Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a platform video game for the Nintendo GameCube game console. It was released in Japan on December 16, 2004, in Europe on February 4, 2005, and in North America on March 14, 2005. It is played with the DK Bongos controller.

The game involves combat, platforming, and counterattacking (attacking enemies after they attack you). Players use the left drum to move left, the right drum to move right, and both drums to jump. Clapping or hitting the sides of the drums causes Donkey Kong to clap. Clapping produces a small small red ring and a bigger green one. Enemies that are in the red ring are usually defeated, and those that are in the green ring are usually stunned. Stunned enemies can be killed by jumping on them and hitting the drums repeatedly. The goal is not just to get to the end of the level, but also to get as many "beats" (points) as the player can. Beats are gotten by grabbing bananas, and lost by being hit or falling. More beats can be gotten by doing combos while grabbing bananas.

The level system involves several "kingdoms." Each kingdom has three platforming levels. At the end of each kingdom is a boss. There are four species of bosses. Each species of boss has different fighting styles and ways of defeating. After a boss is defeated, the number of beats is counted, and the player earns a crest depending on how many were gotten. The crests are as follows:

Under 400: Bronze crest
400: Silver crest
800: Gold crest
1200 and above: Platinum crest

In 2008 and 2009, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was one of the games released as part of the "New Play Control!" series of remade Nintendo GameCube games for the Wii. It features new and changed levels along with more traditional controls that use the analog stick to move and the A button to jump.

References

Donkey Kong
Nintendo GameCube games
Platform games
2004 video games

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat


The Journey Continues is Bradley Joseph's sixth album. A sequel to Solo Journey, this album was written after sound checks during Yanni's Ethnicity World Tour.  "Soft piano to calm, compose, and renew".

"At the beginning of 2003, I embarked on my sixth tour with Yanni traveling 27,000 miles throughout North America.  It was remarkable to play arenas in 60 of our country's greatest cities including Madison Square Garden in New York Cityand the Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl. The special audiences and beautiful cities inspired me to compose after sound checks, and I began writing my sixth CD, The Journey Continues. What an inspiration it was for me to sit alone on stage in these grand arenas and compose music."

An intermediate piano book for this album was released in 2008.

Critical reception

Reviewing for Wind and Wire Magazine, Michael Debbage writes, "The magical world of movies has a knack for exploring sequels. There is the beauty and beast effect when taking this pathway. The creative beauty allows the viewers to see the continued growth of its characters. The beastly aspect of this exploration is the Hollywood exploitation of an almost guaranteed return on its investment with no regard for its creative progression that usually sees diminishing returns. Bradley Joseph has decided to walk this tightrope by following up with Solo Journey that was released back in 2000. I am glad to report that The Journey Continues is entrenched in beauty, holding up well to its predecessor."

The "Journey saga", are considered to be "stripped back and basic" by Debbage, with this album featuring "Joseph and his piano with no additional clutter".  "There is color in the songs via their understated melodies."  In "An Ocean Above", Joseph once again uses a slower cadence that brings to mind a "dancing but gentle ocean washing over your skin".  One thing Debbage did notice about the album was the heavy use of the upper register of the piano and was pleased to hear a richer more robust sound on "In the Heart of Everyone" that used the lower keys of the ivory.  He also describes "A Light From Home" as "optimistic and lighthearted". The confidant "Within A Painting" has Joseph fluttering on the piano improvising much like his peer Michael Jones.   Debbage declared The Journey Continues as one of the top 15 recordings of 2003. "There is no doubting that Bradley Joseph holds up the legacy of Solo Journey in fine fashion. There are no diminishing returns here, just attributes of elegance, grace and beauty."

Track listing
"The Road Ahead"  –  5:04
"A Warm Breeze"   –  4:52
"The Stranger Within"   –  7:20
"Letting Go"  –  4:34
"My Friend"  –  4:00
"Within A Painting"  –  5:24
"An Ocean Above"  –  4:58
"In Peace"  –  6:24
"A Light From Home"  –  5:32
"Away From The World"  –  4:10
"Through Their Eyes"  –  3:52
"In The Heart Of Everyone"  –  4:06
"Forgiveness"  –  3:24

Personnel
All music composed, produced, and performed by Bradley Joseph.
Art and Design – Tony Horning
Portrait Photography – Buck Holzemer

References

External links
Official Website
[ The Journey Continues] at Allmusic
The Journey Continues at Discogs
The Journey Continues at Wind and Wire Magazine
The Journey Continues at Last.fm

2003 albums
Bradley Joseph albums

The Journey Continues (Bradley Joseph album)


Xiaomi Corporation (ɕi̯ɑomi; ), commonly known as Xiaomi and registered as Xiaomi Inc., is a Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, home appliances, and household hardware. It is the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, behind Samsung, most of which run on the MIUI User interface,  which is based on the Android operating system. The company is ranked 338th and is the youngest company on the Fortune Global 500.

Xiaomi was founded in 2010 in Beijing by now multi-billionaire Lei Jun when he was 40 years old, along with six senior associates. Lei had founded Kingsoft as well as Joyo.com, which he sold to Amazon for $75 million in 2004. In August 2011, Xiaomi released its first smartphone and, by 2014, it had the largest market share of smartphones sold in China. Initially the company only sold its products online; however, it later opened brick and mortar stores. By 2015, it was developing a wide range of consumer electronics. In 2020, the company sold 146.3 million smartphones and its MIUI mobile user interface has over 500 million monthly active users.  As of 2023, Xiaomi is the third-largest seller of smartphones worldwide, with a market share of about 12%, according to Counterpoint. Its presence led some people to call Xiaomi the "Apple of China". It has come up with its own range of wearable items.  It also is a major manufacturer of appliances including televisions, flashlights, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air purifiers using its Internet of things and Xiaomi Smart Home product ecosystems.

Xiaomi keeps its prices close to its manufacturing costs and bill of materials costs by keeping most of its products in the market for 18 months, longer than most smartphone companies. The company also uses inventory optimization and flash sales to keep its inventory low.

History

2010–2013
On 6 April 2010 Xiaomi was co-founded by Lei Jun and six others:

 Lin Bin (), vice president of the Google China Institute of Engineering
 Zhou Guangping (), senior director of the Motorola Beijing R&D center
 Liu De (), department chair of the Department of Industrial Design at the University of Science and Technology Beijing
 Li Wanqiang (), general manager of Kingsoft Dictionary
 Huang Jiangji (), principal development manager
 Hong Feng (), senior product manager for Google China

Lei had founded Kingsoft as well as Joyo.com, which he sold to Amazon for $75 million in 2004. At the time of the founding of the company, Lei was dissatisfied with the products of other mobile phone manufacturers and thought he could make a better product.

On 16 August 2010, Xiaomi launched its first Android-based firmware MIUI.

In 2010, the company raised $41 million in a Series A round.

In August 2011, the company launched its first phone, the Xiaomi Mi 1. The device had Xiaomi's MIUI firmware along with Android installation.

In December 2011, the company raised $90 million in a Series B round.

In June 2012, the company raised $216 million of funding in a Series C round at a $4 billion valuation. Institutional investors participating in the first round of funding included Temasek Holdings, IDG Capital, Qiming Venture Partners and Qualcomm.

In August 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra from Google, where he served as vice president of product management for the Android platform. He was employed as vice president of Xiaomi to expand the company outside of mainland China, making Xiaomi the first company selling smartphones to poach a senior staffer from Google's Android team. He left the company in February 2017.

In September 2013, Xiaomi announced its Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone and an Android-based 47-inch 3D-capable Smart TV assembled by Sony TV manufacturer Wistron of Taiwan.

In October 2013, it became the fifth-most-used smartphone brand in China.

In 2013, Xiaomi sold 18.7 million smartphones.

2014–2017
In February 2014, Xiaomi announced its expansion outside China, with an international headquarters in Singapore.

In April 2014, Xiaomi purchased the domain name mi.com for a record , the most expensive domain name ever bought in China, replacing xiaomi.com as the company's main domain name.

In September 2014, Xiaomi acquired a 24.7% some part taken in Roborock.

In December 2014, Xiaomi raised US$1.1 billion at a valuation of over US$45 billion, making it one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world. The financing round was led by Hong Kong-based technology fund All-Stars Investment Limited, a fund run by former Morgan Stanley analyst Richard Ji.

In 2014, the company sold over 60 million smartphones. In 2014, 94% of the company's revenue came from mobile phone sales.

In April 2015, Ratan Tata acquired a stake in Xiaomi.

On 30 June 2015, Xiaomi announced its expansion into Brazil with the launch of locally manufactured Redmi 2; it was the first time the company assembled a smartphone outside of China.
However, the company left Brazil in the second half of 2016.

On 26 February 2016, Xiaomi launched the Mi5, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.

On 3 March 2016, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 3 Pro in India, the first smartphone to powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor.

On 10 May 2016, Xiaomi launched the Mi Max, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650/652 processor.

In June 2016, the company acquired patents from Microsoft.

In September 2016, Xiaomi launched sales in the European Union (EU) through a partnership with ABC Data.

Also in September 2016, the Xiaomi Mi Robot vacuum was released by Roborock.

On 26 October 2016, Xiaomi launched the Mi Mix, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor.

On 22 March 2017, Xiaomi announced that it planned to set up a second manufacturing unit in India in partnership with contract manufacturer Foxconn.

On 19 April 2017, Xiaomi launched the Mi6, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

In July 2017, the company entered into a patent licensing agreement with Nokia.

On 5 September 2017, Xiaomi released Xiaomi Mi A1, the first Android One smartphone under the slogan: Created by Xiaomi, Powered by Google. Xiaomi stated started working with Google for the Mi A1 Android One smartphone earlier in 2017. An alternate version of the phone was also available with MIUI, the MI 5X.

In 2017, Xiaomi opened Mi Stores in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The EU's first Mi Store was opened in Athens, Greece in October 2017. In Q3 2017, Xiaomi overtook Samsung to become the largest smartphone brand in India. Xiaomi sold 9.2 million units during the quarter. On 7 November 2017, Xiaomi commenced sales in Spain and western Europe.

2018–2021

In April 2018, Xiaomi announced a smartphone gaming brand called Black Shark. It had 6GB of RAM coupled with Snapdragon 845 SoC, and was priced at $508, which was cheaper than its competitors.

