Nahum ben Joseph Samuel Sokolow ( Nachum ben Yosef Shmuel Soqolov, ; 10 January 1859 – 17 May 1936) was a Zionist leader, author, translator, and a pioneer of Hebrew journalism.

Biography
Nahum Sokolow was born in Wyszogród, in the Płock Governorate of Congress Poland in the Russian Empire. He began to attend heder at the age of three. When he was five, his parents moved to Płock. At the age of ten,  he was already renowned as a Hebrew scholar. His father wanted him to study for the rabbinate but with the intervention of Baron Wrangel, the governor of Płock, he enrolled in a secular school. He married at eighteen and settled in Makov, where his father-in-law lived, and earned a living as a wool merchant. At the age of 20, he moved to Warsaw and became a regular contributor to the Hebrew daily HaTzefirah.  Eventually he wrote his own column and went on to become editor and co-owner.  In 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, he moved to London to work with Chaim Weizmann.

Sokolow died in London in 1936.

Literary career
Sokolow was a prolific author and translator. His works include a three-volume history of Baruch Spinoza and his times, and various other biographies. He was the first to translate Theodor Herzl's novel Altneuland into Hebrew, giving it the name Tel Aviv (literally, "An Ancient Hill of Spring"). In 1909, the name was adopted for the first modern Hebrew-speaking city.

Zionist activism

In 1931, Sokolow was elected President of the World Zionist Congress and served in that capacity until 1935, when he was succeeded by Chaim Weizmann. Sokolow also served as President of the Jewish Agency for Palestine (now called the Jewish Agency for Israel) between 1931 and 1933, when he was succeeded by Arthur Ruppin.
In 1906, Sokolow was asked to become the secretary general of the World Zionist Congress. In the ensuing years, he crisscrossed Europe and North America to promote the Zionist cause. After moving to London, he was a leading advocate for the Balfour Declaration in which the British government declared its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

On 6 February 1917, a meeting was held in Maida Vale with Weizmann to discuss the results of the Picot convention in Paris. Sokolow and Weizmann pressed on after they had seized leadership from Gaster; they were granted official recognition from the British government.
Historian Martin Kramer argues that securing the assent of Britain's French and American Allies and of the Vatican, which controlled many Christian Holy Sites in the Land of Israel, was a necessary precondition for the Balfour Declaration. Sokolow secured the support of Pope Benedict XV on 4 May 1917, who described the return of the Jews to Palestine as "providential; God has willed it".
Sokolow secured the assent of France in the Cambon letter of 4 June 1917, signed by Jules Cambon, the head of the political section of the French foreign ministry.

Chaim Weizmann wrote to the Manchester Zionist, Harry Sacher, who became a focus for the view that Sokolow and Weizmann had capitulated and forfeited the right to lead by "preferring British Imperialism... to Zionism". Sokolow acted as Weizmann's eyes and ears in Paris on a diplomatic mission with Sir Mark Sykes to negotiate with the French.  The idea that the Jews would form a new kind of Triple Entente under the Ottoman Empire was unsettling to them. No, the delegation left for Paris on 31 March 1917. One purpose of the Entente was to strengthen the hand of Zionism in the US. "The Jews represented a powerful political and economic force... if subterranean influence". Sokolow did not know of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and British-French understanding on Middle Eastern policy matters. He believed that he must report to Weizmann that what France really meant by a "Greater Syria", taking the whole of Palestine for themselves. In a series of letters in April and May 1917, Weizmann accused Sokolow of letting the Zionists down in negotiations with France. Sokolow countered by replying that he remained totally committed to a British Palestine.

The desiderata or things desired by the Jews for their new homeland were "facilities of colonization, communal autonomy, rights of language and establishment of a Jewish chartered company." Sokolow's eventual diplomacy triumph for Zionism in Paris made them "accept in principle the recognition of Jewish nationality in the capacity of National Home, local autonomy etc. It is beyond my boldest expectations", he wrote. They expected a quid pro quo for support against Germany, which was further made urgent by the entry of the US on 6 April 1917 to the global conflict. They now associated an Allied victory with securing "Zionist aspirations", a phrase also used by Sykes in his despatches to Balfour.
On 9 April, the Paris conference ended, marking a high point in Sokolow's career. The Zionists were now open to all diplomatic rounds. Sokolov came to Rome to gain support for the plan of a Jewish state in Palestine and spoke to Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII. That Pope Benedict XV had vehemently condemned anti-Semitism a year earlier was seen as a good omen.

In Rome, the Vatican City were considering accepting terms. Sokolow's letters asked advice from Weizmann;  the amazed Sokolow met the Pope on 6 May. The Zionists began to feel more confident about their patriotism.  Sokolow asked for "moral support", a philosophical equality, and immediately wrote Weizmann about the "expressing of favour", but Weizmann was not so emotional since he had a tough hard-headed businesslike character. He congratulated Sokolow on the success.  Sokolow was called upon to stop at Paris by Jules Cambon and Prime Minister Alexandre Ribot. They were still concerned that Zionism would cause unlimited damage to world security if unleashed in Bolshevik Russia.

Published works
 Hatzofe levayt yisrael

Awards and recognition
Kibbutz Sde Nahum is named for him.

See also
Sokolov Award

References

Bibliography

Books

Articles

External links

 The personal papers of Nahum Sokolow are kept at the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem
 Sokolow, Nahum b. Joseph Samuel in the Jewish Encyclopedia
Sokolow's memorial address on the 25th anniversary of Herzl's death

1859 births
1936 deaths
People from Płock County
People from Płock Governorate
Polish Jews
Jews from the Russian Empire
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
British people of Polish-Jewish descent
Zionist activists
Modern Hebrew writers
British Jewish writers
Polish male writers
19th-century Polish journalists
Journalists from the Russian Empire
Male writers from the Russian Empire
Jewish British activists
Polish translators
British translators
Jewish Agency for Israel
Burials at Mount Herzl
Polish magazine founders

Nahum Sokolow


Katie McMahon is an Erse sangster. She wis a soloist wi the oreeginal  Riverdance troupe. Her recordins hae lairgely featured tradeetional Erse sangs, occasionally in the Erse leid.

McMahon is frae Dublin. She wis classically trained in voice an harp. She studiet Italian an Drama Studies at Trinity College, Dublin. Durin a break frae her studies, Katie joined the vocal group Anúna in 1991, an remained wi the choir till 1996. She wis a soloist on Anúna's first three CDs "ANÚNA" (1993), "Invocation" (1994) an "Omnis" (1995).

She is best kent as the oreeginal lead soprano soloist wi Anúna in the piece "Cloudsong". This is the openin section o Riverdance, first performit as pairt in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. Subsequently she went on tae pairticipate wi Anúna in the affshuit stage performance "Riverdance the Show" till 1996, when she left the choir, remainin wi the show till the late 1990s.

Her debut album, After the Morning, wis released in North Americae. Syne then she haes released three mair, Shine, Celtic Christmas, an St. Patrick's Day.

She is marriet tae Ben Craig wi whom she haes twa childer. She currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Freemit airtins

 KatieMcMahon.com - Official website
 Anúna's website

Erse female sangsters
Erse harpists
Fowk frae Dublin (ceety)
Livin fowk

Katie McMahon


The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is a United States presidential memorial honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and the 34th President of the United States.

On October 25, 1999, the United States Congress created the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, and charged it with creating "...an appropriate permanent memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower".

An early design by architect Frank Gehry was controversial. After several years of hearings and several design changes by Gehry, final design approvals were given in 2015.

After more than a decade and a half of planning and controversy, Congress approved $150 million to the memorial in 2017 and on November 2, dignitaries held a groundbreaking ceremony at the four-acre site in Washington DC.

The dedication was scheduled for May 8, 2020, the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, now postponed to September 17, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial


The 10.5 cm K gepanzerte Selbstfahrlafette (), also known as the Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. A (Pz.Sfl. IVa) () was a prototype self-propelled gun used by Nazi Germany during World War II. Although it was originally designed as a  ("bunker buster") for use against the French Maginot Line defences, following the defeat of France in 1940, it was evaluated for use as a  tank destroyer on the Eastern Front.

 Development
It was intended to be used against bunkers at ranges beyond which the bunker could return fire. Development by Krupp began in 1939. With the conquest of France complete the design was without a purpose so it was suggested that it be used as a heavy tank destroyer. Two prototypes were ordered, completed in January 1941 and demonstrated in front of Hitler on 31 March 1941. If troop trials were successful it was estimated that series production could begin in early 1942.

 Description

The 10.5 cm K (gp. Sfl.) was built on a heavily modified Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. E chassis with the turret removed and an open-topped superstructure added to house the main gun.
The forward glacis plate was of  face-hardened armour at 15° from the vertical while the sides were  thick. The vehicle's most curious feature was armored compartments provided in the rear of the vehicle to protect the loaders against attack from aircraft. Similarly the ammunition bins holding 26 rounds for the main gun had thin armored covers on top. Another oddity was the fake driver's compartment on the right side of the vehicle that matched the real one projecting forward from the front superstructure on the left.

Although the main gun was intended to engage enemy armoured fighting vehicles it could only traverse 8° to the left and right, depress 15° and elevate 10°. A muzzle brake was fitted to reduce recoil forces and a travel lock was fitted on the front deck to secure the gun during movement. For self-defense the crew carried three  machine pistols with 576 rounds of ammunition. A Selbstfahrlafetten-Zielfernrohr (Sfl. Z.F.) 1 sight was used by the gunner, a binocular Turmspähfernrohr (T.S.F.) periscope was fitted for use by the commander, and each loader was provided with a binocular Scherenfernrohr on a pivoting arm.

Throughout most of its development it was known as 10 cm K. (Pz. Sfl. IVa), but was redesignated 10.5 cm K (gp. Sfl.) on 13 August 1941, and was also colloquially known as Dicker Max ("Thick" or "Fat" Max).

In the prototype vehicles the V-12 Maybach HL120 engine of the Panzer IV was replaced by a lighter inline 6 Maybach HL66P engine. Production vehicles probably would have used the suspension and running gear of the Panzerkampfwagen III as it offered increased maneuverability due to a shorter length of track in contact with the ground, less rolling resistance, softer springs and greater deflection of the suspension.

