Colin George Pratt (10 October 1938 – 2 October 2021) was a British motorcycle speedway rider and later promoter of the Coventry Bees who compete in the British Elite League.

Racing career
Born in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, Pratt lived near to Mike Broadbank from whom he bought his first speedway bike at the age of nineteen, and practised at the nearby Rye House track. After his National Service, he returned to the Rye House training track in 1960 and had his first competitive rides, reaching the final of the Whitsun Trophy. He was signed by the Southampton Saints, where he made his National League debut against Oxford. A broken wrist sustained at Swindon brought his debut season to an early end. He had only second-half rides for Southampton in 1961, and was loaned to Poole Pirates for whom he rode in three matches, Ipswich Witches (two matches), and then Stoke Potters where he started to score well, with paid 15 points against Wolverhampton and a 12-point maximum against Cradley Heath. In 1962 he scored 177 points from 34 matches for the Potters, and improved further in 1963, scoring 141 points in his first 12 matches and winning all five races to win the Gerry Hussey Memorial Trophy at Rye House, breaking the track record during the meeting. He moved on to the Swindon Robins before joining the Hackney Hawks in 1964. He rode for the Hawks for six years until the 1970 season when he moved to the Cradley Heathens. However, he was forced to retire after he was involved in a road crash near Lokeren in Belgium. Five riders and officials died. Pratt was riding as a guest for the West Ham Hammers against a Danish select side in the Netherlands (in which he gained a five ride maximum). He sustained three broken bones in his neck and was warned by doctors that if he rode again and broke it he would be paralysed. After deciding the risk was too great he retired.

Pratt was also a full England international and rode in two World Team Cup finals. He also qualified for the final of the Speedway World Championship in 1967. It was as a Hackney rider that he won the London Riders' Championship in 1967 and again in 1968.

Promoter and team manager
Pratt became co-promoter at the Rye House Rockets with former boss Len Silver in 1979. In 1983, he spent a season as team manager at King's Lynn Stars before becoming promoter at Cradley Heath in 1984. He stayed at Cradley until 1996 where he became co-promoter of the ill-fated London Lions, based at the Hawks' previous stadium, Hackney Wick. By now it had been redeveloped and renamed the London Stadium.

The promotion closed after one season so Pratt moved to the Bradford Dukes as team manager. In 1998, the opportunity arose to join the Coventry Bees as promoter and Pratt has been there ever since in promoter/co-promoter and team manager roles.

He also had an eight-year spell as the Great Britain team manager (with Eric Boocock). He has won sixteen major trophies as a manager or promoter. He has served several terms on the British Speedway Promoters' Association management committee.

Personal life
Pratt died on 2 October 2021, at the age of 82 from cancer.

World Final Appearances

Individual World Championship
 1967 -  London, Wembley Stadium - 13th - 4pts

World Team Cup
 1966 -  Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Barry Briggs / Terry Betts / Ivan Mauger / Nigel Boocock) - 4th - 8pts (0)
 1967 -  Malmö, Malmö Stadion (with Ray Wilson / Barry Briggs / Ivan Mauger / Eric Boocock) - 3rd= - 19pts (0)

References

1938 births
2021 deaths
British speedway riders
English motorcycle racers
Speedway promoters
Hackney Hawks riders
Cradley Heathens riders
Southampton Saints riders
Swindon Robins riders
Stoke Potters riders
Rye House Rockets riders
Yarmouth Bloaters riders
Poole Pirates riders
People from Hoddesdon
Deaths from cancer in England

Colin Pratt


Mona Ingeborg Sahlin (born Andersson on March 9, 1957 in Sollefteå, Sweden) is a former leader for the Swedish Social Democratic Party, when she replaced Göran Persson after his ten years as leader, she was the first woman to do so. She was the minister responsible for the handling of the Heart 2 Art Exhibition in Stockholm 2002. Toblerone Scandal or Sahlin Scandal is the name of a Swedish scandal, in which there in October 1995 came to public attention that the Socialist politician Mona Sahlin during her time as Minister for Employment, 1990-1991, on several occasions used its credit cards for private expenses.

Other websites
Social democratic homepage

1957 births
Living people
Government ministers of Sweden

Mona Sahlin


John Southerden Burn (25 June 1884 – 28 August 1958) was an English medical doctor and rower who competed for Great Britain in the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Burn was born at Richmond on Thames, the son of Dr Stacey Burn and his wife Agnes Ellen Warner. His father was in practice at Richmond and his grandfather John Southerden Burn was a solicitor and antiquary. Burn was a medical student at Cambridge University and rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race in 1907 and 1908. The Cambridge crew made up a boat in the eights which won the bronze medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1908 Summer Olympics. In 1910 Burn partnered Gordon Thomson to win Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta beating Albertus Wielsma and Bernardus Croon in the final.

Burn completed his training at St Bartholomew's Hospital and became a House Surgeon there. During World War I he was a temporary Captain in the RAMC and served as Assistant Surgeon at the St John's Ambulance Brigade Hospital with the BEF. He was also anaesthetist in the War Hospital at Le Touquet France.  After the war he was in practice with his father as Burn and Burn. He was also Hon Surgeon at the Royal Hospital, Richmond and Hon. Anaesthetist at the Star and Garter Home, Richmond.

Burn died at Bognor Regis, Sussex at the age of 74.

Burn married Ellen La Nauze during the war and had three children.

See also
List of Cambridge University Boat Race crews

References

1884 births
1958 deaths
English male rowers
British male rowers
Olympic rowers for Great Britain
Rowers at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Royal Army Medical Corps officers
Olympic medalists in rowing
Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
British Army personnel of World War I

John Burn (rower)


Lotus Pond Park (known as Lianhuachi Park) is a major urban park in Beijing, China. It is located in the western part of the city and covers an area of around 53.6 hectares. It is right next to the Beijing West railway station and the Third Ring Road. The main part of this park is the lake of Lianhuachi, which literally means Lotus Pond. This lake is believed to be the most important water source of ancient Beijing city since the Zhou dynasty. As mentioned in the Commentary on the Water Classic, a masterpiece of geographic record in ancient China, water from this lake supported Beijing from the very beginning of the city history until the Yuan dynasty (1276–1368), during which the city of Beijing was rebuilt and shifted towards northeast a bit, and the lake lost its importance as the water source.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the lake became an attraction outside of Beijing. It gradually became the place for the royal family and noblemen to enjoy the nature. In 1982, the Beijing government rebuilt this park and made it one of the major urban parks in the city. In 2000, the park was largely renovated, and many landscapes and scenic areas were added to it.

Parks in Beijing

Lotus Pond Park


Mike Sheerin is a Canadian, Toronto-based television producer.  He started Architect Films - which currently produces Decked Out, Deck Wars and Ice Cold Cash.  Before starting Architect Films in 2010, Mike Sheerin was a documentary director/producer.  His documentaries include: Hunting Arrows (CBC Newsworld, 2001), The Biographer's Voice (CBC/90th Parallel Productions, 2005), The Degrassi Story (CTV/90th Parallel Productions, 2005), The Secret Mulroney Tapes (CBC/90th Parallel, 2005), Encounters with Moses (CBC/90th Parallel, 2006), Welcome to Canadaville (CTV/90th Parallel, 2007), Bravo Company: Kandahar (History Television/90th Parallel, 2007) and The Path to War (Global/90th Parallel, 2008).

Sheerin won the 2008 Gemini award for Best Photography in a Documentary (Bravo Company: Kandahar). He has been nominated for three other Gemini awards: Best Biography Documentary (The Biographer's Voice), Best History Documentary (The Secret Mulroney Tapes) and Best Direction in a Documentary (The Secret Mulroney Tapes).

References

External links
 Architect Films website

Canadian documentary film directors
Living people
Canadian television producers
Year of birth missing (living people)

Mike Sheerin


Credit (from Latin verb credit, meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but promises either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date. The resources provided by the first party can be either property, fulfillment of promises, or performances. In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and extensible to a large group of unrelated people.

The resources provided may be financial (e.g. granting a loan), or they may consist of goods or services (e.g. consumer credit). Credit encompasses any form of deferred payment. Credit is extended by a creditor, also known as a lender, to a debtor, also known as a borrower.

Etymology
The term "credit" was first used in English in the 1520s. The term came "from Middle French crédit (15c.) "belief, trust," from Italian credito, from Latin creditum "a loan, thing entrusted to another," from past participle of credere "to trust, entrust, believe". The commercial meaning of "credit" "was the original one in English (creditor is [from] mid-15c.)" The derivative expression "credit union" was first used in 1881 in American English; the expression "credit rating" was first used in 1958.

History
Credit cards became most prominent during the 1900s. Larger companies began creating chains with other companies and used a credit card as a way to make payments to any of these companies. The companies charged the cardholder a certain annual fee and chose their billing methods while each participating company was charged a percentage of total billings. This led to the creating of credit cards on behalf of banks around the world. Some other first bank-issued credit cards include Bank of America's Bank Americard in 1958 and American Express' American Express Card also in 1958. These worked similarly to the company-issued credit cards; however, they expanded purchasing power to almost any service and they allowed a consumer to accumulate revolving credit. Revolving credit was a means to pay off a balance at a later date while incurring a finance charge for the balance.

Discrimination
Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, women in America were given credit cards under stricter terms, or not at all. It could be hard for a woman to buy a house without a male co-signer.  In the past, even when not explicitly barred from them, people of color were often unable to get credit to buy a house in white neighborhoods.

Bank-issued credit
Bank-issued credit makes up the largest proportion of credit in existence. The traditional view of banks as intermediaries between savers and borrowers is incorrect. Modern banking is about credit creation. Credit is made up of two parts, the credit (money) and its corresponding debt, which requires repayment with interest. The majority (97% as of December 2013) of the money in the UK economy is created as credit. When a bank issues credit (i.e. makes a loan), it writes a negative entry in to the liabilities column of its balance sheet, and an equivalent positive figure on the assets column; the asset being the loan repayment income stream (plus interest) from a credit-worthy individual. When the debt is fully repaid, the credit and debt are canceled, and the money disappears from the economy. Meanwhile, the debtor receives a positive cash balance (which is used to purchase something like a house), but also an equivalent negative liability to be repaid to the bank over the duration. Most of the credit created goes into the purchase of land and property, creating inflation in those markets, which is a major driver of the economic cycle.

