Stephen Zunes (born 1956) is an American international relations scholar specializing in the Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, and strategic nonviolent action. He is known internationally as a leading critic of United States policy in the Middle East, particularly under the George W. Bush administration, and an analyst of nonviolent civil insurrections against autocratic regimes.

Current position and education
Stephen Zunes is a professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco teaching courses on the politics of Middle East and other regions, U.S. foreign policy, nonviolence, conflict resolution, and globalization. He currently chairs USF's Middle Eastern Studies Program.  He serves as a senior policy analyst and advisory board member for the Foreign Policy in Focus project of the Institute for Policy Studies, an associate editor of Peace Review, a contributing editor of Tikkun, and a member of the academic advisory council of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.

He received his B.A. from Oberlin College in 1979, his M.A. from Temple University in 1983, and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1990.

Previous career
A native of North Carolina, Zunes previously served on the faculty of Ithaca College, the University of Puget Sound, and Whitman College.  He was a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship on Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies at Dartmouth College and a Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies. He also served as founding director of the Institute for a New Middle East Policy and as a research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, the Institute for Global Security Studies and the United States Institute of Peace.

In 2002, he won recognition from the Peace and Justice Studies Association as Peace Scholar of the Year.

Doubts over Iraq
Zunes publicly doubted prior to the March 2003 invasion that Iraq still had operational weapons of mass destruction and predicted that, "sooner or later, the American public will realize that a U.S. invasion of Iraq has been a disaster" since "such efforts at hegemony inevitably spawn their own resistance". He also predicted that a U.S. invasion and occupation could stir up ethnic and sectarian conflict would make it "difficult to establish a widely accepted and stable regime" and that rather than transform the Middle East to be more stable and democratic, he warned that a U.S. invasion and occupation would increase terrorism and Islamic extremism and that it would "spawn more bitterness, hatred, and violence and will greatly retard economic development, political reform, and reconciliation in the resulting chaos and backlash that will likely follow".

Views on the Middle East
Zunes has also been an outspoken opponent of U.S. backing of some Arab states and of Israel. He has called for an Israeli-Palestinian peace based upon international law which recognizes both Israeli security and Palestinian rights, including a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian and Syrian territories, an end to terrorism, and security guarantees for Israel and its neighbors.

Zunes has stated that Israel's government "engages in a pattern of gross and systematic human rights violations and blatantly violates a series of UN Security Council resolutions and other international legal principles." Zunes has written that "support for Israel's ongoing occupation and repression is not unlike U.S. support for Indonesia's 24-year occupation of and repression in East Timor or Morocco's ongoing occupation of and repression in Western Sahara." He has also written that "widespread racism toward Arabs and Muslims [is] so prevalent in American society" and that many Americans identify with Zionism because it is "a reflection of our own historic experience as pioneers in North America, building a nation based upon noble, idealistic values while simultaneously suppressing and expelling the indigenous population." Regarding the views of the "far left" on Israel, Zunes has written that many far left organizations have taken "a stridently anti-Israel position that did not just challenge Israeli policies but also questioned Israel's very right to exist" and that this "severely damag[ed] their credibility."

Publications
Zunes is the author of scores of articles for scholarly and general readership on Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, international terrorism, nonviolent action, international law, and human rights. More than 450 articles by Zunes are available on his personal website.

Zunes is the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Common Courage Press, 2003). He is the principal editor of Nonviolent Social Movements (Blackwell Publishers, 1999). With Jacob Mundy, he wrote Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution (Syracuse University Press, 2010).

Zunes is a regular contributor to the Common Dreams, Truthout, and Alternet websites. He has written for The Nation, Tikkun, The Progressive, In These Times, Yes!, and other magazines, and his op-ed columns have appeared in major daily newspapers throughout North America and Europe. He is also a frequent guest on National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio, PBS, BBC, MSNBC and other media outlets for analysis on breaking world events.

Travels
Zunes frequently visits the Middle East and other conflict regions, where he has met with top government officials, academics, journalists and opposition leaders. He has traveled to more than sixty countries and has accepted invitations to speak at venues in more than twenty.

In September 2007, Zunes was among a group of American religious leaders and scholars who met with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In a subsequent article, Zunes stated that:
 [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] was quite unimpressive. Indeed, with his ramblings and the superficiality of his analysis, he came across as more pathetic than evil... The Iranian president impressed me as someone sincerely devout in his religious faith, yet rather superficial in his understanding and inclined to twist his faith tradition in ways to correspond with his pre-conceived ideological positions.

Non-violence work
A scholar and advocate of nonviolent people power movements, he has also served as a trainer and workshop leader for pro-democracy activists and community organizers in the United States, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.  During his twenties, he worked with Movement for a New Society and other groups advocating nonviolent direct action in opposition to nuclear power, the nuclear arms race, U.S. intervention in Central America, and foreign investment in apartheid South Africa.

Family life
Zunes lives in a cohousing community in Santa Cruz, California with his spouse Nanlouise Wolfe (born 1957), who serves on the staff of the Resource Center for Nonviolence, and their children Shanti (born 1988), Kalila (b. 1990) and Tobin (b. 1993). Zunes is a folk musician and enjoys the outdoors.

Zunes was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, the only child of Helen Karnes Zunes and the Rev. John Zunes, an Episcopal priest.  Both parents were active in civil rights, nuclear disarmament, anti-Vietnam War and pro-Palestinian causes.  He grew up in the university town of Chapel Hill, attending public and Quaker schools, and spent most summers as well as his early adolescence in the Celo Community in the mountains of western North Carolina.  After attending Oberlin College and living in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston, he married his former college sweetheart in 1987 while in grad school in Ithaca, New York.

Selected bibliography

Books

Zunes, S. & McNair, R. (eds.) (2008). Consistently Opposing Killing: From Abortion to Assisted Suicide, the Death Penalty, and War. California: Praeger Press.
Zunes, S. (2002). Tinderbox: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Roots of Terrorism. Common Courage Press.  /
Zunes, S., Kurtz, L. & Asher, S. (eds.) (1999).  Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective. 1999. Blackwell Publishing.

Articles
Zunes, S. (2011). "America Blows it on Bahrain"
Zunes, S. (2011) "The Gaza War, Congress and International Humanitarian Law"
Stringfellow, T. (2011) "The Measure of a Movement: Stephen Zunes on Nonviolent Resistance"
Zunes, S. (2009). "Weapons of Mass Democracy: Nonviolent Resistance Is the Most Powerful Tactic Against Oppressive Regimes"
Zunes, S. (2009). "The War on Yugoslavia: 10 Years Later"
Zunes, S. (2008). "The U.S. and Georgia"
Zunes, S. (2008). "Nonviolent Action and Pro-democracy Struggles". Washington, DC: Foreign Policy In Focus.
Zunes, S. (2007). "The United States and the Kurds: A Brief History"
Zunes, S. (2006) "The United States and Lebanon: A Meddlesome History"
Zunes, S. (2006). "Western Sahara: The Other Occupation"
Zunes, S. (2006). "U.S. has contributed to Iraq's sectarian strife". National Catholic Reporter.
Zunes, S. (2006). "U.S. undermines Israeli doves in their quest for peace". National Catholic Reporter.
Zunes, S. (2005). "How the Hawk Kills the Dove: Western Intervention Keeps Slamming the Door on Peace in Iraq. New Internationalist.
Zunes, S. (2002). "Nonviolent Resistance in the Islamic world". Nonviolent Activist.
Zunes, S. (2002). "The Case Against War". The Nation.
Zunes, S. "The Strategic Functions of U.S. Aid to Israel"

References

External links
 Stephen Zunes Zunes' personal website
 Stephen Zunes » Vitae Link to Zunes' Vitae
 Zunes biography page at USF

 Stephen Zunes speaks on alternatives to war at the University of Washington in November 2002

1956 births
Middle Eastern studies in the United States
Cornell University alumni
Living people
Oberlin College alumni
Temple University alumni
University of San Francisco faculty
Nonviolence advocates
Whitman College faculty
University of Puget Sound faculty
Place of birth missing (living people)

Stephen Zunes


John Coburn (October 27, 1825 – January 28, 1908) was a United States Representative from Indiana and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life and career
Coburn was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1825 (the year the city became the new state capital) and attended the public schools there. Later, he attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, graduating in 1846. As a student, he founded the Wabash College chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, the first Greek letter fraternity on the campus and in continuous existence to today. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1849, and commenced practice in Indianapolis.

Civil War
Coburn was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1850. He served as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1859 to 1861, when he resigned to enter the Union Army following the outbreak of the American Civil War. He became colonel of the 33rd Indiana Infantry on September 16, 1861.

He was captured in Kentucky and spent time in Libby Prison before being exchanged. Later, Coburn and Colonel Benjamin Harrison fought side by side in several battles while under General William Tecumseh Sherman's command. During that time, Coburn and his troops were the first into Atlanta and secured the city's surrender. There is a large marker in downtown Atlanta where the city's mayor surrendered the city to Coburn. He was mustered out on September 20, 1864.

On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Coburn for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.

Coburn and his father were instrumental in saving the Indiana Historical Society and its papers in its early days. Coburn also gave one of the dedication speeches for the Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

He promoted the building of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphanage in Knightstown, Indiana, and he helped secure the use of land in Indianapolis for Garfield Park. His later years were spent living in the Bates-Hendricks House at 1526 S. New Jersey Street in Indianapolis with his wife Caroline (Test) Coburn until his death in 1908.

