Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".

Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn and Coxon. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band early in the sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the tour.

In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was their first in twelve years and the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British charts. After the Magic Whip tour, Blur went on hiatus until the release of their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren, in 2023.

History

Formation and Leisure, 1988–1991

Blur were formed in December 1988 when bassist Alex James joined Damon Albarn's band, Circus, and they changed the name to Seymour after J. D. Salinger's Seymour: An Introduction. Already in the band were drummer Dave Rowntree, who had joined in October, and guitarist Graham Coxon, Albarn's childhood friend from Essex, who was studying at London's Goldsmiths College along with Albarn and James. The group performed live for the first time in summer 1989 in the goods shed of the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. In November, Food Records' A&R representative Andy Ross attended a Seymour performance that convinced him to court the group for his label. The only concern held by Ross and Food was that they disliked the band's name. Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the group decided on Blur. Food Records finally signed the rechristened band in March 1990.

From March to July 1990, Blur toured Britain, opening for the Cramps, and testing out new songs. In October 1990, after their tour was over, Blur released the single "She's So High", which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart. The band had trouble creating a follow-up single, but they made progress when paired with producer Stephen Street. The resulting single release, "There's No Other Way", became a hit, peaking at number eight. As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented the Syndrome club in London dubbed "The Scene That Celebrates Itself". NME magazine wrote in 1991, "[Blur] are [the] acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam."

The band's third single, "Bang", performed relatively disappointingly, reaching only number 24. Andy Ross and Food owner David Balfe were convinced Blur's best course of action was to continue drawing influence from the Madchester genre. Blur attempted to expand their musical sound, but the recording of the group's debut album was hindered by Albarn having to write his lyrics in the studio. Although the resulting album Leisure (1991) peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, it received mixed reviews, and according to journalist John Harris, "could not shake off the odour of anti-climax".

Britpop years, 1992–1995

After discovering they were £60,000  in debt, Blur toured the United States in 1992 in an attempt to recoup their financial losses. The group released the single "Popscene" to coincide with the start of the tour. Featuring "a rush of punk guitars, '60s pop hooks, blaring British horns, controlled fury, and postmodern humor", "Popscene" was a turning point for the band musically. However, upon its release it only charted at number 32. "We felt 'Popscene' was a big departure; a very, very English record", Albarn told the NME in 1993, "But that annoyed a lot of people ... We put ourselves out on a limb to pursue this English ideal and no-one was interested." As a result of the single's lacklustre performance, plans to release a single named "Never Clever" were scrapped and work on Blur's second album was pushed back.

During the two-month American tour, the band became increasingly unhappy, often venting frustrations on each other, leading to several physical confrontations. The band members were homesick; Albarn said, "I just started to miss really simple things ... I missed everything about England so I started writing songs which created an English atmosphere." Upon the group's return to Britain, Blur (Albarn in particular) were upset by the success rival group Suede had achieved while they were gone. After a poor performance at a 1992 gig that featured a well-received set by Suede on the same bill, Blur were in danger of being dropped by Food. By that time, Blur had undergone an ideological and image shift intended to celebrate their English heritage in contrast to the popularity of American grunge bands like Nirvana. Although sceptical of Albarn's new manifesto for Blur, Balfe gave assent for the band's choice of Andy Partridge (of XTC) to produce their follow-up to Leisure. The sessions with Partridge proved unsatisfactory, but a chance reunion with Stephen Street resulted in him returning to produce the group.

Blur completed their second album Modern Life Is Rubbish in December 1992, but Food Records said the album required more potential hit singles and asked them to return to the studio for a second time. The band complied and Albarn wrote "For Tomorrow", which became the album's lead single. "For Tomorrow" was a minor success, reaching number 28 on the charts. Modern Life Is Rubbish was released in May 1993. The announcement of the album's release included a press photo which featured Blur, dressed in a mix of mod and skinhead attire, posing alongside a mastiff with the words "British Image 1" spraypainted behind them. At the time, such imagery was viewed as nationalistic and racially insensitive by the British music press; to quieten concerns, Blur released the "British Image 2" photo, which was "a camp restaging of a pre-war aristocratic tea party". Modern Life Is Rubbish peaked at number 15 on the British charts, but failed to break into the US Billboard 200, selling only 19,000 copies there.

The success of Parklife (1994) revived Blur's commercial fortunes. The album's first single, the disco-influenced "Girls & Boys", found favour on BBC Radio 1 and peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 59 in the US Billboard Hot 100 where it remains the band's highest-charting single. Parklife entered the British charts at number one and stayed on the album charts for 90 weeks. Enthusiastically greeted by the music press—the NME called it "a Great Pop Record ... bigger, bolder, narkier and funnier [than Modern Life is Rubbish]"—Parklife is regarded as one of Britpop's defining records. Blur won four awards at the 1995 Brit Awards, including Best Band and Best Album for Parklife. Coxon later pointed to Parklife as the moment when "[Blur] went from being regarded as an alternative, left field arty band to this amazing new pop sensation".

Blur began working on their fourth album The Great Escape at the start of 1995. Building upon the band's previous two albums, Albarn's lyrics for the album consisted of several third-person narratives. James reflected, "It was all more elaborate, more orchestral, more theatrical, and the lyrics were even more twisted ... It was all dysfunctional, misfit characters fucking up." The release of the album's lead single "Country House" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band Oasis termed the "Battle of Britpop". Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis released their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called "The British Heavyweight Championship". The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the News at Ten. At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single.

The Great Escape, which Albarn told the public was the last instalment in the band's Life Trilogy, was released in September 1995 to ecstatic reviews. The NME hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational", while Mojo argued "Blur are the very best that '95 Britpop has to offer and this is a most gong-worthy sound, complete with head-slicing guitars, catchy tunes and very funny words". Entering the UK charts at number one, the album sold nearly half a million copies in its first month of sale. However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media once again. Following the worldwide success of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (which went quadruple platinum in the United States), the media quipped "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war." Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused". Alex James later summarised, "After being the People's Hero, Damon was the People's Prick for a short period ... basically, he was a loser – very publicly."

Reinvention after Britpop, 1996–2000
An early 1996 Q magazine interview revealed that relations between Blur members had become very strained; journalist Adrian Deevoy wrote that he found them "on the verge of a nervous breakup". Coxon, in particular, began to resent his bandmates: James for his playboy lifestyle, and Albarn for his control over Blur's musical direction and public image. The guitarist struggled with drinking problems and, in a rejection of the group's Britpop aesthetic, made a point of listening to noisy American alternative rock bands such as Pavement. In February 1996, when Coxon and James were absent for a lip-synced Blur performance broadcast on Italian television, they were replaced by a cardboard cutout and a roadie, respectively. Blur biographer Stuart Maconie later wrote that, at the time, "Blur were sewn together very awkwardly".

Although he had previously dismissed it, Albarn grew to appreciate Coxon's tastes in lo-fi and underground music, and recognised the need to significantly change Blur's musical direction once again. "I can sit at my piano and write brilliant observational pop songs all day long but you've got to move on", he said. He subsequently approached Street, and argued for a more stripped-down sound on the band's next record. Coxon, recognising his own personal need to—as Rowntree put it—"work this band", wrote a letter to Albarn, describing his desire for their music "to scare people again". After initial sessions in London, the band left to record the rest of the album in Iceland, away from the Britpop scene.

The result was Blur, the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997. Although the music press predicted that the lo-fi sonic experimentation would alienate Blur's teenage girl fan-base, they generally applauded the effort. Pointing out lyrics such as "Look inside America/She's alright", and noting Albarn's "obligatory nod to Beck, [and promotion of] the new Pavement album as if paid to do so", reviewers felt the band had come to accept American values during this time—an about-face of their attitude during the Britpop years. Despite cries of "commercial suicide", the album and its first single, "Beetlebum", debuted at number one in the UK. Although the album could not match the sales of its predecessors in Britain, internationally Blur was more successful. In the US, the album received strong reviews, reached number 61 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold.  The album's "Song 2" single was also popular on alternative radio, reaching number six on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and remaining on that chart for 26 weeks. After it was licensed for use in various media—such as soundtracks, advertisements and television shows—"Song 2" became the most recognisable Blur song in the US. After the success of Blur, the band embarked on a nine-month world tour.

In February 1998, a few months after completing the tour, Blur released Bustin' + Dronin' for the Japanese market. The album is a collection of Blur songs remixed by artists such as Thurston Moore, William Orbit and Moby. Among the tracks, the band were most impressed by Orbit's effort and enlisted him to replace Street as producer for their next album, citing a need to approach the recording process from a fresh perspective.

Released in March 1999, Blur's sixth studio album 13 saw them drift still further away from their Britpop-era attitude and sound. Orbit's production style allowed for more jamming, and incorporated a "variety of emotions, atmospheres, words and sounds" into the mix. 13 was creatively dominated by Coxon, who "was simply allowed to do whatever he chose, unedited", by Orbit. Albarn's lyrics—more heart-felt, personal and intimate than on previous occasions—were reflective of his break-up with Elastica frontwoman Justine Frischmann, his partner of eight years. The album received generally favourable reviews from the press. While Q called it "a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album", the NME felt it was inconsistent and "(at least) a quarter-of-an-hour too long". 13 debuted at the top of the UK charts, staying at that position for two weeks. The album's lead single, the gospel-based "Tender", opened at the second spot on the charts. After "Coffee & TV", the first Blur single to feature Coxon on lead vocals, only reached number 11 in the UK, manager Chris Morrison demanded a chart re-run because of what he deemed was a sales miscalculation.

