The X-wing fighter is a starfighter from the fictional Star Wars universe.

X-wing may also refer to:

Star Wars
 Star Wars: X-Wing (video game series), a series of space-based flight simulators set in the Star Wars universe.
 Star Wars: X-Wing (video game), the first game in the series
 Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
 Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
 Star Wars: X-wing (book series), a novel series by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston
 Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game, a board game published by Fantasy Flight Games in August 2012
Star Wars: X-wing – Rogue Squadron, a 1995 comic book
 Star Wars: X-wing – Rogue Leader, a 2005 prequel to the 1995 comic book

Aviation
 10th Wing (disambiguation)
 X-Wing, an experimental Sikorsky S-72 aircraft
 A wing configuration, shaped like an X
 Xwing (aviation), an autonomous aviation company

Other uses
 X-wing, a style of aerodynamics devices on Formula One racing cars
 X-wing, a pattern in Sudoku puzzles
 Skystorm X-Wing Chopper, a fictional vehicle in the G.I. Joe universe, piloted by the Windmill figure

See also
 X (disambiguation)
 Ten (disambiguation)
 Wing (disambiguation)

X-wing (disambiguation)


Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria is a Muslim organization established for the purpose of the educational development of Muslims and also as a body to enhance the moral and social development of the Muslim community in Lagos. It was founded in 1923 as a non-sectarian and non-political educational association, although there are doubts about its non-political stance.

The society started out as a response to the advent of a class of Western trained Christian elites in the colonial capital of Lagos and also to engage in the promotion of reformist ideas and development in the Muslim communities of Lagos and later in Nigeria. The group, however, toed the line that a reformist Islam could co-exist with western innovations and ideas without relegating Islamic principles and values. With her mosque across the country, the organisation leads in propagation of the peace message of Islam using Quran and the Sunnah of Muhammad

Background
By the turn of the twentieth century, an emerging social class of Christian elites had risen to prominence and were emerging as an authority in political and social affairs in Lagos. This was mostly due to the effort of missionaries in promoting Western education, which resulted in the creation of many graduates in different professional fields. The new elites also promoted the use of the word Yoruba to promote a unifying social and ethnic group in Southwestern Nigeria; among the new groups was Samuel Johnson, a pioneering Nigerian historian. The group emerged at a time the communal towns and cities of Western Nigeria were being inundated by the imperial interest of Great Britain. They then decided to carve out ways to maintain and enhance the social and cultural development in modern Yoruba states as a response to the imperial interests of Great Britain. However, in reality, many of the new elites were cooperative with the British mission to unite Nigerian communities.

The role and effect on the Lagos Muslim community of the movement towards hegemony was thought of as good a political and social route. Thus a notion of tolerance among Muslims with other groups in Lagos was accepted, resulting in a polarizing and diverse communal society as promoted by the new elite. However, an awareness of emerging conflicts between Christian elites and the colonial government especially in Lagos and the role Western education played in the emergence of the elites led many Muslims to devise means of educating their communities. These reformist groups were associated with elemental Yoruba organizations called, Egbe (professional associations) and were also influenced by different factors and movements in the Muslim community such as the Ahmadiyya movement in Lagos and itinerant Arabic scholars.

History of Ansar Ud Deen
In 1923, when the Ansar Ud Deen society was formed, it was originally called Young Ansar Ud Deen and started out in Lagos, a cosmopolitan trading and coastal center with foreign and local traders converging to trade goods. Many members of the Lagos Muslim community were integral individuals in the Lagos trading community and had been exposed to the international and imperial trading groups and non trading ideas they brought along. The Muslim community initially flourished in the migrant communities of the Hausa, Nupe and Kanuri ethnic groups and also a permission granted in 1841, which allowed public prayers.  However, in 1908, a dispute emerged in the Lagos Muslim community in reaction to a new water rate effected by the colonial administrators. The majority of the community opposed the rate while the Chief Imam supported the government move. Among many of the young elites who founded Ansar Ud Deen were members who supported the Chief Imam; some were also individuals who left the Ahmadiyya movement in Lagos.  A new group of young educated Muslims, who were largely from the factions that supported the Chief Imam in Lagos, was made up of members of a Juvenile Muslim Society.  Both were united in finding ways to stem a drift in the community and, importantly, to fund Muslim schools along the lines of western education in Lagos. A series of meetings were held in November and December 1924 to discuss on the aforementioned issues and to form an association. On 21 December 1924, the Young Ansar Ud Deen was formed and led by a committee of 42 gentlemen. A number of its original members were associated with Saros in Lagos, bearing names such as Savage, Carew and Williams. Prominent members of the society were Y.k. Gbajabiamila, Hussein Carew, M.A. Okunnu, Hafiz Abu and Yesufu Tairu.

Social structure

Governing structure
The new association and the committee of 42 gentlemen designed an executive body headed by the president and supported by a vice president to partake in the governing affairs of the society, and by 1926, a constitution was enacted to establish rules of conduct. In 1927, the society became officially recognized as a non-governmental association and opened its doors to all members of the Muslim society both men and women. However, in its early years, the activities of the group showed similarities with the improvement unions and missionary societies already existent in Yorubaland. The society's theme of propagation of Islam through translation of Islamic works and the promotion of literary and intellectual pursuit among members and in the general Muslim community was similar to the scholarly ideals of many egbe (professional associations) in the region.

Missionary body
In 1926, the society initiated a mission board which had two prominent members, Mustafa Ekemode (who later became the Chief Imam and head of mission) and M.A. Okunnu. The board was tasked with organizing religious related activities such as open-air praying, celebration of important Islamic dates, child naming ceremonies and fund raising activities. In the case of its social related activities, such as marriages and child naming ceremonies, the group introduced modern approaches to the events.

By the 1940s, the group had expanded into other Yoruba towns and cities and an emerging issue of coordinating the expansion arose. Mustafa Ekemode was called on to be the chief missioner with a salary paid by the society. He was the society's first salaried member.  In the early 1940s, the group gradually withdrew from meetings and prayers at the Lagos Central Mosque, and started its own Friday prayers near its own school. However, in 1954, the grouped fused itself with several committees of the Central Mosque on discussion of some major dates of the Islamic calendar. By then, the group had emerged as a wholly independent religious authority within the Lagos and Islamic Muslim community. In 1955, Ekemode joined the Broadcasting Corporation of Nigeria, and was involved with producing and presenting radio programs while talking on the radio with a distinctive style in Quranic recitations. The style was admired by many Yorubas at the time.

The Role of women
In its early years, women played major factors in the financial solvency of the society and their contributions was noted by the association in its first published newsletter in 1924.  The Ansar Ud Deen society also introduced liberating rules on the role of women in the community and rejected the seclusion of women. Though, the most active women members were wives of officers of the society, the women's wing attracted wealthy women financiers, some of whom built Mosques and schools for the society.

Education mission
The society, whose principal mission was promoting the intellectual pursuits of young children of Muslim parents, opened its first primary school in Alakoro in 1931.  An education board was created in 1933-1934 to govern the educational programs of the society and to manage the new school. In the 1930s, the primary school consumed most of the society's financial capital but this did not deter further expansion. In 1942, a ten-year educational plan was initiated which resolved to establish more primary schools, a secondary school for boys and girls and a teachers training institute. The schools were to emphasize the teaching of Western subjects, though they were also influenced by Arabic teachings, as a prominent pioneer teacher was Arab and Arabic language was an important subject. The teachers training institute opened in 1946, with a large number of Christian teachers and Muslim students from other Yoruba towns and cities. By this time, the society had started expanding to other Yoruba cities through its own effort and cooperation with local Muslim groups, many of whom had seen the relative effectiveness of the Ansar Ud Deen project and wanted a learned hand in the running of schools in their locales. By 1955, the school was coordinating the education affairs of 80 primary schools in the country. The Society's most significant success was its cooperation with the Western Government of Nigeria's Universal Primary Education initiative in 1955. The government's plan envisaged building schools to be operated by voluntary associations, and brought in Ansar Ud deen to run most of the educational concessions given to the Muslim Voluntary Agencies.

