A volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) is a material that protects metals from corrosion. Corrosion inhibitors are chemical compounds that can decrease the corrosion rate of a material, typically a metal or an alloy. NACE International Standard TM0208 defines volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) as a chemical substance that acts to reduce corrosion by a combination of volatilization from a VCI material, vapor transport in the atmosphere of an enclosed environment, and condensation onto surface in the space, including absorption, dissolution, and hydrophobic effects on metal surfaces, where the rate of corrosion of metal surfaces is thereby inhibited. They also called vapor-phase inhibitors, vapor-phase corrosion inhibitors, and vapor-transported corrosion inhibitors.

VCIs come in various formulations that are dependent on the type of system they will be used in; for example, films, oils, coatings, cleaners, etc. There are also variety of formulations that provide protection in ferrous, nonferrous, or multi-metal applications. Other variables include the amount of vapor phase compared to contact phase inhibitors. Because they are volatile at ambient temperature, VCI compounds can reach inaccessible crevices in metallic structures.

V.VCI is also called Vacuum VCI meaning they have special properties of performance in vacuum  as well as corrosion protection properties.

History
The first widescale use of VCIs can be traced to Shell's patent for dicyclohexylammonium nitrite (DICHAN), which was eventually commercialized as VPI 260.  DICHAN was used extensively by the US military to protect a wide variety of metallic components from corrosion via various delivery systems, VCI powder, VCI paper, VCI solution, VCI slushing compound, etc.

Safety and health concerns as well as inherent limitations has led to the abandonment of DICHAN as a VCI. At present, commercial VCI compounds are typically salts of moderately strong bases and weak volatile acids.  The typical bases are amines and the acids are carbonic, nitrous and carboxylic.

VCI corrosion protection mechanism
For steel, the first step will be the volatilization of the inhibitor into the airspace. This may entail simple evolution of the molecule or the chemical may dissociate first and then volatilize. The molecules will then diffuse through the enclosed airspace until some of the molecules reach the metallic surface to be protected. There are two likely paths once the molecules reach the metallic surface. First the molecule may adsorb onto the metal surface thereby forming a barrier to aggressive ions and displacing any condensed water.

The second path involves the condensed water layer that has been shown to exist on the metallic surface. The VCI molecules will dissolve into the condensed water layer, raising the pH. An alkaline pH has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the corrosion resistance for steel.

The mechanism for copper begins the same as for steel, evolution of the inhibitor. Once at the copper surface however, the inhibitor will form a copper benzotriazole complex which is protective.

Vapor pressure is critical parameter in VCI effectiveness. The most favorable range of pressure is 10−3 to 10−2 Pa at room temperature. Insufficient pressure leads to the slow establishment of the protective layer; if the pressure is too high, VCI effectiveness is limited to a short time.

Product uses
VCIs have been applied across a wide variety of application areas:

Packaging – One of the first widespread uses for VCIs was VCI paper which was used to wrap parts for transportation and/or storage. The technology then evolved with the development of VCI film, where the inhibitor was incorporated into Polyethylene film. This offered the advantage that parts could be stored in the VCI film without any rust-preventative (RP) oil, which would typically have to be removed before part was placed into service. In places where the VCI film is in direct contact with the metal, VCI molecules adsorb on the metal surfaces, creating an invisible molecular barrier against corrosive elements such as oxygen, moisture, and chlorides. As VCI molecules vaporize out of the film and diffuse throughout the package, they also form a protective molecular layer on metal surfaces not in direct contact with the film. When the packaging is removed, the VCI molecules simply vaporize and float away. VCI films protect metals both through direct contact and vapor action. Large Equipment/Assets are wrapped in VCI heat shrinkable film for long term outdoor storage. The use of polymer films for thorough protection of electronic equipment during shipment or storage should take into account the prevention of electrostatic discharge (ESD), corrosion, and the disposal of the film after use. A main property that makes a polymer film a viable packaging material for electronic equipment is the film's ability to eliminate electrostatic discharge. The most recent property addition to VCI film is biodegradability.

Coatings - The use of VCIs as alternative corrosion inhibitor technologies in coating is not a new concept. In the last few years, however, with growing environmental pressure to reduce the use of traditional inhibitors containing heavy metals, they have gained in popularity. Since VCI particles have a polar attraction to the metal substrate, this allows them to work in the coating without negatively impacting other components of the coating, such as defoamers, wetting agents, levelling agents, etc. VCIs are typically added to the formulation in very small amounts by weight of the overall formula. The particle size of the VCIs is very small in comparison to traditionally used inhibitors. This allows the VCIs to migrate into the smaller voids more effectively. Once the VCIs have adsorbed on the surface of the metal, they provide an effective barrier that is hydrophobic and prevents moisture from getting through to the metal surface. Consequently, this prevents the formation of a corrosion cell and renders the moisture ineffective.

Emitter – VCI in the form of a capsule, foam, cup, etc., is placed within an electrical cabinet, junction box, etc., to provide corrosion protection to the various components inside the box. VCI emitters also provide best protection against H2S, SO2, ammonia & humidity, It is mostly use in electrical components because it does not affect electrical, surface or optical properties.

Pipe casings – A mixture of VCI and a swellable gel is injected into the annular space between the pipe casing (the outer pipe) and the carrier pipe (the inner pipe) as to provide corrosion protection to the carrier pipe. This application has recently been of wider interest as it has been approved by PHMSA as a means to address a shorted casing in a CP protected pipeline. (PHMSA rules dictate that a shorted casing on a PHMSA regulated pipeline be repaired or treated). Details can also be found in NACE SP-200.

Pipeline preservation (internal) - VCIs are seeing widespread application for the mitigation of corrosion of the internal surfaces of new and/or existing out-of-service pipelines. Top-of-the-line TOL corrosion typically occurs in wet gas pipelines that have a stratified flow regime and poor thermal insulation. TOL corrosion is predominantly a problem of protection in the gas phase. Tests showed that the best potential for providing corrosion protection for TOL came from azoles, certain acetylene alcohols, and a "green" volatile aldehyde.

For new pipelines, the time period between hydrotesting and operations can be very unpredictable and may extend for months. Historical data has shown that significant corrosion issues can arise as a result of residual hydrotest water. For a piggable pipeline, an aqueous solution of VCI is pushed down the pipeline between two pigs after completion of the hydrotest operation. This provides corrosion mitigation until the line is put into service. For a non-piggable pipeline, the low sections where residual hydrotest water may collect after draining are identified and an aqueous VCI solution is added at nearby high points such that the inhibitor solution will flow into the low sections, thereby treating the residual water with inhibitor.

For pipeline sections that are being idled, the low-lying sections are identified, and an inhibitor solution is added at nearby high points as to fill the low-lying section to a predetermined depth.

Aboveground storage tanks (Soilside Bottom) - The bottoms of aboveground storage tanks are typically coated on the inside (product side) to prevent corrosion. The other side of the bottom, (soilside) is not coated and the unprotected steel rests directly on a foundation.  There are various styles of foundations: a concrete ringwall with a sand bed and a liner, a hard pad, such as concrete or asphalt, a double bottom and finally simple soil. VCIs are applied via various methods depending the tank foundation.

For tanks with a concrete ringwall, a sand bed and a liner, the VCI is typically installed as an aqueous solution. The solution is either injected at minimal pressure through the leak detection ports, (distribution of the solution through the sand is primarily via capillary action) or through a preinstalled distribution system of perforated pipes. The tank can be in or out of service.

Various options are available for a tank on a hard pad depending on whether the tank is in or out of service. For a tank that is in service, a ring of perforated pipes is installed at the edge of the chime sealed via a membrane that creates an enclosed space between the tank chime and the hard pad foundation. The VCI is supplied as a powder in mesh sleeves that are threaded into the perforated pipes.  Upon depletion of the VCI, the mesh sleeves are removed, and new sleeves installed. For a tank that is out of service with the floor removed, grooves are cut into the hard pad. A channel is also cut from the end of the groove to extend beyond the tank chime.  Perforated pipe with a mesh cover is laid at the bottom of the cut grooves. The groove is then filled with sand. The tank bottom is then installed as normal. The VCI is supplied as a powder in mesh sleeves that are installed into the perforated pipe.  The ends of the perforated pipes are sealed closed. Upon depletion of the VCI, the mesh sleeves are removed, and new sleeves installed.  For a tank that is out of service without the floor removed, the typical approach is to inject the VCI as an aqueous solution through ports that have been installed through the floor which often are the helium ports that were used to verify the tank floor integrity.

There are two typical geometries for double bottom tank. In the first, the space between the two floors has a liner and a sand bed and for the second, a liner and a concrete pad with radial slots. (This style of double bottom is often called an El Segundo double bottom).  For a double bottom with a liner and sand bed, the VCI is supplied as an aqueous solution which is injected through the leak detection ports. For an El Segundo bottom that is in service, the VCI is again supplied as an aqueous solution that is injected through the leak detection ports. The ports are sealed closed and the solution is allowed to stand for a short period of time. The ports are then opened and the VCI solution is drained leaving a residual amount of the VCI solution within the space.  This residual VCI provides the corrosion protection for the space. For an El Segundo bottom that is out of service, perforated pipes are installed into the grooves in the concrete that have leak detection ports. Mesh sleeves containing inhibitor powder is inserted into the perforated pipes and the leak detection ports are closed.

Aboveground storage tanks (Roofs) – The environment in the headspace of an aboveground storage tank can be very aggressive especially for tanks storing crude oil. The environment is aggressive as a result of the acidic species that are typically found in crude oil, (sour crude). Corrosion protection is supplied via a system of dispensers that have been attached to ports that have been installed on the tank roof. (Ports and shut-off valves are installed when the tank is out of service). Bottles containing the VCI are placed in the dispenser and the shut off valves are opened.  The VCI has a high vapor pressure such that the inhibitor will saturate the airspace within the dispenser and then will diffuse through the open port into the storage tank headspace.

