C-reactive protein (CRP) is an annular (ring-shaped) pentameric protein found in blood plasma, whose circulating concentrations rise in response to inflammation. It is an acute-phase protein of hepatic origin that increases following interleukin-6 secretion by macrophages and T cells. Its physiological role is to bind to lysophosphatidylcholine expressed on the surface of dead or dying cells (and some types of bacteria) in order to activate the complement system via C1q.

CRP is synthesized by the liver in response to factors released by macrophages and fat cells (adipocytes). It is a member of the pentraxin family of proteins. It is not related to C-peptide (insulin) or protein C (blood coagulation). C-reactive protein was the first pattern recognition receptor (PRR) to be identified.

History and etymology
Discovered by Tillett and Francis in 1930, it was initially thought that CRP might be a pathogenic secretion since it was elevated in a variety of illnesses, including cancer. The later discovery of hepatic synthesis (made in the liver) demonstrated that it is a native protein. Initially, CRP was measured using the quellung reaction which gave a positive or a negative result. More precise methods nowadays use dynamic light scattering after reaction with CRP-specific antibodies.

CRP was so named because it was first identified as a substance in the serum of patients with acute inflammation that reacted with the cell wall  polysaccharide (C-polysaccharide) of pneumococcus.

Genetics and structure

It is a member of the small pentraxins family (also known as short pentraxins). The polypeptide encoded the this gene has 224 amino acids. The full-length polypeptide is not present in the body in significant quantities due to signal peptide, which is removed by signal peptidase before translation is completed. The complete protein, composed of five monomers, has a total mass of approximately 120,000 Da.  In serum, it assembles into stable pentameric structure with a discoid shape.

Function

CRP binds to the phosphocholine expressed on the surface of bacterial cells such as pneumococcus bacteria. This activates the complement system, promoting phagocytosis by macrophages, which clears necrotic and apoptotic cells and bacteria.

This so-called acute phase response occurs as a result of increasing concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is produced by macrophages as well as adipocytes in response to a wide range of acute and chronic inflammatory conditions such as bacterial, viral, or fungal infections; rheumatic and other inflammatory diseases; malignancy; and tissue injury and necrosis. These conditions cause release of IL-6 and other cytokines that trigger the synthesis of CRP and fibrinogen by the liver.

CRP binds to phosphocholine on micro-organisms. It is thought to assist in complement binding to foreign and damaged cells and enhances phagocytosis by macrophages (opsonin-mediated phagocytosis), which express a receptor for CRP. It plays a role in innate immunity as an early defense system against infections.

Serum levels

Measurement methods
Traditional CRP measurement only detected CRP in the range of 10 to 1,000 mg/L, whereas high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) detects CRP in the range of 0.5 to 10 mg/L. hs-CRP can detect cardiovascular disease risk when in excess of 3 mg/L, whereas below 1 mg/L would be low risk. Traditional CRP measurement is faster and less costly than hs-CRP, and can be adequate for some applications, such as monitoring hemodialysis patients.

Normal
In healthy adults, the normal concentrations of CRP varies between 0.8 mg/L and 3.0 mg/L. However, some healthy adults show elevated CRP at 10 mg/L. CRP concentrations also increase with age, possibly due to subclinical conditions. There is also no seasonal variations of CRP concentrations. Gene polymorphism of interleukin-1 family, interleukin 6, and polymorphic GT repeat of the CRP gene do affect the usual CRP concentrations when a person does not have any medical illnesses.

Acute inflammation
When there is a stimulus, the CRP level can increase 10,000-fold from less than 50 μg/L to more than 500 mg/L. Its concentration can increase to 5 mg/L by 6 hours and peak at 48 hours. The plasma half-life of CRP is 19 hours, and is constant in all medical conditions. Therefore, the only factor that affects the blood CRP concentration is its production rate, which increases with inflammation, infection, trauma, necrosis, malignancy, and allergic reactions. Other inflammatory mediators that can increase CRP are TGF beta 1, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. In acute inflammation, CRP can increase as much as 50 to 100 mg/L within 4 to 6 hours in mild to moderate inflammation or an insult such as skin infection, cystitis, or bronchitis. It can double every 8 hours and reaches its peak at 36 to 50 hours following injury or inflammation. CRP between 100 and 500 mg/L is considered highly predictive of inflammation due to bacterial infection.  Once inflammation subsides, CRP level falls quickly because of its relatively short half-life.

Metabolic inflammation
CRP concentrations between 2 and 10 mg/L are considered as metabolic inflammation: metabolic pathways that cause arteriosclerosis and type II diabetes mellitus

Clinical significance

Diagnostic use
CRP is used mainly as an inflammation marker. Apart from liver failure, there are few known factors that interfere with CRP production. Interferon alpha inhibits CRP production from liver cells which may explain the relatively low levels of CRP found during viral infections compared to bacterial infections

Measuring and charting CRP values can prove useful in determining disease progress or the effectiveness of treatments. ELISA, immunoturbidimetry, nephelometry, radial immunodiffusion
 low: hs-CRP level under 1.0 mg/L
 average: between 1.0 and 3.0 mg/L
 high: above 3.0 mg/L

Normal levels increase with aging. Higher levels are found in late pregnant women, mild inflammation and viral infections (10–40 mg/L), active inflammation, bacterial infection (40–200 mg/L), severe bacterial infections and burns (>200 mg/L).

CRP cut-off levels indicating bacterial from non-bacterial illness can vary due to co-morbidities such as malaria, HIV and malnutrition and the stage of disease presentation.

CRP is a more sensitive and accurate reflection of the acute phase response than the ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate). ESR may be normal while CRP is elevated. CRP returns to normal more quickly than ESR in response to therapy.

Cardiovascular disease

Recent research suggests that patients with elevated basal levels of CRP are at an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. A study of over 700 nurses showed that those in the highest quartile of trans fat consumption had blood levels of CRP that were 73% higher than those in the lowest quartile. Although one group of researchers indicated that CRP may be only a moderate risk factor for cardiovascular disease, this study (known as the Reykjavik Study) was found to have some problems for this type of analysis related to the characteristics of the population studied, and there was an extremely long follow-up time, which may have attenuated the association between CRP and future outcomes. Others have shown that CRP can exacerbate ischemic necrosis in a complement-dependent fashion and that CRP inhibition can be a safe and effective therapy for myocardial and cerebral infarcts; so far, this has been demonstrated in animal models only.