In the 1960s, the society participated in the formation of modern Secondary and Grammar schools and, according to research samples, in 1964, close to 30% of Yoruba Muslims were involved with the Ansar Ud Deen Society and about 43% of children Yoruba Muslims attended schools run by Islamic Voluntary agencies.

However, by the mid-1970s, the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria took control of schools run by voluntary associations, including those run by Ansar Ud Deen.

Influence in Yoruba land
The success of the society's educational programs and its championing of Islamic reform in Nigeria caught the attention of many Yoruba leaders and communal associations. Egbes, or organized associations, of Muslims in a few towns like Ofa worked with the society in the establishment of primary schools. These projects were usually started as a result of a members' knowledge of the activities of the society in Lagos and brought the society's activities to the knowledge of other professional associates. In Ibadan, the society grew through the effort of the Baale Alesinloye, who introduced and brought the society to Ibadan. Originally, the society faced stiff opposition from the Ibadan Central Mosque authorities,  but with the establishment of a school in 1951, the acceptance of the society grew. By then it had a notable member in the person of Humani Alaga, a prominent market women leader.  Many associations, such as the Young Nawair Ud Deen which sprang from the Muslim community in Abeokuta, later followed the policies of the Ansar Ud Deen in its policy of educational expansion.

References

Yoruba people
Islamic organizations based in Nigeria
Religious organizations based in Lagos
Islamic organizations established in 1923
1923 establishments in Nigeria

Ansar Ud Deen


Concept
In machining, 2.5D refers to a surface which is a projection of a plane into 3rd dimension – although the object is 3-dimensional, there are no overhanging elements possible. Objects of this type are often represented as a contour map that gives the height (i.e., thickness or depth) of the object at each point. A 2.5D image is a simplified three-dimensional ((x, y, z) Cartesian coordinates system) surface representation that contains at most one depth (z) value for every point in the (x, y) plane. All features of the part will be visible from one view meaning that it can written with simple codes and accessible technology. It also means the machining portion of the task can be completed without the need of manually removing it and re-centering the part. This leads to increased efficiency and affordability for manufacturers. 2.5 axis machining is also used in education to build an understanding of the concepts and gain experience.

Advantages
2.5D objects are often greatly preferred for machining, as it is easy to generate G-code for them in an efficient, often close to optimal fashion, while optimal cutting tool paths for true 3-dimensional objects can be NP-complete (nondeterministic polynomial time complete), although many algorithms exist. Many milling operations can be completed using 2.5 axes. Operations that can be completed on 2.5 axes are simplistic designs containing flat bottom pockets and other terrace-like features. Drilling and tapping operations are also possible on a 2.5-axis mill. 2.5D objects can be machined on a 3-axis milling machine, and do not require any of the features of a higher-axis machine to produce. CNC machines use G-code and M-code, in order to control the machine and the positioning of the spindle. Canned cycles are use G-code to machine specific features such and flat-bottom pockets, drilling, or, tapping cycles. These make use 2.5 axis machines, and used more in education then industry.

Applications
A 2.5D machine, also called a two-and-a-half-axis mill, possesses the capability to translate in all three axes but can perform the cutting operation only in two of the three axes at a time due to hardware or software limitations, or a machine that has a solenoid instead of a true, linear Z axis. A typical example involves an XY table that positions each hole center, where the spindle (Z-axis) then completes a fixed cycle for drilling by plunging and retracting axially. The code for 2.5D machining is significantly less complex than 3D contour machining, and the software and hardware requirements are (traditionally) less expensive. Drilling and tapping centers are inexpensive, limited-duty machining centers that began as a 2.5-axis market category, although many late-model ones are 3-axis because the software and hardware costs have dropped with advancing technology. CNC(computer numerical control) routers are another example of machines that use 2.5 axes. Routers operations are typically 2 dimensional(x,y), and (z) travel is for positioning. Although routers are not capable of drilling and tapping they can perform basic milling processes. CNC router technology is quickly becoming more advanced as companies move to produce parts for less, routers operate on the (x,y,z) planes just as Mills do. The key differences is the capabilities of the spindle, the spindel are often less precise and cannot boast the same torque at low RPMs compared to modern milling machines, this is why routers are rarely used it drilling and tapping operations.

References

Computer-aided engineering

2.5D (machining)


A vector is a mathematical object that has a size, called the magnitude, and a direction. It is often represented by boldface letters (such as , , ), or as a line segment from one point to another (as in ).

For example, a vector would be used to show the distance and direction something moved in. When asking for directions, if one says "Walk one kilometer towards the North", that would be a vector, but if they say "Walk one kilometer", without showing a direction, then that would be a scalar.

We usually draw vectors as arrows. The length of the arrow is proportional to the vector's magnitude. The direction in which the arrow points to is the vector's direction.

Examples of vectors
 John walks north 20 meters. The direction "north" together with the distance "20 meters" is a vector.
 An apple falls down at 10 meters per second. The direction "down" combined with the speed "10 meters per second" is a vector. This kind of vector is also called velocity.

Examples of scalars
 The distance between two places is 10 kilometers. This distance is not a vector because it does not contain a direction.
 The number of fruit in a box is not a vector.
 A person pointing is not a vector because there is only a direction. There is no magnitude (the distance from the person's finger to a building, for example).
 The length of an object.
 A car drives at 100 kilometers per hour. This does not describe a vector, as there is only a magnitude, but no direction.

More examples of vectors
 Displacement is a vector. Displacement is the distance that something moves in a certain direction. A measure of distance alone is a scalar.
 Force that includes direction is a vector.
 Velocity is a vector, because it is a speed in a certain direction.
 Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. An object is accelerating if it is changing speed or changing direction.

How to add vectors

Adding vectors on paper using the head to tail method

The Head to Tail method of adding vectors is useful for doing an estimate on paper of the result of adding two vectors. To do it:
 Each vector is drawn as an arrow with an amount of length behind it, where each unit of length on the paper represents a certain magnitude of the vector.
 Draw the next vector, with the tail(end) of the second vector at the head(front) of the first vector.
 Repeat for all further vectors: Draw the tail of the next vector at head of the previous one.
 Draw a line from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last vector - that's the resultant(sum) of all the vectors.

It's called the "Head to Tail" method, because each head from the previous vector leads in to the tail of the next one.

Using component form

Using the component form to add two vectors literally means adding the components of the vectors to create a new vector. For example, let a and b be two two-dimensional vectors. These vectors can be written in terms of their components.

Suppose c is the sum of these two vectors, so that c = a + b. This means that .

Here is an example of addition of two vectors, using their component forms:

This method works for all vectors, not just two dimensional ones.

How to multiply vectors

Using the dot product
The dot product is one method to multiply vectors. It produces a scalar. It uses component form:

Using the cross product
The cross product is another method to multiply vectors. Unlike dot product, it produces a vector. Using component form:

Here,  means the length of , and  is the unit vector at right angles to both  and .