In July 1999, in celebration of their tenth anniversary, Blur released a 22-CD limited edition box-set of their singles. The accompanying tour saw Blur play the A-sides of the 22 singles in their chronological order of release. In October 2000, the group released the compilation Blur: The Best Of, which debuted at number three in the UK and went 4× Platinum due to 1,200,000 copies being shipped. Dismissed by the band as "the first record we have seen as product", the track listing and release dates of Blur: The Best Of were determined on the basis of market research and focus groups conducted by Blur's record label, EMI. By this time, the group had largely disowned the upbeat pop singles from the Britpop era, and favoured the more arty, experimental work on Blur and 13. In an otherwise highly enthusiastic review of the best-of for the NME, Steve Sutherland criticised the band's "sheer disregard" for their earlier work; "Just because these songs embarrassed them once they started listening to broadsheet critics and retreated wounded from the big-sales battle with Oasis doesn't mean that we're morons to love them."

Coxon's departure, Think Tank and hiatus, 2001–2007
After 13 and the subsequent tours in 1999–2000, band members pursued other projects. Graham Coxon recorded a string of solo albums, while Damon Albarn dedicated his time to Gorillaz, the animated band he had created with Jamie Hewlett. Alex James worked with Fat Les and co-wrote several songs with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marianne Faithfull.

Recording for Blur's next album began in London in November 2001, but concerted work started in June 2002, with the sessions moving to Marrakech, Morocco soon after, and then to Devon back in the UK. Not long after the sessions began, Coxon left the group. Coxon said "there were no rows" and "[the band] just recognised the feeling that we needed some time apart". Before the album was released, Blur released a new single, "Don't Bomb When You Are the Bomb" as a very limited white label release. The song is largely electronic, and was part of the band's protest against war in the Middle East. Albarn, however, attempted to assuage fans' fears that the album would be electronic by providing reassurances that the band's new album would be "a rockin' record", and also said that it has "a lot of finely crafted pop songs". Early in 2002, Blur recorded a song that would be played by European Space Agency's Beagle 2 lander once it touched down; however, attempts to locate the probe after it landed on Mars were fruitless.

Think Tank, released in May 2003, was filled with atmospheric, brooding electronic sounds, featuring simpler guitar lines played by Albarn, and largely relying on other instruments to replace Coxon. The guitarist's absence also meant that Think Tank was almost entirely written by Albarn. Its sound was seen as a testament to Albarn's increasing interest in African and Middle Eastern music, and to his complete control over the group's creative direction. Think Tank was yet another UK number one and reached number 56 in the United States. It was also nominated for best album at the 2004 Brit Awards. The band did a successful tour in 2003, with former Verve guitarist Simon Tong filling in for Coxon.

In 2005, XFM News reported that Blur would record an EP, and denied that they would hire a replacement guitarist for Coxon. There were also some aborted recordings made in 2005. Overall the band kept a low profile and did no studio or touring work as a three-piece. After Coxon significantly thawed on the subject of rejoining Blur, in 2007 band members announced that they would reunite, and that they intended to record together first in August, with the date later being pushed back to September, then October. Though the band members finally met up in October, they posted on their website that they had only "met up for an enjoyable lunch" and that there were no "other music plans for Blur".

Reunion performances, 2008–2015

In December 2008, Blur announced they would reunite for a concert at London's Hyde Park on 3 July 2009. Days later, the band added a second date, for 2 July. A series of June preview shows were also announced, ending at Manchester Evening News arena on the 26th. All the shows were well received; The Guardians music critic Alexis Petridis gave their performance at Goldsmiths college a full five stars, and wrote "Blur's music seems to have potentiated by the passing of years ... they sound both more frenetic and punky and more nuanced and exploratory than they did at the height of their fame". Blur headlined the Glastonbury Festival on 28 June, where they played for the first time since their headline slot in 1998. Reviews of the Glastonbury performance were enthusiastic; The Guardian called them "the best Glastonbury headliners in an age". The band released their second greatest hits album Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur on 15 June 2009.

Blur also headlined at other summer festivals, including Oxegen 2009 in Ireland, and the Scottish outdoor show of T in the Park. Their T in the Park headline slot was put in jeopardy after Graham Coxon was admitted to hospital with food poisoning. Ultimately, the band did play, albeit an hour and a half after they were scheduled to appear. After the completion of the reunion dates, James said the group had not discussed further plans, and Albarn told Q soon after that Blur had no intention of recording or touring again. He said, "I just can't do it anymore", and explained that the main motivation for participating in the reunion was to repair his relationship with Coxon, which he succeeded at. Coxon also said that no further Blur activity was planned, telling NME.com in September, "We're in touch and we say 'Wotcha' and all that but nothing has been mentioned about any more shows or anything else".

In January 2010, No Distance Left to Run, a documentary about the band, was released in cinemas and a month later on DVD. The same month, their 1994 album Parklife was one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail; the collection was unveiled by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. In April 2010, Blur released their first new recording since 2003, "Fool's Day", for the Record Store Day event, as a vinyl record limited to 1000 copies; it was later made available as a free download on their website. No Distance Left to Run was nominated as Best Long Form Music Video for the 53rd Grammy Awards, Blur's first-ever Grammy nomination.

In February 2012, Blur were awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the 2012 Brit Awards. Later that month, Albarn and Coxon premiered a new track together live, "Under the Westway". In April, the band announced that a box-set entitled Blur 21—containing all seven Blur studio albums, four discs of unreleased rarities and three DVDs—would be released in July. Blur had also entered the studio early that year to record material for a new album, but in May producer William Orbit told the NME that Albarn had halted recording. Blur's official Twitter and Facebook pages announced that the band would release two singles "The Puritan" and "Under the Westway" on 2 July. That August, Blur headlined a show at Hyde Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. In 2013, the band performed at the Rock Werchter in Belgium, the Spanish and Portuguese dates of the Primavera Sound festival, and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States.

The Magic Whip and second hiatus, 2015–2022
In April 2015, Blur released their first studio album in twelve years, The Magic Whip. Conceived over five days in Hong Kong after a cancelled Japan tour in 2013, the album was inspired by the city as well. "There's nothing pastoral about it", Albarn said, "it's very urban". The Magic Whip also marks the return of Coxon, absent on all but one track on Think Tank, and Stephen Street, Blur's producer during the Britpop era.

The Magic Whip received positive reviews.<ref name="mc-1">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-magic-whip/blur|title=The Magic Whip – Blur|work=Metacritic|access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref> Awarding the album a full five stars, The Daily Telegraph called The Magic Whip "a triumphant comeback that retains the band's core identity while allowing ideas they'd fermented separately over the past decade to infuse their sound with mature and peculiar new flavour combinations". The NME concurred, saying Blur were "a reunited band making music to rival their very best". It was also a commercial success, becoming the sixth consecutive Blur LP since Parklife (1994) to top the British charts. The Guardian also noted that at times during its first week of release, The Magic Whip sold "more than the rest of the top five combined". The Magic Whip also became Blur's highest charting album in the United States when it peaked at number 24 on the Billboard 200. That December New World Towers, a documentary on the recording process of The Magic Whip, was released in select British theatres.

Blur went on hiatus following the 2015 Magic Whip tour. They briefly reunited in March 2019 for a surprise performance at an Albarn-organized Africa Express event in London.

 The Ballad of Darren and second reunion, 2022–present

On 14 November 2022, Blur announced that they would perform at Wembley Stadium on 8 July 2023 – their first headline performance since 2015. Looking forward to the event, Albarn said, "We really love playing these songs and thought it's about time we did it again". Coxon also stated, "I'm really looking forward to playing with my Blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs. Blur live shows are always amazing for me: a nice guitar and an amp turned right up and loads of smiling faces". On 10 February 2023, in line with the reunion, the band collaborated with clothing brand PLEASURES to release a line of items commemorating their 1997 album Blur.

On 18 May 2023, Blur released "The Narcissist", the first single from their ninth studio album The Ballad of Darren. The next day, the band played their first concert in eight years on 19 May 2023 at the Colchester Arts Centre in Colchester.

Blur performed their two headlining concerts at Wembley Stadium on 8 July and 9 July 2023, with Jockstrap, Sleaford Mods, and Self Esteem as the support acts for the first show, and The Selecter and Paul Weller as support acts for the second show. Blur also performed at Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Malahide Castle near Dublin.The Ballad of Darren was released on 21 July, and was preceded by the second single "St. Charles Square".

Blur performed at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo on 10 August, Flow Festival in Helsinki on 13 August and Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo and Osaka on 19 and 20 August.

Musical style and influences
Blur's musical style has been described as Britpop, indie rock, alternative rock, art pop, pop rock, and art rock, with influences from indie rock and lo-fi. The band's seventh studio album Think Tank moved into more of an electronic sound. Some of the band's influences include David Bowie, Bobby Womack, William Onyeabor, the B-52's, the Kinks, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, the Jam and Depeche Mode.