Oils - The most common use of VCIs in oils is for the protection of oil containing systems like an engine or hydraulics during intermittent use or during longer-term storage (mothballing). The VCI treated oil is typically added to the existing oil and the unit is run to fully circulate the treated oil throughout the system.  The system is then shut off for storage.  The VCI treated oil can also be fogged into void spaces within a system or enclosed space.

Interior of large enclosed spaces – VCIs have been used to protect the interior of equipment such as tanks, vessels, boilers, piping, heat exchangers, etc., especially for voids and/or recessed areas of interior cavities during storage and/or transportation. The typical means are fogging/blowing the VCI powder into the interior space or applying the VCI powder in packet form.  For smaller volumes, the packets are simply distributed within the space. For larger volumes, the packets are attached to leads that are then hung at the perimeter of the space.

Water treatment – Aqueous VCI solutions have been used to flush/rinse pipelines, pumps, manifolds, enclosed pits, heat exchangers, etc. as preparation for mothballing/storage.

Specialty covers – VCI film covers have been used to protect flanges, valves, etc. in harsh environments such as chemical processing plants, offshore platforms, etc.

See also
Corrosion engineering
Cosmoline
Desiccant

References

Further reading

 Vendramini,  J, Natale, T;  (September 11–15, 2016),  Corrosion Protection of Storage Tank Bottoms New Application Experience,  EuroCorr, Montpellier France
 Kaman A, Labine, P, Miksic B.A., Reviews on Corrosion Inhibitors Science and Technology, NACE, pp. 11–16, Houston, Texas
 Zerust ReCast - R Inhibitor System, 2012 Materials Performance Readers' Choice Innovation of the Year Awards
 Innovation Product Development  - VCI Technology Applications Presentation,  September 21, 2012,  University of Akron NCERCAMP Corrosion Forum
 Twigg, R J; (1989) Guidelines for the Mothballing of Process Plants, Materials Technology Institute of the Chemical Process Industries Inc., MTI Publication No 34
 Lyublisnki, E, Natale, T; (March 9–13, 2014 ),  Corrosion Protection of Mothballed Equipment  NACE, San Antonio, Texas
 Zerust Flange Savers, 2012 Materials Performance Readers' Choice Innovation of the Year Awards

Corrosion inhibitors
Corrosion prevention
Packaging
Coatings
Corrosion

Volatile corrosion inhibitor


Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005.

Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attended the Lycée Albert Premier before studying political science at Amherst College. In his youth, he competed in bobsleigh during Winter Olympic finals before retiring in 2002. Albert was appointed regent in March 2005 after his father fell ill, and became sovereign prince upon Rainier's death a week later. Since his ascension, he has been outspoken in the field of environmentalism  and an advocate of ocean conservation, and adoption of renewable energy sources to tackle global climate change, and founded The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006, to directly raise funds and initiate action for such causes and greater ecological preservation.

With assets valued at more than $1 billion, Albert owns shares in the Société des Bains de Mer, which operates Monaco's casino and other entertainment properties in the principality.

In July 2011, Prince Albert married South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock. He has four children: Jazmin, Alexandre, Gabriella, and Jacques.

Early life and military service

Prince Albert was born in the Prince's Palace of Monaco on 14 March 1958, as the second child of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. At the time of his birth, he was heir apparent to the throne. He has Irish, German, and Monegasque ancestry. Albert was a dual citizen of both the Principality of Monaco and the United States of America by birth, before renouncing his American citizenship in his early adulthood. He was baptized on 20 April 1958, by Monsignor Jean Delay, Archbishop of Marseille, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Monaco. His godparents were Prince Louis de Polignac and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.

Albert graduated with distinction from the Lycée Albert Premier, in 1976. He was a camper, and later a counselor for six summers at Camp Tecumseh, on Lake Winnipesaukee, Moultonborough, New Hampshire, in the 1970s. He spent a year training in princely duties before enrolling at Amherst College, in Massachusetts, in 1977 as Albert Grimaldi. He joined Chi Psi Fraternity and lived in the Alpha Chi Lodge. Albert spent mid-1979 touring Europe and the Middle East with the Amherst College Glee Club, and also undertook an exchange program with the University of Bristol, at the Alfred Marshall School of Economics and Management, in 1979. He graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He speaks French, German, Italian, and English.  From September 1981 to April 1982, Albert trained on board the French Navy's helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc, attaining the rank of Ship-of-the-Line Ensign (2nd class), and is currently a reserve Lieutenant Commander. From 1983 to 1985, he took training courses with companies J.P. Morgan & Co, Louis Vuitton, Rogers & Wells, and Wells, Rich and Greene in the United States and Europe, studying financial management, communication, and marketing. Since May 1993, the Prince has led the Monegasque delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 2004, the Prince presided over the delegation of Monaco in Strasbourg, France, for the official accession of the Principality onto the Council of Europe.

Prince Albert's mother, Princess Grace, died at age 52 as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in 1982. In 2017, the Prince stated during an interview that his mother's death was a traumatic event for him and his family, revealing that his father was "never the same man" after the loss.

Sports career

Albert was an enthusiastic sportsman, participating in cross country, javelin throwing, handball, judo, swimming, tennis, rowing, sailing, skiing, squash and fencing.  He became a judo black belt in 1985.

Albert competed in the bobsleigh at five consecutive Winter Olympics for Monaco, taking part in both the two-man and four-man events. In the two-man bobsleigh Albert finished 25th at the 1988 games in Calgary, 43rd at the 1992 games in Albertville, and 31st at the 1994 games. In the four-man bobsleigh Albert finished 27th in 1992, 26th at the 1994 games in Lillehammer, and 28th at both the 1998 games in Nagano and the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. Albert was Monaco's flag bearer at the 1988, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics. He also took part in the 1985 Paris–Dakar Rally, but did not complete it. Albert has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1985, and his maternal grandfather, John B. Kelly Sr., and maternal uncle, John B. Kelly Jr., were both Olympic medalists in rowing. In 2017 Albert gained OLY post-nominal status under his competition name of Albert Grimaldi.

Accession
On 31 March 2005, following consultation with the Crown Council of Monaco, the Palais Princier announced that Albert would take over the duties of his father as regent since Rainier was no longer able to exercise his princely functions. On 6 April 2005, Rainier died and Albert succeeded him as Albert II.

The first part of Prince Albert II's enthronement as ruler of the Principality was on 12 July 2005, after the end of the three-month mourning period for his father. A morning Mass at Saint Nicholas Cathedral presided over by the Archbishop of Monaco, the Most Reverend Bernard Barsi, formally marked the beginning of his reign. Afterward, Albert returned to the Palace to host a garden party for 7,000 Monégasques born in the principality. In the courtyard, the Prince was presented with two keys of the city as a symbol of his investiture, and subsequently gave a speech. The evening ended with a fireworks display on the waterfront.

The second part of his investiture took place on 19 November 2005. Albert was enthroned at Saint Nicholas Cathedral. The Princely family was in attendance, including his elder sister, Princess Caroline with her husband Ernst, Prince of Hanover and three of her four children, Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte; as well as his younger sister Princess Stéphanie, his paternal aunt Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy, his godson, Jean-Léonard Taubert de Massy, and his cousin Elisabeth-Anne de Massy. Royalty from 16 delegations were present for the festivities throughout the country. The evening ended with a dedicated performance at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

Reign

In the early years of his reign, Prince Albert oversaw multiple judicial and legal reforms, including the regulation of custody, protections of the privacy of the individual in the face of technological growth, freedom of the press, legislative gender equality, and the protection of children's rights and disabled students. In July 2005, in echo of Albert I, his great-great-grandfather, he travelled to Spitsbergen, Norway. During this trip, he visited the glaciers Lilliehöökbreen and Monacobreen. Prince Albert also engaged in a Russian Arctic expedition, reaching the North Pole on Easter, 16 April 2006. He is the first incumbent head of state to have reached the North Pole.

Since his ascension, the Prince has overseen the construction of various community facilities, including social housing, railway infrastructure, educational institutes for the hospitality industry, and secondary education. He currently heads an initiative to promote ethical economic activity, criminal liability, the adopting of systems to combat money laundering and organized crime, and the introduction of tax fraud into Monegasque criminal law. In 2006, Prince Albert created the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which continues Monaco's commitment to supporting sustainable and ethical projects around the world. The foundation's focus has three main objectives: climate change and renewable energy development, combating the loss of biodiversity, and improving universal access to clean water.

On 27 August 2015, Prince Albert apologized for Monaco's role in facilitating the deportation of a total of 90 Jews and resistance fighters to the Nazis in 1942, of whom only nine survived. "We committed the irreparable in handing over to the neighboring authorities women, men, and a child who had taken refuge with us to escape the persecutions they had suffered in France," Albert said at a ceremony in which a monument to the victims was unveiled at the Monaco Cemetery. "In distress, they came specifically to take shelter with us, thinking they would find neutrality."

Between 2006 and 2022, his chief of cabinet was Georges Lisimachio.

Personal life

In 2016, Albert purchased Princess Grace's childhood home in East Falls, Philadelphia, which was originally built by her grandfather Jack Kelly. Upon acquiring it, he stated the house might be used as a museum space or as offices for the Princess Grace Foundation. Prince Albert does not have direct ownership of the Prince's Palace, but does possess personal homes in both La Turbie and Marchais.

Albert, a well-known automotive enthusiast, owns vehicles like the BMW Hydrogen 7, the Lexus LS 600h, the Lexus RX 400h, and the Toyota Prius PHV. He also owns a Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X, a 14-passenger leisure jet, currently stationed at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport.

Albert is close friends with the artist Nall and owns some of his works.

On 19 March 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, it was announced that Albert II had tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first monarch and head of state to have contracted COVID-19. It was reported that he had begun to self-quarantine from within his apartment, performing his work and duties from there. On 31 March, it was announced that he had made a full recovery. In April 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time and observed a brief period of self-isolation.