Combat history
For combat trials the two prototypes were assigned to Panzerjäger Abteilung ("Anti-tank Battalion") 521 during the invasion of the Soviet Union. One accidentally caught fire and was completely destroyed by the detonation of its ammunition, but the other fought successfully until the end of 1941. It was rebuilt by Krupp during the first half of 1942 and returned to the 521st in time to participate in Case Blue, the 1942 summer offensive in Russia. It was not reported operational in reports made by the battalion in  November–December  1942.

A report of 26 July 1941 commented on the vehicle: "This Sfl. (self-propelled vehicle) is not sufficiently maneuverable for employment in a Vorausabteilung (lead unit). The limited traverse makes it necessary to turn the entire vehicle to aim at targets. This takes considerable time when done repeatedly, especially off-road because of the heavy vehicle and weak engine. In addition, because of its armor layout - only thick in the front and 50 mm lower in the back - it was built for frontal use. The vehicle can be shot into from the side and rear. Employment in a Vorausabteilung requires the ability to quickly engage targets in every direction.

The gun has proven itself capable of supporting an infantry attack from an open firing position by direct fire as in the Szczarar crossing. It is not possible to observe our own shots because of large dust clouds raised in front of the gun. The Sfl. must alternatively observe each other's fire or an observation post must be established off to one side, manned by a Richtkreis-Uffiz. (gunner) familiar with the crew. Because of its size, lack of mobility, and large dust cloud raised when firing, in the future the Sfl. will only shoot Sprenggranaten (HE) by indirect fire.

Up to now, the Sfl. has been employed in its specialized tasks - engaging concrete bunkers by direct fire and engaging heavy tanks in coordination with other Panzerabwehrwaffen (anti-tank weapons). Its high penetration ability appears to be suitable for this.

No specific problems have occurred with the engine or transmission. The steering brakes are overstressed. Bolts in the steering slide of one steering brake have torn out three times and the brake bands have had to be changed twice because the rivets were over-heated."

References

Sources
 Chamberlain, Peter, and Hilary L. Doyle. Thomas L. Jentz (Technical Editor). Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1978 (revised edition 1993).
 Jentz, Thomas L. Panzerjaeger (3.7 cm Tak to Pz. Sfl. Ic): Development and Employment from 1927 to 1941 (Panzer Tracts No. 7-1) Boyds, Maryland: Panzer Tracts, 2004.

External links
 Achtung Panzer
 wwiivehicles.com

World War II tank destroyers of Germany
105 mm artillery
Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944

10.5 cm K gepanzerte Selbstfahrlafette


Originally, Trio Los Panchos were a trío romántico formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exporters of the bolero and the romantic ballad in Latin America.

The group sold hundreds of millions of records since its creation in the mid 1940s, some of their best known songs being their interpretations of classic folk songs such as "Besame Mucho", "Sabor a Mí", "Sin Ti", "Solamente Una Vez", "Contigo", "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas", "Contigo Aprendi", "Aquellos Ojos Verdes", "Cuando vuelva a tu lado", "Se te olvida", "El Reloj", "Noche de Ronda", "Rayito de Luna".

Los Panchos are regarded as one of the top musical trios of all time and one of the most influential Latin American artists of all time. They sold out concerts around the globe for over 70 years and have appeared in more than 50 films.

A characteristic instrument of Los Panchos and other Mexican tríos románticos since the 1950s is the requinto guitar, which is smaller and tuned higher than a standard guitar. Requinto solos are found in many bolero recordings by Los Panchos.

History
Los Panchos first met in 1944 in New York City.  The three original members were Chucho Navarro, and Alfredo Gil, both from Mexico, and Hernando Avilés from Puerto Rico. All three played guitar and contributed vocally.

Los Panchos reached fame with their romantic songs, especially in Latin America where they are still regarded as one of the top trios of all time. They sold millions of records in Latin America and other countries. In the 1940s they collaborated with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra with the orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. in a recording of "La Palma" (a cueca) and "Rosa Negra" (a conga) for Pilotone Records (#45 5067, #45 5069). They also appeared in around 50 movies, mostly during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.

By 1946, the trio's exceptional virtuosity and authenticity had attracted the attention of Edmund Chester at CBS Radio's Cadena de Las Americas (Network of the Americas). Los Panchos were immediately invited to perform as "musical ambassadors" on the network's Viva América program to support cultural diplomacy in twenty countries throughout Latin America and South America.

Los Panchos began touring internationally in 1946 and would relocate later that same year to Mexico City. They were welcomed with open arms and XEW-AM, the most popular radio station in Mexico City, reserved a time slot for their music. In 1951, Los Panchos launched another international tour across Latin America. Julito Rodríguez joined the group in 1952; he was replaced by Johnny Albino in 1958.

In 1964, CBS proposed to the members of the trio, then made up of the two founding members and Johnny Albino, to accompany a female voice for the first time, the American vocalist of Judeo-Spanish descent Eydie Gormé, who had several years of recording experience in the United States and who was just beginning to record in Spanish. The collaboration between Gormé and Los Panchos resulted in a series of bestselling albums in the 1960s such as Great Love Songs In Spanish (titled Amor, in Spanish). The Albino era was one of the most prosperous ones for Los Panchos, and classic albums from that time are still very popular among Los Panchos fans. His departure in 1968 was a tumultuous one, as he did not leave on good terms with the group's management.

In 1971, Ovidio Hernández joined the band as lead vocalist, a part he would fulfill until his untimely passing from complications of meningitis in 1976. Following him, Rafael Basurto Lara joined as lead singer.

[David Ortiz]: A very interesting note, and one that not everyone knows about, is that during the illness of Ovidio Hernández and the integration of Rafael Basurto to the trio, Alfredo Gil (the trio's director) met the Puerto Rican singer, David Ortiz, in New York City, and amazed by the quality of his voice and style, asked him to come to Mexico and sing with Los Panchos. David Ortiz accepted the invitation and was with the Trio Los Panchos for several months. Alfredo Gil considered David to be one of the most exciting and talented voices to ever sing with Los Panchos. However, after fulfilling several commitments with the trio, David Ortiz returned to New York.

Alfredo Gil played with Los Panchos until his retirement in 1981; he died in 1999. Chucho Navarro played with the group until his death in 1993. Currently the trio using the Los Panchos name is the Trio Los Panchos de Chucho Navarro Fundador ("Trio Los Panchos of Founder Chucho Navarro") under the direction of Chucho Navarro Jr., the son of original Los Panchos member Chucho Navarro.

Discography

 1945 – Mexicantos
 1946 - La Palma (Trio Los Panchos and the Viva América Orchestra conducted by Alfredo Antonini with John Serry Sr.)
 1949 – Ritmos tropicales
 1949 – Boleros selectos, Vol. 1
 1950 – Los Panchos Favorites
 1955 – Boleros selectos, Vol. 2
 1955 – Así cantan Los Panchos
 1956 – Canciones para una noche de lluvia
 1956 – Vaya con Dios
 1956 – Canciones del corazón
 1956 – South Of The Border - Agustín Lara Hits
 1956 – Mexican Holiday
 1957 – Eva Garza
 1958 – Un minuto de amor
 1959 – Trío Los Panchos y Chucho Martínez Gil
 1959 – Siete notas de amor
 1960 – Los Panchos con Johnny Albino cantan
 1960 – Canciones del corazón
 1960 – Los favoritos de todo el mundo
 1960 – Los Panchos en Tokyo
 1961 – Ciudadanos del mundo
 1961 – Ambassadors of Song
 1961 – Ceguera de amor
 1961 – Los Panchos en Japón
 1962 – Época de oro
 1962 – Los Panchos cantan tangos
 1962 – El Trío Los Panchos interpreta Guty Cárdenas
 1962 – El pecador
 1962 – México canta
 1962 – Favoritos latinos
 1963 – A mi madrecita
 1963 – Cantan a Paraguay
 1963 – Love Songs of the Tropics - Trio Los Panchos Sing the Songs of Rafael Hernández Marín
 1963 –  Romantic Guitars - El Trio Los Panchos Y Las Canciones De Pedro Flores
 1964 – By Special Request Sing Great Love Songs In English
 1964 – Caminemos
 1964 – Amor (Great Love Songs In Spanish) (with Eydie Gormé)
 1964 – Los Panchos en el Japón
 1964 – Recuerdos...
 1965 – More Amor / Cuatro vidas (with Eydie Gormé)
 1965 – El pescador de estrellas
 1965 – Obsesión
 1965 – Los Panchos en persona
 1965 – Horas nuestras
 1966 – Que no te cuenten cuentos
 1966 – Celoso
 1966 – Blanca Navidad / Navidad Means Christmas (with Eydie Gormé)
 1967 – Los Panchos en estéreo, Vol. 1
 1967 – Con éxitos de Armando Manzanero
 1967 – En Venezuela
 1967 – Hey, Amigo! The Trío Los Panchos Sing Great Popular Country Hits in Spanish with The Jordanaires
 1968 – Los Panchos en estéreo, Vol. 2
 1968 – Gigliola Cinquetti e il Trio Los Panchos in Messico
 1968 – Con mariachi
 1970 – Liliana
 1970 – Los Panchos En Japón, Vol. 2
 1970 – Los Panchos Cantan a Agustín Lara
 1970 – Trío Los Panchos
 1971 – Volví la espalda
 1971 – Voces internacionales con Los Panchos
 1971 – Basura
 1971 – Háblame
 1972 – Lo dudo
 1972 – Frío en el alma
 1972 – Martha (with Estela Raval)
 1972 – Quiero
 1972 – Cantan al Perú
 1972 – Adulterio
 1972 – La hiedra
 1973 – El tiempo que te quede libre
 1973 – Tú me acostumbraste (with Estela Raval)
 1974 – Gil, Navarro y Hernández
 1974 – Yo lo comprendo
 1976 – Cantan a Latinoamérica
 1976 – Sabor a mí
 1977 – Si tú me dices ven (Lodo)
 1981 – España en la voz de Los Panchos
 1982 – Los Panchos en Brasil
 1985 – Homenaje a Carlos Gardel
 1985 – La nave del olvido
 1989 – Esencia romántica
 1991 – Siglo veinte
 1991 – Triunfamos
 1991 – Hoy

References

External links
 Official blog of Trio Los Panchos de Chucho Navarro Fundador

Mexican musical groups
Mexican musical trios
Musical groups established in 1944
Columbia Records artists

Los Panchos


Lovely Is the Summer Night (Swedish: Ljuvlig är sommarnatten) is a 1961 Swedish mystery thriller film directed by Arne Mattsson. The film stars Karl-Arne Holmsten, Christina Carlwind, Per Oscarsson and Folke Sundquist. It was shot at the Sundbyberg Studios of Europa Film in Stockholm. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Bertil Duroj and Arne Åkermark. It is an adaptation of a detective novel by Dagmar Lange (Maria Lang), who wrote the script for the film herself. It is a sequel to the 1960 film When Darkness Falls.

