Demetrios Kydones, Latinized as Demetrius Cydones or Demetrius Cydonius (; 1324, Thessalonica – 1398, Crete), was a Byzantine Greek theologian, translator, author and influential statesman, who served an unprecedented three terms as Mesazon (Imperial Prime Minister or Chancellor) of the Byzantine Empire under three successive emperors: John VI Kantakouzenos, John V Palaiologos and Manuel II Palaiologos.

As Imperial Premier, Kydones' West-Politik effort during his second and third stints was to bring about a reconciliation of the Byzantine and Roman Churches, in order to cement a military alliance against the ever-encroaching Islam, a program that culminated in Emperor John V Palaiologos' reconciliation with Catholicism.

His younger brother and somewhat-collaborator in his efforts was the noted anti-Palamite theologian Prochoros Kydones.

Career

First Premiership

Kydones was initially a student of the Greek classical scholar, philosopher and Palamite Nilos Kabasilas. Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos, a staunch follower of Palamism, the Hesychast doctrine of Gregory Palamas, had befriended Demetrios Kydones as a young man and had employed him as his Imperial Premier or Mesazon (1347–1354) at the age of 23; at the Emperor's request, Kydones began to translate Western polemical works against Islam, such as the writings of the Dominican Ricoldo da Monte Croce, from Latin into Greek, and which the Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos used as references in his own writings against Muhammad and Islam (although his own daughter was married to the Turkish Muslim Emir Orhan of Bithynia). At Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos' urging, Kydones acquired knowledge of Latin, and learned to speak, read and write it well. This led Kydones to undertake a deeper study of Latin theology, particularly St. Thomas Aquinas, and he attempted to introduce his compatriots to Thomistic Scholasticism by translating some of Aquinas' writings into Greek. John VI Kantakouzenos also encouraged him in his Latin studies and he himself read some Thomist literature. However, this put Demetrios Kydones on a journey that eventually ended with his conversion to Catholicism.

Anxious to concentrate on his Latin studies, Kydones retired for a time to private life from the Imperial Premiership in 1354, just before John V Palaiologos succeeded in ousting John VI Kantakouzenos.

When Kydones entered the service of Emperor John V Palaiologos, as he soon did, he remained friendly to his former employer Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos. On the other hand, he found himself unable or unwilling to follow the Palamist doctrine espoused by John VI Kantakouzenos.

His younger brother Prochoros Kydones was a monk on Mount Athos, and he too learned Latin, but did not follow Demetrios to Rome. Prochoros admired and translated some of the works of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, but parted company with Kantakouzenos by becoming an argumentative anti-Palamite.

On retiring from public office in 1354, Demetrios Kydones went to Italy where he studied the writings of the leading medieval philosophical theologians, and made Greek translations of the major works of Western writers, including tracts by Augustine of Hippo (5th century) and Thomas Aquinas' Summa theologica. He also realized the first two Greek translations of the Quaestiones disputatae, De potentia, De spiritualibus creaturis, and the Summa contra Gentiles, the latter translate on behalf of the theologian emperor John VI Kantakouzenos. By 1365 he had made a profession of faith in the Catholic Church.

Second Premiership

In 1369, Emperor John V Palaiologos recalled Kydones to Constantinople and named him Imperial Prime Minister or Mesazon, the second time he held this position, 1369–1383. At the same time, Patriarch Philotheos Kokkinos of Constantinople was removed and his deposed predecessor Patriarch Kallistos of Constantinople restored.

In the spring of 1369 John V Palaiologos set sail from Constantinople with Demetrios Kydones and a large retinue. The destination was Italy; their immediate goal was to meet with Pope Urban V and his cardinals in Rome.  The purpose of that extraordinary journey, however, and the subsequent meetings between Pope and Emperor in the fall of that year, was twofold: to assure Pope Urban V that the Byzantine Emperor was no longer a schismatic, and to persuade the Pope and his Curia to support a new military initiative that would aid the Byzantines in fending off the ever-increasing threat to the Empire from the Ottoman Turks.

Kydones' efforts culminated in Emperor John V's profession of faith as a Catholic in the presence of the Pope and cardinals in Rome on October 18, 1369.

However, with the weakening of Byzantine resistance to the Turks, Kydones retired to private life about 1383. In 1390 he journeyed to Venice, which helped introduce Greek culture to Italy, and is credited with fostering the nascent Renaissance. He formed, moreover, the nucleus of a group of Byzantine intellectuals that strove to propagate Uniatism.

Third Premiership

Recalled to Constantinople in 1391 by his former pupil Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, the son of Emperor John V Palaiologos, Kydones resumed the position of Prime Minister ("Mesazon"), but in 1396 hostility to his Catholicism compelled him to retire permanently to the island of Crete, then ruled by the Venetians. He died there the following year, in 1398.

Anti-Palamism

With the support of his younger brother Prochoros, Demetrios opposed as polytheistic or pantheistic the Palamites' commitment to hesychasm (Greek, silence or stillness), at the time a controversial practice of mystical contemplation through uninterrupted prayer, taught by the Orthodox monks of Mount Athos and articulated by the 14th-century ascetic theologian Gregory Palamas. Applying Aristotelian logic to hesychasm (sometimes claimed by Latin critics to be rooted in Platonism), the Kydones brothers accused Palamas of promoting pantheism or polytheism, only to be condemned themselves by three successive synods that concurred with Palamas' theology and affirmed hesychastic practice. He is the author of the moral philosophical essay De contemnenda morte ("On Despising Death"), an Apologia for his conversion to Catholicism, and a voluminous collection of 447 letters, valuable for the history of Byzantine relations with the West.

One of the principal documentary sources for the Eastern Roman Empire's gradual submission to the Turks is Kydones' Symbouleutikoi ("Exhortations"), urging the Byzantine people to unite with the Latins in order to resist the Turkish onslaught.

Against the Greek Schism

Kydones' most famous statement against the Greeks who opposed his efforts at reuniting the East and the West is from his Apologia:

"So when someone comes along and says the Pope is in error and everyone ought to abjure such error, we really have been given no proof for such an allegation, and it makes no sense for anyone to pass judgment on what has first to be proven. What is more, we will not succeed in finding out why and by whom the Pope is to be judged, no matter how earnestly we try. But aside from the prospect that the one who has the Primacy in the Church is in error, what confidence can be placed in those of lower rank? If we continue to carry on like this, all shepherds of the Christian people will become suspect because what we accuse the Head Shepherd of is even more likely to befall all those who are less than he. Would not every matter of faith have to end with a question mark if there indeed be no final seat of authority in the Church? There can be no certitude anywhere, if none is worthy of credibility. Then we are no longer talking about the religion which St. Paul described as one; rather there will be as many religions as there are leaders, or worse still, none at all! Every believer will suspect everyone else and will proceed to pick and choose whatever belief suits him. Then, as in a battle fought in the dark, we will be striking at our own friends, and they at us. How the non-believers will enjoy our antics, because we Christians are now engaged in endless bickering among ourselves, since none of us wants to concede anything to anyone else. The whole missionary effort to spread Christian beliefs will be stopped in its tracks since no one will pay any attention to those who cannot even agree among themselves."

References

External links

Downloadable Greek OCR of Heinrich Deckelmann's Teubner edition of De contemnenda morte oratio  (1901) from the Lace collection at Mount Allison University.
Encyclopædia Britannica
Martin A. Jugie The Palamite Controversy
https://www.academia.edu/51518604/Demetrius_Cydones_and_his_Times_%CE%91_Study_of_his_Life_and_his_Writings_with_emphasis_on_his_Correspondence_%CE%9F_%CE%94%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%AE%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%9A%CF%85%CE%B4%CF%8E%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9_%CE%B7_%CE%95%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%87%CE%AE_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%9C%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%AD%CF%84%CE%B7_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%92%CE%AF%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%A3%CF%85%CE%B3%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%8D_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%88%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%BF%CF%85_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%BC%CE%B5_%CE%AD%CE%BC%CF%86%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%B7_%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD_%CE%95%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_

Literature

Evangelos C. Pringipakis, Demetrius Cydones and his Times. A Study of his Life and his Writtings with emphasis on his Correspondence, Thessaloniki : K. & M. Stamouli Publications, 2022 [in Greek : Ε.Κ. Πριγκιπάκη, Ο Δημήτριος Κυδώνης και η Εποχή του. Μελέτη του Βίου και του Συγγραφικού του Έργου με έμφαση στην Επιστολογραφία του, Θεσσαλονίκη: Aντ. Σταμούλης, 2022].

