide are borne on a flowering stem  tall. The dorsal sepal curves upwards, often backwards and is egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, about  long and  wide. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, green or reddish,  long, about  wide, turned downwards and usually crossed over each other. The petals are more or less erect with an egg-shaped blade  long and  wide on a greenish-brown stalk  long. The labellum is  long and has three lobes. The centre lobe is spatula-shaped,  wide and dark reddish brown with yellow patches. The side lobes are  long and  wide and curve backwards. There is a single raised, ridge-like callus along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs in July and August.

Taxonomy and naming
Diuris recurva was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Northampton, and the description was published in Australian Orchid Review. The specific epithet (recurva) is a Latin word meaning "recurved", referring to the petals and lateral sepals that are curved backwards.

Distribution and habitat
The mini donkey orchid grows mostly in winter-wet heath between Badgingarra and Kalbarri in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains and Jarrah Forest biogeographic regions.

Conservation
Diuris recurva is classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, meaning that is rare or near threatened.

References

recurva
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of Western Australia
Endemic flora of Western Australia
Plants described in 1991
Taxa named by David L. Jones (botanist)

Diuris recurva


Roots & Wings is a digitally released EP from Christian folk/rock group Jars of Clay, which preceded the release of their 2005 studio album, Redemption Songs. The track "What Wondrous Love" is a B-side from the Redemption Songs recording sessions, while "Shipwrecked" and "Tonight" are B-sides from the recording sessions of Who We Are Instead. The latter two tracks can also be found on the bonus disc that was released with the limited-edition version of Who We Are Instead.

Track listing
All songs by Jars of Clay .

Jars of Clay EPs
2005 EPs
Essential Records (Christian) EPs

Roots & Wings


The cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a brightly colored arctiid moth. It is found in Europe and western and central Asia. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control poisonous ragwort. This is because the larvae feeding on the ragwort. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its mostly black wings. Cinnabar moths are about 20mm long and have a wingspan of 32–42 mm (1.3-1.7 in).

Cinnabar moths are day-flying insects. Like many other brightly colored moths, it cannot be eaten. The larvae use members of the genus Senecio as foodplants. Newly hatched larvae feed from under the ragwort leaves to the area of their old eggs. The larvae absorb toxic and bitter tasting alkaloid substances from the foodplants. This makes them unable to be eaten themselves. The bright colors of both the larvae and the moths act as warning signs. Partly due to this they are seldom eaten by predators. An exception is among different species of Cuckoo which eat hairy and poisonous caterpillars including cinnabar moth larvae.

Like several other Arctiidae moth larvae, the cinnabar caterpillars can turn cannibalistic. This can be due to lack of food. Sometimes they can eat other cinnabar larvae for no apparent reason. Females lay up to 300 eggs and usually in clusters of 30 to 60. The larvae start out as a pale yellow. Later larval stages develop the jet black and orange/yellow striped coloring. They can grow up to 30mm, and are voracious eaters; large populations can strip entire patches of ragwort clean, a result of their low predation.

Many do not survive to the pupal stage. This is mainly due to them completely consuming the food source before reaching maturity. This could be a possible explanation for their tendency to engage in seemingly random cannibalistic behaviour. It is common for them to die from starvation.

The moth has proven to be successful as a biocontrol agent for ragwort when used in conjunction with the ragwort flea beetle in the western United States.

References

Arctiidae

Cinnabar moth


MIKE 21 is a computer program that simulates flows, waves, sediments and ecology in rivers, lakes, estuaries, bays, coastal areas and seas in two dimensions. It was developed by DHI.

Simulation engines
MIKE 21 comprises three simulation engines:

Single Grid: the -dependent non-linear equations of continuity and conservation of momentum are solved by implicit finite difference techniques with the variables defined on a space-staggered rectangular grid.

Multiple Grids: the Multiple Grids version uses the same simulation engine and numerical approach as the single grid version. However, it provides the possibility of refining areas of special interest within the model area (nesting). All domains within the model area are dynamically linked.

Flexible Mesh: is an unstructured mesh and uses a cell-centred finite volume solution technique. The mesh is based on linear triangular elements.

Applications
MIKE 21 can be used for design data assessment for coastal and offshore structures, optimization of port layout and coastal protection measures, cooling water, desalination and recirculation analysis, environmental impact assessment of marine infrastructures, water forecast for safe marine operations and navigation, coastal flooding and storm surge warnings, inland flooding and overland flow modeling.

Integrated hydrologic modelling
Hydraulic engineering
Environmental engineering
Physical geography

MIKE 21


CityBird was an airline founded in 1996 and based in Building 117D, Melsbroek Airport in Zaventem. The airline filed for bankruptcy in October 2001. Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium considered buying them out of bankruptcy, but later pulled out.

They flew a fleet of twelve aircraft including the Boeing 767-300ER, various Boeing 737 models (series -300, -400 and -800 aircraft), the Airbus A300-600R and the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. Over 50 European cities were served via Brussels. Citybird employed over 600 employees as of 2001 and was listed at NASDAQ Europe a.k.a. Eastdaq under the ticker symbol CBIR (CityBird holding SA) in November 1997. Though they had bought their first MD-11 in December 1996, they did not begin operations until March 1997.

Their planes offered a "Royal Eagle" business class, "Premium Flamingo" class (not on Newark flights), and "Colibri" economy class.  They used the "point-to-point" approach to air travel rather than the "hub and spoke" wherein all transatlantic flights (from Los Angeles, Newark, Oakland, Miami, Orlando or Mexico City) went to Brussels Airport (BRU).  All aircraft featured the airline's tagline, "The Flying Dream."