It has been hypothesized that patients with high CRP levels might benefit from use of statins. This is based on the JUPITER trial that found that elevated CRP levels without hyperlipidemia benefited. Statins were selected because they have been proven to reduce levels of CRP. Studies comparing effect of various statins in hs-CRP revealed similar effects of different statins. A subsequent trial however failed to find that CRP was useful for determining statin benefit.

In a meta-analysis of 20 studies involving 1,466 patients with coronary artery disease, CRP levels were found to be reduced after exercise interventions. Among those studies, higher CRP concentrations or poorer lipid profiles before beginning exercise were associated with greater reductions in CRP.

To clarify whether CRP is a bystander or active participant in atherogenesis, a 2008 study compared people with various genetic CRP variants. Those with a high CRP due to genetic variation had no increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with a normal or low CRP. A study published in 2011 shows that CRP is associated with lipid responses to low-fat and high-polyunsaturated fat diets.

Coronary heart disease risk

Arterial damage results from white blood cell invasion and inflammation within the wall. CRP is a general marker for inflammation and infection, so it can be used as a very rough proxy for heart disease risk. Since many things can cause elevated CRP, this is not a very specific prognostic indicator. Nevertheless, a level above 2.4 mg/L has been associated with a doubled risk of a coronary event compared to levels below 1 mg/L; however, the study group in this case consisted of patients who had been diagnosed with unstable angina pectoris; whether elevated CRP has any predictive value of acute coronary events in the general population of all age ranges remains unclear. Currently, C-reactive protein is not recommended as a cardiovascular disease screening test for average-risk adults without symptoms.

The American Heart Association and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have defined risk groups as follows:
 Low Risk: less than 1.0 mg/L
 Average risk: 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L
 High risk: above 3.0 mg/L
But hs-CRP is not to be used alone and should be combined with elevated levels of cholesterol, LDL-C, triglycerides, and glucose level. Smoking, hypertension and diabetes also increase the risk level of cardiovascular disease.

Fibrosis and inflammation

Scleroderma, polymyositis, and dermatomyositis elicit little or no CRP response. CRP levels also tend not to be elevated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) unless serositis or synovitis is present. Elevations of CRP in the absence of clinically significant inflammation can occur in kidney failure. CRP level is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic disease. Patients with high CRP concentrations are more likely to develop stroke, myocardial infarction, and severe peripheral vascular disease. Elevated level of CRP can also be observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

High levels of CRP has been associated to point mutation Cys130Arg in the APOE gene, coding for apolipoprotein E, establishing a link between lipid values and inflammatory markers modulation.

Cancer

The role of inflammation in cancer is not well understood. Some organs of the body show greater risk of cancer when they are chronically inflamed.  While there is an association between increased levels of C-reactive protein and risk of developing cancer, there is no association between genetic polymorphisms influencing circulating levels of CRP and cancer risk.

In a 2004 prospective cohort study on colon cancer risk associated with CRP levels, people with colon cancer had higher average CRP concentrations than people without colon cancer. It can be noted that the average CRP levels in both groups were well within the range of CRP levels usually found in healthy people. However, these findings may suggest that low inflammation level can be associated with a lower risk of colon cancer, concurring with previous studies that indicate anti-inflammatory drugs could lower colon cancer risk.

Obstructive sleep apnea

C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is also increased in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  CRP and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were significantly higher in patients with OSA compared to obese control subjects. Patients with OSA have higher plasma CRP concentrations that increased corresponding to the severity of their apnea-hypopnea index score.  Treatment of OSA with CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) significantly alleviated the effect of OSA on CRP and IL-6 levels.

Rheumatoid arthritis

In the context of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), CRP is one of the acute phase reactants, whose assessment is defined as part of the joint 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for RA with abnormal levels accounting for a single point within the criteria  Higher levels of CRP are associated with more severe disease and a higher likelihood of radiographic progression. Rheumatoid arthritis associated antibodies together with 14-3-3η YWHAH have been reported to complement CRP in predicting clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients with recent onset inflammatory polyarthritis. Elevated levels of CRP appear to be associated with common comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and interstitial lung (pulmonary) disease. Mechanistically, CRP also appears to influence osteoclast activity leading to bone resorption and also stimulates RANKL expression in peripheral blood monocytes.

It has previously been speculated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CRP gene may affect clinical decision-making based on CRP in rheumatoid arthritis, e.g. DAS28 (Disease Activity Score 28 joints). A recent study showed that CRP genotype and haplotype were only marginally associated with serum CRP levels and without any association to the DAS28 score. Thus, that DAS28, which is the core parameter for inflammatory activity in RA, can be used for clinical decision-making without adjustment for CRP gene variants.

Viral infections

Increased blood CRP levels were higher in people with avian flu H7N9 compared to those with H1N1 (more common) influenza, with a review reporting that severe H1N1 influenza had elevated CRP. In 2020, people infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, had elevated CRP.

Additional images

References

External links

 Inflammation, Heart Disease and Stroke: The Role of C-Reactive Protein (American Heart Association)

 CRP: analyte monograph - The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine
 George Vrousgos, N.D. - Southern Cross University

Biomarkers
Acute-phase proteins
Blood tests
Chemical pathology
Diagnostic cardiology
Diagnostic intensive care medicine
Immunologic tests

C-reactive protein


In the Kindu rail accident on November 29, 2005, at least 60 people were killed on the Vicicongo line when they were swept off the roof of a train into the river below as the train crossed a bridge in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. After speaking with local officials in his region, Koloso Sumaili, the governor of Maniema province, says it seemed there were over 60 dead in this accident. He said the accident happened  around  south of the town of Kindu, as the train travelled towards the southern town of Lubumbashi. "Trains that travel on that line have lots of people and goods on the roof. When the train was crossing over a bridge, the beams supporting the bridge swept people and goods off the train and into the river below," he said.

See also
 List of rail accidents (2000–present)

References

2005 disasters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Railway accidents in 2005
Railway accidents and incidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bridge disasters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bridge disasters caused by overloading
Maniema
November 2005 events in Africa

Kindu rail accident


The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936.

From the selection of a host city in a neutral country to the exclusion of Japan and Germany, the political atmosphere of the post-war world was inescapable during the 1948 Games. The organizing committee faced several challenges due to the lack of financial and human resources consumed by the war. These were the first of two winter Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström.

There were 28 nations that marched in the opening ceremonies on 30 January 1948. Bibi Torriani played for the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team, and became the first ice hockey player to recite the Olympic Oath on behalf of all athletes. Nearly 670 athletes competed in 22 events in four sports. The 1948 Games also featured two demonstration sports: military patrol, which later became the biathlon, and winter pentathlon, which was discontinued after these Games.  Notable performances were turned in by figure skaters Dick Button and Barbara Ann Scott and skier Henri Oreiller. Most of the athletic venues were already in existence from the first time St. Moritz hosted the Winter Games in 1928. All of the venues were outdoors, which meant the Games were heavily dependent on favorable weather conditions.