In 2021, Raphaël Domjan became the first pilot of an electric plane flight with a head of state. On September 14, 2021, they took off with a Pipistrel Velis128 operated by Elektropostal from Nice airport in France with Albert II and they flew over Monaco. The plane flew for 30 minutes at a maximum altitude of 900 feet.

Paternity claims
 Tamara Rotolo — In 1992, an American national filed a paternity suit against the Prince, claiming that he was the father of her daughter, Jazmin Grace, born March 4, 1992 in Palm Springs, California. Prince Albert was reportedly listed as the child's father on her  birth certificate, registered in Riverside County, California, United States of America. The case went to trial in 1993 and was eventually dismissed by Superior Court Judge Graham Anderson Cribbs, who refused jurisdiction and found that there was "insufficient connection between [Prince Hereditary] Albert and the State of California to justify hearing a suit [in California]", justifying the statements of the Prince's lawyer. On 31 May 2006, after a DNA test confirmed the child's parentage, Albert admitted, via statement from his lawyer, that he is Jazmin's father. He subsequently provided support and extended an invitation for her to study and live in Monaco.
 Nicole Coste — In May 2005, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo claimed that her youngest son, born Éric Alexandre Stéphane Tossoukpé on 24 August 2003 in Paris, France, whom she called Alexandre Coste, was Prince Albert's child, and stated that his parentage had been proven by DNA tests requested by the Monegasque government. She further declared that the Prince had signed a notarised certificate confirming paternity, which she had not received a copy of. The Paris Match published a ten-page interview with Coste, including photographs of Albert holding and feeding the child. Coste also told the publication that she was living in the Prince's Paris apartment, and receiving an allowance from him, while pretending to be the girlfriend of one of his friends in order to maintain discretion. She also stated that the prince had previously last seen the boy in February 2005. The prince's lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, announced that as a result of the international publicity over these revelations, Prince Albert was suing the Daily Mail, Bunte, and Paris Match for privacy violations. On 6 July 2005, a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirmed via his lawyer Lacoste that Alexandre was his biological son. He calls himself Alexandre Grimaldi.
 Bea Fiedler — In an earlier paternity suit, a German topless model whom  The Daily Telegraph described as a "sex-film star", claimed her son Daniel was the prince's son. A judge reportedly dismissed the suit, despite the fact that Prince Albert had submitted a DNA sample to be tested, as the genetic sample had not been rendered in front of a witness. Fiedler rejected the DNA blood sample as truly belonging to the prince.
 In December 2020, a Brazilian woman filed a paternity suit against Albert, claiming that he had fathered a child with her during his relationship with Charlene. Albert's lawyer described the claim as a 'hoax'.

Marriage

Prince Albert met South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock in 2000 at the Mare Nostrum swimming meet in Monaco. They made their public debut as a couple at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. She accompanied him to the weddings of the Crown Princess of Sweden in 2010 and of the Duke of Cambridge in 2011.

Their engagement was announced by the palace on June 10, 2010. The wedding was originally scheduled for 8 and 9 July 2011, but was moved forward to prevent a conflict with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Durban on 5–9 July, which they both attended. The couple had invited members of the IOC, including president Jacques Rogge, to their wedding.

The couple were married in a civil ceremony on 1 July 2011 in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace. Wittstock was reported to be in tears during the wedding. The religious ceremony took place in the courtyard of the palace on 2 July, and was presided over by Archbishop Bernard Barsi. The couple honeymooned in South Africa, where they stayed in separate hotels, and Mozambique.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had twins, Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès, and Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco, on 10 December 2014. Jacques is the heir apparent to the throne.

Charity work and patronages

Albert holds affiliations and patronages within numerous philanthropic organizations. He is the vice-chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, an American charity founded in 1982, after his mother's death, which supports emerging artists in theatre, dance, and film, as Princess Grace did in her lifetime. Albert holds patronages with AS Monaco., the World Olympians Association, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the Peace and Sport Organization, and Junior Chamber International. He holds official and honorary presidencies within the Monaco Red Cross, Comité Olympique Monégasque, Association Mondiale des Amis de l'Enfance, The Automobile Club de Monaco, The Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo, and Jumping International de Monte Carlo. Albert is affiliated with International Paralympic Committee, Junior Chamber International, and Art of the Olympians. Albert is also a global adviser to Orphans International.

Environmental Interests
In 2001, at the 36th Congress of the Mediterranean Science Commission held in the Principality, the CIESM Member States unanimously elected Monaco in the person of Prince Albert to the presidence of the commission.

The year 2007 was declared as (International) Year of the Dolphin by the United Nations and United Nations Environment Programme.  Prince Albert served as the International Patron of the "Year of the Dolphin", saying "The Year of the Dolphin gives me the opportunity to renew my firm commitment towards protecting marine biodiversity. With this strong initiative we can make a difference to save these fascinating marine mammals from the brink of extinction."

The Zoological Garden of Monaco (Jardin Animalier) was founded by Prince Rainier in 1954. Rainier was petitioned unsuccessfully for many years by Virginia McKenna, founder of the Born Free Foundation, to release a pair of leopards at the zoo. Prince Albert met McKenna after his accession to the throne, and agreed to release the leopards as well the zoo's hippo and camel. He intends to convert the Jardin into a zoo for children.

In January 2009, Prince Albert left for a month-long expedition to Antarctica, where he visited 26 scientific outposts and met with climate-change experts in an attempt to learn more about the impact of global warming on the continent. During the trip, he stopped at the South Pole, making him the only incumbent head of state to have visited both poles.

In June 2009, Prince Albert co-authored an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal with Charles Clover, the author of The End of the Line, a book about overfishing and ocean conservation issues that had recently been made into a documentary by Rupert Murray. In the piece, Prince Albert and Clover note that bluefin tuna have been severely overfished in the Mediterranean, and decry the common European Union practice of awarding inflated quotas to bluefin fleets. Albert also announced that Monaco would seek to award endangered species status to the Mediterranean bluefin, Thunnus thynnus, (also called the Northern bluefin) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This was the first time a nation had called for the inclusion of Mediterranean bluefin under CITES since Sweden at the 1992 CITES Conference, which was vehemently opposed by Japan who eventually threatened retaliation through trade barriers. Sweden withdrew its proposal.

On 16 July 2009, France declared that it too would seek to have Mediterranean bluefin listed as an endangered species. Only hours later, the United Kingdom followed suit.

On 19 September 2017, Prince Albert expressed his great interest for the preliminary draft of the Global Pact for the Environment presented by French President Emmanuel Macron in the context of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. He added that he will be very attentive to the future of this Pact, which he qualified as a "universal, legally binding agreement, which recognises the right of future generations to sustainable development."

After having met Torres Strait Islander artist and activist Alick Tipoti in 2016, Prince Albert went to stay with his family on Badu Island, and collaborated with him on the film Alick and Albert (2021), a feature-length documentary film about the future of the oceans, and how climate change affects people in the Torres Strait Islands as well as Monaco. The film had its world premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival in October 2021.

On 12 February 2020, Albert and Victor Vescovo reached the bottom of Calypso Deep, a depth of 16,762 ft, in a submarine.  They were only the second team to do so after a French group in 1965.

Succession issues
As Rainier III's health declined, his son's lack of legitimate children became a matter of public and political concern owing to the legal and international consequences. Had Prince Albert succeeded his father and died without lawful heirs, it would have triggered Article 3 of the 1918 Franco-Monegasque Treaty, according to which the Principality of Monaco would become a protectorate of the French Republic. Prior to 2002, Monaco's constitution stipulated that only the last reigning prince's "direct and legitimate" descendants could inherit the crown.

On 2 April 2002, Monaco promulgated Princely Law 1.249, which provides that if a reigning prince dies without surviving legitimate issue, the throne passes to his legitimate siblings and their legitimate descendants of both sexes, according to the principle of male-preference primogeniture. Following Albert's accession, this law took full effect in 2005 when ratified by France, pursuant to the Franco-Monégasque Treaty regulating relations between the Principality and its neighbour. Prince Albert's sisters and their legitimate children thereby retained the right to inherit the Monegasque throne, which they would have otherwise lost upon the death of Prince Rainier.

Under the current constitution, neither Jazmin nor Alexandre are in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne as they are not Prince Albert II's legitimate children, and he emphasised their ineligibility to inherit the throne in statements confirming his paternity. Monegasque law stipulates that any non-adulterine illegitimate child is legitimised by the eventual marriage of his/her parents, thereupon obtaining the rights to which that child would have been entitled if born in lawful marriage. Thus Alexandre would have become Monaco's heir apparent under current law if Albert were to marry his son's mother. In a 2005 exchange with American reporter Larry King, Albert stated that this would not happen.