Multiplying by a scalar
To multiply a vector by a scalar (a normal number), you multiply the number by each component of the vector:

An example of this is

Related pages
 Analytic geometry
 Null vector
 Unit vector
 Vector field
 Vector graphics
 Vector space
 Vector subspace

References

Basic physics ideas

Vector


McDonald Road Library is one of 28 freely-accessible public libraries in Edinburgh, Scotland. The library opened in 1904 as the East Branch of the city's library service. It is located on the corner of McDonald Road and Leith Walk, and is a category B listed building.

At its opening the library held a stock of 11,498 volumes and recorded in excess of 190,000 issues (loans) per annum during its early years. Books were not directly accessible by the public for browsing until after 1922 when Edinburgh's library service switched to an "open access" approach to their collections. In the year the library opened the then-five public libraries serving the city issued 962,724 loans from stock.

The building is one of the original five branch libraries, constructed and opened after Central Library, under the stewardship of Hew Morrison who served as Principal Librarian between 1887 and 1922. The fourth branch library constructed, McDonald Road was built with help from funding provided by the trustees of a bequest from publisher Thomas Nelson to provide "shelter halls" for the working men of the city.

By 1950, the stock of volumes held in the library had more than tripled: 33,963 in the main collection and 6,211 in the junior reading room. Issues from the stock were 285,559 and 57,557 respectively. With the city much expanded, being served by Central Library, thirteen branch libraries, other suburban and deposited libraries, mobile and hospital services, plus books for the blind, the city's community was provided with access to over 650,000 volumes and the combined issues from the service totalled over four million lendings.

As with all public libraries in Edinburgh, adult collections are organised using the Library of Congress Classification system. Since Wigan dropped the system during a 1974 local government reorganisation, Edinburgh is the only municipality in the United Kingdom continuing to use it. Children's books are organised under the more-widespread Dewey Decimal Classification scheme.

McDonald Road branch is open to the public six days a week; with disabled access. It is on nine bus routes, offers free Wi-Fi, public computer access, a business hub, "Bookbug" sessions for pre-school children, five book/reading groups, a children's craft drop-in and some local councillors' surgeries.

Notes

References

External links
City of Edinburgh Council page for the library
McDonald Road Library - Facebook page

Libraries in Edinburgh
Category B listed buildings in Edinburgh
Listed library buildings in Scotland
Library buildings completed in 1904
Libraries established in 1904
1904 establishments in Scotland

McDonald Road Library


A nian beast () is a beast in Chinese mythology. Nian live under the sea or in the mountains. The Chinese character nian more usually means "year" or "new year". The earliest written sources that refer to the nian as a creature date to the early 20th century. As a result, it is unclear whether the nian creature is an authentic part of traditional folk mythology, or a part of a local oral tradition that was recorded in the early 20th century. Nian is one of the key characters in the Chinese New Year. Scholars cite it as the reason behind several practices during the celebration, such as wearing red clothing and creating noise from drums and fireworks.

Modern legends
Once every year at the beginning of Chinese New Year, the nian would come out of its hiding place to feed, mostly on people and animals. During the winter, when food was scarce, it would raid villages, eating the crops and sometimes the villagers themselves - particularly their children. Several accounts describe its appearance, with some claiming that it resembles a flat-faced lion with the body of a dog and prominent incisors. Other authors described it as larger than an elephant with two long horns and many sharp teeth. The weaknesses of the nian are purported to be a sensitivity to loud noises, fire, and a fear of the color red.

Some local legends attribute the Chinese lion dance () to the nian. The tradition has its origins in a story of a nian's attack on a village. After the attack, the villagers discussed how to make the nian leave them in peace. Since it was discovered that the beast was afraid of the color red, people put red lanterns and spring scrolls on their windows and doors. They would also leave food at their doorstep in a bid to divert it from eating humans. Other sources say that an old man who came to visit actually informed the villagers of the nian'''s weaknesses.

The traditions of firecrackers, red lanterns, and red robes found in many lion dance portrayals originate from the villagers' practice of hitting drums, plates, and empty bowls, wearing red robes, and throwing firecrackers, causing loud banging sounds to intimidate the nian. According to this same myth, it was captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk, and became his mount.

Ancient sources
Various aspects of cultural practices relating to Chinese New Year are part of the nian legend. These cultural practices are recorded in ancient texts, though none of them refer to a creature called nian.

The Erya records that the character nian () was first used to mean "year" during the Zhou dynasty, replacing terms used in previous eras. The Shuowen Jiezi records that the character nian meant "ripeness of grains" and was composed of the character "he" (, rice plant) and "qian" (, indicating the sound) and quotes the Chunqiu, which uses it in the sense of a great harvest.

The attributes of the nian creature in the modern legend, of fear of noise and fire, correlate with ancient legends relating to the use of firecrackers to drive off ape-like creatures in the mountains called shanxiao (), first recorded in the Shanhaijing.

The practice of sweeping and cleaning at the start of the year is recorded in Zhou dynasty sources as intended to ward off plague spirits, and the practice of using music and drama to receive gods and ward off plague spirits is recorded from the same era. The creature's role in the celebration of the Chinese New Year is highlighted by the way the Chinese call this holiday Guo Nian, which means "pass over nian" or "overcome nian."

See also
 Chinese mythology in popular culture
 Dragon
 Three Delivery (animated show where the Nian'' appeared in an episode)
 Yule Goat

References

Chinese legendary creatures
Holiday characters

Nian


Vientos de agua (Winds of Water) is a 2006 Argentine- Spanish mini TV series created by Juan José Campanella. The drama traces a Spaniard's emigration to Argentina in the 1930s, and, years later, his son's immigration to modern-day Spain. Through this arc, the series explores "...the differences and similarities between the immigration of early last century Europeans to here and now there". Through this metaphor of immigration, the lives of individuals are compared and found to have more in common than their differences.

Cultural differences between the target audiences are believed to have resulted in low ratings and the series was cancelled. The series aired initially in Spain in January 2006, on Telecinco. While it was a hit in Argentina, because of lower ratings in Spain, it was moved from the prime-time slot to 1 am, reducing its audience. It was eventually cancelled, possibly also due to downloading of series from the internet. The series achieved good DVD sales but, despite a campaign of support to continue into a second series, only one series of 13 episodes was produced.

The lower ratings in Spain are believed related in part to cultural values around appropriate management of linguistic differences between the linked but different cultures of Spain and Argentina. The Spanish audience rejected sub-titling whilst the Argentine audience rejected dubbing. In the event, the excellent production values were overridden by this cultural difference.

Plot
The show begins in 1935 with the story of José Olaya (Ernesto Alterio), a 19-year-old anarchist from Asturias who works with his father and brother, Andrés, in a coal mine. One day, a gas leak occurs and Andrés asks the foreman to let the workers and children out. The foreman ignores his request. Andrés disobeys the order to return to work and instead helps evacuate the miners. While doing so he is severely wounded in a landslide. José and his father manage to take a dying Andrés back to his house, where he dies surrounded by his family. That same night, José decides to dynamite the mine in revenge and after doing so, he is followed by the Civil Guard. His mother asks him to go into exile in Argentina with the money saved by Andrés and to use his identity. José must keep his brother's death a secret and will pretend to be Andrés for the rest of his life.

Concurrently, in 2001, the youngest son of an aging José (Héctor Alterio), Ernesto Olaya (Eduardo Blanco), is an unemployed architect in Buenos Aires who is suffering from the precursor to the economic crisis of that year. He decides to emigrate to Spain with his wife and children, but the Corralito, a bank restriction imposed by the government, blocked his bank deposits, preventing him from buying four plane tickets. However, his father offers him enough money to travel alone. Ernesto moves to Madrid, where he meets Ana (Marta Etura), a twenty-something year old waitress who helps him settle into a shared apartment with Mara (Angie Cepeda), a young illegal immigrant from Colombia. Ernesto watches how his plans of progress crumble in the midst of a slow Spanish bureaucracy. His progress is also deterred by the restrictions and xenophobia suffered by immigrants. Despite this, he lies to his family about his true situation, making them believe that he lives alone and with good job expectations.