Band members
 Damon Albarn – lead vocals, keyboards, guitar (1988–2004, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
 Graham Coxon – guitar, backing and lead vocals, saxophone (1988–2002, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
 Alex James – bass, backing vocals (1988–2004, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
 Dave Rowntree – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988–2004, 2008–2016, 2022–present)

Current touring musicians
 Mike Smith – saxophone, keyboards (1994–1998, 1999, 2003, 2009–2015, 2023–present)

Former touring musicians
 Kick Horns – horn section (1992–1995)
 Cara Tivey – keyboards (1993–1995)
 Richard Sidwell – trumpet (1995–1999)
 Diana Gutkind – keyboards, backing vocals (1995–2000)
 Simon Tong – guitar (2003)
 Beverley Brown – backing vocals (2003)
 Cornelius Macarthy – backing vocals (2003)
 Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion (2003, 2015)
 Wayne Hernandez – backing vocals (2003, 2009–2015)
 Wendi Rose – backing vocals (2003, 2009–2015)
 Sam Freeman – backing vocals (2009)
 Janet "Cookie" Ramus – backing vocals (2009, 2012–2013)
 Alistair White – trombone, euphonium (2009, 2012–2014)
 Dan Carpenter – trumpet (2009, 2012–2014)
 Dave Williamson – trombone (2009, 2012–2014)
 Tyrone Henry – backing vocals (2012)
 Barnaby Dixon – trombone (2012–2013)
 Travis Cole – backing vocals (2013–2015)
 Rory Simmons – trumpet (2015)
 Simon Finch – trumpet (2015)
 Eoghan Kelly – trombone (2015)
 Tom Richards – saxophone (2015)

Discography

Studio albums
 Leisure (1991)
 Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)
 Parklife (1994)
 The Great Escape (1995)
 Blur (1997)
 13 (1999)
 Think Tank (2003)
 The Magic Whip (2015)
 The Ballad of Darren (2023)

See also
 Cool Britannia
 List of awards and nominations received by Blur

Notes

References
 Dower, John (dir). Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop. 2004. Passion Pictures.
 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. 2004. Da Capo Press.
 Strong, Martin C. The Great Indie Discography. 2003. Canongate.
 Thompson, Dave. Alternative Rock. 2004. Miller-Freeman.

Further reading
 Maconie, Stuart. Blur: 3862 Days – The Official History''. 1999. Virgin Books.

External links

1988 establishments in England
British musical quartets
Britpop groups
English alternative rock groups
English indie rock groups
English art rock groups
Art pop groups
Brit Award winners
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Ivor Novello Award winners
Musical groups established in 1988
Musical groups from London
NME Awards winners
Parlophone artists
Virgin Records artists
Warner Records artists
Musical groups from Essex
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Blur (band)


The Treaty of Hubertusburg () was signed on 15 February 1763 at Hubertusburg Castle by Prussia, Austria and Saxony to end the Third Silesian War. Together with the Treaty of Paris, signed five days earlier, it marked the end of the Seven Years' War. The treaty ended the continental conflict with no significant changes in prewar borders. Austria and Saxony renounced all claims to the Silesian territories ceded to Prussia in the 1742 Treaty of Berlin and the 1745 Treaty of Dresden. Prussia clearly stood among the ranks of the European great powers, while the treaty enhanced the rivalry with Austria.

Background
Austria's resolve to repossess the rich province of Silesia, which had been lost to Prussia in 1748, was the major conflict leading to the Seven Years' War. Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, acquired the support of Russia, Sweden, Saxony, Spain and France, with the specific aim of waging war against Prussia and its ally, Great Britain. It was King Frederick II of Prussia, however, who initiated the hostilities with his attack and capture of Saxony in 1756.

The Seven Years' War started in 1756, with Prussia facing the allied forces of Austria, Russia, France and Sweden. Although in January 1757, the majority of the colleges of the Imperial Diet (minus Hanover, Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), Brunswick and Saxe-Gotha) voted against the move for war, Frederick succeeded in his quest for expanding Prussian influence, power and territory.

Through the first half of the war, the Prussians continued victorious. In the Battle of Rossbach, on 5 November 1757, the Prussian army defeated the French and also Imperial troops. The Prussians defeated the Austrians at Leuthen later in 1757 and the Russians at Zorndorf in 1758.

However, with Sweden entering the war and virtually all of Europe opposing Frederick, the tide seemed to turn. By 1759 eastern Prussia was in the hands of the Russians, and Berlin was occupied for some weeks. Austrian forces had invaded Prussia from the south. Now seriously running short of soldiers, Frederick II was in a desperate situation.

In 1758, the Anglo-Hanoverian army, an ally of Prussia commanded by Ferdinand of Brunswick, defeated the French and occupied the town of Münster. In 1759 Imperial troops invaded Saxony and expelled the Prussians.

Two significant factors, however, led to the eventual return of Prussian dominance in the war. One was the active support of the British and Hanoverians, which had been ineffective combatants but now fought successfully against the French. The second and more important was the withdrawal in 1762 of Russia and Sweden from the war. That occurred as a result of the death of Empress Elizabeth of Russia; her successor, Peter III, an admirer of Frederick, quickly signed a peace treaty with him. By the Treaty of Saint Petersburg, Russia made peace and restored all conquests, and Sweden also made peace that year. This turn in fortune was labeled the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg.

Now fighting alone in the east, the Austrians were soundly defeated in the Battle of Burkersdorf (July 1762). The French, had suffered severe reverses as well. In America, they had lost Louisbourg (1758), Quebec (1759), and some possessions in the West Indies. In India, the British victories at Plassey (1757) and Pondichéry (1761) had destroyed French power. On the sea, the French took Port Mahón from the British (1757) but were defeated by Hawke in Quiberon Bay (1759). The entry of Spain into the war under the terms of the Family Compact of 1761 was of little help to France, where the war had never been popular.

Aftermath
After protracted negotiations between the war-weary powers, peace was made among Prussia, Austria and Saxony at Hubertusburg and among Great Britain, France and Spain at Paris. The Treaty of Hubertusburg restored the prewar status quo but marked the ascendancy of Prussia as a leading European power. Through the Treaty of Paris, Great Britain emerged as the world's chief colonial empire, which had been its primary goal in the war, and France lost most of its overseas possessions.

The phrase "Hubertsburg Peace" is sometimes used as a description for any treaty that restores the situation existing before conflict broke out.

See also
List of treaties

References

External links

Treaties of the Seven Years' War
1763 in the Habsburg monarchy
Hubertusburg
Hubertusburg, Treaty of
1763 treaties
Hubertusburg
Treaties of the Electorate of Saxony
Treaties of the Kingdom of Prussia
1763 in Prussia
Hubertusburg
1763 in the Holy Roman Empire
18th century in Saxony
Treaties of the Silesian Wars
Habsburg monarchy–Prussia relations

Treaty of Hubertusburg


Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (born July 5, 1959) is a Sierra Leonean agricultural economist, politician, and the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All. He was also the chief executive officer of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. Yumkella is a former Chairman of UN-Energy and a two-term former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Born in Kambia District of Northern Sierra Leone, Yumkella has a B.Sc. from Njala University; a M.Sc. from the Cornell University; and a Ph.D. in Agricultural economics from the University of Illinois.

In December 2005, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella was appointed Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), having previously worked in various high-level policy positions in UNIDO. He was re-appointed for a second four-year term in office in December 2009.

Prior to working for UNIDO, Yumkella was the Minister for Trade and Industry  of Sierra Leone from 1994 to 1995. From 1987 to 1996, he held various academic positions at Michigan State University and the University of Illinois in the United States. In recognition of his leadership and his passion for energy and environment-related causes, Yumkella was appointed as Chair of UN-Energy in 2008 by the UN Secretary-General.

Yumkella is a prominent public speaker, who addresses global issues, including poverty reduction, climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, and green industry and renewable energy. Dr. Yumkella's opinion pieces have appeared in major international newspapers, including The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on several international broadcast networks, including CNN's Amanpour programme, BBC, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNBC.

Yumkella is a devout Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group. He is married to Philomena Yumkella.

Yumkella contested for the presidency of Sierra Leone in 2018 but garnered 6.9% of the vote.

Early life and education
Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella was born on July 5, 1959, in the rural village of Kychom, Samu Chiefdom, Kambia District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. His father, the late paramount chief Alhaji Bai Shebora Yumkella II, was an ethnic Susu and a founding member of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). His mother Haja Binta Yumkella is an ethnic Fula from Tambakha Chiefdom, Bombali District in  Northern Province, Sierra Leone. Kandeh Yumkela's mother Haja Binta Yumkella is the daughter of paramount chief Kandeh Kolleh, the first paramount chief of Tambakha Chiefdom in Bombali District. Kandeh Yumkela was born to very religious Muslim parents in Kambia District, and a devout Muslim himself. Yumkella attended the Christ The King College (CKC) secondary school in Bo.

Career

In December 2005, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella was appointed Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), having previously worked in various high-level policy positions in UNIDO. He was re-appointed for a second four-year term in office in December 2009.

Prior to working for UNIDO, Yumkella was the Minister for Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone from 1994 to 1995. From 1987 to 1996, he held various academic positions at Michigan State University and the University of Illinois.

In recognition of his leadership and his passion for energy and environment-related causes, Yumkella was appointed as Chair of UN-Energy in 2008 by the UN Secretary-General. UN-Energy brings together all the UN organizations dealing with energy issues. As its chairman, Yumkella brought a renewed and vital focus to global energy issues and he helped to coordinate the UN response to energy issues.

In September 2011, Yumkella was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as co-chair of the High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All. This followed a decision by the UN General Assembly to designate 2012 as the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All. As Co-chair of this High-level Group, Yumkella helps to guide the initiative aimed at highlighting the need for universal access to energy, as well as increased energy efficiency and enhanced deployment of renewable sources of energy.

Yumkella was a Member of the Rio+20 Principals Group, which played a crucial role in the preparations for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Since 2008, he has also been an active member of the UN Development Group, which helps to set and coordinate the global development priorities of the United Nations. Under his leadership as Director-General, UNIDO has maintained a role as the largest provider of trade-related technical assistance to developing countries in the UN system.

In September 2012, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Yumkella as Special Representative for the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.