When a bank creates credit, it effectively owes the money to itself. If a bank issues too much bad credit (those debtors who are unable to pay it back), the bank will become insolvent; having more liabilities than assets. That the bank never had the money to lend in the first place is immaterial - the banking license affords banks to create credit - what matters is that a bank's total assets are greater than its total liabilities and that it is holding sufficient liquid assets - such as cash - to meet its obligations to its debtors. If it fails to do this it risks bankruptcy or banking license withdrawal.

There are two main forms of private credit created by banks; unsecured (non-collateralized) credit such as consumer credit cards and small unsecured loans, and secured (collateralized) credit, typically secured against the item being purchased with the money (house, boat, car, etc.). To reduce their exposure to the risk of not getting their money back (credit default), banks will tend to issue large credit sums to those deemed credit-worthy, and also to require collateral; something of equivalent value to the loan, which will be passed to the bank if the debtor fails to meet the repayment terms of the loan. In this instance, the bank uses the sale of the collateral to reduce its liabilities. Examples of secured credit include consumer mortgages used to buy houses, boats, etc., and PCP (personal contract plan) credit agreements for automobile purchases.

Movements of financial capital are normally dependent on either credit or equity transfers. The global credit market is three times the size of global equity.  Credit is in turn dependent on the reputation or creditworthiness of the entity which takes responsibility for the funds. Credit is also traded in financial markets. The purest form is the credit default swap market, which is essentially a traded market in credit insurance. A credit default swap represents the price at which two parties exchange this riskthe protection seller takes the risk of default of the credit in return for a payment, commonly denoted in basis points (one basis point is 1/100 of a percent) of the notional amount to be referenced, while the protection buyer pays this premium and in the case of default of the underlying (a loan, bond or other receivable), delivers this receivable to the protection seller and receives from the seller the paramount (that is, is made whole).

Types
There are many types of credit, including but not limited to bank credit, commerce, consumer credit, investment credit, international credit, and public credit.

Trade credit
In commercial trade, the term "trade credit" refers to the approval of delayed payment for purchased goods. Credit is sometimes not granted to a buyer who has financial instability or difficulty. Companies frequently offer trade credit to their customers as part of terms of a purchase agreement.  Organizations that offer credit to their customers frequently employ a credit manager.

Consumer credit

Consumer credit can be defined as "money, goods or services provided to an individual in the absence of immediate payment". Common forms of consumer credit include credit cards, store cards, motor vehicle finance, personal loans (installment loans), consumer lines of credit, payday loans, retail loans (retail installment loans) and mortgages. This is a broad definition of consumer credit and corresponds with the Bank of England's definition of "Lending to individuals". Given the size and nature of the mortgage market, many observers classify mortgage lending as a separate category of personal borrowing, and consequently, residential mortgages are excluded from some definitions of consumer credit, such as the one adopted by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The cost of credit is the additional amount, over and above the amount borrowed, that the borrower has to pay. It includes interest, arrangement fees and any other charges. Some costs are mandatory, required by the lender as an integral part of the credit agreement. Other costs, such as those for credit insurance, may be optional; the borrower chooses whether or not they are included as part of the agreement.

Interest and other charges are presented in a variety of different ways, but under many legislative regimes lenders are required to quote all mandatory charges in the form of an annual percentage rate (APR). The goal of the APR calculation is to promote "truth in lending", to give potential borrowers a clear measure of the true cost of borrowing and to allow a comparison to be made between competing products. The APR is derived from the pattern of advances and repayments made during the agreement. Optional charges are usually not included in the APR calculation.

Interest rates on loans to consumers, whether mortgages or credit cards are most commonly determined with reference to a credit score. Calculated by private credit rating agencies or centralized credit bureaus based on factors such as prior defaults, payment history, and available credit, individuals with higher credit scores have access to lower APRs than those with lower scores.

Statistics

See also

Notes

References
 Logemann, Jan, ed. (2012). The Development of Consumer Credit in Global Perspective: Business, Regulation, and Culture. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. .

External links

Debt

Credit


The Parc Oriental de Maulévrier (29 hectares) is a Japanese garden located in Maulévrier, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France. It is open daily except Monday in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.

The park was created between 1899-1913 on the grounds of Château Colbert by noted Parisian architect Alexandre Marcel (1860-1928), designer of the Cambodia pavilion at the Exposition Universelle (1900), for the château's industrialist owner. Indeed, the park's Khmer elements are reproduced from molds from the exhibition. Having married the owner's daughter, Marcel often dwelt in the château as he oversaw its landscaping. After his death, she remained in residence until her own death in 1945, after which time the park fell into desolation for 40 years.

In 1976 the château's property was cut in three, with the municipality purchasing the park's segment in 1980. Restoration began in 1987, based upon photographs and memories, and by 2004 the garden was named a "Jardin Remarquable" by the ministry of culture.

Today the park is the largest Japanese garden in Europe. It contains about 300 plant species, with water features, a bridge, and a pagoda, as well as azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, and Japanese maples. There is also a permanent exhibition of bonsai and ceramics.

See also
 List of botanical gardens in France
 European Garden Heritage Network

References
 Parc Oriental de Maulévrier
 French-Gardens entry
 YouTube video images
 1001 Fleurs entry (French)

Maulevrier, Parc Oriental de
Maulevrier, Parc Oriental de
Japanese gardens

Parc Oriental de Maulévrier


"The Late Captain Pierce" is an episode from M*A*S*H. It was the fourth episode of the fourth season and aired on October 3, 1975 (first-run) and April 6, 1976 (repeat). It was written by Glen Charles and Les Charles and directed by Alan Alda.

Guest cast is Richard Masur as Lt. "Digger" Detmuller, Eldon Quick as Captain Pratt, Sherry Steffens as Nurse Able and Kellye Nakahara as Nurse Baker.

Overview
A bureaucratic mistake leaves the army thinking that Hawkeye Pierce is dead, and he simultaneously enjoys the lack of responsibility that comes from being legally deceased, with trying to contact his father back in Maine to tell him he's still alive.

Synopsis
The episode opens with Klinger (filling in for Radar, who is on leave in Seoul) waking up B.J. Hunnicutt with a midnight call from Hawkeye's father.  Hawkeye is informed of the call and accompanies B.J.and Klinger to the phone, but all Hunnicutt hears from Hawkeye's father is "how?" and "why?" before the phone line is knocked out.

At daybreak, Lieutenant "Digger" Detmuller (Richard Masur) arrives at the camp looking for Captain Pierce, and is surprised to find him still alive.  Detmuller shows Pierce his own death certificate, explaining that he works for Quartermaster Corps morgue detail and is there to collect Pierce's body.  Realizing that his father thinks he's dead (which is why he asked to talk to B.J.), Hawkeye rushes to try to contact his father and reassure him that he is still alive, and Colonel Potter orders Klinger to do what he can to correct the snafu.

At first, Hawkeye accepts the situation with good humor, using his "death" as an excuse to get out of camp duties and Major Burns' bodybuilding class; B.J. decides to throw Hawkeye a wake in the Swamp saying, "What kind of a friend would I be to let you pass away without a party?", and Hawkeye delivers his own eulogy with the guests given 20 minutes for rebuttal.  But through it all Hawkeye worries about his father's grieving.  His inner frustration emerges when Klinger informs him his mail was stopped at HQ, and is later exacerbated when Burns gleefully informs Hawkeye that he has been redlined on the company payroll list, which provokes Hawkeye to jump Burns.  To make matters even worse, security for General Eisenhower's visit to Korea is clamping down on all stateside communication, making contact with Pierce's father nearly impossible.

Eventually Potter gets help from HQ in the person of Captain Pratt (Eldon Quick), who promises to fix the error, but the paperwork is voluminous and the protocol involved is time-consuming.  In the meantime Pierce, with no money or mail, will have to remain, in Pratt's words, an "unperson."  In a fit of anger, Hawkeye decides to accept his fate and desert as a suppositious cadaver; despite Digger's protest that he can't take passengers, Hawkeye climbs on board Digger's cadaver bus and prepares to leave saying, "I'm not a passenger, I'm cargo."  As a deluge of wounded arrive, B.J. attempts to dissuade Hawkeye from leaving, but citing Trapper and Henry's respective departures, Hawkeye argues that the wounded will keep coming whether he's there or not.  The bus drives off, but stops just outside camp in front of Rosie's Bar; Hawkeye grudgingly climbs out the back door and walks back to camp.

The episode ends with Hawkeye on the phone talking to his father, casually explaining how he's still dead as far as the Army is concerned and asking if he could be sent his allowance again.

Production

 This was the first script sold by writers Glen Charles and Les Charles, who went on to produce and write for several sitcoms before co-creating Cheers.
 Although listed in the opening credits, neither Loretta Swit (Margaret) nor Gary Burghoff (Radar) appear in this episode.
 This is one of the few times following the departure of Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevenson from the series that their characters are referenced.
Backdate November 1952 [Episode 3/16 "Bulletin Board"] Dwight Eisenhower vows to go Korea if elected president; in this episode President elect Eisenhower visited Korea in December 1952

References

External links

M*A*S*H (season 4) episodes
1975 American television episodes
Television episodes directed by Alan Alda

The Late Captain Pierce


Thijs van Leer (pronounced: ; born 31 March 1948) is a Dutch singer and keyboardist, best known as the founding member of the rock band Focus as its primary vocalist, keyboardist, and flautist. Born and raised in Amsterdam among a musical family, van Leer took up the piano and flute as a child and pursued them at university and music academies.

