The New York Bandura Ensemble is a New York based music ensemble currently led by singer and bandurist Julian Kytasty. The ensemble is devoted to various forms and styles of Ukrainian music, from Renaissance and Baroque, through authentic folk, to contemporary and avantgarde music, presenting unusual repertoire through its "Bandura-Downtown" concert series. The ensemble plays an important role in preservation of Ukrainian folk music, as well as in dissemination thereof in North America. It has a longstanding residency at the Ukrainian Museum in New York City, and often collaborates with the Yara Arts Group.

The New York Bandura Ensemble has many different line-ups of musicians, depending on the nature of each project. Its members at various times include
Julian Kytasty- music director.
Natalia Honcharenko
Michael Andrec
Roman Turovsky
Michael Alpert
Gisburg
Jurij Fedynskyj
Ilya Temkin
Victor Mishalow
Frank London

The New York Bandura Ensemble receives support from the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and NYSCA.

History
The ensemble was originally established as a children's ensemble by rev. Serhiy Pastukhiv in 1968. Under his direction the New York School of bandura and with it the New York Bandura Ensemble grew to encompass over 200 musicians and became a significant force in the Ukrainian community in New York.

In 1979 The ensemble was directed by Volodymyr Yurkevych  before falling into the capable hands of Julian Kytasty. Under his direction the ensemble has gone through many transformations and recorded a number of CD's.

References

Bandura ensembles
Musical groups from New York City
Kobzarstvo
Ukrainian music

New York Bandura Ensemble


Las Acacias is a 2011 Argentine drama film directed by Pablo Giorgelli. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot
Rubén is a middle-aged Argentinian truck driver transporting timber between Paraguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina. One day, at a truck stop, he picks up a young Paraguayan woman, Jacinta, whom his employer had told to take to Buenos Aires. To Rubén's surprise, Jacinta brings along her five-month-old daughter, Anahí.

Rubén makes little conversation at the start of the journey. At a border crossing, Jacinta tells the guard she is visiting her cousin on a three-month visa, though she later explains to Rubén her cousin will help her find a job in Buenos Aires. Soon Jacinta's baby needs feeding and they pull over at a truck stop. Rubén considers buying a bus ticket for Jacinta, but changes his mind after learning the next bus is not until tomorrow. They continue their journey on through the night. When Rubén nearly falls asleep at the wheel, Jacinta suggests they should pull over for the night to rest.

The next day, Rubén stops at a small town to visit his sister and give her a belated birthday present. The sister is not home, but Jacinta states she is not in a hurry, so they spend a few hours by a nearby lake. They return to Rubén's sister's house, where Rubén gives his sibling his present, and they continue with the drive to Buenos Aires. When they get there, Rubén drops Jacinta off at her cousin's house. She is met by several relatives who are happy to see her and Anahí.

Giving his goodbyes, Rubén suggests Jacinta join him on his next trip the following week, and she agrees.

Cast
 Germán de Silva as Rubén
 Hebe Duarte as Jacinta
 Nayra Calle Mamani as Anahí

Reception
The film received a 75 percent positive rating on the film-critics aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 review with an average rating of 7/10, following its US release on 7 September 2012.

Variety, reviewing the film in 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival, called it a "[d]elicate yet rigorously executed", and said the film represented "a master class in low-key but wholly effective [acting], as characters played by German De Silva and Hebe Duarte get to know each other via dialogue that would barely cover 20 written pages. Slow-burning pic takes a while to warm up, but once it gets going, it's a corker that could enchant as an ultra-niche release...." Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times  said, "The very definition of modest, Las Acacias articulates emotional transformation with simplicity and grace. Rarely has a film managed to say so much while saying so little." In the UK, critic Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said the film "unfolds almost wordlessly, but very eloquently, and the unforced performances of its two leads make it absolutely beguiling." However, Keith Uhlich of Time Out New York, while giving it three of five stars, called the film "charming yet slight" and that it "at worst, comes off as more piddling romantic comedy than penetrating character study."

Awards
The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and the Silver Condor for Best Film at the Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards.

References

External links

2011 films
2011 drama films
2010s Spanish-language films
Argentine drama films
Caméra d'Or winners
2010s Argentine films

Las Acacias (film)


René Abjean (born 22 November 1937) is a French composer associated with Breton revivalist choral music.

Life
Born in Brest, René Abjean made his début as a musician in the choir of Plouguerneau in 1953. At age 17, he created his first vocal work as part of a choral group Ar Baganiz, a precursor of the Breton revivalism of An Triskell, for which he made many arrangements. He co-founded the Cercle Breton de Brest, and organised the Festival International des Cornemuses at Brest from 1969.

In 1974, he published a monograph on Breton music, wrote for several journals and contributed the chapter on Breton music in L'Histoire littéraire et culturelle de la Bretagne. In 1975, he took over the leadership of the Ploudalmézeau choir, and in 1977 of that at Le Folgoët. These were later reconstituted as the "Ensemble Choral du Bout du Monde", which he led until he passed it to Jo Le Gad in 1988.

In 1977, with Pierre-Yves Moign, he founded the "Centre Breton d'Art Populaire" in Brest, over which he presided from 1979 to 1981; he was also associated with the creation of Radio Bretagne Ouest (Radio Breizh Izel). He was a member of the New York Academy of Sciences from 1997 to 1999. He was decorated with the Order of the Ermine. He is married to Marie Kermarec.

Compositions
Abjean has written numerous sacred and secular choral works, often setting the Breton language, such as the Missa Keltia in 1975, the cantatas Ar Marc'h Dall in 1979, War Varc'h d'ar Mor in 1987 and Kan evit ar Peoc'h in 1989. He has also arranged sea shanties. He regularly works with the Chœur d'Hommes Mouezh Paotred Breizh, created in 1993 by his friend Jean-Marie Airault. 1999 saw the first performance of the cantata Une Ville vers la mer to words by Heather Dohollau; in 2000 he wrote with Christian Desbordes a cantata for the millennium, Kalon ar Bed to words by Job an Irien. The cantata Liñvadenn Ker Is was created for the 50th anniversary of the "Fédération Kendalc'h". His 2004 cantata for the male choir "Mouezh Paotred Breizh", Ce Pays vers la mer, Bro ar mor braz, this land and the sea was recorded in 2005 and distributed by Coop Breizh at Spézet.