Cast
Karl-Arne Holmsten as Christer Wijk
Christina Carlwind as Anneli Hammar
Elisabeth Odén as Dina Richardsson, Anneli's best friend
Per Oscarsson as Lars-Ove Larsson, Anneli's childhood friend
Folke Sundquist as Joakim Kruse, Anneli's fiancé
Sif Ruud as Gretel Ström, Annelis mother
Erik Hell as Egon Ström, Annelis stepfather
Stig Järrel as Sebastian Petrén, Anneli's boss
Hjördis Petterson as Fanny Falkman, florist
Angelo Zanolli as Mats Norrgård
Märta Arbin as Helena Wijk, Christers mother
Holger Löwenadler as Inspector
 Dagmar Olsson as Livia Petrén
 Agneta Prytz as Olivia Petrén
 Allan Edwall as Luffaren
 Sven-Eric Gamble as 	Truck Driver
 Curt Masreliez as 	Ahlgren
 Elsa Prawitz as 	Camilla Martin
 John Norrman as 	Forest Warden
 Tekla Sjöblom as Gustava Eriksson
 Curt Löwgren as 	Matsäcken
 Monica Karlsson as Eva
 Julia Cæsar as 	Dresser
 Carl-Axel Elfving as 	Frisör-Kalle
 Mona Geijer-Falkner as 	Tale-telling Woman
 Tommy Johnson as 	Young Man
 Per Johnsson as Unit Manager
 Åke Lindström as 	Man
 Sune Mangs as 	Jailer
 Sten Mattsson as 	Stage Manager
 John Melin as Head Waiter
 Karin Miller as 	Mrs. Gehlin
 Marrit Ohlsson as Gossip Lady
 Bellan Roos as Tale-telling Woman
 Bo Samuelsson as Mailman
 Hanny Schedin as Tale-telling Woman
 Arne Strand as Vicar

References

Bibliography
 Björklund, Elisabet & Larsson, Mariah. Swedish Cinema and the Sexual Revolution: Critical Essays. McFarland, 2016.
 Qvist, Per Olov & von Bagh, Peter. Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.

External links

1961 films
Swedish thriller films
Films directed by Arne Mattsson
1960s thriller films
1960s Swedish-language films
Films based on Swedish novels
Swedish sequel films
1960s Swedish films

Lovely Is the Summer Night


Ulrik Vilhelm Koren (December 22, 1826 – December 19, 1910) was a Norwegian-American author, theologian and church leader. A pioneer Lutheran minister, he played a significant role in the development of the spiritual and intellectual development of Norwegians in America. Ulrik Vilhelm Koren has been called the "patriarch of Norwegian American Lutherans."

Biography
Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was born in Bergen, Norway. Although the family home was at Bergen, the family also spent much time at Selja, at the home of Koren's paternal uncle, Laurentius Koren.  Selja, which was formerly known as Selø, is a small island in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. Koren lived there after the death of his father, Paul S. S. Koren, a sea captain, in an earthquake in Haiti in 1842. Koren was an 1852 theology graduate from the Royal Frederick University.

Koren was called to the United States to serve  the Little Iowa Congregation (later called Washington Prairie) in Winneshiek County, Iowa. He was the first Lutheran minister from Norway to settle west of the Mississippi. Koren's pastorate included large parts of Northeastern Iowa and Southern Minnesota. Many of the Lutheran congregations within that area look to Pastor Koren as their founder. Koren played an active part in the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Koren served as vice president of the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1871-1876) and was president of the Synod's Iowa District (1876- 1894). He was president of the synod from 1894 until his death in 1910.

During his ministry, Koren wrote numerous publications addressing various issues of concern to the Lutheran religious community. His leadership ensured that  Luther College  moved to Decorah, Iowa in 1862 after an initial year in Wisconsin. Koren was also instrumental in purchasing the land and locating Luther College. In 1903, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary. He was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav by the King of Norway. Rev. Koren died on December 19, 1910, and was buried in the cemetery of  Washington Prairie Lutheran Church, Decorah, Iowa.

Else Elisabeth Koren
In 1853 Koren  married Else Elisabeth Hysing. Else's father, Ahlert Hysing, had been rector of the Latin School at Larvik which Koren had attended.  Elisabeth was born on May 24, 1832, in Larvik.  Vilhelm  Koren knew half a dozen languages, and Elisabeth read Danish, Norwegian, German, and English. She was the author of The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, 1853-1855. The autobiography was translated into English and published in 1955. It provides detailed insight into what it was like for four adults and two children to spend the winter in a one-room 14-by-16-foot log house. In time, the Korens had nine children. Elisabeth Koren died on June 7, 1918, at Washington Prairie, in Winneshiek County, Iowa.

Egge-Koren House
From December 1853 to March 1854, the newlyweds, Rev. U. V. Koren and his wife Elisabeth, lived with the Egge family near Decorah, Iowa.  The house in which they lived during that period in now known as the Egge-Koren House and is on exhibit at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.

Koren Building
The Koren Building at Luther College dedicated in 1921, was named in honor of Ulrik Vilhelm Koren who was one of the founders and leaders of Luther College. The building housed the Koren Library until 1969. Major renovation was undertaken in 1987–88, and the building is now devoted to classrooms and faculty offices for members of the Education, History, Politics, Sociology, and Anthropology/Archeology Departments.

Selected bibliography
 The Right Principles of Church Government (Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. Reprinted 1981)
 Why Is There No Church Unity Among Norwegian Lutherans In America? (Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. Reprinted 1981)
  Our Age Is A Period Of Transition (Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. Reprinted 1981)

References

Additional Sources
 Norlie, O.M. Norsk Lutherske Menigheter i Amerika, 1843 - 1916 (Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing house, 1918)  Norwegian
Preus, Herman A. Ulrik Vilhelm Koren: A Biography (Bethany Lutheran Seminary. Mankato, Mn. 1950)
Koren, Elizabeth The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, 1853-1855 (New York : Arno Press, 1979, ©1955)
Johnson, James H. History of The Norwegian Community of Chickasaw County Iowa (The Chickasaw County Iowa Genealogical Society. June 2001)

External links
Norwegian National Library. Oslo
Luther College Archives
Washington Prairie Lutheran Church
"Ulrik Vilhelm Koren" by Herbjørn Gausta, 1883
"Else Elisabeth (Hysing) Koren" by Herbjørn Gausta, 1883

1826 births
1910 deaths
Clergy from Bergen
American Lutheran hymnwriters
University of Oslo alumni
Norwegian emigrants to the United States
19th-century American Lutheran clergy
Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal
19th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy

U. V. Koren


James Gallagher (July 19, 1929 – August 4, 2017) was an American football executive who worked for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1949 to 1995.

After graduating from Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gallagher worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was hired by the Eagles as a stenographer in September 1949. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War, and later became the Eagles' director of personnel in 1957. He held the position of director of public relations for the team for almost 20 years, and was also the director of sales and marketing. He moved to a position arranging travel details for the team by 1989, and added a title of director of alumni relations in 1990. He retired from the Eagles on August 1, 1995. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Honor Roll alongside wide receiver Mike Quick at halftime of the Eagles' game against the New York Giants on November 19, 1995.

Gallagher died on August 4, 2017, at the age of 88.

References

1929 births
2017 deaths
Philadelphia Eagles executives
United States Army personnel of the Korean War

Jim Gallagher (American football)


Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, actor, movie director and producer. His most famous movie was the 1933 movie King Kong.

Cooper was born on October 24, 1893 in Jacksonville, Florida. He was of English descent. Cooper studied at the Lawrenceville School. He was married to Dorothy Jordan from 1933 until his death in 1973. They had one son, Maciej Słomczyński. Cooper died on April 21, 1973 in San Diego, California from cancer, aged 79.

Early life
Merian Caldwell Cooper was born in Jacksonville, Florida. His father, John C. Cooper, was a lawyer. His mother was Mary Caldwell. He was the youngest of three children. When he was six, Cooper heard stories from the book Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa. After that, he thought he would like to see the world. He went to The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and finished in 1911.

After finishing school, Cooper was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy, This was a great honor. He was kicked out during his final year for "hell raising and for championing air power." In 1916, Cooper worked reporting the news. He worked for the Minneapolis Daily News, where he met Delos Lovelace. Cooper also worked at the Des Moines Register-Leader and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Early military service

Georgia National Guard
Cooper joined the Georgia National Guard to capture Pancho Villa in Mexico in 1916. He finished military service in March 1917 to work for the El Paso Herald. When he went back to the Georgia National Guard, he was chosen to be a lieutenant, but he said no to the offer. He then went to the Military Aeronautics School in Atlanta to learn how to fly planes. He finished school with high marks.

World War I
In October 1917, Cooper went to France with the 201st Squadron. He went to flying school in Issoudun. While flying, Cooper hit his head and became unconscious while falling in the air. He went to Clermont-Ferrand to train again, but this time as a bomber pilot. After that, he became a pilot on the 20th Aero Squadron. It became the 1st Day Bombardment Group.

Cooper was a DH-4 bomber pilot with the United States Army Air Service during World War I. His plane was hit on September 26, 1918. Cooper lived but had many injuries. When German soldiers found him, they took him to a prisoner hospital

Captain Cooper stayed in the Air Service after the war. He worked with Herbert Hoover's American Food Administration that helped Poland. He became a leader of the Poland division.