Host city selection
The IOC selected St. Moritz to host the 1948 Games by acclamation at the 40 general session in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 6, 1946. The selection process consisted of two bids, and saw St. Moritz be selected ahead of Lake Placid, New York, United States. St. Moritz was chosen due to the fact that all of the venues of the 1928 Winter Olympics were available and the Swiss resort could organise the Games much quicker than any other city except for 1936 host Garmish-Partenkirchen which was not considered. Despite the existence of many of the 1928 sites, it was still a difficult task to organize a Winter Olympic Games in less than 18 months.

Organizing

The Comite Olympique (CO) was composed of local dignitaries and members of the Swiss National Olympic Committee (COS).  They decided to separate into several sub-committees responsible for various aspects of the Games.  These committees included housing and maintenance, venue construction, finances, and media and advertising.  The local committees worked very closely with the Swiss federal government and the IOC to ensure that the organization of the Games proceeded without hindrance.  Since no athletes' village existed from the previous Games, the athletes and officials were housed in hotels around the city.  It was very important for the committees to draw upon their experiences from the 1928 Olympics.  Their selection of locations for the various events was contingent on the weather conditions as all the events were held outdoors.

Over 800 people were involved in reporting the news of the Games to the world.  Nearly 500 press credentials were issued by the Press Commission for the Games.  Television would not make its Olympic debut until 1956.  The coverage of the 1948 Games was split between newspapers and radio broadcasts.  The organizing committee had to provide technology, such as long-distance telephone lines and telegraph services, to assist the press in communicating with their constituents.

Over 2,200 people were needed to provide all the services for the press, officials and athletes at the Games.  These services included sanitation, security, and care of the venues.  Accommodating the influx of people into St. Moritz was a difficult task for the organizing committee.  It was complicated by the mountainous region in which the community was situated.  A massive project to improve the village's transportation infrastructure had to be completed prior to the Games.  This included building and widening roads for vehicular traffic.  Several train stations were built to accommodate the increased demands for public transit.  They also had to increase the capacity of the city's sewers.  All of the projects had to be approved by the Swiss government, and justified by its impact on the success of the Games.  To aid the organizing committee the IOC demanded that all participating nations provide lists of their athletes several months prior to the Games.  Consequently, the Swiss knew exactly how many athletes and officials to plan for.

Politics
Since these Games were the first since World War II they were given the name "The Games of Renewal."  Japan and Germany were not invited to these Games because they were still ostracized by the international community for their role in World War II.  Their absence was short-lived though, as they returned to Olympic competition in 1952.  The Soviet Union did not send athletes to the St. Moritz Games of 1948, but they did send ten delegates as observers of the Games to determine how successful the Soviet athletes would have been had they competed.

Impact of World War II
Sapporo, Japan had been the choice for the 1940 Winter Games.  In 1938, the Japanese decided to decline the invitation to host the Games claiming that preparations for the Olympic Games were draining the country's resources.  The IOC turned to the host of the 1936 Games, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which would make it the only city to host consecutive Games.  This became impractical when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939; subsequently Germany withdrew its bid to host the Games.  Finland believed it could host the Games and extended an invitation to the IOC, but the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland ended all hope of an Olympic Games in 1940.  The 1944 Winter Olympics had been awarded to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1939.  As the war continued, this proved to be impractical and the second consecutive olympiad passed without a celebration of the Games.  The IOC was presented with two possible host cities for the first post-war Games: Lake Placid, United States and St. Moritz, Switzerland.  The IOC decided to award the Games to Switzerland, a neutral country, immediately following World War II, in order to avoid political posturing on the part of former combatants.

The impact of World War II was still being felt in 1948. The lack of financial resources and human energy made the organization of the Games challenging.  Athletes were also affected by a lack of resources.  Many competitors arrived with little or no equipment.  In one notable case, Norwegian skiers had to borrow skis from the American team in order to compete.

Events
Medals were awarded in 22 events contested in 4 sports (9 disciplines).
Bobsleigh

Skating

Skiing

There were also two demonstration sports, military patrol and the winter pentathlon.

Bobsled

Two sliding sports were contested at the 1948 Winter Games, the first was bobsled.  A controversy erupted when it was alleged that the sleds of the United States team had been sabotaged.  It was discovered that the steering wheels had been damaged.  After news broke of the apparent improprieties a truck driver stepped forward and admitted to having accidentally backed into the shed housing the bobsleds.  The accident however did not hinder the United States teams who won a bronze in the two-man event and a gold and a bronze in the four-man event.  The Swiss two-man teams placed first and second, which is the best possible results for the event since only two teams were allowed to enter.  The driver of the first place team, Felix Endrich, beat his coach, the driver of the second place team, Fritz Feierabend.

Ice Hockey

The ice hockey tournament was won by Canada, with Czechoslovakia second and Switzerland third. This was the fifth Olympic gold medal for Canada in hockey.  The only team to beat Canada since hockey was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics was Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics.  The tournament was almost cancelled when rival teams representing the United States arrived. An Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team was supported by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), and an Amateur Hockey Association (AHA) team was supported by the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG).  The International Olympic Committee ruled that neither team could compete, but the Swiss organizing committee allowed the AAU team to march in the opening ceremony, and the AHA team to play unofficially, without being eligible for medals.

Figure skating

Barbara Ann Scott became the first and only Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating, when she won the competition at St. Moritz.  Despite the distraction caused by a low-flying airplane during her compulsory routine, she was able to muster the focus to place first entering the free skate.  The ice had been shredded the night before the free skate by two ice hockey games (the ice resurfacer had not yet been invented); nonetheless she was able to adjust her routine to avoid the potholes and emerge victorious.

Eighteen-year-old American Dick Button completed the unprecedented North American sweep of the figure skating gold medals.  He led the field after the compulsory skate and then won the gold medal by becoming the first person to ever complete a double Axel in competition. Later in the 1952 Olympics, Dick Button would win gold a second time.  Swiss world champion Hans Gerschwiler fell during the free skate, but rebounded to win the silver medal.