From 1967 to 1969, van Leer performed in a theatre cabaret act headed by Ramses Shaffy as his backing vocalist and musician, recorded singles as a solo artist, and produced, arranged, and conducted music for Bojoura. He formed Trio Thijs van Leer, a three-piece rock band which evolved into Focus in late 1969 following the addition of guitarist Jan Akkerman. Focus achieved international success following the release of Moving Waves (1971) and its lead single, "Hocus Pocus", which features van Leer's yodelling and whistling. After several albums with various line-ups, van Leer disbanded Focus in 1978; he reformed the band in 2002.

Van Leer achieved success as a solo artist in the Netherlands. He has collaborated with various artists, and continues to release albums and perform in various capacities. In 2008, van Leer was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau for special services to music.

Early life
Van Leer was born on 31 March 1948 in Amsterdam. His father Ed, a Jewish refugee from the Netherlands, was a classically trained flautist and businessman; his mother Mary was a singer and involved in the Sufi Movement. Van Leer began playing the piano at age three, taught by his mother, and later received lessons from famed pianists Maria Stroo (later Marja Bon) and Gerard Hengeveld. When he was six, van Leer wrote his first composition "Uncle Willy", a tribute to family friend and keyboard teacher Willy Buard who helped pay for his father's flute studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève in Geneva. At eleven, van Leer was given a flute by his father who began teaching his son two years later after he discovered van Leer wished to instead pursue jazz music after he discovered the genre particularly through Miles Davis albums. He said, "I suppose I wanted to reject what I was brought up on. But then I thought the combination of jazz and classical music could be used in rock." With his parents and two brothers, eldest Frank and youngest Maarten, who played the bassoon and piano and flute, respectively, the family would often play music at home together. Van Leer also took up painting, modelling, and performing in plays.

Van Leer attended Hilversum Grammar School where he learned English, French, German, Latin and Ancient Greek. His father was the conductor of the school orchestra, for which van Leer played the harpsichord. He joined the Raoul Angenot Quintet, and at eighteen, won an award at inter-school contests for playing Andante in C Major by Mozart on flute, singing an original love poem to "Stella by Starlight" by Davis, a drama improvisation featuring his own poetry, and an original piano composition titled "Nooit Zal Ik Vergeten (De Nachten Samen met Jou)" ("Never Shall I Forget (The Nights Together with You)". He then joined the Bob de Lat Quartet, who once came fifth in the annual Hilversum jazz contest. After graduating, van Leer did not feel confident enough to attend a music school, so he studied art history at Amsterdam University which he found "very dry". He then learned harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, but disliked the lessons and left early. This was followed by a degree in the flute and composition at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. Van Leer also received tutoring on the piano, orchestration and arrangement with composer and conductor Rogier van Otterloo, and organ with Anthon van der Horst. During his time studying, van Leer participated in plays including those by William Shakespeare and John Webster. Van Leer has cited Steve Winwood, Traffic, Brian Wilson, and The Beach Boys as musical influences who helped inspired him to pursue rock music, with Béla Bartók and Johann Sebastian Bach among his favourite composers.

Career

With Ramses Shaffy
Around 1967, van Leer recorded "Nooit Zal Ik Vergeten" which Phonogram Records released as a 7-inch single which received little attention. In December 1967, during his first year at Amsterdam University, van Leer, unhappy with the course, landed a leading role in the Webster play The Duchess of Malfi. At one rehearsal, he learned from radio and television presenter Willem Duys that singer and actor Ramses Shaffy was in the process of hiring a final member to his four-piece backing band and vocal group for his upcoming theatre act, Shaffy Chantant. Van Leer had seen Shaffy's performances before and enjoyed the singing and jazz-oriented songs. After he called Shaffy and insisted he was suitable for the part, van Leer got an audition within the hour and secretly took his mother's car to get there. Had the audition failed, van Leer later said he would have pursued an acting career. With a performance of "Nooit Zal Ik Vergeten" at the piano, Shaffy was impressed and added van Leer to the cast which included singer Liesbeth List and pianist Louis van Dijk. Shaffy Chantant ran for almost one year from February 1968 for six nights a week, and van Leer was paid 114 guilders a week. A recording of the act was released in 1968 by Philips Records; van Leer learned from Shaffy years later that the track "Jij Bent Nu Daarbinnen" ("You Are Now Within") was about him.

In 1968, during his time with Shaffy, van Leer recorded his second solo single on Philips, "Zolang de Wereld Nog Draait" ("As Long As the World Still Turns"), a Dutch-language version of "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" by Engelbert Humperdinck. This landed him an invitation from drummer Hans Cleuver in September 1968 to play the flute with bassist Martijn Dresden and himself on Jazz and Poetry, a program on the Catholic radio station KRO. For several months they performed on the station with van Leer on the piano, organ, and the addition of "strange" vocals. Van Leer stayed with Shaffy for his next play Shaffy Verkeerd, which opened in January 1969 and featured singer Anneke Grönloh and performances of "MacArthur Park" by Jimmy Webb and "I Shall Be Released" by Bob Dylan, two songs that influenced van Leer as it "Opened my eyes to the use of lyrics. Before that I only really concentrated on instrumental music". Van Leer's final show with Shaffy was Sunset Sunkiss, which received an album release in 1969 on the Philips label with Cleuver and Dresden in the band. This was followed by several performances from the group at some large venues, including shows at the Holland Festival backed by the Metropole Orchestra, the Carré Theatre, and the RAI Centre.

Focus and collaborations

After van Leer left Shaffy's theatre group in mid-1969, he formed a three-piece rock band with Cleuver and Dresden, playing local gigs with a set of covers by Traffic and their own material under the early names of Trio Thijs van Leer and Thijs van Leer and the Rebaptised. They also recorded several radio and television commercials. In November 1969 they were joined by guitarist Jan Akkerman, who had performed with the three on Sunset Sunkiss, and settled on the name Focus, thus completing the first line-up of the band. From December 1969 to June 1970, the four were members of the pit band for the Dutch performance of the rock musical Hair.

Focus released their first album, Focus Plays Focus, better known as its international title In and Out of Focus, in August 1970. Van Leer became a prominent figure in the group, writing the majority of their songs and singing English lyrics. After a line-up change, the band released Moving Waves (1971) that included their international hit single "Hocus Pocus" which featured van Leer's distinct vocals, yodelling, whistling, and scat singing. His influence from the Sufi movement through his mother is displayed in "Moving Waves", a piano and vocal composition he wrote when he was sixteen and quotes a teaching from its creator, Inayat Khan. The album closes with "Eruption", a 22-minute track that is "based on a musical idea" by van Leer who gained inspiration from the operas Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck and L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, combining rock, jazz and classical influences. Focus 3 (1972) includes the band's second hit single "Sylvia" and includes van Leer's organ and operatic vocals. Van Leer's classical background is evident on the van Leer/Akkerman penned title track on Hamburger Concerto from 1974, based on Variations on a Theme by Haydn by Johannes Brahms. The miniature "Delitiae Musicae" equally belongs to Monteverdi.

In 1969, van Leer played the flute on Love Me or Leave Me (1969) by Dutch singer Rita Hovink. The following year, van Leer wrote, arranged and conducted music for singer Bojoura for her third album, The Beauty of Bojoura (1970). She had previously worked with van Leer's trio with Shaffy, singing a cover of "Frank Mills" from Hair. Robin Lent used van Leer to play piano and flute on Scarecrow's Journey (1971), and arranged and played the flute on the Dutch cast production album of Oh! Calcutta! (1971).

Van Leer headed Focus through several line-up changes, and by early 1976 he was the only remaining original member; the group disbanded in 1978.

In 2002, van Leer reformed Focus which has since released the albums Focus 8, Focus 9 / New Skin, "Live In Europe", Focus X,, Golden Oldies, Focus 8.5 / Beyond the Horizon, The Focus Family Album, Focus 11 and Focus 50.

Solo career and other projects

In mid-1972, after securing a solo recording deal with CBS Records, van Leer released his first solo album, Introspection. It features a selection of classical pieces by Bach and Gabriel Faure, Focus songs, and original compositions arranged for flute and orchestra by van Otterloo, and soprano vocals by Letty de Jong. Introspection was a commercial success in the Netherlands, reaching number one for three weeks in early 1973 and earning a gold certification. In late 1975, van Leer released Introspection 2 which spent one week at number one in the Netherlands during a 19-week stay in the top 10. Van Leer continued the album series with Introspection 3, in 1977.

After Focus split in 1978, van Leer continued with his solo career and took part in various projects. He formed the rock band Conxi, featuring Dutch and Senegalese musicians, and a rock group Van Leer with an American singer.

In the early 1980s, van Leer worked and toured with Spanish singer Miguel Ríos playing keyboards and flute on his albums Extraños en el escaparate (1981), Rock & Ríos (1982) and El rock de una noche de verano (1983).

In 1981, van Leer formed the multi-national band Pedal Point with musicians Tato Gomez and  from Chile and Paul Shigihara from Japan. They recorded a double album, Dona Nobis Pacem, based on a composition van Leer had written that he later cited as "one of the most important compositions of mine", and a high point of his career in an artistic sense.

In 1985, van Leer reunited with Akkerman and together recorded Focus: Jan Akkerman & Thijs van Leer (1985).

Van Leer was one of the artists who recorded the song Shalom from Holland (written by Simon Hammelburg and Ron Klipstein) as a token of solidarity to the Israeli people, threatened by missiles from Iraq, during the first Gulf War in 1991.

He also appeared as a guest musician on the album, Into the Electric Castle, by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's musical project Ayreon.

In 2008, Explore Multimedia released van Leer's first solo album in almost a decade, The Home Concert. The album features recordings made in his living room as he played material for Focus 9. The album is exclusively available online.

On 13 September 2008, van Leer was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau for "special services to music."

