The Cyprus Museum (also known as the Cyprus Archaeological Museum) is the oldest and largest archaeological museum in Cyprus.

The museum houses artifacts discovered during numerous excavations on the island. The museum is home to the most extensive collection of Cypriot antiquities in the world and is located on Museum Street in central Nicosia. Its history goes hand in hand with the course of modern archaeology (and the Department of Antiquities) in Cyprus. Of note is that only artefacts discovered on the island are displayed.

History
As an institution, the Cyprus Museum was founded in 1882 during the British occupation of the island following a petition by the Cypriot people. This makes the museum 139 years old. The petition was delivered to the British administration by a delegation headed by the religious leaders of both the Christian and Muslim populations. A major catapult for this action were several illicit excavations and the smuggling of antiquities off the island. The most extensive of these had been carried out a few years earlier by the United States Ambassador, Luigi Palma di Cesnola, who had smuggled over 35,000 artefacts off the island, most of which were destroyed in transit. Many of the surviving items ended up in the newly formed Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and are currently on display in their own galleries on the second floor.

The initial museum was funded by private donations and was temporarily housed in existing governmental offices. It moved to its own premises in 1889 on Victoria Street within the medieval walls of the city. Construction of the current building began in 1908 and was completed in 1924. It was originally dedicated to the memory of the British monarch, Queen Victoria. It was designed by the architect N. Balanos of the Archaeological Society of Athens and construction was supervised by George H. Everett Jeffery then curator of the museum. In 1961 a second set of galleries, storerooms and offices was completed.

Collections

Soon after its inception, the museum started receiving items from the numerous excavations on the island, mainly run by British and European expeditions. Indicative are the annual excavation reports published in The Journal of Hellenic Studies from 1890 onwards. The first organised catalogue was soon compiled and published in 1899 by Sir John Myres and Max Ohnefalsch-Richter. The collections of the museum were greatly augmented by the first large scale systematic excavations carried out by the Swedish Cyprus Expedition between 1927 and 1931 under the direction of professor Einar Gjerstad.

Today, the Cyprus Museum remains the principal show-piece for finds preceding independence (1960). It also houses the most important recent acquisitions. Recent years have seen a progressive decentralization of Cyprus's museum collections and most finds from current excavations are deposited in the local district museums. The museum consists of fourteen display halls surrounding a square central area which comprises auxiliary offices, a library, storerooms and laboratories for preserving and studying items in the collection. The displays in each hall follow a chronological and a thematical succession starting from the Neolithic period and ending with the Roman period.

Future
The museum collection has far outgrown the capacity of the existing buildings so much so that only a small fraction is on display at any point in time. With several ongoing excavations and constant new finds, the issue of relocation to more spacious premises has been raised but a suitable site has yet to be decided on. There have been suggestions that the nearby and now demolished building of the Nicosia Old General Hospital be redeveloped, whilst there have also been plans to create a new museum as part of a new larger cultural centre at the site of the old GSP stadium.

References

External links
 Department of Antiquities information on the Cyprus Museum

Museums in Nicosia
Archaeological museums in Cyprus
National museums
Buildings and structures completed in 1908
Museums established in 1882
1882 establishments in the British Empire

Cyprus Museum


Stabilized inverse Q filtering is a data processing technology for enhancing the resolution of reflection seismology images where the stability of the method used is considered. Q is the anelastic attenuation factor or the seismic quality factor, a measure of the energy loss as the seismic wave moves. To obtain a solution when we make computations with a seismic model we always have to consider the problem of instability and try to obtain a stabilized solution for seismic inverse Q filtering.

Basics

When a wave propagates through subsurface materials both energy dissipation and velocity dispersion takes place. Inverse Q filtering is a method to restore the energy loss due to energy dissipation (amplitude compensation) and to correct the time-shift of the data due to velocity dispersion.

Wang has written an excellent book on the subject of inverse Q filtering, Seismic inverse Q filtering (2008), and discuss the subject of stabilizing the method. He writes:
"The phase-only inverse Q filter mentioned above is unconditionally stable. However, if including the accompanying amplitude compensation in the inverse Q filter, stability is a major issue of concern in implementation."

Hale (1981) found that the inverse Q filter overcompensated the amplitudes for the later events in a seismic trace. Therefore, in order to obtain reasonable amplitude, the amplitude spectrum of the computed filter has to be clipped at some maximum gain to prevent undue amplitude at later times. On basis of this concept Wang proposed a stabilized inverse Q filtering approach that was able to compensate simultaneously for both attenuation and dispersion." The unclipped version of Wang's solution is presented in the wikipedia article seismic inverse Q filtering. The solution is based on the theory of wavefield downward continuation. In this outline here I will compute on a clipped version by introducing low-pass filtering. Both Hale and Wang introduced low-passfiltering as a method for stabilization.

Calculations

We have the equation for seismic inverse Q filtering from Wang:

Time is denoted τ, frequency is w and i is the imaginary unit. Qr and wr are reference values representing damping and frequency for a certain frequency. To demonstrate stability we can simply bypass using a reference frequency and get a more simple equation:

The sum of these plane waves gives the time-domain seismic signal,

On figure 1 is presented the solution of (2/2.b) for a seismic model for different Q-values, which clearly indicates the numerical instability. Number on top of figure 1 corresponds with the Q number, 1=Q1, 2=Q2 etc. The results are close to the results presented in Wang's book (each trace is scaled individually, so artefacts are stronger on trace 5 than on trace 4). However, Wang also considered phase compensation. Computations here are for amplitude only inversion since the phase compensation is unnecessary to demonstrate instability because it is always stable.

Low-passfiltering and inverse Q-filtering

In practice, the artefacts caused by numerical instability can be suppressed by a low-pass filter. Hale wrote that the unclipped IQF of a seismogram amplified the Nyquist frequency by a factor 7x106 when we had the ratio t/Q=10 and concluded that for typical seismograms with lengths longer than 1000 samples and Q value around 100, data is seldom pure enough to warrant the use of unclipped IQF. Wang introduced a cutoff frequency to set up a criterion for the stabilization by a mathematical formula. However, considering Hales' article it could be sufficient to simply remove the Nyquist frequency. That means to let the frequency close to Nyquist frequency be the cutoff frequency. On fig.2 we see a seismic model giving us benchmark data for inverse Q-filtering (red graph). We will see that IQF of this model will amplify the Nyquist frequency by a factor little less than 5x106.

Figure 3 is the amplitude-only inverse Q filtered trace of figure 2 for Q=50 (trace 4). The result clearly indicates the numerical instability. Artefacts are seen through the whole trace.

We will try to remove the artefacts by applying a low-pass filter on the trace of figure 3. We used MATLABS signal processing tool and created a low-passfilter  (Zero-phase IIR-filter) on fig.4 with cutoff frequency at 120 Hz. The amplitude response of the filter is in blue and the phase in green.

The result of filtering trace on fig.3 with the low-passfilter of fig.4 is shown on fig.5. All artefacts are removed and we are left with the impulse response that can be compared with the original model on fig.2.

Frequency-response

A study of the frequency response of the trace of figure 3 (unclipped) and figure 5 (clipped) will give more insight into the filtering process. Figure 6 shows the magnitude of the frequency response as a function of digital frequency before filtering. This representation gives a good picture of what happens around the Nyquist frequency when filtering with the low-pass filter is done. Unstable energy is accumulated close to the Nyquistfrequency. After filtering the unstable energy around the Nyquist-frequency is completely removed, and fig.7 give the frequency response of the impulse response of fig.5.

Notes

References

External links
Stabilized inverse Q filtering by Knut Sørsdal

Seismology measurement
Geophysics

Stabilized inverse Q filtering


Colonel Arthur Richard Cecil Butson, GC, OMM, CD and Bar (24 October 1922 – 24 March 2015) was a British-born Canadian explorer and physician.

He then joined the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1946 during World War II. In 1947 was awarded the Albert Medal, then, with the George Cross. Later, all holders of the Albert Medal were ordered to exchange that medal for the George Cross.

Butson died at the age of 92 on 24 March 2015.

References

1922 births
2015 deaths
Canadian physicians

Richard Butson


The Iranian grading system is similar to that of France's and other French-patterned grading systems such as Belgium, Lebanon, Venezuela, and Peru in secondary schools and universities. Since a grading guideline is not provided by the Iranian Ministry of Education, conversion to the international scales is carried out using conversion guideline provided for French-patterned grading systems. In specific cases, grades are converted according to the destination institutes' grading policy. The passing grade is 10 and usually a grade of more than 14 out of 20 is considered excellent. The following table is most commonly used by world institutes and universities to convert from the Iranian grading system:

The above table does not corroborate with the scale most U.S. and Canadian institutions use where a grade between 18-20 scale to an "A," 15-17 scale to a "B," 12-14 scale to a "C," a grade between 10-11 is treated as a "D," and a score below 10 is considered a failing grade.

The above is also noted in the Scholaro Database.

References

Iran
Grading
Grading

Academic grading in Iran


A speed square, also called a rafter square, rafter angle square, and triangle square, is a multi-purpose triangular carpenters' tool used for marking out. Its functions include many of those of a combination square, try square, and framing square. Carpenters use it to make basic measurements and mark lines on dimensional lumber, and as a saw guide for short 45 and 90 degree cuts.

The term "speed square" is a genericised trademark based on those owned by Swanson Tool Company which first manufactured and sold the tool.

History
Albert J. Swanson invented the A Speed Square in 1925 as a carpenter's layout tool. He later founded Swanson Tool Company to produce it. Today, Swanson Tool Company still manufactures and distributes the Speed Square and other carpentry tools from its headquarters in Frankfort, Illinois.

Design
Speed squares are manufactured from a variety of materials such as aluminum, steel, and composites such as HDPE. They are also made in several sizes, including 7-inch, 8-inch, 25-cm and 12-inch sizes.