Speed skating

The speed skating competition was held on the same rink that had hosted the events in 1928.  At  above sea level, the speed skating competition was held at the second highest altitude in Olympic history, only Squaw Valley in 1960 was higher.  The competition was dominated by the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden who won nine out of the twelve possible medals.  Scandinavians had done poor in speed skating events up until the 1948 Games.  The reason for their success was that speed skating in Europe had come to a stand still during World War II.  Only countries that were ancillary to the conflict had the resources to keep their speed skating programs intact.  The 500 meter race was won by Finn Helgesen of Norway.  There was a three-way tie for second place between Norwegian Thomas Byberg and Americans Robert Fitzgerald and Kenneth Bartholomew.  All three had finished in exactly 43.2 seconds. Swede Åke Seyffarth won a gold medal in the 10,000 meter race and a silver medal in the 1,500 meter race.  The 5,000 meter event was affected by weather.  The twenty racers encountered both wind, sun, and snow in the course of the day's competition.  Finally long-distance specialist Reidar Liaklev from Norway prevailed.

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut at these Games.  A few events had been held at the 1936 Games but the St. Moritz Games featured a full slate of three men's and three women's alpine events. Frenchman Henri Oreiller won a medal in all three Alpine events; gold in the downhill and combined, and bronze in the slalom.  He was one of only two athletes to win two gold medals at the 1948 Games, and he was also the only athlete to win three or more medals.

Austria dominated the women's alpine events, winning five out of a possible nine medals. Trude Beiser was a double-medal winner, earning gold in the combined event and silver in the downhill.  She was not the only female skier to win two medals though, United States skier Gretchen Fraser won gold in the slalom and took silver behind Beiser in the combined.  Austrian Erika Mahringer earned two medals by winning bronze medals in both the slalom and the combined.

Cross-country skiing

In cross-country skiing a total of 106 skiers from 15 nations competed in three events.  The events were the 50 kilometer race, the 18 kilometer race and the 4 x 10 kilometer relay.  There were no women's events at the 1948 Games. Martin Lundström of Sweden was the other athlete to win two gold medals when he won the 18 kilometer race and participated on the winning cross-country relay team.  Overall Sweden won seven out of a possible fifteen medals in the Nordic events, including all three gold medals and a sweep of the 18 kilometer race.  All fifteen medals were won by either Sweden, Norway, or Finland.

Skeleton

Skeleton made its second appearance at the Olympics during these Games.  It debuted at the 1928 Winter Olympics also held in St. Moritz.  Skeleton was a form of luge, which had originally appeared in the St. Moritz region at the end of the 19th century.  American John Heaton won his second Olympic medal in the skeleton, he won his first 20 years earlier when he was 19 years old. Italian slider Nino Bibbia won the gold medal.  It was the first of his 231 career wins on the Cresta Boblsed track.  One of the curves at Cesana Pariol, where the bobsled, luge, and skeleton events took place at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, was named after Bibbia.

Nordic combined

The Nordic combined event had been contested at each Winter Olympics since 1924. Nordic combined required athletes to first compete in the open 18 kilometer cross-country ski race alongside the other cross-country competitors.  Their times would be assigned a point value.  Two days later the athletes would take two jumps off the ski jump hill.  The jumps would be given a point value and the longest jump would be combined with their cross-country time to create a score.  Traditional Nordic combined power Norway was stunned at the 1948 Games when Finland's Heikki Hasu became the first non-Norwegian to win the event.  In fact Norway did not even make the podium.  Hasu's teammate Martti Huhtala took the silver and Sven Israelsson from Sweden won the bronze.

Ski jumping

The Norwegians swept the ski jumping event. Birger Ruud had won the gold medal in the ski jumping event at both the 1932 and 1936 Winter Games.  The twelve-year hiatus due to World War II meant that Ruud was 36 years old in 1948.  He had retired from competition and was coaching the Norwegian team.  However, when he arrived at the Games he decided to come out of retirement and compete one last time.  Despite not having competed for several years he earned a silver medal.  Norwegian Petter Hugsted won the gold and teammate Thorleif Schjelderup won the bronze.

Demonstration sports

Two demonstration sports were held at the 1948 Games.  Military patrol had been a demonstration sport at the 1924, 1928, and 1936 Winter Olympic Games.  It entailed a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting at targets.  Eventually the competition would be renamed Biathlon and was made an official Olympic medal sport at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, United States.  Winter pentathlon involved five competitions: 10 kilometer cross-country ski race, shooting, downhill skiing, fencing and horseback riding.  This was the first and last time the event was held.  Fourteen competitors took part in the event.

Calendar
All dates are in Central European Time (UTC+1)
The opening ceremonies were held at 10:00 am on January 30 along with the initial hockey games and the first two runs of the two-man bobsled.  The closing ceremonies were held at 4:00 pm on February 8.  All of the medals were awarded at the closing ceremonies rather than immediately after the event as current tradition dictates.

Venues

The Stad Olympique (Olympic Stadium) hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.  The stadium was also used for speed skating, the figure skating competition and the medal games for ice hockey.  Most of the ice hockey games were held at the Suvretta and Kulm stadiums in St. Moritz.  Bobsled was held at the St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun. Skeleton was contested on the Cresta Run track.  Olympia Bob Run was built in 1897 and modernized for the 1948 Games while the Cresta Run was first constructed in 1885.  The ski jump competitions were held at Olympiaschanze ski jump hill in St. Moritz.  It was built in 1927 for the 1928 Games, and remained in use until 2006.  The alpine events were held on ski-runs in and around Piz Nair.

Participating nations

28 nations competed in St. Moritz, the same number as the previous Winter Games in 1936. Chile, Denmark, Iceland, Korea, and Lebanon all made their Winter Olympic debut at these Games. Germany and Japan were not invited because of their involvement in World War II. Italy, despite being an Axis power originally, was allowed to send athletes after their defection to the Allies in 1943. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had been annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, and would not compete again as independent nations until 1992. Argentina returned to the Winter Games after missing the 1932 and 1936 Games, and Australia and Luxembourg did not compete in 1948, even though they had participated in 1936.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees

Medal count

These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1948 Winter Games.

Podium sweeps

See also
 List of 1948 Winter Olympics medal winners

Notes

External links

Olympic Games in Switzerland
Winter Olympics by year
Winter Olympics
Winter Olympics
Sport in St. Moritz
Winter Olympics
Winter Olympics
Winter sports competitions in Switzerland

1948 Winter Olympics


Staffa is an island in the Inner Hebrides off the north-west of Scotland. It is famous for Fingal's Cave and other examples of basalt columns. No-one lives there.

The islands became part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, the Suðreyjar kingdom of the Norse. The Norsemen ruled for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. The islands were then held by the Clans MacLeod and MacDonald, but Staffa was not regularly inhabited.