Congressional service
Coburn was appointed as the first secretary of the Territory of Montana in March 1865 but resigned at once. He was elected judge of the fifth judicial circuit of Indiana in October 1865 and resigned in July 1866. Later, he was elected as a Republican to the Fortieth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1875). While in Congress, he served as chairman of the Committee on Public Expenditures (41st Congress), and as a member of Committee on Military Affairs (42nd and 43rd Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the 44th Congress.

After leaving Congress, he was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Montana on February 19, 1884, and served until December 1885. He returned to Indianapolis, and resumed the practice of law. He died in Indianapolis on January 28, 1908, and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.

See also

List of American Civil War brevet generals (Union)
Atlanta in the American Civil War

References
 Retrieved on 2008-02-12
Coburn, John. An address delivered by General John Coburn, on Memorial Day, May 30, 1905. Indianapolis: Jacobs Stationery and Printing Company, 1905.
Coburn, John. Life and services of John B. Dillon. Indianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Co., 1886.
Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001.
Welcher, Frank Johnson, and Larry G. Ligget. Coburn's Brigade: The 85th Indiana, 33rd Indiana, 19th Michigan, and 22nd Wisconsin in the Western Civil War. Carmel, Ind.: Guild Press of Indiana, 1999.

Specific

External links
 John L. Coburn collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library

1825 births
1908 deaths
Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives
Indiana state court judges
Montana Territory judges
Politicians from Indianapolis
People of Indiana in the American Civil War
Union Army generals
Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery
Wabash College alumni
American Civil War prisoners of war
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana

John Coburn (politician)


Joseph Langen (3 June 1837 – 13 July 1901) was a German theologian and priest, who was instrumental for the German Old Catholic movement.

Langen was born at Cologne, studied at Bonn, and was ordained priest for the Roman Catholic Church in 1859.  He was nominated professor extraordinary at the University of Bonn in 1864, and a professor in ordinary of the exegesis of the New Testament in 1867—an office which he held till his death. He was one of the band of professors who in 1870 supported Döllinger in his resistance to the Vatican decrees, and was excommunicated along with Döllinger, Johann Nepomuk Huber, Johann Friedrich, Franz Heinrich Reusch, Joseph Hubert Reinkens and others, for refusing to accept them.  In 1878, in consequence of the permission given to priests to marry, Langen ceased to identify himself with the Old Catholic movement, but was not reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church. His first work was an inquiry into the authorship of the Commentary on St Paul's Epistles and the Treatise on Biblical Questions, ascribed to Saint Ambrose and Augustine of Hippo respectively. In 1868 he published an Introduction to the New Testament.

He also published works on the Last Days of the Life of Jesus, on Judaism in the Time of Christ, on John of Damascus (1879) and an Examination of the Vatican Dogma in the Light of Patristic Exegesis of the New Testament. But he is chiefly famous for his Geschichte der Römischen Kirche (History of the Church of Rome to the Pontificate of Innocent III) (4 vols, 1881–1893), a work of sound scholarship, based directly upon the authorities, the most important sources being woven carefully into the text. He also contributed largely to the internationale theologische Zeitschrift, a review started in 1893 by the Old Catholics to promote the union of several National Churches on the basis of the councils of the Undivided Church, and admitting articles in German, French and English.

Among other subjects, he wrote on the School of Hierotheus, on Romish falsifications of the Greek Fathers, on Pope Leo XIII, on Liberal Ultramontanism, on the Papal Teaching in regard to Morals, on Vincent of Lerins and he carried on a controversy with Professor Willibald Beyschlag, of the German Evangelical Church, on the respective merits of Protestantism and Old Catholicism regarded as a basis for teaching the Christian faith. An attack of apoplexy put an end to his teaching career and hastened his death. He died in Bonn.

References

1837 births
1901 deaths
Clergy from Cologne
German Old Catholic theologians
19th-century German theologians
People excommunicated by the Catholic Church
University of Bonn alumni
Academic staff of the University of Bonn
German male non-fiction writers
19th-century German writers
19th-century German male writers
20th-century German theologians
20th-century German writers

Joseph Langen


Belinda Hocking is a retired Australian backstroke swimmer. She is an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.

Career

Hocking was fifth in the 200-metre back and sixth in the 50 and 100m back at the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships in Brisbane in December 2007, won gold in 4×200-metre freestyle and was fourth in 200-metre backstroke at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui, Hawaii, claimed gold in the 100- and 200-metre backstroke and 4×100-metre medley relay, to go with silver in the 4×100-metre and 4×200-metre freestyle relays at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, won gold in the 100- and 200-metre backstroke and bronze in the 200-metre freestyle at the Australian Age Championships in Perth, won silver in 100-metre backstroke, was fourth in 50-metre backstroke and fifth in 200-metre backstroke at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne, and placed third in the 100-metre backstroke at the FINA World Cup in Sydney.

Hocking qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and came eighth in the 200-metre backstroke.  She placed second in the 200-metre backstroke, and was third in 100-metre backstroke at the Australian Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials in Sydney.  That year, she also won silver in the 4×100-metre medley (heat swim), and came fifth in the 100-metre backstroke and sixth in the 50-metre backstroke at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester.  She set a Commonwealth record in 50-metre backstroke at World Short Course Championships and she won 100- and 200-metre backstroke at the Monaco leg of the Mare Nostrum series.  She was also second in 100- and 200-metre backstroke at the Barcelona leg of the Mare Nostrum series.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the 100 and 200 m backstroke events, finishing in 7th and 10th respectively.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she won two gold medals in the 200 m backstroke and the 4 x 100 m medley relay, setting Commonwealth Games records in both.  She also won a bronze medal in the 100 m backstroke.

She had to take a break from competing in 2015, after a series of accidents and injuries, including a shoulder injury which required surgery, a dislocated knee and a burn injury caused while studying. In 2015, she also began to study for a degree in primary education.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Hocking came fifth in the 200 metre backstroke.

Belinda Hocking announced her retirement from competitive Swimming on 3 March 2017.

Personal
Hocking was born in Wangaratta, Victoria. She started swimming when she was 4.

She went to St. Bernard's Catholic Primary School in Wangaratta, and later swam at Nunawading Swimming Club.

See also
 List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)

References

External links

Living people
Australian female backstroke swimmers
Australian Institute of Sport swimmers
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
World record setters in swimming
Olympic swimmers for Australia
People from Wangaratta
Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming
People educated at Lake Ginninderra College
1990 births
21st-century Australian women
Sportswomen from Victoria (state)
Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Belinda Hocking


Gougenheim (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Between 1 February 1973 and 1 January 1986 Rohr was merged with Gougenheim. The Guggenheim family is named after Gougenheim.

Location
The village lies on the departmental roads RD25 and RD31, between Rohr and Schaffhouse-sur-Zorn.

Vanished castle
The bell tower of the parish church was formerly the dungeon of a castle which appears to have been built in the twelfth century and which disappeared probably in the late medieval period or as a result of the destructive wars of the seventeenth century.

Between 1147 and 1359 the castle was inhabited by the family of a senior functionary (famille de ministériels) employed by the Bishop of Strasbourg.   In the thirteenth century five knights were assigned to defend the bishop's castle.   By 1525 the castle was the seat of the bishops' bailiff, and in that year it played a role in suppressing the Peasants' Revolt, being the location chosen for an episcopal tribunal.   It is believed that a gallows was erected, possibly at the spot called "Galgenberg" (German and Alsatian for "Gallows Hill"), on the high ground between Gougenheim and Mittelhausen.

See also
 Communes of the Bas-Rhin department
 Kochersberg

References

Communes of Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia

Gougenheim


"You Were Meant for Me" is a popular American song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, published in 1929.

It was introduced by Charles King in the 1929 musical film The Broadway Melody. It was also sung by King dubbing for Conrad Nagel in the feature film The Hollywood Revue of 1929 and performed by Bull Montana and Winnie Lightner in the film The Show of Shows also in 1929. Later, the song was performed by Frank Morgan in the 1940 musical film Hullabaloo and was included in Penny Serenade (1941, with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant). Gene Kelly sang the song and danced to it with Debbie Reynolds in the 1952 musical film Singin' in the Rain.

Recorded versions
Joe Pass and John Pisano's album Duets (1991)
Ray Anthony
Walt Roesner and the Capitolians (1929)
Perry Como
Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album Join Bing and Sing Along (1959)
Maurice Chevalier
Billy Daniels
Helen Forrest
The Four Lads
Jackie Gleason
Coleman Hawkins
Dick Jurgens
Gene Kelly
Ben Berlin Orchestra
Charles King recorded in Hollywood on April 11, 1929 and released on Victor 21965.
Meade "Lux" Lewis
Gordon MacRae recorded on December 16, 1947 and released on Capitol 15027.
Audra McDonald
Rose Murphy
Nat Pierce
Eileen Rodgers
Nat Shilkret and his Victor Orchestra
Claude Thornhill and his orchestra
Art Van Damme
Paul Weston and his orchestra
Carlos Gardel (04/06/1930) Spanish version: Enrique Cadícamo
Sting, for the soundtrack of the 1998 film The Object of My Affection

References
 Who Wrote that Song Dick Jacobs & Harriet Jacobs, published by Writer's Digest Books, 1993

Songs with music by Nacio Herb Brown
Songs with lyrics by Arthur Freed
1929 songs

You Were Meant for Me (Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown song)


Martin Glenn Barrett (born June 23, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Boston Red Sox (1982–1990) and San Diego Padres (1991).

Early life and minor league career
Barrett was born in Arcadia, California. He is an alumnus of Arizona State University, and the brother of Tommy Barrett, another former MLB player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Marty played in the longest professional baseball game in history in 1981, a minor league game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings.  Barrett had the distinction of scoring the winning run for Pawtucket in the bottom of the 33rd inning.