In July 1999, CityBird began cargo activities using two A300-600 "full freighters."

Destinations in the western hemisphere

According to the airline's timetable covers, the following destinations in the western hemisphere were served by CityBird from its hub in Brussels:

North America

Cuba
Varadero
Mexico
Cancun
Mexico City
United States
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City (served via the Newark Liberty International Airport)
Oakland (San Francisco was served via the Oakland International Airport)
Orlando

South America
Suriname
Paramaribo

CityBird also served over 50 destinations in Europe from its Brussels hub.

Fleet

 Two Airbus A300-600R
 One Boeing 737-300
 Four Boeing 737-400
 Three Boeing 737-800
 Two Boeing 767-300ER
 Three McDonnell Douglas MD-11

References

External links

CityBird (Archive)
Airlines Remembered

Defunct airlines of Belgium
Airlines established in 1996
Airlines disestablished in 2001
Zaventem
Belgian companies established in 1996
2001 disestablishments in Belgium

CityBird


Kårhamn is a small fishing village in Hammerfest Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway.  The village is located on an isolated peninsula on the northwestern tip of the large island of Seiland.  The village has roads in it, but none of them are connected to the rest of Norway, so boat access to the village is required.  Kårhamn was a part of the former municipality of Sørøysund, but since 1992 it has been part of Hammerfest Municipality.

Kårhamn has a population of about 50 people, where most are employed in the "LeanFish AS" fish processing plant. The village also has a small school, kindergarten, and a grocery store with a post office in it. The grocery store has also recently begun to function as a small library, taking over this service from the school.

See also
List of villages in Finnmark

References

Hammerfest
Populated places of Arctic Norway
Villages in Finnmark

Kårhamn


Greater Manchester is a county in North West England. It has 2.7 million people living there. It was created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. It is made up of ten Metropolitan boroughs: the cities of Manchester and Salford and the large towns of Oldham, Bury, Rochdale, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Stockport, Wigan and Bolton.

It has had a combined authority since 1 April 2011. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has the political leaders from each of the ten metropolitan borough councils, plus a directly elected mayor, with responsibility for economic development, regeneration and transport. Andy Burnham is the first Mayor of Greater Manchester, elected in 2017.

References

Ceremonial counties of England
1974 establishments in England

Greater Manchester


Vivah Panchami is a Hindu festival celebrating the wedding of Rama and Sita. It is observed on the fifth day of the Shukla paksha or waxing phase of moon in the Agrahayana month (November – December) as per Maithili calendar. The day is observed as the Vivah Utsav of Sita and Rama in temples and sacred places associated with Sri Rama in Mithila region of India and Nepal.

Hindu festivals

Vivaha Panchami


A management information system is a system that allows a company to run efficiently, by providing the relevant information the company needs. Nowadays, management information systems use specialized software that runs on a computer. A management information system is usually targeted at economic aspects of running a company, while an executive information system is usually designed for managing staff. The first such systems were built in the 1960s.

Economics

Management information system


Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go! is a 2D-animated children's television series.

It is a reboot of the original Thomas & Friends series that ran from 1984 to 2021. The series was originally set to be the show's twenty-fifth season, before Mattel Television confirmed that it was a new show altogether. It is said to introduce "an entirely new approach to Thomas & Friends content," with a new animation style and story structure. All Engines Go! premiered on September 13, 2021.