Geology
This small island is entirely of volcanic origin. It consists of a basement of tuff, underneath colonnades of a black fine-grained Tertiary basalt, overlying which is a third layer of basalt lava. Slow cooling of the second layer of basalt resulted in an extraordinary pattern of hexagonal columns which form the faces and walls of the principal caves. The lava contracted as it cooled and solidified into columns, a process known as columnar jointing.

The columns have three to eight sides, six being most common. The columns are also divided horizontally by cross joints. Similar formations are found at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, on the island of Ulva and Ardmeanach on the Isle of Mull. The 'Staffa Group' is the name given to the series of olivine basalts found in and around Mull. The volcanic eruptions took place 55–58 million years ago.

References

Inner and Outer Hebrides

Staffa


The Mid-Continent Tower is a 36-story  skyscraper located at 401 South Boston Avenue in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. At 156 meters (513 ft) in height, it is the fourth-tallest building in Tulsa and fifth-tallest in Oklahoma. Faced with bright white terra cotta and crowned with a distinctive copper roof, it is one of the city's most recognizable buildings. The design is unique because the first 16-story structure was built in 1918. The top 20 stories comprise a separate structure, cantilevered over the first 66 years later. The architects of the addition matched the design of the original structure so carefully that the result is considered a single structure. It is included as a contributing structure in Tulsa's Oil Capital Historic District.

History

Cosden Building
The Mid-Continent Tower started out as the 16-story Cosden Building, built for oil baron Joshua Cosden in 1918.  The Cosden Building was built on the site of the first Tulsa schoolhouse, which was established as a mission in 1885 on Creek Indian land. The Cosden Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It was designed by Kansas City architect Henry F. Hoit who also designed a home for Cosden.

Conversion to Mid-Continent Tower
The building was restored in 1980, and in 1984 a new 20-story tower was cantilevered over it, bringing the total number of floors to 36. The tower appears to rest on the Cosden Building, but it is actually supported by an addition built onto the east side of the older structure. The entire project was designed to resemble the style of the Cosden Building as closely as possible, giving the impression of a unified whole even though the two sections of the building were constructed 66 years apart. It remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the same number that was issued before the conversion.

The building was the home of energy company Reading & Bates until it moved to Houston in 1989. The company's departure led the building into foreclosure in 1994, receivership in 1997 in which Terry Argue was appointed the receiver, and an extended legal dispute that was resolved only in 2011, when the building was sold by Terry Argue receiver to Tulsa real estate investors John and Chris Bumgarner.

Although it is sometimes mentioned in connection with Tulsa's extensive inventory of Art Deco buildings, the Mid-Continent Tower is actually built in a modern version of the Gothic style that was popular before the advent of Art Deco.

See also
List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma
List of tallest buildings in Tulsa

References

External links
Emporis.com
Tulsa Preservation Commission

Skyscraper office buildings in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Office buildings completed in 1918
Office buildings completed in 1984
Gothic Revival architecture in Oklahoma
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma
Historic district contributing properties in Oklahoma
National Register of Historic Places in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Mid-Continent Tower


St Matthew's Primary School is a 3–11 mixed community primary school in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. It is non-denominational, and catering for 615 pupils with an affiliated after-school kids' club. The school was established in 1963, though there have been various schools on the site since 1836. It is a feeder school for Parkside Community College.

History

The first schools on the St Matthew's site were the Barnwell National schools for boys, girls, and infants, opened by the Old Schools in 1836. At the time the site was on the eastern edge of a rapidly expanding Cambridge. The infants' school was on East Road, the boys' and girls' schools accessed through Schoolhouse Lane (off East Road).

National schools were founded by the National Society (founded in 1811), which had the aim of founding a Church school in every parish in England and Wales. The Old Schools was a trust founded in 1704 which at the time managed most of the schools in Cambridge. Previously these were dame schools, but from the early 19th century the trust adopted a policy of supporting Church of England schools.

From the 1870s, the newly established St Matthew's parish had a complex history of different schools' sites and movement of pupils between them. There were four schools opened: Norfolk Street infants in 1875, York Street boys in 1878, Norfolk Street girls and Sturton Street infants in 1883.

The Barnwell schools were enlarged and rebuilt towards the end of the nineteenth century. In 1900 (at which time the school leaving age was 12) there was an average attendance of around 700 boys, girls & infants at Barnwell National, and 680 at the St Matthew's schools in Norfolk Street, York Street, and Sturton Street. Barnwell boys' school was occupied by the army in the First World War but restored to use afterwards.

In 1931 the Barnwell boys' and girls' schools were reconstituted as St George's Senior School. The pupils at the infants school were transferred to St Matthew's School, and the seniors at St Matthew's Norfolk Street and York Street schools were transferred to St George's (the juniors remaining). In 1933, the Norfolk Street girls' and York Street boys' were amalgamated. Under the 1944 Education Act St George's became East Road secondary modern school.

In 1963, East Road school was closed, being replaced by the current St Matthew's primary school, with the infants and juniors being transferred from the Norfolk Street and York Street schools, leaving St Matthew's the only school remaining in the Barnwell area (the Norfolk Street schools survive today as a private house).

The site has now been extensively redeveloped, with much of the surrounding terraced housing being demolished (along Norfolk Street, Caroline Place, and Broad Street), and Schoolhouse Lane being incorporated into the school site. The main entrance is now from Norfolk Street (Caroline Place), with other entrances off Broad Street and Flower Street.

2012–13 saw the school extended from two-form intake to three-form intake, with the addition of a new 12-classroom 3-storey building facing East Road. During construction, a number of skeletal remains were discovered, and subsequently excavated by Oxford Archaeology East, from what had been the cemetery of a Baptist chapel.

References

 Victoria County History, A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 3, 'The city of Cambridge: Schools', 1959
 Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire 1900 (London: Kelly's Directories Limited, 1900)
 Ordnance Survey 25" County Series (1:2500) map of Cambridge, Revised Edition, 1927 (sheet XLVII)
 Schools Collection, Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies, Shire Hall, Castle Hill, Cambridge
 Cambridgeshire Admissions Booklet 2009/2010, Cambridgeshire County Council

External links

Educational institutions established in 1836
Educational institutions established in 1963
Primary schools in Cambridgeshire
Schools in Cambridge
1836 establishments in England
1963 establishments in England
Community schools in Cambridgeshire

St Matthew's Primary School


I Give It a Year is a 2013 romantic comedy film, written and directed by Dan Mazer in his directorial debut. It stars Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris and Simon Baker. Set and filmed in London, it was released on 8 February 2013.