References

1937 births
20th-century classical composers
Musicians from Brest, France
French composers
French male composers
Living people
20th-century French male musicians

René Abjean


The Walton War was an 1804 boundary dispute between the U.S. states of North Carolina and Georgia over the twelve-mile-wide strip of land called the Orphan Strip.   The Orphan Strip was given to Georgia in 1802. Georgia and North Carolina thus had a shared border. Problems arose when Georgia established Walton County in the small piece of land, because the state boundaries had never been clarified, and it was unclear as to whether the Orphan Strip was part of North Carolina or Georgia.

The Walton War remained a dispute primarily between the settlers and the Walton County government until John Havner, a North Carolinian constable, was killed and North Carolina's Buncombe County called in the militia.  By calling in the militia, North Carolina effectively asserted authority over the territory, causing the Walton County government to fail. In 1807, after two years of dispute, a joint commission confirmed that the Orphan Strip belonged to North Carolina, at which point North Carolina extended full amnesty to previous supporters of Walton County. The Walton War officially ended in 1811 when Georgia's own survey reiterated the 1807 commission's findings, and North Carolina took full responsibility for governing the Orphan Strip.

Causes of war

The Orphan Strip and cession

The Orphan Strip is the name given to a small, twelve-mile-wide strip of land bordering North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia in what is currently Transylvania County, North Carolina. This piece of land was given the name because none of its bordering states accepted to govern it, and for a period of time it was considered no-man's land. South Carolina initially governed the land, but it was ceded to the federal government after the American Revolution, in 1787. In turn, the federal government gave the land to the Cherokee of the area, who gave it back to the federal government in 1798. At this time, the land was not under the direct control of any state, and settlers with land grants from South Carolina or North Carolina began to settle there.

Following the Revolutionary War, the new federal government encouraged states to cede their claims of land (dating to colonial charters) between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains to the United States. After the Yazoo land scandal in Georgia, Georgia finally ceded its claimed land, which now makes up Alabama and Mississippi, to the federal government in return for the orphan strip in 1802. This cession was finalized in 1802 with the Act of Cession, in which Georgia was given small pieces of land including the Orphan Strip. The act did not clarify whether the region was to be governed by North Carolina or Georgia, and it did not define state boundaries. When both North Carolina and Georgia claimed ownership of the orphan strip, a confrontation occurred and they called out armed militia to dominate in the area.

Creation of Walton County

After the Orphan Strip was ceded to Georgia in 1802, settlers living there became confused and wanted protection.  In 1803, Georgia created Walton County for the settlers living in the region. This new county was named after George Walton, a senator and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.  Historians still debate whether Georgia created Walton County to provide order for the settlers or to compete with North Carolina, but its creation evoked serious confusion and conflict in the small Orphan Strip. Settlers with land grants from South Carolina accepted the new Georgian government and rejected North Carolina's Buncombe County government. By contrast, settlers with land grants from North Carolina rejected the Walton County government. This difference in allegiances was a minor problem at first, but when the Walton County government tried to collect taxes, the problem developed into a much larger issue.

Course of the war
The war reached its zenith in late 1804, when the Walton County government tried to collect taxes in the Orphan Strip. Settlers who claimed to be part of North Carolina's Buncombe County refused to pay these taxes, which resulted in multiple confrontations of Buncombe supporters. Some argue that these confrontations were, in fact, the major battles of the war at McGaha Branch and Selica Hill while others argue that the Walton War consisted of no real battles. Either way, these confrontations were usually violent, and even led to the war's only definite casualty. On December 14, 1804, John Havner was killed after being hit in the head with a musket. Havner's death led to the decision of the Buncombe County government to bring in the militia for protection, and on December 19 Major James Brittain led a detachment of 72 militiamen into the Orphan Strip. Upon their arrival, the militia arrested ten officials from Walton County and took them to Morganton, North Carolina to be tried for the murder of John Havner. All ten prisoners managed to escape and flee before the trial had begun, but it was later concluded that Samuel McAdams was responsible for Havner's death. The appearance of the North Carolinian militia and the arresting of the ten Walton County officials effectively led to the collapse of the Walton County government because the county was too isolated from Georgia's main cities for a strong defense of the Georgian claim to be made.

End of the war
For two more years the governors of North Carolina and Georgia could not reach an agreement on the boundary line, so in 1807 they agreed to a joint commission to resolve the quarrel. The two leaders of the survey, Joseph Caldwell, president of the University of North Carolina, and Joseph Meigs, president of the University of Georgia, concluded that the entire Orphan Strip rested inside North Carolina's territory.  Although Georgia ignored the commission's findings and continued to govern until 1811, North Carolina gave amnesty to everyone who had supported Walton County during the war. Georgia finally admitted defeat in 1818 with the creation of a new Walton County elsewhere within its territory, and that county still exists.

Ellicott's Rock
Because Georgia was not willing to accept the 1807 commission's conclusion, Georgia hired prominent surveyor Andrew Ellicott to survey the boundary once again. Ellicott reinforced what the commission had found and marked the location of the border at Ellicott's Rock on the east bank of the Chattooga River.

The orphan strip after the war
North Carolina took official governorship of the Orphan Strip in 1811, and in 1838 it was made into part of Henderson County. In 1861, pieces of Jackson County and Henderson County were split off to create present-day Transylvania County, where the Orphan Strip is located today.

1971 revival
In 1971, in what some press reports called a symbolic, humorous dispute, the two states briefly revisited the issue. A Georgia legislative panel declared that the state did in fact have authority over part of the old Orphan Strip. North Carolina legislators responded by authorizing the governor to mobilize the National Guard to defend the area, but no troops were mobilized. The matter was soon allowed to drop again, with no change to any boundaries. In 1992 the state of North Carolina erected a historical highway marker along U.S. Route 276 southeast of Brevard to commemorate the dispute.

References

Works cited

External links
"The Walton War", Chattooga Conservancy, by Carol Greenberger
"The Walton War", by Shawna Hall
"The Walton War", About North Georgia, by Richard E. Irby Jr.

Conflicts in 1810
History of North Carolina
History of Georgia (U.S. state)
History of South Carolina
Internal territorial disputes of the United States
Internal wars of the United States
1810 in North Carolina
1810 in Georgia (U.S. state)
1810 in South Carolina

Walton War


Eric Douglas Saumarez, 7th Baron de Saumarez (born 13 August 1956), is a British hereditary peer.

Life
Born and brought up in Suffolk, Saumarez is the son of James Victor Broke Saumarez, 6th Baron de Saumarez, by his marriage to Joan Beryl Charlton. He was educated at Milton Abbey School in Dorset, the University of Nottingham, and the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.