1324 births
Byzantine theologians
Greek Roman Catholics
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy
People excommunicated by the Greek Orthodox Church
Anti-Hesychasm
Byzantine Thessalonian writers
Medieval Athos
1398 deaths
Byzantine letter writers
Latin–Greek translators
14th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians
14th-century Roman Catholic theologians
14th-century Byzantine writers
14th-century Greek writers
14th-century Greek educators

Demetrios Kydones


is a short story written by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It was published in 1922. It is a story about a young boy who experiences the adult world for a short amount of time. Many junior high school students in Japan study this short story in class.

In 2009, a movie based on this story was released.

Plot
Construction of a light railway has begun between Odawara and Atami, two towns in east Japan. At the construction site, workers are using minecarts for transporting earth and sand. Ryōhei, aged eight, is interested in these minecarts. One day, he pushes one of the minecarts with a construction worker. At the beginning, he is very excited. But as it gets late in the day, he starts to worry about how he will get home. After a while, the construction worker tells him to go home because it is late. Ryōhei runs down a dark hill road thinking "I  just don't want to die". As soon as he comes back home, he bursts into tears.

He becomes an adult and moves to Tokyo. He looks back on that time. He is tired of everyday life. Without any reason, he sometimes dreams of the dark hill road.

The story is set between Odawara and Atami. The boy describes seeing the sea on his right as he heads away from his home, and on his left on the way back. Because of this, it seems that he was moving toward Odawara from Atami.

Additional information
Rikiishi Heizo was a journalist from Yugawara, a town between Atami and Odawara. The Atami light railway was under construction when he was a boy. Construction workers changed a human-powered railway into a light railway. Rikiishi looked back on his memory of watching this construction work and wrote it down. The story's author, Akutagawa, embellished Rikiishi's writing to make the story.

Other websites
"Torokko" modern kanji forms and kana spellings(Aozora Bunko)
"Torokko" modern kanji forms and old kana spellings(Aozora Bunko)

Short stories

Minecart


The Arena of Nîmes () is a Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes, southern France. Built around 100 CE, shortly after the Colosseum of Rome, it is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. It is  long and  wide, with an arena measuring . The outer facade is  high with two storeys of 60 arcades. It is among the 20 largest Roman amphitheatres of the 400 in existence. In Roman times, the building could hold 24,000 spectators, who were spread over 34 tiers of terraces divided into four self-contained zones or maeniana. The arena served as a public event theatre, as well as a gladiator fighting arena.

Nowadays, the Arena of Nîmes is the site of two annual bullfights during the Feria de Nîmes, and it is also used for other public events like the reenactment of antiquity "The great Roman Games" and for concerts.

History

Roman amphitheatres first appeared in Southern Italy in the second century BCE and were specifically designed for putting on spectacular combats between gladiators or animal fights. This new type of construction took the form of two theatres set face to face with an oval arena which allowed everyone, wherever they were sitting, to see the spectacles being acted out in the sand covering below, without danger of missing anything.

At its high point, in the first and second centuries, the Roman Empire was a prosperous, urbanised society. In the third century CE, this stability was shattered by crisis. The empire was torn apart by civil wars, the barbarians became more frightening and epidemics made the whole situation worse. As gladiatorial fighting was an urban phenomenon, it declined at the same time as the cities.

From the fourth century, the city of Nîmes began to retract and strengthen its defences. The arcades of the amphitheatre were blocked up and the monument became an important part of the defence of Nîmes. A large number of people from the town took refuge inside the former amphitheatre that had now become a fortified castle. It suffered several sieges, but the amphitheatre has proved its very effective defence. In 725, Arabs from Spain annihilated the Visigoth kingdom by taking control of Nîmes. Thirty years later, they, in turn, were driven out by the Franks, who themselves finally settled in Nîmes. However, the city was now only a shadow of its former Roman self.

It was not until the 12th century that a new expansion was to occur. As a sign of this renewal, in 1194, the Count of Toulouse authorised its vassals in Nîmes to build a new city wall, whose layout corresponded more or less to the boulevards of the town that we see today. At that time, the amphitheatre was still an important element in the town defence system. A real little neighbourhood grew up there, with its own churches of St Peter and St Martin. Gradually, over the course of the 14th century, the amphitheatre lost its military value but remained a residential quarter.

Influenced by the ideas of the Renaissance, King Francis I wanted to get the amphitheatre back its ancient appearance, but all that was done at that time was to clear away the buildings from the first floor gallery. By the 18th century, there were still 150 houses inside the arena with hundreds of people living in them. The clearing of the monument began in 1786 when the houses cluttering it were demolished. Only two walled arcades with their medieval windows have been preserved, opposite the Palace of Justice, providing us with a reminder of that period. In the middle of the 19th century, the architect Henri Revoil completed the restoration of the monument. Since 1853, when the first bullfight took place, the public has once again been able to watch festivities, sporting events, entertainments and bullfights at regular intervals.

The statue of Christian Montcouquiol, known as Nimeño II, stands at the entrance, called "Hero".

In 1853, balloonist M. Louis Deschamps was killed during his 120th flight from the Arena of Nîmes. Bad weather had already forced the mayor to call off a parachute performance, but the balloon took off as planned and got caught in the bad weather. Deschamps was thrown from the basket and the balloon came down about half a mile further along.

Modern use
French New Wave filmmaker François Truffaut filmed part of his first film, Les Mistons, in 1957.

British action-adventure television series Return of the Saint (1978/79) filmed there - S1/E8: The Poppy Chain.

British rock band Dire Straits recorded some of the live video and album, On the Night, in May 1992.

German industrial metal group Rammstein recorded the majority of their DVD, Völkerball, on July 23, 2005.

American heavy metal band Metallica recorded their DVD, Français Pour Une Nuit, on July 7, 2009.

WWE hosted a house show in 2009 and in 2011.

French electronic group Justice recorded live album Access All Arenas on July 19, 2012.

Depeche Mode performed at the Roman amphitheatre three times: on August 8, 1986, during their Black Celebration Tour, on July 20, 2006, during their Touring the Angel, and on July 16, 2013, during their Delta Machine Tour. The 2006 show was recorded for the group's live album project Recording the Angel.

David Gilmour Live in Nîmes - 20th/21st July 2016

The music festival Festival de Nîmes has taken place in the arena every summer since 1997. It celebrated 20 years with a major event in 2017.

The 2017 Vuelta a España included the arena in the route of its opening stage, a 13,7 km (8,51 mile) team time trial, which was won by the BMC Racing Team.

In 2022 German DJ Boris Brejcha performed in the arena at an event organised by . .

Gallery

See also
 List of Roman amphitheatres

References

External links

 Official web site of the Arena and other Roman monuments of Nîmes
 The Roman amphitheatre at Nimes Tourisme
 Nimes Arena (archived)
 Photos of the Arenas of Nîmes

Roman Nîmes
Roman sites in Provence
Roman amphitheatres in France
Buildings and structures in Nîmes
Tourist attractions in Nîmes
Bullrings in France
Monuments historiques of Gard

Arena of Nîmes


Louis Berkhof (October 13, 1873 – May 18, 1957) was a Dutch-American Reformed theologian whose works on systematic theology have been influential in seminaries and Bible colleges in the United States, Canada, Korea and with individual Christians in general throughout the 20th century.

Personal life
Berkhof was born in 1873 in Emmen in the Netherlands and moved in 1882 with his family to Grand Rapids (Michigan). About the time he graduated from the seminary he married Reka Dijkhuis. They had four children before her death in 1928. He then married Dena Heyns-Joldersma who had two daughters.

Education and career
Berkhof entered the Theological School of the Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids at the age of 19, in which the studies included a 4-year literary course (expanded into Calvin College) and a 3-year theological course (expanded into Calvin Theological Seminary). During this period, he learnt under Hendericus Beuker who introduced him to the works of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck. In 1900, he graduated from the seminary in Grand Rapids after which he was appointed pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan.

Two years later (1902), he attended Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned his B.D. in two years. He studied under B.B. Warfield and Geerhardus Vos during his time in Princeton. Subsequently, Berkhof returned to Grand Rapids to minister at the Oakdale Park Church for another two years.