Returning to the past, José embarks on his journey to Argentina, meeting Julius Lazlo (Pablo Rago), a young Hungarian Jew and Gemma (Francesca Trentacarlini/Giulia Michelini), a nine-year-old Italian girl who lost her family. Together they are placed in a tenement in the La Boca neighborhood. The plot continues during the 1940s and 1950s, showcasing José dealing with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the love story between Julius and Gemma, and the political landscape of Argentina during Peronism. In addition, it shows José's relationship with the different women in his life, like his first wife Sophie (Caterina Murino) and his second wife, Lucía (Valeria Bertuccelli), who ends up being Ernesto's mother.

For his part, Ernesto temporarily gets an illegal job in an architects' studio. Due to his lack of sincerity and the long separation from his family, irritations begin to emerge between Ernesto and his wife Cecilia (Claudia Fontán), who begins an extramarital relationship with a colleague at work. At the end of the series, Cecilia and Ernesto divorce. Ernesto then begins to have feelings for his roommate Mara, and they end up getting married and having a child together.

Finally, in 2005, Ernesto — who already enjoys dual nationality and stable work as an architect — and his father visit Asturias. While there, José meets the ghosts of his past. He considers killing the foreman who sent his brother to the mine 70 years ago but has a change of heart.  He begins taking actions to commit suicide to be with the friends that he lost. However, he reconsiders and realizes that he still has a life in the present. The series ends with Ernesto and his father sitting in front of Andrés's grave, where José finally reveals his big secret to him.

Cast

Main
Ernesto Alterio as  Andrés Olaya (13 episodes)
Eduardo Blanco as  Ernesto Olaya (13 episodes)
Héctor Alterio as  Andrés Olaya (13 episodes)

Other cast
Pablo Rago as  Juliusz (12 episodes)
Angie Cepeda as  Mara (11 episodes)
Marta Etura as  Ana (10 episodes)
Giulia Michelini as  Gemma (9 episodes)
Carlos Kaspar as  Illie (8 episodes)
Claudia Fontán as  Cecilia (7 episodes)
Pilar Punzano as Laia (6 episodes)
Bárbara Goenaga as  Felisa (6 episodes)
Caterina Murino as  Sophie (6 episodes)
Rubén Ochandiano as  Vidal (6 episodes)

The protagonist trio is composed of Argentine actors who also have dual nationality in Spain. Ernesto Alterio plays José Olaya between the ages of 19 and 43, while his father in real life, Héctor Alterio, plays José between the ages of 86 and 90. Although the two actors did not share any scenes, they were together while filming. Héctor Alterio remarked that he found working with his son to be "very fun" and that "family codes" inevitably emerged from it. He also spoke about the series and said that as a story, it "conveys emotion, goodness, and fundamentally, entertainment. It is a pleasure to work with [José] Campanella. It is an offer that you accept with your eyes closed." The trio is completed by Eduardo Blanco, who plays Ernesto Olaya, José's son. This was the fourth production that Blanco and director Campanella worked on together.

The cast of 19th century characters is composed by Argentine actors Pablo Rago - who plays Julius Lazlo -, and Valeria Bertuccelli, who plays Lucía. Italian actresses Francesca Trentacarlini and Giulia Michelini play Gemma, the former playing her at age nine and the latter from age 14. This cast also includes Caterina Murino, who previously played Solange, one of the Bond girls from Casino Royale. Many Spanish actors also appear in the series. Rubén Ochandiano plays the young anarchist Vidal, Pilar Punzano plays young immigrant Laia, Bárbara Goenaga plays José's sister Felisa, Silvia Abascal as José's first love Henar, and Susi Sánches as José's mother.

As for the 21st century cast, San Sebastian native Marta Etura appeared as Ana, Carlos Kaspar as Romanian immigrant Illie, and Colombian Angie Cepeda as Mara. Claudia Fontán plays Ernesto's wife, while Mariano Bertolini and Manuela Pal play their children Tomás and Alicia. In the last chapters Javier, a character played by El Gran Wyoming, makes an appearance.

References

External links

2006 Argentine television series debuts
2006 Argentine television series endings
2006 Spanish television series debuts
2006 Spanish television series endings
Spanish-language television shows
Television shows set in Asturias
Madrid in fiction
Spain in fiction
Telecinco network series
Television series by Pol-ka Producciones
2000s Spanish drama television series

Vientos de agua


Robert Marien (born May 5, 1955) is a Canadian (Québécois) actor, singer, and songwriter who has performed in the musical Les Misérables in Montreal, Paris, New York City and London, as well as Notre Dame de Paris in both Korea and Japan. He has played the role of Jean Valjean in both English and in French, and has also appeared in numerous films and television shows such as Lance et Compte (1986-2010), and, most recently, Mensonges (2015).

Marien represented France in the international lineup of Valjeans in the encore of the 10th anniversary concert of Les Misérables, and has played the role of Jean Valjean in the Original Montréal cast, as well as the Paris revival cast in 1990. He has reprised this role in the West End and on Broadway, before he recorded his album Broadway-Montréal. He has been a prominent figure in the Francophone Broadway scene since his debut as Jean Valjean.

In 2005 the cast of  Notre Dame de Paris performed a Korean and Japanese tour, of which Marien was a part, playing the role of Claude Frollo. In late 2014 this tour was revived in English, and ran until February 2015. It then came back to Korea in October 2015, this time in French, and ran until early 2016. In 2019 and 2021, he played Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar in Tokyo, Japan.

References

External links

Canadian male musical theatre actors
Canadian male film actors
1955 births
Living people
Canadian male singers

Robert Marien


Ichthyophis garoensis, the Garo Hills caecilian, is a species of caecilian found in Assam and Meghalaya in north-eastern India. The Husain's caecilian Ichthyophis husaini was until 2016 considered a separate species. It is a subterranean caecilian that lives in the moist leaf-litter of tropical forests. It is typically found close to streams and other waterbodies.

References

garoensis
Amphibians described in 1999
Endemic fauna of India
Amphibians of India

Ichthyophis garoensis


The District Council of Caltowie was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Caltowie and surrounding cadastral Hundred of Caltowie. It came into operation on 28 February 1878, with the first five councillors appointed by proclamation. The town and hundred had both been laid out in 1872. The council initially met in local hotels, leased private offices for a period, and met at Hornsdale Station for a year, before constructing purpose-built council offices in Charles Street, Caltowie, in 1896.

The council was initially divided into four wards: Central, South-Western and North-Western, electing one councillor, and Eastern, electing two councillors. It gained the previously unincorporated Hundred of Tarcowie under the District Councils Act 1887, which resulted in a system of ten councillors representing as many wards. By 1904, this had been reduced to six councillors representing one ward each. The council was responsible for an area of nearly 200 square miles in that year.

The District Council of Caltowie was abolished on 1 May 1935, when it amalgamated with the District Council of Belalie and the Hundred of Mannanarie from the District Council of Yongala to form the District Council of Jamestown.

Chairmen of the District Council of Caltowie

 T. Williams (1878–1879)
 E. Seikmann (1879–1881)
 T. Williams (1883)
 A. McCallum (1890–1892)
 J. G. Lehmann (1897)
 A. Kerr (1903–1904)
 M. F. Leahy (1928–1931)

References

Caltowie

District Council of Caltowie


The Dai Nihonshi (大日本史), literally History of Great Japan, is a book on the history of Japan written in Classical Chinese. It was begun in the 17th century, during the Edo period, by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the head of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family. After his death, the work was continued by the Mito branch until its completion in the Meiji era.