He married, firstly, Christine Elizabeth Halliday, daughter of Bernard Neil Halliday, on 14 July 1982, and they had two children, Claire (born 23 February 1984) and Emily (born 14 June 1985). They were divorced in 1990. On 2 September 1991 Saumarez married secondly Susan Hearn, daughter of Joseph Hearn.

Also in 1991 Saumarez succeeded to the title of Baron de Saumarez, of Guernsey, and was a member of the House of Lords until it was reformed by the House of Lords Act 1999. In 2003 he was living at the family estate of Shrubland Park, Coddenham, but sold it in 2006. He later settled on the island of Guernsey, where his family originated.

Historical context
Baron de Saumarez, of the Island of Guernsey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created on 15 September 1831 for the naval commander Admiral Sir James Saumarez, 1st Baronet. He was succeeded by his eldest son. James, the second Baron, a clergyman, who was succeeded by his younger brother, John, the third Baron.

The ancestral family seat was at Le Guet, Castel, on the island of Guernsey, with a second seat from 1882 at Shrubland Park, near Ipswich, Suffolk. Shrubland Park was sold by the present Lord de Saumarez in 2006 after the death of his mother. The Saumarez Manor estate in Guernsey belongs to a senior line of the family from which the Barons de Saumarez are descended: Matthew de Sausmarez (1718–1778), father of the first baron, was the younger brother of John (1706–1774), of Sausmarez Manor.

Arms

Sources
Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.

References

1956 births
7
People educated at Milton Abbey School
Alumni of the University of Nottingham
Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University
Eric
English twins
Living people
People from Coddenham
de Saumarez

de:Baron de Saumarez

Eric Saumarez, 7th Baron de Saumarez


Alberto Cañas Escalante (16 March 1920 – 14 June 2014) was a politician, writer, intellectual, public servant, and journalist from San José, Costa Rica. He is known as one of the most important figures in the cultural, political, and social life of Costa Rica during the latter half of the twentieth century. The National Library System of Costa Rica credits Cañas with more than 4,773 publications as of 2005.

He was Vice Minister of International Relations (1955–1956), ambassador (1956–1958), and a two-time deputy (1962–1966 and 1994–1998). Additionally, he was the first Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports (1970). He edited several newspapers: Diario de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Daily), La República (The Republic), and Excelsior (Excelsior). He wrote editorials for La Nación (The Nation), La Prensa Libre (The Free Press), and Semanario Universidad (University Weekly). Cañas is the great-grandson of General José María Cañas Escamilla.

Biography

Cañas was born in San José. His sister taught him to read at the age of three. He attended elementary school at the Edificio Metálico (Metal Building), a San José landmark. Cañas attended secondary school at Liceo de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Lyceum), where he graduated in 1937. He attended the University of Costa Rica, studying law and graduating as an attorney in 1944. His thesis involved the nature of political parties. Studying at the same time as Cañas were other national politicians including Rodrigo Facio, Carlos Monge, Gonzalo Facio, Jorge Rossi Chavarría, Daniel Oduber, and Hernán González. After the Costa Rican Civil War, this group of intellectuals would change the nature of Costa Rican politics.

In 1944, Cañas began working for Diario de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Daily), San José-based newspaper. Because he was concerned largely with social questions, Cañas joined the Center for the Study of National Problems. In the 1946, Cañas wrote "Elegía Inmóvil" ("Unmoving Elegy"), a book-length poem that brought him international attention, although he would shortly thereafter abandon poetry to focus on politics and letters.

In 1950, he founded and edited La República (The Republic), another Costa Rican newspaper. He later founded and edited Excelsior. He also wrote "Una Casa en el Barrio Carmen" ("A House in the Carmen Neighborhood") in 1965, a book for which he received considerable praise. It was reprinted at least four times.

Political life

Cañas became the Costa Rican ambassador to the United Nations in 1948 and 1949. He contributed to the writing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was Vice Minister of International Relations from 1955 to 1956 and a San José deputy for the National Liberation Party from 1962 until 1966. From 1970 to 1974, Cañas served as Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports. During his time there, he encouraged the development of cultural and literary values among Costa Ricans. He was President of the Legislative Assembly 1994–1995. Cañas helped found the Citizens' Action Party (PAC for its Spanish initials) in 2002 along with members of the two leading political parties of the country. He served as president of PAC's Political Commission.

Academic life

In 1971, Cañas founded the National Theater Company. Among his duties, he was a theatrical teacher, promoter, and creator. He worked in the College of Science and Letters at UCR.

Additionally, he served as President of the Journalists Association in 1952, President of Editorial Costa Rica since 1960, President of the Writers Association from 1960 to 1961, and board member of the governing Social Security organization in 1989, among other responsibilities. Since 1967, Cañas has served as a chairperson of the Language Academy of Costa Rica, a position which has since been made permanent.

Later years

Cañas was a permanent member of the Costa Rican Academy of Language. Additionally, he hosted "Así es la cosa" ("Here's the Thing") on Radio Monumental, alongside Fernando Durán and Álvaro Fernández. Cañas also wrote "Chisporroteos" (Crackles), a newspaper column for more than forty years which made him one of Costa Rica's most prolific authors. He was also a professor at the University of Costa Rica in the school of Social Sciences.

On 14 June 2014, Cañas died of complications after intestinal surgery. He was 94.

Awards

In 1965, Cañas won the "Premio Aquileo Echeverría de Cuento" ("Aquileo Echeverría Story Prize") for his work book "Una Casa en el Barrio Carmen." In 1976, he won the Magón National Prize for Culture. In 1964, he won the Premio García Monge (García Monge Prize) for the promotion of culture. Cañas has won numerous other awards. He received an honorary degree from the State Correspondence University and the commendation of "Comendador de la Orden de Liberación de España" (Commander of the Order of Spanish Liberation) in 1951, membership in the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1957, and the Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity) in 1959. He won the Pío Víquez Prize for Journalism in 2012 for his long career as a journalist.