Embedded degree gradations on the tool eliminate the need for trigonometric calculations and allow for lines to be more easily made.

The tool is an isosceles right triangle with a ruler on one equal side and a fence on the other. It is marked with the word Pivot at the right angle point and displays Degrees on its hypotenuse, Common and Hip/Val markings on its midsection.

Degree indicates the angle in degrees from 0° to 90°.
Common indicates the rise in inches over a 12 inch run for common rafters from 1 inch to 30 inch.
Hip/Val indicates the rise in inches over a 17 inch run for hip or valley rafters from 1 inch to 30 inch.

Some models have divots for fitting a writing utensil to mark lumber with. Speed squares made by the Swanson Tool Company also have a diamond shape cutout on the ruler side at 3½ inches.

Usage
Among its basic uses are marking common, hip, valley and hip, or valley jack rafters, laying out stair stringers, determining and marking angles, and making square cuts on boards.

Common lines made using a speed square include perpendicular cut marks and Angles definition of an angle for roofs, stairways, and decks.

The tool uses a 0° reference. This means when a board is squared off the tool reads 0°. The angle derived is actually a complementary angle complementary angle For example a 22.5° angle is actually 67.5°. The sum of the angles equals 90 degrees (22.5° +67.5°= 90°). It is also obvious from a visual check when using a protractor measuring angles with a protractor that where the instruments displays 22.5° is actually 67.5° on the protractor. Many newer slide miters and miter boxes display both angles. Some of the new calculators have a 0° and a 90° references. The only true angle is 45° on the triangular square. This can create confusion if the user does not understand this angular calibration when using trigonometric functions. The FIRST image below shows  ⊾ P = 20° on the protractor and ⊾ T = 20° on the angle Square. The only similarity is that both of the angles are Acute Angle and complimentary. When the image is enlarged the protractor is on the ⊾ 20° index and the body rests on the edged face of the 2X4. The square is pivoted on the (left side 2x4) and locked into the ⊾ 20° degree index at the red marked line. The SECOND image displays  ⊾ X = 70° on the clear protractor that is graduated in 360°, ⊾ X = 20° on the Aluminum angle square. Both red lines ⊾ X are Parallel and thereby congruent. "Postulate 4.1 (P 64)" congruent angle *

See also
 Combination square
 Steel square
 Try square

References

External links

How to Use a Swanson Speed Square as a Framers Square
How To Use A Swanson Speed Square
SPEED SQUARE MADE SIMPLE (video)

News

Playing The Angles. Is it 90°or is it 0°?

how to use a speed square

Speed Square Hacks

Framing Basics

Complementary Angle

Definition of an angle

Books

Girls Garage

Framing Basics

Bibliography

Woodworking measuring instruments
Dimensional instruments
American inventions
Squares (tool)

Speed square


Pechts kings ruled in northren an eastren Scotland. In 843 tradeetion records the replacement o the Pechts kinrick by the Kinrick o Alba, awtho the Erse annals continue tae uise Pechts an Fortriu for hauf a century efter 843.

The Erse annals (the Annals o Ulster, Annals o Innisfallen) refer tae some kings as keeng o Fortriu or keeng o Alba. The kings listed are thocht tae represent owerkings o the Pechts, at least frae the time o Bridei son o Maelchon onwards. In addition tae thae owerkings, mony less pouerful subject kings existit, o wham anerly a wheen are kent frae the historical record.

Meethical kings o the Pechts are listed in the Lebor Bretnach's accoont o the oreegins o the Cruithne.

See forby
 Scots monarchs

Pecht monarchs

King o the Pechts


Beck's Mill is a historic gristmill in Washington County, Indiana, in the United States. It is seven miles (11 km) southwest of Salem. It was built in 1808, rebuilt in 1864 after a fire, one year after John Hunt Morgan demanded ransom for every Washington County mill to be spared from burning. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It was on the list of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana's 10 Most Endangered historic places in 2005 and 2006, but was not in 2007 because it received funding for its restoration.

Geography

The mill is situated in a rocky ravine surrounded by sycamores and maples. It is at one of the highest elevations in Indiana, at  above sea level.

History

The site of the mill was originally an Indian burial ground, with the Shawnee and Delaware tribes living nearby. The Indians were presumably displeased when the first white man on the land, George Beck arrived from North Carolina with his sons to the Indiana Territory in 1807, after brief stops in Kentucky.  Once establishing a place to live near the future site of his mill and building a primitive shelter, he retrieved the rest of his family, who were living near Louisville, Kentucky, a few months later.

While exploring his property, Beck saw a waterfall coming out of a cave while hunting on the property.  He quickly decided it would be a perfect place for a mill.  This waterfall, which is actually a spring, is the second largest spring in Indiana.  The cave is a mile-long, and provides water throughout the year.  The first mill was built in 1808, and was 11 ft x 11 ft stone and log structure.  Beck built a small dam uphill west of the mill, which through gravity would create a low head of pressure for water to go through wooden troughs to turn the mill wheel, which was overshot.  Some of the stones used for mill were buhr, and were brought to the site from Louisville, but originally from France,.  A second mill, built in 1825, was a frame building considerably larger than the first mill, which it replaced. Two carding machines were added in 1828.

The current mill was the third one on the property, and was the first to have two stories and furniture manufacturing. The mill in its most active years (1864-1890) ran 24 hours a day, using a turbine/waterwheel combination to turn the grindstones. Families would sometimes wait three days for their corn to be milled at Beck's, forcing a settlement by the mill. Eventually, the modern roller mills far surpassed the capability of gristmills, and urbanization made rural mills difficult to transport to in comparison, causing Beck's Mill to stop operating in 1914.  In 1963 a tornado touched down on the property, killing two people.

Of the 65 mills that operated in Washington County, it is the only one still standing, and less than 20 still stand in Indiana. However, it was placed on Indiana's 10 Most Endangered List due to water damage and trespassers, some of whom vandalized the mill. Descendants of the original owners owned the mill and the surrounding area until November 2005, when the sixth generation became willing to sell.

Restoration

Friends of Beck's Mill, a nonprofit organization, was given the  and building by Donald & Joyce Andersen (Joyce being a direct descendant of the George Beck family). This gift was the results of the efforts and negotiation of D.Jack Mahuron of Salem, with the hope that the mill could be saved, and maybe even become operational as the centerpiece of a local park. Mahuron had worked on getting the restoration started for several years, since the owner Estel Larue Allen died in 1982. In June 2006, a member of the Friends, won a $1,000 door prize from the Washington County Community Foundation, an annual giveaway for use of community projects, and chose to use the $1,000 to start an Endowment [Acorn Fund] for the mill. The fund created a permanent endowment to market and operate the mill.

John Hawkins, an architect from Jeffersonville, Indiana, calculated that $600,000 would be required to restore the mill, with additional funds needed to reopen it. Donald and Joyce Andersen has since offered the use of approximately over  for use as trails and recreation. (This 70 plus acres has since been purchased-from the Andersen's in 2012 by Gayle Cook and presented to the Friends). across the road from the mill are used for parking at no cost to the Friends of Beck's Mill. William and Gayle Cook, billionaire philanthropists, made a large donation of approximately $1,200,000.00 in 2007 to begin the restoration process. Jack Mahuron had served on the Board of Advisers of IU Southeast with Bill Cook and knew that he and Gayle were interested in Beck's Mill. They had visited it several times over the years. Jack contacted him at Bloomington asking him to assist with the restoration. He graciously declined because he was busy with the restoration of French Lick and West Baden Hotels. A few months later, however, on March 1, 2007, he sent his Architect George Ridgway and his contractor Joe Pritchett of Pritchett Brothers, to a meeting of the Friends, it was announced that billionaire Bill and Gayle Cook would fund the restoration if the Friends would accept the offer.

Restoration of the mill began in earnest in May 2007 with Tracy Wells as foreman of the project for Pritchett Brothers. The first task was to remove the old equipment, tools, and the remaining features of the general store and fabric-making, including two carding machines. The old turbines were cleaned, and the stone foundation was repaired by lifting the mill from its moorings. In September 2007 the outside work was stopped for the year. The mill workings, currently held in storage at Salem, were re-installed in the spring 2008. A grand opening of the mill is planned for the fall of 2008, in time for the 200th anniversary of the first Beck's Mill.

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce gave their 2007 Citizen of the Year award to the Friends, due to the restoration of the mill. There is some fear that restoration of the mill by using cave water may affect the ecology of the cave, in particular its blind fish. Beck's Mill is set to be reopened for the public on September 20, 2008, to coincide with the Old Settler's Days festival in Salem.

Upon completion of the restoration, Jack Mahuron, the primary supporter and fund raiser for the restoration and  a member of the Hoosier Hikers Council of Martinsville, Indiana, asked the hiking group to come in and build walking trails. Suzanne Mittenthal, executive Director of the group brought in several of the members for the work.  Over a three-year period  and on weekends the hikers built over three mile of trails for the public to use and enjoy Sinking Spring, the bluffs, the Quarry and the natural beauty of the park.

The restoration of a 200-year-old log cabin has also been in progress on the hill in back of the Mill.
The cabin was completed by member Raymond Lee in the fall of 2011, with most of the funds for the cabin restoration coming from the Paul Ogle Foundation of Jeffersonville.

Settlement

After the Pigeon Roost Massacre in 1812, the Becks built two small forts on the property to protect against Indians, and perhaps also due to Indians stealing three barrels of whiskey from George Beck. The new protection began to draw new residents. In 1814 the settlement of Beck's Mill was in consideration to be the county seat of Washington County, only for Salem to eventually get the coveted position. Today the settlement, a few yards uphill from the mill, is the crossroad of Beck's Mill Road and Old Vincennes trail, with a former fire station and country store being its main signs of civilization. The Stage Coach stop from New Albany, Indiana was also located at the SW corner and is still standing. The Beck's Hill store has been reopened and is owned and operated by Bill and Annie Smith. It is operated as an old general store and museum. Food is also served, the menu consists of soups, sandwiches and soft ice cream. An extremely old dwelling on the SE adjoining the store and also belonging to Smith's is being restored.