In 1906, he joined the faculty of Calvin Theological Seminary and taught there for almost four decades. For the first 20 years he taught Biblical Studies until in 1926 he moved into the systematic theology department. He became president of the seminary in 1931 and continued in that office until he retired in 1944.

Publications
Berkhof wrote twenty-two books during his career. His main works are his Systematic Theology (1932, revised 1938) which was supplemented with an Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology (1932, which is included in the 1996 Eerdman's edition of Systematic Theology) and a separate volume entitled History of Christian Doctrines (1937).
He wrote a more concise version of his Systematic Theology for high school and college students entitled Manual of Christian Doctrine, and later wrote the even more concise Summary of Christian Doctrine. He also delivered Princeton Theological Seminary's Stone Lectures in 1921. These were published as The Kingdom of God. In addition to this, he worked on many papers for the Christian Reformed Church as well as collections of sermons.

Bibliography in English
Life Under the Law in a Pure Theocracy: or, The Significance of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1913)
The church and social problems (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1913)
Biblical archeology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1915)
Paul the Missionary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1915)
New Testament introduction (or special canonics) (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1915)
The Christian laborer in the industrial struggle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1916)
Subjects and outlines (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans-Sevensma, 1918)
Why Reformed Young Men's Societies? Address delivered at the 10th annual convention of the American Federation of Reformed Young Men's Societies, October 10, 1929 (Chicago: American Federation of Reformed Young Men's Societies, 1929)
Manual of Reformed doctrine (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1931)
Reformed Dogmatics (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1932)
Vicarious atonement through Christ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1936)
History of dogma (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1937)
Summary of Christian doctrine for senior classes (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1938)
Assurance of Faith (Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1939)
Systematic theology (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1941)
Recent trends in theology (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1944)
Riches of divine grace; ten expository sermons (Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1948)
Principles of Biblical interpretation: sacred hermeneutics (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1950)
Aspects of liberalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951)
Kingdom of God: the development of the idea of the kingdom, especially since the eighteenth century (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951)
The second coming of Christ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1953)
History of Christian doctrines (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1969)

Legacy
Berkhof was not known for being original or speculative but for being very good at organizing and explaining basic theological ideas following in the tradition of John Calvin, Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck. Theologian Wayne Grudem has called Berkhof's Systematic Theology "a great treasure-house of information and analysis [...] probably the most useful one-volume systematic theology available from any theological perspective." Berkhof's writings continue to serve as systematic presentations of Reformed theology. They are organized for use in seminaries and religious education as well as individual reference, though his systematics works are demanding reads.

One of the prominent students of Berkhof is Cornelius Van Til, whose thoughts became the major position of the tradition of Westminster Theological Seminary in the areas of apologetics and epistemology.

References

External links
 L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology
 L. Berkhof, Summary of Christian Doctrine (This is a complete, free e-book edition.)
 L. Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine (This is a complete, free e-book edition.)
 `Louis Berkhof´, op website http://www.calvin.edu
 G. Kirkland (2009), Louis Berkhof: an Ardent Apologist, a Passionate Pastor, and a Scrupulous Scholar (pdf), website http://vassaloftheking.com
 F. Klooster, `Louis Berkhof´ (pdf), in: W. Elwell (1993), Handbook of Evangelical Theologicans, pp. 254–294, website: https://web.archive.org/web/20140220061509/http://www.davidcox.com.mx/
 H. Zwaanstra, `Louis Berkhof´, in: D. Wells (1985), Reformed Theology in America. A History of its Modern Development, pp. 153–71.
 Nichols, Stephen, Louis Berkhof, brief survey of the theologian's life and work.

1873 births
1957 deaths
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
American Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Dutch Calvinist and Reformed theologians
People from Emmen, Netherlands
Dutch emigrants to the United States
Princeton Theological Seminary alumni
Presidents of Calvinist and Reformed seminaries
Calvin Theological Seminary faculty
Calvin Theological Seminary alumni

Louis Berkhof


Mount Iraya, is a dormant stratovolcano on Batan Island and the highest point in the province of Batanes, Philippines.

Location
Iraya is located on Batan Island, one of the Batanes Islands, in the province of Batanes, in the Luzon Strait, north of the island of Luzon, in the Philippines.

It is the northernmost active volcano in the Philippines.

Physical features

Iraya is a heavily forested stratovolcano, with an elevation of  asl, and a base diameter of .

Adjacent volcanic edifice is Mount Matarem.

Volcanic activity

Mount Iraya last erupted in 1454, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) considers it as one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines.

In 1998, volcanologists recorded seismic swarms which led them to form a monitoring network on Batan Island for several months.  After the swarms of tremors had diminished, the temporary stations in Barangay San Joaquin in Basco, Batanes and another near the crater, were pulled out. Seismicity or any activity relating to Iraya is still monitored by the Basco Seismological Station.

Volcanoes of the Philippines are all part of the Pacific ring of fire.

Mythology
Mount Iraya is a sacred mountain for the Ivatan people. There are two contrasting tales regarding the mountain, the first tale states that the mountain is a mother overlooking her children (the Ivatans) for their protection, while the second tale states that if a ring of clouds appear on top of the mountain, Iraya is notifying the people for preparation due to an inevitable death of an elder, usually due to natural causes.

See also
List of volcanoes in the Philippines
List of active volcanoes in the Philippines
List of potentially active volcanoes in the Philippines
List of inactive volcanoes in the Philippines
 Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

References

External links

Stratovolcanoes of the Philippines
Subduction volcanoes
Volcanoes of the Luzon Strait
Mountains of the Philippines
Landforms of Batanes
Active volcanoes of the Philippines
Pleistocene stratovolcanoes
Holocene stratovolcanoes

Mount Iraya


Viktor Žmegač (21 March 1929 – 20 July 2022) was a Croatian musicologist and scholar. He authored a number of books, articles and essays in the areas of cultural history, literary theory, musicology, art history, and German studies.

Žmegač was born in Slatina on 21 March 1929. After finishing elementary school in his home town he went on to attend gymnasiums in Virovitica and Osijek. He then enrolled at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Philosophy and earned a double major degree in Yugoslav and German studies. He also studied musicology and German studies in University of Göttingen. He earned a doctorate in 1959 and later spent almost 30 years as a tenured university professor teaching German literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, from 1971 until his retirement in 1999. He was made professor emeritus in 2002.

Žmegač was a full member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) and member of the Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea. He was also awarded a number of Croatian and international prizes for his works, including the Friedrich-Gundolf-Preis (1987), Herder Prize (1993), the Humboldt Prize (1993) and the Vladimir Nazor Award for Life Achievement in Literature (2003). Žmegač died in Zagreb on 20 July 2022, at the age of 93.

Selected works
 Od Bacha do Bauhausa (2006)
 Majstori europske glazbe (2009)
 Prošlost i budućnost 20. stoljeća (2010)

References

External links
 Viktor Žmegač biography at the Matica hrvatska website

1929 births
2022 deaths
People from Slatina, Croatia
Vladimir Nazor Award winners
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni
Academic staff of the University of Zagreb
Croatian non-fiction writers
Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Herder Prize recipients
Members of Academia Europaea
Croatian musicologists
20th-century musicologists
21st-century musicologists
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery

Viktor Žmegač


"The Stolen Child" is an 1889 poem by William Butler Yeats, published  in The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems.

Overview

The poem was written in 1886 and is considered to be one of Yeats's more notable early poems. The poem is based on Irish legend and concerns faeries beguiling a child to come away with them. Yeats had a great interest in Irish mythology about faeries resulting in his publication of Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry in 1888 and Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland in 1892.

The poem reflects the early influence of Romantic literature and Pre-Raphaelite verse.

Publication history
The poem was first published in the Irish Monthly in December 1886.  The poem was then published in a compilation of work by several Irish poets Poems and Ballads of Young Ireland in 1888 with several critics praising the poem. It was later published in his first book of poetry The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems as well as Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.