Selection of books
"OCHENTA AÑOS NO ES NADA." Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, 2006
"UVIETA."  REI Centroamérica, 1999
"FELIZ AÑO, CHAVES CHAVES." Editorial Cuarto Poder, Buenos Aires, 1975
"LA EXTERMINACION DE LOS POBRES." Editorial Costa Rica, 1974
"LA SEGUA Y OTRAS PIEZAS." Educa, San José, 1974
"EN AGOSTO HIZO DOS AÑOS." Editorial Costa Rica, 1968
"AQUÍ Y AHORA." Editorial Costa Rica, 1965
"EL LUTO ROBADO." Editorial Costa Rica, 1963
"LOS 8 AÑOS." Editorial Liberación Nacional, 1955
"ELEGÍA INMOVIL." Editorial El Cuervo, 1946

References

External links
 Biobibliography of Alberto Cañas, prepared by Costa Rican National Library System
 "Una Casa en el Barrio Carmen" by Alberto Cañas, Spanish

1920 births
People from San José, Costa Rica
Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica) politicians
Costa Rican diplomats
Permanent Representatives of Costa Rica to the United Nations
Costa Rican male short story writers
Costa Rican short story writers
Costa Rican male writers
Costa Rican journalists
Male journalists
Costa Rican dramatists and playwrights
Male dramatists and playwrights
Presidents of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
Culture ministers of Costa Rica
Youth and Sports ministers of Costa Rica
2014 deaths
20th-century dramatists and playwrights
20th-century short story writers
20th-century male writers

Alberto Cañas Escalante


Boomburb is a neologism principally promoted by American Robert E. Lang of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech for a large, rapidly growing city in the United States that remains essentially suburban in character, even as it reaches populations more typical of urban core cities. It describes a relatively recent phenomenon in a United States context.

Definition
Boomburbs are defined as incorporated places in the top 50 Metropolitan areas in the United States of more than 100,000 residents, but that are not the core cities in their metropolitan areas and have maintained double-digit rates of population growth (10% or more) over consecutive censuses between 1970
and 2000.

As of the 2000 Census, the United States contained 54 boomburbs, which accounted for about half of the 1990s growth in cities with between 100,000 and 500,000 residents.

List of boomburbs
Robert E. Lang of Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech lists 54 boomburbs as following:
^Not on Robert E. Lang's original list.

 Arizona
Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Tempe
 California
Anaheim, Chula Vista, Corona, Costa Mesa, Daly City, Escondido, Fontana, Fremont, Fullerton, Irvine, Lancaster, Moreno Valley, Oceanside, Ontario, Orange, Oxnard, Palmdale, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, Santa Clarita, Santa Rosa, Simi Valley, Sunnyvale, Temecula^, Thousand Oaks
 Colorado
Aurora, Arvada^, Lakewood, Thornton^, Westminster
 Florida
Clearwater, Coral Springs, Davie^, Hialeah, Miramar^, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach^
Kansas
Olathe^, Overland Park^
Illinois
Aurora^, Elgin^, Joliet^, Naperville, Schaumburg^
 Michigan
Warren^, Sterling Heights^, Livonia^
 Nevada
Henderson, North Las Vegas
 Oregon
Hillsboro^, Gresham^
 Texas
Allen^, Arlington, Carrollton, Frisco^, Garland, Grand Prairie, Irving, McKinney^, Mesquite, Pasadena^, Pearland^, Plano, Richardson^, Round Rock^, Sugar Land^
 Utah
West Jordan^, West Valley City
 Washington
Bellevue, Everett^, Kent^, Renton^, Vancouver^
 Other States
Meridian, Idaho^; Cary, North Carolina^; Rio Rancho, New Mexico^; Chesapeake, Virginia

The boomburbs listed above are based on the populations of cities determined by and definitions of metropolitan areas used in the 2000 Census. Boomburbs have occurred mostly in the Southwest, with nearly half developing in areas of central and southern California.

See also
Edge city

Notes

References
Lang, Robert E. and Jennifer B. LeFurgy (2007). Boomburbs:  The Rise of America's Accidental Cities.  Brookings Institution Press.
Lang, Robert and Patrick Simmons (2001). "Boomburbs: The Emergence of Large, Fast-Growing Suburban Cities in the United States." Fannie Mae Foundation, Census Note 06.
Lang, Robert (2003). "Are the Boomburbs Still Booming?" Fannie Mae Foundation, Census Note 15.
Knox, Paul and Linda McCarthy (2005). Urbanization: An Introduction to Urban Geography. Pearson/Prentice Hall. Second Edition. pp. 163, 164, 560.
Hayden, Dolores (2004). A Field Guide to Sprawl. W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 26–27, 118.

External links
Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech
"Is Anaheim the New Brooklyn?" by Robert E. Lang and Jennifer LeFurgy, Planetizen

Urban studies and planning terminology
Human habitats
Suburbs

Boomburb


Eloise Southby-Halbish (born 6 July 1976) is an Australian sports commentator and former netball player. She was co-captain of the Melbourne Phoenix with fellow goaler, Sharelle McMahon, and also played for the Australia national netball team.

Netball career
Southby-Halbish appeared in 132 Commonwealth Bank Trophy matches for the Phoenix and represented Australia in 34 Tests in the positions goal shooter and goal attack.

Identified early in her career as a highly talented shooting prospect, Southby-Halbish made her international debut in early 1998, at the age of 21. Southby-Halbish's arrival on the international scene coincided with a period where Australia was rich in shooting talent - with the likes of Vicki Wilson, Nicole Cusack, and Jennifer Borlase all laying claim to the main shooting positions. This overflow of talent saw Southby-Halbish overlooked for the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 Netball World Championships, however she was recalled to the team in 2000.

Southby-Halbish was renowned for her accuracy, strength, and netballing acumen. Her combination with international-level shooter Sharelle McMahon was one of the most successful shooting combinations, with Southby-Halbish's vision and timing complementing McMahon's speed and athleticism.

Southby-Halbish's career received a blow when she was forced to withdraw from the squad to represent Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games with a recurring ankle injury. She subsequently retired just before the start of the interstate home and away season, after playing a starring role in Melbourne Phoenix's comprehensive premiership in 2005.

Southby-Halbish won five premierships with Melbourne Phoenix, a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2002, and a World Championships silver medal in 2003.

Media commentator
Following her retirement, Southby-Halbish became a commentator with ABC Sports, calling Commonwealth Bank Trophy matches and international tests. Southby-Halbish co-wrote a novel Anna Flowers with a netball theme. Southby-Halbish moved to Fox Sports as commentator for the new ANZ Championship competition in 2008.

Personal life
Eloise Southby-Halbish is the daughter of Carlton premiership player Geoff Southby and occasionally appeared on Fox Footy's Living With Footballers.

References

External links
Stride Sports Management profile

1976 births
Living people
Australian netball players
Australia international netball players
Netball players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
Commonwealth Games medallists in netball
Netball players from Victoria (state)
Melbourne Phoenix players
Esso/Mobil Superleague players
Australian netball coaches
Australian netball commentators
2003 World Netball Championships players
Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games

Eloise Southby-Halbish


Yosu National University () was a government-run university in Yeosu City, on the coast of South Jeolla province, South Korea. It is now the Yosu campus of Chonnam National University, after merging with it in March 2006. Although it has a strong traditional focus on fisheries study, the university now offers programs in a wide range of fields, such as Chinese studies and business administration. The 2002 undergraduate enrollment was reported at 6,461, with 453 graduate students. 166 full-time instructors were employed.