Personal life
Cooper was the father of Maciej Słomczyński. Słomczyński was a Polish translator and writer. He took his step-father's name when his mother married. Cooper married film actress Dorothy Jordan on May 27, 1933. They kept their marriage a secret from Hollywood. A month later, journalists reported it. Cooper had a heart attack later that year. In the 1950s he supported Joseph McCarthy in his mission to root out Communists in Hollywood and Washington, D.C.

Cooper started Advanced Projects in his later life. He served as the head of the board. He wanted to explore new technologies like 3-D color television productions. Cooper died of cancer on April 21, 1973, in San Diego, California. His ashes were scattered at sea with full military honors.

References

Other websites

Family Tree
Cooper's polish-soviet war

1893 births
1973 deaths
Actors from Florida
American cinematographers
American military personnel of World War I
American military personnel of World War II
American movie actors
American movie directors
American movie producers
American screenwriters
Cancer deaths in San Diego County
Writers from Florida
Military people from New Jersey

Merian C. Cooper


MGG Pillai (1939 – 28 April 2006) was a Malaysian journalist and political activist. He was one of the country's pioneers in Internet-based journalism and activism. His parents were immigrants from Kerala, India. His great maternal uncle, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a celebrated Malayalam novelist. True to the matrilineal tradition of the Nair caste, he had a reverential relationship with Thakazhi. Thakazhi in turn was proud of his nephew's journalistic pursuits. MGG Pillai was married to P.C. Jayasree. They have two sons, Sreekant Pillai and Sreejit Pillai.

Background and career
A Johor Bahru-born Malaysian Indian of Malayalee descent, he studied in English College Johore Bahru, and later studied law at the University of Singapore. He started his career in journalism in the 1960s as a Reuters correspondent, and covered the Vietnam War in 1965. In 1967, Pillai had a brief stint in Bernama before joining the Malay Mail and covered the 13 May riots for the newspaper in 1969. He joined the then newly established Singapore Herald in 1970 but left after the government of Singapore refused to renew his work permit.

Upon returning to Malaysia, Pillai began freelancing for the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER). By then, Pillai was also a stringer for the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times. Besides writing for FEER, Pillai also contributed to Newsweek as a stringer and co-founded the defunct news magazine Asiaweek. In 1977, Pillai became the first Malaysian to receive a fellowship from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, which offered him a chance for further study in journalism at Harvard University.

Journalistic style
Pillai was well known for his straight-talking, no-holds-barred style of reporting and commentary, which resulted in brushes with authority. He had been forbidden from entering Singapore since 1990 after one of his reports roused the anger of top government officials. While politicians may have reviled him in public for his hard-hitting, anti-establishment views, privately many maintained good personal relations with Pillai, to the extent he became a confidant to politicians in both the government and the opposition.

Contribution to Malaysian journalism
Pillai was a regular contributor to pro-opposition publications, such as the official mouthpiece of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Harakah, independent online news and commentary portals Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini. He was one of the first Malaysian journalists to see the potential of the internet; he founded a mailing list-based current affairs discussion forum, Sang Kancil ("The Mouse Deer") and mggpillai.com, his self-titled but now-defunct news and commentary website. He rose to national prominence during the heyday of the Reformasi ("Reform") movement, which blossomed following the sacking of the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998. His internet-based commentaries and reporting were at the forefront in chronicling the political turmoil amid a time when the internet was in its infancy in Malaysia.

Death
Pillai died on 28 April 2006 at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, due to heart-related complications.

Notes and references

External links
 MGG Pillai Dalam Kenangan (Malay)  (An obituary for MGG Pillai by an anonymous Malaysian political activist)
 MGG Pillai's Nieman Foundation 1977 fellowship class photo

1939 births
2006 deaths
Malaysian Hindus
Malaysian journalists
Malaysian people of Indian descent
Malaysian people of Malayali descent
Malaysian writers
Nieman Fellows
M. G. G. Pillai
20th-century journalists

M. G. G. Pillai


Egilsay (, ) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying east of Rousay. The island is largely farmland and is known for its corncrakes and St Magnus Church, dedicated or re-dedicated to Saint Magnus, who was killed on the island in 1117 by an axe blow to the head. For hundreds of years the story of St. Magnus, part of the Orkneyinga saga, was considered just a legend until a skull with a large crack in it, such as it had been stricken by an axe, was found in the walls of St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.

Etymology
Unusually for the Northern Isles, it has been suggested that Egilsay may have a partly Gaelic name. While at first sight, it appears to be Egil's island, "Egil" being a Norse personal name, the Gaelic eaglais (Celtic "eccles") meaning church, may be part of the root, as the island is dominated by a church of pre-Norse foundation. The island of Kili Holm just to the north, may represent cille, a monastic cell.

Present day
The island's population was 26 as recorded by the 2011 census a drop of almost a third since 2001 when there were 37 usual residents. During the same period, Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.

Orkney Ferries sail from the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland via Wyre and Rousay.

See also
 Sir Alexander Douglas of Eagleshay

References

External links

 Information on the island of Egilsay

Islands of the Orkney Islands

Egilsay


Afghanistan introduced Postal Codes/ZIP codes in 2011 in a press conference held in Kabul. They are managed by Afghan Post, the national public postal service under the direction of Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Afghanistan postal codes are four digits (NNNN). The first two digits (ranging from 10–43) correspond to the province, while the last two digits correspond either to the city/delivery zone (range 01–50) or to the district/delivery zone (range 51–99).

References

External links
Detailed list of each city and district by desired province

Afghanistan

Postal codes in Afghanistan


Alec Dow Smight is an American film editor and television director born on August 30, 1959, in New York City. He was a producer and director on the successful series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and has directed two episodes of its spin-off CSI: Cyber. Son of the well-known television and film director Jack Smight, his editing work includes Chicago Hope, numerous television pilots, Northern Exposure, and L.A. Law.

Career
In 2006 Smight segued into directing which also acted as his "CSI" debut with "The Unusual Suspect" which premiered on March 30, 2006. His second CSI episode "Burn Out" aired November 2, 2006. In July 2013 it was confirmed that he would direct the 300th episode of CSI titled "Frame by Frame" which aired on October 23, 2013.

During CSI's run Smight directed forty-two episodes of CSI, with his last being Season 15's "The End Game"". He directed two episodes in the second season of CSI: Cyber and an episode in the first season of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders which stars former CSI: NY actor Gary Sinise.

Filmography

Personal life
Born in New York City, Smight is the Son of television Director Jack Smight and actress Joyce Smight. Smight currently lives in California with his wife and three children.

Awards
Smight has been nominated for three prime time Emmys, and three A.C.E. awards.

References

External links

1959 births
American television directors
American Cinema Editors
Living people
Artists from New York City
American film editors

Alec Smight


Nice, Nice, Very Nice is the second album by Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, released on August 11, 2009. The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.

The album's title is a quotation from a poem contained in American author Kurt Vonnegut's 1963 novel Cat's Cradle.

Two tracks on the album were released as singles and had music videos produced: "Robots", directed by Mike Lewis, and "Sold", directed by Sean Devlin.

A tenth-anniversary deluxe edition of the album was released in 2019, featuring demo versions of many of the album's songs.

Track listing

References

2009 albums
Dan Mangan albums
Arts & Crafts Productions albums

Nice, Nice, Very Nice


Pablo Ocampo Tecson (born Pablo Tecson y Ocampo; July 4, 1859 – April 30, 1940) was an officer in the Revolutionary Army serving under Gen. Gregorio del Pilar (responsible for the eventual surrender of the Spanish forces) and a representative to the Malolos Congress. He was elected the Governor General of Bulacan immediately following the Philippine–American War. Tecson later served as Insular Secretary of the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture.

Early life and education
Pablo Tecson was born July 4, 1859, in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, Philippines; the son of Tiburcio Tecson and Paula Ocampo. He studied in San Miguel and later, at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila, where he finished his Bachelor of Arts program.

Early career
Tecson worked as a writer for a Spanish-era magazine, the Catholic Periodical Guide (Pahayagan Patnubay ng Catolico), in Malolos, the county seat of Bulacan; its initial publication being in April 1890.

Military action against Spain
When the revolution against Spain broke out, Tecson was an officer in the Spanish Civil Guards (Guardia Civil) in San Miguel.

Background
In 1896, Tecson co-founded the Arao (Balangay Arao) branch of a secret society-turned-revolutionary government, the Katipunan (Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan, or KKK)(Filipino: nang mga anak nang bayan), which operated out of San Miguel.

On December 14, 1897, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, was signed in Tecson's residence. It called for a truce between Spanish Colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera, and insurgent leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow revolutionaries were given amnesty and money and agreed to go into voluntary exile in Hong Kong. (Aguinaldo later used the money to purchase firearms.) Following Aguinaldo's return from exile in Hong Kong, Tecson defected from the Civil Guards and joined Aguinaldo's Republican Army as a captain.

Following the Cry of Nueva Ecija, he fought alongside General Manuel Tinio (especially in Nueva Ecija) and General Francisco Macabulos. He himself was eventually ranked brigadier general under del Pilar.

Battle of San Miguel
On May 24, 1898, Tecson launched attacks on the Spanish Civil Guard garrisons in San Miguel and San Rafael, Bulacan (collectively known as the Battle of San Miguel); which ended with the Spanish force's surrender on June 1, 1898.

Wartime politics
In 1898, Tecson represented the province of Cagayan at the Malolos Congress (which drafted the Charter of the First Philippine Republic) a few months before the outbreak of the war with America. He cast the deciding vote which addressed the constitutional provision of the separation of church and state.

Military action against the United States

Battle of Quingua
The Battle of Quingua was fought on April 23, 1899, in Quingua, Bulacan (now Plaridel), which resulted in a rout of the Filipinos by their former allies, the United States.

Career and politics following the war
Tecson was elected governor general of Bulacan—the first accepted under American rule, serving from 1902–1906. In 1904, he was named as a delegate of the Philippine's Worlds Fair Commission. Tecson resigned from government service in 1906 and went into farming. He was one of the first to promote the silk culture industry in the Philippines. He returned to government service in 1907, becoming the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

Philanthropy, legacy and death
Tecson died on April 30, 1940 and is buried in San Miguel. Before his death, he donated land for a public burial ground for Filipino patriots.