Prior to the birth of Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, Prince Albert's elder sister, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, was heir presumptive and, according to the Grimaldi house law, bore the traditional title of Hereditary Princess of Monaco. Following their birth, she is now third in line.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles
 14 March 1958 – 16 March 1958: His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Monaco
 16 March 1958 – 6 April 2005: His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Monaco, Marquis of Baux
 31 March 2005 – 6 April 2005: His Serene Highness The Prince Regent of Monaco
 6 April 2005 – Present: His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco

Military appointments
  Monaco: Colonel of the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (11 November 1986 – 6 April 2005)
  France: Capitaine de frégate de la Marine Nationale (2 April 1992 – present)

Honours

National orders
:
 Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles (Grand Cross, 13 March 1979; Grand Master since 6 April 2005)
 Grand Master of the Order of the Crown (since 6 April 2005)
 Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi (Grand Cross, 18 April 1958; Grand Master since 6 April 2005)
 Grand Master of the Order of Cultural Merit (since 6 April 2005)

Foreign orders
 : National Flag Order (16 October 2018)
 : First Class Decoration of the Order of Stara Planina (26 November 2004)
 : Grand Officer of the National Order of Burkina Faso (17 February 2012)
 : Grand Cross with Gold Star of the National Order Juan Mora Fernández (2003)
 : Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (7 April 2009)
 : Grand Collar of the Order of the Liberator of the Slaves José Simeón Cañas (2002)
 :
 Grand Cross of the Order of Legion of Honour (8 November 2005)
 Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (25 July 1997)
 Commander of the Order of Academic Palms (19 June 2009)
 Commander of the Order of Maritime Merit (9 December 2015)
 : Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (9 July 2012)
 :
 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (27 January 1983)
 Knight of Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (4 October 2021)
 : Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (12 December 2005)
 : Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (before 07/2011)
 : Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit (before 07/2011)
 : Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (15 October 2012)
 : Grand Cross of the National Order of Mali (12 February 2012)
 : Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal
 : Grand Cross of the National Order of Niger (March 1998)
 : Grand Cross of the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa (2002)
 : Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun (2003)
 :Member 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2012)
 : Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (14 October 2022)
 : Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (2009)
 :
 Collar of the Order of San Marino (2015)
 Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Agatha (2010)
 :
 Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion (2012)
 Grand Officer of the Order of the Lion (May 1977)
 : Grand Cross of Order of the Republic of Serbia (7 October 2020)
 : First Class of the Order of the White Double Cross (2017)
 :
 Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion (31 July 2011)
 Collar of the Order pro merito Melitensi (15 October 2009)
 Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion (15 October 1997)
 : Grand Cordon of the Order of 7 November (September 2006)
 :
 Recipient of the 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 1996)
 Recipient of the 70th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 2016)

Dynastic orders
: Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1 March 2003)
 House of Petrović-Njegoš: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I
 Two Sicilian Royal Family:
 Knight of the Order of Saint Januarius (7 November 2017)
 Bailiff Knight Grand Cross with Collar of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (7 November 2017)
Other awards
  FIODS: Medal of the International Merit of Blood (12 March 1994)
 : College of Darjah Kerabat Diraja Pahang (7 November 1997)
 : Grand Prix Humanitaire de France (6 March 2007)
  University of Plymouth: Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) (2013)
  Pierre and Marie Curie University: Doctor Honoris Causa (23 March 2017)
  Tel Aviv University: Doctor Honoris Causa (12 June 2018)
  University of Lapland: Doctor Honoris Causa (19 February 2019)
 Zayed International Prize for the Environment (1 February 2014)

In 1996, Prince Albert received the Eagle Award from the United States Sports Academy. The Eagle Award is the academy's highest international honor and was awarded to Prince Albert for his significant contributions in promoting international harmony, peace and goodwill through the effective use of sport.

On 23 October 2009, Prince Albert was awarded the Roger Revelle Prize for his efforts to protect the environment and to promote scientific research. This award was given to Prince Albert by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. Prince Albert is the second recipient of this prize.

In October 2017, Prince Albert received the Lowell Thomas Award from The Explorers Club, a non-profit group that promotes scientific exploration. The award is presented by the president of the club on special occasions to groups of outstanding explorers. The Club cited Prince Albert's dedication to the protection of the environment, commemorating his status as the first head of state to reach both the North and South poles.

On 14 October 2019 at the Comenius University in Bratislava, he received the honorary title "doctor honoris causa" for activities in the field of protection of natural and cultural heritage within his efforts to combat climate change.

Commemorative coins
As Monaco's head of state, Prince Albert II is depicted on both standard-issue and collector's coins, such as the €5 silver Prince Albert II commemorative coin, the first commemorative coin with his effigy, minted in 2008. On the obverse, the prince is depicted in profile with his name on the top of the coin. On the reverse, the Grimaldi coat of arms appears; around it, the words "Principauté de Monaco" (Principality of Monaco) also appear along with the nominal monetary value of the coin.

Arms and emblems

See also
 Legion of Honour
 Legion of Honour Museum
 List of Legion of Honour recipients by name (A)
 List of foreign recipients of Legion of Honour by name
 List of foreign recipients of the Legion of Honour by country
 List of foreign recipients of the Legion of Honour by decade

References

External links

 Prince Albert II at the official website of the Princely House of Monaco
 Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
 Princess Grace Foundation (US website)

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1958 births
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century Roman Catholics
21st-century Princes of Monaco
21st-century regents
Amherst College alumni
Bobsledders at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Bobsledders at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Bobsledders at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Bobsledders at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Bobsledders at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Dakar Rally drivers
Hereditary Princes of Monaco
House of Grimaldi
Monegasque International Olympic Committee members
Kelly family
Living people
Marquesses of Baux
Members of Leander Club
Monegasque male bobsledders
Monegasque people of American descent
Monegasque people of English descent
Monegasque people of German descent
Monegasque people of Irish descent
Monegasque people of Italian descent
Monegasque people of Mexican descent
Monegasque people of Scottish descent
Monegasque princes
Monegasque rally drivers
Monegasque Roman Catholics
Olympic bobsledders for Monaco
People of Ligurian descent
Princes of Monaco
Regents of Monaco
Royal Olympic participants

Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite
Recipients of the Order of Saint-Charles
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
Grand Masters of the Order of Saint-Charles
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi

Grand Crosses of the Order of the Sun of Peru
Grand Collars of the Order of Prince Henry
Grand Crosses of the National Order of Mali
Grand Crosses of the Order of Vytautas the Great
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Monegasque billionaires
First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania
Dukes of Mayenne
Dukes of Valentinois

Albert II, Prince of Monaco


George Erasmus Dixon (1837? – February 17, 1864) was a first lieutenant in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War. He is best known as the commander of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley during her successful mission to sink the Union blockading ship  off Charleston, South Carolina.

Life and death
Although Dixon's early life is largely unknown, the 1860 census lists him as a 23-year-old native of Kentucky or maybe South Carolina. He was a steamboat engineer and had lived in New Orleans, Louisiana before moving to Mobile, Alabama. Dixon's expensive tailor-made uniform and jewellery found on his remains suggests that he was a man of some wealth.

Dixon was a Mason, and a member of Mobile Lodge No. 40. Minutes of Union Chapter No. 3, Royal Arch Masons, indicate that Dixon visited that body on March 20, 1863, which proves he was also a York Rite Man. The famed Albert G. Mackey was the presiding officer at that particular meeting.

Dixon was a member of a pre-war militia company, the Washington Light Infantry of Mobile. In the autumn of 1861, the Washington Light Infantry became Company A, 21st Alabama Infantry Regiment. Dixon by then was a sergeant. He would later be promoted to lieutenant. In March 1862, Dixon's regiment proceeded to Corinth, Mississippi, and the following month took an active part in the Battle of Shiloh, losing 200 men killed or wounded out of the 650 engaged. Dixon himself was severely wounded in the left leg. Luckily, a $20 gold coin he carried as a good luck piece saved his leg, and possibly his life. However, the impact seriously damaged his femur and Dixon would limp for the rest of his short life. Following the battle, the regiment was reorganized and returned to Mobile to man the city's defenses as artillerymen. It was during the uneventful garrison duty at Mobile that Dixon became interested in the submarine that Horace Lawson Hunley was building.

On February 17, 1864, Dixon commanded the Confederate submarine on her first and only attack on the Union Navy. He was successful in sinking his target, but the close proximity of its own ordnance when detonated damaged the submarine, causing her to sink during her attempted return to shore. Dixon and his seven crewmen all perished.

After the submarine was located and recovered in 2000, Dixon's remains were identified. His home Lodge, now known as Mobile-McCormick Lodge No. 40, and the Masonic Grand Lodges of Alabama and South Carolina participated in the military and Masonic funeral rites when the remains of the submarine's crewmen were interred on April 17, 2004 in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina.

Gold coin legend
A romantic legend concerning George Dixon and his gold coin has been told for more than a century. Dixon is said to have been given the gold coin by his sweetheart, Queenie Bennett. She asked him to carry it for good luck and as a token of her affection. Dixon kept the coin always with him, and at the Battle of Shiloh it was in his trousers pocket. During the fierce fighting on April 6, 1862, Dixon was struck in the upper thigh by a minié ball. When he examined the wound, he discovered the bullet had struck the coin directly in the center, bending the coin but saving his leg by absorbing much of the impact.

Following the recovery of the H. L. Hunley, the story was partially verified by the discovery of the gold coin with Dixon's remains.  Forensic anthropologist Diane France was hired to study the recovered skull of Dixon. Reconstructing Dixon's appearance, she found the man in a photograph Queenie Bennett's family had always presumed to be Dixon was not him. The inscription on the coin fails to mention Bennett, but it does confirm that it stopped a bullet at Shiloh. The United States $20 double eagle coin was minted in 1860 and is clearly deformed from the bullet's impact. Both the coin itself and a wound on Dixon's femur were found to have traces of lead. The reverse of the coin is inscribed with four short lines:

Shiloh
April 6, 1862
My life Preserver
G. E. D.

Other contemporary evidence also suggests the legend may be true. James M. Williams, who was also a member of the Washington Light Infantry and Company A of the 21st Alabama Infantry, wrote his wife about Dixon the day after the battle:

Corinth - April 8th, 1862

Dear Lizzie
  I telegraphed you today that I am well and safely through the two days of battle... The wounded are being brought into camp... George Dixon, shot in the hip, the ball striking a gold piece ranged upwards and came out of his side; will probably recover if he can be well cared for...

The letter was published in From That Terrible Field - Civil War letters of James M. Williams, Twenty-First Alabama Infantry Volunteers, (University of Alabama Press, 1981, John Kent Folmer, ed.) Williams was Dixon's close friend and named his first son George Dixon Williams.

The damaged coin is now on display with other artifacts and the submarine Hunley herself at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.