Characters

 Thomas (voiced by Meesha Contreras in the US and Aaron Barashi in the UK), a cheeky but hard-working engine who is always there to help his friends. He's always willing to upkeep a "Thomas Promise" and works hard to make up for any mistakes he's made. He simply wants to be the best little #1 tank engine he can be.
 Edward (voiced by ??? in the US and ??? in the UK), one of the oldest engines on the Island of Sodor. He is patient, wise, kind and very hardworking. With years of experience under his buffers, he is ready for anything. Edward enjoys stories set in the past, but dislikes being teased about his age.
 Henry (voiced by ??? in the US and ??? in the UK), a long and fast green tender engine who chugs around wishing everyone a breezy "Good morning!" He can be a bit of a worrier, and he prefers calm days. Henry loves pulling long goods trains and likes good manners and respect towards others.
 Gordon (voiced by Neil Crone in the US and Will Harrison-Wallace in the UK) a wise engine who supervises the other engines. He likes to see others happy and to help the younger engines with his superior strength, but not when they are disobeying his expectations. Gordon is shown to have an interest in bird watching. Gordon's boastful personality has been toned down significantly compared to the original show. While he stills remains stern, grumpy, and easily annoyed, he no longer belittles the smaller engines. Additionally, unlike Diesel or James, Gordon's arrogant traits were almost dropped completely. However, his egotistical personality can be seen in episodes such as The Super-Long Shortcut and Carly's Screechy Squeak.
 James (voiced by Luke Marty in the US (UK; 2021-2022) and Tom Dussek in the UK (2022-present) is proud of his shiny red paint work, and tries to keep it as clean as possible, but is always happy to see his friends and gives them a cheerful greeting whenever he passes by. He can pull any kind of cargo, but he mostly prefers to pull coaches. He is often shown to be quite careless, as he is constantly dropping cargo he is supposed to carry. However, like Gordon and Diesel, he is overall portrayed as much friendlier than he was in the original series.
 Percy (voiced by Charlie Zeltzer in the US and Henri Charles in the UK) is Thomas' best friend, and quite a jokester. He has a lot of hidden courage in him, most of which he isn't aware of. Percy also likes to ring his lucky bell to bring good luck to himself, or his friends in a bad situation.
 Emily (voiced by Kayla Lorette in the US and by Marie Ekins in the UK) loves to keep the Island of Sodor safe and on track. If an engine needs advice or a helping wheel, Emily is the engine for the job. Emily acts as Sir Topham Hatt's private engine, however, Emily is far more confident and level-headed than the railway controller, though she does listen to him despite his dramatic speeches.
 Whiff (voiced by Joe Pingue in the US and Matt Coles in the UK) a bit of a tech whizz who loves inventing new things. He believes that any old or broken parts can be re-used and recycled into something new and useful.  Whiff also seems to know a lot about the history of Sodor, like how there used to be tunnels under Lookout Mountain.
 Hiro (voiced by Kintaro Akiyama in the US and Dai Tabuchi in the UK) a wise engine who is willing to help his friends when they are in trouble.
 Ashima (voiced by Diya Kittur in the US and ??? in the UK), a friendly and cheerful engine, and always enjoys seeing her friends, particularly the Sodor engines. She is also fond of dancing, gladly taking the offer to join her friends when asked. Ashima doesn't mind getting her paintwork dirty, as long as it means being a really useful engine.
 Yong Bao (voiced by Patrick Kwok-Choon in the US and Lobo Chan in the UK), a brave tender engine from China. His visit to Sodor made Thomas a little jealous, but in the end, the two became good friends.
 Nia (voiced by Talia Evans in the US and Sade Smith in the UK) a tank engine from Kenya in Africa. She now lives on Sodor with Thomas and his friends. Her best friends are Thomas, Percy, Diesel and Kana.
 Diesel (voiced by Shomoy James Mitchell (2021-2022), and Will Bhaneja (2022-present) in the US, and Henry Harrison in the UK) a diesel engine who lives on Sodor with Thomas and his friends. His best friends are Thomas, Percy, Nia, and Kana.
 Kenji (voiced by Kintaro Akiyama in the US and Dai Tabuchi in the UK), a high-speed engine. He's super-fast and has won nearly every race there is to win in the world. He is also a kind, hard-working engine who loves helping Thomas, Kana, and all their engines friends.
 Kana (voiced by Ava Ro in the US and by Chloe Raphael in the UK) a little high-speed electric engine that lives on Sodor with her friends. Her best friends are Thomas, Percy, Diesel and Nia.  Kana also has two passenger coaches painted in the same livery as her.
 Riff and Jiff (Riff voiced by Addison Holley in the US (UK; 2021) and Jiff voiced by Evany Rosen (UK; 2021), both voiced by Jessica Caroll in the UK (2022-present) ) cheerful engines who act very friendly towards other competitors alike. Even when anything goes wrong for them, Riff and Jiff still act very positive.
 Farona and Frederico (Farona voiced Humberly Gonzalez in the US (UK; 2021) and Frederico voiced by Thomas Santoro (UK; 2021) and Farona voiced by Jessica Caroll in the UK (2022-present), and Frederico voiced by Matt Coles (2022-present) ) both are arrogant and snobbish in addition to lacking humility, not above boasting to Kenji and demeaning Thomas and Kana, as well as winding up the latter. However, both of them are very unsporting, and even resorted to cheating to try and win. This ultimately turned Diesel, who at the start of the race was one of their biggest fans, against them.
 Carly (voiced by Jenna Warren in the US and Eva Mohamed in the UK) a very helpful crane who is always there to lend a hook when her friends are in trouble. She also acts as a sort of mother figure to Sandy, and while the pair are generally inseparable, the speeder's tendency to go overboard often forces Carly to keep her manic antics in check. While bigger and generally more level-headed than Sandy, Carly admits that of the duo, she is the pair's muscle, whereas Sandy is the only one with the actual know-how to properly fix anything. Despite being far more mature than the rest of the Biggest Adventure Club, Carly is not above juvenile behavior, acting very flustered upon seeing Kenji during The Sodor Cup and hiding with the others during a Halloween storm.
 Sandy (voiced by Glee Dango in the US and Holly Dixon in the UK) a very energetic speeder, and while not the biggest engine on the island, she still enjoys the company of her much larger friends, many of whom recognize that she is a valuable asset to their community. Sandy always participates in a game if she can, and one of her favorite aspects of a race is seeing who the winner is. As such, she'll follow someone closely to see if they'll win or not. Sandy is also very good with small repairs, swapping out Gordon's broken coupling with a new one in seconds without difficulty. Additionally, she is very inventive and likes to build all sorts of gadgets, such as Percy's Biggest Adventure Machine and new wheels for Skiff. She also enjoys playing in mud and sand, particularly the latter. Sandy is always ready to help out wherever possible, but at times she can be a bit over-enthusiastic and will often go overboard and try to make a complex solution for a simple problem.
 Troublesome Trucks (voiced by Jamie Watson (as the green truck) and Cory Doran (as the brown truck) in the USand both voiced by Jai Armstrong in the UK) are rude towards most engines, and love causing problems, although sometimes they fail. They also tend to bicker with each other at times.
 Annie and Clarabel (voiced by Catherine Disher and Linda Kash respectively in the US (UK; CD: 2021-2022, & LK: 2021) and both voiced by Wendy Patterson in the UK (2022-present) ) are very motherly and respectful towards the engines, however, they are rather prone to complaining.
 Bruno (voiced by Chuck Smith in the US and Elliott Garcia in the UK) is described as being smart, relaxed and joyful. He loves making puns and will often use comedy to get through difficult situations. As a brake car, Bruno travels facing backwards at the rear of the train and thus has a unique perspective on the world.  Bruno is also autistic; as a result, he is detail-oriented and likes routine. Bruno in particular likes schedules and timetables and memorizes where all the tracks on the Island lead. For this reason, he is often entrusted with guiding more rambunctious engines such as Diesel and Kana. He also has a special interest in people, his favorite type being mechanics.  Bruno will often emote using his stepladders, which he flaps when sad or excited, or his lantern. He is also sensitive to loud noises and, when stressed out by them, will produce large ear defenders made of steam from his smokejack. Additionally, Bruno has difficulty maintaining eye contact and will usually be looking at his surroundings rather than whoever he is talking to - this does not mean he is not listening, however.
 Harold (voiced by Bruce Dow in the US and by Jai Armstrong in the UK) is always on-hand and ready to help and rescue others who are in trouble or danger. He even utters phrases typically used by pilots, such as "Over!" and "Roger that!". But sometimes, he cannot perform his rescues alone, so he will often resort to asking others for help if he needs it.  Harold's personality is mostly the same as his personality from the original series, however, he no longer teases the engines about how railways are outdated.
 Bulstrode (voiced by Jamie Watson in the US and Will Harrison-Wallace in the UK) a calm and kind barge who can often be seen working at Brendam Docks, collecting freight to take across the big, blue sea, and delivering freight for the engines to collect. This is in direct contrast with his personality from the original series, in which he was ruder than even the rudest engines, and constantly complaining.
 Skiff (voiced by Jamie Watson in the US and Jai Armstrong in the UK) a fun-loving, brave sailboat, willing to take on any new challenge, even if it means a bit of help from his friends. He also appears to suffer from travel-sickness when travelling on flat, dry land.
 Cranky (voiced by Cory Doran in the US and Will Harrison-Wallace in the UK) appears to stick to his personality from the original series, being grumpy, and teasing the other engines. However, he is still a hard worker, and knows what it means to be really useful.  Despite his grouchy nature, Cranky has also been shown to have a soft spot for seagulls, which he doesn't like to show when others are around.
 Sir Topham Hatt (voiced by Bruce Dow in the US (UK; 2021-2022) and Tom Dussek in the UK (2022-present) ) the owner of the Sodor Railway who arranges all the special events on the island. He is the only human character in the series thus far to actually interact and converse with the engines.