In 2010, van Leer performed at a concert with Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno to celebrate 40 years of imaginative music

Personal life
On 15 May 1972, van Leer married Roselie Peters. Together they had two children: daughter Bella and son Banten. The marriage ended in divorce by the early 1980s. He subsequently married Thea van der Kaay, ex-wife of Ruud Jacobs, but after twenty years they divorced too. Together they had three children: Eva and Berenice and son Ruben. Presently van Leer lives in Lathum, the Netherlands with his third wife, Annelies Lommen.

Discography

Solo albums

Introspection (1972)
O My Love (1975)
Introspection 2 (1975)
Musica per la Notte di Natale (1976)
Introspection 3 (1977)
Nice to Have Met You (1978) - Recorded in 1977.
Introspection 4 (1979)
Collage (1980)
Pedal Point: Dona Nobis Pacem''' (1981)Reflections (1981)Focus (Jan Akkerman & Thijs van Leer album) (1985) - Recorded in 1984.Renaissance (1986)I Hate Myself (For Loving You) (1987)Introspection '92 (1992)Musical Melody (1994)Bolero (1996; CD version of the Reflections with two extra tracks)Summertime (1996)Joy to the World (1996)Instrumental Hymns (1997)The Glorious Album (1999; reissued in 2000 as 12 Mooiste Liederen (12 Most Beautiful Songs))Bach for a New Age (1999)Etudes Sans Gêne (2006; limited edition DVD) - Recorded in 2001.The Home Concert (2008) - Recorded in 2005.Sir Thijs van Leer: Live at Trading Boundaries (2015) - Recorded in 2014.

with Thomas Blug BandGuitar From The Heart/Live (2005; DVD)Guitar From The Heart – Live in Raalte, NL (2005)Soul & Pepper'' (2009)

References

Sources

External links

 Discography: http://www.mpq.com.br/focus/solos/solos1.htm

1948 births
Living people
Musicians from Amsterdam
Jewish rock musicians
Alumni of the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève
Dutch people of Jewish descent
Dutch flautists
Dutch keyboardists
Progressive rock keyboardists
Progressive rock organists
Dutch organists
Male organists
Dutch male singer-songwriters
Dutch singer-songwriters
Singers with a four-octave vocal range
Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau
21st-century organists
21st-century Dutch male singers
21st-century Dutch singers
Focus (band) members
20th-century Dutch male singers
20th-century flautists
21st-century flautists
Conservatorium van Amsterdam alumni

Thijs van Leer


Fort Totten is a former active United States Army installation in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the Willets Point peninsula on the north shore of Long Island. Fort Totten is at the head of Little Neck Bay, where the East River widens to become Long Island Sound.  While the U.S. Army Reserve continues to maintain a presence at the fort, the property is now owned by the City of New York. The neighborhood has buses and served by MTA Regional Bus Operations Q13 and Q16 Buses.

History

Civil War era
Construction began on the Fort at Willets Point in 1862 (named Fort Totten in 1898), after the land was purchased by the U.S. Government in 1857 from the Willets family. The fort is close to the Queens neighborhoods of Bay Terrace, Bayside, Beechhurst and Whitestone. The original purpose was to defend the East River approach to New York Harbor, combined with the preceding Fort Schuyler, which faces it from Throggs Neck in the Bronx on the opposite side of the river entrance. The fort was among several forts of the third system of seacoast defense in the United States begun in the first year of the Civil War. The initial design was drawn up by Robert E. Lee in 1857 and modified during construction by Chief Engineer Joseph G. Totten. Unusually, it was designed with four tiers of cannon facing the water totaling 68 guns. In the United States, only Castle Williams on Governors Island, Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, and Fort Point in San Francisco shared this feature. However, construction was abandoned after the war, as masonry forts were considered obsolete following severe damage to some in the American Civil War. Only one tier and part of a second tier of the two seacoast walls was completed; the three landward walls received little work. From 1861 to 1898 the fort area was known as Camp Morgan, named for New York Governor Edwin D. Morgan.

1869-1890
In 1869 the Engineer School of Application was established at the future Fort Totten, remaining there until 1901. One of its first missions was the development of underwater minefields, which with some modernization would remain an important coast defense element through World War II. Major Henry Larcom Abbot, the first commander of the school, was instrumental in developing these. Two earthwork batteries were built in the 1870s; the first was a battery of 27 guns as part of a short-lived fort improvement program, while the second was a battery of 16 mortars. The latter was the prototype for the "Abbot Quad" arrangement, developed by Major Abbot and used for the first 12-inch coast defense mortar deployments in the 1890s. In 1871 a tunnel was built connecting the upper 27-gun battery with the incomplete fort. In 1890 the Engineer School experimented with the Sims torpedo, an electric self-propelled torpedo partly designed by Thomas Edison.

Endicott era (1890-1916)
In 1885 the Endicott Board made sweeping recommendations for new coast defenses, and among them was upgrading Fort Totten. The fort was named in 1898 after former Chief of Engineers Major General Joseph Gilbert Totten, the premier American designer of forts in the early 19th Century, and new gun batteries were built 1897-1904 as part of the Coast Defenses of Eastern New York as follows:

Battery King was built by converting two of the four pits of the earlier mortar battery to concrete, with four mortars in each pit. A mine casemate, part of a controlled underwater minefield, was also built circa 1900, replacing an experimental 1876 casemate. Unusually, the Coast Defenses of Eastern New York were soon superseded by the concurrently-built Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound, with most of the guns of the former removed in World War I, and almost all of Fort Totten (except the 3-inch guns) disarmed by 1935. In 1901 the Engineer School was transferred to Washington, DC, and the emerging United States Army Coast Artillery Corps took over the further development of coast defenses.

World War I
After the American entry into World War I a number of changes took place at most stateside coast defense forts. With the threat from German surface ships unlikely, they became more important as mobilization and training centers. Their garrisons were reduced to provide trained heavy artillery crews for the Western Front, and many of their weapons were removed with a view to getting them into the fight eventually. The Coast Artillery operated almost all US heavy and railway artillery in that war, primarily weapons purchased from the French and British. Fort Totten's 5-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch batteries were dismounted in 1917-1918 as potential railway or, in the case of the 5-inchers, field artillery. Battery Mahan's two 12-inch guns and Battery Sumner's pair of 8-inch guns were transferred to the railway artillery program. Battery Graham's pair of 10-inch guns were transferred to Fort Hamilton in 1919, probably to replace similar guns there. Battery Stuart's 5-inch guns were mounted on field carriages and sent to France. However, a history of the 5-inch regiment in France indicates that they never received ammunition and did not complete training before the Armistice. Another history states that only three 8-inch guns arrived in France of the US Army's World War I railway artillery program; most railway guns were not completed until after the Armistice.

Between the wars
In 1920 Battery Baker's pair of 3-inch M1898 guns was removed, part of a general removal from service of this type of weapon. Around this time a 3-gun anti-aircraft battery was built, probably armed with the 3-inch gun M1917. In 1935 Fort Totten's last heavy armament, the mortars of Battery King, were removed and the Harbor Defenses of Eastern New York effectively inactivated, although a minefield possibly remained in reserve and the command remained in service until mid-1942. This left Fort Totten with four 3-inch guns that served through World War II, probably to guard the potential minefield.

World War II
In December 1941 Fort Totten became the headquarters for the anti-aircraft portion of the Eastern Defense Command, organizing anti-aircraft defenses for the entire east coast. On 9 May 1942 the Harbor Defenses of Eastern New York was inactivated and consolidated into the Harbor Defenses of New York; HD Eastern New York eventually disbanded on 22 May 1944.

Cold War
In 1954, the fort became a Project Nike air defense site. Although no Nike missiles were located at Fort Totten, it was the regional headquarters for the New York area; administrative offices and personnel housing were located at the fort. By 1966 the fort was home to the headquarters of the 1st Region, Army Air Defense Command. Fort Totten was also headquarters for the 66th Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion and the 41st AAA Gun Battalion. The 66th Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion's missiles were placed at nearby Hart Island, with the radars at Fort Slocum on Davids Island. The 90 mm gun batteries of the 41st were located throughout Long Island.

1970s
According to rumor, Fort Totten was the location of the safe house where Joe Valachi, the Genovese family mob turncoat and subject of a book called "The Valachi Papers", was hidden in 1970; he was later sent to a Federal prison in Texas where he died the following year. In 1974, as part of defense budget reductions following the end of the Vietnam War, and due to the disestablishment of the Nike missile system in CONUS, Fort Totten was closed as a Regular Army installation and the remaining military presence assumed by the Army Reserve.

Current status

The current military presence at Fort Totten is centered on the 77th Sustainment Brigade, its subordinate units, and the 533rd Brigade Support Battalion of the U.S. Army Reserve.

Much of the fort has become a public park and is open for tours by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. It is accessible by the Cross Island Parkway and Clearview Expressway (I-295).  The Fort Totten Visitor's Center has been refurbished and houses a museum with exhibits about the history of Fort Totten. Parts are used by the New York Police Department (including the former naval minefield facilities) and the FDNY as a training center. Also, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 12-1 is located here.

During the winter months, a large variety of migratory waterfowl can be observed in the surrounding waters: Little Bay to the west, Long Island Sound to the north, and Little Neck Bay to the east. Most buildings are dilapidated and unused. Fort Totten is also a sports complex, with an outdoor pool, baseball fields and three soccer fields used for youth soccer.

Fort Totten is designated as a New York City Historic District.

Fort Totten Officers' Club

The Fort Totten Officers' Club, known as "the Castle", is home to the Bayside Historical Society, which hosts events, historic exhibitions and cultural programs. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

The club building was designed by Robert E. Lee in his pre-Civil War capacity as a military engineer but not built until the 1870s, although some historians believe that the actual design was done by a subordinate and merely approved by Lee. The building was designed in the neo-Gothic style popular at the time and was not created specifically for Fort Totten but rather was a generic design approved by the Army for use at military installations. Identical structures were built at other Army forts and the Castle design was adopted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as their insignia, although the reason for this action is murky. A local tradition is that the Corps of Engineers symbol derived from the Fort Totten building, but the reverse is more likely: the building design was based on a castle in part because this symbol had long been identified with Army engineers. The club was built in the 1870s and the engineer castle symbol dates from circa 1840. When Fort Totten's Castle was restored in the 1990s, the Corps of Engineers was contacted in the hope that they would participate, particularly since the Fort Totten Castle was occupied at one time by the Corps of Engineers, but the military failed to show any interest.