Content
The work starts with Emperor Jimmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan, and covers the first hundred emperors, ending with Emperor Go-Komatsu after the merging of the Southern Court and Northern Court in 1392.

The fundamental part, that is, the narration of historical events, occupies the first 73 volumes, the rest constitutes a supplement of which 170 volumes are biographies, 126 descriptions and 28 tables, a total of 397. The whole work comprises 397 volumenes and 5 volumenes of index, total 402 volumes printed.

Context
The book is one of the major scholarly works of the Edo period, and laid the foundation of the Mito school (Mitogaku) and Kokugaku. Aizawa Seishisai a Japanese nationalist thinker from Mito school, also worked on the play. It is heavily influenced by Confucianism, especially the later Neo-Confucianism under Zhu Xi.  Ming loyalist Zhu Zhiyu's disciples were directly associated with this project. However, instead of focusing on the Chinese classics like other Confucian schools, it centered on the Japanese classics and Japan as a land ruled by the tennō (尊王論 sonnōron).

This school of thought led to the Sonnō jōi movement, and eventually the Mito Rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period.

Finished the collection
The project took about 250 years to complete, and was officially published in 1906.

Notes

External links
大日本史 - MIKO.ORG
大日本史

Edo-period works

Confucianism in Japan
Mito Domain
Edo-period history books

Dai Nihonshi


A regent is a position of government in a country where there is a monarchy (like a king or queen). As an "acting monarch" the regent does the job of a monarch where the real monarch is either too young, sick or cannot do what they are meant to for some other reason.

A regent may also be voted in if there are no heirs in line to the throne, for instance, if the current monarch dieswith no surviving relatives.

Related pages
Regency era

Government occupations

Regent


Alfred Inigo Suckling (1796–1856), surname originally Fox, was an English clergyman, an author and historian of Suffolk.

Life
Born on 31 January 1796 in Norwich, he was the only son of Alexander Fox, by his wife Anna Maria (née Suckling, d.1848), daughter of Robert Suckling of Woodton in Norfolk, by his wife, Susannah Webb, a descendant of Inigo Jones. Robert Suckling, his maternal grandfather, was of an old Norfolk family, which counted among its members the poet Sir John Suckling and Horatio Nelson's uncle, Maurice William Suckling. On the death of Robert's son, Maurice, without issue on 1 December 1820, Alfred Inigo took the surname and arms of Suckling and succeeded to the estates.

He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he  matriculated in May 1814  and graduated LL.B. in 1824. He was ordained at Norwich on 15 October 1820. On 10 July 1839 he was instituted on his own petition to the rectory of Barsham in Suffolk, which he held until his death.

He devoted most of his life to topographical depictions of Suffolk and Essex, his most notable work being the monumental 'History and Antiquities of Suffolk'.

He died at 40 Belmont Road, St. Helier, Jersey, on 3 May 1856 and is buried in Jersey.

Works
Memorials of the County of Essex, London, 1845; originally printed in 'Quarterly Papers on Architecture,' 1845, vol. iii., edited by John Weale.
The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk, London, 1846–8, incomplete.
His Antique and Armorial Collections, 1821–39, 16 vols. consisting of notices of architectural and monumental antiquities in England and Picardy, form Additional MSS. 18476–91 (British Museum).
He also edited Selections from the Works of Sir John Suckling, with a Life of the Author, London, 1836.

Family
On 31 January 1816 he married Lucy Clementina, eldest daughter of Samuel Clarke, by whom he had four sons—Robert Alfred, Maurice Shelton, Charles Richard, and Henry Edward—and six daughters.

Footnote references

General references
 - but note that the birthplace of his father-in-law is incorrectly cited there.
Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students ..., Volume 2, by John Venn, p. 79.
Notes and queries, 8th Series, Vol 12, Jul-Dec 1897.   https://archive.org/stream/s8notesqueries12londuoft/s8notesqueries12londuoft_djvu.txt

Attribution

1796 births
1856 deaths
19th-century English Anglican priests
English antiquarians

Alfred Inigo Suckling


Captain Zeppos () was a Belgian children's television series, which aired in 1964 and 1968. It was based on a script by Lode De Groof. In all, the BRT made three series with a Flemish actor, Senne Rouffaer, in the title role. All episodes, except episode 16 which is a recap, have been released on DVD with Dutch subtitles and extras.

Storylines

Series 1 – Belderbos – 15 episodes (1964)
A strange man arrives in Belder on horseback, and introduces himself as Captain Zeppos. Initially, he is met with suspicion and jealousy, but he soon befriends a local, Ben Kurrel. It becomes apparent that Zeppos had a motive to come to Belder: when in Greece a stranger had made him an offer on a piece of land he had inherited near the town. Ben Kurrel and his friend Rita Mees help him investigate the mystery.

Series 2 – De Eglantier – 8 episodes (1968)
Strange things happen in Belder - a group of hunters are regularly spotted around town, and Zeppos' wife Arianne meets 'Aunt Cara' a mysterious woman who can stand on her head. All seems to revolve around art theft in nearby churches.

Series 3 – Tweng – 8 episodes (1968)
Tweng is a pacifist organisation led by Mr Elias, who asks Zeppos to take charge of his cause, as he is lacking the strength to continue. His daughter Marleen is Tweng's secretary and will help Zeppos.

Cast

Senne Rouffaer - Captain Zeppos/Uncle Nico
Raymond Bossaerts - Ben Kurrel
Raymond Verhaeghe - Alfred Kurrel
Jo Nupie - Agnès Kurrel/Erna
Herman Smits - Roel Kurrel
Alex Wilequet - Policeman
Henriette Cabanier - Grandma
Cyriel Van Gent - Gust the Postman
Paula Sleyp - Slien
Jan Reusens - Miel
Truus Demedts - Rita Mees
Fik Moeremans - Pukkel
Vera Veroft - Ariane Despinal
Robert Maes - Ivo/Baker Mees
Rik Bravenboer - Ward/Policeman
Marc Van Acker - Ben, as a boy
Marc De Munck - Wim
Fons Derre - Nelis, Forester
Bart Rouffaer - Zeppos, as a child
Jacques Germain - Plumber
Alice Toen - Martha
Dora Van der Groen - Beatrice
Ward Deravet - Baral
Jo Coppens - Blonde Frans/Slome Piet
François Bernard - Marinus
Jef Van Dalsen - Raf
Jos Simons - Max
Ivo Pauwels - Figaro
Mary Boduin - Usherette
Dolf Denis - Bernard Spriet
Jackie Morel - Blonde Frans/Slome Piet
René Peeters - Wittock
Piet Herman - Notary
R. Berghmans - Flower Girl
Frank Struys - Postman
André Delys - Policeman
Hans Caprino - Black Person
Jos Mahu - Doorman
Mrs Schepers - Manageress
Jaak Van Hombeek - Policeman
Paul Van Roey - Drillmaster post
Jaak Germain - Overseer

Music

The theme tune for the series was 'Living it up', recorded by Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra. Featuring Kaempfert's characteristic trumpet sound, it became very popular at the time the first series was airing.

Cars
In series 1 Zeppos drove an Austin Champ ex-British Army Jeep style 4x4 vehicle powered by a Rolls-Royce engine.
Zeppos drove an amphibious vehicle in series 2 and 3, resulting in this type of car being referred to as a 'Zeppos' in Flanders even years later.

Location shooting

Most of the location filming was done in Roosdaal in Flemish Brabant.