Major League career
An excellent second baseman with an above-average arm, Barrett was known as a smart player and a great contact hitter, striking out only 209 times in 3378 at-bats, and collecting a significant number of big hits by driving tough pitches to the opposite field. He often was used as a specialist in bunting situations, leading the American League in sacrifice hits for three consecutive years (1986–88).

In a ten-year career Barrett was a .278 hitter with 18 home runs and 314 RBI in 941 games.  Barrett successfully pulled off the hidden ball trick three times, including twice in July 1985.

In 1984, Barrett batted a career-high .303 in his first full season. But his most productive year was 1986, when he posted career-highs in RBI (60), hits (179), doubles (39), triples (4), stolen bases (15) and games played (158).

He starred in the 1986 postseason, when he set a major league record with 24 hits in 14 postseason games, and was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player. In the 1986 World Series Barrett had 13 hits in 30 at bats (.433 BA), and posted an on-base percentage of .514 against the New York Mets. Near the conclusion of Game Six, he had been selected by the NBC Television broadcast team as the Player of the Game. He was the final batter in the series, striking out against Mets closer, Jesse Orosco.

Barrett held the starting second baseman position with the Red Sox for most of the 1980s. On June 4, 1989, he suffered a serious knee injury while tripping over first base following a ground out.  Jody Reed took over as the starter, and Barrett played only sporadically following his recovery. During the final game of the 1990 ALCS, Red Sox pitcher, Roger Clemens, was ejected in the bottom of the second inning. Barrett protested the call by heaving plastic water containers onto the field, and also was thrown out of the game. It was his last game for the Red Sox and he was released following the season.

Barrett signed with the San Diego Padres in 1991. In his National League debut he was called upon as a pinch hitter to face the San Francisco Giants' Dave Righetti, with two outs in the ninth inning. Barrett, not known for his power stroke, hit the ball into the left field stands for a three-run home run. He would only appear in 11 more games with the Padres, the same knee injury that he had suffered in 1989 ending his career.

References

External links

Marty Barrett at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Marty Barrett at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)

1958 births
American League Championship Series MVPs
Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players
Baseball players from Arcadia, California
Boston Red Sox players
Las Vegas 51s players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Living people
Major League Baseball second basemen
Mesa Thunderbirds baseball players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
San Diego Padres players
Winter Haven Red Sox players
Anchorage Glacier Pilots players

Marty Barrett (second baseman)


Castle of the Living Dead (, ) is a 1964 horror film directed by Warren Kiefer.  It was released in English under the title Crypt of Horror. It was Kiefer's first film as a director.

Since its release, a number of contradictory production histories concerning Castle of the Living Dead have surfaced, with the film's direction being variously attributed to Kiefer (who was credited with the alias "Lorenzo Sabatini" on Italian prints), Riccardo Freda, or Luciano Ricci (credited as "Herbert Wise"). Other mysteries include the extent of assistant director Michael Reeves' involvement in the production, and whether or not Mario Bava provided special effects for the film.

Plot
The film is set in France in the early 19th century, after the Napoleonic Wars (1803 – 1815). The voiceover reports that  banditry and violence rule the roadways. An ill-fated theatrical troupe of commedia dell'arte performers on tour visits the castle of Count Drago (Christopher Lee).

Drago is an embalmer of both animals and humans. He is pre-occupied with creating his "eternal theatre." In his research, Drago discovers a chemical formula that instantly kills and embalms any living creature, forever preserving them at the moment of death. Drago's habit of experimenting on animals is revealed, and the visitors are about to become unwilling participants before a dwarf rescues them.

Cast

Production

Background
American Warren Kiefer moved to Italy to pursue a career in the film industry. There he met American-born producer Paul Maslansky at Cinecittà. The two got along and decided to make a film together. Kiefer provided the script for Castle of the Living Dead. Maslansky previously worked as a production manager, and had befriended Michael Reeves. Maslansky had already created a documentary film about jazz music in Paris, financed by his uncle. He was in Rome in order to set up his own feature film, and this time he intended to finance it with his own money. Maslansky had the idea that his film should be a black-and-white horror film. It could be filmed quickly, using ready-made sets, and relying on atmospheric location shooting. The script could be redrafted to incorporate local color, without increasing the production budget.
Kiefer was a writer by profession, but aspired to be a film director. He was involved in the shooting of a documentary film in Libya, at the time he met Maslansky. Both of them were expatriate Americans, members of a loosely organized community of expatriate filmmakers in Rome. They were both in their late 20s at the time, and both aspired to create their own feature film. They agreed to co-operate and jointly "thrashed out" the film's story. With the story completed, Kiefer started work on the screenplay. Maslansky "put together" an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 dollars, to serve as a "minestone" fund that would cover the film's budget. Money was drawn from several European countries, based on pre-sales.

Among the crew of Castle of the Living Dead was Michael Reeves.  Paul Maslansky met Reeves previously on the set of The Long Ships (1964) and invited him to work on Castle of the Living Dead. Maslansky had been impressed by Mike's enthusiasm for film, and Mike's passion for the horror genre. Reeves was assigned as the second unit director. Reeves is sometimes credited with doing script work for this film. However Kiefer had mostly completed the script by the time production begun. Reeves could not have contributed more than slight redrafting of the script. Reeves' input on the script is credited with the dwarf's role in the finished film.

Donald Sutherland was cast in multiple roles in the film. Maslansky had "spotted" Sutherland in London, where the actor was involved in a production of Spoon River Anthology by Lindsay Anderson's royal court. Maslansky pitched the film to Sutherland. Sutherland was offered a weekly wage of 40 dollars, and the use of Kiefer's couch as a sleeping place. Once he accepted, Maslansky bought him a train ticket for Rome.
Maslansky and Reeves put in $10,000 and contacted Christopher Lee for ten days of shooting.

Production and director
Many sources cite Lorenzo Sabatini as the director of Castle of the Living Dead, but the name was created by Kiefer for tax reasons while creating the film. To complicate it further, the film was a French-Italian co-production, which meant that an Italian director was required to collect certain state subsidies. In the Italian version of the film, Kiefer is credited as only for the story and script while the name Herbert Wise was used as the director. Wise was a pseudonym for Luciano Ricci, Kiefer's assistant director. All other prints credit Kiefer as the sole director. Many promotional materials and reviews of the film since the release have credited various directors as the director, including Ricci, the fictional Wise, and Riccardo Freda.

Reeves is credited as an assistant director on the film, but rumours have spread since his premature death that he had done more on the film. Including that he had shot al the sequences at the Parco dei Mostri. Others have said that he took over the production nine days into shooting the film. Maslansky stated in 1999 that the rumours of him directing the film were untrue and that he remained on second unit for the entire film. Kiefer's second unit director Frederick Muller that the film was entirely directed by Kiefer without Reeves' presence.  Kiefer also stated that Reeves had not had anything to do with the directing in the film.

The film was shot in five weeks at Castello Orsini-Odescalchi and Bomarzo in Italy. Other sources estimate that the film's shooting lasted for only 24 days. The entire shooting was completed in 1963. The production company was Serena Films, owned by Maslansky. Kiefer estimated the budget as $135,000 while Paul Maslansky stated it was $125,000. To speed up the production, Kiefer and Maslansky set each room they were shooting in the castle in order so after one scene was filmed, the next room in the castle would be ready for the following scene.

In Tim Lucas' book Mario Bava, All the Colours of the Dark, an interview with Luciano Pigozzi states that Mario Bava created a special effect for the film involving a large sailing ship.  There is no scene in the film involving boats and Lucas has assumed that this effect would show up when the film was shown at its proper aspect ratio or that the scene had been cut. Muller had later noted that he did not recall seeing Mario Bava on the set ever.

Post-production
Maslansky offered the American distribution rights to American International Pictures (AIP), and the Italian distribution rights to Cineriz. Cineriz went bankrupt before the film could be released in Italy. In most European countries, the film's main selling point was the presence of Christopher Lee in the cast.

There were problems in the film's post-synchronisation process. Initially the film lacked a soundtrack, and the film's continuity sheets were mislaid. The film was eventually dubbed in its entirety. But there were sections of the film where the characters are mouthing words, but the only sounds heard are grunts and groans. Mel Welles oversaw the post-synching process. He later claimed that the lost continuity sheets were simply a ruse, as they intended to improve the film's dialogue.

Release
Castle of the Living Dead was released in Italy through distributor Cineriz on August 5, 1964. The film grossed a total of 103.5 million Italian lira on its theatrical run in Italy. The film was released in 1965 in the United States where it was distributed by The Woolner Brothers.

The film was modestly successful, and did not lose money. Everyone involved was paid, and the investors were "reimbursed".

Reception
From a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin described the film as "standard Gothic fare, distinguished only by the presence of Christopher Lee as a mad Count"

In a retrospective review, TV Guide gave the film two stars out of five, noting the scenes involving the circus performers' various talents and Donald Sutherland in three different roles.