References

Further reading
 Carlos Quirino – Quirino, Carlos. Who's Who in Philippine History. Manila: Tahanan Books, 1995.
 Wenceslao Retana – Retana, W. E.: El Periodismo Filipino (noticias para historia) 1811–1894. Madrid: Viuda de M., Minuesa de los Rios, 1895.
 U.S.A. Library for history; "The Capture of Aguinaldo from America," Book 10;

1859 births
1940 deaths
Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni
20th-century Filipino businesspeople
Governors of Bulacan
Members of the Malolos Congress
Military history of the Philippines
Nacionalista Party politicians
People from San Miguel, Bulacan
People of the Philippine Revolution
People of the Philippine–American War
Secretaries of Agriculture of the Philippines
Filipino publishers (people)
People from the Spanish East Indies

Pablo Tecson


A località is an inhabited place in Italy that is not accorded a more significant distinction in administrative law such as a frazione, comune, municipio, circoscrizione, or quartiere. The word is cognate to English locality. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines località abitata (inhabited locality) as an "area of more or less size, normally known by its own name, on which are situated either grouped or scattered houses."

Three types of inhabited locality are distinguished:
centro abitato – a group of houses with roads, squares or other small gaps between them, and public services or establishments where residents congregate for religious, educational or business purposes or for obtaining provisions
nucleo abitato – a group of houses with at least five households, but without the type of place where residents gather, as in a centro abitato
case sparse – houses spread over the countryside or along roads with such a distance between them that they do not form a residential nucleus

Most comuni or municipalities have several località, occasionally several dozens, while some have none. The subdivision is optional. In practice, most località are small habitations, hamlets, and occasionally a mere clump of houses.

See also
 Contrada
 Rione
 Sestiere
 Terziere

References

Subdivisions of Italy
Types of administrative division

Località


Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It goes from Kansas City, Missouri, north to Pembina, North Dakota, at the Canada border. The route is  long.

Route description
I-29 starts in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a very hilly route, and it is surrounded by forests. It travels north through the city of St. Joseph, and then enters Iowa. In Iowa, I-29 runs near the Missouri River and runs through many cities that were settled on the river like Council Bluffs, which is a suburb of Omaha, and Sioux City. North of Sioux City, the highway curves to the west and enters South Dakota. Here the route becomes very flat and the area around the highway turns to plains. I-29 passes by Sioux Falls, Brookings, and Watertown. Then, it enters the Glacier Lakes area of South Dakota, which is very hilly. North of here, the route enters North Dakota and becomes flat again. In North Dakota, I-29 runs just to the west of the Red River of the North. It runs through Fargo and Grand Forks before it reaches the Canadian border. I-29 ends here, but the road continues north into Canada, and is known as Manitoba Highway 29.

References

29

Interstate 29


Defence Munitions Crombie is a military munitions depot  on the upper Firth of Forth in West Fife, Scotland. The depot is located on the north shore of the river, south of the village of Crombie and west of Charlestown. The site commenced operations in 1916. It was formerly known as RNAD Crombie and DMC Crombie. It is now operated as part of the UK's Defence Storage and Distribution Agency.

The depot has two jetties and a deep water channel allowing Royal Navy warships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary replenishment vessels to moor for resupply.

History
DM Crombie formerly served as the primary munitions depot for Rosyth Naval Yard, which is  downriver of the depot. Since the naval yard's closure, DM Crombie has been retained primarily as a loading/off-loading facility for naval vessels and the storage and maintenance of the Royal Air Force's air launched weapons.   In 2003 the site employed around 200 people; by 2012 this was reduced to 84 staff, all civilians.

The site occupies about 200 acres.

References

External links

Installations of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Ammunition dumps in Scotland

DM Crombie


x265 is an encoder for creating digital video streams in the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC/H.265) video compression format developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC). It is available as a command-line app or a software library, under the terms of GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2 or later; however, customers may request a commercial license.

History
x265 builds on source code from x264, an open-source video encoder for the previous MPEG video coding standard, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. The project has licensed the rights to use the x264 source code. Development on x265 began in March 2013. MulticoreWare made the source code for x265 publicly available on July 23, 2013.

The x265 project was initially funded by a small group of charter licensee companies that direct the development requirements and receive commercial licenses to use x265 in their products without having to release their products under the GPL 2 license. In February 2014, x265 was integrated into the popular multimedia transcoding tool FFmpeg and its fork Libav.

Version 1.0 was completed in May 2014. The stable version (2.0) was released on July 14, 2016.

Technical details
x265 source code is written in C++ and x86 assembly.

x265 supports the Main, Main 10, Main 12 and Main Still Picture profiles of HEVC (including intra-only profiles), utilizing a bit depth of either 8 bits or 10 bits per sample YCbCr with 4:2:0, 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 chroma subsampling. x265 supports most of the features of x264 including all rate control modes: Constant QP (CQP), Constant Rate Factor (CRF), Average Bit Rate (ABR), 2-pass or multi-pass and video buffering verifier rate control. Visual quality algorithms include CU-Tree (the successor to x264's macroblock-tree), adaptive quantization, b-pyramid, weighted prediction and psycho-visual optimizations (psy-rd and psy-rdoq). A fully lossless mode is also supported. Temporal scalability is supported, allowing for a video to be encoded into a base layer HEVC bitstream that is half the frame rate of the input video frame rate, and an enhancement layer that can be decoded along with the base layer to enable playback at the full frame rate.

In April 2015, at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, MulticoreWare demonstrated high quality real-time 4K 10-bit HEVC encoding at frame rates in excess of 60 FPS on a dual Intel Xeon E5 v3 server, occupying only one standard rack unit.

Quality and efficiency
Judged by the objective quality metric VQM in 2015, x265 delivered video quality on par with the reference encoder of the royalty-free VP9 format that competes with HEVC.
A codec comparison from 2015 found x265 to be a leading HEVC implementation measured by SSIM metric. In August 2016, Netflix published a comparison of x264, VP9, and x265 using video clips from 500 movies and TV shows using 6 different quality metrics and found that both VP9 and x265 have 40%–50% better quality at 1080p than x264. Netflix stated that with the VMAF metric (which closely mirrors human visual experience according to the author) x265 performed substantially (19% to 22%) better than VP9.

Usage
x265 can be invoked as a command-line app or integrated into another application through the application programming interface.

Open-source adopters
Open source software projects which utilize x265 for HEVC encoding
 Avidemux
 FFmpeg
 HandBrake
 Internet Friendly Media Encoder
 MeGUI
 OpenShot
ShareX
 Shotcut
 Staxrip
 x265vfw

Commercial adopters
Commercial products that utilize x265 for HEVC encoding
 BBright SLED-4K and SLED-HD Encoder
 Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio
 CloudApp
 Sorenson Squeeze Desktop Pro and Squeeze Server
 Telestream Vantage Media Processing Platform
 TMPGEnc Video Mastering Works

 x265 HEVC Upgrade

References

External links
 Official website for the Open Source Project

C++ libraries
Computer file formats
Free software programmed in C++
Free video codecs
Free video software
Lossy compression algorithms
Open standards covered by patents
Video compression

X265


The Beal Conjecture is the USD $1,000,000 prize conjecture created by Andrew Beal in 1993, which has come to be worth 7 figures over nearly 30 years; a 2-year wait is lifted by the Beal bank on winnings, according to the conjecture's website. It is a generalization conjecture of FLT, the last conjecture of Pierre de Fermat. So in terms of valuation of the prize, it's worth less than a million; due to the time value of money or TVM.

The conjecture asks why common factors always exist for equations of the form a^x+b^y=c^z. If the equations are made equivalent to batteries, cells are always a real number; an RCF- real common factor.

1993 establishments
Conjectures
Number theory

Beal conjecture


Boshears Skyfest formerly known as the Boshears Memorial Fly–In, is an annual event to honor pioneers of aviation and demonstrate aerial acrobatics in the style of a traditional air–show. The event has grown to incorporate areas of popular interest beyond aviation. NASCAR was a predominant feature of the 2009 Skyfest whereas 2010 highlighted the rise in popularity of Sprint Kart racing.

History

The Boshears Skyfest has been an annual event in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) since 1991, with the exception of 2001, because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and 2013, when the event was pushed back to Spring 2014 because of the 2013 federal government shutdown. It began as a celebration of general aviation to honor Forrest and Buster Boshears.  The Skyfest is held the third weekend of each October at Daniel Field in Augusta Georgia.

The Boshears Skyfest has become an October staple for the Augusta area, along with the annual county fairs and Halloween. This is perhaps because children are the main target of the commemorative campaign. Brad Kyzer, the chairman of the Skyfest has said "Every kid in Augusta ought to get a chance to see it". Each year the Executive Committee of The Boshears Memorial Fly–in, Inc., awards aviation scholarships to selected applicants 16 to 18 years old who express interest in avionics. In 2010 the Committee announced they would hereafter begin accepting applications from 15-year-old applicants as well.

Tuskegee Airmen
In 2007 six of the original Tuskegee Airmen were recognized at Boshears Skyfest. Their living presence, and the belated accolades they were long since due, enhanced the event and the participants in tandem.

Operational challenges
An air–show is inherently dangerous and faces many operational challenges to success. The Bohears Skyfest is additionally challenged by stringent airspace restrictions, because Daniel Field is located in close proximity to the Augusta Mall.

Mishaps
In 2005, a grass fire was started when a helicopter, while re-enacting a search and rescue, fired flares, which struck the ground and ignited a blaze. Also that same year, a parachute didn't deploy while demonstrating the Shockwave jet truck, which damaged about  of fence-line. There were no injuries, but some property damage occurred.

See also

 List of airshows

References

 Blue Skies for Boshears Skyfest 2010

External links
 Boshears Memorial Airshow Home Page
 Team RV Formation Demonstration Team

Air shows in the United States
Annual events in Georgia (U.S. state)
Aviation in Georgia (U.S. state)
Tourist attractions in Augusta, Georgia

Boshears Skyfest


O'Devlin  () is the surname of a Gaelic Irish family of the Uí Néill who were chiefs in the far northeastern of the present-day County of Tyrone, bordering on Lough Neagh and the Ballinderry River. The O'Develins claimed a common descent from Develin (in Irish: Dobhuilen or "Raging Valour", an Irish noble of the royal blood of Aileach who flourished in or about the eighth century AD and was eighth in descent from Owen, the founder of the clan). Develin was a scion of that branch of the clan Owen known as the Sons of Erca (Cenel Mic Erca) because of their descent from Muirchertach Mac Erca, grandson of Owen.