Musical adaptations
The poem was first set to music as his Op.38 by the English composer Cyril Rootham, originally for SATB voices and piano (1911) and then for SATB chorus and small orchestra (1912). The poem was also set to music and recorded by Loreena McKennitt on her 1985 debut album Elemental and again on Nights from the Alhambra (2006). Subsequently, additional musical versions were recorded by the folk rock group The Waterboys, appearing on their 1988 album Fisherman's Blues, with portions of the poem spoken by Tomas Mac Eoin; Heather Alexander on her 1994 album Wanderlust; and Hamilton Camp on his 2005 album Sweet Joy in the song "Celts". Another version, set to music and recorded on the Danny Ellis album 800 Voices, was released in 2006. The poem was also set to music and recorded by Kate Price on her 1993 album The Time Between.

In 2012, Merrymouth, a folk band led by Simon Fowler of Ocean Colour Scene recorded the poem set to a melody written by Fowler and music by Merrymouth (Fowler, Sealey, McNamara) for their debut album Simon Fowler's Merrymouth.  The American composer Eric Whitacre has also set this poem in a piece for The King's Singers and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. British composer and guitar virtuoso Steve Hackett recorded a version of Yeats' poem under the title "Waters of the Wild" on his 2006 album Wild Orchids.

The poem has also been set to music by Norwegian composer Marcus Paus, and was included on the Grammy-nominated album Kind (2010) by Ensemble 96; Stephen Eddins wrote that Paus's work is "sumptuously lyrical and magically wild, and [...] beautifully captures the alluring mystery and danger and melancholy" of Yeats. Kirk McElhearn wrote that "it presents a sound-world that is astounding and moving."

In modern culture

This poem was written on the wall of the Wohnheim (employees' hostel) of Odenwald-Konserven in 1989, presumably by one of the Irish students working there.

Keith Donohue's novel The Stolen Child (Nan A. Talese, 2006) was inspired by the poem. The refrain is prominently featured in Steven Spielberg's film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The poem is also featured in the television series Torchwood episode "Small Worlds", being spoken by a fairy who steals a young girl. The novel Dies the Fire also incorporates the poem into elements of Wiccan rituals.

An Irish dance show called The Prophecy is based upon the poem. It is performed by Scottish-based company Siamsoir Irish Dancers and has won an award for the Best Dance and Theatre act at the world's largest Robert Burns festival, The Big Burns Supper in Dumfries.

The refrain is featured in the 2014 movie Song of the Sea, which is based largely on Celtic mythology. The novella "The World More Full of Weeping" by Robert Wiersema references this poem. The novel "Shutter Man" by Richard Montanari references the last stanza of the poem. The poem is referenced in the novel "The Lost Book of the White" by Cassandra Clare. In chapter 10. On the television show The Finder, the line "Come away, O human child" is seen inscribed on Eloise Jade Knox's headstone in episode 10, The Conversation. American hard rock band The Sword, in the liner notes from their debut album Age of Winters, quotes the refrain of the poem, among artwork of trees and faeries. In the 2020 movie Come Away directed by Brenda Chapman, it is used in both prologue and epilogue of the movie.

See also
 1889 in poetry
 List of works by William Butler Yeats

References

Literature
 R. F. Foster, W. B. Yeats: a Life, Oxford University Press 1998  pages 56, 75-76
 Richard J Finneran (ed) Yeats: An Annual of Critical and Textual Studies XII, 1994  pages 91–92
 Michael Bell, Literature, Modernism and Myth: Belief and Responsibility in the Twentieth Centuries  pages 44–59
 David Ben-Merre, Falling into Silence: Giorgio Agamben at the End of the PoemMOSAIC 2012   pages 89–104
 Terence Brown, The Life of W.B. Yeats Blackwell Publishing 2001  pages 9, 19, 66
 William A. Dumbletone, Ireland: Life and Land in Literature SUNY Press 1994  Pages 93–95, 129, 135-138

External links

 Top 100 Irish Poems: The Stolen Child, By W. B. Yeats

1886 poems
Poetry by W. B. Yeats
The Waterboys songs

The Stolen Child


The 1941 Berwick-upon-Tweed by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 18 August 1941 for the British House of Commons constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Previous MP
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP), Sir Hugh Seely, Bt (2 October 1898 – 1 April 1970), was elevated to the peerage as the 1st Baron Sherwood in July 1941.

Seely had become the Liberal MP for the constituency, when he defeated the previous Conservative MP in the 1935 United Kingdom general election. He had contested East Norfolk in 1922, before becoming its MP 1923 - 1924. He also stood at Kensington South in 1929.

Candidates
The election took place during the Second World War. Under an agreement between the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties; who were participating in a wartime coalition, the party holding a seat would not be opposed by the other two at a by-election. Accordingly, the Liberal Party nominated a candidate, but no Labour or Conservative representative was put forward.

As only one candidate was nominated, he was returned unopposed with no poll being necessary.

George Charles Grey (2 December 1918 – 30 July 1944), the son of a major-general, had joined the British Army in 1938 before the outbreak of the Second World War the following year.

Between his election and his death, he was the youngest member of the House of Commons, having been elected at the age of 22 years 259 days.

A captain in the 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards, Grey was killed at Le Repas in Normandy, France, on the first day of Operation Bluecoat. He was buried on the battlefield by his men, on the site of which his family later erected a memorial.  The site is now recognised as a war grave, designated the Livry Isolated Grave.

Votes

See also
 Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency
 List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
 United Kingdom by-election records

References
 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
 Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)

1941 elections in the United Kingdom
1941 in England
By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Northumberland constituencies
Unopposed by-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (need citation)
History of Berwick-upon-Tweed
20th century in Northumberland
August 1941 events

1941 Berwick-upon-Tweed by-election


Chitti is a fictional character and the primary protagonist and antagonist of the Enthiran franchise. The character was portrayed by Rajinikanth in Enthiran and 2.0. Chitti was created and written by S. Shankar.

Design
The visual appearance of Chitti was based on the G.I. Joe action figures. For Chitti's 2.0 version look, its hair was spiked and brown coloured lenses were used for its eyes, whereas for its "good robot" look, green coloured lenses were used. The wig used for Chitti's 2.0 look had a silver streak in the middle, made out of Yak hair, while its leather jacket was designed by Vogt. To make Vaseegaran look mature, the team made Rajinikanth sport an Oakley beard. Suits made of copper were used for Chitti's costumes.

Appearances
In the first film, He is an android robot created by Dr. Vaseegaran, also portrayed by Rajinikanth. Dr. Vaseegaran who is specialised in robotics, created Chitti after a decade of intensive research. Chitti was first created without emotions however in order for the robot to understand human behaviour, Vaseegaran taught the robot about them. But then the robot fell in love with the scientist's fiancée, Sana and thus it caused conflict between them. Angered by the robot, Vaseegaran literally chopped the robot into pieces. He was found by Dr. Bohra and upgrade into 2.0 because of a red chip. He converting it into a ruthless killer and turned into an evil destructive killing machine and killed Bohra. He then weent after Vaseegaran and Sana and crashed their wedding. He showed numerous other powerful abilities including shape shifting as well as duplicating. He caused so much damage and destruction to the city. However, Vaseegaran managed to defeat and stop Chitti. Since Chitti caused so much damage and destruction to the city, he was de-activated and dismantled. His body parts were then displayed in the museum in the year 2030 as the most advanced humanoid robot ever built.

In upcoming film 2.0, Chitti will be forced to reassemble by Dr. Vaseegaran and Indian Army in order to stop the cellphones winged monster, which will be control by Dr. Richard.

Chitti reappeared in the film Ra.One and communicated with G.One. Chitti appeared in a special appearance.

Notes

References

Further reading

Fictional robots

Chitti-The Robot


The Manila Light Rail Transit System, commonly known as the LRT, is an urban rail transit system that primarily serves Metro Manila, Philippines. Although categorized as a light rail system because it originally used light rail vehicles, it presently has characteristics of a rapid transit system, such as high passenger throughput, exclusive right-of-way, and later use of full metro rolling stock. The LRT is jointly-operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), a government corporation attached to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC). Along with the Manila Metro Rail Transit System and the Metro Commuter Line of the Philippine National Railways, the system makes up Metro Manila's rail infrastructure.