In popular culture
 In the TV series The Endgame, Fort Totten is used as a government black site, and is where criminal mastermind Elena Federova is detained upon her capture.
 The music video for Jay-Z's collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna, "Run This Town", was filmed on August 6, 2009 at Fort Totten.
 Fort Totten appeared in the TV series White Collar, episode 13 season 5, "Diamond Exchange".
 Fort Totten appears in season 4 episode 13 of Blue Bloods (TV Series), "Unfinished Business".
 Fort Totten appears in season 5 episode 17 of Third Watch  (TV Series), "Family Ties: Part II".

See also
Fort Totten (disambiguation)
 Seacoast defense in the United States
Totten (disambiguation)
 United States Army Coast Artillery Corps

References

External links

Fort Totten - NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation
Bayside Historical Society
Fort Totten, NY Alumni
New York State Military Museum - Information about Fort Totten
 List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
 FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts

1862 establishments in New York (state)
Totten
Totten
Military and war museums in New York (state)
New York (state) in the American Civil War
Museums in Queens, New York
Parks in Queens, New York
Nature centers in New York City
Installations of the United States Army
Military history of New York City
National Register of Historic Places in Queens, New York
Totten
New York City designated historic districts
New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens, New York
Bayside, Queens
East River

Fort Totten (Queens)


A gene family is a set of several similar genes. They occur by the duplication of a single original gene. Usually they have similar biochemical functions. The idea that genes get duplicated is almost as old as the science of genetics.

One such family are the genes for human haemoglobin subunits. The ten genes are in two clusters on different chromosomes, called the α-globin and β-globin loci.  These two gene clusters are thought to have arisen from a precursor gene being duplicated, about 500 million years ago.

The biggest gene family is said to be the olfaction genes. The homeobox genes are another important group.

Genes for the immune system include several gene families. They code for the major histocompatibility complex, and the immunoglobulins. The toll-like receptors are the main sensors of infection in mammals.

References

Genetics

Gene family


Lawrence Kushner (born 1943) is a Reform rabbi and the scholar-in-residence at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, California.

Biography
Born in Detroit in 1943, Kushner graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Cincinnati and went on to receive his rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. He served for 28 years at Congregation Beth-El in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and currently serves as the Emanu-El Scholar-in-Residence at Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco.

In addition, he is an adjunct member of the faculty of the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, and he has taught spirituality and mysticism, and has mentored rabbinic students as a visiting professor at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City.

Kushner and his wife have three adult children. His daughter, Noa, is the founding rabbi at The Kitchen, an independent congregation in San Francisco.

Books
Rabbi Kushner has authored and co-authored numerous articles, as well as more than 18 books, for children and adults, which have been translated into six languages.

Honey from the Rock: Visions of Jewish Mystical Renewal, Jewish Lights Publishing, 1977.
The Invisible Chariot: An Introduction to Kabbalah and Spirituality for Young Adults, with Deborah Kerdeman, A.R.E. Publishing, 1986.
The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism, Consciousness Jewish Lights Publishing 2nd edition, September 1990,
The Book of Letters: A Mystical Alef-Bait Jewish Lights Publishing, 1990.
God Was in This Place and I, i Did Not Know: Finding Self, Spirituality, and Ultimate Meaning Jewish Lights Publishing, 1993.
Sparks beneath the Surface: A Spiritual Commentary on the Torah, Translator and editor, with Rabbi Kerry Olitsky, Jason Aronson, December 1993.
The Book of Miracles: A Young Person's Guide to Jewish Spiritual Awareness Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1987. Jewish Lights Publishing; 10th anniversary edition, 1997.
Invisible Lines of Connection: Sacred Stories of the Ordinary Jewish Lights Publishing, March 1998,
The Book of Words (Sefer Shel Devarim): Talking Spiritual Life, Living Spiritual Talk Jewish Lights Publishing, September 1998
Eyes Remade for Wonder: A Lawrence Kushner Reader Jewish Lights Publishing, September 1998.
Kabbalah: The Way of Light Peter Pauper Press, 1999.
Honey from the Rock: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism Jewish Lights Publishing, December 1999.
Because Nothing Looks Like God Jewish Lights Publishing, November 2000.
Where Is God?, with Karen Kushner, illustrated by Dawn W. Majewski, Skylight Paths, 2000.
How Does God Make Things Happen?, with Karen Kushner, illustrated by Dawn W. Majewski, Skylight Paths, 2001.
Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians Jewish Lights Publishing, August 2001,
What Does God Look Like?, with Karen Kushner, illustrated by Dawn W. Majewski, Skylight Paths, 2001.
Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, with David Mamet, Schocken Bilingual edition, 2003.
In God's Hands, with Gary Schmidt, Jewish Lights Publishing, June 27, 2005.
Kabbalah: A Love Story, Morgan Road Books, 2006.
Filling Words with Light: Hasidic and Mystical Reflections on Jewish Prayer, with Rabbi Nehemia Polen, Jewish Lights Publishing, August 30, 2007.
I'm God; You're not: Observations on Organized Religion & Other Disguises of the Ego, Jewish Lights Publishing, October 2010,

References

Living people
1943 births
Clergy from Detroit
American Reform rabbis
University of Cincinnati alumni
Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni
21st-century American rabbis

Lawrence Kushner


The Professional Building is a historic commercial building at 177-179 Main Street in Waterville, Maine.  Built in 1923 to a design by Miller & Mayo of Portland, it is a rare early example of Art Deco architecture in the state.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Description and history
Waterville's Professional Building stands on the east side of Main Street in the city's downtown business district, at its northeast corner with Appleton Street.  It is a four-story structure, with a steel frame clad in brick and concrete. Its main street facade is five bays wide, with the outer bays projecting slightly, giving the impression of towers. The outer bays on both street facades have entrances set in decorated segmented arch surrounds, and the entire first floor is topped by decorate concrete work.  The top of the build has similar decorative elements, with raised parapets at the corners.  Windows in the corner bays are standard sash, with decorative panels between, while inner bays have groups of three windows in a narrow-wide-narrow configuration.  The bays are articulated by projecting brick piers, capped by decorative elements at the parapet above.

The building was designed by the noted Portland firm of Miller and Mayo, and was built in 1923.  At the time of its construction, it was (with more than 30,000 square feet of prime commercial and office space) the largest building of its type in the city.  Its architectural details also represent an unusually early example of Art Deco elements in the state.

See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Kennebec County, Maine

References

Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Kennebec County, Maine
Art Deco architecture in Maine
Buildings and structures in Waterville, Maine
Commercial buildings completed in 1923
1923 establishments in Maine

Professional Building (Waterville, Maine)


ETS homologous factor is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EHF gene.
This gene encodes a protein that belongs to an ETS transcription factor subfamily characterized by epithelial-specific expression (ESEs). The encoded protein acts as a transcriptional repressor and may be associated with asthma susceptibility. This protein may be involved in epithelial differentiation and carcinogenesis.

Further reading

Cangemi, R., Mensah, A., Albertini, V., Jain, A., Mello-Grand, M., Chiorino, G., Catapano, C.V. & Carbone, G.M. Reduced expression and tumor suppressor function of the ETS transcription factor ESE-3 in prostate cancer. Oncogene 27, 2877-2885 (2008).

Albino D, Longoni N, Curti L, Mello-Grand M, Pinton S, Civenni G, Thalmann G, D'Ambrosio G, Sarti M, Sessa F, Chiorino G, Catapano CV, Carbone GM. ESE3/EHF controls epithelial cell differentiation and its loss leads to prostate tumors with mesenchymal and stem-like features. Cancer Res. 2012 Jun 1;72(11):2889-900.

Kunderfranco, P., Mello-Grand, M., Cangemi, R., Pellini, S., Mensah, A., Albertini, V., Malek, A., Chiorino, G., Catapano, C.V. & Carbone, G.M. ETS transcription factors control transcription of EZH2 and epigenetic silencing of the tumor suppressor gene Nkx3.1 in prostate cancer. PLoS One 5, e10547 (2010).

References

External links

Transcription factors

EHF (gene)


Zechariah ( Zəḵaryā, "remember Yah"; ; Zacharias in KJV; Zachary in the Douay–Rheims Bible; Zakariyya () in Islamic tradition) is a figure in the New Testament and the Quran, and venerated in Christianity and Islam. In the Bible he is the father of John the Baptist, a priest of the sons of Aaron in the Gospel of Luke (), and the husband of Elizabeth who is a relative of the Virgin Mary ().

Biblical account

According to the Gospel of Luke, during the reign of king Herod, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the course of Abia, whose wife Elizabeth was also of the priestly family of Aaron. The evangelist states that both the parents were righteous before God, since they were "blameless" in observing the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. When the events related in Luke began, their marriage was still childless, because Elizabeth was "barren", and they were both "well advanced in years" ().

The duties at the temple in Jerusalem alternated between each of the family lines that had descended from those appointed by king David (). Luke states that during the week when it was the duty of Zechariah's family line to serve at "the temple of the Lord", the lot for performing the incense offering had fallen to Zechariah ().

The Gospel of Luke states that while Zechariah ministered at the altar of incense, an angel of the Lord appeared and announced to him that his wife would give birth to a son, whom he was to name John, and that this son would be the forerunner of the Lord (). Citing their advanced age, Zechariah asked with disbelief for a sign whereby he would know the truth of this prophecy. In reply, the angel identified himself as Gabriel, sent especially by God to make this announcement, and added that because of Zechariah's doubt he would be struck dumb and "not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed". Consequently, when he went out to the waiting worshippers in the temple's outer courts, he was unable to speak the customary blessing ().