In other languages/countries
Series 1 was dubbed into English and screened by the BBC from October 1966. The dubbed version was also shown in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica and New Zealand, and was subtitled for broadcast in Japan, Egypt, Hong Kong and Nigeria. Short clips of the English dub are shown as an extra on one of the DVD sets.

It was broadcast in the original Dutch in Belgium, the Netherlands and (with subtitles) in Sweden and Finland.

In popular culture
There are commemorative Captain Zeppos cafés in both Amsterdam and Antwerp.

References

External links

 A dual-language Captain Zeppos tribute site

Flemish television shows
Belgian children's television shows
1964 Belgian television series debuts
Fictional characters from Flanders
Zeppos
1968 Belgian television series endings
Television characters introduced in 1968
Black-and-white Belgian television shows
Television shows set in Belgium
Eén original programming

Captain Zeppos


Ignazio Calvi (Reggio Emilia, 21 January 1797 — Finale Emilia, 17 August 1872) was an Italian patriot and chess player.

After taking part to a popular insurrection in Modena and participating to a military campaign of the Savoy army, he was forced to expatriate. He moved to Paris in 1834, remaining there for 14 years. In the famous Café de la Régence he played many games with the foremost French players, being recognized as a strong master. In 1845 he drew a match with Lionel Kieseritzky (+7 –7 =1).

He contributed many articles to the chess review Le Palamède, among them a Cours d'échecs, which was later translated into English on the Chess Player's Chronicle. The articles included many diagrams with exercises and endgame studies, most of them composed by himself. He is regarded as the first composer to treat with some depth the theme of underpromotion.

In 1848 he returned to Italy and enlisted in the Piedmont army, taking part in many military campaigns for the cause of Italian unification. In December 1849 he played a series of matches in Modena against the strongest local players, winning most of them: Francesco Discart (+10 –5 =2), Carlo Bonetti (+8 –8 = 4), Francesco Luppi (+4 -0 =0), Marchisio (+2 -0 =0).

In 1859 he was appointed to command the Florence stronghold of the Piedmont army and afterwards he was sent to Parma as an aid to the army general Zucchi. In August of the same year he was named a deputy-member of the newly formed Modena government. He was appointed a representative of the Modena government at first in Parma and then in Ferrara. After serving as an officer in the lawcourt of Naples, he was discharged from the army with the rank of major. He settled in Finale Modenese (now Finale Emilia), where he worked as a pharmacist and was appointed to many public offices.

An endgame study by Ignazio Calvi

This chess endgame study is regarded as one of the first using the theme of underpromotion. The original solution was not entirely correct and the Dutch composer De Freijter slightly modified the study, adding the initial promotion to Knight. The main theme remained however unchanged.

Solution:

Bibliography
 Adriano Chicco, Giorgio Porreca: Dizionario enciclopedico degli scacchi, Mursia, Milan 1971.
 Adriano Chicco, Antonio Rosino: Storia degli scacchi in Italia, Marsilio, Venezia 1990

Notes

External links
 8 games of Ignazio Calvi on Chessgames.com

1797 births
1872 deaths
Italian chess players
Chess composers
19th-century chess players

Ignazio Calvi


A sign-value notation represents numbers using a sequence of numerals which each represent a distinct quantity, regardless of their position in the sequence. Sign-value notations are typically additive, subtractive, or multiplicative depending on their conventions for grouping signs together to collectively represent numbers.

Although the absolute value of each sign is independent of its position, the value of the sequence as a whole may depend on the order of the signs, as with numeral systems which combine additive and subtractive notation, such as Roman numerals. There is no need for zero in sign-value notation.

Additive notation

Additive notation represents numbers by a series of numerals that added together equal the value of the number represented, much as tally marks are added together to represent a larger number. To represent multiples of the sign value, the same sign is simply repeated. In Roman numerals, for example,  means ten and  means fifty, so  means eighty (50 + 10 + 10 + 10).

Although signs may be written in a conventional order the value of each sign does not depend on its place in the sequence, and changing the order does not affect the total value of the sequence in an additive system. Frequently used large numbers are often expressed using unique symbols to avoid excessive repetition. Aztec numerals, for example, use a tally of dots for numbers less than twenty alongside unique symbols for powers of twenty, including 400 and 8,000.

Subtractive notation

Subtractive notation represents numbers by a series of numerals in which signs representing smaller values are typically subtracted from those representing larger values to equal the value of the number represented. In Roman numerals, for example,  means one and  means ten, so  means nine (10 − 1). The consistent use of the subtractive system with Roman numerals was not standardised until after the widespread adoption of the printing press in Europe.

History

Sign-value notation was the ancient way of writing numbers and only gradually evolved into place-value notation, also known as positional notation. Sign-value notations have been used across the world by a variety of cultures throughout history.

Mesopotamia
When ancient people wanted to write "two sheep" in clay, they could inscribe in clay a picture of two sheep, however, this would be impractical when they wanted to write "twenty sheep". In Mesopotamia they used small clay tokens to represent a number of a specific commodity, and strung the tokens like beads on a string, which were used for accounting. There was a token for one sheep and a token for ten sheep, and a different token for ten goats, etc.

To ensure that nobody could alter the number and type of tokens, they invented the bulla; a clay envelope shaped like a hollow ball into which the tokens on a string were placed and then baked. If anybody contested the number, they could break open the clay envelope and do a recount. To avoid unnecessary damage to the record, they pressed archaic number signs on the outside of the envelope before it was baked, each sign similar in shape to the tokens they represented. Since there was seldom any need to break open the envelope, the signs on the outside became the first written language for writing numbers in clay, using sign-value notation.

Initially, different systems of counting were used in relation to specific kinds of measurement. Much like counting tokens, early Mesopotamian proto-cuneiform numerals often utilised different signs to count or measure different things, and identical signs could be used to represent different quantities depending on what was being counted or measured. Eventually, the sexagesimal system was widely adopted by cuneiform-using cultures. The sexagesimal sign-value system used by the Sumerians and the Akkadians would later evolve into the place-value system of Babylonian cuneiform numerals.

See also
 Place-value notation
 Location arithmetic, a base 2 sign-value notation invented by J. Napier in 1617

References

Works cited

Further reading
  (Paperback).

External links
  Online Converter for Decimal/Roman Numerals (JavaScript, GPL)

Numeral systems

Sign-value notation


Elkton is an unincorporated community in Hickory County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.

History
A post office called Elkton was established in 1845, and remained in operation until 1955. The community was named for the abundance of deer near the original town site.

Notable person
Hattie Helen Gould Beck (stage name Sally Rand), an early movie and stage star, was born at Elkton in 1904.

References

Unincorporated communities in Hickory County, Missouri
Unincorporated communities in Missouri

Elkton, Missouri


Dingli () is a village in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 3,865 as of 2021. It is  from the capital Valletta and two kilometers () from the nearest town, Rabat. The village lies on a plateau some 230 metres above sea level, near the highest point of Malta. The area provides not only open sea views over the tiny, uninhabited isle of Filfla, but is also a good vantage point over Malta. From the cliffs there are also views of the nearby Buskett Gardens and Verdala Palace.

Etymology
The name Dingli is believed to be derived from the name of Sir Thomas Dingley, an English knight of the Order of St. John , who owned much of the lands in the surrounding area.

History
Rock-cut tombs dating back to Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman times have been found in the limits of Dingli. Roman baths and other remains were also found at Għajn Handful and the area of Ta' Baldu.