The LRT's  is mostly elevated and consists of two lines and 33 stations. Line 1, also called the Green Line (formerly known as the Yellow Line), opened in 1984 and travels a north–south route. Line 2, the Blue Line (formerly, the Purple Line), was completed in 2004 and runs east–west. The original Line 1 was built as a no-frills means of public transport and lacks some features and comforts, but the newer Line 2 has been built with additional standards and criteria in mind like barrier-free access. In 2022, the system served 305,264 passengers on average. Security guards at each station conduct inspections and provide assistance. A reusable plastic magnetic ticketing system has replaced the previous token-based system in 2001, and the Flash Pass was introduced as a step towards a more integrated transportation system. In 2015, the plastic magnetic tickets were replaced with the Beep, a contactless smart card, introduced to provide a common ticketing to 3 rail lines and some bus lines.

Many passengers who ride the system also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses and jeepneys, to and from a station to reach their intended destination. Although it aims to reduce traffic congestion and travel times in the metropolis, the transportation system has only been partially successful due to the rising number of motor vehicles and rapid urbanization. The network's expansion is set on resolving this problem.

Network
The network consists of two lines: the original Line 1 or Green Line, and the more modern Line 2, or Blue Line. Line 1 is aligned in a general north–south direction along over  of fully elevated track. From Monumento it runs south above the hustle and bustle of Rizal and Taft Avenues along grade-separated concrete viaducts allowing exclusive right-of-way before ending in Baclaran. A three-station east–west extension along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue that will connect Monumento to the North Avenue station was opened in 2010, although the common station is still under construction. Including the extension's two recently opened stations, Balintawak and Roosevelt, Line 1 has twenty stations. Line 2 consists of thirteen stations in a general east–west direction over  of mostly elevated track, with one station lying underground. Commencing in Recto, the line follows a corridor defined by Claro M. Recto and Legarda Avenues, Ramon Magsaysay and Aurora Boulevard, and the Marikina-Infanta Highway before reaching the other end of the line at Antipolo. The system passes through the cities of Caloocan, Manila, Marikina, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, and San Juan.

During peak hours, Line 1 fields 30 trains at most; the time interval between the departure of one and the arrival of another, called headway, is a minimum of 3–4 minutes. On January 9, 2009, Line 1 fielded 31 trains with a headway of 2 minutes to service devotees in celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Line 2 on the other hand, runs 10 trains at most with a minimum headway of 5 minutes. With the proper upgrades, the Yellow Line is designed to potentially run with headway as low as 1.5 minutes. Line 2 can run with headway as low as 2 minutes with throughput of up to 60,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd).

In conjunction with the Line 3—also known as the new Yellow Line, a similar but separate metro rail system operated by the private Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC)—the system provides the platform for the vast majority of rail travel in the Metro Manila area. Together with the PNR, the three constitute the SRTS. Recto and Doroteo Jose serve as the sole interchange between both lines of the LRTA. Araneta Center-Cubao and EDSA stations serve as interchanges between the LRTA and the MRTC networks. To transfer lines, passengers will need to exit from the station they are in then pass through covered walkways connecting the stations. Blumentritt station meanwhile is immediately above its PNR counterpart.

Baclaran, Central Terminal, and Monumento are Line 1's three terminal stations; Recto, Araneta Center-Cubao, and Antipolo are the terminal stations on Line 2. All of them are located on or near major transport routes where passengers can take other forms of transportation such as privately run buses and jeepneys to reach their ultimate destination both within Metro Manila and in neighboring provinces. The system has two depots: Line 1 uses the Pasay Depot at LRTA headquarters in Pasay, near Baclaran station, while the Line 2 uses the Santolan Depot built by Sumitomo in Pasig.

Both lines are open every day of the year from 4:30 am PST (UTC+8) until 10:15 pm on weekdays, and from 5:00 am until 9:50 pm on weekends, except when changes have been announced. During Holy Week, a public holiday in the Philippines, the rail system is closed for annual maintenance, owing to fewer commuters and traffic around the metro. Normal operation resumes on Monday. During the Christmas and year-end holidays, the operating hours of the line are shortened due to the low ridership of the system during the holidays. Notice of special schedules is given through press releases, via the public address system in every station, and on the LRTA and LRMC websites.

History

Early train system (1878–1945)

The system's roots date back to 1878 when an official from Spain's Department of Public Works for the Philippines submitted a proposal for a Manila streetcar system. The system proposed was a five-line network emanating from Plaza San Gabriel in Binondo, running to Intramuros, Malate, Malacañan Palace, Sampaloc and Tondo. The project was approved and in 1882, Spanish-German businessman Jacobo Zóbel de Zangroniz, Spanish engineer Luciano M. Bremon, and Spanish banker Adolfo Bayo, founded the Compañia de los Tranvias de Filipinas to operate the concession granted by the Spanish colonial government. The Malacañan Palace line was later replaced with a line linking Manila to Malabon, and construction began in 1885. Four German-made steam-operated locomotives and eight coaches for nine passengers each, composed the initial assets of the company. The Manila-Malabon line was the first line of the new system to be finished, opening to the public on October 20, 1888, with the rest of the network opening in 1889. From the beginning it proved to be a very popular line, with services originating from Tondo as early as 5:30 a.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m., while trips from Malabon were from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., every hour on the hour in the mornings, and every half-hour beginning at 1:30 p.m.

With the American takeover of the Philippines, the Philippine Commission allowed the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company (Meralco) to take over the properties of the Compañia de los Tranvias de Filipinas, with the first of twelve mandated electric tranvia (tram) lines operated by MERALCO opening in Manila in 1905. At the end of the first year around  of track had been laid. A five-year reconstruction program was initiated in 1920, and by 1924, 170 cars serviced many parts of the city and its outskirts. Although it was an efficient system for the city's 220,000 inhabitants, by the 1930s the streetcar network had stopped expanding.

Post-war (1945–1977)

The system was closed during World War II. By the war's end, the tram network was damaged beyond repair amid a city that lay in ruins. It was dismantled and jeepneys became the city's primary form of transportation, plying the routes once served by the tram lines. With the return of buses and cars to the streets, traffic congestion became a problem.

In 1966, the Philippine government granted a franchise to Philippine Monorail Transport Systems (PMTS) for the operation of an inner-city monorail. The monorail's feasibility was still being evaluated when the government asked the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to conduct a separate transport study. Prepared between 1971 and 1973, the JICA study proposed a series of circumferential and radial roads, an inner-city rapid transit system, a commuter railway, and an expressway with three branches. After further examination, many recommendations were adopted; however, none of them involved rapid transit and the monorail was never built. PMTS' franchise subsequently expired in 1974.

Another study was performed between 1976 and 1977, this time by Freeman Fox and Associates and funded by the World Bank. It originally suggested a street-level railway, but its recommendations were revised by the newly formed Ministry of Transportation and Communications (now the DOTr). The ministry instead called for an elevated system because of the city's many intersections. However, the revisions increased the price of the project from ₱1.5 billion to ₱2 billion. A supplementary study was conducted and completed within three months.

Advent of Line 1 (1977–2003)

President Ferdinand Marcos created the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) on July 12, 1980, by virtue of Executive Order No. 603 giving birth to what was then dubbed the "Metrorail". First Lady Imelda Marcos, then governor of Metro Manila and minister of human settlements, became its first chairman. Although responsible for the operations of the system, the LRTA primarily confined itself to setting and regulating fares, planning extensions and determining rules and policies, leaving the day-to-day operations to a sister company of Meralco called the Meralco Transit Organization (METRO Inc.). Initial assistance for the project came in the form of a ₱300 million soft loan from the Belgian government, with an additional ₱700 million coming from a consortium of companies comprising SA Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi (ACEC) and BN Constructions Ferroviaires et Métalliques (today both part of Bombardier Transportation), Tractionnel Engineering International (TEI) and Transurb Consult (TC). Although expected to pay for itself from revenues within twenty years of the start of operation, it was initially estimated that the system would lose money until at least 1993. For the first year of operation, despite a projected ₱365 million in gross revenue, losses of ₱216 million were thought likely.

Construction of Line 1 started in September 1981 with the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National Construction Corporation) as the contractor with assistance from Losinger & Cie, a Swiss firm (today Losinger Marazzi), and the Philippine subsidiary of the U.S.-based Dravo Corporation. The government appointed Electrowatt Engineering Services of Zürich to oversee construction and eventually became responsible for the extension studies of future expansion projects. The Electrowatt plan—which is still used for planning future metro lines—consisted of a  network of rapid transit lines spanning all major corridors within 20 years, including a line on the Radial Road 6 alignment, one of the region's busiest road corridor.