See also
Christopher Lee filmography
Donald Sutherland filmography
French films of 1964
Italian films of 1964
List of horror films of 1964

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

1964 horror films
1964 films
1964 directorial debut films
Italian horror films
French horror films
1960s Italian-language films
English-language Italian films
English-language French films
Films about nobility
Films set in the 19th century
Films set in castles
Films set in France
Films shot in Lazio
Gothic horror films
Period horror films
Italian black-and-white films
French black-and-white films
Italian serial killer films
Films produced by Paul Maslansky
Films with screenplays by Paul Maslansky
Films directed by Warren Kiefer
Films with screenplays by Warren Kiefer
1960s Italian films
1960s French films
Italian exploitation films
French exploitation films
French serial killer films

Castle of the Living Dead


Mingyue Lake is a small lake in the west part of Yangzhou, People's Republic of China. The name means "Bright Moon Lake" in Chinese. It is at where Wenchang West Road and Guozhan Road meet. It is connected to Zhaojia Lateral Ditch to the south and Yanshan River to the north. There is a bridge called Mingyue Lake Bridge over the lake. The Yangzhou City Cultural and Art Center is on the south bank; on the north bank is Jinghuacheng Plaza. There is also a City Study called Mingyue Lake City Study on the plaza. It is a small building that belongs to Yangzhou City Library.

Lakes of China

Mingyue Lake


Hermann Müller (18 May 1876 – 20 March 1931; ) was a German Social Democratic politician who served as foreign minister (1919–1920) and was twice chancellor of Germany (1920, 1928–1930) during the Weimar Republic. In his capacity as foreign minister, he was one of the German signatories of the Treaty of Versailles (28 June 1919).

Early life
Hermann Müller was born on 18 May 1876 in Mannheim, the son of Georg Jakob Müller (born 1843), a producer of sparkling wine and wine dealer from Güdingen near Saarbrücken, and his wife Karoline (née Vogt, born 1849, died after 1931), originally from Frankfurt am Main. Müller attended the  at Mannheim and, after his father moved to Niederlößnitz in 1888, at Dresden. After his father died in 1892, Müller had to leave school due to financial difficulties and began an apprenticeship at Frankfurt. He worked in Frankfurt and Breslau, and in 1893 joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Heavily influenced by his father and an advocate of Ludwig Feuerbach's views, Hermann Müller was the only German chancellor who was not a member of any religion.

Political career

Before 1918: entry into the SPD and Reichstag
From 1899 to 1906, Müller worked as an editor at the socialist newspaper . He was a member of the local city council () from 1903 to 1906 and party functionary (). August Bebel nominated him in 1905 (without success) and 1906 (successfully) for membership of the board of the national SPD. At that time, Müller changed from a left-wing Social Democrat to a "centrist", who argued against both the "revisionists" and the radical left around Rosa Luxemburg. Together with Friedrich Ebert, Müller succeeded in 1909 in creating a party executive committee that was to deal with internal arguments in between party conventions. Known for his calm, industriousness, integrity and rationality, Müller lacked charisma. In 1909 he tried but failed to prevent Otto Braun's election to the board, laying the foundation for a long-running animosity between the two.

As a result of his foreign language skills, Müller was the representative of the SPD at the Second International, an organisation of socialist and labour parties, and at the conventions of socialist parties in other countries in western Europe. In late July 1914, Müller was sent to Paris to negotiate with French socialists over a common stance towards the respective countries' proposals for war loans. No agreement was reached, however, and before Müller was able to report back, the SPD had already decided to support the first war loans in the Reichstag.

During World War I, Müller supported the political truce between Germany's political parties known as the Burgfrieden. He was used by the SPD leadership to deal with arguments with the party's left wing and as an in-house censor for the party newspaper Vorwärts to avoid an outright ban by the military authorities. Müller was close to the group around the leading revisionist Eduard David and supported both the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Russia and the entry of the SPD into the government of Max von Baden in October 1918.

First elected in a by-election in 1916, Müller was a member of the Imperial Reichstag until the collapse of the German Empire in 1918.

1918 to 1919: revolution and National Assembly
In the German Revolution of 1918-19, Müller was a member of the Greater Berlin Executive Council of Workers and Soldiers () where he represented the position of the SPD leadership, arguing in favor of elections to the Weimar National Assembly. He later published a book on his experience during the revolution.

In January 1919, Müller was elected to the National Assembly. In February 1919, Friedrich Ebert became president of Germany and appointed Philipp Scheidemann as minister president (head of government). The two men had been the joint chairmen of the SPD and now replacements had to be found. Müller and Otto Wels were elected with 373 and 291 out of 376 votes, respectively. Wels focused on internal leadership and organization, whilst Müller was the external representative of the party. In 1919 and 1920–28, Müller was also parliamentary party leader first in the National Assembly and then the Weimar Republic Reichstag. He was nominated as chairman of the Reichstag's Committee on Foreign Affairs. After 1920, he was a candidate for the Reichstag for Franconia and changed his name to Müller-Franken to distinguish himself from other members named Müller.

1920: first chancellorship

After Scheidemann resigned in June 1919, Müller was asked to succeed him as head of government but declined. Under the new Reich Minister President and later Chancellor Gustav Bauer, Müller became foreign minister on 21 June 1919. In that capacity, he went to Versailles and with Colonial Minister Johannes Bell signed the Treaty of Versailles for Germany on 29 June 1919.

After the resignation of the Bauer cabinet, which followed the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch in March 1920, Müller accepted Ebert's offer of becoming chancellor and formed a new government that was a continuation of the Weimar Coalition made up of the SPD, German Democratic Party (DDP) and Centre Party. Under his leadership, the government suppressed the left-wing insurgencies such as the Ruhr uprising and urged the disarmament of the paramilitary Einwohnerwehren (Citizens' Defence) demanded by the Allies. The newly created second commission on socialization, which was tasked to examine ways of socialising parts of the German economy, admitted some members from the left-wing USPD because Müller felt that it was the only way workers would be willing to accept the commission's decisions. In social policy, Müller's time as chancellor saw the passage of a number of progressive social reforms. A comprehensive war-disability system was established in May 1920, while the Law on the Employment of the Disabled of April 1920 stipulated that all public and private employers with more than 20 employees were obligated to hire Germans disabled by accident or war and with at least a 50% reduction in their ability to work. The Basic School Law (passed on 28 April 1920) introduced a common four-year course in primary schools for all German children. Benefits for the unemployed were improved, with the maximum benefit for single males over the age of 21 increasing from 5 to 8 marks in May 1920. Maximum wage scales that were established in April 1919 were also increased.

On 29 March 1920 the Reichstag passed a Reich income-tax law, together with a law on corporate tax and a capital-yield tax. The Salary Reform Act, passed in April 1920, greatly improved the pay of civil servants. In May 1920, the Reich Office for Labour Allocation was set up as the first Reich-wide institution "to allocate labor, administer unemployment insurance and generally manage labor concerns". The Reich Insurance Code of May 1920 provided war-wounded persons and dependent survivors with therapeutic treatment and social welfare with the objective of reintegrating handicapped persons into working life. The Cripples' Welfare Act, passed that same month, made it a duty of the public welfare system to assist cripples under the age of 18 to obtain the capacity to earn an income. The Reich Homestead Act, passed in May 1920, sought to encourage homesteading as a means of helping economically vulnerable groups. The Reich Tenant Protection Order of 9 June 1920 sought to check evictions and "an immoderate increase of rental rates", authorising the states to set up tenancy offices made up of tenants' and owners' representatives, with a judge as chairman to settle disputes concerning rents. As noted by Frieda Wunderlich, they were entitled "to supervise the fixing of rents for all farms". During Müller's last year in office, a number of orders were introduced that "confirmed and defined the protective measures taken in connection with the employment of women in certain work of a particularly dangerous or arduous nature", which included glass-works, rolling mills, and iron foundries (through orders of 26 March 1930).

Müller was chancellor only until June 1920, when the outcome of the first regular election to the Reichstag resulted in the formation of a new government led by Constantin Fehrenbach of the Centre Party. The SPD suffered a significant defeat at the polls, with the number of people voting for them dropping almost by half compared to the January 1919 election. Discouraged, Müller only half-heartedly negotiated with the USPD about a coalition. He was turned down because the USPD was unwilling to join any coalition including non-socialist parties and one in which the USPD was not the majority party. On the other side of the political spectrum, Müller was opposed to working with Gustav Stresemann's German People's Party (DVP), considering them a mouthpiece for corporate interests and doubting their loyalty to the republican constitution.

1920 to 1928: SPD in opposition and coalitions
The SPD now was in the opposition regarding the domestic agenda of the new government while supporting its foreign policy, in particular regarding reparations to the Allies. Müller was an early advocate of joining the League of Nations and of moving politically closer to the West. He was critical of the Soviet Union's authoritarian system of government, its revolutionary goals and its support for the radical left in Germany. However, he opposed a blockade of the Soviet Union by the western Allies.

Initially, Müller favoured diplomatic relations with the Soviets only as far as they would help in preventing the integration of Upper Silesia into the new Polish state. He viewed the Treaty of Rapallo (1922) with the Soviets as a true peace treaty, but one that only had meaning within the context of a successful diplomatic policy towards the western powers, not as an alternative to it. Müller warned against attaching too much hope to the potential economic gains from the treaty, arguing that only the United States would be in a position to provide effective aid for the economic reconstruction of post-World War I Europe.

During the two governments led by Joseph Wirth in 1921/22 and in which the SPD participated as part of another Weimar Coalition, Müller demanded as parliamentary leader of the SPD that budget consolidation involve first and foremost higher taxation of wealth rather than of consumption. This led to confrontations with the middle class parties. Similarly, the reunification of SPD and USPD resulted in a move to the left of the new SPD. When the SPD refused to agree to letting the DVP join the existing coalition as desired by the Centre Party and DDP, the coalition broke apart in November 1922. The SPD did not participate in the following government of Wilhelm Cuno, which lasted until August 1923.