Beck's Mill Bridge

On September 20, 2007, the bridge by the mill, referred to by the NRHP as the Beck's Mill Bridge, or Washington County Bridge # 105, was placed on the National Register separately.
It is a concrete arch bridge designed by Daniel Luten, a noted engineer from Indiana known for his work on elastic theory, for arch bridges.
The bridge is scheduled to be restored in 2017.

Gallery

See also
 National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Indiana

References

 Friends of Beck's Mill pamphlet
 Beck's Mill article at Millers of Washington County
 Beck's Mill at Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana page
 Billionaire chips in to restore southern Indiana mill Journal and Courier, Lafayette, Indiana.
 Old Indiana mill to be restored from WDRB

External links
 Friends of Beck's Mill

Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Museums in Washington County, Indiana
Mill museums in Indiana
Luten bridges
Springs of Indiana
Landforms of Washington County, Indiana
Buildings and structures in Washington County, Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Indiana
Arch bridges in the United States
Concrete bridges in the United States

Beck's Mill


The traditions of Texas A&M University are a key aspect of the culture of Texas A&M University. Some of the school traditions date to the 1890s, shortly after the opening of the school, while others have been introduced more recently. These traditions encourage current students and alumni (Aggies) to cultivate the Aggie Spirit, a sense of loyalty and respect for the school, and dictate many aspects of student life, including how to greet others, how to act at an A&M sporting event, and what words a student may use in conversation. The most visible tradition among senior class students and alumni (more commonly referred to as "former students") is the wearing of the Aggie Ring, whose design has been relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1894. Not all Aggie traditions are recognized by the university, and some, like Bonfire, have been discontinued for safety reasons. Texas Monthly states that the students' respect for school traditions and values is the university's greatest strength.

Incoming students are generally first exposed to traditions when they are greeted with the official Texas A&M greeting "Howdy". Since the 1950s, incoming students have been offered orientations, led by current students, which teach the various traditions, songs, and yells in current use. On campus, the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is known as the "Keepers of the Spirit" for its staunch defense of Aggie traditions. A subset of the Corps, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, is the official marching band of the university.

Many school traditions revolve around sporting events, especially football. Before games, university yell leaders host yell practice, similar to other schools' pep rallies. Instead of cheers, students learn yells. Since 1922, students, known as the 12th Man, stand throughout football games, symbolizing their willingness to step in and assist the team. The official mascot, a dog named Reveille, is present at most official university activities, including sporting events.

Aggie Spirit
Current students and alumni at Texas A&M University, nicknamed Aggies after the school's agricultural roots, are known for their loyalty and respect for their alma mater. They cultivate "the Aggie Spirit" through "an almost religious devotion to the traditions" of the school, some over 100 years old. As Texas Monthly noted, "Every Aggie is a self-appointed guardian of the Aggie spirit, eternally on the alert for signs of slippage." To Aggies, Texas A&M is "not just a university but a...family,...defined and united by a unique culture." The school song is titled The Spirit of Aggieland, and proclaims in its first verse that the "spirit can ne'er be told."

The Texas A&M culture is a product of the university's founding as a rural military and agricultural school. Although the school and surrounding community have grown, and military training is no longer required, the school's history has instilled in students "the idealized elements of a small-town life: community, tradition, loyalty, optimism, and unabashed sentimentality." This respect for Aggie traditions and values is the university's greatest strength.

Many of these traditions are part of what Aggies call "The Other Education", activities designed to make students well-rounded and "moral, ethical people." Students who attend Texas A&M feel "that they receive 'more' from Texas A&M than just the knowledge one acquires from the formal classroom and books." Freshmen are introduced to these traditions and to the Aggie spirit at Fish Camp, a three-day extended orientation retreat held during the summer. Current students organize and run Fish Camp, leading sessions on the Aggie Spirit, school yells, and other school traditions so that new students can "begin the process of feeling part of the extended Aggie family." Fish Camp began in 1954 as a simple camping trip involving several new students and Gordon Gay, a former Student Activities director. The program has since evolved to accommodate approximately 70% of incoming freshmen; over 5,600 Texas A&M students attended in 2008. The program has been emulated by several schools, including Virginia Tech. In 1987, Texas A&M established a parallel orientation for summer and fall transfer students called Transfer Camp, or T-Camp. Howdy Camp also serves as a campus orientation program. Modeled after T-Camp and Fish Camp, it is intended for freshman and transfer students who enter A&M in the spring semester. Students who choose not to participate in The Other Education are known on campus as "2 Percenters," because going to class is only a small portion of experiencing Texas A&M.

Howdy
Many incoming students at Texas A&M choose to attend the campus because they feel that the students are friendlier than those at other universities. This perception is created partly by the Aggie tradition "Howdy", the official greeting of Texas A&M University. Students are encouraged to greet everyone they pass on campus with a smile and a howdy. Howdy is the preferred method for a speaker to get a large group's attention, as the members of the group are expected to return the "Howdy" back to the speaker.

Gig 'em

Aggies today will often end public addresses and emails to other Aggies with a hearty "Thanks and Gig 'em!". The term "Gig 'em" was used at least by 1922 by the student body.  The "Gig 'em" hand signal tradition began at a 1930 Midnight Yell Practice held before the football game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. In an attempt to excite the crowd, Pinky Downs, a 1906 Texas A&M graduate and member of the school's Board of Regents, asked "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" Using a term for frog hunting already used by the student body, he answered his own question, "Gig 'em, Aggies!" and made a fist with the thumb extended. The hand signal proved popular, and it became the first hand sign of the Southwest Conference. Gig 'em is also the name of one of the school yells, which is used during football kickoffs.

The university's traditions council recognizes another possible origin for the expression. The word "gig" is used in the US Army to indicate an infraction of the uniform code, and the A&M cadets used the same vocabulary. New cadets would quickly learn to fear being "gigged" during inspection for having unshined shoes, unpolished brass, or a non-aligned "gig line".

Aggie Ring

The most visible way for graduates of Texas A&M to recognize each other is by the Aggie Ring. The Aggie Ring is worn by current students and alumni, and is one of the most well-known symbols of the Aggie Network. The current Aggie Ring was designed by E. C. Jonas in 1894, and the design has remained relatively unchanged since – the only major change came when the school's name was changed from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas to Texas A&M University in 1963.

The Aggie Ring cannot be purchased unless specific academic requirements are met, and many students receive their Rings on Aggie Ring Day, which is held at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center three times yearly. Traditionally, students wear their Rings with the class year facing them to signify the fact that their time at A&M is not yet complete. At the annual Ring Dance, or at the end of the student's collegiate career, the student turns his Ring around so that the class year faces away, symbolizing readiness to "face the world."

For decades, though unsanctioned and discouraged by the University, an unofficial tradition among willing students involves "dunking" the newly acquired Aggie Ring. The Ring is dropped in a pitcher of beer and the student chugs the entire pitcher and catches the Ring in his or her teeth. Some students choose to dunk their Rings in alternative substances, including ice cream or nonalcoholic beverages.

Honoring the deceased

In keeping with the idea that all current students and alumni comprise a family, Aggies have created two traditions to honor members of the Aggie family who have died. Aggie Muster is held annually to honor any current students or alumni who died during the previous year, while Silver Taps is held monthly as a special tribute to deceased current students.

According to the Houston Chronicle, "perhaps the best, most meaningful Aggie tradition of all is one you wish never happened."  While students at many schools prize their individuality, "Aggies are all about unity and loyalty.  When an Aggie falls, the family comes together to remember."  This remembrance occurs annually on April 21 as Aggies observe Muster, a solemn event to honor current students and alumni who died during the previous year.  Over 300 Musters are held around the world, with the largest taking place at Reed Arena on the Texas A&M University campus.  All Muster ceremonies feature the Roll Call for the Absent.  As the names of the deceased Aggies are called, a family member or friend answers "Here," and lights a candle, to symbolize that although their loved one is not present in body, his or her spirit will shine forever.

The first Aggie Muster was held June 26, 1883, seven years after the school opened.  Rather than a memorial service, the event was intended as a reunion to allow alumni to gather and remember their college days.  During the day, the alumni also established a "Roll Call for the Absent" to honor their classmates who could not attend. In 1889, the gathering was moved to April 21 and became an official school holiday, set aside for the annual cadet track and field competition.  On April 21, 1903, the tradition evolved into a celebration of Texas's victory at the battle of San Jacinto. Gatherings would include field games and banquets so Aggies could reflect on their days in Aggieland.

The field day events were cancelled in 1922, although alumni were still expected to congregate annually for camaraderie and to remember their fellow Aggies.  The March 1923 Texas Aggie urged, "If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas."  The event received worldwide attention during World War II, when 25 Aggies "mustered" during the battle for the island of Corregidor.

Silver Taps
Students who die while enrolled at Texas A&M are also honored at Silver Taps, a ceremony held, when necessary, on the first Tuesday of the month. This tradition began as a memorial for former Texas A&M president Lawrence Sullivan Ross. In the modern incarnation, on the morning of Silver Taps, a small card with the deceased student's name, class, major, and birthdate is placed as a notice at the base of the flagpole in Academic Plaza.  At 10:15 p.m., all lights on campus are extinguished, and Albritton Tower begins to chime hymns.  When the music begins, students gather in silence in front of the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross at Academic Plaza.  At 10:30 pm, the Ross Volunteers march into the plaza and fire a 3-volley salute. Buglers stationed at the top of the Academic Building then play a special rendition of Taps, known as Silver Taps. The song is played three times; once to the north, once to the south, and once to the west. It is never played to the east, "because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again."  Once the buglers have finished their tribute, the crowd disperses.  Generally, students remain silent until reaching their homes.