The line was test-run in March 1984, and the first half of Line 1, from Baclaran to Central Terminal, was opened on December 1, 1984. The second half, from Central Terminal to Monumento, was opened on May 12, 1985. Overcrowding and poor maintenance took its toll a few years after opening. In 1990, the Line 1 fell so far into disrepair due to premature wear and tear that trains headed to Central Terminal station had to slow to a crawl to avoid further damage to the support beams below as cracks reportedly began to appear. The premature aging of Line 1 led to an extensive refurbishing and structural capacity expansion program with a help of Japan's ODA.

For the next few years Line 1 operations ran smoothly. In 2000, however, employees of METRO Inc. went on strike, paralyzing Line 1 operations from July 25 to August 2, 2000. Consequently, the LRTA did not renew its operating contract with METRO Inc. that expired on July 31, 2000, and assumed all operational responsibility. At around 12:15 pm on December 30, 2000, a bomb—later learned to have been planted by Islamic terrorists—went off in the front coach of a Line 1 train pulling into Blumentritt station, killing 11 and injuring over 60 people in the most devastating of a series of attacks that day, now known as the Rizal Day bombings.

The Line 2 project (2003–2021)

With Japan's ODA amounting to 75 billion yen in total, the construction of Line 2 began in the 1990s, and the first section of the line, from Santolan to Araneta Center-Cubao, was opened on April 5, 2003. The second section, from Araneta Center-Cubao to Legarda, was opened exactly a year later, with the entire line being fully operational by October 29, 2004. During that time the Line 1 was modernized. Automated fare collection systems using magnetic stripe plastic tickets were installed; air-conditioned trains added; pedestrian walkways between Lines 1, 2, and 3 were completed. In 2005, the LRTA made a profit of ₱68 million, the first time the agency made a profit since the Line 1 became operational in 1984.

A two-station,  extension of Line 2 eastward from Marikina up to Masinag, Antipolo in the province of Rizal opened to the public on July 5, 2021, six years after construction began in 2015.

Line 1 concession (2015–present)

On September 12, 2015, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), a joint venture company of Metro Pacific's Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), Ayala Corporation's AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure's Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL), started a 32-year concession for the operation and maintenance of Line 1 and the construction of a ₱65 billion extension project to Bacoor, Cavite.

Infrastructure

Stations

With the exception of Katipunan (which is underground), the LRTA's 33 stations are elevated. They follow one of two different layouts. Most Line 1 stations are composed of only one level, accessible from the street below by stairway, containing the station's concourse and platform areas separated by fare gates. The boarding platforms are  long and  wide. Baclaran, Central Terminal, Carriedo, Balintawak, Roosevelt and North Avenue stations on the Line 1, and all Line 2 stations are composed of two levels: a lower concourse level and an upper platform level (reversed in the case of Katipunan). Fare gates separate the concourse level from the stairs and escalators that provide access to the platform level. All stations have side platforms except for Baclaran, which has one side and one island platform, and Santolan, which has an island platform.

The concourse area at LRTA stations typically contain a passenger assistance office (PAO), ticket purchasing areas (ticket counters and/or ticket machines), and at least one stall that sells food and drinks. Terminal stations also have a public relations office. Stores and ATMs are usually found at street level outside the station, although there are instances where they can be found within the concourse. Some stations, such as Monumento, Libertad and Araneta Center-Cubao, are directly connected to shopping malls. Line 2 stations have two restrooms, but Line 1 restrooms have been the subject of criticism not only because of the provisioning of a single washroom at each station expected to serve all passengers (whether male, female, disabled or otherwise), but also because of the impression that the lavatories are poorly maintained and unsanitary.

Folding bicycles are allowed to be brought inside the trains to promote bimodal transportation. The LRTA has also designated the last car of each train as "green zones", where folding bicycle users can ride with their bikes, provided that it does not exceed the LRTA's baggage size limitations of .

Originally, Line 1 was not built with accessibility in mind. This is reflected in the Line 1's lack of barrier-free facilities such as escalators and elevators. It is also inconvenient in other ways: for one, because of the use of side platforms, passengers wishing to access the other platform for the train bound in the opposite direction at single-level Line 1 stations need to exit the station (and by extension, the system) and pay a new fare. The newer Line 2, unlike its counterpart, is designed to be barrier-free and allows seamless transfer between platforms. Built by a joint venture between Hanjin and Itochu, Line 2 stations have wheelchair ramps, braille markings, and pathfinding embossed flooring leading to and from the boarding platforms in addition to escalators and elevators.

In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, copies of the Inquirer Libre—a free, tabloid-size, Tagalog version of the Inquirer broadsheet—are available at selected LRTA stations from 6:00 am until the supply runs out.

Rolling stock
Five types of rolling stock run on the system, with four types used on Line 1 and another used on Line 2. The Line 2, unlike the Line 1, runs heavy rail metro cars made in South Korea by Hyundai Rotem and provided by the Asia-Europe MRT Consortium led by Marubeni Corporation that have higher passenger capacity and maximum speed. All five types of rolling stock are powered by electricity supplied through overhead wires. Of the two LRTA lines, the Line 2 prominently employs wrap advertising in its rolling stock. The Line 1 have begun using wrap advertising as well initially for their second-generation trains, followed by their third-generation trains.

Line 1

Line 1 at various stages in its history has used two-car, three-car, and four-car trains. The two-car trains are the original first-generation BN trains (railway cars numbered from 1000). Most were transformed into three-car trains, although a lot of two-car trains remain in service. The four-car trains are the more modern second-generation Hyundai Precision and Adtranz (numbered from 1100), the third-generation Kinki Sharyo / Nippon Sharyo (1200), and the fourth-generation Mitsubishi / Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (13000) trains. There are 139 railway cars grouped into 40 trains serving the line: 63 of these are first-generation cars, 28 second-generation, and 48 third-generation. One train car (1037) was severely damaged in the Rizal Day bombings and was subsequently decommissioned. The maximum speed of these cars ranges between .

As part of the second phase of expansion on the Yellow Line, 12 trains made in Japan by Kinki Sharyo and Nippon Sharyo were shipped in the third quarter of 2006 and went into service in the first quarter of 2007. The air-conditioned trains have boosted the capacity of the line from 27,000 to 40,000 passengers per hour per direction.

As part of the south extension of the line, 30 new trains built in Spain and Mexico by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and Mitsubishi Corporation were procured in 2017. The trains entered service in 2023.

Line 2

Line 2 fleet runs eighteen heavy rail four-car trains with lightweight stainless car bodies and alternating current traction motors. They have a top speed of  and usually take around forty minutes to journey from one end of the line to the other. Each train measures  wide and  long allowing a capacity of 1,628 passengers: 232 seated and 1,396 standing. Twenty sliding doors per side facilitate quick entry and exit. The line's trains also feature air conditioning, driverless automatic train operation from the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Santolan, low-noise control, enabled electric and hydraulic braking, and closed-circuit television inside the trains. Special open spaces and seats are designated for wheelchair users and elderly passengers, and automatic next station announcements are made for the convenience of passengers, especially for the blind.

An additional fourteen four-car trains for the east extension and the future west extension are currently in the process of being procured.

Signalling
The system has used various signalling systems throughout its history. The original signalling system used in the LRT Line 1 was based on fixed block and relay type trackside systems. Trains had an automatic train stop system that activates if the train passes by a red signal or over-speeding. In 2007, as part of a capacity expansion project, the signalling system was replaced with a signalling and train control system based on automatic train protection and automatic train supervision using Siemens technology. In 2022, as part of the line's south extension, the existing signalling system used in Line 1 was replaced by the Atlas 100 solution of Alstom, which is based on ETCS Level 1.

On the other hand, Line 2 uses the automatic train control system, which has three subsystems: automatic train protection (ATP), automatic train operation (ATO), and automatic train supervision (ATS). The ATO subsystem automatically drives the trains, while the opening and closing of doors is controlled by an onboard train attendant. It is a track circuit-based system with equipment supplied by Westinghouse Signals (later Siemens Mobility).