Ħal Tartarni
Until the early 16th century, a small village known as Ħal Tartarni existed, somewhere between Buskett and the present location of Dingli. The village was one of the ten original parishes of Malta by 1436, having a church dedicated to Saint Domenica. The original church now lies in ruins, but a new chapel with the same dedication was built nearby in 1669 and it is still standing.

The noble family Inguanez had a lot of land in the area, and employed the population of Ħal Tartarni to work the fields. Over time, the people moved closer towards the fields, abandoning the original village. The new village eventually grew to what is now Dingli. The site of Ħal Tartarni now consists of open fields.

Dingli Village
The parish of Dingli was established in 1678 and is dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven. The church is situated in the centre of the village on a prominent position, overlooking all the surrounding area. The church which exists today was built in the form of a Latin cross in the beginning of the 20th century. The church was heavily modified in the middle of the same century, with the building of a new façade and extensions to the width of the main aisle. A more recent development, was the building of the dome during the 60s and 70s, which completed the construction work of the church. The same church was given the title of Arch parish church by a decree of the Archbishop of Malta on 22 August 2015, the eve of the titular feast of Dingli.

The feast of the Assumption in Dingli is celebrated on the first Sunday after 15 August. The titular statue of Our Lady in the parish is the fifth one in the island, made by Anton Busuttil in 1861. The statue is carved in wood and is used in a procession on the day of the feast each year carried by 8 statue bearers from the parish. The statue was restored twice: in 1934 and 1977.

Throughout the rule of the Order of Saint John, Dingli was considered to be safe from corsair attacks because it was impossible for pirates to land in the area due to the Dingli Cliffs.

The village began to see more development after the mid-20th century where the population doubled from 2,000 into the 21st century. Telephone service was introduced in private homes, and public transport began to reach the village itself instead of stopping at Rabat, although as of March 2017 no night buses actually go into Dingli, and inhabitants must stop at Rabat.

Education
Until the early 20th century, it was difficult to send children to school, since boys used to work in the fields while girls helped in the domestic work. This changed over time, and today everyone goes to school, on both primary and secondary levels. Some continue their studies on post-secondary and tertiary levels, from where they can attain a doctorate in their field of study.

Notable people
Dingli was the birthplace of several eminent personalities, including:
Dun Xand Cortis, folklore pioneer and author
Francis Ebejer, playwright and author
Walter Ebejer, Dominican friar who was ordained Bishop of a diocese in Brazil
Ġużè Abela, notary and Minister of Finance
Ian Borg, advocate and Minister of Malta Government

Main streets in Dingli
Triq Ġużè Ellul Mercer
Triq il-Buskett (Buskett Road)
Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
Triq ir-Rabat (Rabat Road)
Triq San Rokku (St. Roque Street)
Triq il-Parroċċa (Parish Street)

References

Notes

External links

Dingli Local Council
Dingli Youth Local Council
The official website of the Parish of Dingli

Towns in Malta
Local councils of Malta

Dingli


Gregory Norminton is a novelist born in Berkshire, England, in 1976.
Educated at Wellington College, he read English at Regent's Park College, Oxford and studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is a Senior Lecturer in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. He lives in Sheffield with his wife, Emma, and their daughter. They are Quakers.

His novels include The Ship of Fools (2002), Arts and Wonders (2004), Ghost Portrait (2005) and Serious Things (2008), all published by Sceptre.  The Lost Art of Losing, a collection of aphorisms, and Thumbnails, a collection of stories, have been published by Vagabond Voices. In April 2017, Comma Press brought out his second collection of short stories, The Ghost Who Bled. The Devil's Highway, Norminton's fifth novel - and his first in nearly ten years - was published by Fourth Estate in January 2018.

Gregory Norminton wrote the stories 'Fall Caesar', 'The Poison Tree' and 'The Fortress at Bruges' for BBC Radio 4, and his short stories have appeared in editions of Prospect, Resurgence and London Magazine.

Norminton's work for radio includes dramatisations of The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster and Utz by Bruce Chatwin. His translations include The Dictionary of Received Ideas by Gustave Flaubert, The Little Prince] by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Belle and Sébastien: The Child of the Mountains by Cécile Aubry.

In 2005 he took part in Planet Action, an eco-reality series made by the global television network Animal Planet in conjunction with the WWF.
Following his return, Norminton worked for years to create a collection of short stories by major British writers responding to the ecological crisis. In 2013, Oneworld Publications published Beacons - stories for our not so distant future, edited by Gregory Norminton, with original fiction from writers including Joanne Harris, Lawrence Norfolk, Alasdair Gray, A.L. Kennedy, Janice Galloway and Liz Jensen. Author royalties from the sale of the paperback and e-book go to Stop Climate Chaos.

Norminton has been writer in residence at Magdalene College, Cambridge and he was a featured artist at the 2003 International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. He received a Writer's Award from the Arts Council of England in 2003, and another from the Scottish Arts Council in 2010.

References

External links
Murrough O'Brien, 'Gregory Norminton: The eco-activist provides a portentous warning about our treatment of the planet', The Independent on Sunday, 20 January 2008
'Endnotes', The Guardian 29 January 2008
Gregory Norminton's Website
Gregory Norminton's Blog
A review of one of Gregory Norminton's novels

1976 births
Living people
21st-century English novelists
English short story writers
English dramatists and playwrights
People from Ascot, Berkshire
English environmentalists
Alumni of Regent's Park College, Oxford
People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
English male dramatists and playwrights
English male short story writers
English male novelists
International Writing Program alumni
21st-century British short story writers
21st-century English male writers

Gregory Norminton


Gilbert C. Fite (May 14, 1918 – July 13, 2010) was an American historian best known for his numerous works on American agricultural history. Fite's lengthy catalog included works that focused heavily on how farmers affected the political environment and broader American economy, both of which examined the political power that farmers wielded in various eras. Fite was a professor at the University of Oklahoma, held the Richard B. Russell Chair in American History at the University of Georgia, and was president of Eastern Illinois University from 1971 to 1976.

Biography

Early life and education
Born on May 14, 1918, to a couple of poor homesteaders, Fite spent his childhood and teenage years in western South Dakota. He graduated from a Free Methodist secondary school in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, and attended junior college in the area. By 1937, Fite attended Seattle Pacific College until medical issues forced him to attend an institution closer to his family's farm. He enrolled in the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, SD, and graduated with his master's degree in 1941. In the spring of 1945, Fite earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri.

Academic career
In 1945, Fite began teaching at the University of Oklahoma alongside other prominent historians such as Edward Everett Dale and Carl Rister. During his early years at the institution, Fite published numerous articles and monographs, including the first carving records and major study done on the Mount Rushmore National Monument. Fite spent 26 years at the University of Oklahoma as an instructor and a researcher until he took over the position of college president at Eastern Illinois University. Fite was president of the institution until 1976, at which time he took the Richard B. Russell Chair in American History at the University of Georgia. While at Georgia, Fite authored more monographs on agricultural history, including Cotton Fields No More: Southern Agriculture, 1865-1980, which won the Theodore Saluoutos Award for the best book in agricultural history in 1985. Fite retired from teaching in 1986 but continued to research and write on agricultural history.

In addition to his teaching and research, Fite held numerous leadership positions in various historical societies. He was president of the Agricultural History Society from 1960-1961, of the Southern Historical Association in 1974, of the Western History Association from 1985-1986, and of Phi Alpha Theta from 1981-1983.

Family
In 1939, while in a hospital in Mitchell, SD hospital, Fite met Alberta June Goodwin. The two married on July 24, 1941, and later had two sons: Jack and Jim.

Death and legacy
Fite died on July 13, 2010, in Fort Myers, Florida. In 1990, Fite entered the South Dakota Hall of Fame. Due to his influence in the shaping of American agricultural history, the Agricultural History Society created an annual award in 2000 named after Fite for the best dissertation on agricultural history in honor of him.