Episodes
Season 1 (2021-22)

 "A Thomas Promise" - When Thomas and Diesel both want to deliver the same load to Whiff's Recycling Plant, Thomas suggests they each take half of the load, but Diesel turns it into a race. (First appearance of Thomas, Percy, Kana, Diesel, Carly, Sandy, and Gordon)
 "Thomas Blasts Off" - It's rocket launch day and all the trains get to help deliver the big rocket parts, but when Thomas is assigned a tiny part, he puts it off to help the others with their more exciting parts. (First appearance of Nia and Cranky)
 "License to Deliver" - When Percy has to deliver a new light bulb to the lighthouse at night, Thomas suggests playing secret agents along the way to help Percy forget about his fear of the dark. (First appearance of James, Annie and Clarabel, and the Troublesome Trucks)
 "Rules of the Game" - When Thomas builds an obstacle course for his friends, he gets upset when they won't play with it his way.
 "A Quiet Delivery" Thomas volunteers to get Annie and Clarabel across Sodor without waking them up, only to discover that it's going to be harder than he imagined. (First appearance of Emily)
 "Kana Goes Slow" - When Kana's power goes out during a delivery run, Thomas teaches her that sometimes it's okay to go slow. (First appearance of Henry)
 "Dragon Run" - Thomas has the honor of pulling the dragon to the Medieval Faire, but everyone wants a turn as well. (First appearance of Edward and Sir Topham Hatt)
 "The Biggest Adventure Club" - When Thomas finds a treasure map, he creates The Big Adventure Club to seek the treasure and Sandy wants to join, but Thomas says she's too little, so Sandy forms her own club.
 "Percy's Lucky Bell" - When Thomas borrows Percy's lucky bell for a dangerous delivery, Thomas accidentally loses the bell.
 "Sandy's Sandy Shipment" - When Sandy learns about a massive shipment of sand that needs to be delivered, she is determined to help, despite her size.
 "A Light Delivery" - When the trains must deliver in pairs, Thomas is disappointed to be paired with Diesel instead of his BFF Percy. (First appearance of Kenji)
 "Counting "Cows" - Thomas and Percy volunteer to deliver a herd of cows, but the cows keep wandering off on their own adventures.
 "Music is Everywhere" - When music-lover Nia gets stranded before a big concert she's been waiting to see, Thomas brings the concert to her.
 "Backwards Day" - Thomas misunderstands the Backwards Day game and accidentally delivers the wrong cargo to the wrong places.
 "Chasing Rainbows" - Thomas and Kana journey across Sodor to find the prize at the end of the rainbow. (First appearance of Bulstrode)
 "Nia's Balloon Blunder" - When a parade balloon Nia is set to deliver flies away, Thomas helps Nia adjust her plans to get it back.
 "Capture the Flag" - When Percy loses Nia's parade flag before the big parade, Thomas helps them search for it before the event begins.
 "Mystery Boxcars" - Kana is upset when she keeps running out of power, but a mystery scavenger hunt is just the thing to cheer her up.
 "Super Screen Cleaners" - Thomas pretends to be a hero to help ensure the movie screen Nia is delivering arrives clean and pristine.
 "Overnight Stop!" - Percy feels anxious about spending a night away from home during an overnight delivery with Thomas and Nia.
 "The Joke is on Thomas" - When Thomas and Percy's plan to surprise Diesel goes awry, the two friends still manage to cheer up Diesel... just not in the way they expected.
 "Lost and Found" - When Thomas helps Nia make a delivery to the beach in Norramby, he insists he knows a shortcut and leads the way; it turns out his memory isn't as good as he remembered.
 "Thomas' Day Off" - When all the trains but Thomas get deliveries, he's left to spend the day alone; with the help of an old boxcar and a battered beachball, an adventure unfolds.
 "The Real Number One" - When Thomas' #1 gets covered by paint, Diesel's comment about Thomas not being number one anymore causes him to doubt himself.
 "Roller Coasting" - Percy really wants to go on a rollercoaster so his friends Thomas, Kana and Nia work together to make it happen.
 "No Power, No Problem" - Thomas is so excited to show Annie and Clarabel's passengers the scenic views of Sodor. However, the power is out, and the outage causes problems all over the island.