Safety and security
The system has always presented itself as a safe system to travel on, and despite some incidents a World Bank paper prepared by Halcrow deemed the running of metro rail transit operations overall as "good". Safety notices in both English and Tagalog are a common sight at the stations and inside the trains. Security guards with megaphones can be seen at boarding areas asking crowds to move back from the warning tiles at the edge of platforms to avoid falling onto the tracks. In the event of emergencies or unexpected events aboard the train, alerts are used to inform passengers about the current state of the operations. The LRTA uses three alerts: Codes Blue, Yellow, and Red.

Smoking, previously banned only at station platforms and inside trains, has been banned at station concourse areas since June 24, 2008. Hazardous chemicals, such as paint and gasoline, as well as sharp pointed objects that could be used as weapons, are forbidden. Full-sized bicycles and skateboards are also not allowed on board the train, although the ban on folding bicycles was lifted on November 8, 2009. Those under the influence of alcohol may be denied entry into the stations.

In response to the Rizal Day bombings, a series of attacks on December 30, 2000, that included the bombing of a Line 1 train among other targets, and in the wake of greater awareness of terrorism following the September 11 attacks, security has been stepped up on board the system. The Philippine National Police has a special police force assigned at both lines. and security police provided by private companies are assigned to all stations with each having a designated head guard. Closed-circuit televisions have been installed to monitor stations and keep track of suspicious activities. To better prepare for and improve response to any adverse incidents, drills simulating terror attacks and earthquakes have been conducted. It is standard practice for bags to be inspected upon entry into stations by guards equipped with hand-held metal detectors. Those who refuse to submit to such inspection may be denied entry. Since May 1, 2007, the LRTA has enforced a policy against making false bomb threats, a policy already enforced at airports nationwide. Those who make such threats can face penalties in violation of Presidential Decree No. 1727, as well as face legal action. Posted notices on station walls and inside trains remind passengers to be careful and be wary of criminals who may take advantage of the crowding aboard the trains. To address concerns of inappropriate contact on crowded trains, the first coach of Line 1 and Line 2 trains have been designated for PWDs and females only.

Fares

In 2003, the Manila Light Rail Transit System was one of the least expensive rapid transit systems in Southeast Asia, costing significantly less to ride than other systems in the region. Unlike other transportation systems, in which transfer to another line occurs within a station's paid area, passengers have to exit and then pay a new fare for the line they are entering. This is also the case on the Yellow Line when changing boarding platforms to catch trains going in the opposite direction.

Both lines use two different fare structures: one for single journey cards and another for stored value (Beep) cards. Students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities are entitled to a twenty-percent discount.

Ticketing
Before 2001, passengers on Line 1 would purchase a token to enter the station. Subsequent upgrades in the fare collection system eventually transitioned the Yellow Line from a token-based system to a ticket-based system, with full conversion to a ticket-based system achieved on September 9, 2001. Starting September 2015, the old magnetic tickets were decommissioned and replaced by contactless-based smart card technology. Passengers can enter the system paid areas with either a single journey or stored value Beep Card. The Beep Card can be used on all LRT and MRT lines. Tickets can be sold from ticket booths staffed by station agents or from ticket machines.

Magnetic ticket

Previously, the system uses two types of tickets: a single journey (one-way) ticket whose cost is dependent on the destination, and a stored value (multiple-use) ticket available for ₱100. Senior citizens and disabled passengers can receive fare discounts as mandated by law. Tickets would normally bear a picture of the incumbent president, though some ticket designs have done away with this practice.

Single journey tickets are only valid on the day of purchase and will be unusable afterward. They expire if not used to exit the same station after 30 minutes from entry or if not used to exit the system after 120 minutes from entry. If the ticket expires, the passenger will be required to buy a new one.

Stored value tickets are usable on both lines although a new fare will be charged when transferring from one line to the other. To reduce ticket queues, the LRTA is promoting the use of stored value tickets. Aside from benefitting from a lower fare structure on the Line 1, stored value ticket users can avail of a scheme called the Last Ride Bonus that grants the use of any residual amount in a stored value ticket less than the usual minimum ₱12 fare, or the appropriate fare for the station of arrival from the station of departure, as a full fare. Stored value tickets are not reloadable and are captured by the fare gate after the last use. They expire six months after the date of first use.

Tickets are used both to enter and exit the paid area of the system. A ticket inserted into a fare gate at the station of origin is processed and then ejected allowing a passenger through the turnstile. The ejected ticket is then retrieved while passing through so that it can be used at the exit turnstile at the destination station to leave the premises. Tickets are captured by the exit turnstiles to be reused by the system if they no longer have any value. If it is a stored value ticket with some value remaining, however, it is once again ejected by the fare gate to be taken by the passenger for future use.

Despite the common practice for regular passengers to purchase several stored-value tickets at a time, the line barely has ticket shortages due to the inter-compatibility of tickets with the LRTA lines and the steady release of new tickets that addresses the problem.

Flash Pass

To better integrate the LRTA and MRTC networks, a unified ticketing system utilizing contactless smart cards, similar to the Octopus card in Hong Kong and the EZ-Link card in Singapore, was made a goal of the SRTS. In a transitional move towards such a unified ticketing system, the Flash Pass was implemented on April 19, 2004, as a stopgap measure. However, plans for a unified ticketing system using smart cards have languished, leaving the Flash Pass to fill the role for the foreseeable future. Originally sold by both the LRTA and the Metro Rail Transit Corporation, the Blue Line operator, the pass was discontinued with the election of Benigno Aquino III as President of the Philippines in 2010.

The pass consisted of two parts: the Flash Pass card and the Flash Pass coupon. A nontransferable Flash Pass card used for validation had to be acquired before a Flash Pass coupon can be purchased. To obtain a card, a passenger needed to visit a designated station and fill out an application form. Although the card is issued free of charge and contains no expiry date, it is expected to be issued only once. Should it be lost, an affidavit of loss had to be submitted before a replacement can be issued. The Flash Pass coupon, which served as a ticket, was linked to the passenger's Flash Pass card through the card number printed on the coupon. Coupons were sold for ₱250 and were valid for unlimited rides on all three lines of the LRTA and MRTC for one week. The card and coupon were used by showing them to a security guard at an opening along the fare gates, who after checking their validity allowed the holder to pass through.

Beep card

Beep is a reloadable contactless smart card aimed to be a replacement for the magnetic card-based system in paying rail based rapid transit transportation fares in and around Metro Manila. Beep is also aimed to be used in lieu of cash in some convenience stores and other businesses. The Beep system is implemented and operated by AF Payments Incorporated, which is primarily owned by Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation. It was first implemented in Line 2 in July 2015, followed by Line 1 a month later.

QR codes
The Light Rail Manila Corporation and AF Payments, Inc. presented a QR code-based ticketing system to be used in Line 1. Once approved, it can serve as viable alternatives to single journey tickets and can be purchased via mobile apps. Implementation of this ticket system was originally set for 2022 but has not been implemented yet.

Fare adjustment
Adjusting passenger fares has been employed by the DOTC (predecessor of DOTr) and LRTA as a means to boost flagging ridership figures and improve the lines' services, and the issue of fares both historically and in the present continues to be a political issue.

Current fare levels were set on August 2, 2023, after its initial implementation by April 2023 was deferred by President Bongbong Marcos as economic inflation remained a major concern. Proposals for such were delayed for several years despite inflation and rising operating costs. Prior to the current fare levels, fares for both lines were set on January 4, 2015. These lower fares—which are only slightly more expensive than jeepney fares—ended up being financed through large government subsidies amounting to around ₱25–45 per passenger, and which for both the MRT and LRT reached ₱75 billion for the 10-year period between 2004 and 2014.  Without subsidies, the cost of a single trip is estimated at around ₱40–60, and a ₱10 increase in fares would yield additional monthly revenues of ₱2–3 billion a month.

Expansion
Plans for expanding the LRTA network have been formulated throughout its history and successive administrations have touted trains as one of the keys to relieving Metro Manila of its long-standing traffic problems. Expansion of the system was one of the main projects mentioned in a ten-point agenda laid out by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2005.