Image of Gold $20 coin http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc4/hunley_dixon_coin1.htm

References

Citations

Bibliography / External links
George E. Dixon and the submarine Hunley
Friends of the Hunley
Reconstructed faces of George Dixon and his crewmen
Lt. Dixon's Profile at Friends of the Hunley
Legend of the Gold Coin at Friends of the Hunley
Capsule history of the 21st Alabama Infantry Regiment

1837 births
1864 deaths
Confederate States Army officers
Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War
Burials at Magnolia Cemetery (Charleston, South Carolina)
Deaths due to shipwreck

George E. Dixon


Maria Teresa Felicitas (; 6 October 1726 – 30 April 1754) was a Princess of Modena by birth and Duchess of Penthièvre by marriage. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus grandmother to the future Louis-Philippe of France.

Youth (1726–1744)

Maria Teresa Felicitas was born on 6 October 1726 at the Ducal Palace of Modena in Modena, Italy. She was the eldest daughter of Francesco III, Duke of Modena and Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans. Before her birth, her parents had two sons, Alfonso and Francesco, both of whom died in 1725.

Her parents' marriage was not happy and her mother eventually returned to her native France. The Duchess took up residence in the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, with the permission of Louis XV. It was while her mother was in France that she saw the opportunity to marry her daughters into the royal family; such alliances between princes du sang and princesses from a small Italian duchy was highly unexpected. Maria Teresa was engaged to her second cousin, Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre. Her younger sister, Maria Fortunata, would also become a member of the French royal family in 1759 through her marriage to another cousin, Louis François Joseph, Prince of Conti.

Marriage and death (1744–1754)

The Duke of Penthièvre was Maria Teresa's mother's first cousin. Charlotte Aglaé's mother was the sister of the duke's father, Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse. The wedding took place on December 29, 1744 in Modena, followed by another ceremony at the Palace of Versailles. The Duke had inherited a great fortune when his father died in 1737. According to some contemporaries, their marriage was a very happy one.

The couple's happiness would come to an abrupt end with the death of Maria Teresa on April 30, 1754, a day after giving birth to their seventh child, Louis Marie Félicité, who also died shortly after. After her death, her mother tried to arrange a marriage between her widower and her younger sister, Princess Matilde. However, the grieving duke declined the offer and never remarried.

Issue
Maria Teresa and her husband had seven children, but only two survived infancy:

Louis Marie, Duke of Rambouillet (Palace of Versailles, 2 January 1746 – Palace of Versailles, 13 November 1749), died in infancy.
Louis Alexandre, Prince of Lamballe (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 6 September 1747 – Château de Louveciennes, 6 May 1768), married Princess Marie Louise of Savoy and had no issue.
Jean Marie, Duke of Châteauvillain (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 17 July 1748 – Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 19 May 1755), died in infancy.
Vincent, Count of Guingamp (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 22 June 1750 – Palace of Versailles, 14 March 1752), died in infancy.
Marie Louise, Mademoiselle de Penthièvre (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 18 October 1751 – Palace of Versailles, 26 September 1753), died in infancy.
Louise Marie Adélaïde (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 13 March 1753 – Château d'Ivry-sur-Seine, 23 June 1821), Mademoiselle d'Ivoy and later Mademoiselle de Penthièvre. Married Philippe d'Orléans and had issue.
 Louis Marie Félicité (Château de Rambouillet, 29 April 1754 – Château de Rambouillet, 30 April 1754), died a day after his birth.

Gallery

Ancestry

References

External links

1726 births
1754 deaths
House of Bourbon-Penthièvre
18th-century Italian people
Modenese princesses
Deaths in childbirth
House of Este
Burials at the Chapelle royale de Dreux
Royal reburials
Daughters of monarchs

Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este


The Auwal Mosque, alternatively spelled Awwal, Owal or Owwal, is a mosque in the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood of Cape Town, South Africa, recognised as the first mosque established in the country. It was constructed in 1794 during the first British occupation of the Cape on land belonging to Coridon van Ceylon, a Vryezwarten (freed Black Muslim slave). Coridon's daughter, Saartjie van de Kaap, inherited the property that was being used as a warehouse, and donated it for the use as South Africa's first mosque. The mosque was constructed in 1794 with renovations done in 1907 and extensive renovations done in 1936. It is the first mosque to observe public prayers and is where Cape Muslim traditions and the Arabic-Afrikaans language were first taught. It remains a symbol for Muslims of the recognition of Islam and the freedom of slaves to worship.

Qadi Abdussalam, affectionately known as Tuan Guru, was appointed the first imam. Tuan Guru was a religious leader and political prisoner. While in prison, he wrote the entire Quran from memory. This Quran is on display at the Auwal Mosque. Tuan Guru also used the mosque as a madrassah, or "religious" school, where he instructed both children and adults in matters of Islam. After Guru's death, Saartjie van de Kaap's husband, Achmad of Bengal, assumed the position of imam. This position was to be held by members of his family until the last imam from this family, Gasan Achmat, died in 1980. The position has since been filled by many imams, including the likes of Sheikh Salih Abadi. Currently, Moulana Mugammad Carr and Sheikh Ismail Londt are joint imams.

Due to a dispute as to who was to be the next imam of the congregation, a portion of the Auwal congregation split off in 1807 and formed Cape Town's second mosque, the Palm Tree Mosque on Long Street.

See also
List of first mosques by country
Islam in South Africa

References

Mosques in Cape Town
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1794
1790s establishments in South Africa
18th-century establishments in the Cape Colony
18th-century mosques
1790s establishments in the Dutch Empire
18th-century architecture in South Africa
1794 establishments in Africa

Auwal Mosque


Fort Fisher Air Force Station was a United States Air Force installation located on the Atlantic coast  southwest of Kure Beach, North Carolina. Its primary mission was as a radar complex. It was closed on 30 June 1988 by the Air Force, and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Today the radar installation that was the main part of the site is part of the Joint Surveillance System (JSS), designated by NORAD as Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) Ground Equipment Facility J-02.

History
Fort Fisher during the American Civil War was a Confederate States of America stronghold that fell to Union forces on January 15, 1865 during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.  "Fort Fisher" had earthworks for the fort's land face, known as Shepard's Battery.   In World War II, the nearby December 1940 Camp Davis had 5 live anti-aircraft ranges, including one named for Fort Fisher and which became the main AA range for the camp.

Fort Fisher AAF

Fort Fisher Army Airfield (Fort Fisher AAF) was established at the Fort Fisher anti-aircraft range and included construction of 48 frame buildings, 316 tent frames, showers and latrines, mess halls, warehouses, radio and meteorological stations, a post exchange, photo lab, recreation hall, outdoor theater, guardhouse, infirmary, and an administration building.  The site had a 10,000-gallon water storage tank, a motor pool, a large parade ground, three steel observation towers along the beach, and a  unpaved runway (the Shepard's Battery earthworks were leveled for the runway.)  Today,  the parking lot and visitor center for Fort Fisher sit on the remains of the runway.

When Camp Davis closed in 1944, Fort Fisher AAF had an 80-seat cafeteria, a 350-bed hospital and dental clinic, and covered an area of several hundred acres.

Fort Fisher AFS
Fort Fisher Air Force Station was opened in 1955 on part of the Fort Fisher AAF installation  as USAF Permanent System radar station "M-115" during a $1 billion increase for US continental defense after Hq USAF approved the Mobile Radar program in mid-1954. It was assigned to Air Defense Command (ADC) as part of a planned deployment of forty-four Mobile radar stations.  Fort Fisher AFS was designed as site M-115 and the 701st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was assigned on 1 August 1955.

ADC initially installed AN/MPS-7 and AN/MPS-8 radars at the site, and initially the station functioned as a Ground control intercept (GCI) and warning station to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the squadron's radar scopes.   By 1958 the AN/MPS-8 had been converted into an AN/GPS-3 and an AN/MPS-14 had been added.

In 1962 an AN/FPS-7C and AN/FPS-26 were placed in operation along with the AN/MPS-14 radars. During 1962 Fort Fisher AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-04 at Fort Lee AFS, Virginia.  After joining, the squadron was redesignated as the 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 July 1962.  The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.

On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-115. The station was supported logistically by nearby Myrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina.

SLBM surveillance
The Fort Fisher AFS AN/FPS-26 radar was converted to an Avco AN/FSS-7 SLBM Detection Radar that was operated by Detachment 5, 14th Missile Warning Squadron, Fourteenth Aerospace Force as part of the Avco 474N SLBM Detection and Warning System that "became operational in Mid-1972".
In addition to the main facility, Fort Fisher AFS operated several unmanned Gap Filler sites:
 Myrtle Beach, SC   (M-115A/Z-115A):
 Fort Bragg, NC     (M-115B/Z-115B):

Myrtle Beach operated an AN/FPS-14, while Fort Bragg operated an AN/FPS-18.  In addition, with the closure of ADC facilities at MCAS Cherry Point (M-116), the AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler at Holly Ridge, NC  was redesignated Z-115C in 1963.

The first BUIC III site (with AN/GYK-19) in Air Defense Command was at Fort Fisher AFS.

The 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE) was inactivated and replaced by the 701st Air Defense Group in March 1970  Just before inactivation, the squadron earned an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for exceptionally meritorious service for the period from 1 December 1968 through 28 February 1970.  The upgrade to group status was done because of Fort Fisher AFS' status as a Backup Interceptor Control (BUIC) site.  BUIC sites were alternate control sites in the event that SAGE Direction Centers became disabled and unable to control interceptor aircraft. The group was inactivated and replaced by 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE) in January 1974. in reductions to defenses against manned bombers.  The group and squadron shared a second AF Outstanding Unit Award for the period 1 January 1973 through 31 December 1974.

Fort Fisher AFS came under Tactical Air Command jurisdiction in 1979 with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the creation of ADTAC.

The "Fuzzy-7" was deactivated after the Raytheon AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS Radar at Robins Air Force Base was completed on 5 June 1986,  and the base closed on 30 June 1988,  and the USAF retained the housing complex and converted it into the Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area which transferred to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base when Myrtle Beach AFB closed in 1993.