Writings

In total, Fite authored, co-authored, or edited over eighteen monograph-length works and fifty articles.

Political figures
His first work, an expansion of his doctoral thesis, was an investigation into how Peter Norbeck, a South Dakota politician, helped secure federal support for agricultural programs and the Mount Rushmore National Monument. In 1991, Fite completed a biography of Richard B. Russell, a prominent Georgia politician for whom the chair that Fite occupied at the University of Georgia was named.

Agricultural history
Fite's greatest impact to American historiography came in the field of agricultural history. Most of his historical analyses focused on either farming impacted the direction of the United States or how farmers and farming communities responded to larger societal changes in American life. The most prominent of these works are The Farmers' Frontier, 1865-1900, American Farmers: The New Minority, and Cotton Fields No More: Southern Agriculture, 1865-1980.

Fite's The Farmers' Frontier, 1865-1900 focused on the development of the Great Plains region during the latter part of the 19th century. In the work, Fite rebuked the environmental determinism set up in Walter Prescott Webb's The Great Plains and instead argued that it was the people- farmers in this instance- that shaped the culture of the Great Plains environment rather than the other way around. Fite's work was one of the first to bring ideas of historical agency to those who chose to live in the Great Plains while also explaining how agriculture became the dominant economic engine of the region due to decisions made by these early American settlers.

The two other influential works of Fite in regard to American agricultural history were American Farmers: The New Minority and Cotton Fields No More: Southern Agriculture, 1865-1980. Both works focused heavily on how the political and economic power of agricultural peoples shrank in the nineteenth and twentieth century. In the former work, Fite argued that those who made their livelihoods on agriculture held less power at the end of the twentieth century than in the early decades of the century due to increased farm consolidation and greater technological innovations, which put more money into the pockets of a select few who were fortunate or smart enough to keep expanding. Additionally, this new economic environment coupled with political changes and a decline in the cultural myth of Jeffersonian agrarianism to shift political attention away from farmers and farming political organizations. Cotton Fields No More continued this sort of analysis, shifting the focus to the southern United States after the Civil War and argued in a similar vein that political and technological changes caused small-scale farmers to leave agriculture. Cotton Fields No More won the 1985 Theodore Saloutos Award for Best Book in Agricultural History.

Notable works (in chronological order)
 Fite, Gilbert C. Peter Norbeck; Prairie Statesman. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1948.
Fite, Gilbert C. Mount Rushmore. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1952.
Fite, Gilbert C. George N. Peek and the Fight for Farm Parity. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1954
Haystad, Lee and Gilbert C. Fite. The Agricultural Regions of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963.
Fite, Gilbert C. The Farmers' Frontier. 1865-1900. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1977.
Fite, Gilbert C. American Farmers: The New Minority. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1981.
Fite, Gilbert C. Cotton Fields No More: Southern Agriculture, 1865-1980. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1984.
Fite, Gilbert C. and Jim E. Reese. An Economic History of the United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1973.
Fite, Gilbert C. Richard B. Russell, Jr.: Senator from Georgia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991.

References

External links

20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
Historians of agriculture
1918 births
2010 deaths
University of South Dakota alumni
University of Missouri alumni
University of Oklahoma faculty
University of Georgia faculty
Presidents of Eastern Illinois University
Historians from Ohio
Historians from South Dakota
20th-century American male writers

Gilbert Fite


The 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment (United States) is a unit of the 4th Armor Brigade Combat Team (4th ABCT) of the 1st Armored Division, United States Army. The battalion is currently garrisoned at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Unit Structure
The battalion consists of two firing batteries of M109A6 Paladin 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzers. Each firing battery consists of eight guns, eight Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicles (FAASV), two Fire Direction Control (FDC) vehicles, and various support vehicles. Firing batteries are staffed with approximately 100 men, sub-divided into three platoons (1st, 2nd, and Headquarters).

The battalion also contains two non-firing batteries. The forward support company (FSC) of Palletized Loading System (PLS) resupply vehicles, fuelers, cooks, and logistics support services sections. The headquarters battery and headquarters element, collectively known as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB), consists of battalion command and staff, with supporting equipment and personnel in each of the staff sections (S1 – S6).

Early history

Constituted 5 July 1918, the 28th Field Artillery, the 29th Field Artillery, and the 30th Field Artillery, became the principle artillery elements of the 10th Division. The 29th Field Artillery was demobilized 4 February 1919 at Camp Funston, Kansas, then reconstituted 24 March 1923 in the Regular Army as the 29th Field Artillery. The regiment was subsequently reassigned 1 August 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia, as part of the 4th Division, with 2nd Battalion activating at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. The 29th Field Artillery participated with the 4th Infantry Division in the D-Day invasion at Normandy, firing over 10,000 rounds of indirect fire as the Allies advanced into the Cherbourg area. The unit inactivated 14 February 1946 at Camp Butner, North Carolina, was reactivated 15 July 1947 at Fort Ord, California, and once again deactivated 1 April 1957 at Fort Lewis, Washington and relieved from assignment from the 4th Infantry Division.

In April 1984 the battalion was reorganized under the Army's new regimental system, with 2-29 FA becoming a part of the 8th Infantry Division in Baumholder, Germany.

Desert Storm

In 1991 the Battalion deployed to Southwest Asia as part of the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade  in support of Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm. As a complement to Gulf_War_air_campaign|air strikes in mid February, 2-29 FA shot multiple cross-border missions in the vicinity of the Wadi Al-Batin to identify and demoralize Iraqi defenders while supporting the VII Corps deception plan. During the late afternoon of 23 February 1991, the battalion's advance party entered Iraq and began preparing gun positions. The next day on 24 February 24, 2-29 FA participated as part of VII Corps Artillery in a massive artillery prep that would further soften Iraqi forces and clear the way for advancing VII Corps armored divisions. From 24 February, the battalion was assigned as reinforcing artillery for the 1st Brigade, 3rd Armored Division as it continued north into Iraq encountering small pockets of resistance and elements of two Iraqi Republican Guard Divisions (Tawakalna and Medina). Following the completion of ground combat operations the battalion (still under 1st BDE 3rd Armored Div) occupied defensive positions along the al Nasiriyah - al Basra highway. During the course of the war, 2-29 FA fired 51 missions totaling 1733 rounds while supporting the 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Armored Division.  After service in the Gulf War the 2-29 FA returned to Baumholder, and the 8th Infantry Division, in May 1991.

In 1994, the battalion was assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington. Finally, in 1996, 2-29 FA was deactivated as part of the Army's drawdown plan.

Fort Bliss

In 2008 the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was reflagged as the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division; The 5th Battalion, 82d Field Artillery Regiment was reflagged as 2-29 Field Artillery and the battalion found its current home at Fort Bliss, Texas. Since 2008 the "Battle Ready" Battalion has deployed twice to Iraq, once in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from May 2009 to April 2010, where they conducted security and stability operations in Maysan Province in southern Iraq, and again in support of Operation New Dawn, where they conducted stability operations in Mosul and Erbil from July 2011 to November 2011. In 2012-2013, the soldiers of 2-29 FA deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), where they formed several Security Forces Advise and Assist Teams (SFAAT). In this capacity the Redlegs of 2-29 FA served as combat advisors alongside the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in an effort to build capacity and combat effectiveness of the Afghan National Army, Police and Border Police.

References

External links
 2/29 FA Homepage
 Lineage and Honors

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Artillery of the United States
Field artillery units and formations
Military units and formations established in 1918