Recognizing a national emergency when the French seized the Ruhr and inflation spiraled out of control in 1923, Müller brought the SPD into a grand coalition led by Gustav Stresemann (August to November 1923). Differences in economic and social policies strained relations between the SPD and the other members of the coalition. Müller supported the emergency measures taken after October 1923, but the harsh manner which with the Reich government dealt with the governments in Thuringia and Saxony, where the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) was brought into SPD-led governments as part of the so-called German October, compared with the lenient handling of the right-wing regime in Bavaria, caused the SPD to leave the coalition in November 1923.

At the party convention in 1924, Müller said that the SPD's stance towards coalitions was based less on principles than on tactics that were geared towards foreign policy. During their years in the opposition, the SPD supported a policy of reconciliation with the western powers, as exemplified by the Locarno Treaties, which settled Germany's western borders but left the eastern ones open, and by Germany's entry to the League of Nations. After November 1923, the SPD did not participate in a government again until June of 1928.

1928 to 1930: second chancellorship

In 1928 Prussian Minister President Otto Braun said that he was not interested in becoming chancellor. When the SPD turned out to be the clear winner of the May 1928 elections, the Social Democrats put Müller forward as their candidate. Reich President Paul von Hindenburg would have preferred DVP chairman Ernst Scholz as chancellor but was persuaded to accept Müller by his inner circle, which expected a Social Democratic chancellorship to erode SPD support in the medium term. On 12 June 1928 Hindenburg finally entrusted Müller with forming the government. The other parties proved reluctant to compromise, and it took a personal intervention by Gustav Stresemann for a government to be formed on 28 June 1928. Müller's cabinet, a coalition of Social Democrats, Centre Party, DDP, DVP and BVP managed to settle only on a written agreement on the government's policies in the spring of 1929. In particular, domestic policy differences between the SPD and DVP dominated the government's work. Its continued existence was mainly due to the mutual personal esteem between Müller and Foreign Minister Stresemann, who died on 3 October 1929. Relations between the parties were strained by the arguments over construction of the pocked battleship Panzerkreuzer A, in which the SPD forced its ministers to vote against the allocation of funds to the project in the Reichstag even though they had endorsed it in cabinet meetings in order to keep the coalition intact. In addition, the Ruhr iron dispute (), the "largest and longest lockout Germany had ever experienced", was a bone of contention, as the DVP voted against the Reichstag motion that approved state support for the estimated 200,000 to 260,000 locked out workers.

Financing the budget for 1929 and the external liabilities of the Reich were a huge problem, and reaching an agreement involved negotiating more lenient reparations conditions with the Allies. Müller had been the leader of the delegation to the League of Nations in the summer of 1928 where he – despite a heated argument with French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand over German rearmament – had laid the groundwork for concessions by the Allies. By January 1930, the government had succeeded in negotiating a reduction in reparation payments (the Young Plan, signed in August 1929) and a promise by the Allies to completely withdraw the occupation forces from the Rhineland by May 1930.

Meanwhile, Müller's cabinet also had to deal with diplomatic problems with Poland over trade and the position of ethnic minorities. German-Soviet relations also reached a nadir, as the Soviet government blamed the cabinet for violence between Communist demonstrators and the police in Berlin in May 1929. At that point, the middle class parties were looking for ways to end the coalition with the SPD. The nationalist DNVP and Nazi Party failed to stop the Young Plan via a referendum, and the coalition parties disagreed on the issue of funding unemployment insurance. Müller was unable to participate in the political arena for several months due to a life-threatening illness.

Although Müller was able to resume his duties in the fall of 1929, he was physically weakened and unable to control the centrifugal forces at work. The coalition finally fell apart in a disagreement about budgetary issues. After the onset of the Great Depression, the unemployment insurance system required frequent injections of taxpayer money by the Reich, but the parties could not agree on how to raise the funds. Müller was willing to accept a compromise offer by Heinrich Brüning of the Centre Party, but he was overruled by the SPD parliamentary group, which refused to make any further concessions. On the suggestion of his advisors, Reich President Hindenburg would not provide Müller's government with the emergency powers available under Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, forcing Müller and his cabinet to resign on 27 March 1930.

A number of progressive reforms were implemented under Müller's last government. In 1928, nationwide state-controlled unemployment insurance was established, and midwives and people in the music profession became compulsorily insured under a pension scheme for non-manual workers in 1929. In February 1929, accident insurance coverage was extended to include 22 occupationally induced diseases. That same year, a special pension for unemployed persons at the age of 60 was introduced.

Death

After resigning as chancellor, Müller retired from public life. Following the elections in September 1930, which saw massive gains for Adolf Hitler's NSDAP, Müller called on his party to support Heinrich Brüning's government even without being part of the coalition. His death in 1931 following a gallbladder operation was seen as a major blow to the Social Democrats. He died in Berlin and is buried there at the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde.

Family
In 1902, Müller married Frieda Tockus. They had one daughter, Annemarie, in 1905. Frieda died several weeks later due to complications from the pregnancy. He remarried in 1909 to Gottliebe Jaeger, and the following year their daughter Erika was born.

Works

Literature

 Prager, Eugen: "Hermann Müller und die Presse". In: Mitteilungen des Vereins Arbeiterpresse. Heft 312 (April 1931), p. 1–2.
 Behring, Rainer: "Wegbereiter sozialdemokratischer Außenpolitik. Hermann Müller". In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 26. April 2006, p. 8.
 Braun, Bernd: Die Reichskanzler der Weimarer Republik. Zwölf Lebensläufe in Bildern. Düsseldorf, 2011, , p. 134–167.

References

External links

1876 births
1931 deaths
20th-century Chancellors of Germany
Politicians from Mannheim
People from the Grand Duchy of Baden
Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians
Leaders of political parties in Germany
Chancellors of Germany
Foreign Ministers of Germany
Members of the 13th Reichstag of the German Empire
Members of the Weimar National Assembly
Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic
Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold members
Members of the Executive of the Labour and Socialist International
German anti-communists

Hermann Müller (politician)


, also referred to as Japanese Spider-Man, is a 1978 Japanese superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and also a spin-off from the Japanese Spider-Man television series. The film was directed by Kōichi Takimoto, written by Susumu Takahisa, and produced and distributed by Toei Company.

Plot
The film takes place between episode 10 ("To the Flaming Hell: See the Tears of the Snake Woman") and 11 ("Professor Monster's Ultra Poisoning").

The Iron Cross Army are sabotaging oil-tankers with the help of their monster, the Sea-Devil, a semi-mechanical anthropomorphic swordfish with an ability to shoot torpedoes from its mouth. Spider-Man employs the help of the interpol agent Jūzō Mamiya to help him stop the Iron Cross Army. Spider-Man uses his remote controlled Marveller to prevent the Sea-Devil from bombing an industrial complex by making its missiles explode in the air. After that the monster's master makes it grow giant and Spider-Man has to use his Marveller to transform into a giant mech to fight the monster, after they exchange blows Spider-Man uses the mechs giant sword to disintegrate the Sea-Devil.

Cast
 Shinji Todō as Takuya Yamashiro / Spider-Man
 Noboru Nakaya as Jūzō Mamiya

Production
The film was directed by Kōichi Takemoto and written by Susumu Takaku. The movie was the first appearance of the character of Juzo Mamiya, who subsequently appeared in three episodes of the series, episodes 11, 12 and 14. The film is the same length as the series episodes but was shot in widescreen.

The stunts in the film were choreographed and the acrobatics performed by the Japan Action Club (JAC).

Release
The film premiered on the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival on July 22, 1978. It was released in some non-American territories. The film was also released on DVD along with the entire series in 2005 in Japan. Like the rest of the series, the film was made available for streaming on Marvel's official website in 2009. The movie appeared listed as "episode 0" on the site. Both the film and episodes were later taken down.

See also
 Spider-Man in film
 List of films featuring giant monsters

References

External links

 Post about the film from Brian Michael Bendis

Spider-Man films
Kaiju films
Featurettes
1970s American films
1970s Japanese films

Spider-Man (1978 film)


The Mobile Carnival Museum is a history museum that chronicles over 300 years of Carnival and Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama.  The museum is housed in the historic Bernstein-Bush mansion on Government Street in downtown Mobile.

Features
The museum features displays that tell the story of how the local celebration evolved from its early days to the modern tradition it has become.  The Queen's Gallery houses gowns, trains, and jewels worn by the queens of Carnival. Also on display is the attire of a 1920s flapper queen, as well as costumes of several jesters of well-known parading societies. The collections also include original Mardi Gras art and posters by various area artists, doubloons, tableau designs, and ball invitations.  The mansion's former carriage house contains interactive exhibits, including one that allows visitors to "ride" and throw doubloons from a Carnival float.

See also
Mardi Gras in Mobile
Mystic society

References

Carnival and Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama
Museums in Mobile, Alabama
History museums in Alabama
Amusement museums in the United States

Mobile Carnival Museum


Superman is a famous comic book character, and is often known as the first modern superhero character. He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1932, while they were still in high school. He first appeared in Action Comics issue #1 in 1938. Later, he appeared in movies, television series, cartoons, commercials, video games, and radio shows. Superman is one of the most popular superheroes, he is also in the DC Comics.  As a superhero he does not want to kill anyone. But he was forced to kill his nemesis general Zod as Zod was about to kill people. Like other characters in the DC Universe, there have been several alternative versions of Superman over the years. Several actors have played Superman in motion pictures and TV series including Bud Collyer, Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Tim Daly, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, Tyler Hoechlin and David Corenswet.

Superman's real life origins
Mr. Siegel imagined an evil villain who read minds and dreamed of conquering the world. He went by the name of the Superman. In the 1930s, Hitler, the infamous nazi villain from real life, was talking about getting rid of the Jews and communists. This was because he believed that Germans he called Aryans were supermen. Mr. Siegel, who was Jewish, found this disgusting. But one night, Mr. Siegel tossed and turned in his bed, and had a horrible time getting to sleep. When he awoke, Superman became the superman we know today, and the evil version disappeared.