Texas A&M Corps of Cadets

The Corps of Cadets (or the Corps) is known as the "Keepers of the Spirit" for its staunch defense of Aggie traditions.  The Corps is a link to the early days of Texas A&M's history, when all students were required to be members and receive military training.  Although Corps membership became voluntary in 1965, as of 2001 it was the United States' largest uniformed student body outside the service academies, with an enrollment of over 2,500 cadets at the beginning of the 2016–2017 school year.

Members of the Corps have served in every armed conflict fought by the United States since 1876, and over 225 have served as Generals or Flag Officers. Many members participate in ROTC programs and earn commissions in the United States Armed Forces upon graduation.  As of fall 2012, the Corps is composed of forty-six units formed under three Air Force Wings, three Army Brigades, three Navy and Marine Regiments, as well as the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, whose members may be affiliated with any military branch. Among its notable units is Parson's Mounted Cavalry, the only mounted ROTC unit in the United States. The Ross Volunteer Company, the oldest student-run organization in the state, is the official honor guard for the Governor of Texas. The Fish Drill Team, a precision, close-order rifle drill team composed entirely of Corps freshmen, represents the Corps and A&M in local and national competitions. They have won the national championship almost every year since their creation in 1946, and have appeared in several Hollywood productions with prominent roles in the movies A Few Good Men and Courage Under Fire.

Members of the Corps are often referred to as "C.T.s" or "B.Q.s". While these terms originally stood for "Cadet in Training" and "Band Qualified", respectively, they are more commonly and derisively used to abbreviate "Corps Turd" and "Band Queer". Freshmen in the Corps are required to "whip out" to upperclassmen. This tradition requires the freshmen to extend their hand and introduce themselves to the upperclassman. From then on, they are expected to know the name of the person to whom they "whipped out."  The tradition applies only to upperclassmen in the Corps, and not to "non-regs", students who are not in the Corps.

One of a senior cadet's "most cherished possessions" are his Senior Boots.  Only seniors are allowed to wear these knee-high riding boots, and most consider receiving their boots to be a rite of passage.  All Senior Boots are custom-made to fit the cadet and are a dark tan to brown color.  Students wear their Senior Boots for the first time after Final Review as juniors while saluting the outgoing seniors.  Final review is the last activity that Corps members participate in as a unit.  This full military review takes place at the end of the spring semester on Simpson Drill Field, and is in two parts.  The entire Corps march past a reviewing stand, which consists of high-ranking military and university officials, for inspection.  The Corps then returns to their dorms to change into the uniforms they will wear the following year, with the juniors donning their Senior Boots.  The freshmen, sophomores, and juniors then march in formation past the reviewing stand, which is now filled with the senior cadets, saluting their former leaders.

Traditionally, male freshmen cadets receive very short haircuts consisting of no more than 1/4" of hair on top and stubble on the sides, a style known as a High and tight. The cadets keep the haircuts throughout freshman year and most must have it cut at least once a week to meet the standard.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as The Noble Men of Kyle, The Pulse of Aggieland or the Aggie Band) is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 400 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world. The band's complex straight-line marching maneuvers are performed exclusively to traditional marches. Some of these maneuvers are so complex, some computer programs used to create marching drills say they cannot be performed because they require two people to be in the same place at the same time.

Since its inception in 1894, its members, known as BQs (for Band Qualified or Band Queer), eat together, sleep in the same dormitories, and practice up to 40 hours per week on top of a full academic schedule. The Aggie Band performs at all home football games, some away games, and university and Corps functions throughout the year. Other events in which the band participated include inauguration parades for many United States Presidents and Texas Governors, major annual parades across the country, and the dedication ceremony for the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library.

Sports traditions

12th Man

The student body refers to itself as "The 12th Man", meaning they are ready to replace any injured football player during a football game.  To further symbolize their "readiness, desire, and enthusiasm", the entire student body stands throughout the game.  In a further show of respect, the students step "off the wood" (step off of the bleachers onto the concrete) whenever a player is injured or when the band plays the Aggie War Hymn or The Spirit of Aggieland.  At the end of the Aggie War Hymn, fans sway back and forth, causing the upper deck of the stadium to move.  The Aggie War Hymn was named the No. 1 college fight song by USA Today in 1997.

The 12th Man tradition began in Dallas on January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic, the forerunner of the Cotton Bowl Classic.  A&M played defending national champion Centre College in the first postseason game in the southwest.  In this hard-fought game, which produced national publicity, an underdog Aggie team was slowly defeating a team which had allowed fewer than six points per game. The first half produced so many injuries for A&M, Coach D. X. Bible feared he would not have enough men to finish the game.  At that moment, he called into the Aggie section of the stands for E. King Gill, a student who had left football after the regular season to play basketball. Gill, who was spotting players for a Waco newspaper and was not in football uniform, donned the uniform of injured player Heine Weir and stood on the sidelines to await his turn. Although he did not actually play in the game, his readiness to play symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually entering the game. When the game ended in a 22-14 Aggie victory, Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. Gill later said, "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me."  A statue of E. King Gill stands to the north of Kyle Field to remind Aggies of their constant obligation to preserve the spirit of the 12th Man.

In the 1980s, the tradition was expanded as coach Jackie Sherrill created the 12th Man squad.  Composed solely of walk-on (nonscholarship) players, the squad would take the field for special teams performances.  This squad only allowed one kick return for a touchdown by Texas Tech's Rodney Blackshear.  Sherrill's successor, R. C. Slocum, amended the tradition in the 1990s to allow one walk-on player, wearing the No. 12 jersey, to take the field for special teams plays. The player is chosen based on the level of determination and hard work shown in practices.  Coach Dennis Franchione continued Slocum's model, while also keeping an all-walk-on kickoff team that played three times in the 2006 season.

Because the students are always waiting for the opportunity to support their team, they are also willing to take the credit for the team's good deeds.  A popular Aggie tradition is that "when the team scores, everybody scores".  Whenever the Aggies score points during the game, students kiss their dates.

Seniors wearing either their Senior Boots or Aggie Rings are also encouraged to join the "Boot Line".  As the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band leaves the field after their halftime performances, seniors line up at the south end of Kyle Field to welcome the team back onto the field for the second half.

Yells

Unlike many schools, which have a large group of cheerleaders to rally their fans during sporting events, Texas A&M has five student Yell Leaders.  Consisting of three seniors and two juniors, historically all male, the Yell Leaders are elected to their positions annually by the student body.  These students do not perform gymnastic feats, but instead use hand signals, known as "pass backs", to direct and intensify crowds.  After the signals are passed through the crowd, the Yell Leaders give the signal to "hump it", where the crowd leans forward and places their hands on their knees to maximize the noise.  The Yell Leaders have a dozen yells that they can choose from depending on the situation.  While some yells are designed to praise and motivate the team, others exist solely to make fun of the opposing side.

Students practice the yells at Midnight Yell Practice.  Held at Kyle Field at midnight the night before a football game, Midnight Yell is similar to a pep rally.  Over 20,000 Aggies attend each session, practicing the yells that will be used in the following day's game and generating an excitement for the game. At the conclusion of the yell practice, the stadium lights are extinguished and fans kiss their dates.  This is also done as practice, because Aggies are expected to "mug down", or kiss their dates, every time the football team scores on the field.  Sports Illustrated named Midnight Yell as one of the "100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate."

Aggies practice their yells again after each football game.  If the team is victorious, the freshmen in the Corps of Cadets capture the Yell Leaders on Kyle Field and march them across campus to be dunked in Fish Pond.  The wet Yell Leaders then make their way to the YMCA Building, where the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band and members of the crowd join them for a short yell practice in preparation for the next week's game.  If the team is "outscored" or "runs out of time" (Aggies never lose), a mini-Yell Practice is held in Kyle Field before the crowd disperses.

The most well-known Aggie yell is the simple "Beat the Hell Outta" the opposing school.  In writing, this is often abbreviated as BTHO.  For the annual game against the University of Texas at Austin (no longer played after A&M's 2012 move to the Southeastern Conference), students yell "Beat the Hell Outta t.u."  Booing is strongly discouraged, and an upset Aggie will instead hiss their opponents or the referees.  If a referee call is especially egregious in the minds of the Aggies, the Yell Leaders will call for the "Horse Laugh," a yell that ends with a stadium wide hissing.

After each yell, students make a noise and a hand motion that is known as a wildcat.  Each class has a separate wildcat, and students caught "pulling out," or using the wildcat of a higher class, are often forced to do pushups as punishment.  Freshmen raise their hands above their heads and yell "AAAA".  Sophomores, symbolically pushing back on the seniors, chant "A!" five times, waving their hands up and down in front of the torso with their index fingers extended and thumbs perpendicular.  Juniors yell "A! A! A! Whoop!" wrapping their left hand over their right fist, with both index fingers extended and pointing towards the ground, "shooting the ground" once for each "A" and holding the position on the "whoop!" As a symbol of their expert marksmanship, seniors yell a single "A!" and then "Whoop!" while interlocking their fingers with their index fingers extended and pointed into the air.  At the same time, the left foot is raised and tucked behind the right knee.  The fingers are interlocked rather than covering the right hand so that the Aggie Ring is visible.

Mascots

Texas A&M's official mascot is Reveille, now a purebred Rough collie. The first Reveille, a mixed breed dog, was adopted by students in 1931 after they found her on the side of the road.  As of 2022, the current mascot is Reveille X.  She is considered a Cadet General, the highest-ranking member in the Corps of Cadets, and must be addressed by cadets as "Miss Reveille, ma'am."

Reveille accompanies her handlers, members of the E-2 unit of the Corps of Cadets, everywhere, including classes.  It is a long-held tradition that if Reveille decides to sleep on a cadet's bed, that cadet is required to sleep on the floor.  In truth, however, this only applied to the early mascots who were allowed to freely roam the campus.  The contemporary mascots, certainly since the 1980s and likely earlier, are under the constant supervision of the Mascot Corporal and not allowed to freely roam about the cadet's quarters.  Another tradition is that if she chooses to bark in class, that session is cancelled.  Upon the death of a current or former mascot, a full military funeral is held at Kyle Field, which usually attracts several thousand mourners.