FAA facility
Ground Equipment Facility J-02 continued use of the USAF radar in the Joint Surveillance System (JSS), and "in 1995 an AN/FPS-91A performed search duties."  A portion of the base was returned to the state of North Carolina which turned much of it into the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and historic site.

The Fort Fisher site is used by the National Guard as a training area and also hosts the Annual Seafood, Blues and Jazz Festival.

Air Force units and assignments

Units
Squadron
 Constituted as 701st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
 Activated 1 December 1953 at Dobbins Air Force Base (M-87), GA (not manned or equipped)
 Moved to Fort Fisher AFS on 1 August 1955
 Redesignated 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE), 1 July 1962
 Inactivated on 1 March 1970
 Redesignated 701st Radar Squadron on 1 January 1974
 Activated on 17 January 1974
 Inactivated on 30 June 1988

Group
 Constituted as 701st Air Defense Group on 13 February 1970
 Activated on 1 Mar 1970
 Inactivated on 17 Jan 1974
 Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments
 35th Air Division, 1 December 1953
 85th Air Division, 1 March 1956
 35th Air Division, 1 September 1958
 Washington Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1961
 33d Air Division, 1 April 1966
 20th Air Division, 19 November 1969
 23d Air Division, 1 March 1983
 Southeast Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1987 – 30 June 1988

Awards

See also
 List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
 List of United States Air Force aircraft control and warning squadrons

References

Notes
Explanatory notes

Footnotes

Bibliography

 AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC, 15 Jun 1971
 AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits, Vol II Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC, 30 Sep 1976

External links

Installations of the United States Air Force in North Carolina
Buildings and structures in New Hanover County, North Carolina
Military installations closed in 1988
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites
1955 establishments in North Carolina
1988 disestablishments in North Carolina

Fort Fisher Air Force Station


Robert A. Wykes (May 19, 1926 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania; - June 29, 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and flautist.

He began studying the flute as a child, then served in World War II. He then attended the Eastman School of Music, obtaining a master's degree in music theory.

He taught at Bowling Green State University from 1950 to 1952, also playing flute with the Toledo Symphony. His opera The Prankster premiered at the University in January 1952. Later that year, Wykes left Bowling Green to study and teach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he stayed until he graduated with a doctorate in music in 1955. He was appointed to the music faculty of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1955, becoming a full professor in 1965. He played flute with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1963 to 1967 and with the Studio for New Music from 1966 to 1969. He retired from Washington University in 1988. He was appointed composer-in-residence at the Djerassi Foundation in Woodside, California in 1989 and was a visiting scholar at the Computer Center for Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University in 1991. His notable students include Oliver Nelson, Olly Wilson, Jocy de Oliveira, Rhian Samuel,  Gary Lee Nelson, Greg Danner and John Elwood Price.

Wykes's orchestral works have been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Brazil and the Pro Arte Symphony of Brazil, and the Denver Symphony.

Wykes's music is published by Fallen Leaf Press of Berkeley, California.

Works
Film Scores
Monument to the Dream (1968); Venice Film Festival Mercuro d'Oro.
Robert Kennedy Remembered (1969); Oscar and Cindy awards.
MoPac Delivers (1975); An Industrial Film for the Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Eye of Jefferson (1977); Cine Golden Eagle Award and Chicago Film Festival Silver Plaque.
John F. Kennedy: 1917-1963 (1977); Cine Golden Eagle Award.
Water: The Source of Life (1984): for the American Pavilion, 1984 Louisiana World Exposition.

Concert Works
Toward Time's Receding (1972); Orchestra.
A Lyric Symphony (1980); Orchestra, Friedheim Award, Honorable Mention.
Sonata for Flute and Piano, to Albert Tipton and Mary Norris, (revised 1982).
For Cello (1989); Solo Cello, Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, CA.
Three concert etudes: for flute alone (1989); Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, CA.
9 Miniatures : (three sets of three) (1993); Violin, Cello and Piano, Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, CA.
Lake Music (2004); Solo Alto Flute, in New Music for Solo Alto/Bass Flute, Southeast Missouri State University.

References

External links
Opera Glass

Robert Wykes at Living Composers Project

1926 births
2021 deaths
20th-century classical composers
American male classical composers
American classical composers
American opera composers
Male opera composers
American classical flautists
People from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Bowling Green State University faculty
Washington University in St. Louis faculty
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign School of Music alumni
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty
20th-century American composers
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century flautists

Robert Wykes


Jalapa is a small city in the Mexican state of Tabasco. It is located at .

Jalapa also serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality (municipio) of the same name, which covers a total surface area of 642.91 km² and, in the year 2000 census, reported a population of 32,773.

External links
Jalapa municipality (Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México)

Populated places in Tabasco

Jalapa, Tabasco


The Cimmerians or Kimmerians were ancient horse-riding nomads of Indo-European origin.

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Cimmerians lived in the north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea during the 8th and 7th centuries BC.  They lived in what is now Ukraine and Russia. Others have said there is no evidence of Cimmerians in the southern parts of Russia.

Where the Cimmerians come from is unclear. Most think they belong to either Iranian or Thracian speaking groups. A recent DNA analysis (Oct. 2018) of three Cimmerians indicate "the appearance of East Asian haplogroups in the steppe populations might be associated with the Iron Age nomads, starting with the Cimmerians." The authors found it "noteworthy that the oldest of the Cimmerians studied here (cim357) carried almost equal proportions of Asian and West Eurasian components, resembling the Pazyryks, Aldy-Bel, and Iron Age individuals from Russia and Kazakhstan. The second oldest Cimmerian (cim358) was also the only one with both uniparental markers pointing toward East Asia. The Q1* Y chromosome sublineage of Q-M242 is widespread among Asians and Native Americans and is thought to have originated in the Altai Mountains. It has previously been identified in numerous ancient samples from Siberia, the Americas, and in representatives of the Siberian Bronze Age and nomadic populations. This is the first indication that Cimmerians did not originate in the PCS region but were nomads tracing their origin to the Far East." A new study in July 2019 revealed that 2 other Cimmerians were of haplogroup R1a-Z645 and R1a2c-B111.

References

Nomadic people
Indo-European
History of Europe

Cimmerians


The Cambridge Common Historic District is a historic district encompassing one of the oldest parts of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  It is centered on the Cambridge Common, which was a center of civic activity in Cambridge after its founding in 1631.  It was the site of the election for governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, and was a military barracks site during the American Revolutionary War.  The common was gradually reduced in size to its present roughly triangular shape, and surrounded by buildings in the 18th and 19th centuries.  In 1973 a historic district encompassing the extant common and everything within  of it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1987 the district was amended to rationalize the boundary, which overlapped adjacent districts and included portions of some buildings.

The district now includes properties across Waterhouse Street to the west of the common, including the Christian Science Church, a Classical Revival structure, the brick apartment houses along and the 1753 Georgian Frost-Waterhouse House, the oldest building in the district.  To the north, across Massachusetts Avenue, the district includes Hemenway Gymnasium, Hastings Hall, Gannet House, and the Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church.  On the south side, across Garden Street, lie the Old Burying Ground, The First Parish in Cambridge, Christ Church (a National Historic Landmark), and several houses.

The 1987 amendment to the district also added a small cluster of residential properties on Farwell Street, a dead-end street that is connected to the district by a footpath adjacent to the Old Burying Ground.  It represents a well-preserved collection of properties dating to the 18th and 19th centuries that harken back to the days when Harvard Square was primarily residential in character.

Notable interments
 Cicely, Negro, slave of William Brattle

See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Common land

References

Harvard Square
Historic districts in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts

Cambridge Common Historic District


Rootha Na Karo is a 1970 Bollywood drama directed by Sunder Dar. The film stars Shashi Kapoor and Nanda in lead roles.

Plot
Neeta (Nanda) lives along with her widowed mother (Sulochana Latkar) and her cousin Naina (Kumari Naaz). Sudhir (Shashi Kapoor) was a poor young man and her long-term friend, now her fiancé. They both love each other deeply and Neeta's mother gives her consent to their marriage. But Naina always warns Neeta about Sudhir's intentions and says that he only loves her for her money. Neeta wouldn't listen to her and deeply trusts Sudhir.

She has another cousin Anil, who has passion for stage and theater. He is also friends with Sudhir and highly recommends him. Naina always tries to poison Neeta's mind by telling various examples of how charming young men play the game of love to cheat innocent young woman to steal away their property and succeeds to instill a bit of fear in Neeta's mind. One day, she takes Neeta to a lawyer, where Sudheer was preparing property documents. Naina tells Reeta that Sudheer was trying to change Neeta's property to his name. Reeta confronts Sudheer about that, but it is revealed that Sudheer was preparing documents to transfer everything to Anil, as he doesn't want to touch a penny of Neeta's money.

Neeta feels bad for insulting him like that, but Sudhir, feeling hurt, goes away. At last after a confrontation, Naina reveals that she always wanted Sudheer for herself and as Sudheer didn't reciprocate her feelings, she tried to separate him from Neeta by saying poisonous things to Neeta. She takes poison and dies in the hands of Neeta, telling her that she shouldn't lose a good person like Sudheer. Neeta rushes back to Sudheer and gives him an apology and requests him not to leave her. Anil also comes there and reveals how Naina poisoned her mind. At last, Sudheer is pacified and embraces Neeta.

Cast
Shashi Kapoor as Sudhir
Nanda as Neeta
Kumari Naaz as Naina
Sulochana Latkar as Neeta's Mother
Rajendra Nath as Anil
Tun Tun as Neeta's Maidservant

Soundtrack
All lyrics written by Hasrat Jaipuri and music composed by C. Ramchandra.