Origins variants
(Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dobhailéin 'descendant of Dobhailéan') A personal name probably from a diminutive of dobhail "unlucky" or "unfortunate".

Alternative spellings of the name are Develon, Develin, Devolin, Devlin, Deveyn, Devellen, Dobhilen, Dobhailen, Dobhailean, Dobhalen, Doibhilen, Doibhelen, Doibhilein, Dhoibhilein, Dubhalen, Doibhlin, Dubhlein, Dubhlein, Dubhlin, Dubhlen, Dublein, Duiblein, DeVilling, and Devilling.

History
After the Battle of Downpatrick, MacNamee, hereditary poet O'Neill,, composed a poem called The Lament for O'Neill, in which he bewails the death of his king and the numerous nobles of his race who were slain with him. Among the nobles was O'Develin, of whom the poet sings:
 "Alas! Deep grief overspread the country To anticipate the death of O'Develin Gofraidh our grief unto Judgement Day Generous of his banquet was his youth"
 Adam Devlin (born 1969), English guitarist and songwriter
 Alex Devlin (born 1949), Canadian basketball player
 Anne Devlin (1780–1851), Irish housekeeper to Robert Emmett; cousin of Michael Dwyer and Arthur Devlin
 Anne Devlin (writer) (contemporary), Northern Irish writer
 Art Devlin (baseball) (1879–1948), American professional baseball player
 Ben Devlin (contemporary), British television executive producer
 Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (born 1947), Northern Ireland Republican political activist MP from Mid Ulster
 Bernard Devlin (September 2, 1923 – 1983), Canadian film producer, script writer and director
 Bernie Devlin, American psychiatrist
 Bruce Devlin (born 1937), Australian professional golfer, sportscaster, and golf course designer
 Cammy Devlin (born 1998), Australian soccer player
 Chris Thomas Devlin, American screenwriter
 Chris Devlin-Young (born 1961), American paralytic ski racer
 Daniel Devlin (1814 – February 22, 1867), a prosperous businessman, city chamberlain, and prominent citizen of New York City
 Dean Devlin (born 1962), American screenwriter and producer
 Denis Devlin (1908–1959), Irish modernist poet and diplomat
 Desmond Devlin (contemporary), American comedy writer
 Ernie Devlin (1920-1976), English footballer
 Es Devlin  (born 1971), English stage designer
 Fay Devlin (contemporary), Irish Gaelic footballer
 Harry Devlin (contemporary) (1918–2001), American artist and cartoonist
 J. G. Devlin (1907–1991), Northern Irish actor from Belfast
 James Devlin (born 1989), British rapper who goes by Devlin
 Janet Devlin (born 1994), Northern Irish singer, finalist on The X Factor (UK series 8)
 Jim Devlin (1849–1883), American professional baseball player
 John H. Devlin Irish musician
 Joseph Devlin (1872–1934), Northern Ireland Nationalist politician, MP from Belfast
 Keith Devlin (contemporary), English mathematician and writer
 Larry Devlin (contemporary), American former CIA officer
 Leah McCall Devlin (born 1954), American health educator and dentist
 Mark D. Devlin (1948–2005), American author
 [Martina Devlin] Irish writer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martina_Devlin
 Matt Devlin (Irish republican) (contemporary), Irish member of the IRA and Sinn Féin
 Matt Devlin (sportscaster) (contemporary), American sportscaster
 Michael Devlin (musician) (born 1942), American opera bass-baritone
 Michael J. Devlin (born 1965), pleaded guilty to kidnapping two children in Missouri, USA
 Mike Devlin (entrepreneur) (contemporary), co-founder and CEO of Rational Software Corporation
 Mike Devlin (athlete) (born 1969), American professional football player
 Mikey Devlin (born 1993), Scottish football player
 Nicky Devlin (born 1993), Scottish football player
 Paddy Devlin (1925–1999), Northern Ireland MP from Stormont
 Patrick Devlin, Baron Devlin (1905–1992), British judge
 Paul Devlin (filmmaker) (contemporary), sports editor and documentary filmmaker
 Paul Devlin (footballer) (born 1972), professional football player (Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Watford, Scotland)
 Stuart Devlin (1931–2018), British coin engraver
 Susan Devlin (born 1931), Irish-American badminton player
 Susan J. Devlin, American statistician
 Tim Devlin (born 1959), British politician, MP from Stockton South
 William Devlin, various people

Fictional characters
Burke Devlin, character on Dark Shadows
 Clare Devlin, one of the main characters on Derry Girls
 Clark Devlin, a primary character in the movie The Tuxedo
 Ernie Devlin, the title character from the 1974 Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Devlin
 Jack Devlin, character in the movie The Net
 Jack Devlin, character in the 1998 John Woo movie Blackjack
 Governor James Devlin, character in the HBO drama Oz
 Liam Devlin, an IRA agent cooperating with the Germans in the Jack Higgins novel The Eagle Has Landed (played in the 1976 movie by Donald Sutherland)
 Duke Devlin, the English version of the character Ryuki Otogi, from the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime
 Devlin Agamand, a character in the video game World Of Warcraft
 Matt Devlin, a character from Law & Order: UK
 Max Devlin, character in the movie Paradox
 Max Devlin, the shady landlord who makes a deal with the Devil to try to convince three other people to sell their souls to take his place in Hell in The Devil and Max Devlin, played by Elliott Gould
 Sean Devlin, the protagonist of the game The Saboteur
 Suzanne Devlin, character in the Sweet Valley High book series
 T.R. Devlin, American government agent portrayed by Cary Grant in Notorious

References

 Surnames of the United Kingdom, Henry Harrison 1826
 Gena-logical History of the Milesian Families of Ireland  D.W. De Courcy
 Genealogical History of the Irish Families John Rooney
 Devlins history of his people,.JB Devlin
 Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland (1536-1810)
 Calendar of the State Papers,Ireland May 8, 1647
 The Story of an Irish Sept Professor Joseph Chubb Develin D.Litt.
 The Annuals of Ulster 1103

Irish families
Surnames
Surnames of Irish origin
English-language surnames

Devlin (surname)


The Roanoke Valley Vipers were a minor professional ice hockey team located in Roanoke, Virginia. They were a member of the United Hockey League and played in the Roanoke Civic Center.

The franchise was formed in 2002 as the Port Huron Beacons and played in McMorran Arena in Port Huron, Michigan, through the end of the 2004–05 season. The franchise was relocated to Roanoke for the 2005–06 season, filling the void left after the ECHL's Roanoke Express disbanded and to provide a travel partner near the Richmond RiverDogs. While professional ice hockey had been previously played and successful in the Virginian towns of Roanoke, Salem and Vinton since 1967, the Vipers were unsuccessful on and off the ice with a losing record in their lone season in Virginia and an average attendance of about 1,000 fans in an arena with a capacity of over 9,000.  Local fans complained about high ticket prices and a lower level of play than the ECHL.  The midwestern focus of the UHL also made rivalries less intense than they had been with the southeastern and mid-Atlantic teams of the ECHL.  The owners and their marketing plans were frequently criticized by local media.

The Vipers folded on May 15, 2006, shortly after the RiverDogs moved to Chicago and became the Chicago Hounds.

Notable players
 David-Alexandre Beauregard
 Matt Elich
 Alexander Erofeev

References

Defunct United Hockey League teams
Sports in Roanoke, Virginia
Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States
Ice hockey teams in Virginia
Ice hockey clubs established in 2005
Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 2006
2005 establishments in Virginia
2006 disestablishments in Virginia

Roanoke Valley Vipers


The pater  familias (sometimes written together paterfamilias) was the head of the Ancient Roman household. Very often it was the oldest man in the familiy. His family consisted of his wife, his children, his slaves, and other relatives. His duty was to represent the family to the outside, towards the state, but also towards the gods. If his sons married, their wives and children were also subject to the pater familias. He had supreme power, called patria potestas. This also meant that he was a judge in family matters. As such, he has the right to decide over life and death of the family members (called ius vitae necisque - the right [to decide] over life and death)

When the Pater famliias died, his children would become free from his power. His sons would usually rise to the position of pater familas of their famillies.

Only Roman citizens could become pater familias

Ancient Roman law

Pater familias


JW-Jones (born July 15, 1980 in Ottawa) is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Jones was the first artist signed to the NorthernBlues Music label in Toronto. He released his first six recordings with the label. He still records for CrossCut Records in Europe, and has previously worked with Ruf Records in United States. In the last decade, he has released seven albums and played in 19 countries, four continents. He continues to tour extensively. Jones lives who lives in Ottawa, Ontario. He has performed at blues festivals, theatres and clubs in Canada, the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Brazil.

Jones' third album with his band, My Kind Of Evil (2004), was produced by Kim Wilson (singer for The Fabulous Thunderbirds). It includes vocals from Colin James on two tracks, and Roxanne Potvin on one. Songs from the album have been played on House of Blues Radio Hour. Music reviewer Brad Wheeler from Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper praised the "graceful ability he (Jones) shows on guitar" in the album. Wheeler stated that "...the Ottawa player makes retro moves, layering swinging blues with keyboards and very noticeable horns that never dominate the fine-lined fills and lead work." The Allmusic review of My Kind of Evil, by Chris Nickson, states that "He's very good on covers, such as "I Don't Know", but his own songs — the vast majority of this disc — have plenty of life."

In May 2009, Jones' song "Parasomnia" appeared on a Guitar World featured CD, Guitar Masters Vol. 2. Other artists on the CD were B. B. King, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Carlos Santana. The Globe and Mail referred to Jones as "one of this country's top blues guitar stars". The Blues Revue Magazine stated that Jones' guitar playing is like T-Bone Walker's guitar playing. The review said that JW-Jones plays solo melodies like Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and that his guitar playing is like Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Billboard called Jones part of "a new wave of young talent moving onto Canada's blues stage."