After returning to his house in "Hebron, in the hill country of Judah", his wife Elizabeth conceived. After Elizabeth completed her fifth month of pregnancy, her relative Mary was visited by the same angel, Gabriel. While still a virgin, Gabriel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'" Joseph, to whom Mary was betrothed, found out that she was pregnant, obviously disturbing news. Because he "was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife."

Mary then traveled to visit her relative Elizabeth, having been told by the angel that Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Mary remained about three months before she returned to her own house (;).

Elizabeth gave birth, and on the eighth day, when their son was to be circumcised according to the commandment, her neighbours and relatives assumed that he was to be named after his father. Elizabeth, however, insisted that his name was to be John; so the family then questioned her husband. As soon as Zechariah had written on a writing table: "His name is John", he regained the power of speech, and blessed "the Lord God of Israel" with a prophecy known as the Benedictus or "Song of Zechariah" ().

The child grew up and "waxed strong in spirit", but remained in the deserts of Judæa until he assumed the ministry that was to earn him the name "John the Baptist" (; ; Matthew 3:1).

Other Christian traditions

Identification with Zechariah from Matthew
Origen suggested that the Zechariah mentioned in  as having been killed between the temple and the altar may be the father of John the Baptist.

Death

The Gospel of James, a 2nd-century apocryphal work, recounts that, at the time of the massacre of the Innocents, when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all males under the age of two in an attempt to prevent the prophesied Messiah from coming to Israel, Zechariah refused to divulge the whereabouts of his son (who was in hiding), and he was therefore murdered by Herod's soldiers. This account is also present in subsequent Eastern Orthodox tradition.

Commemoration
The Catholic Church commemorates him as a saint, along with Elizabeth, on September 23 as it is believed that his temple duty before John the Baptist's conception took place on the Day of Atonement. He is also venerated as a prophet in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on 5 September. The Armenian Apostolic Church venerates him on September 5th as well, along with his wife Elizabeth. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates the feast day of Zechariah on September 5, together with Elizabeth, who is considered a matriarch. Zechariah and Elizabeth are invoked in several prayers during the Orthodox Mystery of Crowning (Sacrament of Marriage), as the priest blesses the newly married couple, saying "Thou who didst... accept Zechariah and Elizabeth, and didst make their offspring the Forerunner..." and "...bless them, O Lord our God, as Thou didst Zechariah and Elizabeth...". In the Greek Orthodox calendar, Zechariah and Elizabeth are also commemorated on June 24.

Relics veneration
San Zaccaria, Venice claims to house the relics of Zechariah, entombed alongside those of Athanasius of Alexandria. Armenians believe that the Gandzasar monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh contains his relics; however, his relics were also kept in the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople, where they were brought by the praefectus urbi Ursus on 4 September, 415.

His relics uncovering is commemorated by Greek Orthodox Church on 11 February, and on 1 December occurs commemoration of his, James and Simeon relics translation in 351, and 25 May is commemoration of their relics discover also in 351.

Tomb venerated in Byzantine period

In 2003, a 4th-century inscription on the so-called Tomb of Absalom, a 1st-century monument in Jerusalem, was deciphered as, "This is the tomb of Zachariah, the martyr, the holy priest, the father of John." This suggests to some scholars that it is the burial place of Zechariah the father of John the Baptist. Professor Gideon Foerster at the Hebrew University states that the inscription tallies with a 6th-century Christian text by a pilgrim named Theodosius which states that Zechariah was buried with Simon the Elder and James the brother of Jesus, and believes that both are authentic. Zias and Puech suggest the inscription may refer to another 'Zekariah' mentioned by Josephus and the Talmud who was martyred in the time of Vespasian. They also suggest the inscription casts doubt on the tomb being Absalom's. Although it was referred to as such in the 1st century, Absalom had lived centuries earlier.

In Islam

Zechariah (Arabic: زكريا Zakariyya) is also a prophet in Islam, and is mentioned in the Qur'an as the father of Yaḥyā (John the Baptist). Zechariah is also believed by some Muslims to have been a martyr. An old tradition narrates that Zechariah was sawn in half, in a death which resembles that attributed to Isaiah in Lives of the Prophets.

See also
Biblical narratives and the Qur'an
Qiṣaṣ al-'Anbiyā' (, Stories of the Prophets (in Islam))

References

External links

Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist Orthodox icon and synaxarion

1st-century BCE Jews
1st-century BC clergy
Angelic visionaries
Gospel of Luke
Jewish priests
People in the canonical gospels
Prophets of the New Testament
Roman-era Jews
Saints from the Holy Land
Christian saints from the New Testament
Massacre of the Innocents
1st-century BC Christian saints
New Testament people in Mandaeism
John the Baptist

Zechariah (New Testament figure)


Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was originally a metallic garland for Christmas decoration. The modern production of tinsel typically involves plastic, and is used particularly to decorate Christmas trees. It may be hung from ceilings or wrapped around statues, lampposts, and so on. Modern tinsel was invented in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1610, and was originally made of shredded silver.

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the word is from the Old French word estincele, meaning "sparkle".

History
In the 16th-century the word "tinsel" was used for a variety of lightweight fabrics with a metallic effect made with silk and gold and silver thread. These tinsel fabrics were used in elite clothes, masque costume, and for heraldric banners and flags. Elizabeth of York bought "tynsell satin" in 1502 and the wardrobe of Margaret Tudor included "tynsen" in 1515. Tinsel and "tilsent" were less costly than Cloth of gold. Tinsel was used for a veil or caul worn by Mary I of England at her coronation in 1553.

Modern tinsel was invented in Nuremberg around 1610.  Tinsel was originally made from extruded strands of silver. Because silver tarnishes quickly, other shiny metals were substituted. Before the 19th century, tinsel was used for adorning sculptures rather than Christmas trees. It was added to Christmas trees to enhance the flickering of the candles on the tree. Tinsel was used to represent the starry sky over a Nativity scene.

By the early 20th century, manufacturing advances allowed cheap aluminium-based tinsel, and until World War I, France was the world leader in its manufacture. Production was curtailed during the First World War as a result of wartime demand for copper.

During the 1950s, tinsel and tinsel garlands were so popular that they frequently were used more than Christmas lights, as tinsel was much less of a fire hazard than lights were for the then-popular  aluminum Christmas trees, which were made from flammable aluminized paper.

Lead foil was a popular material for tinsel manufacture for several decades of the 20th century. Unlike silver, lead tinsel did not tarnish, so it retained its shine. However, use of lead tinsel was phased out after the 1960s due to concern that it exposed children to a risk of lead poisoning. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded in August 1971 that lead tinsel caused an unnecessary risk to children, and convinced manufacturers and importers to voluntarily stop producing or importing lead tinsel after January 1, 1972. The FDA did not actually ban the product because the agency did not have the evidence needed to declare lead tinsel a "health hazard."

Modern tinsel is typically made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film coated with a metallic finish. Coated mylar film also has been used. These plastic forms of tinsel do not hang as well as tinsel made from heavy metals such as silver and lead.

Figurative use
Germans refer to a row of military Awards and decorations as Lametta (German for tinsel), similar to dressing in full regalia or with a high level of formality. The expression was coined earlier to describe the appearance of Hermann Göring, e.g. in a Chanson by Claire Waldoff, Rechts Lametta, links Lametta, Und der Bauch wird imma fetta (right tinsel, left tinsel, and the belly gets immense).

Humorist Loriot's 1977 film Weihnachten bei Hoppenstedts about a family Christmas involved a Prussian-educated grandfather humming the Helenenmarsch with "ra-da-buff" and deploring the lack of tinsel ("Früher war mehr Lametta!" "There used to be more tinsel!"), thus lamenting the changes in life due to the course of time, has become proverbial.

Other uses

Tinsel prints are two different types of print, where tinsel is added after printing, for decorative effect.  The older type is a rare style of German religious woodcut from the early 15th century. The later type is English and 19th-century, especially used for prints of actors in their roles.

Tinsel has many traditional uses in India, including decorations on images, garlands for weddings and other ceremonies, and ornamental trappings for horses and elephants. Tinsels of various types are popular materials used in fly tying.

See also
 Festoon
 Legend of the Christmas Spider
 Chaff (countermeasure)

References

Christmas decorations
Christmas in Germany
Christmas trees

Tinsel


Michael Joseph Owen (born 13 July 1962) is a former Australian politician. He was the Liberal member for Bass Hill in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1986 to 1988.

Owen was educated at St Therese Primary School in Padstow Heights, and then at De La Salle College in Revesby and Benilde High School in Bankstown. He worked as an insurance agent and real estate salesman before entering politics. He joined the Liberal Party in 1980, and served as Vice-President and then President of the Bankstown Young Liberals; he was also President and Treasurer of the Blaxland Federal Electoral Council and Vice-President of the Bankstown State Electoral Council.

In 1985, Owen was elected to Bankstown City Council at a by-election, representing the Liberal Party. He was re-elected in 1987, and served on the council until 1991, when he did not seek re-election.

In 1986, Premier Neville Wran resigned from parliament, triggering a by-election for Bass Hill, a safe Labor seat. Owen was selected as the Liberal candidate, and won the seat by 103 votes after the distribution of preferences, with the Labor primary vote dropping by 22.17% from the previous election. The seat was redistributed prior to the next election, consolidating it for Labor, and Owen was defeated by his opponent in the election Bill Lovelee whom Owen had earlier defeated at the by-election. He has not returned to politics.

References

1962 births
Living people
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

Michael Owen (politician)


The Barbados National Trust, founded in 1960, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect the natural and artistic heritage of Barbados and to increase public awareness of the country's historic and architectural treasures. These include a number of different cemeteries, gardens, historic houses, nature reserves, park areas, windmills and coastal areas.

The Trust also runs museums displaying a collection of artefacts owned and made by Barbadians, as well as an education programme, focusing on the island's history and what it means to the future.

The Barbados National Trust has built a good working relationship with other National Trusts worldwide, equally with the organisations and their members, in places such as Canada, Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, and the United States.

