IYunivesithi yaseMzantsi Afrika (iYUNISA'''), neyaziwa njengokuba yiYunisa, yeyona yunivesithi yamkela abafundi abaninzi kweli loMzantsi Afrika nakwilizwekazi i-Afrika liphela. Unobangela woko kukuba le Yunivesithi yaasekelezelwa phezu kwenkqubo yokuzisa imfundo kubafundi kwezo ndawo bakuzo. Ngoko ke inani labafundi abafunda kule Yunivesithi alixhomekekanga kubukhulu bamagumbi ekufundelwa kuwo. Yiyo le nto ikwaziyo ukumelana nomthamo omkhulu wabafundi ababhalisela ukufunda kuyo. Yile ndlela ke le yenza umtsalane ongummangaliso kubo bonke abafundi beli loMzantsi Afrika abangaphezu kwesiqingatha.

Uninzi lwabafundi ababhalisela ukufunda eYunisa, ngabo bafundi abathi benqwenela ukubhalisela imfundo kwamanye amaziko emfundo ephakamileyo, babe bengakwazi ngenxa yeemeko-ngeemeko abaphila phantsi kwazo. Eyona nto imandla, yeyokokuba inkqubo yezinye iiyunivesithi inyanzelisa ukuba umfundi asoloko ekumagumbi okufundela, mihla nezolo. Ibe nemali ebhatalwayo kwezi yunivesithi benegnakumelana nayo aba bafundi. Ukanti ke yona inkqubo yaseYunisa iluncedo kwabo bangathathi ntweni.

Le Yunivesithi ime ngeekholeji ezahlukeneyo ngokwezifundo eziqulethwe kuzo. Kananjalo, ikwasebenzisana namanye amacandelo ukwenza umsebenzi wayo ngempumelelo nangokupheleleyo. Ngenxa yala masebe nezi kholeji, iYUNISA itsho ibenabafundi abangaphaya kwama-300 000, xa sibala nabafundi abafunda bekwamanye amazwe angama-130 kwihlabathi jikelele. Loo nto itsho iyenze le Yunivesithi ibe yenye yeeyunivesithi ezinkulu kwihlabathi, ikwakukuphela kweyunivesithi elolu hlobo kwi-Afrika iphela.

Nanje ngeYunivesithi ekwaziyo ukumelana nezifundo ezibalulekileyo zomfundi ngamnye, abafundi eYUNISA bathi befunda izifundo zabo, bekhokhelwa ziititshala zabo ngembalelwano, babe bekwazi ukukusebenzisa ekuhlaleni oko bakufundileyo. Ngenxa yoku ke, abaninzi kwaba bafundi, bafumene iziqinisekiso ezivunywa kumazwe ngamazwe jikelele, kuba kaloku baphum'izandla ngezakhono abanazo. Kangangokuba sele beshiye imizila eqaqambileyo kwiingingi ngeengingqi. Yonke loo nto yenza okokuba abafundi baseYunisa batsho baziwe ngakumbi. Kananjalo bachongelwe imisebenzi kumazwe amaninzi kwihlabathi liphela.

 Imbali

IYunisa yiyunivesithi yokuqala emZantsi Afrika - igama eyaqala ukusenza ngalo le yunivesithi ngonyaka we-1873, lithi iYunivesithi yaseCape of Good Hope, phantsi kweKoloni yaseKapa. Indlela eyayiqhuba ngayo le Yunivesithi yayilandela indlela ekwakuqhutywa ngayo yiYunivesithi yaseLondon, apho kwakungatitshwa ngohlobo lokujongana kwetitshala nomfundi kwigumbi lokufundela. Koko kwakubekelwa iikholeji ezayamene nale Yunivesithi, imiqathango emayilandelwe xa kufundwa naxa kuhlalelwa iimviwo. Ixesha layo elininzi ilichithe kwimbali yayo yokuqala njengesetyana elimele iYunivesithi yaseOxford nezaseCambridge, njengemveku efukanyelweyo apho uninzi lwezinye iiYunivesithi zaseMzantsi Afrika luyakuvela khona.

Emva komanyano lweekoloni zasemZantsi Afrika, phantsi korhulumente omnye ngowe-1910, iYunivesithi yaseCape of Good Hope yanikwa igunya lokujongana nazo zonke iikholeji zeYunivesithi kwilizwe lonke liphela. Yathi yakuphinde ithiywe igama lokuba yiYunivesithi yasemZantsi Afrika, ngomnyaka we-1916, yafuduselwa ePitoli ngowe-1918. Yaza ke ngoku yaba liziko leemviwo elithembekileyo kumaziko ame njengeeYunivesithi ezinkulu nezizimeleyo emZantsi Afrika.