History
Yosu was the first school of fisheries science to be opened in Korea. It was founded in 1917 as "Yosu Public Miniature Fisheries School" (여수공립간이수산학교). University presidents during this period were all Japanese. After national liberation in 1946, the school moved to its current location, and management was taken over by the South Korean government. It was made a technical school in 1963, and a technical college in 1975. In 1987 it became a full college with seven departments, but remained specifically a Fisheries College. The school became a university (Yosu National Fisheries University) in 1993, and changed its name to simply Yosu National University in 1998. The school began granting doctoral degrees in 1997.

In March 2006, Yosu National University merged with Chonnam National University.

See also
List of colleges and universities in South Korea
Education in South Korea

External links

Defunct universities and colleges in South Korea
Yeosu
1917 establishments in Korea
Universities and colleges established in 1917

Yosu National University


The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse is an indie folk artist from the Scottish Highlands (born Ray McCartney on 1 February 1981 in Paisley, Scotland).

History
Ray McCartney started writing music under the moniker, The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, towards the end of 2009 while recovering from brain surgery. He had previously performed as Little Beard in The Kazoo Funk Orchestra from 2005–2008 and as Sir Fred in El Jugador from 2002–2005.

The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse cites his influences as the Violent Femmes, Beck, Hank Williams and O'Death.

While mostly a solo artist, The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse occasionally performs with a backing band. Caliente Mellonhawk (Cailean Macleod) plays drums and Keef (Keith Pearce) plays bass.

One Zero One Zero One Zero
Ramisco released his debut album, One Zero One Zero One Zero, on 10 October 2010. The ten track album was recorded in Ayrshire, Scotland. Papel Y Creyonnes, which was written in Spanish, was included on episode 223 of the Three From Leith podcast. About a month after the release of One Zero One Zero One Zero, Ramisco was interviewed for the Kowalskiy Scottish Music Blog.

Fajita's Basement
On 28 March 2011, Ramisco released, Fajita's Basement, a four track EP recorded in Mississauga, Canada. The Waiting Room Radio Show broadcast the opening track "Blame You, Blame You" on Houndstooth Radio, Radio Phoenix, Xpress Radio and ErrorFM. Fajita's Basement received a review on the Kowalskiy Scottish Music Blog. Last Years Girl blog included "Won't You Sleep" in a mix and provided a short review.

Mr Asterisk + Fajita's Basement
Ramisco also released a compilation on CD and cassette tape entitled, Mr Asterisk + Fajita's Basement. The compilation featured "Never Stop", "The Shrinkin' Railroad Shtomp", "Eatin' On My Memories" and "My 'Orns" from One Zero One Zero One Zero in addition to the four tracks from Fajita's Basement. This was Ramisco's first release on CD and/or cassette tape, as earlier releases were only available as digital downloads. The Curious Joe blog posted a review of the compilation.

The Acoustoblaster Tour
On 2 April 2011 Ramisco went on a one-day tour of Glasgow, Scotland with fellow artist Tragic O'Hara. The tour moved across the city as the day progressed with short sets performed at nine venues including King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. Each performance was recorded onto cassette tape and handed to a member of the audience at the end of the show. The tour also included a live flip chart art show by Harvey GreenDog.

The Roadside Attraction Tour
The Roadside Attraction Tour took place in August 2011. The tour included stops at various roadside attractions in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Most notably, a giant rocking chair in Austinburg, Ohio, a field of giant corn cobs in Dublin, Ohio and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Ramisco performed a short set at each stop.

BBC Session
On 10 November 2012, Ramisco recorded a session for BBC Television with his backing band The Wat Wat Kings at BBC Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. The session featured three tracks and is due to air as part of series 6 of Rapal on BBC Alba. The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse and The Wat Wat Kings performed "Seas Air Do Chorra-bhiod" on episode 3 which aired on 7 March 2013.  "Danger Danger" and "Blame You Blame You" on episode 10 which aired on 25 April 2013.

Squawk!
The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse released Squawk! on 4 March 2013. The EP features eight tracks including "Danger Danger", which made its radio debut on BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal during the Rapal show on 31 January 2013. Squawk! also features "Seas Air Do Chorra-bhiod" which is Ramisco's first and only Gaelic track to date. "Seas Air Do Chorra-bhiod" was named Gaelic Song of the Year 2012 by BBC Alba's Rapal.

"Danger Danger" was picked as a Fresh Fav on Tom Robinson's website Fresh On The Net (1 April 2013) and was play-listed on the BBC Introducing Mixtape on BBC Radio 6 Music; "The Shrinkin' Railroad Shtomp" was played by Baylen Leonard on his show, The Front Porch (9 November 2013); Following that, Ramisco performed an acoustic version of "Under the Sky" for Traxx Radio's Top 50 of 2013 (2 February 2014). Tom Robinson later play-listed "Under the Sky" on the BBC Introducing Mixtape (15 September 2014), played it on The Tom Robinson Show (20 September 2014) and featured it in the BBC Introducing Best of 2014 Mixtape (28 December 2014).

Living Indie TV
Ramisco was shortlisted and performed at The 100 Club in London as part of the Living Indie TV Road to Santa Maria final, the show was broadcast live on Living Indie TV and archived on their website.

Hoofography
On 30 September 2015, Radio Kaos Caribou broadcast an exclusive 2-hour audio biography of The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, which was otherwise known as the Hoofography. The Hoofography featured the majority of songs recorded by Ramisco as well as tracks by The Kazoo Funk Orchestra, El Jugador, Weapon Of Choice, Lindsay Llewellyn and Oak Hero, all of which have been associated with Ramisco at some point in time. During the show, Ramisco also spoke of his brain surgery, his time with The Kazoo Funk Orchestra and his more recent production work for Lindsay Llewellyn and Oak Hero. The broadcast was accompanied by an interview facilitated by the independent music blog, Ralph's Life. The interview received over 3000 hits during the initial broadcast of the Hoofography, which sent it straight to No. 1 in Ralph's Top Ten Blogged Band Chart.