Published works

See also

Plantation Reserve
List of plantations in Barbados

External links
 , Barbados National Trust

1960 establishments in Barbados
Barbadian culture
Charities based in Barbados
National trusts
Nature conservation in Barbados
Organizations established in 1960
Tourism in Barbados

Barbados National Trust


Philip Alford Potter (19 August 1921 – 31 March 2015) was a leader in the Methodist Church and the third General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (1972–1984).

Early life and work
Potter was born at Roseau, Dominica, West Indies into a Christian family with a Protestant mother and a Catholic father.

He was active in church matters from an early age, and then became a lay pastor and ordained minister. He worked on the island of Nevis and with Creole-speaking people of rural Haiti, then on the staff of the Methodist Missionary Society in London. He represented the Jamaica Student Christian Movement at the 1947 world conference on Christian youth in Oslo, Norway, then was a spokesperson for youth at the first two assemblies of the World Council of Churches (WCC), at Amsterdam (1948) and Evanston (1954). In 1984 Potter received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of
Theology  at Uppsala University, Sweden.

World Council of Churches
Potter moved to Geneva in 1954 to work in the WCC's youth department, and remained with the WCC until his retirement. He was the chairperson of the World Student Christian Federation from 1960 to 1968. From 1972 to 1984, he served as the WCC's General Secretary. He was the first president of WSCF's Centennial Fund. He is considered a leader in world ecumenism.

In a speech on the occasion of his 85th birthday, at the WCC's 9th Assembly at Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006, Samuel Kobia (then General Secretary of the WCC) remarked, "Great strides were taken by the World Council of Churches under Philip Potter's leadership; among the most memorable were the development of the theological consensus document Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, the continuation of a courageous campaign against apartheid in southern Africa and other forms of racism throughout the world, a vigorous debate on the nature of post-colonial Christian mission, a co-ordinated witness for peace amid East-West tensions and the threat of nuclear annihilation, as well as an exploration of new forms of spirituality, worship and music drawing on the diverse traditions of the churches."

In November 2009 the WSCF launched the Philip Potter Fund. This Fund is to support Ecumenical Leadership Formation of young people through the WSCF. In conjunction with the WSCF event in November the WCC renamed its library The Philip Potter Library.

Personal life
Potter's first wife, Doreen, the daughter of a Jamaican Methodist minister, died of cancer in 1980. In 1985, Potter married Bärbel Wartenberg, later Bishop of Lübeck, Germany 2001-2008. He died on 31 March 2015 in Lübeck, Germany.

References

External links

1921 births
2015 deaths
Methodist ministers
Dominica Methodist missionaries
Dominica expatriates in Switzerland
Methodist missionaries in Haiti
Methodist missionaries in Saint Kitts and Nevis
People of the World Council of Churches
Dominica expatriates in Saint Kitts and Nevis
Dominica expatriates in Haiti
Dominica expatriates in the United Kingdom
Recipients of the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo
People from  Roseau

Philip Potter (church leader)


Marc David Gonsalves (born 1972) is an American Northrop Grumman employee who was abducted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and was held hostage from February 13, 2003, to July 2, 2008. He was rescued in Operation Jaque, along with the two other American contractors, Ingrid Betancourt, and eleven members of the Colombian security forces. On March 12, 2009, Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes were each awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom.

Biography

Early life and education
Marc Gonsalves is the son of George Gonsalves and Jo Rosano. He was raised in Bristol, Connecticut and has a brother.

Career
Gonsalves served as an imagery analyst in the United States Air Force for eight years prior to becoming a contractor employed by California Microwave Systems, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman.

Marriage and children
Gonsalves and his ex-wife have three children. On July 17, 2008, Marc Gonsalves filed for divorce.

Mission in Colombia
Marc Gonsalves was part of a team of a dozen or so pilots and technicians overseen by the U.S. Southern Command. Their operation was dubbed the Southcom Reconnaissance System, and Northrop Grumman held the $8.6 million contract for the work.

As the program became increasingly successful, several former pilots and others familiar with the program said civilian managers pushed flight crews farther over the jungles, often at night and sometimes 300 miles from their base.

Their mission expanded, too, from locating targets in the illegal drug trade chosen by the American Embassy to keeping a lookout for leftist terrorist guerrillas, who also delved in the drug trade, including those of FARC.

By 2002, pilots began to worry about what they perceived to be the lack of power and speed of their planes – the single-engine Cessna Caravan – for a country as big and mountainous as Colombia.

Two pilots, Paul C. Hooper and Douglas C. Cocker, wrote letters in November and December 2002 to Northrop Grumman warning that flying single-engine planes was a recipe for disaster. The letters suggested that the Cessnas be replaced with twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 300s.

The planes were not replaced, and the two pilots resigned. After two crashes, which temporarily halted the program, Northrop Grumman resumed the operation under a different name, the Colombia Surveillance System, using twin-engine planes.

After the first crash, the program was transferred to a newly created company, CIAO Inc.

Abduction
Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes, and Keith Stansell were on a drug surveillance mission in Colombia's cocaine-producing southern jungle when their single-engine Cessna plane crashed on February 13, 2003, in territory controlled by FARC.

The American pilot, Tom Janis, and a Colombian army intelligence officer, Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz, were led out by FARC gunmen and shot. The three surviving Americans (Gonsalves, Stansell and Howes) were forced to march with the guerrillas, deeper and deeper into the jungle. After this, the three Americans' exact location was lost by US intelligence. Three other Americans associated with Northrop Grumman made an attempt to find the hostages by air, but were all killed when their plane hit a tree.

Then Colombian journalist Jorge Botero was allowed to contact the hostages and record a tape to prove that they were alive and well – and ready to be traded for imprisoned members of the FARC being held by the Colombian government.

Publications
Out of Captivity is a book authored by Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Thomas Howes with the assistance of author Gary Brozek about their time spent as hostages of FARC guerrillas.

See also
List of kidnappings
List of political hostages held by FARC
List of solved missing person cases

References

External links
Americans Held Hostage - web site dedicated to the hostages release.
Held Hostage in Colombia documentary film
The Forgotten Hostages on CBS 60 Minutes II

2000s missing person cases
American people taken hostage
Formerly missing people
Kidnapped businesspeople
Living people
Missing person cases in Colombia
People from Bristol, Connecticut
Recipients of the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom
United States Air Force officers
1972 births

Marc Gonsalves


The State Intelligence Services (SIS), formerly the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), is the intelligence agency of the Gambia. It was founded following the 1994 military coup d'état by the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (APRFC), which was led by Yahya Jammeh. Its current head is Ousman Sowe.

History
The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was founded in 1995 by Decree no. 45 issued by the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC). The AFPRC had come to power under the leadership of Yahya Jammeh in a 1994 military coup. It was set up to replace the National Security Service of Dawda Jawara's government. Initially, its purpose was to combat threats from dissidents within the armed forces itself. However, its role was quickly expanded to meet both real and perceived challenges from civilian critics and opponents. Despite the transition to a civilian government in 1996, the original military decree was retained, allowing the NIA to operate outside the correct legal framework. The NIA also gained a "feared reputation for harassment of the political opposition and news media critics of the government".

NIA operatives were accused of being involved in the alleged 21 March 2006 coup d'état attempt against Jammeh's regime.

Many reports that NIA operatives used torture have been made. A former NIA operative, who spoke to Human Rights Watch on the condition of anonymity, said that "I'd seen bad things before, but suddenly I was seeing real torture. One woman was beaten so badly she wet herself in fear. I can still remember her screams." He said that during his time at the NIA, he witnessed arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances. In 2016, NIA operatives detained Solo Sandeng, a Gambian political activist, and beat him to death in custody. Nine members of the agency, including its former head, were put on trial the following year for Sandeng's death after his remains, among others, were discovered.

The NIA reportedly maintained a small jail inside its headquarters, known as the bambadinka (crocodile hole), where dissidents were tortured.

On 31 January 2017, the newly elected President Adama Barrow announced that the name of the NIA would be changed to the State Intelligence Services (SIS). It was announced the next day that former NIA Deputy Director, Musa Dibba, was appointed as the new Director of the SIS.

References

Law enforcement in the Gambia
Government agencies established in 1994
1994 establishments in the Gambia

State Intelligence Services (The Gambia)


The doctor of musical arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music education. The DMA degree usually takes about three to four years of full-time study to complete (in addition to the master's and bachelor's degrees), preparing students to be professional performers, conductors, and composers. As a terminal degree, the DMA qualifies its recipient to work in university, college, and conservatory teaching/research positions. Students seeking doctoral training in musicology, teaching, leadership, music administration or music theory typically enter a doctor of music education (DME) or PhD program, rather than a DMA program.

Terminology
The degree is also abbreviated as DMusA or AMusD. For the related degree doctor of music education, the abbreviation is DMusE or EMusD. For the related degree doctor of arts, the abbreviation DA is used.

Types
A large number of US institutions offer the DMA degree. The PhD and DME are generally considered to be more research oriented, while other doctorates may place more emphasis on practical applications and/or include a performance component. Such distinctions among degree types are not always so clear-cut, however. For instance, most programs include traditional research training and culminate in a written dissertation, regardless of degree designation. The music education degree can be a DME, DMA or PhD, each comprising similar research-oriented programs. Also, music education PhD programs may include performance-oriented tracks. In composition, one may study for either the DMA or the PhD, depending on the institution. The PhD is the standard doctorate in music theory, musicology, music therapy, and ethnomusicology.

Sacred music
A related program is the doctor of sacred music (DSM), also sacrae musica doctor (SMD), which tends to be awarded by seminaries or university music schools that focus on church music, choral conducting, and organ performance. In the past, some seminaries titled the degree doctor of church music (DCM). Liberty University offers the doctor of worship studies (DWS) and doctor of music education (DME) in church music or sacred music. Only one US institution, Claremont Graduate University still offers the DCM degree, in addition to the more typical DME and DMA. The vast majority of US seminaries have closed their music doctorate programs, but some still offer a master of arts or master of sacred music degree. A new program offered at Perkins School of Theology is the doctor of pastoral music (DPM). While more theology-based and housed within the doctor of ministry (DMin) program, admission to the degree requires applicants to hold a master of music (MMus), master of sacred music (MSM), master of church music (MCM), MA in church music or equivalent 48-semester-hour degree recognized by the National Association of Schools of Music.