Mazer  was previously known for co-writing the Sacha Baron Cohen films Borat and Brüno.

Plot
Ambitious advertising executive Nat and struggling writer Josh fall in love at first sight at a party. After seven months together they decide to marry. The film highlights their struggles during their first year of marriage, switching back and forth from flashbacks of the year to a marriage-guidance counsellor's office. Their wedding goes as planned despite many friends' commenting that the marriage will not last, an embarrassing best man's speech, and a coughing priest.

When Nat returns to work after the honeymoon, she has to set up a presentation for Guy, an American  who wants to rebrand his solvent business. Her co-workers tell her not to let him know she is married so they can secure his business.

Later, Josh and Nat throw a dinner party to use their wedding gifts. Some of their differences are highlighted when talking about the honeymoon in Morocco; Nat didn't enjoy the leather museum whereas Josh remembers it as interesting. When the topic changes to Chloe, Josh's former flame, Nat discovers they never officially broke up when she went to Africa for four years. In the kitchen, Chloe apologises to Nat for not realising she didn't know. The women talk about the constrictions of marriage. Nat's sister Naomi has issues with her own husband's annoying habits. Josh's best man Danny asks Chloe out but is rebuffed.

At Christmastime, Nat tries to discourage Josh from accompanying her to a work party so she can flirt with Guy, but he is determined, irritating her. At the party, he dances embarrassingly and stands next to a poster he can joke about during the night. When he approaches Nat while she is talking with Guy, she does not reveal he is her husband. Guy attempts to shake him off, believing Josh is a nuisance. He asks her to dinner, and Nat declines. Annoyed at Josh for embarrassing her at the party, she heads home without him.

While Nat and Josh were at her party,  Chloe is shown having dinner with her work colleagues at an Indian restaurant. She later almost ends up in a threesome with the guy she was dating and a female coworker. Chloe decides she does not want to have one and leaves. The next day she calls Josh, who comes over to comfort her. They go Christmas shopping for Nat's present in a lingerie shop. Chloe decides to try on a set of underwear and can't fasten the bra, so Josh comes in to help. They get caught up in the moment and kiss. During this time, Nat is having a business meeting with Guy who decides to profess his feelings for her with a violinist and a dove flying around. She informs him she is married and that she needs to be with someone safe even though she wants to be with him. They both leave the hotel and shop and run into each other where Guy learns her husband is the annoying one from her party. Josh suggest that Guy and Chloe have a double date with them since they're both from America.

They meet at a bar and play pool. They all start showing signs of jealousy and trying to make each other jealous while playing pool. The night ends with them all leaving together and Nat telling Guy she needs to discuss some work things with him and Josh helps Chloe hail a taxicab. They start fighting about how Chloe can't handle seeing Josh with Nat because she is in love with him and always was and that she can't see him any longer. Nat and Guy are walking and she shoves him into a door way and they start kissing passionately. Guy makes a comment about how nice her underwear are. The same pair that Chloe was wearing when she kisses Josh. Nat tells Guy to rip the bra when he can't get it off. Later that night Nat comes home and tells Josh they need to talk and that something is off in their marriage to which he agrees. They go to marriage counseling where the counselor suggest that they take the next 3 months to really enjoy each other and  be the best for each other. They show them trying to do that but you can tell they both still aren't happy in their marriage.

They finally make it to the one year anniversary and they will be going out to celebrate later. Josh hurriedly leaves and says he will meet her at the restaurant. It's shown Josh driving to Chloe's house where he sees Guy and Chloe leaving her apartment to go on a trip together. Nat is at home contemplating calling Guy.

Josh arrives at the restaurant which ends up being a surprise party with their immediate family being there. He tells Nat he thinks she is the perfect wife, just not for him. He asks for a divorce and she immediately and delightedly agrees. They rejoice at the situation and immediately leave the party one after the other.

Meanwhile, Guy and Chloe are at the railway station waiting to go to Paris on a romantic trip. Josh finds them, professing his love for Chloe. When it's discovered that he split up with Nat, they are shocked. Nat appears behind Josh, who awkwardly assumed he is the one she wants to speak to, but she is there for Guy. After a short exchange they happily discuss how perfect Guy and Chloe are for them. In the end, Chloe and Guy mutually break up. Nat ends up kissing Guy and Chloe shares a kiss with Josh.

Cast

 Rose Byrne as Nat Redfern
 Rafe Spall as Josh Moss
 Anna Faris as Chloe
 Simon Baker as Guy Harrap
 Stephen Merchant as Danny
 Minnie Driver as Naomi
 Jason Flemyng as Hugh
 Olivia Colman as Linda
 Jane Asher as Diana
 Nigel Planer as Brian
 Clare Higgins as Elaine
 Sue Wallace as Janet
 Daisy Haggard as Helen

Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 51%, with an average rating of 5.50/10, based on 82 reviews. The website's consensus for the film reads, "It's nowhere near as inventive as its reverse rom-com premise might suggest, but I Give It a Year is disarmingly frank -- and often quite funny." On Metacritic, the film has score of 50% based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Peter Keough of The Boston Globe wrote "Though Mazer's ambition is laudable, he has not yet integrated the comedy of manners into the comedy of no manners." Stephanie Merry of The Washington Post wrote "In addition to some trite set pieces, writer-director Dan Mazer serves up nothing more than conspicuous cynicism masquerading as comedy."

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote: "The result is funny and plausible, with a fair bit of newly modish Bridesmaidsy bad taste, though I kept getting the sense that the romcom template meant Mazer couldn't really let rip with pure comedy pessimism and cynicism in the way he might have liked."
Olly Richards of Empire wrote: "The jokes are strong and delivered by a very talented cast, but the heart isn't there. It's easy to laugh, but hard to care."

Box office
The film accumulated a total domestic gross of $34,657 with it only generating $5,436 on its opening weekend, ranking it at #77. It went on gross a worldwide total of $28,234,657.

Home media
I Give It a Year was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 3, 2013.

References

External links

 I Give It a Year Soundtrack

2013 films
2013 directorial debut films
2013 romantic comedy films
British romantic comedy films
French romantic comedy films
English-language French films
Films directed by Dan Mazer
Films produced by Tim Bevan
Films produced by Eric Fellner
Films scored by Ilan Eshkeri
Films set in London
Films shot in London
Films with screenplays by Dan Mazer
StudioCanal films
Working Title Films films
2010s English-language films
2010s British films
2010s French films

I Give It a Year


The Astoria River is a short river in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is an early tributary of the Athabasca River.