On 2 May 2018, Xiaomi announced the launch of Mi Music and Mi Video to offer "value-added internet services" in India. On 3 May 2018, Xiaomi announced a partnership with 3 to sell smartphones in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden

In May 2018, Xiaomi began selling smart home products in the United States through Amazon.

In June 2018, Xiaomi became a public company via an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising $4.72 billion.

On 7 August 2018, Xiaomi announced that Holitech Technology Co. Ltd., Xiaomi's top supplier, would invest up to $200 million over the next three years to set up a major new plant in India.

In August 2018, the company announced POCO as a mid-range smartphone line, first launching in India.

In Q4 of 2018, the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 became the best-selling smartphone sold online in India. The Pocophone was sometimes referred to as the "flagship killer" for offering high-end specifications at an affordable price.

In October 2019, the company announced that it would launch more than 10 5G phones in 2020, including the Mi 10/10 Pro with 5G functionality.

On November 5, 2019, Xiaomi announced that it would enter the Japanese market. It established a subsidiary, Xiaomi Japan, as parts of its effort to enter the Japanese smartphone market.

On 17 January 2020, POCO India became a separate sub-brand of Xiaomi with entry-level and mid-range devices, followed by its global counterpart on 24 November 2020.

In March 2020, Xiaomi launched their first foldable phone, the Mi Mix Fold. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with an 8.01-inch foldable AMOLED display when open and a 6.5-inch external display when folded. In March 2020, Xiaomi showcased its new 40W wireless charging solution, which was able to fully charge a smartphone with a 4,000mAh battery from flat in 40 minutes.

In October 2020, Xiaomi became the third-largest smartphone maker in the world by shipment volume, shipping 46.2 million handsets in Q3 2020.

On 30 March 2021, Xiaomi announced that it will invest US$10 billion in electric vehicles over the following ten years. On 31 March 2021, Xiaomi announced a new logo for the company, designed by Kenya Hara.

In July 2021, Xiaomi became the second largest smartphone maker in the world, according to Canalys. It also surpassed Apple for the first time in Europe, making it the second-largest in Europe according to Counterpoint.

In August 2021, the company acquired autonomous driving company Deepmotion for $77 million.

In December 2021, Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro. The phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.

Since 2022
In April 2022, Xiaomi officially joined the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) board.

In May 2022, the Indian court has lifted the $725 million freeze on Xiaomi by federal agencies.

In June 2022, Xiaomi has established Zhuhai Xinshi Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 200 million RMB. The business scope includes: integrated circuit manufacturing, integrated circuit chip design and services, integrated circuit chip and product manufacturing, integrated circuit design, manufacturing of specialized equipment for semiconductor devices, manufacturing of semiconductor discrete devices, manufacturing of semiconductor lighting devices etc. The company is jointly held by Xiaomi's affiliated company Hubei Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Fund Management  and others.

In July 2022, Xiaomi and its sub-brand POCO combined held a 42% market share in the Russian smartphone market, ranking first.

On 1 August 2022, Xiaomi India elevates COO Murali Krishnan B as president, responsible for the company's daily operations, services, public affairs, and strategic projects. He will continue to work towards strengthening the company's commitment to the Made in India and Digital India initiatives.

On 3 August 2022, the 2022 Fortune Global 500 list was released, with Xiaomi Group ranking 266th, a rise of 72 positions compared to the previous year.

In December 2022,Xiaomi announces that the global cumulative sales of the Redmi Note series have exceeded 300 million units.

On 28 February 2023, Redmi released a 300W fast charging technology, claiming that it can charge a 4100mAh battery by 10% in just 3 seconds, 50% in 2 minutes and 13 seconds, and fully charge it within 5 minutes.

Innovation and development
In the 2021 review of WIPO's annual World Intellectual Property Indicators Xiaomi was ranked as 2nd in the world, with 216 designs in industrial design registrations being published under the Hague System during 2020. This position is up on their previous 3rd place ranking in 2019 for 111 industrial design registrations being published.

On 8 February 2022, Lei released a statement on Weibo to announce plans for Xiaomi to enter the high-end smartphone market and surpass Apple as the top seller of premium smartphones in China in three years. To achieve that goal, Xiaomi will invest US$15.7 billion in R&D over the next five years, and the company will benchmark its products and user experience against Apple's product lines. Lei described the new strategy as a "life-or-death battle for our development" in his Weibo post, after Xiaomi's market share in China contracted over consecutive quarters, from 17% to 14% between Q2 and Q3 2021, dipping further to 13.2% as of Q4 2021.

According to a recent report by Canalys, Xiaomi leads Indian smartphone sales in Q1. Xiaomi is one of the leaders of the smartphone makers in India which maintains device affordability.

In 2022, Xiaomi announced and debuted the company's humanoid robot prototype to the public, while the current state of the robot is very limited in its abilities, the announcement was made to mark the companies ambitions to integrate AI into its product designs as well as develop their humanoid robot project into the future.

Partnerships

Xiaomi and Harman Kardon
In 2021, Harman Kardon collaborated with Xiaomi for its newest smartphone; the Xiaomi Mi 11 series are the first smartphones to feature with Harman Kardon-tuned dual speaker setup.

Xiaomi and Leica

In 2022, Leica Camera entered a strategic partnership with Xiaomi to jointly develop Leica cameras to be used in Xiaomi flagship smartphones, succeeding the partnership between Huawei and Leica. The first flagship smartphones under this new partnership were the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and Xiaomi MIX Fold 2, launched in July and August 2022, respectively.

Xiaomi Studios
In 2021, Xiaomi began collaborating with directors to create short films shot entirely using the Xiaomi Mi 11 line of phones. In 2022, they made two shorts with Jessica Henwick. The first, Bus Girl won several awards and was long-listed for Best British Short at the 2023 BAFTA.

Corporate identity

Name etymology
Xiaomi () is the Chinese word for "millet". In 2011 its CEO Lei Jun suggested there are more meanings than just the "millet and rice". He linked the "Xiao" () part to the Buddhist concept that "a single grain of rice of a Buddhist is as great as a mountain", suggesting that Xiaomi wants to work from the little things, instead of starting by striving for perfection, while "mi" () is an acronym for Mobile Internet and also "mission impossible", referring to the obstacles encountered in starting the company. He also stated that he thinks the name is cute. In 2012 Lei Jun said that the name is about revolution and being able to bring innovation into a new area. Xiaomi's new "Rifle" processor has given weight to several sources linking the latter meaning to the Chinese Communist Party's "millet and rifle" (小米加步枪) revolutionary idiom during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Logo and mascot

Xiaomi's first logo consisted of a single orange square with the letters "MI" in white located in the center of the square. This logo was in use until 31 March 2021, when a new logo, designed by well-known Japanese designer Kenya Hara, replaced the old one, consisting of the same basic structure as the previous logo, but the square was replaced with a "squircle" with rounded corners instead, with the letters "MI" remaining identical to the previous logo, along with a slightly darker hue.

Xiaomi's mascot, Mitu, is a white rabbit wearing an Ushanka (known locally as a "Lei Feng hat" in China) with a red star and a red scarf around its neck. Later on, the red star on the hat was replaced by the company's logo.

Reception

Imitation of Apple Inc.
Xiaomi has been accused of imitating Apple Inc. The hunger marketing strategy of Xiaomi was described as riding on the back of the "cult of Apple".

After reading a book about Steve Jobs in college, Xiaomi's chairman and CEO, Lei Jun, carefully cultivated a Steve Jobs image, including jeans, dark shirts, and Jobs' announcement style at Xiaomi's earlier product announcements. He was characterized as a "counterfeit Jobs."

In 2013, critics debated how many of Xiaomi's products were innovative, and how much of their innovation was just really good public relations.

Others point out that while there are similarities to Apple, the ability to customize the software based upon user preferences through the use of Google's Android operating system sets Xiaomi apart. Xiaomi has also developed a much wider range of consumer products than Apple.

Violation of GNU General Public License
In January 2018, Xiaomi was criticized for its non-compliance with the terms of the GNU General Public License. The Android project's Linux kernel is licensed under the copyleft terms of the GPL, which requires Xiaomi to distribute the complete source code of the Android kernel and device trees for every Android device it distributes. By refusing to do so, or by unreasonably delaying these releases, Xiaomi is operating in violation of intellectual property law in China, as a WIPO state. Prominent Android developer Francisco Franco publicly criticized Xiaomi's behaviour after repeated delays in the release of kernel source code. Xiaomi in 2013 said that it would release the kernel code. The kernel source code was available on the GitHub website in 2020.

Privacy concerns and data collection
As a company based in China, Xiaomi is obligated to share data with the Chinese government under the China Internet Security Law and National Intelligence Law. There were reports that Xiaomi's Cloud messaging service sends some private data, including call logs and contact information, to Xiaomi servers. Xiaomi later released an MIUI update that made cloud messaging optional and that no private data was sent to Xiaomi servers if the cloud messaging service was turned off.

On 23 October 2014, Xiaomi announced that it was setting up servers outside of China for international users, citing improved services and compliance to regulations in several countries.

On 19 October 2014, the Indian Air Force issued a warning against Xiaomi phones, stating that they were a national threat as they sent user data to an agency of the Chinese government.

In April 2019, researchers at Check Point found a security breach in Xiaomi phone apps. The security flaw was reported to be preinstalled.

On 30 April 2020, Forbes reported that Xiaomi extensively tracks use of its browsers, including private browser activity, phone metadata and device navigation, and more alarmingly, without secure encryption or data anonymization, more invasively and to a greater extent than mainstream browsers. Xiaomi disputed the claims, while confirming that it did extensively collect browsing data, and saying that the data was not linked to any individuals and that users had consented to being tracked. Xiaomi posted a response stating that the collection of aggregated usage statistics data is used for internal analysis, and would not link any personally identifiable information to any of this data. However, after a followup by Gabriel Cirlig, the writer of the report, Xiaomi added an option to completely stop the information leak when using its browser in incognito mode.

Censorship
In September 2021, amidst a political spat between China and Lithuania, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence urged people to dispose the Chinese-made mobile phones and avoid buying new ones, after the National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuania claimed that Xiaomi devices have built-in censorship capabilities that can be turned on remotely.