Possessed by the Gods of Cowbell Oblongata
Possessed by the Gods of Cowbell Oblongata is a 4-track EP, recorded by Ramisco between 29 July and 5 August 2015. On 23 August 2015, the lead track, "And We Will Dance", was debuted on Jim Gellatly's Amazing Radio show and was played again on 6 September 2015. "And We Will Dance" was also featured on Radio Kaos Caribou; playlisted for The First 45 on Sine FM; playlisted on The Roddy Hart Show on BBC Radio Scotland (14 September 2015) and included in Tom Robinson's BBC Introducing Mixtape on BBC Radio 6 Music on 21 September 2015. "Holy Barnacles" was debuted on Baylen Leonard's Amazing Radio show, The Front Porch on 5 September 2015.

Discography
 One Zero One Zero One Zero – Planet Groucho Records (2010)
 Mr Asterisk + Fajita's Basement – Planet Groucho Records (2011)
 Fajita's Basement – Planet Groucho Records (2011)
 Squawk! – Planet Groucho Records (2013)
 Possessed by the Gods of Cowbell Oblongata – Planet Groucho Records (2015)

References

External links

 The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse on Soundcloud

Scottish folk musicians
Scottish rock musicians
Scottish male songwriters
1981 births
Living people
Scottish multi-instrumentalists
British indie folk musicians
One-man bands

The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse


The Gandhi Peace Award is an award and cash prize presented annually since 1960 by Promoting Enduring Peace to individuals for "contributions made in the promotion of international peace and good will." It is named in honor of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi but has no personal connection to Mohandas Gandhi or any member of his family.

Recent Award winners include Rabbis Arik Ascherman and Ehud Bandel of Rabbis for Human Rights (2011), Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! (2012), Bill McKibben of 350.org (2013), Medea Benjamin of Code Pink (2014), Tom B.K. Goldtooth (2015), Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative Nonviolence (2015), Omar Barghouti (2017), Ralph Nader (2017), Jackson Browne (2018), Dr. Zaher Sahloul of MedGlobal, and Mayson Almisri, a leader of the Syrian "White Helmets" (2020), and Kali Akuno, co-founder of Cooperation Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi.

Since 1960, when the first Award was accepted by Eleanor Roosevelt, the Award has been presented in person to "peace heroes" who have exemplified to the members of Promoting Enduring Peace the courage of nonviolent resistance to abusive power, to armed conflict, to violent oppression, and to environmental negligence. The Award is also intended to recognize individuals for having made significant contributions, through cooperative and non-violent means in the spirit of Gandhi, to the struggle to achieve a sustainable world civilization founded on enduring international peace.

In the 21st Century the Award is especially intended by its presenters to honor those whose lives and works exemplify the principle that international peace, universal socioeconomic justice, and planetary environmental harmony are interdependent and inseparable, and all three are essential to the survival of civilization.

The Award itself is symbolized by a heavy medallion and a certificate with an inscription summing up the recipient's work. The medallion, forged from Peace Bronze (a metal rendered from decommissioned nuclear missile command systems, evoking "swords into plowshares"), features Gandhi's profile and his words "Love Ever Suffers/Never Revenges Itself" cast in bronze. The Award has been presented at a ceremony held typically once a year in New York or New Haven at which the recipient is invited to present a message of challenge and hope.

History
The Gandhi Peace Award was conceived by the founder of Promoting Enduring Peace, Yale Professor Jerome Davis. Davis first proposed the award to the board of Promoting Enduring Peace on 13 March 1959, with the name intended to pay tribute to the modern era's foremost advocate of nonviolent resistance, and partly to help rectify the failure of the Nobel Committee to award its Peace Prize to Gandhi before his death in 1948. The Award has been issued since 1960, when it was first presented to Eleanor Roosevelt, and consists of a certificate, a ceremony, and the presentation of a bronze medallion inscribed with a quotation by Gandhi: "Love Ever Suffers / Never Revenges Itself." A prominent New York sculptor, Don Benaron/Katz, was commissioned to create a work of art to serve as the symbol of the Award. He researched Gandhi at the library of the India House in New York City and by 1960 had carved a striking bas-relief portrait in wood of the founder of the century's international movement for nonviolent change. He wrote of the medallion he also created, "I carved the Gujarati word for peace on one side, and on the other a symbolic plowshare and pruning hook inspired by Isaiah 2:4...″
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Since 2011 the Award has included a cash prize. The presentation ceremony is held in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. At present the laureates are and have been North Americans and British subjects. A book about the Award from its inception through 1997, In Gandhi's Footsteps: The First Half Century of Promoting Enduring Peace, was written and published by James Clement van Pelt.

Notable laureates
In 1989 the Award was presented to Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers of America, for his use of nonviolent tactics, including a national consumer boycott, to improve the conditions and compensation for migrant farm workers. (His acceptance speech may be viewed here.)

In 2011 the Award was presented to Rabbi Ehud Bandel and Rabbi Arik Ascherman for their leadership of Rabbis for Human Rights and its nonviolent resistance to the persecution of Palestinians in the occupied territories. (Their acceptance speeches may be viewed here.)

In 2012 the Award was presented to Amy Goodman for her contribution to promoting a sustainable peace through the promotion of transparently truthful journalism—one essential part of which is to report the true nature and long-term after-effects of war. Goodman is an internationally known broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, author, and the anchor and co-founder of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio and television and via the Internet. (Her acceptance speech may be viewed here.)

The 2013 Award was presented to Bill McKibben who is one of the most well-known leaders of the environmentalist movement in the United States. His first book was The End of Nature published in 1989. An activist and journalist, his work has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Magazine, Mother Jones, and Rolling Stone. (His acceptance speech may be viewed here.)

Promoting Enduring Peace announced in January 2014 that the Gandhi Peace Award for that year would be received by Medea Benjamin.

In 2015 the Award was presented to Tom B.K. Goldtooth and Kathy Kelly.

In 2017 the laureates were Ralph Nader and Omar Barghouti.

The laureate in 2018 was Jackson Browne. He is the first artist to receive the award.

Gandhi Peace Award Laureates

^ * Martin Luther King Jr. was designated to receive the Award in 1964 and did formally accept it, but shortly thereafter was designated as the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for that year. Thereafter he was unable to attend a ceremony for the formal presentation of the Award prior to his assassination.

^ ** Daniel Berrigan formally accepted the Award. Shortly thereafter he made remarks critical of Israeli treatment of Palestinians that led to a proposal by a PEP member that the Award to Fr. Berrigan should be rescinded. Although the organization rejected that course, Fr. Berrigan heard about the proposal and resigned the Award.