Education
 1992 - Ph.D. Agricultural Economics, University of Illinois
 1986 - M.Sc. Agricultural Economics, Cornell University
 1982 - B.Sc. General Agriculture, Njala University College, Sierra Leone
 1978-  Christ the King College, Bo, Sierra Leone

Career
 1994 to 1995 – Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of Sierra Leone.
 1996 Special – Advisor to UNIDO Director-General, Mauricio de Maria y Campos
 1996 to 2000 – Director of the Africa and Least Developed Countries Regional Bureau, UNIDO
 2000 to 2003 – UNIDO Representative and Director of the Regional Industrial Development Centre, Nigeria
 2003 to 2005 – Senior Advisor to UNIDO Director-General, Carlos Alfredo Magariños
 2005 to 2013 – Director General of UNIDO

Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of Sierra Leone

As Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises, he successfully promoted market reforms and signed Sierra Leone's accession to the African Regional Standards Organization(ARSO)and launched initiatives to promote private sector development, establishment of public-private sector partnership and dialogue mechanisms.

He organized consultative processes between the government and the private sector for discussing constraints and obstacles to private sector growth with support from UNIDO, International Trade Center(ITC), African Project Development Facility (APDF) and UNDP Regional Bureau For Africa (UNDP/RBA).

As co-chair of the Public Enterprise Reform and Divestiture Commission(the privatization commission), supervised an internal review of the privatization council), supervised an internal review of the privatization program and promoted local awareness-building and domestic private sector participation in the program.

He also served as a member of the ministerial-level structural adjustment monitoring committee which provided oversight on policy reforms dealing with rationalization of the civil service workforce, judicial reform, petroleum product pricing and monetization of the rice subsidy.

Tenure at UNIDO

Yumkella has worked in different high-level policy positions in UNIDO, including as Special Adviser to two previous Directors-General and as Representative and Director of the first UNIDO Regional Office in Nigeria.
He is the first from Sub-Saharan Africa to have been appointed to the position.
In December 2005, Yumkella was appointed as Director-General of UNIDO, and in December 2009 he was reconfirmed for a second term in office.

Under his leadership, UNIDO was at the forefront in providing solutions to many of the challenges the global community faces today: poverty, jobs, wealth creation and climate change. at UNIDO he gained a reputation for being an effective organizer who implemented policies and projects with impressive drive and focus, thus producing results of great and resplendent caliber. Under his administration UNIDO experienced an unprecedented level of growth in its programmes and has maintained a role as the largest trade-related technical assistance to developing countries in the United Nations System. this assistance has enabled many developing countries to produce and export goods meeting international standards.

Dr Yumkella has extensive specialized executive and advisory experience in program formulation, management and implementation of funds mobilization in fields such as private sector development, public-private sector dialogue and partnerships, small and medium enterprises(SMEs), support systems, capacity-building in industry and business associations, trade capacity-building, agro-industry and rural development.

He also facilitated high-level policy dialogue, consensus-building. advocacy and diplomatic negotiations at conferences of
Heads of State, including the African Union, the Conference of African Ministers of Industry (CAMI) and United Nations global conferences.

Dr  Yumkella is a strong believer that the most effective way to fight poverty is to strengthen the productive capacities of countries and peoples. he has advocated for pro-poor sustainable industrial and agribusiness development as a means of wealth and job creation and the economic empowerment of the poor. Dr Yumkella is a firm believer in the linkage between "energy poverty" and "income poverty" in developing countries, and promotes the use of renewable energy to improve the productive capacities and welfare of rural communities.

UN-Energy

In June 2009, Yumkella was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to chair a new Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change. The members of the Group, comprising international experts, industry leaders and United Nations system representatives, advise on energy issues critical to the new global climate change deal and beyond.

Yumkella is the Chairman of UN-Energy, a United Nations system coordination body dealing with energy-related issues.

He is also a member of the China Council of International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) which Kandeh Yumkella is a prominent public speaker, who addresses global issues, including poverty reduction, climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, as well those related to Africa and the developing world in general, green industry and renewable energy.

Dr. Yumkella's opinion pieces have appeared in major international newspapers, including The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, and The Guardian.

He has also appeared on several international broadcast networks, including CNN's Amanpour programme, BBC, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNBC.

Awards and honours
Honorary Doctorate University of Ghana, Ghana
 Honorary Doctorate University of Madras, India
 2008 Champion of Youth Award, 4th World Youth Congress in Quebec City, Canada
 Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
 The Prix de la Fondation of the Crans Montana Forum
 Honorary Distinguished Visiting Professor, Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade
 Lifetime Achievement Award, Green White & Blue Commission
 Nayudamma Award for outstanding contributions to the energy sector, 13 November 2014
Commander of the National Order of Côte d'Ivoire
2013 Energy Efficiency Visionary award for his steadfast commitment to the sustainable Sustainable Energy for All Initiative and his work to advance the next generation of energy efficiency through the pillars of investment, education and modernization.
2012 South-South and Triangular Cooperation Visionary Award (United Nations of South-South Cooperation)
2012 United Nations Association (UNA-USA) Global Leadership Award, for the leadership he has provided to strengthen the United Nations
Award of "Honorary Professor" by the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulan Bator, Mongolia (April 2012)
Wissam Award for Science "for his service as a son of Africa" (March 30, 2011)
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), Ekiti State university, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria in recognition for his contribution to global development and poverty alleviation in the world. (March 2012)
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the Njala University, Njala, Sierra Leone (March 2011)
Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from TERI University, New Delhi (October 2010)
Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) at the 150th Year Special Convocation and Valedictory Function, University of Madras (September
2008)
"Prix De la Fondation" presented by Prince Albert of Monaco of the Crans Montana Forum for his global leadership and work in development (June 2006)

References

External links
 Yumkella's Bio on the UNIDO official website
 Kandeh K. Yumkella interviewed by BBC's Andrew Marr

http://www.sierra-leone.org/election2018.html

1959 births
Susu people
Living people
Christ the King College
United Nations Industrial Development Organization people
Michigan State University faculty
University of Illinois faculty
University of Illinois alumni
Government ministers of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leonean diplomats
Sierra Leonean officials of the United Nations
Sierra Leonean Muslims
People from Kambia District
Njala University alumni

Kandeh Yumkella


"Pacific Sun" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. It was originally released on white label in 1997 and appeared on their greatest hits album Heart of Gold (2000). The song has also been covered numerous times with other versions recorded by Flip & Fill featuring Junior, Ultrabeat and Darren Styles

Force & Styles version
The Force & Styles version of "Pacific Sun" is happy hardcore song with vocals by Junior. The song was written and recorded by the three at Force & Styles' UK Dance Studios in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex in 1997. "Pacific Sun" was pressed as a one-sided white label record their own label UK Dance Records in 1997. It was also re-released as a b-side to "Field of Dreams" later in 2001. Hardcore producers, Sy & Unknown, released their remix of the song in 2006, on their own label, Quosh Records.
List of remixes
 "Pacific Sun" – 7:23
 "Pacific Sun" (Sy & Unknown remix) – 5:15

Cover versions

Flip & Fill version
In 2004, producers Flip & Fill covered the track with vocals by Junior, who had also written new verses for the song. The new song, titled "Pacific Sun (Lullaby)", was released by All Around the World on 12" promo and the song appeared on the Clubland 6 compilation album. The song is expected to appear on Flip & Fill's second album, which is yet to be released.
List of remixes
 "Pacific Sun (Lullaby)" (club mix)
 "Pacific Sun (Lullaby)" (Cheeky Trax remix)
 "Pacific Sun (Lullaby)" (Styles & Breeze remix)

Ultrabeat version
Liverpool producers, Ultrabeat, also signed to the All Around the World record label, had recorded a cover of Force & Styles' original "Pacific Sun". In 2007, the song was released as a bonus track on Ultrabeat: The Album.

Darren Styles & Re-Con version
Darren Styles recorded a new version of "Pacific Sun" for his second studio album Feel the Pressure (2010). This recording of the song had lead vocals performed by Darren Styles himself and contained an extra verse. It was produced by Darren Styles and Re-Con and was first performed live during the Darren Styles and Ultrabeat tour in 2009. It is also included on the compilation album Hardcore Til I Die 3 (2010).

References

External links
 Force & Styles featuring Junior – Pacific Sun at Discogs
 Flip & Fill featuring Junior  – Pacific Sun (Lullaby) at Discogs

1997 songs
Force & Styles songs
Flip & Fill songs
Ultrabeat songs
Songs written by Darren Styles

Pacific Sun (song)


Notre Dame Mission Volunteers is a faith-based non-profit organization founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1992. In 1995, NDMV sought a partnership with AmeriCorps to allow for an increase in the number of members, offering greater community service in financially limited sites. This partnership formed Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps.  The program began with 46 service members placed in four communities: Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, and Apopka, Florida. Building on the initial success of these four sites, NDMVA has continued to systematically extend the range and depth of its AmeriCorps program. Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps members serve in seventeen sites across the United States.  Notre Dame Mission Volunteers also has a separate international program in which members currently serve in four international sites in Brazil, Haiti, Nigeria, and Peru.  Its National Office is currently based out of Baltimore, Maryland.

Mission
NDMV serves in memory of St. Julie Billiart who sought to educate those in most need. The organization seeks to break the cycle of poverty through education and literacy, giving communities the strength they need to sustain them and live out their good – given potential. NDMV members provide hands-on support to economically disadvantaged communities. They tutor children and adults (literacy, GED, and ESL), organize after-school enrichment activities, model and teach conflict resolution and parental effectiveness, and involve community professionals in the learning process.