Texas A&M also has an unofficial mascot, Ol' Sarge, who is displayed only in graphics.  Ol' Sarge is portrayed as a tough-looking corps drill sergeant and is considered one of the many icons representing Texas A&M's long standing military history.  The drawing was first seen in the 1940s, when The Battalion ran a caricature of one of the Yell Leaders.  That caricature, of a rough and tough military man, quickly became used throughout campus.

The Spirit of '02

The Corps of Cadets marks any Aggie scores during football games by firing The Spirit of '02, a 3-inch M1902 field gun .  Issued to Field Artillery Units of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps between the World Wars, the gun was believed to be one of several that were hidden by Corps members to prevent them from being scrapped during WWII.  The Spirit of '02 was found buried in a ditch by students cutting wood for the annual Aggie Bonfire in the fall of 1974.  Only the rusted steel rims from the wooden wheels were showing above ground. Students mounted antique wagon wheels on the axles and brought the gun back to a place of honor in the Quad.  Cadets later restored the gun, which has been fired to celebrate touchdowns since 1984. The gun is operated and maintained by the Parson's Mounted Cavalry Half Section, who drive the gun on a four horse team to every Aggie home game.

Maroon Out
One of Texas A&M's newer traditions is Maroon Out, which began in 1998.  The football team had ended their 1997 season with a lopsided defeat to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game.  Amy Berger, Class of '99 Treasurer, and Kyle Valentine, Class of 2000 Junior President, noticed how united the Nebraska fans seemed, all dressed in red.  She proposed to Class Councils the idea to "Maroon Out" Kyle Field for the October 10, 1998 rematch against Nebraska by selling a low-cost, high-quality maroon T-shirt. This resulted in the sale of 31,000 Maroon Out shirts, leading to a temporary national shortage of maroon-colored T-shirts.

The Aggies defeated Number 2 Nebraska 28–21, the first time in six seasons that Nebraska had lost a regular-season conference game.  The Daily Nebraskan noted that "A game that was dubbed a 'maroon-out' for Texas A&M fans proved to be lights out for Nebraska.  The fans dressed themselves in maroon T-shirts in an attempt to wash out the red and white that opponents have gotten used to.  It worked."

Since then, one football game each season is dubbed an official Maroon Out, and discounted maroon T-shirts are for sale for fans. Through 2010, Texas A&M has been 7-6 in Maroon Out games, beating 6 teams ranked in the Top 25, despite being the underdog in each of the games. The basketball team has a similar tradition, called a "White Out," where fans are encouraged to wear white T-shirts.

Perhaps the most memorable Maroon Out moment was not maroon at all. After the events of September 11, 2001, five Aggie students wished to help honor America.  They decided to ask the attendees of the next A&M football game, which would be held at Kyle Field on September 22, 2001, to wear patriotic colors.  The colors would be divided by deck, with the upper deck wearing red, the middle deck wearing white, and the lower deck in blue.  Within a five-day period the students had contracted with several printers to create special T-shirts which read "Standing for America" and the date.  Despite initial concerns about not being able to sell enough shirts to be effective, the students sold about 70,000 of these shirts, raising over $150,000 for the relief efforts.

Aggie Bonfire

Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing tradition at Texas A&M University as part of a college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin, known as t.u. by Texas A&M students. For ninety years, Texas A&M students built and burned a large bonfire on campus each fall.  Known within the Aggie community simply as Bonfire, the annual fall event symbolized the students' "burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u." The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in conjunction with the festivities surrounding the annual college football game between the schools.

The first on-campus Aggie Bonfire was burned in 1909, and the tradition continued for the next 90 years. For almost two decades, Bonfire was constructed from debris and pieces of wood that Aggies "found," including lumber intended for a dormitory that students appropriated in 1912.  The event became school-sanctioned in 1936, and, for the first time, students were provided with axes, saws, and trucks and pointed towards a grove of dead trees on the edge of town.  In the following years the Bonfire became more elaborate, and in 1967 the flames could be seen  away.  In 1969, the stack set the world record at   tall.

While the Bonfires of the 1960s were constructed in five to ten days, working primarily in daylight, by the late 1970s a more elaborate construction schedule had been implemented.  Construction began in late October with "Cut", with several weekends devoted to cutting down the logs with axes.  The logs were brought to campus during "Load."  In early November, crews began "Stack", a three-week period in which the logs were wired together and Bonfire took shape.  Near the end of stack, known as "Push", students worked around the clock in rotating shifts.  Although between two and five thousand students participated in the construction of Bonfire each year, most of them were unable to devote themselves full-time to the task, and many worked only one or two shifts.  While participating, the students wore "grodes," old T-shirts, jeans, and boots.  By tradition, grodes were either not washed until after Bonfire burned or not washed at all.

In 1978, Bonfire shifted to a wedding-cake style, in which upper stacks of logs were wedged on top of lower stacks. The structure was built around a fortified centerpole, made from two telephone poles. Although tradition stated that if Bonfire burned through midnight A&M would win the following day's game, with the introduction of the wedding cake design Bonfire began to fall quickly, sometimes burning for only 30 or 45 minutes.

At 2:42 AM on November 18, 1999, the partially completed Aggie Bonfire, standing  tall and consisting of about 5,000 logs, collapsed during construction. Of the 58 students and alumni working on the stack, 12 were killed and 27 others were injured. On November 25, 1999, the date that Bonfire would have burned, Aggies instead held a vigil and remembrance ceremony. Over 40,000 people, including former President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara and then-Texas governor George W. Bush and his wife Laura, lit candles and observed up to two hours of silence at the site of the Bonfire collapse. The Bonfire Memorial was officially dedicated on November 18, 2004.

Bonfire was postponed until 2002 to restructure it to make it safer. Delays in the development of a safety plan and a high estimated cost (mainly due to liability insurance), led A&M president Ray Bowen to postpone Bonfire indefinitely. Despite the university's refusal to allow Bonfire to take place on campus, since 2002 a non-university sanctioned Bonfire has burned annually. Known as Student Bonfire, the off-campus event draws between 8,000 and 15,000 fans.

Elephant Walk

Every November, in the week of the football game against the University of Texas, the senior class gathered together for Elephant Walk. The seniors link arms and "wander aimlessly" through campus. The University of Texas game was always the last football game of the regular season, so Elephant Walk has come to symbolize the end of the seniors' "usefulness" to the 12th Man and the passing of the torch to the junior class. In a reference to Elephant Walk, seniors in their last semester of study are often called "dead elephants." Texas A&M left the Big 12 and joined the SEC beginning with the Football season of 2012.  The last Football game against the University of Texas took place on November 24, 2011, in which the Longhorns delivered a 27-25 victory over Texas A&M.

Elephant Walk began in 1926, when a group of students decided to take one last walk around campus to remember their experiences at the school. Because they walked single file, with a hand on the shoulder of the person in front, an observer remarked that they "looked like elephants, about to die." The day now begins at Kyle Field with a yell practice and speaker, and then the senior yell leaders lead the class through campus. Leaders of the graduating class also announce the class gift at Elephant Walk.

Service projects
Texas A&M provides many opportunities for students to participate in volunteer and service activities. Students at Texas A&M originated The Big Event, which according to their website is the largest one-day student-run service project in the nation. The annual event began in 1982 after the Texas A&M Student Government Association passed a resolution encouraging students to show their gratitude to the community by giving of their time. From its beginnings of six individual students wanting to contribute back to the local community, The Big Event has expanded to allow over twenty-two thousand students to participate in over 2500 jobs, such as raking leaves, painting houses, and trimming trees. The concept for The Big Event has spread throughout the nation, and as of 2015, 110 schools across the nation participate each year including 1 middle school, 2 high schools, and 68 universities. The 2008 Big Event attracted 10,600 students who worked a record number of 1,000 jobs.

Aggies also participate annually in Replant, a one-day environmental service. In 2006, 1,000 students participated, planting 250 trees in three public parks. The event has been an annual tradition since 1991, when the Texas A&M Environmental Issues Committee began planting trees to replace those that had been cut down for Bonfire. Although Bonfire has been officially disbanded, Replant continues. Its goals are now to beautify the Bryan-College Station area and to "creat[e] harmony between students and the residents." In 2000, the group planted twelve live oak trees at the Texas A&M Polo Grounds in memory of the twelve victims of the 1999 Bonfire collapse. That year the group was awarded the Community Forestry Award from the Texas Forest Service. The group provides their own trees, grown at the Texas A&M Riverside campus in Bryan, Texas and has its own Student Government committee.

The Corps of Cadets annually conducts the March to the Brazos, a  round-trip road march that serves as both a ceremony to transfer leadership as well as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. The Corps hold various fundraisers and solicits donations throughout the year. On a Saturday morning, generally in April, each year, all members of the Corps gather at the Quadrangle, near their dormitories, and march en masse across campus and down Highway 60 to Texas A&M's Animal Science Teaching, Research & Extension Complex near the east bank of the Brazos River. There, the cadets learn who will fill each leadership position for the following year.  The current seniors are allowed to ride a bus back to campus while the newly promoted cadets lead their outfits back to campus. The event is the largest and most successful student-run fundraising event in the United States for the March of Dimes. In its first 27 years, from 1977 through 2003, the event raised a combined US$1.3 million.

Asking for luck

Many students believe that they will do well on exams if they make an offering to Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross.  Ross, president of the university from 1891 to 1898, was known for his legendary efforts to keep the college open; he is often credited as the embodiment of Aggie Spirit and tradition. A statue of the former Texas governor now stands as one of the most iconic landmarks on campus, situated in the heart of campus in the Academic Plaza. Those passing by the statue will notice stacks of pennies piled on the statue's base, each placed there by current students. The tradition to "put a penny on Sully" is another homage to Ross. It is said that Ross would help students with their homework, and when students would ask how they could repay him, Ross would reply with, "A penny for your thoughts." Students leave pennies (as well as assorted bills, gift cards, and other trinkets) at the base of Sully for good luck before taking their exams. The items are collected each semester and donated to a local charitable organization.