Extensions
A south extension of Line 1 is under construction. The envisioned line would have 8 stations over  ending in Bacoor in the province of Cavite. It will be the third line extending outside the Metro Manila area after the opening of the Line 2 east extension in Antipolo, Rizal and the planned Line 7 that starts in North Avenue, Quezon City and ends in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. An unsolicited bid to build and operate this project from Canada's SNC-Lavalin was rejected by the Philippine government in 2005. The government is working with advisers (International Finance Corporation, White & Case, Halcrow, and others) to conduct an open-market invitation to tender for the construction of the extension and a 30-year concession to run it. An additional extension from Bacoor to Imus and from there a further extension to Dasmariñas, both in Cavite, are also being considered. On March 22, 2012, the  Line 1 south extension project was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In line with this, the operations and maintenance of Line 1 was awarded to the Light Rail Manila Corporation in 2014 and started operating the line on September 12, 2015. The groundbreaking ceremony of the south extension was held on May 4, 2017, with construction beginning on May 7, 2019. Partial operations of the south extension is slated for 2024, with full operations slated by 2027.

The LRTA is also currently conducting studies on the feasibility of a , four-station Line 1 spur from Baclaran towards Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, with a projected daily capacity of 40,000 passengers. Funding for the project could be sourced from either official development assistance or a public-private partnership.

Line 2 is planned to be extended westward from Recto up to the Manila North Harbor in Tondo.

New lines

The LRT Line 6 was originally conceived as a continuation of the LRT Line 1 to Dasmariñas, Cavite. In its current form, the "Modified" Line 6 proposal is a  elevated railway from Niog station in Bacoor to Governor's Drive station in Dasmariñas via the Molino–Paliparan Road. The line will also be extended further north to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (as Line 6B) in Pasay and further south as Tagaytay (as Line 6A extension). There will also be branch lines passing through Dr. Santos Avenue and Alabang–Zapote Road in southern Metro Manila. The combined length of the proposed line including the extensions and branch lines is at  and with a track length .

Network map

Notes

References

Further reading

 Allport, R. J. (1986). Appropriate mass transit for developing cities. Transport Reviews: A Transnational Transdisciplinary Journal, 6(4), 365–384.

 Midgley, Peter. (1994-03-31). Urban Transport in Asia : An Operational Agenda for the 1990s (World Bank technical paper no. 224). Washington D.C.: World Bank. .

 United States Agency for International Development. (June 2005). Integrated Environmental Strategies – Philippines Project Report – Metropolitan Manila. Author. (With United States Environmental Protection Agency, NREL, and the Manila Observatory).
Uranza, Rogelio. (2002). The Role of Traffic Engineering and Management in Metro Manila. Workshop paper presented in the Regional Workshop: Transport Planning, Demand Management and Air Quality, February 2002, Manila, Philippines. Asian Development Bank (ADB). Archived from the original on 2009-12-29.

External links
Light Rail Transit Authority

Department of Transportation (Philippines)
Light rail in the Philippines
Light Rail Transit System
Light Rail Transit System
Rapid transit in the Philippines
Transportation in Luzon
Electric railways

Manila Light Rail Transit System


Dentistry Magazine was first published in 1995. The magazine is published by FMC Ltd (Finlayson Media Communications). It has an ABC-audited circulation of 21,576 copies.

Dentistry Magazine was originally known as Dentistry Monthly and was printed in A4 format. It focused purely on products and the aim of the founder, Ken Finlayson, was to provide dental professionals with a publication that aided the purchase of products.

Dentistry Magazine is an A3-sized dental periodical published every two weeks. Editorial content comprises six key sections including news, starting out (for students), clinical, business, education (CPD), and product information.

References

External links
 Dentistry.co.uk - Dentistry Magazine's website

Business magazines published in the United Kingdom
Dentistry journals
Magazines established in 1995
Professional and trade magazines
monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom

Dentistry Magazine


Diana is an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1973–1974 television season that was created by Leonard Stern, which ran from September 10, 1973 to January 7, 1974. The series was filmed in front of a live studio audience at CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles.

Premise
The series starred Diana Rigg in her first American television series, as Diana Smythe, a recently divorced British fashion designer who moves to the States in the hopes of becoming more noticed in the fashion world by relocating to New York City. As the series begins she has landed a high-profile job as a fashion coordinator at Buckley's Department Store. Since her city-dwelling brother is out of the country indefinitely she moves into his apartment, which to her bemusement becomes the site of many unannounced visits by her brother's numerous girlfriends.

Each episode finds Diana trying to adjust to American life with help from her next door neighbor Holly Green (Carole Androsky), copywriter Howard Tollbrook (Richard B. Shull), window decorator Marshall Tyler (Robert Moore) and new pal Jeff Harmon (Richard Mulligan), while dealing with her boss Norman Brodnik (David Sheiner) and his wife Norma (Barbara Barrie).

Production
Prior to being picked up by NBC, the series had the working title The Diana Rigg Show with Rigg playing Elyse Smythe. Also in the pilot was Nanette Fabray as Norma Brodnik, but after it was changed to Diana, Fabray was replaced with Barrie in the Norma role.

NBC was hoping to capitalize on the success of single and independent women sitcoms by using Rigg, given her credentials in film and TV, with this attempt to copy The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, it would turn out to be a mistake as it wound up trailing both Gunsmoke and The Rookies on Monday nights, eventually leading to its cancellation on January 7, 1974.

Episode list

External links

1973 American television series debuts
1974 American television series endings
1970s American sitcoms
NBC original programming
Television shows set in New York City
Fashion-themed television series
Television series by Universal Television
English-language television shows
Television series by Talent Associates

Diana (American TV series)


Patrick Brett O'Sullivan (August 11, 1887 – November 10, 1978) was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.

Born in Derby, Connecticut, O'Sullivan attended public schools.
He graduated from Yale University in 1908, from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., in 1909, and from Yale Law School in 1913.
He was admitted to the bar in 1913 and commenced practice in Derby.
He was the Corporation counsel of Derby from 1914 to 1917.
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1916.
He served as member of the State senate and was its minority leader in 1917.
In 1918, during the First World War, he resigned from the State senate to enlist in the United States Navy.

O'Sullivan was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1924 to the Sixty-ninth Congress.
He then resumed the practice of law and served as associate professor of law at the Yale Law School.
He served as judge of the Connecticut Superior Court from 1931–1950, associate justice of Connecticut Supreme Court 1950-1957, and chief justice in 1957, serving from April 9 to August 11 of that year, when he reached the mandatory retirement age.
He continued serving as a State trial referee in New Haven.
He was co-chairman of the Constitutional Convention in 1965.
He resided in Orange, Connecticut, where he died on November 10, 1978.
He was interred in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven, Connecticut.

References

External links

1887 births
1978 deaths
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
Yale Law School alumni
Georgetown University alumni
United States Navy personnel of World War I
Democratic Party Connecticut state senators
20th-century American judges
Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court
20th-century American politicians
Judges of the Connecticut Superior Court

Patrick B. O'Sullivan


A clearness committee is a process for discernment within the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).  It is often used when a member of the meeting seeks to reach clarity on how to respond to a concern or dilemma.

Like Quaker business meetings, meetings of clearness committees are considered a form of meeting for worship and are based on the principle that the inner light is present in all people. The process thus is one of aiding the person seeking clearness in finding the answer within, rather than offering outside advice or guidance.  A clearness committee can be requested by anyone for any reason and will usually be appointed by one of the standing committees of a Monthly Meeting.

In addition to those requested by individuals, clearness committees are appointed by most meetings when a person applies for membership and when a couple seeks marriage under the care of the meeting.  In these cases, the committee serves the dual purpose of helping the person or couple find clearness that this is the proper step and ensuring that the meeting is ready to take the member or couple under their care.

Clearness committees were frequently used by the Quaker-influenced Movement for a New Society and occasionally show up in other progressive organizations in the Philadelphia area, especially those with pacifist or nonviolence orientations.

See also
 Dialogue
 Learning circle
 Pastoral care
 Pastoral counseling

References

External links
Clearness Committees and Their Use in Personal Discernment
Meetings for Clearness in Britain Yearly Meeting's Quaker Faith and Practice.
Parker Palmer's description of the Clearness Committee and its benefits

Quaker practices
Committees

Clearness committee


Operating deflection shape (ODS), is a term often used in the structural vibration analysis, known as ODS analysis. ODS analysis is a method used for visualisation of the vibration pattern of a machine or structure as influenced by its own operating forces. This is as opposed to the study of the vibration pattern of a machine under an (known) external force analysis, which is called modal analysis.

References

Engineering concepts

Operating deflection shape