Sources

See also
Gandhi Memorial International Foundation
Gandhi Peace Prize
List of peace activists

References

External links

Peace awards
Memorials to Mahatma Gandhi
Awards established in 1960

Gandhi Peace Award


The Mount Sandel Mesolithic site is in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, just to the east of the Iron Age Mount Sandel Fort. It is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Ireland with carbon dating indicating an age of 9,000 years old (7,000BC). Gwendoline Cave, County Clare is the only site in Ireland with evidence of human occupation which pre-dates this location. Mount Sandel Mesolithic site is a Scheduled Historic Monument in the townland of Mount Sandel, in Causeway Coast and Glens Council area, at Grid Ref: C8533 3076. It was excavated by Peter Woodman in the 1970s.

It has been said that "The Mt. Sandel excavations dominate the picture of the Early Mesolithic (in Ireland) as so few other sites have been excavated and fully published, let alone found. Not only that, but here was evidence for dwellings – until recently it was not until the Neolithic that there was again evidence for houses in Ireland."  These excavations revealed the remains of no fewer than ten structures, although these were not all contemporaneous, and a large number of pits, post-holes and hearths. When the structures could be made out most of them were apparently roughly oval in plan and measured approximately  in width. They had been built over shallow man-made depressions and were defined by stout post-holes. Many of the post holes were inclined towards the centre of the building which suggests that they were for holding saplings which were bent inwards after being driven into the ground to make a tent or tepee like structure. It is assumed that this framework was then covered in hide, reed or some other organic material. Within the huts a hearth was positioned in the centre.

It is thought that this site was most likely home to a small extended family group which occupied this site for most of the year. They were hunter-gatherers catching the migrating salmon during the summer, gathering hazelnuts in the autumn and hunting wild boar in the winter. Their robust homes were heated by internal hearths and they represent the only confirmed Mesolithic houses so far found in Ireland.

References

Prehistoric sites in Northern Ireland
Archaeological sites in County Londonderry
Coleraine
Scheduled monuments in Northern Ireland
Former populated places in Northern Ireland
Mesolithic sites of Europe

Mount Sandel Mesolithic site


Richard Franklin Bache, also known as Richard Bache Jr. (1784–1848), was a military and political official in the Republic and state of Texas. He assisted in drafting the Texas Constitution of 1845, the first of its five state constitutions.

Biography

Early life and parents

Bache was born on March 11, 1784, in Philadelphia, the son of Richard Bache Sr., a marine insurance underwriter and importer. Bache Sr. had also served as United States Postmaster General from 1776 to 1782.
Bache Jr. attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1812. In about 1819, he was the publisher of the Franklin Gazette, a democratic newspaper in Philadelphia, along with John Norvell. Norvell founded the Philadelphia Inquirer after leaving the Gazette and later moved to Michigan, where he was elected as one of the new state's first U.S. Senators.

Bache's mother was Sarah Franklin Bache (September 11, 1743 – October 5, 1808), known as Sally, the only daughter of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and his common-law wife, Deborah Read.

Bache grew up in a large family of eight. Among his siblings were his older brother, Benjamin Franklin Bache, a controversial newspaper publisher who died of yellow fever at the age of 29. One of Bache's nephews was Andrew A. Harwood, a naval officer who reached the rank of admiral.

Marriage and family

On April 4, 1805, Bache married Sophia Burrell Dallas, the daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and Alexander J. Dallas. Her father later was appointed as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President James Madison.

Bache and Dallas had nine children together:
 Alexander Dallas Bache (1806–1867)
 Mary Blechenden Bache (1808–1873), married Robert John Walker, who was appointed Secretary of the Treasury under President James Knox Polk.
 George Mifflin Bache (1811–1846), whose son was George Mifflin Bache Jr.
 Richard Bache III (1813–1850)
 Sophia Arabella Bache (1815–1904), who married William Wallace Irwin, later Mayor of Pittsburgh and elected as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
 Matilda Wilkins Bache (1819–1900), who married William H. Emory, later a United States Army general and surveyor of Texas.
 Henrietta Constantia Bache (1822–1887)
 Sarah Franklin Bache (1824–1880), who married Richard Wainwright, a naval officer during the American Civil War
 Maria Campbell Bache (1827–1851), who married Allan McLane, son of Secretary of State Louis McLane and brother of Gov. Robert Milligan McLane.

Career

Bache served as a captain of the Franklin Flying Artillery of the Philadelphia Volunteers in the War of 1812. He also served in the United States Navy. He was later appointed a postmaster in Philadelphia.

In 1832, he abandoned his family and moved to Texas, possibly for financial reasons. He settled in Stephen F. Austin's colony at Brazoria and served on the Zavala in the Texas Navy. On May 1, 1836, he joined the Louisiana Independent Volunteers, commanded by J. J. Robinson, who were supporting the Texas War of Independence. While in service, Bache guarded the Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna after the Battle of San Jacinto.

In 1838–39 Bache served as chief clerk in the Navy Department in Houston. He was appointed as enrolling clerk of the House of Representatives in the Third Congress of the Texas Republic.

In 1842, Bache settled in Galveston, Texas, where he afterward held a number of appointed government posts. He became commissioner of the navy yard and was appointed as collector of customs, and later as a justice of the peace for Galveston County. In 1845, he was elected as a delegate to the Texas Annexation convention. He was the only elected official to vote against annexation, allegedly because he did not wish to enlarge the domain of his brother-in-law, George M. Dallas, then vice-president of the United States. Bache helped draft the Constitution of 1845. He was elected twice, to the First and Second Texas Legislatures, representing Galveston in the Texas Senate, District 11.

Death
Bache died in Austin, Texas, on March 17, 1848, and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery.

References

1784 births
1848 deaths
Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, Texas)
Franklin family
Politicians from Philadelphia
American military personnel of the War of 1812
University of Pennsylvania alumni
Members of the Texas Legislature
19th-century American politicians
American emigrants to Mexico

Richard Bache Jr.


The  was a Japanese political party that existed in the early 1990s. It was founded in 1993 by 44 members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa. It was instrumental in ending the LDP's 38-year dominance of Japanese politics.

Both reformers, Hata and Ozawa had been involved in a difficult leadership struggle within the former Takeshita faction of the LDP. Their opponents, led by Keizo Obuchi and Ryutaro Hashimoto, were using the fallout of the Sagawa Kyubin scandal as a tool to undermine the reformist position. Hata and Ozawa split from the party partly to shift media attention away from the scandal. In doing so, they transformed an internal party dispute to a wide-ranging conflict that led to a decade of shifting allegiances and short-lived parties.

In the elections immediately following the split, the JRP won 55 seats, making it one of the most powerful opposition parties. Most importantly, the party drew off support crucial to the LDP. While several other small parties had split from the LDP, Hata and Ozawa's group was the largest, and was widely considered to have finally broken the back of LDP dominance.