Another spot in Academic Plaza is also believed to be lucky.  Tradition says that if a couple walks together under the branches of the Century Tree, one of the oldest trees on campus, they will eventually marry.  If the proposal takes place under the Century Tree, the marriage is supposed to last forever.

Aggie Jargon
For much of its first 100 years, Texas A&M was a small, all-male, military academy.  The school became coeducational in the 1960s, and membership in the Corps of Cadets became voluntary.  In military tradition, privileges are meted out as one climbs the ranks, and Texas A&M has several such traditions.  The most obvious are the uniforms worn by the Corps of Cadets.  Corps members wear different uniforms for each year, culminating in the prized Senior boots.

Vocabulary is also restricted by class year.  Freshmen may not say the word Pisshead, a nickname for sophomores.  Juniors are known as "Serge Butts", so neither freshmen nor sophomores can say any form of either word (accordingly, words such as "button" must be replaced with roundabout euphemisms, such as "circular fastener"). Juniors are also the first class to be allowed to say "Whoop!" Seniors, known as "Zips" for the black and gold braid on their garrison caps, which resembles a zipper, have reserved the word elephant and all forms of the words "death," "dying," "shoot," or "reload" in reference to the traditions surrounding Elephant Walk. However, saying the phrases "pass away," "decease," "fire," "load again," etc., are all acceptable substitutes.

Students caught "pulling out", or saying words that are reserved for other classes, are forced to "push." Traditionally, this means the students must do a "class set" of pushups, one for each year of their class.  The Class of 1945 did only 45 pushups and an extra pushup has been added for each subsequent year; the Class of 2012 now does 112.  Pulling out privileges of the class directly above is considered "Good Bull", but pulling out two classes or more is "Bad Bull."  Members of the Corps of Cadets generally take privileged words more seriously than non-reg students.

See also
Glossary of Texas A&M University terms
MSC Student Conference on National Affairs

References

External links

 Texas Aggie Traditions

Texas A&M Aggies
Texas AandM University
University folklore

Traditions of Texas A&M University


Sadie Frost (born 19 June 1965) is an English actress. She runs fashion label Frost French.

Frost starred in a Jelly Tots advertisement at the age of 3. She won a scholarship to the Italia Conti Academy.
But after an early eating disorder, she gave up acting at 13. She attended Hampstead School.

As an actress, Frost has acted in: Press Gang and Casualty. Frost and her first husband Gary Kemp starred together in the 1990s film The Krays. Frost and Kemp were married for 5 years. They divorced on 19 August 1995.

In 2004, she wrote and presented a short lived series What Sadie did next... for E4. In 2005, she appeared in Eating with...Sadie Frost on BBC2. In March 2006, Frost flew to South Africa to part-fund an orphanage for the Homes of Hope project.

She met Jude Law when they were both working on the film Shopping. They married on 2 September 1997 and had three children.
Frost and Law divorced on 29 October 2003.

References

Other websites

Sadie Frost Charity Information
http://www.streamlighte14.co.uk/index.php/streamlight/penthouses/

1965 births
Living people
Actors from London
English movie actors
English television actors
Movie producers from London
People from Islington

Sadie Frost


Oliver Warren Bradwell Jr. (born August 21, 1992) is an American sprinter, who specializes in the 100 and 200 m dash. In 2010, he won a gold medal at the 13th IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics at Stade Moncton in New Brunswick, Canada. He is a native of Wichita, Kansas.

Early life
Born in Wichita, Kansas on August 21, 1992, Bradwell grew up excelling at many sports including soccer, football, and track and field. He was first discovered as having deceptive speed from a childhood track coach. When Bradwell started out running for Wichita Unity Track Club as an eight-year-old, he immediately had success in the 100 and 200 meters by breaking multiple meet and state records in his age group, which some still hold today and AAU Junior Olympic Games championships. In addition, he was an anchor leg of a nationally successful 4 x 100 m relay team along with second leg Deveon Dinwiddie (an incoming freshman as a Kansas State University running back), third leg Corey Henley (an incoming freshman at Northern Virginia Community College), and first leg D.J. Hubbard (a senior Running Back at La Hoya Community High School), who all possessed rare speed at a young age, toured the Missouri Valley Region with Bradwell throughout his early AAU career. Bradwell was also an All-Metro soccer player for Wichita East High School.

Career
Bradwell also won the 100 m AAU Youth Outdoor national championship in 2009. Bradwell won an IAAF World Junior title anchoring Team USA in the 4 x 100 m relay at Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada in 2010. Teaming up with Charles Silmon, Eric Harris and Michael Granger, he helped the U.S. to a world-leading WL winning time of 38.93s, which was the third-fastest time ever run at the World Junior Championships in Athletics, behind the 38.66s WJR blazed by the 2004 U.S. team and the 38.92s posted by the 2002 U.S. team. Bradwell is the first Kansas high school sprinter ever to win an IAAF world championship title and gold medal, and is currently the 100 m AAU and USATF Youth Outdoor national champion, and the 200 m U.S. Junior Outdoor national champion. Each of these titles were attained by Bradwell at the age of 17 in a 15,000 mile North American tour running from late June 2010 through early August 2010.

He won the young men's 100-meter dash for a second year at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in 2011 at Cessna Stadium with a time of 10.24 seconds.

He suffered a hamstring injury in 2011, but was reported to be back in training two years later.

Personal Bests (PB)

Battery conviction
On November 3, 2015, Bradwell was sentenced to 45 months in prison for the August 2014 attack of a newly wed couple.

On September 4, he pled guilty to one count of aggravated battery. As part of 36 months post release supervision, Bradwell was ordered to pay over $12,600 in restitution.

References

External links

DyeStat profile for Oliver Bradwell

1992 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Wichita, Kansas
American male sprinters
Track and field athletes from Kansas
Barton Cougars men's track and field athletes
Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States

Oliver Bradwell


Cuarteto (), sometimes called cuartetazo, is a musical genre born in Córdoba, Argentina.

The roots of the cuarteto ensemble are in Italian and Spanish dance ensembles. The name was coined because the early dance-hall numbers were invariably four-piece bands (violin-piano-accordion-bass).

Cuarteto is almost always upbeat; its rhythm range is similar to that of modern Dominican merengue.

In the 1970s, cuarteto became one of the cornerstones of Córdoba's cultural identity—together with Hortensia magazine. Both reflected a local brand of popular culture overlooked by the establishment, and proposed an alternative to the Buenos Aires-centered culture that television was spreading to the rest of the country.

Cuarteto was one of the genres that gave birth to the Buenos Aires tropical scene, which was renamed as bailanta in the 1990s following the usage of Corrientes province.

Famous Names

Cuarteto Leo was the leading cuarteto band for almost 30 years, back in the 1970s. It established the sonic texture that prevails in cuarteto to this day.

In the 1980s, Carlos Mona Jiménez became the foremost exponent of cuarteto after the break-up of his two-member Cuarteto de Oro ("Golden Quartet"). He established a pattern of nonsense humour and extravagant behavior that many tried to ape without much success. One of his most popular songs was Quién se ha tomado todo el vino ("Who drank all the wine?"), which was danced with a characteristic hand move.

Others, such as producer-bandleader Negro Videla, travelled to the Dominican Republic and Colombia to expand the range of their repertoire. Videla is the unofficial ambassador of Dominican music in cuarteto, with successful covers of merengue hits.

Since the late 1980s, the Tru-la-lá band has had great support from dancers. At one point they were endorsed by the Catholic church for avoiding racy themes in their lyrics. All in all, they have sold over a million records.

Rodrigo became the leading cuarteto singer in the mid-1990s, and made inroads into Buenos Aires middle-class audiences. He died in a car crash on June 24, 2000. Many people believe the crash was not an accident, as Rodrigo was (allegedly) a pawn in a feud between rival mobsters. His song La mano de Dios (The Hand of God), which celebrates Diego Maradona through his most famous goal, has become a classic dance song in Argentina, and was covered by Maradona himself in his successful 2005 talk show.

Gary was another Cuarteto singer with the Tru-la-lá band, who died of natural causes in 2001.

See also
Music of Argentina

External links
Spanish language portal

Argentine styles of music
Southern Cone music
Argentine dances
Dance in Argentina

Cuarteto


A lemon drop is a sugar coated, lemon-flavored candy that is typically colored yellow and often shaped like a lemon.  They can be sweet or have a more sour flavor. Lemon drops are made by boiling sugar, water and cream of tartar until it reaches the hard crack stage. As the mixture cools, lemon flavor is added. The candy is then rolled into long ropes, cut into small pieces and rolled in sugar. Lemon drops originated in England, where confectioners learned that adding acid such as lemon juice to the boiled sugar mixture prevented sugar from crystallizing.

The term "lemon drop" is also occasionally applied to lemon-flavored throat lozenges, and an alcoholic drink consisting of lemon juice, vodka and sugar.

A forerunner of the lemon drop is the Salem Gibraltar, and created in 1806. Modern lemon drops, like most hard candies we know today, descend from ancient medicinal lozenges. 18th century advances in sugar technology made hard sugar concoctions possible.

See also
 Lemon drop – a vodka-based cocktail
 Sherbet lemon
 Lemonhead (candy)

References

Candy
Lemon dishes
Throat lozenges
American confectionery

Lemon drop (candy)


Frank Duffy (6 May 1861 – 11 July 1955) was an American labor leader and secretary-general of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1901 to 1950.

Early life and union work
Duffy was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, in 1861.  He had only a few years of schooling before he married.  He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1881. The Duffys settled in New York City, where Duffy became a carpenter.