References

American children's television series
2021 American television series debuts
British children's television series
Canadian children's television series

Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go


Oryzias latipes, also called the medaka or Japanese rice fish, is a freshwater fish. It lives in small streams and waterways. Its body is grayish brown on light yellow. It has a dark brown line on its back.

These fish usually lay eggs in spring and summer. They have very strong kidneys, so they can tolerate more salt than most freshwater fish.  If they get used to it slowly, they can live in seawater.

These fish live about one year and several months.

Appearance
They are approximately  long. Their dorsal and ventral fins are far in the back of their bodies.

Relationship with humans

The medaka fish spawn at about the same time of year that people put water into rice paddies, so they often live in the paddies.

Food and water
These fish eat zooplankton and the larva of mosquitoes, which live in the water.

Teleosts

Oryzias latipes


Joseph Hallie Keaton (July 6, 1867 – January 13, 1946) was an American vaudeville performer, eccentric dancer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton and appeared with his son in several films.

Life and career
Keaton was born a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana, to Libbie Jane and Joseph Francis Keaton IV. Leaving home in 1889, the year of the Land Rush, he homesteaded in the Oklahoma territory for a time, securing a claim three and a half miles northwest of Edmond. A few months into Keaton's residency, the neighboring homesteader (a Canadian whom Keaton had befriended on their shared journey west) was murdered and partially buried by a claim jumper; the body was subsequently discovered, and "justice was meted out" to the murderer by Keaton and a group of three or four men that included Robert Galbreath Jr.

On May 31, 1894, Joe Keaton eloped with Myra Edith Cutler, who became known as Myra Keaton. Myra performed with Joe in a vaudeville act called the Two Keatons. Joe and Myra's first child was Joseph Frank Keaton, who became known as the silent film actor Buster Keaton; their other children were Harry Keaton and Louise Keaton.

When Buster was only a few years old, he joined the act, which became the Three Keatons. The act was a rough-and-tumble one, with Buster being thrown around on stage most of the time. As the years went by, Joe Keaton became an alcoholic; when Buster was 21, Myra left him, taking Buster with her.  However, after Buster found success in silent film, he supported Joe and gave him small parts in several movies. Myra and Joe reunited, but eventually split up again. He lived alone in a Hollywood hotel for many years.  He stopped drinking with the help of a girlfriend who was a Christian Scientist.

Death
Joe Keaton died on January 13, 1946, at his home in Hollywood after a long illness, according to the New York Times. However, Buster later said he was hit by a car, and state death records show that he died in Ventura. He was buried in Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, California, in an unmarked grave. In 2018, Keaton fans around the world raised the necessary funds and had the grave marked with a headstone.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also
 Myra Keaton
 Harry Keaton
 Louise Keaton

References

External links

 Keaton biography

1867 births
1946 deaths
American male silent film actors
American male film actors
Male actors from California
Male actors from Indiana
American people of Scotch-Irish descent
Vaudeville performers
Actors from Terre Haute, Indiana
People from Ventura County, California
20th-century American male actors

Joe Keaton


Dice chess can refer to a number of chess variants in which dice are used to alter gameplay; specifically that the moves available to each player are determined by rolling a pair of ordinary six-sided dice. There are many different variations of this form of dice chess. One of them is described here.

Rules

The players alternate rolling the dice and, if possible, moving.  On each die, the 1 represents a pawn, 2 a knight, 3 a bishop, 4 a rook, 5 a queen, and 6 a king.  The player may move either of the pieces indicated on the two dice.  For example, a player rolling a 1 and a 2 may move either a pawn or a knight.  A player who rolls doubles (the same number on both dice) may play any legal move.  Otherwise, standard chess rules apply, with these exceptions:
 a player who has no legal move with either of the pieces indicated by the dice loses that turn (passed turn);
 if castling is otherwise legal, a player may castle upon rolling a 4, 6, or doubles;
 an en passant capture of a pawn is possible only if the player rolls a 1, or doubles, immediately once the opportunity for the en passant capture arises;
 a player who is in check can only play a legal response to that check (capturing the checking piece, moving the king, or interposing a piece);
 a player who is in check but does not make a roll allowing a legal response to the check loses that turn, but does not automatically lose the game;
 except in the unlikely event that the game ends in a draw pursuant to the standard rules of chess, the game ends when one player either checkmates the opponent or captures the opponent's king.

Sample game

Here is a sample game of dice chess:

White rolls doubles, allowing her to play any move, and selects 1.e4.  Black rolls a 2 and a 3; no bishop move being possible, he plays 1...Nc6.  White rolls a 3 and a 4, and plays 2.Bc4.  Black rolls a 4 and a 5; since no queen move is possible, he must play the only legal rook move, 2...Rb8.  White rolls a 3 and a 6, and plays 3.Bxf7+.  Black rolls a 2 and a 4; since no knight or rook move is a legal response to the check, he must pass.  (Only a 6, or doubles, would have allowed him to move.)  White rolls a 2 and a 4, and chooses 4.Nf3.  (A 3 or 5 would have enabled an immediate win with 4.Bxe8, 4.Qf3 or 4.Qh5#).  Black rolls a 1 and a 3; again, this does not allow a legal response to the check, so he must pass.  White rolls a 2 and a 4, and plays 5.Ng5#, ending the game (see diagram).