Xiaomi denied the accusations, saying that it "does not censor communications to or from its users", and that they would be engaging a third-party to assess the allegations. They also stated that regarding data privacy, it was compliant with two frameworks for following Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), namely its ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management Standards and the ISO/IEC 27701 Privacy Information Management System.

Legal actions

State administration of radio, film and television issue
In November 2012, Xiaomi's smart set-top box stopped working one week after the launch due to the company having run foul of China's National Radio and Television Administration. The regulatory issues were overcome in January 2013.

Misleading sales figures
The Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission investigated the flash sales and found that Xiaomi had sold fewer smartphones than advertised. Xiaomi claimed that the number of smartphones sold was 10,000 units each for the first two flash sales, and 8,000 units for the third one. However, FTC investigated the claims and found that Xiaomi sold 9,339 devices in the first flash sale, 9,492 units in the second one, and 7,389 for the third. It was found that during the first flash sale, Xiaomi had given 1,750 priority 'F-codes' to people who could place their orders without having to go through the flash sale, thus diminishing the stock that was publicly available. The FTC fined Xiaomi .

Shut down of Australia store
In March 2014, Xiaomi Store Australia (an unrelated business) began selling Xiaomi mobile phones online in Australia through its website, XiaomiStore.com.au. However, Xiaomi soon "requested" that the store be shut down by 25 July 2014. On 7 August 2014, shortly after sales were halted, the website was taken down. An industry commentator described the action by Xiaomi to get the Australian website closed down as unprecedented, saying, "I've never come across this [before]. It would have to be a strategic move." At the time this left only one online vendor selling Xiaomi mobile phones into Australia, namely Yatango (formerly MobiCity), which was based in Hong Kong. This business closed in late 2015.

Temporary ban in India due to patent infringement
On 9 December 2014, the Delhi High Court granted an ex parte injunction that banned the import and sale of Xiaomi products in India. The injunction was issued in response to a complaint filed by Ericsson in connection with the infringement of its patent licensed under reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing. The injunction was applicable until 5 February 2015, the date on which the High Court was scheduled to summon both parties for a formal hearing of the case. On 16 December, the High Court granted permission to Xiaomi to sell its devices running on a Qualcomm-based processor until 8 January 2015. Xiaomi then held various sales on Flipkart, including one on 30 December 2014. Its flagship Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G phone sold out in six seconds. A judge extended the division bench's interim order, allowing Xiaomi to continue the sale of Qualcomm chipset-based handsets until March 2018.

US sanctions due to ties with People's Liberation Army
In January 2021, the United States government named Xiaomi as a company "owned or controlled" by the People's Liberation Army and thereby prohibited any American company or individual from investing in it. However, the investment ban was blocked by a US court ruling after Xiaomi filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, with the court expressing skepticism regarding the government's national security concerns. Xiaomi denied the allegations of military ties and stated that its products and services were of civilian and commercial use. In May 2021, Xiaomi reached an agreement with the Defense Department to remove the designation of the company as military-linked.

Lawsuit by KPN alleging patent infringement
On 19 January 2021, KPN, a Dutch landline and mobile telecommunications company, sued Xiaomi and others for patent infringement. KPN filed similar lawsuits against Samsung in 2014 and 2015 in a court in the US.

Lawsuit by Wyze alleging invalid patent
In July 2021, Xiaomi submitted a report to Amazon alleging that Wyze Labs had infringed upon its 2019 "Autonomous Cleaning Device and Wind Path Structure of Same" robot vacuum patent. On 15 July 2021, Wyze filed a lawsuit against Xiaomi in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, arguing that prior art exists and asking the court for a declaratory judgment that Xiaomi's 2019 robot vacuum patent is invalid.

Asset seizure in India
In April 2022, India's Enforcement Directorate seized assets from Xiaomi as part of an investigation into violations of foreign exchange laws. The asset seizure was subsequently put on hold by a court order, but later upheld.

Overseas manufacturing

Inaugural plant in Pakistan
Xiaomi's mobile device manufacturing plant was inaugurated on 4 March 2022, to begin production in Pakistan. The plant was set up in conjunction with Select Technologies (Pvt) Limited, an Air Link fully owned subsidiary. The production plant is located in Lahore.

As of July 2022, the future of the plant is uncertain due to the 2021–2023 global supply chain crisis.

See also
List of Xiaomi products

References

External links

2018 initial public offerings
Chinese brands
Chinese companies established in 2010
Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Computer hardware companies
Electronics companies established in 2010
Electronics companies of China
Home automation companies
Manufacturing companies established in 2010
Mobile phone companies of China
Mobile phone manufacturers
Multinational companies headquartered in China
Networking hardware companies

Xiaomi


The Acid2 test is a test of web browsers to see if they can show parts of the internet correctly. It uses CSS and HTML to put things in the right places. It uses the PNG format for the images it uses in the test. A company's web browser that works with the Acid2 test is able to show most of the internet correctly and is a modern web browser.

References

Web browsers
Web design

Acid2


Charlotte Wilhelmine Christiane Marie of Hesse-Darmstadt (5 November 1755, Darmstadt – 12 December 1785, Hanover), was by marriage Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Life
Charlotte was a daughter of Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt (1722-1782) from his marriage to Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg (1729-1818), daughter of Count Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim.

The princess was first engaged with the hereditary prince Peter Frederick William of Oldenburg, but the engagement was dissolved again as a result of the onset of Peter's mental illness.

Charlotte married Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (who later became the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), on 28 September 1784 in Darmstadt.  He was previously married to Charlotte's older sister Friederike, who had died in childbirth.  She thus became stepmother for her sister's five surviving children - her nieces and nephews.

The couple lived in Hanover, where Charles served as Governor-General for his brother-in-law, King George.  Charlotte died after the birth of her only child, a year after their marriage. Charles resigned from his post in Hanover and moved to Charlotte's mother in Darmstadt, who then took care of his children (both Frederike's and Charlotte's).

Offspring
Her only child from her marriage to Charles was:
 Charles (1785-1837), General and President of the Prussian State Council

Ancestry

References

  Carl Friedrich Günther: Anecdotes, character descriptions and memoirs from the Hessian area ..., p. 172
 Political Journal, p. 1274
 Luise Schorn-Schütte: Queen Louise, p. 12

Deaths in childbirth
House of Hesse-Darmstadt
1755 births
1785 deaths
Landgravines of Hesse-Darmstadt

Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt


John Thomas Job (21 May 1867 – 4 November 1938), was a Welsh minister, hymn-writer and poet.

He was born at Llandybie in Carmarthenshire, and educated locally.  He went on to Trefeca College to train as a Methodist minister.  In 1894, he married Etta Davies, and they had three children.  He won the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales on three occasions: in 1897, 1903, and 1918, and in 1900 he won the crown. He also won the chair at the San Francisco Eisteddfod of 1915.  In the same year, he married for the second time, to Catherine Shaw; they had two children.

Works
Caniadau Job

References

1867 births
1938 deaths
Chaired bards
Crowned bards

John Thomas Job


Hopwood is the name of a small settlement in Worcestershire, England, south of Birmingham.

Hopwood was established due to the Worcestershire and Birmingham Canal, which runs through the area.  Due to this canal the settlement developed around the "Hopwood Inn", which would be a stopping point for anyone using the canal.

Today, the most notable feature of Hopwood is the "Hopwood Park services", which is a motorway service station, on the M42 motorway.

Villages in Worcestershire

Hopwood, Worcestershire


The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, located inside the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Heroes & Legends building on Merritt Island, Florida, honors American astronauts and features the world's largest collection of their personal memorabilia, focusing on those astronauts who have been inducted into the Hall. Exhibits include Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 space capsule from the fifth crewed Mercury mission and the Gemini IX spacecraft flown by Gene Cernan and Thomas P. Stafford in 1966.

History

In the 1980s, the six then-surviving Mercury Seven astronauts conceived of establishing a place where US space travelers could be remembered and honored, along the lines of halls of fame for other fields. The Mercury Seven Foundation and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation were formed, and have a role in the ongoing operations of the Hall of Fame. The foundation's first executive director was former Associated Press space reporter Howard Benedict.

The Astronaut Hall of Fame was opened on October 29, 1990, by the U.S. Space Camp Foundation, which was the first owner of the facility. It was located next to the Florida branch of Space Camp.

The Hall of Fame closed for several months in 2002 when U.S. Space Camp Foundation's creditors foreclosed on the property due to low attendance and mounting debt. That September, an auction was held and the property was purchased by Delaware North Park Services on behalf of NASA and the property was added to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Hall of Fame re-opened December 14, 2002.

The Hall of Fame, which was originally located just west of the NASA Causeway, closed to the public on November 2, 2015, in preparation for its relocation to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex 6 miles (9.7 km) to the east on Merritt Island. Outside of the original building was a full-scale replica of a Space Shuttle orbiter named Inspiration (originally named "Shuttle To Tomorrow" where visitors could enter and view a program). Inspiration served only as an outdoor, full scale, static display which visitors could not enter.  After the Hall of Fame was transferred to the KSC Visitor Complex, Inspiration was acquired by LVX System and was placed in storage at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center; in 2016, the shuttle was loaded on to a barge to be taken for refurbishment before going on an educational tour.

The building was purchased at auction by visitor complex operator Delaware North and renamed the ATX Center, and for a time housed educational programs including Camp Kennedy Space Center and the Astronaut Training Experience.  Those programs have since been moved to the KSC Visitor Complex, and as of December 2019, the structure was being offered for lease. In July 2020, Lockheed Martin announced it would lease the building to support work on the NASA Orion crew capsule.

Inductees

Inductees into the Hall of Fame are selected by a blue ribbon committee of former NASA officials and flight controllers,  historians, journalists, and other space authorities (including former astronauts) based on their accomplishments in space or their contributions to the advancement of space exploration. Except for 2002, inductions have been held every year since 2001.

As its inaugural class in 1990, the Hall of Fame inducted the United States' original group of astronauts: the Mercury Seven.  In addition to being the first American astronauts, they set several firsts in American spaceflight, both auspicious and tragic. Alan Shepard was the first American in space and later became one of the twelve people to walk on the Moon. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth and after his induction went on, in 1998, to become the oldest man to fly in space, aged 77. Gus Grissom was the first American to fly in space twice and was the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 1, which resulted in the first astronaut deaths directly related to preparation for spaceflight.