Story
Superman was born on a planet called Krypton. His name was Kal-El. When his father, Jor-El, found out that their planet was going to explode, Jor-El sent his baby son to Earth in a spacecraft to save him. Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. They named him Clark Kent. The Kents raised him as their own son in a town called Smallville, Kansas in the United States. (There is a television series called Smallville about his time growing up there)

As he grows up, Clark finds out that he has special powers. He is almost invulnerable (most things cannot hurt him). He is strong enough to lift almost anything and he can fly. Superman can also run and move faster than a bullet. He has X-ray vision (he can see through walls, he is not able to see through lead), and heat vision (shooting heat from his eyes). He can freeze things with his frost breath and his super-breath (which allows him to blow super hard). He decides to use his special powers to fight crime and save people in danger. He wears a blue and red costume and cape to keep his alter ego (his real name) a secret. He saves the entire world many times.

Superman moves to a city called Metropolis, and becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet, a newspaper. He falls in love with another reporter, Lois Lane.

His weaknesses are radioactive rocks from his home planet that are called "kryptonite"; and magic. Sometimes his enemies use it to hurt him. Diffferent Kryptoinites have different effects on him, Blue Kryptonite makes people able to control him using hypnosis, green weakens his powers and slowly kills him, black makes him evil, and red has many different effects on him (each piece of red kryptonite affects him differently). There is also gold, white, and jewel kryptonite. Some of Superman's enemies use magic to hurt him.

Affiliations

Enemies
His most well known arch enemy is a bald (hairless), evil genius named Lex Luthor. He has other deadly enemies too. Bizarro is a failed duplicate of Superman. Darkseid is a very powerful enemy, and the ruler of the planet Apokolips. Doomsday is regarded as the first villain to kill Superman in physical combat, but he is later revived. Another enemy includes General Zod who comes from the same planet as Superman.

Teams
Superman also founded the Justice League of America alongside Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, and Martian Manhunter.

TV series

Live-action
Several live-action television shows have focused on Superman:
George Reeves played Superman in Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1952 to 1958. Reeves also played the character in several movies made around that time.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1993 to 1997, with Dean Cain playing Clark Kent /Superman.
Smallville, which ran from 2001 to 2011, starred Tom Welling as a young Clark Kent as he grows up in his hometown, leading up to him becoming Superman as an adult.
Tyler Hoechlin has played Superman in The CW's "Arrowverse" superhero-themed shows and later in Superman & Lois, a separate show which focuses on Clark/Superman's home life with his wife Lois and two sons Jonathan and Jordan

Cartoons
Superman has also been featured in many cartoon shows including:
The Superman cartoon shorts in the 1940s, with Bud Collyer voicing Superman
Super Friends in the 1970s and 1980s, with Danny Dark voicing Superman
The DC Animated Universe in the 1990s and 2000s, which included shows such as:
Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000), with Tim Daly voicing Superman
Justice League (2001-2004) and its sequel Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006), with George Newbern voicing Superman
Justice League Action (2016-2018), with Jason J. Lewis voicing Superman
My Adventures with Superman (2023-present), an anime-inspired show with Jack Quaid voicing Clark Kent / Superman

Movies

Live-action
Kirk Alyn played Superman in two movie serial series, notably the 1948 series Superman and Atom Man vs Superman.
George Reeves played Superman in the movie Superman and the Mole Men, which was made before his TV show, also appearing in an educational video titled Stamp Day for Superman made for the U.S. Government.
Christopher Reeve played Clark Kent / Superman in Superman: The Movie which was released in 1978, This movie has been considered one of the best superhero movies of all time and spawned three direct sequels also starring Reeve, including Superman II and its director's cut Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
Kirk Alyn made a cameo appearance as Lois Lane's father in Superman: The Movie, but did not appear as Superman in that movie
Brandon Routh replaced Reeve as Superman in an "indirect" sequel, Superman Returns, which was released in 2006.
Henry Cavill played Clark Kent / Superman in the DC Extended Universe, which ran from 2013 to 2023. He played the character in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and its director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Black Adam, which was a cameo appearance.
David Corenswet will play Superman in the upcoming DC Universe movie series, starting with Superman: Legacy.

Animation
Superman appeared in the DC Animated Movie Universe, a series of interconnected, traditionally animated movies that ran from 2013 to 2020. Sam Daly voiced Superman in the movie Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Alan Tudyk voiced the character in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis before Jerry O'Connell took over voicing Superman in all remaining movies in that series.
Channing Tatum voiced Superman in The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie, and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

References

DC Comics adapted into movies
DC Comics superheroes
Fictional characters introduced in the 1930s
Kryptonians
Justice League
Fictional American people

Superman


The Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum () are a monument and a museum dedicated to the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923. The monument, opened in 1998, is located at Karaağaç, Edirne in Turkey, and the museum is next to it in the former train station building.

Background

The Treaty of Sèvres, that marked the end of World War I, was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies on 10 August 1920.

It was, however, rejected by the Turkish national movement due to significant loss of territory, and accordingly failed. Following the victorious Turkish War of Independence fought against the Allied forces of British Empire, French Republic, Kingdom of Italy and Kingdom of Greece, who had occupied a great portion of Turkish mainland, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923.

This second peace treaty ended the conflict between the Turkish nationalists and the Allies, and also defined the borders of the modern Turkish Republic.

In line with the treaty, the Greek-Turkish border was redrawn, and Karaağaç quarter of Edirne (then known in English as Adrianople), on the south bank of the Maritsa river, was returned from Greece to Turkey. Karaağaç railway station, which was the main train station of Edirne, was in use until 1971 when a new station was built on the other side of the Maritsa.

The old railway station buildings and the surrounding area were subsequently assigned to Trakya University. and following redevelopment housed the university administration.

In 1996, the senate of Trakya University decided upon the establishment of a monument and a museum adjacent to the former railway station.

Breaking of the ground for the new monument took place on 29 March 1998, and its construction took just four months.  It was inaugurated by the then President Süleyman Demirel (in office 1993–2000) on 19 July 1998, on the 75th anniversary of the Republic.

The area surrounding the monument was established as a public park through the planting of 74 young trees to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Following this it was decided that every year a new young tree should be planted.

Trakya University budgeted the project to  148 billion (approximately US$617,000 at that time).

Monument
The monument consists of three concrete columns in different sizes, erected onto three separate concrete consoles, inclined at 45 degrees and standing on raft foundation. The longest column with  height represents Anadolu (Anatolia) as the mainland of Turkey on Asia. The second column is  tall and symbolizes Trakya (Thrace), the western part of Turkey on Europe. The third column, standing in the mid of the other two, represents Karaağaç with its  height.

A concrete ring at  height, which ties the columns, represents unity and solidarity. In front of the ring, a  tall metal statue of a young woman represents aesthetics, grace and justice. The young woman figure holds a dove in her left hand symbolizing peace and democracy, and a document in the right hand, which stands for the Treaty of Lausanne. A semicircular pool with  radius at the feet of the monument represents the seas around three sides of Turkey.

A bust of İsmet İnönü (1884–1973), who acted as the chief negotiator for Turkey during the Conference of Lausanne, is situated at entrance inside the park.

Museum
A museum was established in the auxiliary building of Karaağaç railway station. It contains in two rooms all the documents, records and photographs belonging to the Treaty of Lausanne as well as personal belongings of İsmet İnönü and cartoons depicting him. Various books related to the peace treaty are displayed in the entrance hallway.

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Edirne
1998 establishments in Turkey
Monuments and memorials in Turkey
Monumental columns in Turkey
Peace monuments and memorials
Museums established in 1998
Museums in Edirne Province
History museums in Turkey
Tourist attractions in Edirne
Trakya University

Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum


Piers Gerald Mackesy  (15 September 1924 – 30 June 2014) was a British military historian who taught at the University of Oxford.

Early life and education
Piers Mackesy was born in Cults, near Aberdeen in Scotland, the son of Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy and Leonora Cook. Growing up in an army family, he followed his father's assignments and lived on a number of army posts, including Quetta, Chatham, and Borden. Mackesy was educated at Wellington College and was commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys in 1944, serving until 1947. Subsequently, he became a scholar of Christ Church, Oxford, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1950. As a graduate student, Mackesy studied for his D.Phil. degree at Oriel College, Oxford, where he wrote his thesis on British Strategy in the Mediterranean, 1803–1810.

Mackesy's daughter is the novelist Serena Mackesy.

Academic career
Upon completion of his doctorate, Mackesy was appointed Harkness Fellow at Harvard University, and in the following year he was appointed tutor in modern history and Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford in 1954, remaining there until he retired in 1988. While at Pembroke, he became senior tutor and vicegerent of the College. For many years, he taught the special subject in military history at Oxford with Professor N. H. Gibbs. This course of study involved using the War of the Second Coalition as a case study for examining the theories of Carl von Clausewitz. He was an Emeritus Fellow of Pembroke College from 1988 until his death in 2014.

Mackesy was visiting fellow, Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (1961–62), visiting professor, California Institute of Technology (1966), Bland-Lee Lecturer at Clark University, the Naval War College, the U.S. Military Academy, and Northeastern University. He was the Lees Knowles Lecturer at Cambridge University in 1972, and served as a member of Council, Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1970–73.

In 1978 the University of Oxford awarded Mackesy the degree of DLitt. In 1988 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.