Duffy joined the United Order of American Carpenters. When the New York City local formed a district council, Duffy was elected its first president. After the United Order merged with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in 1888, Duffy was elected to a number of posts in the new Local 478 in New York City.

UBCJ and AFL-CIO offices
In 1900, Duffy was elected to the national executive council of the Carpenters. He played a key role in ousting long-time Carpenters president Peter J. McGuire in 1901.  The same year, he was elected the union's general-secretary, a position which he held until 1950. He was a close associate of UBCJ president William Hutcheson.

In 1903, Duffy was elected a vice-president of the nascent Structural Building Trades Alliance, a federation of building and construction trades unions. When the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers refused to join the Alliance, preventing Bricklayer president George P. Gubbins from assuming his duties as Alliance president, Duffy assumed the duties of president for a year until a new president was elected.

In 1918, Duffy was elected a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor.  He served until 1940.

In 1919, Duffy served as one of several American labor representatives to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

Duffy retired in 1950 at the age of 89.  He died in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955.

References
Christie, Robert. Empire in Wood: A History of the Carpenters' Union. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1956.
Fink, Gary, ed. Biographical Dictionary of American Labor. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984.
Galenson, Walter. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters: the First Hundred Years. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1983. .
Palladino, Grace. Skilled Hands, Strong Spirits. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2005.

External links

Frank Duffy Papers, University of Notre Dame.

American trade union leaders
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America people
Irish emigrants to the United States
People from County Monaghan
Activists from New York City
1861 births
1955 deaths
Vice Presidents of the American Federation of Labor

Frank Duffy (labor leader)


Moses Montrose Pallen (1810 – September 24, 1876) was an American physician, obstetrician, educator and writer.

Life and career
Born in King and Queen County, Virginia, in 1810, the son of Solomon Pahlen, a Russian emigrant, he was educated at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore's School of Medicine in 1835. Thereafter, he settled in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he began his medical practice. After seven years, in 1842, he relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was named professor (later chair) of obstetrics and the diseases of women at the St. Louis Medical College, where he founded and served as president of the St. Louis Academy of Science, and for several years was president/curator of the St. Louis Medical Society. During the Mexican–American War, Pallen occupied the position of contracting surgeon at the United States Arsenal at St. Louis, and a little later he was health officer of the city during the cholera epidemic of 1849.

Family
Pallen married Janet Cochran (1814–1884), a daughter of William G. Cochran (died 1815), a Baltimore merchant who had been one of Fort McHenry's defenders during the War of 1812, and his wife, Susanna M. Cochran (née McCannon; died 1850), on April 6, 1835, in Baltimore County, Maryland. Moses and Janet Pallen had six children.

Death
He died on September 24, 1876, in St. Louis, Missouri.  The cause of death was recorded as atony of the bowels.  His body was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.

Sources
 The Encyclopedic History of St. Louis
 Transactions of the Academy of Science of Saint Louis, vol. 23

References

External links

1810 births
1876 deaths
American obstetricians
American military doctors
American people of Russian descent
People from King and Queen County, Virginia
Writers from St. Louis
People from Vicksburg, Mississippi
University of Virginia School of Medicine alumni
University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni
Date of birth unknown
Educators from Missouri
19th-century American educators

Moses Montrose Pallen


Robert Ernest 'Bob' Scott (11 May 1938 – 26 March 2009) was a British ornithologist and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) staff member. He worked for the RSPB for close to 40 years, beginning as a warden and eventually becoming head of Reserves Management. He is credited with discovering numerous new British birds, four before his 32nd birthday. He retired from the RSPB in 1997 but continued to work in conservation in Britain and other countries, notably in Bulgaria where he had previously been awarded a medal from the government. He died of cancer in 2009.

Early life and Dungeness

As a child, Scott was evacuated to a farm in Wiltshire, returning after the war to Carshalton. He attended Sutton County Grammar School, regularly visiting a sewage works in Beddington, a local birdwatching spot. Later, he would regularly cycle to Dungeness, Kent, a round trip of over 100 miles, to watch birds, falling under the influence of Bert Axell who founded Dungeness RSPB reserve in 1952. As he grew older he began to go further afield and in 1958 he was amongst the first people to spot the American northern waterthrush in St Agnes, on the Isles of Scilly.

The RSPB

In 1960, following Axell's move to a different post, Scott was employed as Warden for both the bird observatory and the reserve at Dungeness. He began to gain greater notability through his work in Dungeness and also through finding three more new visiting birds to Britain. In 1960 he found the dark-eyed junco, a bird normally found in North America, and in 1968 he spotted the short-toed treecreeper, normally found in continental Europe. Both these finds were at the Dungeness reserve. He also, unknowingly, spotted the first Hume's leaf warbler in 1966, at Beachy Head, Kent. At the time it was believed to be a variant of the yellow-browed warbler, but was reclassified in 2002 and the recording of it by Scott was declared the first official one.

In 1975, Scott moved to a new position as Warden at Northward Hill RSPB reserve. He worked there for four years and during that time began running training courses for bird ringers in Rwanda, Burundi and Ghana.

In 1979, Scott again moved, this time to the RSPB headquarters in Sandy, Bedfordshire. Initially he was employed as Reserves Manager (England), moving to Senior Reserves Manager and then into Head of Reserves Management, which he held until his retirement in 1997.

Work abroad

Scott often visited foreign countries, regularly leading these trips. He was able to add numerous first sightings during these trips while contributing to the education of the local people in basic conservation. It was during one of these trips that he was awarded a medal by the Bulgarian government, for the work he had done.

British Birds journal

In 2000, Scott joined with other leading ornithologists to save the ailing British Birds journal. He had been a contributor to the journal for numerous years, having his first piece published in the 1950s. He was a director and member of the charitable trust that owned the journal until his death.

Bibliography

 The Birdwatchers Key (Frederick Warne, 1976)
 The Birdwatchers Calendar (Ebury Press, 1982)
 The Atlas of British Bird Life (Hamlyn, 1987)

As contributor
 Bird Observatories in Britain and Ireland (edited by Roger Durman) (Poyser, 1976)
 RSPB Nature Reserves (edited by Nicholas Hammond) (1983)
 Go Birding (by Tony Soper) (BBC Books, 1988)

References

1938 births
2009 deaths
People educated at Sutton Grammar School
Deaths from cancer in England
English ornithologists
English conservationists
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds people
People from Sutton, London
Scientists from London
20th-century British zoologists

Bob Scott (ornithologist)


Four Seasons Hotels Limited, trading as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is a Canadian hotel company.  Their headquarters is in Toronto.  Most Four Seasons hotels are five-star hotels, meaning they are expensive.

Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey ranked this grid 98th among the best luxury hotels in the world. Readers of Condé Nast Traveller voted for the Golden Triangle (the company's real estate in northern Thailand) as the world's favourite for three years in a row. The company has been named one of Fortune's "100 Best Employers" every year since the 1998 survey.

History
Founded in 1960 in Canada by Isador Sharp, the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland, the company opened its first hotel in the red-light district of Toronto. In 1970, the chain's first overseas hotel opened in London. In 1986, the company went public, entering the stock market, but in 2007 it became private again (Sharpe bought shares from the market and resold them to private funds).

The main owners of the company: the founder of the company Isadore Sharp (5%), as well as the companies Cascade Investment and Kingdom Hotels (47.5% each), owned, respectively, by Bill Gates and the nephew of the King of Saudi Arabia, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.

1960s establishments in Canada
Hotel chains
Companies based in Toronto

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts


Fairview, originally named Yorkship Village, is a neighborhood located in southern Camden, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. According to the 2000 United States census, Fairview Village has a population of 5,947. Much of the neighborhood is part of a historic district listed on the state and federal registers of historic places.

History
The neighborhood was a federally funded World War I planned community of approximately 1000 homes located near New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, and was intended to provide housing for the shipyard's workers and their families. New York Shipbuilding had more than tripled in size due to war contracts, and the influx of shipyard workers was overwhelming the Camden housing market. The United States Shipping Board through its Emergency Fleet Corporation used funds from a $50,000,000 appropriation for housing to alleviate a housing shortage threatening its shipbuilding program. Actual construction was managed by the Department of Housing and Transit, United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation which selected Electus Darwin Litchfield as architect.

The site chosen was just upstream from the shipyard on the South Branch of Newton Creek. The  parcel, then located in Haddon Township, had formerly been the Old Cooper Farmstead. The village's design was influenced by the garden city movement developing in England at the time.

Litchfield envisioned Yorkship Village as "a place of light rooms and clean yards, with adequate playgrounds and amusement fields; a place of beauty and appropriateness and cleanliness so great that a man returning from his daily toil would receive new strength and recreation; a place where the man who could save a fraction of his income would be able to obtain with it, for himself and for his children, a share of play and education, literature and music, and other uplifting things."

Litchfield's plan for Yorkship Village included narrow, winding residential streets (soon to be tree-lined), a central village square, broad green boulevards, and brick duplexes and row homes with both front and back yards. Architecturally, the village is now considered an example of American Federal style. The "village" character would be further emphasized by physical isolation, since it was bordered on three sides by Newton Creek.

Construction began with ground-breaking on May 1, 1918. The United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation bore the estimated $11 million cost of construction, but required the local community to provide utilities, fire hydrants, and fire and police protection. The cost of those services was beyond the means of Haddon Township, which ceded Yorkship Village to the City of Camden on July 8, 1918.

At the end of the war the Emergency Fleet Corporation began selling properties with 1,579 houses, 59 apartments, 13 stores, a hotel, a gymnasium and miscellaneous buildings unsold at the start of 1921. By the end of Fiscal Year 1924 all but twelve houses, the sewage system and plant, water system, bridge, public squares and parks had been sold.

It became Camden's 14th Ward. Though Yorkship Village was renamed Fairview in 1922, the original elementary school located near the square is still operating as Yorkship School, and all of the original streets are still named for famous naval vessels.