Thirteen astronauts from the Gemini and Apollo programs were inducted in the second class of 1993. This class included the first and last humans to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan; Ed White, the first American to walk in space (also killed in the Apollo 1 accident); Jim Lovell, commander of the famously near-tragic Apollo 13;  and John Young, whose six flights included a moonwalk and command of the first Space Shuttle mission.

The third class was inducted in 1997 and consisted of the 24 additional Apollo, Skylab, and ASTP astronauts. Notable members of the class were Roger Chaffee, the third astronaut killed in the Apollo 1 fire and the only unflown astronaut in the Hall; Harrison Schmitt, the first scientist and next-to-last person to walk on the Moon; and Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, the Apollo 13 crewmembers not previously inducted.

The philosophy regarding the first three groups of inductees was that all astronauts who flew in NASA's "pioneering" programs (which would include Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Apollo Applications Program (Skylab), and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project) would be included simply by virtue of their participation in a spaceflight in these early programs.  The first group (the inaugural class of 1990) would only include the original Mercury astronauts (most of whom would go on to fly in later programs).  The second group of inductees would include those astronauts who began their spaceflight careers during Gemini (all of whom would go on to fly in later programs).  The third group of inductees would include those astronauts who began their spaceflight careers during Apollo, Skylab, and ASTP (some of whom would go on to fly in the Space Shuttle program).  Since it would not be practical (or meaningful) to induct all astronauts who ever flew in space, all subsequent inductees (Space Shuttle program and beyond) are considered based on their accomplishments and contributions to the human spaceflight endeavor which would set them apart from their peers.

Over four dozen astronauts from the Space Shuttle program have been inducted since 2001.  Among these are Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Story Musgrave, who flew six missions in the 1980s and 90s; and Francis Scobee, commander of the ill-fated final Challenger mission.

The 2010 class consisted of Guion Bluford Jr., Kenneth Bowersox, Frank Culbertson and Kathryn Thornton. The 2011 inductees were Karol Bobko and Susan Helms. The 2012 inductees were Franklin Chang-Diaz, Kevin Chilton and Charles Precourt. Bonnie Dunbar, Curt Brown and Eileen Collins were inducted in 2013, and Shannon Lucid and Jerry Ross comprised the 2014 class.

Those inducted in 2015 were John Grunsfeld, Steven Lindsey, Kent Rominger, and Rhea Seddon. In 2016, inductees included Brian Duffy and Scott E. Parazynski. Ellen Ochoa and Michael Foale were announced as the 2017 class of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. Scott Altman and Thomas Jones followed in 2018. The 2019 inductees were James Buchli and Janet L. Kavandi.

Michael López-Alegría, Scott Kelly and Pamela Melroy were the 2020 inductees, inducted in a November 2021 ceremony. The 2022 inductees were Christopher Ferguson, David Leestma, and Sandra Magnus. Roy Bridges Jr. and Mark Kelly were the 2023 inductees.

Exhibits

The Hall of Heroes is composed of tributes to the inductees. Among the Hall of Fame's displays is Sigma 7, the Mercury spacecraft piloted by Wally Schirra which orbited the Earth six times in 1962, and the Gemini 9A capsule flown by Gene Cernan and Thomas P. Stafford in 1966. An Astronaut Adventure room includes simulators for use by children.

The spacesuit worn by Gus Grissom during his 1961 Liberty Bell 7 Mercury flight is on display and has been the subject of a dispute between NASA and Grissom's heirs and supporters since 2002. The spacesuit, along with other Grissom artifacts, were loaned to the original owners of the Hall of Fame by the Grissom family when it opened. After the Hall of Fame went into bankruptcy and was taken over by a NASA contractor in 2002, the family requested that all their items be returned. All of the items were returned to Grissom's family except the spacesuit, because both NASA and the Grissoms claim ownership of it. NASA claims Grissom checked out the spacesuit for a show and tell at his son's school, and then never returned it, while the Grissoms claim Gus rescued the spacesuit from a scrap heap.

Gallery

See also

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
List of astronauts by year of selection for training
Space Mirror Memorial
US Space Walk of Fame
International Space Hall of Fame
List of aerospace museums
 North American aviation halls of fame

References

External links

U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center
Another Kennedy Space Center HOF link
November, 2021, induction ceremony
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
Review of exhibits at RoadsideAmerica.com
Worldspaceflight.com list of inductees and dates of induction

Aviation halls of fame
Astro
Aerospace museums in Florida
Space Shuttle tourist attractions
Museums in Brevard County, Florida
Buildings and structures in Titusville, Florida
Awards established in 1990
1990 establishments in Florida
Museums established in 1990
History of spaceflight

United States Astronaut Hall of Fame


The Teatro all'Antica ("Theater in the style of the ancients") is a theatre in Sabbioneta, northern Italy; it  was the first free-standing, purpose-built theater in the modern world. The Teatro all'Antica is the second-oldest surviving indoor theater  in the world (after the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza), and is, along with that theater and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, one of only three Renaissance theaters still in existence.

History
The theater was constructed in 1588 and 1590 by the celebrated Vicentine architect Vincenzo Scamozzi under a commission from Duke Vespasiano I Gonzaga, as part of Gonzaga's effort to turn his tiny Ducal seat into an idealized classical city. The importance that theater had come to hold, as a sign of the civilized society that the Duke was trying to create, is indicated by the prestigious location that was reserved for the theatre in the principal street of the town, the Via Giulia, and by the fact that a separate building was erected to hold the theatre. This prestige location had a cost, however, in the form of a cramped and narrow setting that could be successfully converted into a theater only by the considerable ingenuity of one of the Renaissance's most gifted architects.

The influence of the Teatro Olimpico upon the Teatro all'Antica is evident in a number of features—most notably in the colonnade at the rear of the seating area and in the set designs. Such influences are to be expected; Scamozzi had overseen the construction of the Teatro Olimpico following the death of the great Andrea Palladio, who had laid out its original design. In particular, Scamozzi had been responsible for the remarkable perspectives which form the onstage scenery at the Teatro Olimpico.

However, the Teatro all'Antica was a much different theatre, in part because of the different building in which it was placed, and in part because Scamozzi had learned important lessons as a result of his labours at the earlier theatre. The theatre building is roughly three times as long as it is wide, whereas the space occupied by the Teatro Olimpico is approximately square. The longer, narrower structure of the theatre building meant that Scamozzi was unable to build the seating area in the form of the semicircle that had been seen by Palladio as the ideal form for an audience, based on the model of ancient Roman theatres. Where the wide, shallow space available in the converted building that was used to house the Teatro Olimpico had forced Palladio to stretch the ideal semicircle into an ellipse, the opposite change was forced upon Scamozzi in Sabbioneta, and the seating area was transformed into a horseshoe.

As well, Scamozzi abandoned completely the elaborate and classically inspired scaenae frons that in many ways is the defining feature of the Teatro Olimpico. The removal of this rigid stage backdrop, which had forced him to build seven separate street scenes in order that all audience members could see at least one part of the scenery, made it possible to construct a single perspective view of a single street scene. Scamozzi's plans for this trompe-l'œil scenery are clearly visible in the upper-right corner of his plans for the theatre. The illusion of great distance was achieved by rapidly diminishing the size of the false-front buildings over a compressed distance. As an integral part of the illusion, the floor level rose rapidly to allow the buildings to shrink vertically, and the two sides of the street closed in on each other sharply. These two features of the set design can be seen, respectively, on the upper right-hand side and lower right-hand side of Scamozzi's plans. Given the narrowness of the seating area, a single perspective was sufficient for all audience members.

In the 17th century, Scamozzi's original scenery was removed and replaced by a new system with sliding wings. However, his original plans—which are shown above—were preserved in the archives at the Uffizi in Florence, making it possible, in the twentieth century, for new scenery to be rebuilt based on the original plans and added to the theatre.

Notes

Antica
Theatres completed in 1590
Renaissance architecture in Lombardy
Sabbioneta

Teatro all'Antica


Ashburnham County, New South Wales is one of the 141 Cadastral divisions of New South Wales. The Lachlan River and Belubula River is the southern boundary. It includes Parkes and Forbes.

Ashburnham County was named in honour of Bertram Ashburnham (1797-1878), who became the 4th earl of Ashburnham in 1830.

Parishes within this county
A full list of parishes found within this county; their current LGA and mapping coordinates to the approximate centre of each location is as follows:

References

Counties of New South Wales

Ashburnham County


The Reno Rules were ethical rules for federal prosecutors promulgated in the Code of Federal Regulations by then Attorney General Janet Reno. The rules, despite their issuance, lacked statutory authority and were unenforceable. See United States v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., 132 F.3d 1252 (8th Cir. 1998). The rules were passed in the wake of discussions about the Thornburgh Memo. They have since been supplanted by 28 U.S.C. § 530B.

Law of the United States
United States Department of Justice

Reno Rules


Stureby () is a residential area in southern Stockholm, approx. 3 kilometers from Skanstull. The district at 205 hectares is bordered with Örby, Örby slott, Östberga, Årstafältet, Gamla Enskede, Svedmyra, Gubbängen and Bandhagen.

There were farms in the area where Stureby is located in the year 1689 according to a map. The area started to be developed in the year 1921 by the company Fastighets AB Villahem. In 1923 the politicians in Stockholm decided to build a retirement home that was named Gammelbyn to commemorate Gustav Vasa's arrival in Stockholm 400 years earlier. The area was named Stureby after Sten Sture the Younger in 1926. In 1930 the retirement home Gammelbyn was finished and also a new tram station that was part of the tram line Örbybanan. Stureby nursing home opened in 1935. There once lived 1000 people in the retirement home and the nursing home. In 1938 a cinema named Tusse-bio opened in Stureby and was renamed to Corso in 1939. The tram line in Stureby was improved in the 1940s but got replaced with the metro in 1951. In 1953 the temporary metro station Stureby was made permanent and was then an end station. During the 1950s there was an elementary school called Sturebyskolan built and also some apartment blocks were built. Landstinget took over the retirement home Gammelbyn in 1971 and renamed it to Stureby sjukhus. The elementary school was renovated in the year 2000 and currently has 1000 students.

Gallery

References

External links

nona.net entry for Stureby.