Communities served through AmeriCorps
NDMV's National Direct AmeriCorps Program has 22 sites across the United States.  These sites cater to the unique needs of the communities in their city to carry out the mission of NDMV.  The cities currently served by NDMVA members are: Apopka, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Bend, Oregon; Boston, Massachusetts; Boulder, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; Los Angeles, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City, New York; Pine Apple, Alabama; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Tampa, Florida; Washington, DC; Watsonville, California; and Wilmington, Delaware.  National Direct NDMVA members serve as teacher's aides, tutors, mentors, and program coordinators to serve the disenfranchised helping them gain empowerment through education.

Additionally,  NDMVA has partnered with the NativityMiguel Network of Schools in 17 additional sites across the country.  Members serving in Nativity Schools serve as intern teachers in schools targeting low-income middle school students in an effort to prevent them from dropping out of school.

Communities served internationally
NDMV's International Program is a more recent addition to the service work completed by the organization.  The international work is entirely separate from the AmeriCorps grant, thus making it a much smaller program.  NDMV initially set its sights on serving communities in Africa and South America along with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.  In 2006, NDMV sent volunteers to Malava, Kenya and Tambogrande, Peru.

Currently, the organization sends volunteers to work in schools and orphanages working with children in cities or villages in four countries.  The cities currently served include Anapu, Brazil; Les Cayes, Haiti; Lima, Peru; Tambogrande, Peru; Amoyo, Nigeria; and Enugu, Nigeria.  2012 will mark the first year that volunteers will be sent to Les Cayes, Haiti.

References

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Non-profit organizations based in Maryland
AmeriCorps organizations
Catholic Church in the United States
Christian organizations established in 1995
Catholic organizations established in the 20th century
Service year programs in the United States

Notre Dame Mission Volunteers – AmeriCorps


Neon Park (born Martin Muller, December 28, 1940 – September 1, 1993) was an American artist, comics artist and illustrator, best known for the images that have strongly defined covers for nearly every Little Feat album except for the band's self-titled first album. He also created the cover of Weasels Ripped My Flesh for Frank Zappa, as well as covers and graphics for David Bowie, Dr. John, and the Beach Boys. Illustrations for Playboy, National Lampoon, Glass Eye, and DreamWorks are also among his claims to fame. Park's work was noted for its surreal images.

Neon met his second wife, filmmaker and painter Chick Strand, during the early sixties Berkeley scene. They were collaborators in art and life for over 30 years, dividing their time between Los Angeles and San Miguel de Allende, a small town in Mexico, an influence seen in his later works.

In 1983, Neon began to notice numbness in his hands. His physical condition worsened over several years. After many tests and operations, he was diagnosed in 1992 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. His response to the doctor who told him he had the disease was, "I never even played baseball." ALS is a degenerative disease with no treatment available, and doctors estimated a two-year survival time. He continued to work, but as his illness advanced he could no longer paint, so he concentrated on writing poetry, typing with one finger when he could no longer hold a pen.

He died in 1993.

References

External links
Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
Neon Park at united-mutations.com
Neon Park "Zen Voodoo" at laluzdejesus.com
Neon Park Web Pages Since September 1995 on the web.

1940 births
1993 deaths
20th-century American painters
American illustrators
American male painters
American comics artists
American surrealist artists
Underground cartoonists
Album-cover and concert-poster artists
Neurological disease deaths in the United States
Deaths from motor neuron disease
20th-century American male artists

Neon Park


Sara Cogan is a British television and theatre actress, based in London.

She graduated from The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in 2003, after a three-year acting course.

She went on to appear in 2003's sixth run of The Newsrevue, the longest-running theatrical comedy show in the United Kingdom, appearing alongside James Shakeshaft, Paul Millard and Sarah Mae.

She has had television roles in Doctors, playing Gemma Bullock, The Walk, playing Beverley and Footballers' Wives, playing a hotel receptionist.

Her most recent role was as a midwife named Cheryl in EastEnders, alongside Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell) and Perry Fenwick (Billy Mitchell), in a storyline about Down syndrome.

References

External links

British television actresses
British stage actresses
British soap opera actresses
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people

Sara Cogan


The discography of Macedonian recording artist Elena Risteska consists of three studio albums, nineteen singles and twelve music videos. As feature artist she has three songs. She debuted on the Macedonian music scene with her first album Den i Nok in 2003. Her first single was "Ona drugoto" and with it she won the competition "Play - Search for a new star". With her single "Ninanajna" she represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and it placed on the 12th place in the final. Her first Serbian language album is called Milioner realized in 2008. "Million Dollar Player" is the name of her first English language single and it features Leroy Chambers. Nearly all the melodies are written by her producer Darko Dimitrov and about the lyrics since now she has collaborated with people like: Kaliopi Bukle, Ognen Nedelkovski, Snežana Vukomanović and Aida Buraku. Elena is also a songwriter & has written many of her songs such as: "Dosta" (Enough), "Sakam Po Dobro Da Te Pamtam" (I want to remember you for good) & many more.

Albums

Singles

As featured artist

Music videos

Notes

External links

 Ringeraja na gosti kaj Elena Risteska
Elena Risteska Fansite

Pop music discographies
Rhythm and blues discographies
Discographies of Macedonian artists

Elena Risteska discography


Armenian Museum of America (AMA), located in Watertown, Massachusetts, United States, is an institution that has the largest collection of Armenian artifacts in North America.

History
In 1971, alarmed by the growing loss and destruction of Armenian books and artifacts brought to this country by immigrants from Armenia, a group of talented Greater Boston Armenian-Americans banded together to form AMA to collect and preserve these books and artifacts. From humble beginnings in two rooms rented in 1972 in a church parish house in Belmont, AMA grew and expanded into a Watertown church's  basement and opened to the public in 1985.

In 1988, AMA was able to buy and remodel the former Coolidge Bank and Trust Building at 65 Main Street in Watertown. The building is dedicated to the memory of Stephen P. Mugar and Marian G. Mugar, his wife. After being opened to the public as the Armenian Library and Museum of America in 1988, the name was officially changed to Armenian Museum of America in 2013.

Building description

AMA's present home is a four-story building plus basement containing approximately .  AMA occupies all of the basement, the first and second floors, most of the third floor and has its library on the fourth floor. The building also houses the Armenian International Women's Association ("AIWA") and Project SAVE Armenian Photographic Archives.

Museum facilities
Bedoukian Hall is AMA's  main exhibit gallery. There are several smaller side galleries as well as the Contemporary Art Gallery and Terjenian-Thomas Art Gallery on the 3rd floor. Other facilities include the research library, studio space, offices, meeting rooms, classrooms, a 220-seat auditorium and a gift shop.

Museum collections

Armenian Museum of America holds one of the largest and most diverse holding of Armenian cultural artifacts outside of Armenia. The Museum maintains an active program of changing exhibits for the public, to provide new experiences for returning visitors and to showcase the wide range of materials in the collection. The museum averages 14 different exhibits annually.

As a repository for heirlooms, the collections now represent a major resource for Armenian studies and for preservation and illustration of Armenian heritage. AMA is the only independent Armenian museum in the diaspora, funded largely through contributions of individual supporters. An active board of trustees and volunteer base augment the museum's staff.

The collections contain over 20,000 artifacts, including:
 Countless artifacts including prehistoric, Urartian, religious, ceramic, medieval illuminations and various other objects;
 Over 5,000 ancient and medieval Armenian coins;
 Over 3,000 textiles: AMA has one of the largest Armenian textile collections outside of Armenia.  The trained textile curator, Susan Lind-Sinanian, has acted as a textile consultant to various institutions.  The textiles are housed in climate-controlled space in the basement of the building.  There they are also photographed, documented and cataloged.
 930 rare books; and
 170 Armenian rugs, many of which are inscribed in Armenian. The collection includes the Arthur T. Gregorian collection of Armenian inscribed rugs which he donated in 1992.

AMA houses and sometimes displays the collected painting of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the assisted suicide crusader, whose parents were Armenian refugees.

Library
AMA is home to the Mesrob Boyajian Library. The Library contains over 26,000 cataloged titles on a wide range of Armenian subjects.  The earliest is the Garabed Gospel of AD 1207.  The library has one of the largest collections of important books on oriental rugs, and a very substantial collection, which continues to be expanded, on the Armenian genocide.  It also holds a significant number of periodicals.

The library is home to the Herbert Offen Oriental Carpet Research Library Collection, one of the most extensive collections of literature on oriental carpets in the United States. The Offen Family made a donation of the 2,500 volumes of the Herbert Offen Collection, and funds the further acquisition of literature related to rugs and carpets, whether new or antiquarian.  The existing 2,500 volumes cover subject matters well beyond the narrow focus on the types and development of Oriental rugs, and encompasses broader issues including the social implications of rug collecting, symbolism and theory, care and aesthetics, the commercial marketing and business of rugs, economic and domestic structures in carpet production, historical and contemporary use of rugs, and other textile traditions closely related to rugs.

Oral history collection
In the early 1970s, AMA embarked on an extensive program of interviewing survivors of the Armenian genocide, all or most of whom are now deceased.  These tapes are digitized and de-noised.  AMA's collection consists of over 1,400 hours of recorded oral histories and is a fertile source for research by scholars.

References

External links
Armenian Museum of America website

1971 establishments in Massachusetts
Museums established in 1985
Armenian-American history
Libraries in Massachusetts
Ethnic libraries
Armenian-American culture in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Watertown, Massachusetts
Ethnic museums in Massachusetts
Art museums and galleries in Massachusetts
Museums in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
European-American museums

Armenian Library and Museum of America


Kaiso is a type of music popular in Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries, especially of the Caribbean, such as Grenada, Belize, Barbados, St. Lucia and Dominica, which originated in West Africa particularly among the Efik and Ibibio people of Nigeria, and later evolved into calypso music.