See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Camden County, New Jersey

References

Neighborhoods in Camden, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Camden County, New Jersey
History of Camden, New Jersey
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Company housing
New York Shipbuilding Corporation

Fairview, Camden


Rābia al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya (; 717 – 801 AD) was a female Muslim saint and Sufi mystic. She was born in Basra, and is therefore also called Rābia al-Basrī ().

She was the fourth daughter of her family and therefore named Rābi'a, meaning "fourth". Her family was very poor. She was very devoted to God. When Rābia's father died, she became an orphan. She was captured by thieves and sold into slavery. During the day, she worked for her master. During the night, she prayed to God. Once her master learned about her passionate faith, he immediately released her. He decided to serve her instead.

Rābia became an ascetic. Over time, many came to follow her. Even though Rābia did many favors for them and lived in poverty and hardship, she is said to have never asked for anything, even from God.

The name Rābia is used to describe women of the highest type of spirituality. She is considered one of the most devoted Sufi saints. She is highly revered.

Notes

717 births
801 deaths
Asian Sufis
Iraqi Muslims

Rabia Basri


"Bowling" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Malcolm in the Middle and the show's 36th episode overall. The episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 1, 2001. The episode was written by Alex Reid and was directed by Todd Holland. The plot serves as a parody of the 1998 film Sliding Doors.

"Bowling" has received positive reviews from critics since airing. Reid and Holland later received Emmy Awards for their work on the episode.

Plot
Malcolm and Reese are going to a bowling party. Dewey is grounded for killing a neighbor's parakeet, and must stay home. When Lois and Hal are asked who will drive Malcolm and Reese, the screen splits, with Lois offering to take them on one side, and Hal offering on the other. From this point forward, the episode alternates between the realities in which each parent drives.

When Lois takes the boys, she only has enough money for one pair of shoes and makes them share. Right away, both Malcolm and Reese notice a pretty girl named Beth (Alex McKenna) at the party. Lois soon learns that there are no adults chaperoning, then decides to stay and chaperone it herself. Reese impresses Beth, but is repeatedly interrupted before he can tell her a joke. Malcolm does terribly at bowling, and Lois' overbearing encouragement only makes the ridiculing worse. When he finally stands up to her, he only embarrasses himself. Beth finds Malcolm's courage endearing and kisses him, but Lois breaks it up and takes everyone home. Meanwhile, Dewey tricks Hal into reading him a bedtime story, which puts Hal to sleep. Free to do whatever he wants, Dewey orders pizza and watches R-rated movies.

When Hal drives the boys, he buys two pairs of shoes, having stolen money from Lois' wallet, and sends them off while he takes a lane to himself. Reese's joke disgusts Beth, but Malcolm does well at bowling and Beth is impressed with him. Reese, jealous, tries to throw a bowling ball at Malcolm. He misses and hits a large man, who furiously chases him. Hal makes a strike and attempts a perfect game by repeating his actions before the strike. Malcolm leads Beth behind the pinsetter machines to make out, but his shirt catches in a pinsetter. He tumbles into Hal's lane, ruining the perfect game. Hal takes Malcolm to the car and orders Reese to come out of hiding in the photo booth. The large man notices Reese and beats him up. Meanwhile, Dewey cannot fool Lois, but when he appears to give up, she suspects he is plotting something. Eventually, Lois lets Dewey watch television, but only something he cannot enjoy: C-SPAN. Neither is sure who won.

In the end, both realities are again shown side-by-side, with Hal and Lois simultaneously coming home and saying to their spouse: "Next time, you take them."

Cultural references
The episode's plot serves as a parody of Sliding Doors, in which two different timelines with the same characters are explored. The X-Files had previously done a similar episode, and Dan Harmon used this episode for inspiration of the Community episode "Remedial Chaos Theory".

Reception
"Bowling" has received positive reviews from critics since its airing. The episode was named among The A.V. Club'''s "best TV episodes of the decade" for series that weren't included in their top thirty television series of the decade. The A.V. Club reviewer Emily VanDerWerff praised the episode for its "wild stylistic innovations" and compared, both the series and episode, to The Simpsons''. She went on to praise Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston's performance in the episode.

In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode #90 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.

Accolades
The episode won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing and Writing for a Comedy Series for Todd Holland and Alex Reid, respectively, in 2001. Leading on from this, Holland won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series in 2002. Frankie Muniz was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for this episode.

References

2001 American television episodes
Malcolm in the Middle episodes
Emmy Award-winning episodes
Television episodes about multiple time paths

Bowling (Malcolm in the Middle)


Babec (December 22, 1979 - April 11, 2008) was a male silverback western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the youngest of three sons born to Otto and Benga at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Between 1988 and 1992 he sired 8 offspring, 5 of them with Madge of the Cincinnati Zoo. Six of his offspring survived into maturity, and he has one grandchild, Kiazi Kitamu at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Babec was exhibited at the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1993 until his death in 2008. He was the only gorilla to have been successfully fitted with a pacemaker, which he wore for four years.

In 2003, Babec was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure due to fibrosing cardiomyopathy after he exhibited symptoms including coughing, lethargy and loss of appetite and indications of chest pains. As part of his therapeutic diet, zoo veterinarian E. Marie Rush prescribed antacids, antibiotics, diuretics and two 30-oz servings of grape-flavor Powerade per day, which was donated by the Birmingham Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

On September 25, 2004, Babec became the first gorilla to undergo the successful implant of a cardiac resynchronization therapy device (a type of advanced pacemaker). The device was suggested and donated by its manufacturer, the Guidant Corporation. Guidant representatives Dr. Jeff Hall DVM, Linda Garmon, and Tab Whisenhunt provided technical expertise and support. It was implanted during a 6-hour operation performed at the zoo's veterinary hospital and led by University of Alabama at Birmingham cardiologist Neal Kay. He came through the operation well and special care was taken to modify his environment to minimize opportunities to jeopardize the procedure through strenuous arm activity. His fingernails were closely clipped and various distractions applied, such as fingernail color, shaved patches of hair and chewing gum in his fur, to distract him from manipulating his sutures.

In the spring of 2005 the wires connecting the CRT device to Babec's heart were loosened in a friendly tussle with the zoo's younger gorilla, Jamie. The damage was evident because of the return of Babec's symptoms. The damage was corrected surgically and zoo staff made the decision to alternate Babec's and Jamie's exhibit times.

On April 29, 2007, the CRT device was again replaced in a 7-hour procedure.

Babec was euthanized on April 11, 2008, after his health declined dramatically over three weeks.

References
 Babec at BhamWiki.com
 Bryant, Walter (May 1, 2007) "Birmingham Zoo gorilla gets a new pacemaker." Birmingham News.
 "A Special Anniversary for Babec" (Winter 2005) Animal Tracks. Birmingham Zoo newsletter.
 Pennington, Rosemary (December 22, 2005) "Babec's Pacemaker". WBHM audio.
 Bischoff, Tracy (April 12, 2006) "Bravery Beads String Together Little Girl, Giant Gorilla" UAB press release.
 Dybas, Cheryl Lyn (August 21, 2006) "Success Beats in the Heart of a Captive Gorilla" Washington Post.
 "Help for an Ailing Gorilla" (September 13, 2004) UAB Synopsis Vol. 23, No. 34

External links
 Babec data at Gorillas Galore
 Photos of Babec on Flickr.com

1979 animal births
Zoos in Alabama
Individual gorillas
2008 animal deaths
Individual animals in the United States

Babec


The 1953 PGA Championship was the 35th PGA Championship, held July 1–7 at Birmingham Country Club in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Local resident  Walter Burkemo won the match play championship, 2 & 1 over Felice Torza in the Tuesday final. The winner's share was $5,000 and the runner-up's was $3,000. Burkemo won his only major title in the second of his three finals; he lost to Sam Snead in 1951 and Chick Harbert in 1954.

Johnny Palmer was the medalist of the stroke play qualifier, awarded $250 for his 134 (−8), with a second round at 66. He lost in the first round to Jack Grout; also defeated on "Black Friday" were pre-tournament favorites Cary Middlecoff, three-time champion Sam Snead, and defending champion Jim Turnesa. No former past champion advanced past the second round.

Burkemo's win marked the second time that all four major championships were won by Americans in a calendar year.

Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1953 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:
 Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
defending champion Jim Turnesa and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
 Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
 Saturday – third round – 36 holes
 Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
 Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
 Tuesday – final – 36 holes

Final results
Tuesday, July 7, 1953

Final eight bracket

Sources:

Final match scorecards
Morning

Afternoon

Source:

Conflict with British Open
The Open Championship in Carnoustie, Scotland, was held July 8–10. Its mandatory 36-hole qualifier was played the two days before the first round, the same days as the semifinals and final at the PGA Championship in Michigan.

Ben Hogan, the reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion, traveled to Britain for the only time to qualify for the Open. He won the Claret Jug by four strokes and set the course record at Carnoustie during the final round. First prize was a modest £500 ($1,400), less than one-third of the PGA's. Hogan won the PGA Championship in 1946 and 1948, then did not enter for over a decade. After his near-fatal automobile accident in early 1949, his battered legs could not endure the arduous double-round schedule for five consecutive days. He played in three of the events in the 1960s, after the change of format to stroke play.

The concept of the modern grand slam and professional major championships were not firmly established in 1953, as evidenced by the schedule conflict in early July. The PGA Championship moved two weeks later in 1954 to avoid this conflict, but during the 1960s, the two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July on five occasions. The PGA Championship was first played in August in 1965, and moved permanently in 1969, except for 1971 when it was played in Florida in February.

References

External links
PGA Media Guide 2012
PGA.com – 1953 PGA Championship

PGA Championship
Golf in Michigan
Sports in Oakland County, Michigan
PGA Championship
PGA Championship
PGA Championship
PGA Championship

1953 PGA Championship