Districts of Stockholm

Stureby


Ezra Ballou Sutton (September 17, 1849 – June 20, 1907) was an American third baseman in the National Association and Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1888. Sutton collected 1,574 hits during this time period; he had a lifetime batting average of .294. Like many players in an era when walks were more rare, Sutton did not walk a lot, only drawing 169 walks in more than 5,500 plate appearances. By almost all measures, Sutton had his two best seasons in  and  – he collected 203 runs and 296 hits during those seasons. On May 8, 1871, Sutton hit the first home run in professional baseball history for the Cleveland Forest Citys against the Chicago White Stockings. He would go on to hit another home run later in the game but Cleveland still lost the game 14–12.

The Seneca Falls, New York born Sutton came to the Cleveland Forest Citys in 1870 from the Alert club of Rochester, New York (who had played the Forest Citys twice in 1869), and then joined the Philadelphia Athletics in 1873 after the Cleveland club failed. As third baseman for each he had the unique distinction of playing in both the first National Association game on May 4, 1871 and the first National League game on April 22, 1876. But his main team was the Boston Red Caps (later redubbed the "Beaneaters") where he won pennants in 1877, 1878, and 1883. After the National League's formation in 1876, he was one of the first several players to collect 1,000 hits in the major leagues.

Sutton died at a private hospital in Braintree, Massachusetts.

External links

Baseball Almanac

References

Major League Baseball third basemen
Cleveland Forest Citys (NABBP) players
Cleveland Forest Citys players
Philadelphia Athletics (NA) players
Philadelphia Athletics (NL) players
Boston Red Caps players
Boston Beaneaters players
Baseball players from New York (state)
People from Seneca Falls, New York
19th-century baseball players
Rochester Jingoes players
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players
Milwaukee Creams players
Hartford (minor league baseball) players
1849 births
1907 deaths

Ezra Sutton


Absheron Rayon, also spelled as Apsheron, is a raion of Azerbaijan.  There is also an Absheron Peninsula, but they are not in the same area.

Absheron was started in 1963 by the Soviet government.  There are lots of historical monuments in Absheron. For example, in the village Aşağı Güzdək there are agricultural tools from the 19th century. In Goradile village, there is Abdurrahman mosque from the 19th century. Mosques from the 18th century are in Məmmədli. Ancient wells which provided water supply to people living in this territory are still used in Aşağı Güzdək and Xirdalan. Tombs from 8th - 18th centuries are also kept: in Fatmai, Digah, Masazir, Hökməli and Saray.

The name Absheron comes from the words 'ap shuran'.  This means 'place of salty water' in an ancient Iranian Azeri language.

References

Abseron
Absheron Economic Region

Absheron District


Google drawings is a website with a lot of web pages. It is usually used for mind maps and drawings. Google drawings has a  function that lets you make lots of shapes however big or small you want them to be. It was made on April 12th 2010. Google drawings is a free website. You start with a blank page and then start drawing. It is available as a web application and as a desktop application on Google's Chrome OS.

Tools

 Shapes Tool - It lets you make any shapes
 Lines Tool - Draws a simple line
 Drawing Tool - Draw anything
 Images Inserter - Puts whatever picture that the mouse selects
 Text Box  - Makes a box which can write inside of
 Share tool - Share the pages with friends
 Help Tool - Click get help if need help if there is a problem click report a problem if someone is saying something mean click report abuse/copyright
 Bold - (ctrl + B) makes all writing in bold text
 Underline - (ctrl + U) Underlines the text
 Italics - (ctrl + I) Turns your text into italics
 Colour text - puts a variety of different colours on the screen, pick a colour and your text will be that colour.

Facts

 Google Drawings is a website made for students and teachers to use anyone can download their work as JPEGs and PNGs
 Its free
 You can share your work with people and you can choose if they can edit it or just see it
 You can edit and improve your work in real time with the people that you choose
 Google drawings can have a transparent background and different colour backgrounds
 Google drawings still exist today, No one knows when google drawings will disappear.
 It is translated into 37 different languages

History
Google drawings was first released on 12th April 2010. On January 7th 2019, Google Drawings was added to Google Docs.

Diagramming software
Google

Google Drawings


The Sweden Democrats (Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna, SD) is a political party in Sweden.

The party was founded on 6 February 1988. In the 1988 Swedish general election, they only received 1,118 votes. However, their support has been slowly increasing since. In 2018, they received 1,135,627 votes and won 62 out of 349 seats in the Riksdag.

Other political parties in Sweden refuse to cooperate with the SD.

Beliefs

The Sweden Democrats mainly believe in social conservatism and nationalism. They believe that the current immigration policies in Sweden have failed. They also to make it harder for people to become citizens. According to the SD, a person who wants to become a citizen should: live in Sweden for 10 years, show that they are not criminals, be fluent in Swedish and know Swedish history.

The SD wants to ban abortion after 12 weeks unless the mother's life is in danger. They want a restrictive policy towards drugs and alcohol. They are Eurosceptic, meaning they are critical of the European Union. They awknowledge that LGBT people do not chose their sexuality, and believe that discrimination towards them should be illegal. The SD wants to bring back the conscription (meaning the government forces people to join the armed forces). They are supportive of nuclear power. They are against the death penalty.

References

Other websites
  Sweden Democrats
  Jimmie Åkesson's website
  SD-Kuriren
  Sweden Democratic Youth

1988 establishments in Sweden
Political parties in Sweden

Sweden Democrats


is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukito Kishiro. It's a tale about Ruliya, a female orca-riding knight, making an epic journey through the aqueous world of Marmundo.

After publishing three volumes, Kishiro placed the series on hiatus to draw Battle Angel Alita: Last Order. He has promised to continue Aqua Knight when that is finished.

Story
In the first volume, Lady Ruliya, a young knight in training, becomes lost during a storm and sinks in her submersible armor. A young boy, Ashika, saves her with the help of his father, Arrabarus. She finds herself on the lighthouse island they guard, far away from civilization. As thanks for his help, Ruliya promises Ashika anything, but she immediately regrets it as Ashika wants to become a knight as her. She is a woman of her word and shows her skill as a knight in fighting Arrabarus, who turns out to be an old aqua knight.

However, the duel is interrupted by the travelling genius Alcantara in his flying fortress. He steals the lighthouse's light sphere, which Ashika calls Niselle and claims is his mother. In the ensuing battle, the lighthouse is destroyed and by some mysterious connection this kills Arrabarus. Ashika is also kidnapped. Tagmec, knight of the Underworld, emerges from the sea to claim the old man, but not before Ruliya promises to rescue the boy and the light. Tagmec informs her she is embarking on a quest of destiny. He grants her Muertogara, a magical blade, for this purpose.

In volume two, more is seen of the eccentric Alcantara, his wondrous inventions and his crew, and see how Ashika endures his captivity. Meanwhile, Ruliya pursues them on her orca mount, but comes across a mysterious knight who invites her to his castle in the middle of the sea. He turns out to be a demon knight who is after both Ruliya and her magic sword. Despite his tricks and charms, Ruliya defeats him. Pinoque, a fairy friend from her childhood, returns to her to aid in her quest, and she sets out after Ashika and the light sphere with renewed purpose.

Volume three tells the story of Alcantara, his history in the far-away land of Zygote and his quest in Marmundo. Through a flashback, we learn how he became the greatest genius in Zygote, but was forced to flee because of his unorthodox ideas and dangerous experiments. He escaped Zygote in a zeppelin, taking with him Zykey, a young woman whose mysterious Nil-nil disease prompted him to become the genius he is today. His quest is to cure her of the disease, which makes her disappear gradually.

Lady Ruliya catches up with Alcantara before this, and they duel underwater for the sphere. Ruliya manages to beat Alcantara's masterful swordsmanship in the end, but they emerge from the sea to find that sinister, demonic powers have been plotting to take the sphere for themselves. A great battle against the metal demon ensues, and only with the help of the forces of the Underworld Knight Tagmec can Ruliya finally defeat it with her magic blade. Ashika also denies the demon the sphere by absorbing its light into himself.

Alcantara finds himself seemingly defeated and his inventions in ruins, but finds out that he has found the cure for Zykey's disease by providing her with adventure and a happy life. Zykey reveals her love for Alcantara, and a marriage is arranged. But Alcantara is rescued by his henchmen and flies off in a new zeppelin, followed by a determined Zykey.

Characters
Ruliya of Perla is a young knight in training, on the quest required to become a true knight. Like all knights of Marmundo, she rides an orca  and wears a massive, magical armor that increases her strength and allows her to fight under water.

Ashika, a young boy who has grown up on a small island with his father Arrabarus, is an impulsive, emotional child who is as naive and uneducated as he is optimistic. But as he becomes Ruliya's squire and is kidnapped by Alcantara, he is forced to grow up and learn about the world.

Arrabarus, a giant, scarred old man, claims the title of king of the lighthouse island, but has a history as a great aqua knight.

Niselle seems to be a glowing sphere that is the light source of Arrabarus' lighthouse. However, he claims it is his wife and Ashika thinks of Niselle as his mother. She holds some mystic power that Alcantara as well as evil spirits want.

Alcantara, a wandering genius, nobleman, and inventor, has fled his homelands in search of the elixir of life, of which he believes Niselle is an ingredient. Although he seems to be singularly dedicated to his discoveries and inventions, he has softer sides hidden under layers of eccentricity.

Zykey is Alcantara's minion, accompanying him on his journeys. She is a kind young woman who suffers from the strange Nil-Nil disease, which Alcantara has promised to cure.

Zycrow, another of Alcantara's minions, was once an assassin. Now he serves his master and often becomes the unlucky target of his eccentric tempers.

Pinoque is a small fairy girl with butterfly wings. Ruliya saved her when she was a child, and Pinoque has watched over her ever since.

Setting
The world of Marmundo is a big ocean with few islands. The kingdom of Enorme, lady Ruliya's home, claims some of these islands.

Marmundo is separated in two halves — one with the lands where Ruliya comes from, and the Antipodes, where Zygote, home of Alcantara, lies. A great waterfall divides the halves. Marmundo itself is a flat world, with another great waterfall running over the end and into darkness.

The world of Marmundo has a pantheon of gods, where Magna Primero is the greatest. There are also several spheres of spirit powers. Parca, the realm of the dead, is one.

References

1998 manga
Seinen manga
Viz Media manga
Shueisha manga

Aqua Knight


Missionary Man is a 2007 American action film co-written, directed by and starring Dolph Lundgren.