Kaiso music has its origins in West Africa (particularly in present-day Nigeria) and in the Kingdom of Kongo and was brought over by the enslaved Africans, who (in the early history of the art form) used it to sing about their masters. The people would also gather in "kaiso" tents where a griot or lead singer would lead them in song. Many early kaisos were sung in French Creole by an individual called a chantwell. Kaiso songs are generally narrative in form and often have a cleverly concealed political subtext. Kaiso performers are known as kaisonians.

In Barbados, kaiso refers to a form of stage-presented calypso, such as at the crop over festival.

Terminology
The term kaiso is said to derive from an Ibibio/Efik word meaning "get on" used as an exclamation, such as "Bravo!", "Let us join". It can also mean "Let us be friends" in Igbo Anambra dialect. Plus, in the Igbo language ka anyị sonye means "Let's join". The word is often used synonymously with calypso today, but often with the connotation that the former is more authentic, showing approval consistent with its original meaning. This word can also be found in an Igbo name. Kaisoluchukwu (Solu, Kaiso). Kaisoluchukwu means "Let's respect/follow God" in the Igbo language.

History

Ibibio and Igbo influence on the etymology
The Ibibio people/Igbo people and the origins of limbo and calypso. The enslaved Ibibios, Igbo and supposedly other slaves would gather, plant two poles on opposite ends, and place a bar across. They would take turns (individually) dancing and negotiating their bodies to go underneath the bar and exit on the opposite end without upsetting it, no matter how low the bar was. The accompanying chant used to egg on and lead the dancer to a successful exit went something like this: "kaiso, kaiso, kaiso" —– meaning "go forward, go ahead, more". The dance was later named limbo. Ka means go. Iso means forward. Kaiso therefore, means go forward in the Ibibio language of Southeastern Nigeria. The Ibibios and Igbo people who were kidnapped from the Niger Delta and Calabar, shipped across the vast Atlantic Ocean, and subsequently enslaved in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago brought their music, language, and traditions with them. In slavery, their customs and traditions got interwoven into the larger slave culture of the area, but the word kaiso (go forward, go ahead, or more) survived. It later became the name of Trinidad and Tobago's most popular music. Kaiso evolved into calypso and that, too, evolved into soca music. The very fact that the word kaiso was common and accepted enough to be used for naming a dance or song suggests that the Ibibio and Igbo slave population of that area was strong and socially influential.

Calypso music
Calypso music was developed in Trinidad in the 17th century from the West African Kaiso and canboulay music brought by captive Africans imported to that Caribbean island to work on sugar plantations. These slaves, brought to toil on sugar plantations, were stripped of all connections to their homeland and family and not allowed to talk to each other. They used calypso to mock the slave masters and to communicate with each other. Many early calypsos were sung in French Creole by an individual called a griot. "Patois" or Trinidadian French Creole was the original language of the calypso music.

Kongo influence
That Kalinda and its accompanying drum rhythms were predominantly a Kongo input into Trinidad culture can be concluded from the significant number of Kongo names among remembered stickmen and popular stickyards and from the emotional involvement with stickfight culture of Kongo descendants interviewed in the 1970s in contrast with the attachment of Yoruba, Rada and Hausa descendants to religious ceremonies. The kalinda drum rhythm was transported almost bodily into Kaiso even without modification. This rhythm can also be heard in Calypso and Soca.

References

Sources

Calypso music
West African music
Music of the African diaspora
Folk music genres

Kaiso


John Stephen DeMerit (born January 8, 1936, in West Bend, Wisconsin) is an American former professional baseball player from Port Washington, Wisconsin. He was an outfielder over parts or all of five seasons (1957–1959; 1961–1962) with the Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets. Nicknamed "Thumper", DeMerit threw and batted right-handed and was listed as  tall and .

An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he signed a $100,000 bonus contract with his hometown Braves in . Under the bonus rule then in force, the Braves were required to keep DeMerit on their big-league roster for all of 1957. DeMerit got into 33 games, six as a starting outfielder, but collected only five singles in 34 at bats. Still, Milwaukee won the National League pennant and drew the New York Yankees as their opponents in the 1957 World Series. DeMerit appeared in one contest, as a pinch runner for veteran catcher Del Rice in the eighth inning of Game 3. He failed to score a run and the Braves fell, 12–3.  But they outlasted the Yankees in seven games to become world champions.

A change in the bonus rule allowed the Braves to send DeMerit to the minor leagues in , and DeMerit spent most of 1958 and 1959 and all of 1960 in the higher reaches of the Milwaukee farm system. Then in , he spent his only full year in the major leagues. He appeared in only 34 games and hit a poor .162 with 12 hits, but those dozen included his first two MLB home runs, hit off five-time All-Star Larry Jackson April 26 and future Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax September 15.

The Braves left him unprotected in the 1961 National League expansion draft, where he was selected by the Mets with their tenth pick, 20th overall, in the lottery's regular phase. He made the 1962 Mets early-season roster and appeared in 14 games during the season's first month. On May 15, he singled, walked and hit his third big-league home run (off Dick Ellsworth), scoring the winning run in a 6–5 New York triumph. Such victories were rare, as the Mets won only 40 games all season. The two hits were the last of DeMerit's career: he retired at age 26, rather than report to Triple-A when the Mets attempted to farm him out a few days later.

For his career, DeMerit hit .174 with 23 hits, three doubles, three home runs and seven runs batted in in 93 games played.

References

External links

1936 births
Living people
Atlanta Crackers players
Baseball players from Wisconsin
Jacksonville Braves players
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Milwaukee Braves players
New York Mets players
People from West Bend, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Washington County, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Wisconsin Badgers baseball players
People from Port Washington, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

John DeMerit


The Video Appeals Committee (VAC) is a body set up by the United Kingdom's Video Recordings Act. If a video or video-game distributor's work is rejected by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), preventing it from being legally sold in the UK, the distributor can appeal to the VAC, which has the power to order the BBFC to reverse its decision and to grant a certificate to the disputed work. The BBFC has the option of challenging the VAC's decision through the courts using judicial review.

The members of the VAC are chosen by the BBFC, but it is otherwise independent of the BBFC and the home secretary.

References

Censorship in the United Kingdom

Video Appeals Committee


Ezzo ( – 21 March 1034), sometimes called Ehrenfried, a member of the Ezzonid dynasty, was Count Palatine of Lotharingia from 1015 until his death. As brother-in-law of Emperor Otto III, father of Queen Richeza of Poland and several other illustrious children, he was one of the most important figures of the Rhenish history of his time.

Life
Ezzo was the son of the Lotharingian count palatine Herman I and his wife Heylwig of Dillingen. He was sent as a child to be educated by Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg (episcopate 923–973), a relative of his mother. Nothing is known about his youth.

Having married Matilda of Germany (died 1025), a daughter of Emperor Otto II and his consort Theophanu, Ezzo became prominent during the reign of his brother-in-law, Emperor Otto III. The marriage was expressly consented by the Dowager Empress Theophanu, probably to rally the powerful family of Ezzo to the throne. Matilda received as dowry out of Ottonian possessions lands in Thuringia and in the Duchy of Franconia (Orlamünde and the East Franconian territories of Coburg and Salz), while her husband gave her as dowry the family estate of Brauweiler near Cologne.

At the death of his father in 996, Herman's rich allodial property was shared between his sons. Ezzo received lands in Cochem on the Mosel river, in Maifeld, the Flamersheimer Wald and estates around Tomburg Castle near Rheinbach, as well as half the usufruct of Villewaldin. About the same time, he must have received the Palatinate and previous comital rights, as he is referred as count in the Auelgau in 1015 and as Count Palatine in the Bonngau in 1020. He also received the county of Ruhrgau with tutelage of Essen Abbey.

Unsuccessful candidate to the imperial throne upon the death of Emperor Otto III in 1002, his relation with the new Ottonian king Henry II was immediately very tense. Henry disputed Ezzo's ownership of territories, that he defended as his wife's inheritance of late Otto III. The conflict dragged on for years and reached its peak in 1011. Facing disturbances in Lotharingia, and in need for Ezzo's military support, Henry was forced to come to terms. Ezzo's victory led the king to make concessions and to a complete transformation of its policy. He reconciled with Ezzo, recognized its rights of inheritance and gave him the royal territories of Kaiserswerth, Duisburg as well as Saalfeld in Thuringia for renouncing to the throne. He also associated the Ezzonid dynasty to his Eastern policies, and mediated the marriage of Ezzo's daughter Richeza with the heir to the Polish throne Mieszko II Lambert.

These huge territorial concessions made Ezzo one of the most powerful princes in the Empire. Ezzo's growing power and the increased prestige of his house were reflected in the founding of the family, Brauweiler Abbey, the place where his marriage had been celebrated and whose construction begun after a trip to Rome of the couple in 1024. The Benedictine monastery, which was consecrated in 1028 by Archbishop Pilgrim of Cologne, was to be the grave and spiritual centre of the Ezzonid dynasty.

Henry II died in July 2024 without an heir. Conrad, a great-grandson of Liutgard of Saxony, daughter of Otto I, was elected King of the Romans. In November 1025, Ezzo, who was a supporter of Conrad, invited the Lotharingian nobles to Aachen where they paid homage to the new king, included some, such as Pilgrim, (archbishop of Cologne), who had previously withheld their support. Ezzo'x wife Matilda died unexpectedly during a visit to Ezzo's brother Hermann in Echtz, while Ezzo was in Aachen. She was buried at Brauweiler Abbey.

Very little is known about Ezzo's later life, but we are told that he died at a great age at Saalfeld on 21 March 1034, and was buried in Brauweiler.