The Astoria forms in the Tonquin Valley, collecting meltwater from the Fraser Glacier, The Ramparts, Mount Erebus, Mount Clitheroe, and Oldhorn Mountain.

The Astoria River, as well as nearby Astoria Pass, are named after John Jacob Astor. Fur traders of the American Fur Company, owned by Astor, traveled east over Athabasca Pass from Fort Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Tributaries
Eremite Creek
Campus Creek
Verdant Creek

See also
List of Alberta rivers

References

Rivers of Alberta

Astoria River


Harold Raymond Vague (March 1, 1920 – February 19, 2007) was an American Air Force major general who was the Judge Advocate General of the United States Air Force from 1973 to 1977.

Biography
Vague was born in 1920, in Ellsworth, Kansas, where he attended local schools. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1942 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. In March 1942, during his first year of law school, he entered active military service as an enlisted man and after completing basic training entered aviation cadet training. He received his navigator wings and commission as second lieutenant in June 1943.

During World War II, he served as a B-17 aircraft crewmember in England and flew 25 combat missions in the European Theater of Operations. He later served in staff and flying positions in England and France. He returned to the United States in June 1946 after 34 months of overseas service.

He then served in various positions until July 1947, when he returned to law school at the University of Colorado. After graduation in 1949 with a bachelor of laws degree, he attended the U.S. Air Force Navigator/Bombardier School at Mather Air Force Base, California In March 1950 he went to Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, as navigator/bombardier in B-50 aircraft with the 341st Bombardment Squadron and later served as assistant legal officer for the 97th Bombardment Wing. During 1951 he attended the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

Vague was assigned to Eighth Air Force, Strategic Air Command, at Fort Worth, Texas, in March 1951 where he served as assistant chief and later chief, Military Justice Division, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.

In April 1955 he was assigned to the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, as a legal staff officer. In 1956 he became a member of the faculty of the academy and was appointed associate professor of law. He remained at the academy until July 1959 serving as both associate professor of law and assistant staff judge advocate. While at the academy, he attended the University of Denver in 1958 for graduate study in political science.

In July 1959 Vague was assigned as staff judge advocate for 3d Air Division, SAC, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. In August 1961 he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as chief of the Legislative Division in the Office of the Judge Advocate General. He became the staff judge advocate for Fifteenth Air Force, Strategic Air Command, at March Air Force Base, California, in June 1965. He was assigned in April 1969 as staff judge advocate for Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

Vague returned to Headquarters, United States Air Force in August 1971 to assume duties as assistant judge advocate general. The president appointed him the judge advocate general, effective October 1, 1973, a post which carries with it a permanent grade of major general. He was promoted to the grade of major general effective October 1, 1973, with date of rank February 1, 1971. During his time as JAG, he oversaw the creation of the Area Defense Counsel and integration of technology and upgrade in training for legal research.

Vague is a member of the bar of the State of Colorado and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court of the State of Colorado, Court of Military Appeals, and the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Judge Advocates Association.

His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. He holds the aeronautical rating of navigator.

Following his retirement on October 1, 1977, Vague opened a private practice in Denver, Colorado, practicing for 15 years in civil and criminal law. He moved to Riverside, California and lived in Air Force Village West in 1993 until his death in 2007.

References

1920 births
2007 deaths
United States Air Force officers
Judge Advocates General of the United States Air Force
People from Ellsworth, Kansas
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
American expatriates in the United Kingdom

Harold R. Vague


"I Smoke, I Drank", also known as "Do It Big", is the lead single from Body Head Bangerz's debut album, Body Head Bangerz: Volume One. The original track features Lil' Boosie and Young Bleed but only the remix of the song, "I Smoke, I Drank (Remix)" featuring YoungBloodZ, charted. Though only the latter charted, it is often credited as simply "I Smoke, I Drank". This single, along with Body Head Bangerz's second single, "Can't Be Touched" featuring Trouble Tha Truth, helped the group earn widespread recognition among hip hop enthusiasts.

Music video
The music video for "I Smoke, I Drank (Remix)" was directed by Bernard Gourley, who also directed the music videos for M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" and 50 Cent's "Follow My Lead". Two versions of the music video exist, one including and another excluding explicit material. The 'clean' version of the song is heavily censored, with explicit words either being muted or replaced with various sounds in a 'chopped & screwed' fashion. The non-explicit version of the video has also been edited in the same manner, with alternating frame sizes and frequent but very brief time-lapses. This technique is popular among Dirty South artists such as Mike Jones and Bun B, two artists who are featured on the album. The Producer of this song was incorrectly identified; the actual producer of this song is Ronna'Griffin Jr. AKA Beat Doctor from New Orleans Louisiana, Beat Doctor had worked with Mr. Magic on this song and countless other songs until the time of Mr. Magic passing. The Producer information have been correctly updated by BMI.

The music video premiered on BET and shows members of the Body Head Bangerz and YoungBloodZ attending an AA meeting at the 'Phoenix Center for Addiction'. Among the rappers present at the meeting are Roy Jones Jr., Magic and YoungBloodZ. Choppa is also present though he does not perform vocally on the track. Several scenes for the music video were shot at Roy Jones Jr.'s Florida mansion, with one particular scene depicting Magic falling backwards into a pool which is also seen in Roy Jones Jr.'s "Y'all Must've Forgot" music video.

Single track list

A-side
 "I Smoke, I Drank (Radio Edit)" (5:59)
 "I Smoke, I Drank (Album Version)" (5:59)
 "I Smoke, I Drank (Instrumental)" (5:59)

B-side
 "I Smoke, I Drank (Remix) (Radio Edit)" (4:47)
 "I Smoke, I Drank (Remix) (Album Version)" (4:47)
 "I Smoke, I Drank (Remix) (Instrumental)" (4:47)

Chart performance
The song debuted on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. After several weeks on the chart, the single appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at just over 80th place. It performed considerably better on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Tracks charts.

Charts

Release history

References

External links

2004 singles
2004 songs

I Smoke, I Drank


AU can mean these things:

 Astronomical unit, A unit of distance used in Astronomy.
 Auburn University, A university in Alabama, USA.
 Al-Azhar University,  a university and mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It is the main centre of Arabic literature and Sunni Islamic learning in the world. It is also the world's second-oldest surviving university.
 Anadolu University, a high-degree educational institution in Eskişehir, Turkey.
 Adamson University, a private Roman Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.
 Ariel University, a public university in Ariel, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. It used to be called the "Ariel University Center of Samaria".
 African Union, an international organization consisting of fifty-three African member countries.
 Au, the symbol for the chemical element gold, a metal.
 .au, the Internet country code for Australia.
 AU, abbreviation of Alternate Universe.