Plot

A stranger named Ryder (Dolph Lundgren) comes into a small Texas town for the funeral of his good friend J.J., a local Native American carpenter. Ryder spends his time in town reading the Bible while drinking straight tequila. Ryder talks to J.J.'s sister Nancy (Kateri Walker) who says that J.J. drowned in a river, but J.J.'s teenage son Junior (John D. Montoya) does not believe that. Local businessman John Reno (Matthew Tompkins) introduces himself to Ryder and tells Murphy (Charles Solomon Jr.), one of his employees, to keep an eye on Ryder. Sheriff Acoma (James Chalke), who seems to be alcoholic, tells Ryder that he should leave town.

Ryder beats up a group of Reno's thugs who are beating a local drug user named Billy (Jonny Cruz). White Deer (August Schellenberg), the father of Nancy and J.J., talks to Nancy's 15-year-old daughter Kiowa (Chelsea Ricketts), who is Junior's older sister. Kiowa believes that J.J., who was a member of the tribal council, was killed because he knew something about Reno. Kiowa thinks that some of the tribal council members might be on Reno's side.

Chief Dan (Richard Ray Whitman) announces that Assistant Chief Lance (Titos Menchaca) has suggested that the council still discuss a proposal for the building of a state-of-the-art casino on tribal property by Lance's construction group. This would bring many new jobs and much revenue for the tribe's people, but the council is concerned with the many negative aspects of it. J.J. had proposed a plan that offers more highly skilled jobs and training for the tribe's people and takes advantage of gaming profits without the negative aspects.

Billy tells Ryder that Reno runs the town and had J.J. murdered. Nancy tells Sheriff Acoma something has to be done about Reno. Sheriff Acoma says that the last time he tried to investigate Reno, a judge quickly called the investigation off. Kiowa and Junior go to a grocery store, where clerk said that J.J. came in and got a case of beer on the day of his death. But Kiowa knows that J.J. did not drink, but Reno is a drinker.

Kiowa goes outside and sees some of Reno's thugs roughing Junior up. They tell Kiowa to tell Nancy to drop J.J.'s proposal that the tribal council is considering. They start roughing up Kiowa, and then Ryder shows up and beats them up. Ryder takes Kiowa and Junior to their home, and they invite him in for dinner. During dinner, Junior says that as soon as he turns 18, he is going to leave the town and not end up like J.J. did. Kiowa admits to Ryder that she never knew her father, and that J.J. took care of her.

That night, Billy witnesses a drug deal between Reno and some Mexican men. Reno has his men kill the Mexican men, and then Reno tells Murphy to find Billy and kill him. Later, Lance says that Reno's ways of doing things attract too much attention. Lance had told Reno that if he got J.J. out of the way, then Lance would get approval to build the casino. Reno plans to kill Nancy and her family in order to make sure no one is in the way.

Ryder is teaching some of the Bible to some kids that White Deer regularly teaches, and Junior yells for Nancy to come down to the old camp ground near their home. Junior has found Billy, who was shot in the arm. They take Billy to the house, and some of Reno's men arrive. Ryder beats them up, and shoots up their vehicles. Ryder has White Deer take Kiowa and Junior to a safe place. Ryder and Nancy find Sheriff Acoma, and tell him that Reno's men shot Billy because Billy witnessed the drug deal. Reno shows up and talks about filing assault charges against Ryder for beating his men up.

Reno offers to let Ryder work for him, but Ryder refuses. One of Reno's men tries to beat Ryder up, but Ryder shoots up Reno's bar. Sheriff Acoma arrives and tells Reno to put the gun down. Reno calls a gang of bikers into town, and the gang is led by a man named Jarfe (John Enos III). They are the bikers that Reno is trying to get the casino built for, and Jarfe had also shot Ryder once before. Jarfe and his gang are also the biker gang that killed Nancy's husband, the father of Kiowa and Junior. By now, Billy is out in the town, and Jarfe finds him and fatally shoots him.

Jarfe heads into the hotel that Ryder is staying in, and Jarfe and his men attack the hotel's owner. They kill a pair of arriving deputies. When Ryder gets into town, Jarfe sees him, and sends his men after him. Ryder starts killing Jarfe's men as they find him. Ryder gets some help from Hoss (Brad Imes), a man who used to work for Reno. Sheriff Acoma finds Reno with his two main henchmen, Murphy and Gomez (Lawrence Varnado). Sheriff Acoma kills Murphy and Gomez, and knocks Reno to the floor. Ryder finds Jarfe and shoots him, using the gun that Jarfe shot Ryder with. Later, Sheriff Acoma locks Reno up, and Ryder leaves town.

Cast

 Dolph Lundgren as Ryder
 Kateri Walker as Nancy
 Chelsea Ricketts as Kiowa
 Matthew Tompkins as John Reno
 John D. Montoya as Junior (as John Montoya)
 James Chalke as Sheriff Acoma
 John Enos III as Jarfe
 Lawrence Varnado as Gomez
 Charles Solomon Jr. as Murphy
 Jonny Cruz as Billy
 August Schellenberg as White Deer
 Brad Imes as Hoss
 Morgana Shaw as Tiger

Production
Lundgren shot the film on Super 16. Due to a down-conversion gone wrong from HD to DVD, the picture quality and colors do not match the HD master that was approved by director Lundgren. Lundgren did not use a stunt double and made the film in 24 first unit days and 3 second unit days.

Release
Missionary Man premiered in Dallas, played for an exclusive one-week theatrical engagement in San Diego and was screened at the 2008 AFI Dallas Film Festival.

Deleted scenes
The DVD features an alternative opening. Another deleted scene features Ryder's Indian friends laughing at the thugs Ryder has defeated and humiliated by making them pull their trousers down and walk away. An unusually happy Ryder enthusiastically shouts, "Let's throw their guns into the river!"

Reception
David Walker of DVD Talk rated it 1/5 stars and called it a "disappointing ripoff" of several better films.  Michael Buening of PopMatters rated it 2/10 stars and wrote, "I don't blame Lundgren for attempting to forge a professional identity more developed than Ivan Drago, but he fails miserably in this overly self-serious quest for maturity."

References

External links

 Interview with Dolph Lundgren about "Missionary Man"

2007 films
2007 action films
American action films
Films scored by Elia Cmíral
Direct-to-video action films
Stage 6 Films films
Films directed by Dolph Lundgren
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
Films with screenplays by Dolph Lundgren

Missionary Man (film)


David Enoch (1901–1949) was an Israeli chess player.

Biography
David Enoch was born in Oświęcim in 1901. He emigrated to Berlin after the First World War.  He tied for 6-7th at Berlin 1927 (Alfred Brinckmann won), and took 10th at Berlin 1929 (Berthold Koch won).

Enoch immigrated from Germany to British Mandate Palestine in 1933.

Chess career
He took 2nd, behind Abram Blass, at Tel Aviv 1935 (the 2nd Maccabiah Games). He played for Palestine on second board in the 6th Chess Olympiad at Warsaw 1935 (+6 –6 =5).

He won against Creevey (IRL), Henri Grob (SUI), Bjørn Nielsen (DEN), Rasmusson (FIN), George Alan Thomas (ENG), and Karel Opočensky (CSR).

He drew with Stefano Rosselli del Turco (ITA), Mieczysław Najdorf (POL), Aleksandras Machtas (LTU), Frank Marshall (USA), and Andor Lilienthal (HUN).

He lost to Louis Betbeder Matibet (FRA), Milan Vidmar (YUG), Rudolf Spielmann (AUT), Gunnar Friedemann (EST), Miklós Bródy (ROM), and Gösta Stoltz (SWE).

A game he lost at Berlin 1927 against Aron Nimzowitsch is included in Nimzowitsch's My Praxis.

See also
List of Israeli chess players

References

Jewish chess players
German chess players
Israeli chess players
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine
20th-century Polish Jews
Chess Olympiad competitors
People from Oświęcim
1901 births
1949 deaths
20th-century chess players

David Enoch


The Camden markets are a number of adjoining large retail markets, often collectively referred to as Camden Market or Camden Lock, located in the historic former Pickfords stables, in Camden Town, London. It is situated north of the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regent's Canal (popularly referred to as Camden Lock). Famed for their cosmopolitan image, products sold on the stalls include crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac, and fast food. It is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 250,000 people each week.

A small local foodstuffs market has operated in Inverness Street in Camden Town since the beginning of the 20th century, the only significant market in the area. On 30 March 1974 a small weekly crafts market that operated every Sunday near Camden Lock developed into a large complex of markets. The markets, originally temporary stalls only, extended to a mixture of stalls and fixed premises. The traditional Inverness Street market started losing stalls once local supermarkets opened; by mid-2013 all the original stalls had gone, being replaced by stalls similar to those of the other markets, including fast food but not produce.

The markets originally operated on Sundays only, which continues to be the main trading day. Opening later extended to Saturdays for most of the market. A number of traders, mainly those in fixed premises—an increasing proportion—operate throughout the week, although the weekend remains the peak period.

Since 2014 most of the markets were acquired by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, who heavily developed them from stalls set up for the day to permanent structures. In 2022 they were offered for sale, the owner hoping for a price of around £1.5 billion.

The markets
There are six distinct Camden markets.

Camden Lock Market

Camden Lock Market is situated by the Regent's Canal on a site formerly occupied by warehouses and other premises associated with the canal. By the early 1970s the canal trade had ceased and a  northern urban motorway was planned that would cut through the site, making any major permanent redevelopment impossible, and in 1974 a temporary market was established. By 1976, when plans for the motorway were abandoned, the market had become a well known feature of Camden Town. Originally, the Lock was a market for crafts, occupying some outdoor areas by the canal and various existing buildings.

While the range of goods has since widened, with stalls selling books, new and second-hand clothing, and jewellery, the Lock retains its focus as the principal Camden market for crafts. There is a large selection of fast food stalls. In 1991 a three-storey indoor market hall designed by architect John Dickinson was opened on the site of the first outdoor market. In the style of the traditional 19th century industrial architecture and housing in the area, it is built of brick and cast iron. It attracted large numbers of visitors partly due to stalls being open on Sundays, when previous to the  Sunday Trading Act 1994, shops were not permitted to operate on Sundays. On 28 February 1993, the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb hidden in a litter bin on Camden High Street near the market, shortly after lunchtime. The bomb injured 11 people.