Publications
 The War in the Mediterranean, 1803–1810 (1957)
 The War for America, 1775–1783 (1964, 1992)
 Statesmen at War: the Strategy of Overthrow, 1798–1799 (1974)
 Could the British have Won the War of Independence?: Bland-Lee lecture, September 1975 (1976)
 The Coward of Minden: the Affair of Lord George Sackville (1979)
 War without Victory: The Downfall of Pitt, 1799–1802 (1984)
 British Victory in Egypt, 1801: the End of Napoleon's Conquest (1995) — awarded the Templer Medal

Contributor to:

 Michael Howard, ed, Wellingtonian Studies (1959)
 David L. Jacobson, ed., Essays on the American Revolution (1970)
 William M. Fowler, Jr. and Wallace Coyle, eds., The American Revolution: Changing Perspectives (1979)
 John B. Hattendorf and Malcolm H. Murfett, eds, The Limitations of Military Power: Essays Presented to Professor Norman Gibbs on His Eightieth Birthday (1990)

Sources
"Fellows in the 1940s and 1950s" — Pembroke College, Oxford
"Liberty Scholars"
"The Templer Medal Book Competition"
 British Academy Memoir of Piers Mackesy by Michael Duffy

References

1924 births
2014 deaths
Military personnel from Aberdeen
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
British Army personnel of World War II
British historians
British military historians
British military writers
Fellows of Pembroke College, Oxford
Fellows of the British Academy
Harkness Fellows
Harvard Fellows
Historians of the American Revolution
People from Cults
Royal Scots Greys officers

Piers Mackesy


Spark and Burn is an original novel based on the U.S. television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Plot summary

Spike was born in the nineteenth century as a gentle, intellectual boy named William. As a young adult, he meets a woman called Drusilla, a mysterious vampire. William eventually becomes Spike.

He travels Europe with a band of vicious vampires, Dru, Darla, and Angelus. They show him his new existence, and from them he finds out about that most serious of enemies to vampires, one girl in all the world chosen to fight the vampires and the forces of darkness, the Slayer.

Having found a soul in Africa in the twenty-first century, Spike is tormented by the first evil and the guilt of his vampiric evils. He recalls many of the events that would lead him to the madness in the hell-influenced basement of the new Sunnydale High School.

Continuity
Most of the story is supposed to be set during the seventh season episode "Lessons". However the memories Spike recalls span the whole of Spike's history in the Buffyverse. For example, why he was on a World War II sub ("Why We Fight"), and his earlier memories of the Scooby gang whilst he spied on them in "Reptile Boy".

Canonical issues

Buffy books such as this one are not usually considered by fans as canonical. Some fans consider them stories from the imaginations of authors and artists, while other fans consider them as taking place in an alternative fictional reality. However unlike fan fiction, overviews summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Buffy/Angel merchandise.

See also

Spike comics
Old Times
Spike vs Dracula
Old Wounds
Lost and Found
Spike & Dru
Asylum

Spike novels
Blackout
Pretty Maids All in a Row
Spark and Burn

External links

Reviews
Teen-books.com - Reviews of this book

2005 novels
Books based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Spark and Burn


The Catholic branch of Christianity is the predominant religion in Malta. The Constitution of Malta establishes Catholicism as the state religion, and it is also reflected in various elements of Maltese culture.

According to a 2018 survey, the overwhelming majority of the Maltese population adheres to Christianity (95.2%) with Catholicism as the main denomination (93.9%). According to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2019, 83% of the population identified as Catholic. Similarly, the 2021 census of the population found that 82.6% belonged to the Catholic church.

Malta's patron saints are St Paul, St Publius and St Agatha. The Assumption of Mary known as Santa Marija is the special patron of several towns in Malta and she is celebrated each August 15th.

Combined survey figures suggest that around half the population are not practicing Catholics, or adhere to a different religion, or to none.

History of religion in Malta

Religion and the law

Constitutional standing
Article 2 of the Constitution of Malta states that the religion of Malta is the "Roman Catholic apostolic religion" (paragraph 1), that the authorities of the Catholic Church have the duty and the right to teach which principles are right and wrong (paragraph 2) and that religious teaching of the Catholic apostolic faith shall be provided in all state schools as part of compulsory education (paragraph 3).

Malta, a signatory to the Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights, made a declaration saying that it accepts the protocol's article 2 (on parents' right to have their children educated in line with their religious or philosophical views) only insofar "as it is compatible with the provision of efficient instruction and training, and the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, having regard to the fact that the population of Malta is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic".

However, article 2(1) and (3) of the Constitution are not entrenched, unlike article 40 which guarantees full freedom of conscience and of religious worship and bars the requirement of religious instruction or to show proficiency in religion. This means that if the provisions of article 2(1) and (2) are in conflict with the rights guaranteed under article 40, the provisions of the latter prevail. With regards to religious instruction in public schools for example, students may opt to decline participation in Catholic religious lessons.

Malta officially supported Italy and was one of ten states presenting written observations when the case Lautsi v. Italy was to be heard by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights over the exhibiting of the crucifix in classrooms.

Religion and public policy
Malta was the last European country (excluding Vatican City) to introduce divorce in October 2011 after voting in a referendum on the subject earlier in the year.

Malta decriminalised vilification of religion in July 2016.

Abortion in Malta is illegal in all circumstances. Over the years some loopholes (non-inclusion of outer territorial waters, no mention of advertising) permitted individuals to circumvent the ban for limited time periods.

Assisted dying in Malta is illegal in all circumstances.

Same sex marriage has been legal since September 2017.

Catholic members of the medical profession are required by a State Regulation to abide by the tenets of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion.

Roman Catholic church schools are largely funded by the state and, under a 1993 Concordat with the Vatican, they are not obliged to provide any sex education.

There are state-sanctioned crucifixes in every hospital room, classroom and public building.

A prayer is recited at the start of every parliamentary sitting.

Religious beliefs and participation
According to a Eurobarometer poll held in 2005, 95% of Maltese responded that they "believe there is a God", 3% responded that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 1% responded that they "don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force", which was the lowest percentage of non-believers in all countries surveyed, together with Turkey, Romania and Poland. 1% gave no response.

In a report published in 2006, it was reported that 52.6% of Maltese (older than 7 years and excluding those not able to attend) attended Sunday Mass in 2005, down from 75.1% in 1982 and 63.4% in 1995. Hence, Sunday Mass attendance has dropped annually by 1% since 1982. According to Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Sunday Mass attendance dropped further to roughly 40% by 2015. The 2017 census revealed that 36.1% of the catholic population attended Mass on the census day, which was over the course of a weekend in December 2017, a significant decline compared to previous years.

Church weddings have also declined since 2010, with a rapid increase in civil weddings. In 2010 a total of 1,547 church weddings and 740 civil weddings were registered. In 2018, church weddings declined to 1,129 while civil weddings increased to 1,423.

The number of students who opt out of studying religious knowledge in schools has increased. In 2014, an ethics class was created for those who choose not to attend school religion lessons, which are still part of the curriculum. In 2014, there was a total of 1,411 students who opted out of religions lessons; in 2019, the number increased to 3,422, an increase of 142%.

According to a 2018 survey, around 63.7% of the Maltese population considered themselves practicing members of their religion. In a 2021 State of the Nation survey commissioned by the Maltese President, 93% of respondents said they believe in God, and 60% said religion is important to them.

Vernacular cult and beliefs
 Karmni Grima, Our Lady of Ta' Pinu, Frenċ tal-Għarb

Catholicism in Malta

Catholic churches

On the islands of Malta and Gozo, which are two separate dioceses, there are a total of 359 churches (313 in Malta and 46 in Gozo). Of these, 78 are parishes (63 in Malta and 15 in Gozo) and six are national parishes. This means that there is a "church density" of slightly more than one church per square kilometer. In Malta, every locality has its parish church, apart from two or three small localities. There are also localities that have more than one parish church, like Sliema and Birkirkara, which have four parishes each.

Catholic organisations
Zghazagh Azzjoni Kattolika: Catholic children and youth organization, member of Fimcap

Papal visits

Pope John Paul II made three pastoral visits to Malta: twice in 1990 and once in 2001. In his last visit he beatified three Maltese people: George Preca (who was then canonised in 2007), Nazju Falzon and Adeodata Pisani.

In April 2010, Pope Benedict XVI also visited Malta in celebration of 1,950 years since the shipwreck of Paul on the island of Malta.

In April 2022, Pope Francis visited Malta in commemoration of St Paul's Shipwreck on the island.

Other Christian denominations in Malta

Protestant churches
The Anglican church in Malta has two parish churches, St Paul's and Trinity, and one chaplaincy which covers all of Gozo. The parishes are part of the Diocese in Europe of the Church of England. There are around 300 active Anglicans in Malta however the inactive Anglican population is significantly higher.

There is also a Presbyterian congregation which united with the Methodist congregation in 1975 and today worship as one congregation in St Andrew's. The Presbyterian congregation is part of the International Presbytery of the Church of Scotland.

A Lutheran congregation, mostly made up of Germans and Scandinavians, worship in St Andrew's Church as well though as a separate congregation.

The Evangelical Alliance of Malta (TEAMalta) has five churches and two organisations that are affiliated, with about 500 members between them.

The Assemblies of God in Malta forms part of the World Assemblies of God which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. Cornerstone Pentecostal Church (http://www.cornerstone.org.mt) is the main Assemblies of God Church in Malta and is a member of the Evangelical Alliance of Malta (TEAM).

The Bible Baptist Church caters to the Baptists congregation in Malta.

Other Protestant Denominations include: Christian Fellowship, New Life Christian, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Pentecostalism (including Christian Assembly), New Apostolic Church, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Methodist Church of Great Britain.

Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches

The Eastern Orthodox presence in Malta has experienced a substantial increase. In 2014 there were at least 5,000 orthodox believers or 1.2% of the total population. The 2021 census found 16,457 Christian Orthodox believers.

The Russian Orthodox Church in Malta has its own parish of St Paul, however, they do not have a permanent church, and use the Greek Catholic church of Our Lady of Damascus in Valletta for services.

The Bulgarian Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic congregations also use the same church for services.

There is a Greek Orthodox congregation which has its own church of St George, part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta until the erection of a Malta exarchate in 2021.

The Romanian Orthodox Church congregation worships in St Roque's Church and is part of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy.

There is also a strong Serbian Orthodox congregation in Malta, which uses St Nicholas' for worship. The Serbian parish is part of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland.

The Coptic Orthodox Church congregation forms part of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and worships in St James' Chapel in Żebbuġ.

There are also congregations belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, both of which use the Church of St James, Valletta.

Others
As of 2020, there are a reported 10 congregations and 783 Jehovah's Witnesses in Malta, with 1,245 who attended the memorial of Jesus death that they host yearly.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) also has two congregations in Malta.

Non-Christian religions in Malta

There is one Jewish congregation in Malta. There are various Hindu families in Malta that practice their own Hindu faith, but there are no Hindu temples, and the Hindu deceased are buried in Malta, instead of being cremated.

There are at least 10 places of Muslim prayer and a Muslim faith school in Malta, but only one mosque with minaret. Of the estimated 3,000 Muslims in 2003, some 2,250 are foreigners, some 600 are naturalized citizens, and some 150 are native-born Maltese.
The 2021 census found that the Muslim population in Malta grew from 6,000 in 2010 to 17,454 in 2021, mainly foreigners, totalling 3.9% of the population. Of these a small amount, 1,746, are Maltese citizens.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is also present.

Zen Buddhism and the Bahá'í Faith also have about 40 members.

Paganism is also present in Malta, with a community counting at least 100 individuals who identify as such.

Humanists Malta  gathered more than 2,000 followers since its foundation in 2010.

Combined, survey figures suggest that around half the population are not practicing Catholics, or adhere to a different religion, or to none.

Non-religious in Malta

According to a 2018 survey, 3.9% of the Maltese population identified as atheist, and 12.9% as non-practicing members of their religion.

According to a 2021 survey, commissioned by the Maltese President, religion is not important to 40% of the population, and 3% said they did not believe in God.

The 2021 Maltese census found a total of 23,243 residents (5.1 per cent) who stated that they did not belong to any religion, religious denomination, or body. Of those with no religious affiliation, a third (7,254) were Maltese citizens, while two-thirds were foreign residents.

Freedom of religion
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.

See also

Christianity in Europe
Culture of Malta
Freemasonry in Malta
History of Malta
List of Churches in Malta
List of Maltese saints
Religion by country
Religion in Europe
Religion in the European Union

References

External links

Profile of the Catholic Church in Malta
Homepage of the Archdiocese of Malta
Freedom House Country Report: Malta (2006)
Freedom House Country Report: Malta (2005)
Freedom House Country Report: Malta (2004)
Freedom House Country Report: Malta (2003)
Freedom House Country Report: Malta (2002)

Culture of Malta
Society of Malta

Religion in Malta


100,000 Cobbers is a 1942 dramatised documentary made by director Ken G. Hall for the Australian Department of Information during World War II to boost recruitment into the armed forces. Grant Taylor, Joe Valli and Shirley Ann Richards play fictitious characters.

Plot
Five men enlist in the AIF – laid back Bill; World War I veteran Scotty, who pretends to be 37 years old; an "old school tie" businessman Peter, who is running his dead father's business, and whose secretary Miss Lane leaves for overseas service as a VAD; the rebellious "Bluey" William Baker; and Jim, who leaves behind his new wife, Jean.

Bluey and Bill almost get in a fight when Bluey tries to cut into the line during enlistment but the five soon become friends. The five soldiers go through basic training and become good soldiers. Bill falls for a female chiropodist working at the camp.

Bluey, Bill, Jim and Peter get leave and spend a day at Luna Park in Sydney with their women (Bluey has a girl called "Blondie"), then go to a cabaret. They all toast to the future.

The men then go to a pub before embarking for overseas. Scotty tells his four mates that he has been kicked out the army for being too old at 48 years old.

The other four go on board while Scotty works in a munitions factory. The final scene is of the four cobbers going into action, Jim, Peter and Bill thinking of their women.

The movie ends with a quote from Henry Lawson, "I tell you the star of the south shall rise... in the lurid clouds of war".

Cast
Some of the cast were billed with their military rank:
Sgt John Fleeting, AIF as Peter Montgomery
Joe Valli, ex-AIF as Scotty
Sig. Barry Ross, AIF as William "Bluey" Baker
Pvte Grant Taylor, AMF as Bill
Gilbert Ellis as Jim
Aileen Britten as Miss Lane
Shirley Ann Richards
Lorna Westbrook as Blondie
Patricia Firman as Jean

Production
Cinesound Productions were commissioned to make the film by the Department of Information and its Minister Harry Foll. The original title was Democratic Army. Director Ken G. Hall said he wanted to make a featurette as opposed to a documentary film. The theme of it was to "show that a man may not have a friend in the world, but from the moment he joins the Army he has "cobbers" in plenty."

Filming began on 15 September 1941 and took 14 days.

Various members of the cast were granted leave from the army to appear in the film, including Grant Taylor, John Fleeting and Barry Ross.

Fleeting, Taylor, Joe Vallie, Lorna Westbrook, Aileen Britton and Shirley Ann Richards had all appeared in films for Ken G. Hall previously. A number of amateurs were also used in the cast. Barry Ross was an experienced stage actor.

100,000 Cobbers was mostly filmed at Liverpool Military camp using national servicemen. There was also location shooting at Luna Park.

Shirley Ann Richards plays a chiropractor. It was her last role in Australia before leaving for Hollywood.

Ken Hall later recalled in his memoirs:
It [the film] provided a much bigger snag to make than we had expected: there were next to no troops available to make it with. The army had a few hundred militiamen in camp at Liverpool. They had been called up for national service and home defence, were raw and as yet untrained. Eighteen-year-olds formed a big percentage, and they were out to prove their manhood by stacking their own normal conversation with every four-letter word in the language. As soldiers they had a long way to go, but they were all we had. The veteran NCOs got stuck into them and soon had them in at least rough shape. There was an AIF officers' training school also in the area, with keen young men aspiring to leadership. We were mighty glad to have them, and they provided the front (close-to-camera) people we needed. I'm sure those militiamen were turned into good soldiers eventually and indeed some of them could have been among those originals at Kokoda.
Roden Cutler was a liaison officer at Liverpool.

Release
While the film was originally made to increase recruitment for the AIF, after Japan entered the war additional footage was shot and the film recut to also appeal to the Australian Militia Force.

The film was previewed to the Department of Information on 29 January 1942. It was released throughout Australia as a supporting featurette in Greater Union cinemas.

Critical
The Sydney Morning Herald called 100,000 Cobbers "a fine film call to the fighting youth of Australia in this grave hour... the best film Ken Hall as made and it will have particularly nostalgic appeal for old diggers... It is often a quietly moving story."

The News of Adelaide called it "probably the best documentary film Australia has produced... well acted, neatly produced and its action scenes are authentic and moving."

The Mercury of Hobart wrote that Joe Valli was "outstanding".

The West Australian wrote that:
It is a film for everybody, a picture everyone should see and one that no Australian can view without a feeling of pride and genuine emotion...  From the time the recruits reach the enlistment depot every phase of their lives and training is presented with a realism hitherto lacking in some of our propaganda films.
The film was distributed in England and the US.

Filmnk magazine later wrote that Taylor and Richards made a "marvellous team".

Later release
In 1947 the army was worried about running short of men to serve in Japan and the islands. They used the film as a recruiting tool in conjunction with the British documentary The True Glory.

References

External links

Complete copy of film at Australian War Memorial
Complete Dept of Information film relating to film at National Archive of Australia
100,000 Cobbers at National Film and Sound Archive

1942 films
Films directed by Ken G. Hall
Australian World War II propaganda films
Australian black-and-white films
Australian documentary films
1942 documentary films
1940s Australian films
1940s English-language films

100,000 Cobbers


Joseph E. Robbins (11 June 1901 - 7 July 1989) was an American film technician, who received three Academy Awards for Technical Achievement.

Life
In the late 1920s Robbins was responsible for the car pool of Paramount Pictures.

Robbins later worked as film technician for Paramount Pictures and at the 10th Academy Awards he was awarded his first Oscar for Technical Achievement, which he received for "an exceptional application of acoustic principles to the sound proofing of gasoline generators and water pumps".

At the 12th Academy Awards he, Farciot Edouart and William Rudolph were awarded an Oscar, again for Technical Achievement, this time for "the design and construction of a quiet portable treadmill" .

He was awarded his third Oscar for Technical Achievement at the 17th Academy Awards, together with Russell Brown and Ray Hinsdale for "the development and production use of the Paramount floating hydraulic boat rocker".

Awards
 10th Academy Awards: Academy Award for Technical Achievement
 12th Academy Awards: Academy Award for Technical Achievement
 17th Academy Awards: Academy Award for Technical Achievement

Work
Quiet Gasoline Engine Propelled Apparatus. SAE Technical Paper 400032, 1940, .

References

External links

Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners
American cinema pioneers
1989 deaths
1901 births

Joseph E. Robbins