Ezzo life and offices are described in the Fundatio monasterii Brunwilarensis. He was mostly active in political affairs when it came to his own interests and the standing of his house, and where he could increase his territories and authority. His management of the favours of Empress Theophano, Emperor Otto III and later Henry II, testify of his personal ambition and political dexterity.

Children

Ezzo and Mathilda left three sons and seven daughters. The first two sons, Liudolf and Otto were aimed at perpetuating the dynasty while the third Hermann, was raised to enter the clergy. Of the seven daughters only Richeza was conspicuously married, while the others were placed in monasteries of which they all became abbesses.
Liudolf (c. 1000–10 April 1031), Count of Zütphen.
Otto II (died 1047), Count Palatine of Lotharingia and later Duke of Swabia as Otto II.
Herman II (995–1056), Archbishop of Cologne.
Theophanu (died 1058), Abbess of Essen and Gerresheim.
Richeza (died 21 March 1063), Queen of Poland, married with King Mieszko II Lambert.
Adelheid (died c. 1030), Abbess of Nivelles (Nijvel).
Heilwig, Abbess of Neuss.
Mathilde, Abbess of Dietkirchen and Vilich.
Sophie, Abbess of St. Maria, Mainz.
Ida (died 1060), Abbess of Cologne and Gandersheim Abbey (founded in 852 by her ancestor Liudolf, Duke of Saxony).
After the death of his wife, Ezzo had another son named Henry (1055–1093), later Abbot of Gorze, with a concubine.

References

Sources

Kimpen, E., 'Ezzonen und Hezeliniden in der rheinischen Pfalzgrafschaft', Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Instituts für Geschichtsforschung. XII. Erg.-Band. (Innsbruck 1933) S.1–91.
Lewald, Ursula, 'Die Ezzonen. Das Schicksal eines rheinischen Fürstengeschlechts', Rheinische Vierteljahrsblätter 43 (1979) S.120–168.
Steinbach, F., 'Die Ezzonen. Ein Versuch territorialpolitischen Zusammenschlusses der fränkischen Rheinlande', Collectanea Franz Steinbach. Aufsätze und Abhandlungen zur Verfassungs-, Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, geschichtlichen Landeskunde und Kulturraumforschung, ed. F. Petri en G. Droege (Bonn 1967) S.64–81.
Van Droogenbroeck, F.J., 'Paltsgraaf Herman II (†1085) en de stichting van de abdij van Affligem (28 juni 1062)', Jaarboek voor Middeleeuwse Geschiedenis 2 (Hilversum 1999) S.38–95.
Van Droogenbroeck, F.J., 'De betekenis van paltsgraaf Herman II (1064–1085) voor het graafschap Brabant', Eigen Schoon en De Brabander 87 (Brussels 2004) S.1–166.
Wolter, Heinz, Ezzo Pfalzgraf von Lothringen, http://www.rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de/persoenlichkeiten/E/Seiten/Ezzo.aspx.

External links

950s births
1034 deaths
Counts Palatine of Lotharingia

House of Limburg-Stirum
Burials at Brauweiler Abbey

Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia


Brook Roberts (born c. 1983) is a reality-television personality and a former beauty queen who held the title of Miss Oregon 2004 and competed in the Miss America 2005 pageant. From 2006 to its closure in 2010, she was a host on Gems TV.  Brook and Tara Gray star in the reality-TV series The Good Buy Girls on TLC in 2013. It was canceled after four episodes due to low viewership and only 10 of the ordered 12 episodes have been broadcast.

On February 28, 2014, Roberts became a co-host of #SDLive, San Diego's regional weekly sports show, on Fox Sports San Diego.

Miss Oregon
Roberts was raised in Roseburg, Oregon, where she attended Sutherlin High School. She went on to  Southern Oregon University with majors in Communications and Journalism, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree for the latter. Roberts competed at Miss Oregon 2004 as Miss Douglas County. Her platform was "Providing a Voice for Abused and Neglected Children" and her talent was a Vocal Performance.

The Amazing Race
Roberts competed on The Amazing Race 17 with her co-worker Claire Champlin. This edition of CBS's The Amazing Race was filmed from May to June 2010 and premiered on September 26, 2010. The team's best placement was first place in Leg 2. They ended the race in second in becoming the fifth all-female team to do so after Dustin and Kandice (All Stars), Jaime and Cara (Season 14), Pamela and Vanessa (Asia Season 2), and Claire and Michelle (Asia Season 4).

References

External links

1980s births
Living people
Miss America 2005 delegates
Miss Oregon winners
Participants in American reality television series

Brook Roberts


David Gort Burnside (10 December 1939 – 17 October 2009) was an English footballer, who played as an attacking midfielder. He made a total of 405 appearances in the Football League for West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Plymouth Argyle, Bristol City and Colcester United. He then moved into non-League football becoming player-manager at Bath City and later became a youth trainer with England and briefly manager at Bristol City. He also made appearances for Los Angeles Wolves as a guest.

Playing career

Early days
Burnside was born in Kingswood, near Bristol and attended Kingswood School and represented Bristol & District Schools, before joining Bristol City as a trainee in July 1955. His father was so keen to see David develop his football skills that he installed floodlights in his back garden to enable his son to practice in the evenings.

West Bromwich Albion
His potential was quickly spotted by First Division West Bromwich Albion to whom he moved in December 1955, signing professional papers in February 1957. He soon acquired nationwide fame for his incredible ball-juggling abilities when, in October 1957, during the half-time in a televised friendly match against Russian team CDSA Moscow he performed his tricks to entertain the crowd. In 1960, he entered a heading competition organised by the Sunday Dispatch newspaper. He managed 495 clean headers without a break and although this was far from a record it amply demonstrated his ball skills.

During his time at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich were relatively successful, generally ending the season in the upper half of the First Division table, including reaching fourth spot in 1959–60. Burnside made 135 appearances for West Bromwich and represented England at Youth level as well as winning two under-23 caps.

Southampton
In September 1962, Ted Bates signed him for Second Division Southampton for a fee of £18,000, making him Bates's third signing in 10 days (along with George Kirby and Stuart Williams). Burnside immediately became a fixture in the Saints side, alongside Terry Paine and John Sydenham on the wings and Kirby and George O'Brien in attack. He was adept at finding space with well-timed runs, and his passing skills were terrific.

In the 1962–63 season Saints fielded the same line-up in 28 matches including all seven FA Cup matches as Saints progressed to the semi-final, going out 1–0 at Villa Park to eventual winners Manchester United, after an epic three match battle to get past Nottingham Forest in the previous round. In the first quarter-final replay against Forest, Burnside scored an 89th-minute equaliser as Saints came back from a three-goal deficit. In the second replay, at White Hart Lane he scored twice, including a rocket shot for the third goal as Saints finally defeated Forest 5–0.

The cup run was not matched in the league, however, as Saints finished the 1962–63 season in eleventh place, although Burnside was the second highest scorer (behind O'Brien) with 14 goals.

Despite a 6–1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the opening game of the 1963–64 season, Saints had dropped to the lower half of the table by mid-September. In the second victory of the season (2–0 over Newcastle United on 18 September) Burnside injured his knee and was out until mid-January, losing his place to John McGuigan. Although Burnside returned for a run of six games from mid-January to mid-February, including scoring in the 7–2 victory over Scunthorpe United on 29 January 1964, he was forced to sit out the remainder of the season, until the postponed final game of the season at home to Rotherham United in which he returned to score in a 6–1 victory (thereby helping Saints notch up 100 league goals for the season), with Saints finishing in fifth place.

The following season, Burnside regained his place until he was surprisingly sold to Crystal Palace in December 1964 for £12,000. The proceeds went to partly fund the purchase of Jimmy Melia, who was to lead the Saints to the First Division a year and a half later. In his two years at The Dell Burnside made a total of 70 appearances, scoring 26 goals.

Crystal Palace and Wolves
Burnside signed for Crystal Palace, then in their first season after promotion to Division Two, on 24 December 1964. He spent one and a half seasons with Palace in Division Two, (58 appearances, 8 goals) before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers on 7 September 1966, helping them to promotion to Division One (as runners-up) at the end of the 1966–67 season. He remained with Wolves until March 1968, when he moved back to Division Two with Plymouth Argyle. Whilst at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnside also made appearances, as a guest, for Los Angeles Wolves, essentially the Wolverhampton club, playing in the short-lived United Soccer Association league.

Plymouth Argyle

In March 1968, a fee of £7,000 took the experienced 28-year-old to Home Park as one of new manager Billy Bingham's first purchases for the Pilgrims.

Neither Bingham nor Burnside, who made his debut in a 2–0 Second Division win at Hull City, arrived in time to save Argyle from relegation to the Third Division at the end of the 1967–68 season. Burnside played in the last 12 games of the campaign.

The following term, however, saw Burnside prove his worth as a player. After excelling as both inside-forward and deep-lying centre-forward, he was voted "Player of the Year" by Home Park fans in the 1968–69 campaign, in which he scored nine goals in 42 Third Division games.

With Ellis Stuttard replacing Bingham in the manager's office, Burnside was used more sparingly in the 1969–70 season (15 League games, one goal) but he was a regular once more in 1970–71, mostly as a midfielder. He managed five goals in his 36 Third Division appearances.

Burnside was an important member of the Argyle squad as the Pilgrims drifted along in the middle of the Third Division, but it is probable that he would have been even more effective if he did not have to cope with a daily commute from his Bristol home.

Burnside's last senior game for the Pilgrims was in May 1971 at Millmoor, where he scored in a 1–1 Third Division draw with Rotherham United. The following season, he found himself stuck in the reserves, however, and in December 1971 he was transferred to his home-town club Bristol City. His final Argyle tally was 105 League games and 15 goals.