From 2006, a large indoor market hall was constructed in a yard between the Camden Lock Market and the Stables Market that was previously used for open air stalls. In November 2007 a large part of the Stables Market was demolished as part of a long-term redevelopment plan for the area and rebuilt as a year-round permanent market area.

In 2016, Urban Markets Company acquired Camden Lock and paid between £300m and £400m for the one-acre site. The joint venture between the founders of Camden Lock and Millitarne Retail Resorts International, the retail developers, was financed by Brockton Capital, a real estate private equity fund. Camden Lock Market is set to have a £20 million makeover to transform it into a traditional arts and craft centre for Londoners. The Urban Market Company plans to double the enclosed area and increase trading space by 15,000 square feet.

2017 fire

Early on 10 July 2017, shortly after midnight, a large fire (cause currently unknown) occurred at the Camden Lock Market. At least 70 firefighters and 10 engines attended.

Stables Market
The Stables Market was owned by Bebo Kobo, Richard Caring and Elliot Bernerd of Chelsfield Partners until 2014. It was sold in 2014 for $685 million and is owned today by Market Tech PLC, a UK AIM listed public company. The market is located in the historic former Pickfords stables and Grade II listed horse hospital which served the horses pulling Pickford's distribution vans and barges along the canal. Many of the stalls and shops are set in large arches in railway viaducts.

Chain stores are not permitted and trade is provided by a mixture of small enclosed and outdoor shops and stalls, of which some are permanent, and others hired by the day. In common with most of the other Camden markets the Stables Market has many clothes stalls. It is also the main focus for furniture in the markets. Household goods, decorative, ethnically-influenced items, and second-hand items or 20th-century antiques, many of them hand-crafted, are among the wares. There are also clothing and art pieces for alternative sub-cultures, such as goths and cybergoths. These shops include Black Rose, which caters for goths, with items such as coffin-shaped handbags, and Cyberdog, which houses much cyber-style "neon" PVC and rubber clothing.

During the weeks before Christmas 2004, radio DJ and TV presenter Chris Evans sold many of his possessions, ranging from sofas to TVs and crockery, on a stall in the Stables Market.

In October 2006 a large indoor market hall was built in a yard between the Stables Market and Camden Lock Market that was previously used for temporary open-air stalls. In the summer of 2007 redevelopment of the back of the Stables Market took place. This redevelopment consisted of two new four-storey buildings housing shops, food outlets, offices, workshops and storage facilities, as well as an exhibition space. The redevelopment included a new pedestrian route through the rear of the Stables Market exposing 25 of the existing railway arches. Pedestrian walkways—in the style of the existing historic ramp and bridge system—has opened up the site and increased access for visitors. A glass roof and cycle parking spaces has also been added.

On 19 May 2014, at around 8:00 p.m., a fire broke out at the Camden Stables Market on Chalk Farm Road where a reported 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters dealt with the blaze. No injuries were reported by the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade announced that the fire had been controlled since 9:00 p.m.

Hawley Wharf, previously Canal Market and Camden Lock Village

Owned by Bebo Kobo and OD Kobo, Camden Lock Village was the section along the canal to the east of Chalk Farm Road was known as the Canal Market and had a covered entrance tunnel leading into a general outdoor market. The market was devastated by fire on 9 February 2008 caused by unauthorised use of a liquified petroleum gas heater. After crossing the railway line, the fire badly damaged the rear of the Hawley Arms on Castlehaven Road. The market reopened in May 2009 as the Camden Lock Village. The cover over the original street entrance was removed, and a new entrance created near the railway bridge.

The market closed in early 2015, to be redeveloped over several years at a cost exceeding £500m as Hawley Wharf. The stalls were replaced by a four-storey covered structure, with units housing sixty fast-food providers, 150 shops, and co-working offices. The development also provided 200 homes. Hawley Wharf's sites started opening in 2021.

Buck Street Market
The Buck Street Market was an outdoor market focusing on clothes. There is no formal or legal definition of Camden Market; the Buck Street Market's sign read 'The Camden Market'. A few stallholders designed their own wares, while at the weekend these designs were more likely to be found in the Electric Ballroom market.

The market closed in its existing form, initially during later postponed plans to rebuild Camden Town tube station. It reopened as a multi-floor structure.

Electric Ballroom
The Electric Ballroom on Camden High Street has been a night club since the 1950s. The weekend market had been operating here for at least 24 years but closed at short notice in 2015, leaving many staff and traders unemployed.

Inverness Street Market
A small street market has operated in Inverness Street near Camden Town Tube station since the late 19th century, mostly selling produce, rather than ready-to-eat food, until the 21st century. It started losing its traditional stalls once local supermarkets opened, a trend accelerated by the closing of a nearby bus stop which facilitated access; by mid-2013 all the original stalls had been replaced by "touristy" stalls similar to those of the other markets, including fast food but not produce.

Ownership
The markets were originally a collection of stalls on land with various owners, evolving into a  patchwork of more than 1,000 stalls, bars, shops, and cafes.

In 2014, Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi started buying property in the Camden Market area.  By March 2015, having purchased the four most important of the six sections of the market, he announced plans to invest £300 million in developing the market area by 2018. The markets, initially a collection of simple stalls plus the Stables building, were heavily developed with permanent structures. In 2022 they were offered for sale with investment bank Rothschild & Co overseeing the sale process, the owner hoping for a price of around £1.5 billion for the markets plus housing, co-working spaces,  and a three-floor leisure centre called Babylon Park.

See also
Camden Catacombs
Markets in London
Portobello Road

References

External links

 Camden Council's street markets page, the operator of Inverness Street Market with opening times and other information
 Camden Town London website – News about the Camden Markets and Camden Town

Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Camden
Retail markets in London
Camden Town
Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Camden

Camden Market


Lolium multiflorum (Italian rye-grass, annual ryegrass) is a ryegrass native to temperate Europe, though its precise native range is unknown.

It is a herbaceous annual, biennial, or perennial grass that is grown for silage, and as a cover crop. It is also grown as an ornamental grass. It readily naturalizes in temperate climates, and can become a noxious weed in arable areas and an invasive species in native habitats.

It is a host plant to wheat yellow leaf virus in its native Europe.

It is sometimes considered a subspecies of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). It differs from L. perenne in its spikelet, which has a long bristle at the top, and its stem, which is round rather than folded.

It can be mistaken for couch (Elymus repens), which has spikelets along the broad side of the stem rather than the edge.

Other common names in English include Australian ryegrass, short rotation ryegrass, and Westerwolds ryegrass. It is also one of several species called darnel.

Uses
Lolium multiflorum is widely used to provide large forage yields in short term leys where persistence of the crop is not a priority.
In the United States, Lolium multiflorum is sometimes used as a winter cover crop to prevent erosion, build soil structure and suppress weeds. As a palatable forage crop, it can be grazed by livestock and provide food in years when alfalfa suffers from winter kill.

References

External links

Pooideae
Flora of Europe
Flora of Italy
Flora of Lebanon
Garden plants of Europe
Lawn grasses
Plants described in 1779

Lolium multiflorum


Pisgah Mountain or Pisgah Ridge (on older USGS maps) is a ridgeline running  from Tamaqua to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania (from the Little Schuylkill River water gap to the Lehigh River water gap). It is oriented north-northeast to south-southwest, and its north-side valley is followed by U.S. Route 209 from river gap to river gap. The ridge is a succession of peaks exceeding  rising  above the boroughs of Lansford, Coaldale, and Tamaqua in the Panther Creek valley. The highest point on Pisgah Mountain is at  in the borough of Summit Hill, which sits atop the ridge. Near Summit Hill was the "Sharpe Mountain" (peak) where in 1791 Phillip Ginter is documented as having discovered anthracite, leading to the formation of the Lehigh Coal Mine Company. In 1818 the Lehigh Coal Company took over the mines, and the mining camp gradually became a settlement and grew into Summit Hill.

Pisgah Ridge forms the left bank drainage divide of Panther Creek to its south and the stream's source in Summit Hill. The peak at the east end of the ridge is named Mount Pisgah and represents a hard rock knob that towers  above the Lehigh River to the east.

Pisgah Ridge is entirely in the Delaware River watershed. The western part of the north side of the ridge feeds Panther Creek running to the west as a Little Schuylkill River tributary, while the eastern part of the north side drains to Nesquehoning Creek, a tributary of the Lehigh River, which flows past the east end of the mountain. The eastern end of the south side of the mountain drains into the valley of Mauch Chunk Creek (White Bear Creek), while the western part of the south side drains to Owl Creek, which flows west to the Little Schuylkill.

Mount Pisgah is joined by Nesquehoning Mountain, a ridge of similar height, near their eastern end, at a  summit between the centers of Jim Thorpe and Nesquehoning. The bulk of Nesquehoning Mountain is separated from Mount Pisgah proper by a short and very steep valley that US-209 climbs from the borough of Nesquehoning westwards  to reach the head of the Panther Creek valley in Lansford.

The railroad tracks paralleling PA-54 also transiting the town of Nesquehoning's flat river-bank terrain takes over  farther to climb and descend to once again reach an elevation where it can turn to enter the Panther Creek Valley near the confluence with the Little Schuylkill via the rail yard at Tamaqua in a longer more circuitous climb—and demonstration why dump trucks have replaced railroads in short-haul situations.

Geology
Mount Pisgah is a typical end-ridge formed by a watercourse gap. Pisgah Mountain is but one average folded mountain in a succession of near parallel ridgelines, where each are made by a succession of peaks of nearly the same height. This Ridge and Valley province is a geological feature that extends from New Jersey into Virginia forming a great barrier of successive valleys. Pisgah Mountain, located along the southern fringe of northeastern Pennsylvania's Poconos region is also central to the Southern Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania— known as the site of the Richest Anthracite Seam, in the heart of the Southern Pennsylvania Anthracite Field and the geological province known as the Anthracite Upland section. The ridgeline parallels the escarpment of the Blue Mountain region but unlike that barrier with several major cuttings, Mount Pisgah is a divide between waters running southwesterly in the historic Panther Creek (Pennsylvania).