Rules variants
There is no standard  for dice chess, and so games called dice chess may have different rules to the ones given here.

For example, in the version of dice chess given on the BrainKing site:
 The players roll only one die.
 Pawns may move from the seventh to the eighth rank not only on a roll of 1 (when they promote to a piece of the player's choice), but also on a roll of 2, 3, 4 or 5 (when they can promote only to the piece specified by the roll).
 There is no check or checkmate. Rather, the goal is to actually capture the king.

Another form of dice chess is Vegas Fun Chess, whose rules are described on The Chess Variant Pages. That site also states that "Pritchard's Encyclopedia of Chess Variants contains descriptions of seven versions of what he calls 'Dice Chess'."

John Gollon, in his book Chess Variations: Ancient, Regional, and Modern, notes three ways in which dice may be used in connection with a game of chess. The most common is similar to that described in the preceding sections. A second way to use dice is to have each player roll one die on each turn, with the number rolled indicating the number of moves to be played. The maximum number of moves that can be played is usually four, so a roll of a 4, 5, or 6 allows the player to make four moves. A third form of the game uses two dice of contrasting colors, with one determining the piece that can move, and the other the number of moves that the piece makes.

History
Anne Sunnucks writes that there is evidence from the literature of the period that dice were used to play chess in Europe between the 11th and 14th centuries, and even earlier in Burma and India. The dice were thrown before each turn to determine the piece to be moved; the same numbering system as set forth above was used (1=pawn, 2=knight, etc.). In the Burmese form of the game, three dice were thrown and each player made three moves at a time. Vladimir Pribylinec writes that the cubes in Cubic Chess move as in orthochess by a symbol uppermost as is described in both editions of Pritchard's Encyclopedia of Chess Variants, first published in 1977. In the variant Protheus cubes are turned on the adjacent squares.

See also
 Chaturaji

References

Chess variants
Roll-and-move board games

Dice chess


Khuiqer was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh known only for a limestone lintel bearing part of his royal titulary, found in Abydos by Flinders Petrie at the beginning of the 20th century, and now located at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (E 17316 A-B). His datation is extremely uncertain since he was tentatively placed in both the First and the Second Intermediate Period.

Dynastic collocation
After the finding of the lintel, Petrie believed the royal name to be Uaqerre but was doubtful about his datation, and simply placed him between the Seventh and the Fourteenth Dynasties. Shortly after, Gaston Maspero attributed the mysterious king to the Sixth to the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt range. Max Pieper more correctly read the name Khuiqer, claiming that this king should have reigned between the Thirteenth and the 18th Dynasties. Ludwig Borchardt came to the same conclusion, while in 1907 Henri Gauthier, following instead Maspero, placed him again in the First Intermediate Period. When, more recently, the German Egyptologist Detlef Franke proposed the existence of the Abydos Dynasty (a dynasty of local pharaohs who might have shortly ruled upon the Abydene territory during the Second Intermediate Period), he placed Khuiqer inside of it. Jürgen von Beckerath attributed him to the Second Intermediate Period too, following the claim that the block came from a building of Senusret I, although he admitted that Khuiqer's Horus name, Merut, seemed peculiar for this period. This Horus name was also the main topic for Kim Ryholt's attribution: he argued that Merut is too simple when compared to the Horus names of the Second Intermediate Period, which usually are composed or two or even three different words. Ryholt then suggested an earlier placement for Khuiqer, at an imprecise time during the First Intermediate Period.

References

22nd-century BC Pharaohs
21st-century BC Pharaohs
Non-dynastic pharaohs
First Intermediate Period of Egypt

Khuiqer


The Telugu people are an ethnic group in India, who speak Telugu as their first language. They come from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There is also a large Telugu population in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Telugu language is the third-most spoken native language in India and the fourth most in the Indian subcontinent, following Hindi, Bengali and Marathi.

References

Ethnic groups in India

Telugu people


The  Sun Temple of Modhera is a Hindu temple dedicated to the solar deity Surya located at Modhera village of Mehsana district, Gujarat, India. It is situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati. It was built after 1026-27 CE during the reign of Bhima I of the Chaulukya dynasty. No worship is offered now and is protected monument maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. The temple complex has three components: Gūḍhamanḍapa, the shrine hall; Sabhamanḍapa, the assembly hall and Kunḍa, the reservoir. The halls have intricately carved exterior and pillars. The reservoir has steps to reach the bottom and numerous small shrines.

History
The shrine proper of the Sun Temple was built during the reign of Bhima I of Chaulukya dynasty. Earlier, during 1024–1025, Mahmud of Ghazni had invaded Bhima's kingdom, and a force of around 20,000 soldiers had unsuccessfully tried to check his advance at Modhera. Historian A. K. Majumdar theorizes that the Sun Temple might have been built to commemorate this defense. On a block in western wall of cella, there is an inscription "Vikram Samvat 1083" upside down carelessly incised in Devnagari script which correspond to 1026-1027 CE. No other date is found. As the inscription is upside down, it evidences the destruction and reconstruction of the cella. Due to the position of the inscription, it is not firmly considered as the date of construction. On the stylistic ground, it is known that the Kunda with its corner shrines was built earlier at the beginning of the 11th century. The inscription is considered as the date of destruction by Ghazni instead of the construction. Soon after Bhima had returned to power. So the temple proper, the miniature and the niche shrines in the tank were built shortly after 1026 CE. The dancing hall was added much later in the third quarter of the 12th century along with the gateways, the porch of the temple proper and the doorframes of the temple and the cella during the reign of the Karna.