Later career
Burnside played just one League game for the Ashton Gate club, though, before going to Colchester United, his last League club in March 1972. In May 1972, he moved back to his home in Bristol and became player-manager of Southern League side Bath City, where he stayed until the following summer. There followed spells at various clubs including coaching at Walsall and playing/coaching with Minehead, Bridgwater Town and Taunton Town.

In October 1979, he started working for the Football Association as a regional coach in the West country, before becoming part of the international set-up in 1983, having known England manager Bobby Robson since his time at The Hawthorns. He worked as the England Youth manager until January 1997 when he rejoined Bristol City as Director of Youth Football. In January 2000, he took on the role of caretaker manager after the departure of Tony Pulis, jointly with Tony Fawthrop. In their short time as caretaker managers, Fawthrop and Burnside guided the Robins to a Wembley appearance in the Football League Trophy Final, losing 2–1 to Stoke City.

After handing the manager's post to Leroy Rosenior in summer 2000, Burnside continued to assist Bristol City as technical advisor, before a spell working with Bobby Gould as football co-ordinator at Cheltenham Town, which ended in October 2003.

Burnside died on 17 October 2009 after suffering a heart attack aged 69. Shortly before his death, he had been adopted to contest a Bristol seat for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in the 2010 general election.

Honours

As a player
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Football League Second Division runners-up: 1966–67

References

External links

1939 births
2009 deaths
People from Kingswood, South Gloucestershire
People educated at Kingswood School, Bath
English men's footballers
England men's under-23 international footballers
English Football League players
United Soccer Association players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Southampton F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Los Angeles Wolves players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
Colchester United F.C. players
Bath City F.C. players
Minehead A.F.C. players
Bridgwater United F.C. players
Taunton Town F.C. players
English football managers
Bristol City F.C. managers
Cheltenham Town F.C. non-playing staff
Footballers from Gloucestershire
Men's association football midfielders
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
English expatriate men's footballers

David Burnside (footballer)


The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA; Korean: 소방방재청, 消防防災廳) was an agency of South Korea, initially created by Enactment of the "Act on Promotion of Fire Fighting Industry" of 2008 and seized control on 19 November 2014 as the Ministry of Public Safety and Security was founded at the same day on the incident of the MV Sewol ferry disaster. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to any disaster that has occurred in South Korea which overwhelms the resources of local government authorities. The disaster management system of Korea goes back to "Buyeok" (compulsory service) in the era of the Three Kingdoms, which was succeeded by the Hyangyak in the Joseon Dynasty and then by the 'Civil Defense Basic Law' enacted in 1975 after independence. The NEMA, whose predecessor is the 'Headquarters of Civil Defense and Disaster Management' under the control of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, was opened on June 1, 2004 for the purpose of protecting the lives and property of the people from the large-scale disasters that have occurred repeatedly every year since 1990s. The NEMA consists of 1 officer, 3 bureaus, 19 divisions and 4 affiliated organizations. A total of 435 people (267 for the main office and 168 for the affiliated organizations) work for the NEMA. Through the execution of 12 laws including the Disaster and Safety Management Basic Law, it is taking the lead in the national disaster management work of protecting the lives and property of the people.

Mission
To strengthen policy deliberation and general coordination through the unification of disaster-related working systems. Establishing a disaster and safety management system for the nation and local self-governing bodies for the preservation of the land and the protection of the lives, bodies and property of the people from various disasters.
To heighten disaster-prevention awareness and to strengthen preventive investment. Expanding the investments, rather than costs, of businesses for the prevention of disasters.
To strengthen on-the-spot-action systems such as rescue and relief. Establishing a new emergency rescue control team (National Emergency Management Agency).
To strengthen local self-governing bodies' disaster management and civil-governmental cooperative systems. Restructuring disaster-related local organizations and their functions, and strengthening on-the-spot-action systems through civil-governmental cooperation.
To establish a system of preventive activities to make the people more safety-conscious. Holding safety-related cultural activities in order to heighten the people's safety consciousness.

History
2004-03-15: The preparatory body for opening the NEMA set sail.
2004-06-01: The NEMA was opened.
2014-11-19: The NEMA had been changed to Central Fire Service under the Ministry of Public Safety and Security was founded at the same day  on the incident of the MV Sewol ferry disaster.

References

External links

Government agencies of South Korea
2004 establishments in South Korea
2014 disestablishments in South Korea

National Emergency Management Agency (South Korea)


Amari Saifi () (born 23 April 1968), also known under his aliases Abou Haidara or Abderrazak le Para, is one of the leaders of the Islamist militia Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).

According to Paris Match, Saifi claims to have been the head of the bodyguard of the Algerian defense minister Khaled Nezzar from 1990 to 1993. It is believed that he joined the armed Islamist movement in 1992 and later advanced to become the second-in-command of the GSPC, but his name did not appear on the GSPC website until 2004. His nickname "El Para" is derived from "paratrooper", as he is believed to have been a trained parachutist in the Algerian armed forces before integrating in the Islamist network.

Saifi became widely known when he was identified as one of the kidnappers who abducted in 2003 a group of 32 tourists, most of them German, in Algeria. It was then that the Algerian government claimed that the former military agent had switched sides and defected.

After the hostages were released in two groups - one liberated by the Algerian army, the other against ransom - Saifi and 50 of his men allegedly left northern Mali and were pursued through Niger by combined Algerian and Malian forces into northern Chad.

In March 2004, Saifi was captured by the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJT), a Chadian rebel group. The MDJT leaders tried to have him sent to Germany to stand trial, but finally handed him over to the Algerian secret services in October 2004. In June 2005, the Algerian government announced that he had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

An investigation by Le Monde diplomatique assured in 2005 that Saifi was not a true Islamist but an agent of the Algerian government who staged a false flag attack by kidnapping the tourists. The British writer Jeremy Keenan elaborated on this theory since 2006, speculating that the supposed presence of (false) Islamist extremist terror elements in southern Algeria would allow the US to broaden their counterterrorist agreements with several Sahel countries.

In March 2011, the Algerian justice minister Tayeb Belaiz stated that Hassan Hattab had been put in a safe place, whereas Amari Saifi or Abderezzak El Para had been imprisoned.

References

Living people
Algerian Islamists
False flag operations
21st-century Algerian people
Al-Qaeda members
1968 births

Amari Saifi


Tony Chévez (born June 20, 1954) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles in their 1977 season. Listed at 5' 11" , 177 lb. , Chévez batted and threw right-handed. He was born Silvio Antonio Aguilera Chévez in Telica, León, Nicaragua.

Chévez became the second Nicaraguan player in the big leagues, as he was signed together with El Presidente Dennis Martínez by Baltimore in 1973. Yet after a promising career in his country and the Orioles Minor League system, Chévez hurt his shoulder in his fourth Major League appearance and was never the same.

Chévez first represented Nicaragua in an international competition at the Torneo de la Amistad (Friendship Tournament), held in Managua in 1971, and was also on the national team at the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. After that, he pitched in the 1972 Amateur World Series held in Managua, where the Nicaraguan team won the bronze medal with a 13–2 record.

Besides, Chévez posted a 54–44 record with a 3.15 ERA in 181 minor league games from 1974 through 1979, striking out 432 batters while walking 245 in 838 innings of work.

In between, Chévez played winter ball with the Indios de Mayagüez of Puerto Rico and for the Tiburones de La Guaira in Venezuela.

Chévez is a long time resident of Rochester, New York, but he and his family have never forgotten their homeland. In 2003, Chévez and his wife Halyma returned to Telica with a small group of friends from their church, in order to build homes for the neediest people. Since then, they have returned periodically with growing support, including donations of medicine and clothing, along with Bible school and supporting baseball instruction for youths aged 13–15.

Sources

1954 births
Living people
Baltimore Orioles players
Charlotte O's players
Indios de Mayagüez players
Expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Nicaragua
Miami Orioles players
Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States
People from León Department
Baseball players at the 1971 Pan American Games
Pan American Games competitors for Nicaragua
Rochester Red Wings players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
Nicaraguan expatriate baseball players in Venezuela

Tony Chévez


Trinity Academy is a private classical Christian middle and high school located in north central Portland, Oregon The school was founded by Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians, though non-Christian students are welcome. Trinity Schools licenses the Trinity School Curriculum to Trinity Academy.

History
Trinity Academy opened in 2011 with a ninth grade class of just five students. Trinity Academy was founded by a group of Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian teachers, families, and donors associated with the family of Trinity Schools and the People of Praise Christian community. Trinity Academy began operating at a facility owned by Northminster Presbyterian Church at 2823 N Rosa Parks Way in Portland, Oregon. In the summer of 2014, Trinity Academy relocated to a facility nearby to allow additional growth. The new location is at 7424 N Mississippi Ave., Portland, Oregon.

Extracurricular activities
All Trinity students participate in the fine arts. Music theory, performance and choir are all integrated into the curriculum. Art history, drawing, painting, and calligraphy are also offered. Students partake in Trinity Academy's cross country and basketball teams, though they also participate in athletics at local public schools and private clubs. Trinity Academy started a media club in early 2013 offering students a creative platform to develop media skills in film, photography, social-media, and other related media platforms. Many of the students participate in summer service projects, such as the Compassion Connect sponsored Compassion North Portland at the local public Roosevelt High School. Students also have frequent field trips such as sailing on the Columbia and Willamette River as well as touring local farms and urban infrastructure projects integrated into the natural sciences program.

References

External links

2011 establishments in Oregon
Christian schools in Oregon
Classical Christian schools
Educational institutions established in 2011
High schools in Portland, Oregon
Private high schools in Oregon
Private middle schools in Oregon

Trinity Academy (Portland, Oregon)