References

1980 births
Living people
Canadian guitarists
Canadian singer-songwriters
Blues guitarists
Musicians from Ontario
People from Ottawa

JW-Jones


Longman is a British publishing firm.

Longman may also refer to:

 Longman (surname)
 Adam Outram or Longman of the North
 Division of Longman, Australian electoral division
 Longman, Inverness, Scotland, UK
 Leeroy Thornhill or Longman. musician
 Longman Mills or Longman Mills Rubber Spares Manufacturer ESTD 1940

Longman (disambiguation)


The Brenizer method, sometimes referred to as bokeh panorama or bokehrama, is a photographic technique characterized by the creation of a digital image exhibiting a shallow depth of field in tandem with a wide angle of view. Created by use of panoramic stitching techniques applied to portraiture, it was popularized by photographer Ryan Brenizer.

The combination of these characteristics enables a photographer to mimic the look of large format film photography with a digital camera. Large format cameras use a negative that is at least 4×5 inches (102×127 mm) and are known for their very shallow depth of field when using a wide aperture and their unique high level of clarity, contrast and control. Image sensor formats of common digital cameras, in comparison, are much smaller, ranging down to the tiny sensors in camera phones.  The Brenizer method increases the effective sensor size of the camera, simulating the characteristics of large format photography.

While the aesthetics of this form of imaging most closely resemble large format analog photography, its look has also led it to being compared to tilt shift photography. Both techniques create images that exhibit an unusually shallow depth of field.

History, method and usage

Ryan Brenizer initially referred  to the technique as a bokeh panorama. It uses panoramic stitching, for the purpose of applying the shallow depth-of-field associated with wide-aperture telephoto lenses to a wider-field-of-view composition.

Shallow depth of field panoramic stitching photographs are sometimes referred to as the Brenizer method, as he popularized it in recent years through his work.  An image produced by this method is sometimes referred to as a bokeh panorama (or the portmanteau bokehrama) in reference to the deliberate blurring style of bokeh photography.

The process requires taking multiple shots of a scene in a manner that allows for later image stitching using a fast lens, generally of a focal length of 50 mm or longer.  It is also beneficial to use manual focus, manual white balance and manual shutter and aperture controls to maintain a uniform exposure across the entire set of images.

This method is of interest because:
 It allows for the cheap and relatively easy creation of aesthetics usually only available through the use of expensive, complicated and bulky equipment.
 It provides a way of imitating a traditional film-based process with digital equipment.
 It creates very high-resolution images.

The method is used for portrait photography and, increasingly, automobile photography.

Examples

References

External links

Method instructions from Ryan Brenizer
Brenizer Method on YouTube
Guide by Edward Noble
The best lenses for brenizer / bokehpanoramas
Brenizer Method Calculation by Brett Maxwell
Examples at Flickr group The Brenizer Method and Bokeh Panoramas

Photographic techniques
Digital photography

Brenizer Method


Jason Michael Castro (born June 18, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego Padres. After playing college baseball at Stanford University, he was selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft (#10 overall). Castro made his big league debut with Houston in 2010. He was selected to the 2013 All-Star Game, serving as a reserve catcher, which made him the first Astro All-Star elected to play for the American League.

Early life
Castro was born in Castro Valley, California, and played high school baseball at Castro Valley High School. He played junior varsity basketball at Castro Valley High School for the legendary Coach Burns.

College career
Castro attended Stanford University, where he played college baseball for the Stanford Cardinal. He was named the club's most valuable player his junior year. After his sophomore season in 2007, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he batted .341 in 39 games, was named the starting catcher for the East Division All-Star team, and helped lead the Red Sox to the league championship.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues
Castro was selected by the Astros in the first round (tenth overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. Castro started in Single-A for the Tri-City ValleyCats in 2008. He was promoted to play for the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks on June 7, 2009, after playing in Advanced-A for the Lancaster JetHawks and played his first game for the team on June 10. He also played for the United States national team in the 2009 Baseball World Cup in Nettuno, Italy.

Castro was selected to play for the United States team in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis. In the game, he threw out a runner and hit a three-run home run. He was ranked 53rd on Baseball America's list of "Top 100 Prospects" in 2009. Shortly after the Futures Game, the Astros sent Castro home early from the Arizona Fall League so that he could rest for the 2010 season.

Houston Astros (2010, 2012–2016)

On June 20, 2010, the Astros promoted Castro to the MLB from the Class AAA Round Rock Express. He made his MLB debut on June 22, 2010, at Minute Maid Park against the San Francisco Giants. He singled off Tim Lincecum in his first career at-bat. Castro hit his first major league home run on June 24, 2010, against Matt Cain.

On March 2, 2011, while playing in a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers, Castro suffered a knee injury while running to first base. He underwent surgery two days later, on March 4, to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament and a damaged meniscus. As a result, he missed the entire 2011 season.

On June 13, 2012, while pinch-hitting for Xavier Cedeño, Castro grounded out to Joaquin Arias to record the last out for Matt Cain's perfect game. He played 87 games in the 2012 season, finishing the year with a .257 batting average, 6 home runs and 29 RBI.

On May 20, 2013, Castro was awarded the honor of being American League Player of the Week. He earned his first All-Star Game selection that season as a reserve catcher, but did not appear in the game. He led the Astros with a .350 OBP. He set club catcher records with 63 runs, 18 home runs (16 of which were hit as a catcher, tying John Bateman's club record — two were while playing as a DH), and a .485 slugging percentage. In September, he had surgery to remove a cyst from his knee and missed the rest of the season. He played 120 games that year.

After the 2013 season, Castro completed the degree that he had started at Stanford. When he was drafted, he was 25 credits shy of the degree. He had returned to Stanford in the 2010 offseason to begin taking the rest of the courses, but he was delayed by rehabilitation from his 2011 injury.

Before the 2014 season, Castro signed a one-year contract with the Astros worth $2.45 million.  Before the 2015 season, he signed another one-year contract with the Astros, worth $4 million. In 2015, he batted .211.

In 2016, he batted .210.

Minnesota Twins (2017–2019)
On November 30, 2016, Castro signed a three-year contract worth $24.5 million with the Minnesota Twins. In his first season with the Twins, Castro hit .242 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 110 games.

On May 16, 2018, it was revealed that Castro was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee, which required season-ending surgery. In 2018 he batted .143.

In 2019, Castro played in only 79 games for the Twins due to sharing time with Mitch Garver, who had a breakout year. He hit .232 with 13 home runs and 30 RBIs.

Los Angeles Angels (2020)
On January 7, 2020, Castro signed a one-year, $6.85 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

On July 24, 2020, Castro made his Angels debut as an Opening Day starting catcher. With the Angels, he batted .192.

San Diego Padres (2020)
On August 30, 2020, the Angels traded Castro to the San Diego Padres for Gerardo Reyes. In 27 games split between the Angels and Padres, Castro batted .188/.293/.375 with two home runs and 9 RBI in 80 at-bats.

Return to Houston (2021–2022)
On January 22, 2021, Castro signed a 2-year, $7 million contract to return to Houston.

In the 2021 regular season, he batted .235, and .180 against left-handlers. On defense, he caught stealing 13% of runners, catching 4 runners while yielding 27 stolen bases.

In Game 2 (October 16) of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) versus the Boston Red Sox, he hit a home run in a 9-5 loss. It was his first and only postseason home run. On October 19, in Game 4 at Fenway Park, Castro played a key part in the series. With two out in a 2-2 tie, pinch-hitting for Martin Maldonado, he singled home Carlos Correa in the top of the ninth inning off Nathan Eovaldi to drive Correa home. The run was the first of seven that the Astros scored in the inning, with the Astros going on to win 9–2, tying the series at 2–2 after the Red Sox had won two in a row. Two games later, the Astros won the pennant to send Castro (who went 2-for-3 in the ALCS) to his first World Series. Prior to Game 4 of the 2021 World Series, Castro was removed from the Astros roster due to COVID-19 protocols, and he was replaced for the rest of the series by Garrett Stubbs.

On June 29, 2022, Castro, along with ace Justin Verlander, helped lead a 2–0 shutout of the New York Mets.  Castro's two-run home run supplied all the offense in the game while tripling his RBI season total from one to three.  On July 1, 2022, the Astros placed Castro on the 10-day injured list due to left knee discomfort.  On August 2, the Astros announced that Castro underwent surgery on the left knee and would miss the remainder of the season. This made his home run his last at-bat.  Due to injury, Castro was unable to make an appearance for the Astros in the 2022 postseason but still earned his first career championship ring as the Astros went on to win the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

Retirement
On December 2, 2022, Castro announced on Twitter that he was retiring from Major League Baseball.

Upon his retirement, Castro ranked as the Astros' career leader among catchers in home runs (71), and his 717 games at the position ranked third behind Alan Ashby and Brad Ausmus.

Personal life
Castro married Maris Perlman in late 2012. They met at Stanford, where Perlman played lacrosse. The couple founded Castro's Kids, a Houston-area literacy program. The couple has three children, 2 boys and 1 girl.

See also

 Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
 List of Houston Astros no-hitters
 List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders
 List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
 List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their final major league at bat
 List of Mexican Americans
 List of Stanford University people

References

External links

Jason Castro  Stanford University Player Profile

1987 births
Living people
American baseball players of Mexican descent
American League All-Stars
Corpus Christi Hooks players
Houston Astros players
Lancaster JetHawks players
Los Angeles Angels players
Major League Baseball catchers
Minnesota Twins players
North Shore Honu players
Oklahoma City RedHawks players
Peoria Saguaros players
Round Rock Express players
Salt River Rafters players
San Diego Padres players
Sportspeople from Castro Valley, California
Baseball players from Alameda County, California
Stanford Cardinal baseball players
Sugar Land Skeeters players
Tri-City ValleyCats players
United States national baseball team players
Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players
Anchorage Bucs players
Sigma Alpha Epsilon members

Jason Castro (baseball)


Vladimir Ivanovitch Markoff (Markov) (26 July 1859 Hamina – August 1919 Saint Petersburg) was a Finnish Lieutenant General who was also the vice-chairman of the economic division (Prime minister) of the Senate of Finland from 1909 to 1913 and the Finnish Minister Secretary of State in Saint Petersburg from 1913 to 1917. Appointing him was part of the Russification of Finland.