AU (disambiguation)


Thomas Carey (29 December 1931 – 23 January 2002) was an American operatic baritone.

Born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, he served in the United States military during the Korean War.

After leaving the service, he studied singing at the Henry Street Settlement and at City College of New York. In 1970, he performed the role of Mel in the world premiere of Michael Tippett's The Knot Garden at the Royal Opera House in London. He appeared in the second London West End revival of Show Boat in the role of Joe, which premiered in 1971. From 1969 until his death of pancreatic cancer in Norman, Oklahoma, he taught on the voice faculty of the University of Oklahoma.

He was married for many years to the contralto Carol Brice, who predeceased him in 1985.

References

1931 births
2002 deaths
City College of New York alumni
American operatic baritones
University of Oklahoma faculty
People from Bennettsville, South Carolina
Singers from South Carolina
American military personnel of the Korean War
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male opera singers
African-American male opera singers

Thomas Carey (baritone)


Yuri Alexandrovich Shaporin ()  ( – 9 December 1966), PAU, was a Russian-Ukrainian Soviet composer.

Biography
Shaporin was born in Hlukhiv in the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine). His father was a painter and his mother a pianist. He received his secondary education in Saint Petersburg. He first studied philology at Kiev University and went on to study law at Saint Petersburg University.

He then turned to music, starting his studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1913. His teachers there included Nikolay Sokolov (composition), Maximilian Steinberg (orchestration), and Nikolai Tcherepnin (conducting). He graduated as a composer and conductor in 1918.

After the Bolshoi Drama Theater was established in 1919, he served as its musical director until 1928. He then worked with the Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater — also known as the Alexandrinsky Theater — until 1934. During this period he composed a significant amount of theater music. He was a founding member of the Association for Contemporary Music in 1923.

During the 1930s Shaporin turned his attention to large scale works. His opera Dekabristi (The Decembrists), to a libretto written by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy about the Decembrist revolt, had been on Shaporin's mind since 1920 — a 1925 interim version, Polina Gyobe, had two scenes staged in Leningrad (as it had been renamed in 1924). In 1938, Shaporin received an offer of a teaching position at the Moscow Conservatory and he moved to Moscow.
That year, he completed a version of Dekabristi for a commission by the Bolshoi Theatre, but dissatisfied with it, he decided to revise it. In 1952, Shaporin was awarded the Stalin Prize. The opera was only completed in 1953, after collaboration with librettist Vsevolod Rozhdestvensky, and it was premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on 23 June 1953.

Among Shaporin's students at the Moscow Conservatory were Edward Artemiev and Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin.

Further reading
Grosheva, Elena Andreevna, ed. Iurii Aleksandrovich Shaporin : literaturnoe nasledie—statʹi, pisʹma : statʹi o tvorchestve I.U.A. Shaporina : vospominaniia sovremennikov. Moscow: "Sov. kompozitor", 1989. .
Martynov, I. (Ivan Ivanovich.) Iurii Shaporin. Moskva : Izd-vo Muzyka, 1966. OCLC 10286667. Work list: pp. 161–164.

Selected works
Piano sonatas (at least two. First sonata, opus 5 published around 1924. Sonata no. 2 is op. 7, published around 1929)
Symphony for chorus and orchestra, op. 11, completed 1932 and premiered in London by Albert Coates and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Na pole Kulikovom (On the Field of Kulikovo): cantata, op. 14
The Story of the Struggle for the Russian Soil op. 17 (recorded on HMV in about 1970)
How long shall the kite fly? : oratorio for baritone, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra, op. 20
5 Pieces for cello and piano, op. 25
Ballade for piano, op. 28
Dekabristy (The Decembrists), opera, completed 1953

Film music
The Deserter (1933)
Tri pesni o Lenine (Three Songs about Lenin) (1934)
Zaklyuchennye (Prisoners) (1936)
Victory (1938)
Minin and Pozharsky (1939)
Suvorov (1941)
Kutuzov (1944)

External links
 Biography

[ Biography] by Michael Jameson at Allmusic
Biography and works

1887 births
1966 deaths
People from Hlukhiv
Ukrainian classical composers
Russian male classical composers
Recipients of the Stalin Prize
Soviet film score composers
Male film score composers
Russian opera composers
Male opera composers
20th-century Russian male musicians
Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory

Yuri Shaporin


Town Point, also known as Kingston-upon-Hull and Logan's Lane, is a historic home located at Dover, Kent County, Delaware. It was built in three sections, with the earliest dated to about 1677. The oldest section is a brick, three bay structure consisting of two rooms and a center hall.  A one-story, brick kitchen wing was added to the original section at an early date. A five-bay frame second story was added early in the 19th century.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

References

External links

Historic American Buildings Survey in Delaware
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
Houses completed in 1677
Houses in Dover, Delaware
National Register of Historic Places in Dover, Delaware
1677 establishments in Delaware

Town Point (Dover, Delaware)


Baby formula, infant formula or just formula (American English) or baby milk, infant milk, false milk, or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age. It is usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder (mixed with water) or liquid (with or without water).

The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) calls infant formula as a good substitution of breast milk.

References

Food and drink

Baby formula


The Burnmoor Stone Circles are a group of five different approximately 4000-year-old stone circles in Cumbria. They are around 1 mile north of the village of Boot, on the slopes of Boat How. The site which covers roughly a square mile is looked after by the National Trust. The largest circle is known as Brat's Hill and there are two nearby pairs of circles known as White Moss and Low Longrigg.

Brat's Hill stone circle
Brat's Hill is the largest stone circle with approximately 42 stones forming an irregular circle with a diameter of 30 metres. There are five funerary cairns within the circle together with two further stones. There is an outlying stone 10 metres to the northwest of the circle.

White Moss stone circles
About 100 metres to the northwest of Brat's Hill circle lie the two White Moss stone circles. One of them (White Moss North East) measures 16 metres in diameter and has 11 stones forming the circle, while the other (White Moss South West) measures 16.5 metres in diameter and has 14 stones forming the circle. Both stone circles have internal cairns.

Low Longrigg stone circles
About 500 metres to the northwest of Brat's Hill circle lie the two Low Longrigg stone circles. One of them (Low Longrigg North East) measures around 21 metres in diameter, has 15 stones forming an irregular circle, and contains two cairns. The other (Low Longrigg South West) measures 15 metres in diameter, has nine stones forming the circle, and contains a cairn at the centre.

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links

Stone circles in Cumbria

Burnmoor stone circles