External links

1970 films
1970s Hindi-language films
1970s romance films
Films scored by C. Ramchandra
Indian romance films
Hindi-language romance films

Rootha Na Karo


Frederick Watts (May 9, 1801 – August 17, 1889), was an agricultural reformer, lawyer and businessman. He is termed the "Father of the Pennsylvania State University". He headed the U.S. Department of Agriculture as commissioner of agriculture from 1871 to 1877 under President Ulysses S. Grant.

He served as President of the Board of Trustees of Pennsylvania State University (originally known as the Farmer's High School, then Pennsylvania Agricultural College) from its founding in 1855 through 1874 and helped to organize many elements of the Land Grant University movement in America. He was President of the Cumberland Valley Railroad from 1840 to 1873. This early railroad ran from Chambersburg to Harrisburg in 1837 and introduced the first "sleeping cars" in America; the bunks were made of three rows of upholstered boards that folded up during the day and then hung from connecting leather straps at night. The first such car, the "Chambersburg," began service in 1839 and the "Carlisle" followed soon afterwards.

Early life
Watts was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was the son of lawyer David Watts, and the grandson of a Brigadier General in the American Revolution, also named Frederick Watts. Frederick entered Dickinson College in Carlisle in 1815, but did not graduate because of the school temporarily closed.

In 1827 Watts married Eliza Cranston, who bore three daughters before her death in 1832. In 1835 he married Henrietta Ege in 1835, who bore five sons and one daughter. He was a Whig and a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Carlisle.

Career
He practiced law and held positions in local courts starting in the 1820s. In 1849 he was appointed as president judge of Pennsylvania's Ninth Judicial District Court.

He had a law office and residence at 20 East High Street, later part of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Carlisle. He also lived with his family at "Creekside" on the Conodoguinet. It was an important example of brick Gothic Revival residential architecture, now on the Cumberland Valley Register of Historic Places, and also one of Carlisle's listed "Civil War Buildings". The covered wooden Watts Bridge spanned the Creek near there, until it was destroyed by storm and vandals in the 1980s; it was then replaced by a concrete structure.

He organized the Carlisle Gas and Water Company in 1854, and served as a member of the Dickinson College Board of Trustees (1828-1833, 1841-1844).

In 1838, he and a partner bought the Pine Grove Iron Works on South Mountain near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

In 1840, at Creekside, and with the help of Cyrus McCormick, he demonstrated the operation of McCormick's reaper for the first time in Pennsylvania. On the day appointed for the test, between 500 and 1,000 people showed up at Watts' farm to observe the "new-fangled" machine. When the farmhand sent to collect the cut grain was having difficulty managing his task, a stranger stepped out of the crowd to demonstrate the proper technique; it was Cyrus McCormick himself. His reaper proved to be one of the most important labor-saving agricultural devices of the nineteenth century.

In 1851 Watts was elected the first President of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society.

He lobbied for the passage of the Morrill Act, which became law in 1862 and founded land-grant universities.

In 1871, "At the request of President Ulysses S. Grant [. . . ] he joined his cabinet as United States Agricultural Commissioner and began an official investigation of the condition of the nation's forests. This inquiry led to the creation of the forestry division of the United States Department of Agriculture, which was established a few years later."

References

External links
 Obituary - New York Times, August 18, 1889

1801 births
1889 deaths
American manufacturing businesspeople
People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
19th-century American businesspeople

Frederick Watts


Palazzo Gondi is a palace in Florence, Italy, located a block from Piazza della Signoria.
It was built in 1490 under design by Giuliano da Sangallo, who was inspired by other major works of stately buildings in the city, such as Palazzo Medici and Palazzo Strozzi. Among the elements borrowed from these earlier works are the cube-shape set around a central courtyard, the ashlar sloping on each of three floors, and the arched windows.

Compared to his models, however, Sangallo was able to modify the use of these elements, making it one of the most successful Florentine buildings of its time. The most innovative element is in the design of the windows: the profile of stones arranged in a radial pattern, which resemble the facets of a precious stone. The windows on the second floor were designed slightly wider than the others to compensate for the optical foreshortening.

The construction dragged on, and the building remained incomplete for several centuries. At the end of the 17th century Antonio Maria Ferri worked on the architecture and Matteo Bonechi  on the paintings. The building was flanked by an old family house belonging to the Asini family, demolished around 1870 to widen the road along Palazzo Vecchio. On that occasion the building was also expanded with the creation of the third door (the left) and the construction of a new "slice" of the building that increased the number of windows on the facade, creating a similar perspective on Via de' Gondi. Accommodation on the south side had been designed by Giuseppe Poggi, the architect of Piazzale Michelangelo, but was demolished in 1874. Leonardo da Vinci had lived in one of the destroyed houses and is said to have painted the Mona Lisa there. Today the building still belongs to descendants of the family, but on the ground floor are a bar and other businesses.

In the central courtyard, a portico with Corinthian columns on four sides, there is a 17th-century fountain, which uses water from the Boboli Gardens which also supplies the Fontana del Nettuno. From here begins the monumental staircase to the upper floors. The porch is a statue of Roman Togata.

Among the decorations inside the palace, there is a fresco and some paintings by Italian and French artists. On the first floor there is also a monumental fireplace which was designed by Sangallo.

Bibliography

Andreas Tönnesmann, Der Palazzo Gondi in Florenz, Römische Studien der Bibliotheca Hertziana, Werner'sche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1983
Sandra Carlini, Lara Mercanti, Giovanni Straffi, I Palazzi parte prima. Arte e storia degli edifici civili di Firenze, Alinea, Florence, 2001.
Mariella Zoppi e Cristina Donati, Guida ai chiostri e cortili di Firenze, bilingue, Alinea Editrice, Florence, 1997.
Marcello Vannucci, Splendidi palazzi di Firenze, Le Lettere, Florence, 1995.

Buildings and structures completed in 1490
Houses completed in the 15th century
Gondi
Renaissance architecture in Florence

Palazzo Gondi


Hamilcar Barca or Barcas ( c. 275–228 BC) was a Carthaginian general. He was the father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago. He was also father-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair.

Hamilcar commanded the Carthaginian land forces in Sicily from 247 BC to 241 BC, at the end of the First Punic War.

Carthaginian people
270s BC births
220s BC

Hamilcar Barca


Unknown Sender is an internet television series created in the United States, which debuted in August 2008 on Strike.TV, a website created by Hollywood writers during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike;  the series was later uploaded to YouTube. Like the other Strike.TV offerings which were sanctioned by the writers' sister union, the Screen Actors Guild, Unknown Sender was able to attract major talent to its cast, all of whom agreed to donate profits to the Hollywood charity, Actors' Fund. Among the actors in the series are Timothy Dalton, Joanne Whalley, Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers' "Frau Farbissina"), comedian Jay Davis (Dane Cook's Tourgasm), and Stan Freberg.

Behind the camera, noteworthy figures include Academy Award nominee Marilyn Vance and pioneer web filmmaker Kevin Rubio (Troops) among the producers; as well as Lost Director of Photography Edward J. Pei, film composer Adam Cohen (The Incredibles); and Special Effects Supervisor Shant Jordan (Hellboy II).

Series premise

The five- to ten-minute-long episodes consist of suspense or sci-fi stories which share the conceit of being actual events captured by closed circuit television, surveillance monitors, amateur videographers, and the like, all collected and posted on the web by a mysterious, unseen "unknown sender".

Influences
The creator of the show, Die Hard screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, described the series as "a cross between the Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents". De Souza, a writer and director on HBO's similarly themed Tales From the Crypt, said another influence was the legendary 1947–1949 Mutual (and later, ABC) network radio horror series, Quiet, Please. Considered by many to be the best example of Golden Age radio, and a direct precursor of the Twilight Zone, Quiet, Please often dramatized its episodes as if the members of the listening audience were themselves participants or inadvertent observers, eavesdropping on the story's action.

The first episode includes an acknowledgement the Quiet, Please connection via its opening music, Symphony in D minor by César Franck, the same piece used as the theme for every episode of Quiet, Please.

Critical reception
Unknown Sender has been well received by the public and the press alike, having garnered positive reviews from such outlets as TV Guide, The McClatchy Company, and tilzy.tv. USA Today in particular hailed the series's "clever premise".

Episode list
1.1.  "If You're Seeing This Tape…" – A philanthropist engaged in a bitter divorce prepares a video will. Stars Timothy Dalton, Joanne Whalley, and Stan Freberg as "Mostly Mozart" DJ. Tagline: "Where there's a will, there's a widow." Aired 28 October 2008.

1.2.  "Beta Test" – An overworked and underpaid American IT engineer discovers he is being cheated by a European cartel. Stars Xander Cardinale, Viola Sator, Molly Kohler-Pei, and Michael Butler Murray, with Brian Rodda and Drea Hoffman. Tagline: "It's not a bug, it's a feature." Aired 7 November 2008.

1.3.  "Slippery Slope" – Two sexy actresses appearing in "Hardwood Pictures'" latest production have a hidden agenda. Stars Ashley Shultz and Amy Main. Tagline: "She's the man, baby."
Aired 11 November 2008.

1.4.  "Return Engagement" – A retired Las Vegas performer must pull out every trick in his repertoire to foil home invaders. Stars Stan Freberg, with Holly Kaplan and Geoff Meed. Tagline: "His act always killed."  Aired 21 November 2008.

1.5.  "Sorry, Wrong Website" – An assassin posing as a hotel employee receives his instructions from a mysterious website. Stars Michael Shunnarah. Tagline:  "It's 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'." Aired 12 December 2008.

1.6.  "Spin Cycle" – A tenant in her building's laundry room suspects a stranger is waiting for something more sinister than the dryer. Stars Mindy Sterling and Jay Davis. Tagline: "Blood is the nastiest stain." Aired 19 December 2008.

2.1  "The Story of Dope" – Thought lost for almost 40 years, the legendary 1972 Pot Growers of America Convention Reel finally surfaces. Stars Mike Renshaw and Sandy Zeitler with M.D. Clausner as the narrator.