Biography
His parents were the Viborg merchant Ivan Markov and Elisabet Markov. In 1887 he married Vera Vasiljevna Popova, daughter of the Saint Petersburg merchant Vasili Popov.

Markov graduated from Hamina Cadet School in 1881. He served the Imperial Russian Army in Lithuania, the Moscow Military District, and Rostov. From 1892 he served in the general headquarters in Saint Petersburg. From 1903 to 1909 Markov was head of the mobilisation department.

In early 1909 he was made chief of staff of 17th corps. In June 1906 he was appointed military governor of Transbaikal region and chief of Transbaikal Cossack Host.

Markov was vice-chairman of the Senate of Finland from 1909 to 1913, and the last Finnish Minister Secretary of State in Saint Petersburg from 1913 to 1917.

During the February revolution, Markov was relieved of his duties and placed under house arrest in St. Petersburg. He was imprisoned by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution and died in prison in August 1919.

References

External links
 Suomalaiset kenraalit ja amiraalit Venäjän sotavoimissa 1809–1917 - Markoff, Vladimir Ivanovitš

1859 births
1919 deaths
People from Hamina
Politicians from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Imperial Russian Army generals
Finnish senators
Grand Duchy of Finland
Russian military personnel
Finnish people of Russian descent
Russian people who died in prison custody
Prisoners who died in Soviet detention

Vladimir Markov (politician)


William Kinney (1781 – October 1, 1843) was an American pioneer, politician, and merchant who was the third Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Born in Kentucky, Kinney came to the Illinois Territory at a young age with his family. In 1809, he founded a successful dry goods store on the road between the towns of Belleville and Lebanon. This made him a prominent citizen of St. Clair County, and Kinney was elected to the Illinois Senate when the body was formed in 1818.

In 1826, Kinney was elected Lieutenant Governor under Ninian Edwards. However, Kinney developed a pattern of financial mismanagement during this term that would haunt him for the rest his life. Twice an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Illinois, Kinney was named president of the state's board of public works. Kinney nearly bankrupted the state by funding ambitious projects in the wake of the Panic of 1837. The board was liquidated and the state was in the process of suing Kinney when he died in 1843.

Biography
Kinney was born near Louisville, Kentucky, in 1781. In 1793, he came to the Indiana Territory with his family, settling in New Design in what is now Monroe County, Illinois. Kinney married when he was nineteen and his wife helped to teach him how to read. In 1803, he built an  farm  northeast of Belleville, on the road to the town of Lebanon. He purchased surrounding land until his estate measured .

In 1809, a merchant named VonPhul from St. Louis, Missouri, sold Kinney some bolts of cotton cloth with the intent of resale. Kinney established a dry goods store, and it eventually grew to become one of the largest in the area. Kinney converted to the Baptist Church and became a preacher. When the state of Illinois was approved in 1818, Kinney was elected to the 1st Illinois General Assembly in the state senate, serving a two-year term. He was re-elected to the body in 1822 for the 3rd General Assembly. In 1826, Kinney was elected the third Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, serving with Governor Ninian Edwards. Kinney struggled to balance his political and mercantile responsibilities and found himself in financial ruin by the end of his four-year term.

Kinney was an ardent supporter of slavery and was able to maintain a sustainable lifestyle using slave labor in his orchards. He was an early leader in the state's Democratic-Republican Party, then became a Democrat. He ran for Governor of Illinois in 1830, but was defeated by John Reynolds. He again ran for the position in 1834, but was defeated by Joseph Duncan.

In 1836, the state legislature elected Kinney to the Illinois Board of Public Works, who promptly named him president of the organization. He made many poor investments, worsened by the Panic of 1837, and nearly bankrupted the state. However, Kinney was credited for helping to convince Lyman Trumbull to come from Connecticut to join the board; Trumbull would become one of the most prominent politicians in the state's history. The board was liquidated and the state sued Kinney for concealing funds.

Personal life
Kinney had three sons and three daughters. Eldest son Samuel graduated from the United States Military Academy but died of consumption. Second son George D. served in the Black Hawk War but died shortly afterward. Youngest son William C. was a successful lawyer in Belleville who married the daughter of Elias Kane and served in the Illinois House of Representatives. Kinney's eldest daughter married politician John Thomas, who served in both state houses. Kinney died on October 1, 1843, at his home in St. Clair County. Kinney was buried in Shiloh Valley Cemetery in Shiloh, Illinois. Early Oregon politician Robert Crouch Kinney was his nephew.

References

1781 births
1843 deaths
American people of Scottish descent
Illinois Democratic-Republicans
Democratic Party Illinois state senators
Lieutenant Governors of Illinois
People from St. Clair County, Illinois
Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky
19th-century American politicians
People from Monroe County, Illinois

William Kinney (Illinois politician)


Pittsburgh Gifted Center (PGC) is a special school that provides gifted education, to students in Pittsburgh.

Until May 2006, the Pittsburgh Gifted Center was located at the McKelvy building in the Pittsburgh Hill District.

In September 2006, the Pittsburgh Gifted Center was made part of a school in Pittsburgh's West End called Greenway. The move to Greenway was made with the understanding that it was only a one-year shift of location. The location for 2007-08 was cancelled and instead moving to 2016.

The early draft of the Rightsizing Plan of Superintendent Mark Roosevelt called for the Pittsburgh Gifted Center to move to Pittsburgh's North Side on Ridge Avenue. That plan was nixed as the facility was not well suited to accommodate the programs. A shift to Greenway was accomplished after some political wrangling by school officials.

The Ridge Avenue facility owned by the Pittsburgh Public Schools was put up for sale from 2006 until 2008.

Goals
The Center is to provide students to interact with students from other parts of the city and provide academic and enrichment opportunities not available in normal schools.

Programs
Students attend once every week on a particular day, with small classes of about 12 students. All students attending are from Pittsburgh Public Schools. Until 2010, the Gifted Center accepted students from local parochial schools.

There is a variety of academic courses, and the Gifted Center provides students the opportunities to choose which ones they wish to attend. They include subjects related to basic courses, like English, Math, Language Arts, and Science.

Students can also choose interest and technological courses, including JavaScript, business planning, and Web Design. The Gifted Center has also integrated technology into classes, with all rooms containing computers for student research and projects. Some of these classes may further expand on a subject for traditional school (for example, there is a Genetics class that goes into greater depth in the study of DNA than normal school classes) or they may deal with a radically different subject (for example, one teacher has trigonometry course).

Information on the Gifted Center:

Demographics: African-Americans 28%–35%, White/Other 65%–72%
School year: September to June

Along with its weekly classes, the PGC allows students to participate in extracurricular activities and competitions, usually on Saturdays. The Gifted Center has participated in National History Day, in which two of its students attended the state competition at Penn State University. PGC also had a team that entered English Festival, a reading competition sponsored by Duquesne University, and Math Counts. The Gifted Center is also considering offering additional competitions for students to join.

The goal of the school participation is to improve public relations, boast school spirit, and to gain support to preserve the school. Mr. Peglow, the school's Social Studies teacher who administered National History Day for the school this year, is also planning to offer the competition as a class to boast the number of students participating and allowing larger group projects.

The PGC was in the news when it was considered to be closed under the Superintendent Mark Roosevelt's school reform agenda. In an attempt to conserve financial resources, the superintendent wanted to return gifted education to the home schools, which could exclude smaller schools from participating in the program. However, the proposal faced stiff opposition from parents and students (some students organized a petition to save the Gifted Center; another wrote a letter opposing the closing of the Gifted Center which was published in Post-Gazette). Eventually, the board agreed to move the Center to the Ridge Avenue building, where the program existed for several years. Some people still suspect that the School Board is still considering closing the Center and it is unclear whether renovations to the Ridge Avenue building will be completed before the next school year.

The PGC has a bimonthly newsletter, the Gifted Gazette.

References

External links
Profile of the Pittsburgh Gifted Center
Pittsburgh Gifted Center Official Website

Middle schools in Pittsburgh
Public elementary schools in Pennsylvania
Public middle schools in Pennsylvania
Gifted education
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks

Pittsburgh Gifted Center


Wilczyński ( ; feminine: Wilczyńska; plural: Wilczyńscy) is a surname of Polish-language origin. It derives either directly from Wilk (meaning "wolf") or from toponyms with this stem (Wilczyn, Wilczyna, Wilczyno). About 17,000 people use the surname in Poland, with the greatest number found in Ostrów Mazowiecka, Dębica, and Kielce. Notable people include:

Ernest Julius Wilczynski (1876–1932), American mathematician
Daniel Wilczynski (born 1956), French footballer
Jan Kazimierz Wilczyński (1806–1885), Polish medical doctor, collector and publisher
Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński (1890–1939), Polish general
Katerina Wilczynski (1894–1978), Polish artist
Konrad Wilczynski (1982), Austrian handball player
Tomasz Wilczyński (1903–1965), bishop of Warmia
Walter Wilczynski (1952–2020), American neuroscientist and ethologist
Wojciech Wilczyński (1990), Polish footballer
Taylor Wilczynski (born 1990), Australian rower

References

Surnames
Polish-language surnames

Wilczyński


The GR 65 is a long-distance walking route of the Grande Randonnée network that extends from the French Prealps, across south central France, through the Pyrenees.

The French name for this GR route is the Chemin de Saint-Jacques and the Spanish name is the Camino de Santiago francés, because the GR 65 is an important variant route of the old Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, one of several variants of the Way of St. James. In English it is the French Way, sometimes called The Le Puy Route or by its Latin name Via Podiensis, including its subtrails GR651 and GR652.

The GR 65 is part of the system of European long-distance paths known as E3 European long distance path.

The route starts in Geneva, Switzerland, and continues through France to La Côte-Saint-André (Isère), Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire), Nasbinals (Lozère), Conques (Aveyron), Figeac (Lot), Cahors (Lot) Moissac (Tarn-et-Garonne), and Aire-sur-l'Adour (Landes), to Roncevalles, Spain.

Camino de Santiago routes
Hiking trails in Europe
Hiking trails in France

GR 65