References

Reference works
 Alan R. Geyer (1979) "Outstanding Geologic Features of Pennsylvania", Geological Survey of Pennsylvania
 Tom Thwaites (1997) "50 hikes in Eastern Pennsylvania", Third edition
 Art Michaels (2003) "Pennsylvania Overlooks a guide for Sightseers and Outdoor People", Penn State Press

Mountains of Pennsylvania
Landforms of Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

Pisgah Mountain


Vitamin A is a vitamin, a group of organic chemicals including retinal and several carotenoids. The human body does not make these chemicals, and must take them from food. Egg yolks and liver are both rich in vitamin A. Many parts of the body need vitamin A. For example, vitamin A helps sight and is good for the immune system. It is also important for a growing embryo.

β-carotene, a provitamin found in foods like carrots can be converted to vitamin A. The efficiency of the conversion depends on genetics and fat consumption.

Too little vitamin A is dangerous to health. People who do not get enough of the vitamin may lose the ability to see in poor light and suffer from a weakened immune system. They may also have problems with memory, because vitamin A is important for the brain. People with malnutrition often have too little vitamin A. This is common in poor countries.

Hypervitaminosis A
Too much vitamin A is also dangerous to one's health. It is a condition known as hypervitaminosis. Vitamin A is not soluble in water, and the human body can not get rid of the excess vitamin A easily by urination.  Too much vitamin A can make someone very sick.  People may get too much vitamin A from taking too many vitamin pills or from eating too much A-rich food like liver.

What applies to humans applies to all mammals at least. Some large predators, such as the big cats, seem not to eat their preys' livers. On the other hand, polar bears apparently do so, and they store vitamin A in their liver cells. However, they have long, sometimes very long, periods between kills. In contrast, African big cats kill about every three or four days, and they do seem to avoid eating the preys' livers.

References

Fat-soluble vitamins

Vitamin A


The Japanese Air Force One(日本国政府専用機)and Japanese Air Force Two are the radio callsigns of the two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft used by the government of Japan for overseas travel by the Emperor, Prime Minister and other high-ranking officials. Each aircraft has a capacity of 140 passengers and can be used for emergency evacuations of Japanese citizens and overseas deployment of Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel. The aircraft are operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Government of Japan

Japanese Air Force One


Gößweinstein Castle (), also called Schloss Gößweinstein, is a mediaeval hilltop castle in Gößweinstein in the county of Forchheim in the German state of Bavaria. It towers high above the market town and the River Wiesent and may have been the inspiration for Richard Wagner's grail castle in his opera, Parsifal. The castle is a Bavarian listed building, no. D-4-74-129-10.

History

The castle was probably named after its founder, Count Gozwin. He was killed in 1065, after he had invaded the territory of the Bishop of Würzburg. The first record of Goswinesteyn castle is dated to 1076. At that time, Emperor Henry IV had Bishop Burchard II of Halberstadt, who had become embroiled in the Saxon Rebellion, incarcerated there, a fact which suggests it was already a strong fortress.

From the time of Bishop Otto of Bamberg there is evidence that the castle became part of the Bamberg estate. From 1348 to 1780 it was the seat of a vogtei under the bishops of Bamberg.

In 1525, during the Peasants' War it was destroyed and rebuilt. During the Second Margrave War in 1553 the castle was again destroyed and later rebuilt.

The castle became a Bavarian possession as a result of secularisation of the  Bishopric of Bamberg in 1803. The Bavarian state sold the castle in 1875 to Pauline Rabeneck, a landowning widow from the Manor (Rittergut) of Aspach near Uffenheim. In 1890 Baron Edgar of Sohlern purchased the castle and had it remodelled in the Neogothic style. The castle chapel also has Late Gothic statues.

Today
The castle is still in the hands of the von Sohlen family. It houses a medieval museum which may be visited for a small entrance fee and there is a beer garden and terrace with good views over the Wiesent valley and village of Gößweinstein.

References

Literature
 Ursula Pfistermeister: Wehrhaftes Franken - Band 3: Burgen, Kirchenburgen, Stadtmauern um Bamberg, Bayreuth und Coburg, Fachverlag Hans Carl GmbH, Nuremberg, 2002, , pp. 56–58.
 Günter Dippold: Zur Geschichte von Burg und Ort Gößweinstein. In: Günter Dippold (Hrsg.): Gößweinstein. Sakrale Mitte der Fränkischen Schweiz. Staffelstein, 1998, , pp. 12–28.
 Gustav Voit, Brigitte Kaulich, Walter Rüfer: Vom Land im Gebirg zur Fränkischen Schweiz - Eine Landschaft wird entdeckt. (Schriftenreihe des Fränkische-Schweiz-Vereins, Band 8) Verlag Palm und Enke, Erlangen, 1992, , pp. 103–108.
 Björn-Uwe Abels, Joachim Zeune, et al.: Führer zu archäologischen Denkmälern in Deutschland, Band 20: Fränkische Schweiz. Konrad Theiss Verlag GmbH und Co., Stuttgart, 1990, , pp. 162–164.
 Hellmut Kunstmann: Die Burgen der östlichen Fränkischen Schweiz. Kommissionsverlag Ferdinand Schöningh, Wurzburg, 1965, pp. 26–63.

External links

 Home page of Gößweinstein Castle
 Further information at Burgenstraße
 Foracheim: Gößweinstein Castle
 Artist's impression by Wolfgang Braun

Hill castles
Registered historic buildings and monuments in Bavaria
Forchheim (district)
Gößweinstein

Gößweinstein Castle


Otavalo, capital of Otavalo Canton, has a population largely made up of the Otavalo indigenous group.  It is located in Imbabura Province of Ecuador.  According to the 2022 census, the town had a population of 41,718 and is situated at an elevation of . It is surrounded by the peaks of Imbabura (), Cotacachi (), and Mojanda volcanoes. Mario Conejo is the current mayor of the city of Otavalo.

The market
The indigenous Otavalo people are famous for weaving textiles, usually made of wool, which are sold at the famous Saturday market. Although the largest market is on Saturday, there is a very wide range of wares available throughout the week in the Plaza de los Ponchos, and the many local shops. The shops sell textiles such as handmade blankets, tablecloths, and much more.

The Otavalo market consists of mushroom-shaped concrete umbrellas with benches. The market was designed and built in 1970 by Dutch architect Tonny Zwollo.

During the market's peak, almost one third of the town becomes full of stalls selling textiles, tagua nut jewelry, musical instruments, dream catchers, leather goods, fake shrunken heads, indigenous costumes, hand-painted platters and trays, purses, clothing, spices, raw foods and spools of wool. As the city has become more of a tourist attraction, many of the goods sold in the markets are mass-produced in nearby factories and sold in the market by middle-men. More artisan products can be purchased in neighboring communities or at the Museo Viviente Otavalango.

Otavalo was an area made up principally of farming communities due to the rich volcanic soils in this area, but with the growth of tourism, the town has begun to focus more on the making of handicrafts which have made the Saturday market a popular stop with visitors to Ecuador. Tourism has become the town's main industry and as a result there are many more hotels, hostels, and tour operators than other similarly sized Ecuadorian towns, such as nearby Cayambe. Further, Otavaleño (people from Otavalo) have had notable success selling their goods abroad.

As Otavalo is famous for its textiles, many of the nearby villages and towns are famous for their own particular crafts. Cotacachi, for example, is the center of Ecuador's leather industry. In San Antonio, where the local specialty is wood carving, the main street prominently displays carved statues, picture frames, and furniture.

Attractions
Many people come to Otavalo to visit the market, but the city and surrounding area is also home to the Peguche Waterfall, Lagos de Mojanda, and Museo Viviente Otavalango. The museum is located in the "antigua fabrica San Pedro," where indigenous Otavaleños worked in sweatshop style labor for generations under brutal conditions. After the factory was shut down, a group of locals purchased the land and have since reclaimed the factory and its grounds as a living museum and community space for the indigenous community. The museum shows aspects of Otavaleño life both historically and in present day, and allows visitors to interact with the indigenous craftspeople making textiles and farming. The museum also serves as a community space, with concerts, weddings, and community meetings held in buildings on the grounds.  In addition, a short taxi ride or hike from town you will find Parque Condor, a bird rescue centre and educational facility.  Aiming to educate locals and tourists about the conservation of wild birds, they offer a daily flight display to view some of the birds in flight.

Traditional clothing
Otavaleña women traditionally wear distinctive white embroidered blouses, with flared lace sleeves, and black or dark over skirts, with cream or white under skirts. Long hair is tied back with a 30 cm band of woven multi coloured material, often matching the band which is wound several times round their waists. They usually have many strings of gold beads around their necks, with the number of strands and thickness of beads representing their age and wisdom, and matching tightly wound long strings of coral beads around each wrist. Men wear white trousers, and dark blue ponchos.

Music
Otavalo is also known for its traditional music and musicians. Every June the music of Otavalo, and the surrounding areas, plays a primary role in the indigenous festival for the southern winter solstice, called Inti Raymi. There are many musical groups currently traveling around the world promoting their music (sometimes known as Andean New Age).  This style of music has had notable commercial success worldwide.

Architecture
Otavalo is very famous for its market but it has to offer various sightworthy buildings as well.
Parque Bolívar, a well-kept park, is the central square of Otavalo. Sometimes it is called Parque Central as well. It is surrounded by a very representative City Hall (Edificio Municipal) and by  a catholic church, Iglesia de San Luís, with an octagonal clocktower. The church was originally built 1676–79 with just one nave, but it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1868 and rebuilt 1880–1890 in a renaissance style with three naves and an apse. In the interior there are many pieces of art and a baroque altar dating from 1869.

Iglesia El Jordán is another remarkable church with three naves which was built in 1775 and heavily damaged by earthquakes in 1868 and in 1906. Reconstruction was not started before 1925 and was interrupted several times. In 1964 the reconstruction in a renaissance and Greek style was completed. The façade and the two clocktowers have several columns with Corinthian capitals.

The railway station is in the southern part of the town center behind Copacabana Market, 2,532 metres (8,307 ft) above sea level. The station was renovated when the railway line (27 km) from Otavalo to Ibarra which had been closed down about 1980 was reinaugurated for tourist purposes in 2015. Travelling by train from Otavalo to Ibarra has become an important tourist attraction.

Gallery

References

External links

 Guide to Otavalo from Go South America

en otavalo se escucha www.cuellajeradio.weebly.com

Populated places in Imbabura Province

Otavalo (city)