The temple is built on 23.6° latitude (approximately near Tropic of Cancer). The place was later known as Sita ni Chauri and Ramkund locally. No worship is offered here now. The temple is the Monument of National Importance and is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India.

It was added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2022.

Architecture
The temple complex is built in Māru-Gurjara style (Chaulukya style). The temple complex has three axially aligned components; the shrine proper (garbhagriha) in a hall (gudhamandapa), the outer or assembly hall (sabhamandapa or rangamandapa) and a sacred reservoir (kunda).

The Sabhamandapa is not in continuation with Gudhamandapa but is placed little away as a separate structure. Both are built on a paved platform. Their roofs collapsed long ago leaving behind a few lower-most courses. Both roofs are 15' 9" in diameter but are constructed differently. The platform or plinth is inverted lotus-shaped.

Gudhamandapa and Garbhagriha

The Gudhamandapa measures 51 feet 9 inches by 25 feet 8 inches. It is almost equally divided into Gudhamandapa, the hall and Garbhgriha, the shrine proper. Both are rectangular in plan with one projection on each of the smaller sides and two projections on each of the longer sides. These projections on the smaller sides form the entrance and the back of the shrine. The three projections of the outer wall of Gudhamandapa had windows on each side and the east projection had the doorway. These windows had perforated stone screens; the northern is in ruins and the southern is missing. Pradakshinamarga is formed by the passage between the walls of Garbhgriha and the outer walls of Gudhamandapa. The roof of passage has stones slabs carved with rosettes. The Shikhara of it no longer exists.

Garbhagriha
The Garbhagriha, the shrine proper or sanctum sanctorum is square measuring 11 feet from inside.

The shrine had two cells; a cell below the level of the upper cell. The floor of the upper cell is now fallen which once housed the image of a deity. The seat of the image is now in a pit. The lower cell was probably used for storage.

The walls inside the shrine are plain and the outer wall is decorated. The doorway has carved figures of seated Surya in panels surrounded by dancers and amorous couples. All figures are mutilated and the images on the door-lintel are completely destroyed.

The sanctum sanctorum is designed in a way that the first rays of rising sun lit up the image of Surya during solar equinox days and on summer solstice day, the sun shines directly above the temple at noon casting no shadow.

Gudhamandapa

Base moldings
The outer walls of the shrine is highly decorated.
The base and walls of the shrine and hall are divided into several stretches with unique carvings. the Pitha or adhisthana, the base has the two square members called Bhat followed by a cyma recta carving (lower part convex and upper part concave). It is followed by padma or padmaka, the molding in form of an inverted lotus. The next is antarita, a fillet or an astragal with a sharp edge between two recesses. Above this is patta having thin molding called chhaja at its lower edge. The next is another chhaja separated by neck, alinga. The next broad band, patti, is gajathara carved with elephants. The following band narathara has figures of men in different attitudes.

Mandovara or wall moldings
Mandovara, the wall moldings start with kumbha, a pitcher. It has a broad undecorated band at the lower part while the middle part is decorated with oval discs. It is followed by kalasha, a pitcher. The next is a broad band with chaitya-windows called kevala followed by similar called manchi. These two bands are separated by a deep band. There is a thin fillet above which the major paneled face of the wall called jangha exist. These panels are decorated with figures of gods but the figures of Surya are placed prominently than others as the temple is dedicated to him. Other panels are decorated with dancers and other figures.

The figures of Surya are prominently carved on three niches of shrine proper as well as on each side of three windows in the outer wall of Gudhamandapa. The figures of Surya is in standing position with two arms holding lotuses and driven by seven horses. It has some Persian influences. The walls have 12 niches showing the different aspects of Surya in each month. Other figures include eight Dikpals, Vishwakarma, Varuna, Agni, Ganesha, Saraswati.

Every figure in the panel has a small cornice over it surmounted with a triangular pediment consisting of chaitya-a window which is called udgam. The next projecting band with chaitya-window and kirtimukha is called malakval. The topmost is the major cornice called chhajli.

This is followed by shikhara which no longer exist. The Vimana had horizontal geometrical and figurative bands which rising to create the Mount Meru-like shikhara. The central spire had Urushringa, the miniature shrines. It is judged by the shrines on the steps of Kunda.

Mandapa
The Mandapa, a hall was roofed by a dome which probably rose in a concentric manner. It is supported by eight principal pillars below arranged in an octagon, four pillars in front of shrine proper and two each in the recesses of windows and door.

Sabhamandapa

Sabhamandapa or Rangamandapa, the assembly hall or dancing hall is parallelogram in plan with rows of pillars opening entrance on each side diagonally. The extensively carved exterior has a series of recessed corners giving an impression of the star-like plan of it. There are 52 intricately carved pillars. Madhusudan Dhaky has suggested that the sabhamandapa may have been later addition based on style and construction.

Base moldings
The pitha is almost similar to the Gudhamandapa but smaller as two courses of fillets are omitted. The padma is carved richly here with floral ornamentation.

Wall moldings
Above the Narathara, there is a band with figures of dancers and gods known as rajasena. The next is vedi which correspond to jangha of mandovara decorated with large panels of gods, goddesses, and floral designs. The next is cornice called asinot. It followed by kakshasana which slopes outwards and forms the back-rests of the bench, asana which runs around the hall. There are erotic figures on it interrupted by rail-patterns.