History
The doctor of musical arts (DMA) and doctor of music education (DME) are widely available in combination of degrees in performance (sometimes with a specialization in instrumental or voice pedagogy and/or music literature), composition, conducting, and music education. Some universities awarding doctoral degrees in these areas use the title doctor of music (DM or DMus) or doctor of arts (DA) or Doctor in Musical Studies (PhD) instead of DMA. The DMA degree was pioneered by Howard Hanson and the National Association of Schools of Music, who approved the first DMA programs in 1952. Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the Eastman School of Music became the first to offer the DMA. Boston University offered its first DMA program in 1955. In 2005, Boston University also expanded into online music education by launching the first online doctoral degree in music, a DMA program (along with a Master of Music program) in music education.

In 1952, after six years of deliberation, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) approved thirty-two schools for graduate degrees for graduate work "in one or more of the fields into which graduate music study has been divided." The NASM was, and still is, the only accrediting agency for music schools recognized by the American Council on Education. In 1952, 143 music schools had already established standards for undergraduate degrees. The national launch of DMA by institutions meeting criteria was 1953.

 Eastman School of Music (the DMA degree was approved by the State of New York Board of Regents in 1953)
 Boston University
 University of Southern California

The Director of the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music, Howard Hanson (1896–1981), who had been awarded an honorary doctorate in 1925, was one of several high-profile advocates of creating a performance-oriented doctoral degree. Hanson was the Chair of the NASM and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Graduate Commission. This commission recommended that the terminal performance doctoral degree be established. This recommendation included that schools desiring to offer this degree seek the Graduate Commission's approval.

In 1953, he published a proposal for a doctor of musical arts degree, which was roundly criticized by Paul Henry Lang, professor of musicology at Columbia University.

Early doctor of musical arts degrees conferred
 1954: Mathias "Matt" Higgins Doran (born 1921), University of Southern California
 1955: Will Gay Bottje (born 1925), Eastman School of Music—some sources attribute Bottje as having been the first in the nation to earn the degree
 August 1955: Edward F. Gilday Jr., Boston University

Non-NASM institutions

The alumni of Music conservatories in the United States also seek positions at universities. The conservatories that are not affiliated with the National Association of Schools of Music began offering DMAs in the late 1960s.

 1971: Margaret Hee-Leng Tan, Juilliard—she is the first woman to earn a DMA from Juilliard; Juilliard added the degree in 1969, the year it moved to Lincoln Center

References

Musical Arts, Doctor
Vocational education
Musicology
Performing arts education
Humanities education
Music education

Doctor of Musical Arts


Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called yards and their tips, outside the lifts, are called the yardarms. A ship mainly rigged so is called a square-rigger.

History

The oldest archaeological evidence of use of a square-rig on a vessel is an image on a clay disk from Mesopotamia from 5000 BC. Single sail square rigs were used by the ancient Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Celts. Later the Scandinavians, the Germanic peoples, and the Slavs adopted the single square-rigged sail, with it becoming one of the defining characteristics of the classic "Viking" ships.

See also
 Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)
 Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)

References

External links
Video: How the Square Rig Works

Sailing rigs and rigging

Square rig


ECAC West was a college athletic conference which operated in the northeastern United States until 2017. It participated in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. The conference ceased to exist after the end of the 2016–17 season when most joined the newly formed United Collegiate Hockey Conference or Northeast Women's Hockey League.

History
ECAC West was officially formed in 1984 when ECAC 2 was split in two and both new conferences dropped down to Division III. The conference consisted entirely of schools from upstate New York until 1988 when Mercyhurst joined. In 1992 all universities that were members SUNYAC and a few other schools left when Mercyhurst took part in the effort was made to restart the Division II Championship, leaving just seven teams in the ECAC West. After two more schools dropped their programs the conference was down to five teams in 1994 but it began to recover when Niagara joined in 1996. In 1998 the conference lost two programs when the MAAC began sponsoring a Division I ice hockey conference followed by a third just one year later. When the Division II Tournament ended in 1999 the conference returned to D-III and was left with only four schools but in 2001 it began to sponsor women's hockey as well and its ranks immediately swelled to nine universities. The conference roster continued to grow, reaching 15 in 2016–17 but after that season all but one league member left to join either the United Collegiate Hockey Conference or Northeast Women's Hockey League with the lone remaining school (Hobart) joining the New England Hockey Conference.

ECAC West Tournaments

Members

† as of 2018

Membership timeline

References

External links
 Men's official web site
 Women's official web site

NCAA Division III ice hockey conferences
Organizations disestablished in 2017

ECAC West


Charles H. Bennett (18 August 1811 – 7 December 1855) was an American soldier and hotelier who was present at the discovery of gold that initiated the California Gold Rush in January 1848. He served in the United States Army and was captain of a militia unit of the Provisional Government of Oregon. In later years he operated a hotel in the Oregon Territory before dying in the American Indian Wars as a captain of a cavalry unit.

American West
In 1835 Bennett was a Sergeant in Company A, United States Regiment of Dragoons, at Fort Leavenworth, under General Stephen W. Kearny. He moved to Oregon from Fort Leavenworth in 1844. In May 1846 he was involved with forming the Oregon Rangers mounted rifle company, where he was selected as the captain of the group.

In 1847, he went from Oregon Country to California where he was then employed by James Marshall as a carpenter at Sutter's Mill when gold was discovered. Marshall claimed that at the time that he discovered gold in the mill's tail-race, Bennett was half a mile away at the house. This version of events is disputed by Stephen Staats, a lifelong acquaintance who was with him at the time, and later wrote a letter to the Oregon Statesman, stating: "In 1847 we furnished Bennett with an outfit and he traveled with us to California. He assisted Marshall in building a mill on the American fork of the Sacramento, and he was the first one that beheld the glittering dust when water was turned into the race for the purpose of clearing it out. Notwithstanding that Marshall has gained worldwide fame as the first discoverer of gold in California..."

In 1850 Bennett built the Bennett House hotel in Salem, Oregon. He extended the property by building a High Street frontage to the eastern side in 1852 and it became the town's principal hotel. In the winter of 1852–1853, nearly the entire territorial legislature was quartered there,  including Judge Matthew Deady, Hon. Asahel Bush, Joseph Meek, Colonel George K. Shiel, James W. Nesmith, Delazon Smith, James K. Kelly, Benjamin Harding, John Whiteaker, Nathaniel Ford of Polk county, and George Law Curry. In 1854, the U. S. Surveyor General's office for Oregon was removed to Salem, and occupied rooms at the Bennett House for some time.

Steamboat activity
Bennett was one of several shareholders who built the steamship Canemah. Bennett was the captain of the sternwheeler Wallemet in April 1854, when the boiler of the steamer Gazelle exploded while both boats were lying at Canemah, Oregon.

Marriage
Bennett was married to Mary Ann Shannon.

Death
Promoted to the captaincy of Company F, Oregon Mounted Volunteers, Bennett was killed in action at Walla Walla on the Touchet River in southeastern Washington, near Fort Wallula, in 1855 during the Yakima War. His body was brought back to Salem fekdesh the Canemah. It was met by a salute fired by the town's citizens before being buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery with Masonic honors.

His memorial is a white marble obelisk, 6 feet in height with a square pointed cap, a Masonic carving of the All-seeing eye gazing upon an open book. The inscription reads "Capt. Charles Bennett. Died Dec 7 1855. Aged 41 yrs, 3 mo, 20 days. Capt. Chas. Bennett was the discoverer of gold in California, and fell in defense of his country at Walla Walla."

See also

References

External links
Photograph of the burial site of Captain Charles Bennett from Salem Public Library

1811 births
1855 deaths
People of the California Gold Rush
Politicians from Salem, Oregon
United States Army officers
Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon
Burials at Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Oregon pioneers
Military personnel from Oregon

Charles H. Bennett (soldier)


An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.

An award may be described by three aspects: 1) who is given 2) what 3) by whom, all varying according to purpose.

The recipient is often an individual, such as a student or athlete, or a representative of a group of people, be it an organisation, a sports team or a whole country. The award item may be a decoration, that is an insignia suitable for wearing, such as a medal, badge, or rosette (award). It can also be a token object such as certificate, diploma, championship belt, trophy, or plaque. The award may also be or be accompanied by a title of honor, as well as an object of direct value such as prize money or a scholarship.

Furthermore, an  is an award given, typically in education, that does not confer the recipient(s) a higher standing but is considered worth mentioning in an honourable way. An award may be conferred as a state decoration by sovereign state, dynasty or other public authority (see fount of honour), or else a private organisation or individual. The latter may also include ecclesiastical authorities, such as in the case of ecclesiastical awards.

For example, the Nobel Prize recognizes contributions to society, while the Pulitzer prize honors literary achievements. An award may also simply be a public acknowledgment of excellence, without any tangible token or prize.

Awards for sports tournaments often take the form of cups, following a tradition harking back to the ancient Greek tripod given to winners in athletic contests. The Stanley Cup is a modern example. In contrast, awards for employee recognition often take the form of plaques or crystal pieces. An award may carry a monetary prize given to the recipient.

Finally, an award may recognize participation rather than victory. There is controversy regarding the appropriateness of participation awards for students in United States schools.

A relative field to awards is phaleristics, an auxiliary science of history and numismatics which studies orders, fraternities and award items, such as medals and other decorations.

See also
Lists of awards
Military awards and decorations
Civil awards and decorations
Ecclesiastical award
Ecclesiastical decoration
Prize
Title
Order of precedence
Order (distinction)

References

Further reading

Award items
Cultural conventions

Award