Known for his political organisational skills, Ozawa organised a five-party coalition  of the JRP, the Japan Socialist Party, the Democratic Socialist Party, Komeito and the United Social Democratic Party. This coalition held 237 seats in the Diet, and after convincing the Japan New Party and the New Party Sakigake to join, was able to form a government under Morihiro Hosokawa.

As the impetus for the collapse of LDP power, the JRP was able to exert great power in the coalition. While some concessions to other parties were made, the JRP was perhaps overly dominant, eventually forcing some other members out of the coalition through its heavy-handed style. In 1994, the JRP merged into the New Frontier Party.

Presidents of JRP

Election results

References

Conservative parties in Japan
Defunct conservative parties
Defunct political parties in Japan
Neoconservative parties
Political parties established in 1993
Political parties disestablished in 1994
1993 establishments in Japan
1994 disestablishments in Japan

Japan Renewal Party


"The Black Cat" is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. It was first published in August 1843 in The Saturday Evening Post. In the story, a murderer tries to hide his crime. In the end, his guilt makes him admit the crime. Peter Lorre starred in a Roger Corman movie based on the story.

Summary

On the eve of his death, an unnamed narrator opens the story by proclaiming that he is sane, despite the wild narrative he is about to convey. This narrative begins years before, when the narrator's honorable character is well known and celebrated. He confesses a great love for cats and dogs, both of which, he says, respect the fidelity of friendship, unlike fellow men. The narrator marries at a young age and introduces his wife to the domestic joys of owning pets. Among birds, goldfish, a dog, rabbits, and a monkey, the narrator singles out a large and beautiful black cat, named Pluto, as his favorite.

Though he loves Pluto, the narrator begins to suffer from violent mood swings, predominantly due to the influence of alcohol. He takes to mistreating not only the other animals but also his wife. During this uncontrollable rage, he spares only Pluto. After returning home quite drunk one night, the narrator lashes out at Pluto. Believing the cat has avoided him, he vengefully grasps the cat, only to be bitten on the hand. In demonic retaliation, the narrator pulls a penknife from his pocket and cuts out one of the cat's eyes. Though the narrator wakes the next morning with a partial feeling of remorse, he is unable to reverse the newly ominous course of his black soul. Ignored for certain now by the wounded cat, the narrator soon seeks further retaliation. He is overwhelmed by a spirit of PERVERSENESS, and sets out to commit wrong for the sake of wrong. He hangs Pluto from the limb of a tree one morning.
On the night of Pluto's hanging, the narrator's family's house burns down, but he dismisses the possibility of a connection between the two events. The day after the fire, which destroys all the narrator's possessions, he witnesses a group of neighbors collected around a wall that remains standing. Investigating their shouts of amazement, the narrator discovers the impression of a gigantic cat—with a rope around its neck—on the surface of the wall. The narrator attempts to explain rationally the existence of the impression, but he finds himself haunted by this phantasm over the course of many months. One night, while out drunk, the narrator discovers a black object poised upon a large barrel of alcohol. A new black cat has appeared, resembling Pluto but with a splash of white on his fur.

As with Pluto, the narrator experiences a great fondness for the mysterious cat, which no one has seen before. The cat becomes part of the household, much adored by his wife as well. However, following the earlier pattern, the narrator soon cannot resist feelings of hatred for the cat. These murderous sentiments intensify when the narrator discovers that the cat's splash of white fur has mysteriously taken on the shape of the gallows, the structure on which a hanging takes place. The white fur reveals the mode of execution that claimed Pluto, and the narrator pledges revenge.
One day, descending into the cellar of the building with his wife, the narrator almost trips over the cat. Enraged, the narrator grabs an axe to attack the cat, but his wife defends the animal. Further angered by this interference, the narrator turns his rage at his wife and buries the axe in her head. Faced with the evidence of his crime, the narrator considers many options for the body's disposal, including dismemberment and burial. The narrator eventually decides to take advantage of the damp walls in the basement and entomb the body behind their plaster. Without any difficulty, the narrator creates a tomb in n the plaster wall, thereby hiding the body and all traces of his murder. When he finally turns to the cat, it is missing, and he concludes that it has been frightened away by his anger.
On the fourth day after the murder, the police arrive unexpectedly at the narrator's apartment. Cool and collected, the narrator leads them through the premises, even into the basement. Though facing the scene of the crime, the police do not demonstrate any curiosity and prepare to leave the residence. The narrator, however, keeps trying to allay their suspicion. Commenting upon the solid craftsmanship of the house, he taps on the wall—behind which is his wife's body—with a cane. In response to the tapping, a long, loud cry emanates from behind the wall. The police storm the wall and dismantle it, discovering the hidden corpse. Upon its head sits the missing cat.

Analysis

Much like "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Black Cat" follows the narrator's descent into madness after he proclaims his sanity in the tale's opening paragraph. Even the narrator acknowledges the "wild" nature of the tale, attempting thereby to separate his mental condition from the events of the plot. The nature of the narrator's madness differs from that of the narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart." "The Black Cat" does not concern itself only with the self-contained nature of the narrator's mind. Rather, the narrator confesses an alcoholism that interferes with his grasp on reality and produces mood swings. Alcohol is, like the cat, an external agent that intrudes on the dynamics of the plot. The introduction of alcohol as a plot device is also significant because Edgar Allan Poe was an reputedly uncontrollable drunk throughout his lifetime. For many years, his biographers asserted that he died of alcohol poisoning in a gutter in Baltimore. More recent biographies insist that the exact cause of Poe's death cannot be determined. Regardless, it is certain that Poe suffered from the deleterious effects of alcohol consumption throughout his life.
The influential literary critic Tzvetan Todorov introduced a concept of the "fantastic" in the early 1970s to discuss literature of horror, and the idea can be applied usefully to "The Black Cat." The fantastic, he asserts, explores the indefinite boundary between the real and the supernatural. The fantastic is a literary category that contains elements of both the rational and the irrational. One of the fantastic elements in "The Black Cat" is the existence of the second cat—with the changing shape of its white fur and its appearance on the corpse behind the wall. These plot twists challenge reality, but they do not completely substitute a supernatural explanation for a logical one. It is possible that the plot twists derive only from the insanity of the narrator. As a result, the plot twists, like the fantastic, hover between the real and the supernatural. The resolution of the story is both rationally possible and tremendously unlikely; the cat could inhabit the basement walls, but it is difficult to believe that it would remain silently in the wall for a long time or go unnoticed by the overly meticulous narrator.

19th-century American short stories
Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe

The Black Cat