Ceiling and torana
The roof was in shape of the stepped pyramid but it no longer exists. Inside, the walnut-shaped ceiling rises in tiers which has numerous floral girdles. It is 23 feet high. It is supported by pillars arranged in an octagon. These pillars have stilts that support the lintels. Torana or the decorated cusped arches arise from the lower brackets of the pillars and touch the lintels in middle. There are two types; semicircular and triangular. The semicircular arches have cusped arches with tips while triangular arches have a round apex and wavy sides. Both types have a broad band decorated with figures and tips which are now defaced and damaged. The lower brackets has Makara which gives the name of Makara-Torana while decoration gives name of chitra-torana.

Pillars

The pillars of Sabhamandapa and Gudhamandapa are of two types; short and tall. The short pillars rest on the walls and support the roof. The tall pillars rise from the floor.

Short pillars
The shaft is square in shape to half of its height followed by the vase and then followed by an octagonal shaft. It is surmounted by a capital and a bracket. The square part has a floral design in a circle on each side of the face. The vase is decorated similarly on its corners. The octagonal part has four bands; the topmost has kirtimukha.  The capital has three annulets.

Tall pillars
They arise from square or octagonal base, kumbhi, with triangular ornamentation on each face. Above it is kalasha. It is followed by a deep band and the next is kevala decorated with chaitya-windows. the next is kirtimukha. The next is triangular pediment with chaitya-windows.

The next is the beginning of the shaft. It is first decorated with standing figures, mostly dancers, on all eight faces enclosed in ringed pilasters. The next band with scenes of men and beasts is separated from it by the round pillow-like band. It is followed by a still smaller band with sixteen standing human figures separated by small annulet below. The next is a band of leaves. Then the shaft becomes circular and had three or four bands having a row of male warriors, lozenges, circles and kirtimukha at last. The kirtimukhas are separated by chain and bell ornamentation.

It follows capital similar to small pillars crowned with makara brackets if eight stilted pillar and dwarfs in the rests. the eight stilted pillars have one more shaft and similar type of capital which is crowned with brackets of volutes and pendant leaves.

Iconography
The panels on the Gudhamandapa is decorated with Surya centrally which indicates that the temple is dedicated to Surya. These images wears peculiar West Asian (Persian) boots and belt. The other corners and niches are decorated with figures of Shiva and Vishnu in various forms, Brahma, Nāga and goddesses. The depicted scenes on small flat ceilings and lintels of sabhamandapa are from epics like Ramayana.

Kirti-torana
There was a kirti-torana, the triumphant arch, in front of sabhamandapa. The pediment and torana no longer exists but two pillars remains. The moulding and decoration is similar to that of walls of sabhamandapa and pillars. There were two more kirti-torana on each side of the kunda of which only one exists without upper part.

Kunda

Kunda, a tank or reservoir is known as Ramakunda or Suryakunda. The flight of steps through kirti-torana leads to the reservoir. It is rectangular. It measures 176 feet from north to south and 120 feet from east to west. It is paved with stones all around. There are four terraces and recessed steps to descend to reach the bottom of the tank. The main entrance lies on west. There are steps to reach from one terrace to another on right angle to terrace. These steps are rectangular or square except the first step of each flight of steps which is semicircular. Several miniature shrines and niches in front of terrace-wall have images of gods including many Vaishnavite deities and goddesses such as Shitala.

Stepwell
The stepwell on the west of Kunda has one entrance and two pavilion-towers. It is moderately ornamented. The door-frame has lotus and leaves and the ruchaka type pilasters indicate it belongs to 11th century. The small mandapa above the ground level and located on the second kuta of stepwell may belong to tenth century.

Modhera dance festival

The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat organises an annual three-day dance festival known as Uttarardha Mahotsav at the temple during the third week of January, following the festival of Uttarayan. The objective is to present classical dance forms in an atmosphere similar to that in which they were originally presented.

In popular culture

Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration Hindoo and Mahommedan Buildings refers to a coloured engraving of "a splendid sculptured Portico of a Temple dedicated to Mahadeo, at Moondheyra in Guzerat" and in it she meditates upon the vastness of this structure. The original painting is by David Roberts.

Gallery

See also
Becharaji
Patan, Gujarat

Notes and references

Notes

References

Further reading

 Surya: The God and His Abode, Parijat, 2010,
Burgess, Jas & Cousens, Henry, The Architectural Antiquities of Northern Gujarat, Bharatiya Publishing House, Varanasi, 1975
Brown Percy, Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods), D.B. Taraporewala Sons & Co. Ltd. Bombay, 1975
Sankalia, Hasmukh. D., The Archaeology of Gujarat (Including Katiawar), Natwarlal & Co. Publishers, Bombay, 1941
Majumdar, Ashok Kumar, Chaulukyas of Gujarat, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, 1956.

External links

Hindu temples in Gujarat
Surya temples
History of Gujarat
Destroyed Hindu temples
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1026
11th-century Hindu temples
Cultural history of Gujarat
Tourist attractions in Mehsana district
Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat
Māru-Gurjara architecture
World Heritage Tentative List for India

Sun Temple, Modhera


In psychiatry, an informant is someone who can report on a case without causing observer effects. For example, informants may be family members or friends of a psychiatric patient. Informants are particularly important when the patient's lucidity is questionable; for example, in cases of dementia, or when the patient is a child.

Data collected from informants must be used with caution, because informants are rarely in a position to provide completely accurate information. In such cases, it is necessary to interview multiple informants and combine the data. Further compounding the difficulty, informants may also suffer from conditions themselves, which makes them more likely to describe others as having the informant's condition. It is not clear whether this makes them more or less objective than healthy informants.

See also
 Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly

References

Psychiatric assessment

Informant (psychiatry)