2.2  "Car Alarmed" – The latest development in automobile security – no batteries, wires, or Mirandizing required. Stars Daniel H.

2.3  "Red Light Lisa" – When a client of a cybersex site makes a very special request, the Happy Ending is anything but. Stars Reid Cox, Sonja Fisher, and Patrick O'Bell.

References

External links

2008 web series debuts
American science fiction web series
2000s American anthology television series
2000s American crime television series
Television series created by Steven E. de Souza
American drama web series
Fantasy web series

Unknown Sender


Charles Wiener de Croisset (born September 28, 1943, in New York City) is a French banker.

Biography
Charles de Croisset was born on September 28, 1943, in New York City, New York. He was educated at Sciences Po and the École nationale d'administration, holding a bachelor's degree in law. In 1968, de Croisset served as Inspecteur des Finance with the French Finance Ministry and also served as an assistant to the economic adviser of the President of the Republic since 1972. In 1974, he served as member of the Minister's staff at the Ministry of Finance. In 1976, he served at The Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Urban Planning, Transportation. In 1978, he served as chief of staff and an assistant to the minister of industry and energy.

de Croisset joined the Crédit Commercial de France (CCF) SA in 1980, where he served as secretary general and also served as an in charge of all CCF banking activities. In 1983, he served as a senior executive vice president of CCF in charge of international affairs. Since 1986, de Croisset was senior executive vice president of CCF and in charge of the Banking Department. In 1987 he was appointed president of CCF. He served as group executive director of CCF since 1987.

de Croisset rejoined the government in 1987, where he served as the chief of staff of the state minister of economy, Finance and Privatisation. From 1987 to 1988, he served as deputy head of the minister of the economy and Finance's private office.

de Croisset returned to the private sector in 1988, where he served as president and Chief operating officer of the Banking Department of CCF. From 1993 he served as chairman of CCF. He served as an executive director of HSBC Holdings PLC since 2000 and served as a director of its subsidiaries, HSBC Bank PLC, from 2000 to February 25, 2004.

Following the takeover of CCF by HSBC, de Croisset has served as vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs Europe, a member of the international advisory board of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, general treasurer at the Société des amis du Louvre, senior advisor to Bain & Company Consulting, a member of the board of directors of HSBC Guyerzeller Bank S.A. and HSBC Private Holding (Switzerland) S.A, an independent director of Renault SA, a member of the supervisory board of Euler Hermes SA, a member of the supervisory board of Galeries Lafayette SA, a permanent representative of SRRE Luxembourg (HSBC Group) on the board of SOMAREL, an independent director of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a director of Thales Group, a director of Bouygues SA/

References

1943 births
Living people
Businesspeople from New York City
French bankers
Sciences Po alumni
École nationale d'administration alumni
HSBC people
Renault people
Goldman Sachs people
Commanders of the Legion of Honour

Charles de Croisset


The Ferrari F50 is a sports car made by Ferrari in 1995. It was created to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. The car has two doors. It is a two-seated convertible with a removable hardtop. It has a 4.7 L V12 engine that was based on the 3.5 L V12 used in the 1992 Ferrari F92A Formula One car.

Only 349 Ferrari F50's were made. This was because Ferrari wanted it to be rare. The last F50 was produced in Maranello, Italy in July 1997.

It was made in 5 different colors: red, dark red, yellow, black and silver.

The Ferrari F50 can reach a top speed of 205 miles per hour.

Ferrari

Ferrari F50


Johann Rudolf Louis (30 January 187015 November 1914) was a German music critic and conductor.

Biography
Louis was born in Schwetzingen in 1870. He studied in Geneva, where he was a pupil of Friedrich Klose, and continued his studies in Vienna and then Karlsruhe under Felix Mottl before becoming conductor of the theatre orchestras in Landshut and Lübeck. In 1897 he moved to Munich, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Here he taught harmony and composition. Among his pupils was Wilhelm Petersen.

He was also the music critic for the newspaper Münchner Neueste Nachrichten. An advocate of the latest trends in music as exemplified by his friends Ludwig Thuille and Richard Strauss, he published books on Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Anton Bruckner, Hans Pfitzner, Klose and contemporary German music. With Ludwig Thuille he wrote an influential manual on harmony, Harmonielehre (1907), which went through many editions.

He had an acrimonious relationship with the composer Max Reger, of whose compositions he usually had negative opinions.  After the first performance of Reger's Sinfonietta on 2 February 1906, Louis wrote a typically negative review in the Münchener Neueste Nachrichten on 7 February.  Reger wrote to him: Ich sitze in dem kleinsten Zimmer in meinem Hause. Ich habe Ihre Kritik vor mir. Im nächsten Augenblick wird sie hinter mir sein (I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. I have your review before me. In a moment it will be behind me!).

Rudolf Louis died in Munich in 1914, aged 44.

References

1870 births
1914 deaths
German music educators
German conductors (music)
German male conductors (music)
German music critics
German male non-fiction writers
19th-century German musicians
19th-century German male musicians
19th-century German musicologists
20th-century German musicologists

Rudolf Louis


Eating Out is a 2004 American sex comedy film written and directed by Q. Allan Brocka and starring Rebekah Kochan, Ryan Carnes, Jim Verraros, Scott Lunsford, and Emily Stiles.

Plot
After getting dumped by his girlfriend Tiffani von der Sloot (Rebekah Kochan), University of Arizona student Caleb Peterson (Scott Lunsford) commiserates with his roommate Kyle (Jim Verraros), who notes that while he has trouble getting the men he wants, he could get any woman because he is gay. Later at a party, Gwen Anderson (Emily Stiles) dumps her boyfriend after he comes out to her. Caleb sees her and becomes infatuated and meets Marc Everhard (Ryan Carnes), with whom Kyle is infatuated. Marc, meanwhile, sees Caleb and is instantly attracted. Kyle comes up with a crazy scheme. He tells Gwen that Caleb is gay so she'll set him up with Marc. Kyle figures that Caleb can use Marc to get to Gwen, while Kyle uses Caleb to get to Marc. Also, Tiffani lives next door to Gwen and Marc so seeing Caleb date Marc would make her crazy.

Caleb and Marc go out on a date then go back to Marc's place to watch a movie. Marc tries to put the moves on Caleb, who is unresponsive. Suddenly Gwen, who is stuck at a friend's house and bored, calls. She talks to Caleb, relaxing and seducing him verbally while Marc takes advantage by performing oral sex on him. Gwen hangs up to come home and Marc masturbates next to Caleb. Caleb, feeling confused and insecure, leaves. He passes Gwen on her way home and she seduces him again, this time physically. They have sex in his convertible. Caleb goes home and goes to bed.

The next morning, Marc calls Caleb and leaves a message. Kyle overhears it and realizes that Marc and Caleb had sex. As Kyle storms into his room, Marc calls back. After the call Caleb goes to Kyle and tells him he has invited Gwen and Marc to dinner to clear everything up. He also says that he knows Kyle has feelings for him and that if he were gay he would love him back, and the two share a small kiss. Gwen and Marc come over for dinner and Caleb is chagrined to see that Kyle has invited Caleb's family as well. Kyle convinces Gwen to "pretend" to be Caleb's date and Marc to "pretend" to be his. Dinner is going well, if a little awkwardly, until Tiffani inexplicably crashes the party. Gwen takes it upon herself to out Caleb to his parents (Murph Michaels and Mattie van der Voort). His parents take it quite well and everyone ends up in a bizarre group hug.

After Caleb's family and Tiffani leave, Gwen verbally attacks Kyle, thinking he is trying to steal Marc from Caleb. She makes it clear that "someone like Marc" would never go out with "someone like him." Caleb convinces Marc to talk to Kyle and Gwen figures out the entire scheme, which she thinks is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for her in light of the lengths to which Caleb went to sleep with her. Marc goes to talk to Kyle and tells Kyle that he was into him all along, having feigned disinterest this whole time. They finally kiss.

In a post-credits scene, Marc and Kyle are shown shirtless, making out in his bed; it is implied they are about to have sex.

Cast
 Rebekah Kochan as Tiffani von der Sloot
 Ryan Carnes as Marc Everhard
 Jim Verraros as Kyle
 Scott Lunsford as Caleb Peterson
 Emily Stiles as Gwen Anderson
 Natalie Burge as Milkshake Marcy
 Billy Shepard as Joey
 John Janezic as Richard
 Stafford "Doc" Williamson as Professor Winston James
 Jillian Nusbaum as Jamie Peterson
 Murph Michaels as Frank Peterson
 Martie van der Voort as Susan Peterson

Critical reception
Based on 26 reviews, the film has a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 4.3 out of 10. The site's critics consensus states, "The cast recites lines of forced wit that aren't funny, and the clunky plot has too many contrivances."

Awards
 Breckenridge Festival of Film 2004 Best of the Best LGBT Film
 Dallas OUT TAKES 2004 Audience Award
 Phoenix Out Far! Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2004 Audience Award Best Feature Film
 Rhode Island International Film Festival 2004 Best Feature
 San Diego Film Festival 2004 Audience Award Best Feature
 San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2004 Best First Feature

Sequels

Eating Out has spawned four sequels to date. Sloppy Seconds was released in 2006 with Brett Chukerman replacing Ryan Carnes as Marc. All You Can Eat was released in 2009. Drama Camp and The Open Weekend were released in 2011.

References

External links

Eating Out (film series)
2004 films
2004 independent films
2004 LGBT-related films
2004 romantic comedy films
2000s sex comedy films
American independent films
American LGBT-related films
American romantic comedy films
American sex comedy films
2000s English-language films
Films about music and musicians
Films set in Tucson, Arizona
Gay-related films
LGBT-related romantic comedy films
LGBT-related sex comedy films
Male bisexuality in film
2000s American films

Eating Out