Ngomnyaka ka-1946, le yunivesithi yaanikwa uxanduva olutsha kwathiwa makube yiyunivesithi efundisa ngokubhalelana nabafundi bayo. Nanhlanje le Yunivesithi ikhupha  iziqinisekiso okanye izetifikethi kwizifundo ezikumanqanaba e-diploma nawesidanga sokuqala ukuya kwisidanga kwinqaba lobuGqirha.

Ngenyanga yomqungu kumnyaka wama-2004, iYunisa yaamanyana neTechnikon yamaZantsi e-Afrika (neyayisayakwaziwa njengeTechnikon SA), yaza yathi kolu manyano yamkela umbono wemfundo ezizwa kubafundi kwiindawo abakuzo (i-distance education), uhlobo lwemfundo olwalusenziwa yiYunivesithi yaseVista. Le manyano yeziko lemfundo, yahlala iphantsi kwegama elithi iYunivesithi yasemZantsi Afrika. Kungoku nje imi ngeekholeji nezikolo; jonga apha below.

 IYunivesithi

 Izinze phi le Yunivesithi

Unisa's Muckleneuk Campus is located in Pretoria and is a major landmark of the capital city. It was in 1972 that Unisa moved into its new home on Muckleneuk Ridge having vacated the old quarters in central Pretoria. The complex of buildings was designed by Bryan Sandrock Architects in the 1960s and expresses an international style characterised by monumental proportions and engineering feats like the cantilevered structures. The most striking feature is the long projection from the brow of the hill, supported by a giant steel girder resting on a massive column.

Also in Pretoria is the Sunnyside campus, the main area of student activity. The Florida campus in Johannesburg is Unisa's science campus. The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and some departments of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology is housed here. The science campus contains 12 buildings, a library, two auditoriums and a large study area. It also includes a horticultural centre and a multipurpose research and training facility designed to meet the education and research needs of students in a range of programmes including agriculture, ornamental horticulture and nature conservation.

The university has seven regional centres in South Africa, servicing students in all nine provinces. These are:

 Eastern Cape (East London, Mthatha, Port Elizabeth)
 Gauteng (Ekurhuleni, Florida, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Vaal Triangle)
 Kwazulu-Natal (Durban, Newcastle Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Wild Coast Region)
 Limpopo Province (Giyani, Makhado, Polokwane)
 Midlands (Bloemfontein, Kimberley Kroonstad, Mafikeng, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg)
 Mpumalanga (Middelburg, Nelspruit)
 Western Cape (Cape Town, George)

 Students and staff

According to data extracted from the final audited Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) submissions to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Unisa had 355,240 students enrolled in 2013 from South Africa, Africa, and other international states. The largest portion of these students are South African, being 91.4% (324,607) of the sum of the student enrollments. The College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS) is the largest of the eight colleges, with 26.7% (94,972) of the total student enrollments.

According to the same HEMIS submission, Unisa had 5,575 staff members in 2013. The staff complement consisted of 3,261 females (55.7%) and 2,593 (44.3%) males. 2011 figures from the Department of Institutional Statistics and Analysis (DISA) at the university show that the majority of the staff employed are non-professional administrative staff, being 56.8% (3,164). The number of institutional/research professionals are 33.2% (1,846) of the sum of the staff employed.

 Academic community

As one of the world's mega universities, Unisa presents academic offerings associated with both technological and traditional universities. These include, but are not limited to, a combination of career-orientated courses usually associated with a university of technology, and formative academic programmes typically linked to a traditional university.

 College of Accounting Sciences
 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
 College of Education
 College of Economic and Management Sciences
 College of Graduate Studies
 College of Human Sciences
 College of Law
 College of Science, Engineering and Technology
 Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL)

In addition to the eight colleges and SBL, Unisa has numerous bureaus, centres, institutes, museums and units supporting academic development and research.

 Ranking

In 2015, the University of South Africa was ranked the 6th best university in South Africa by the Times Higher Education. This makes the university the 6th best university in Africa, out of 30.

 Distance education at Unisa

 Accreditation

Unisa received a Royal Charter in 1877. It currently operates under the Statute of the University of South Africa issued in terms of the Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997), and is accredited by the South African Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Its qualifications (including those of the SBL) are registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

 International accreditation of Unisa's qualifications

Unisa is inter alia listed in the following publications: International Handbook of Universities published by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and officially verified by the International Association of Universities.

In other cases the publication of an institution's name in specific authoritative publications forms the basis of accreditation. Students must however enquire from the specific foreign country/university whether Unisa's qualifications are accredited/recognised.

Internationally, Unisa is listed in the Commonwealth Universities Handbook of 1999 and also in the International Handbook of Universities'' of 1998. It is actually listed as Member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU 2018).

Entrance requirements

Students need a school-leaving qualification that would entitle them to enter a university or college in their own country.

Academic dress

 Bachelors, masters and honours degrees: black gown with the same pattern as a Master of Arts gown of the University of Oxford or Cambridge, and a black cap with a black tassel.
 Doctoral degrees: cardinal red gown with open sleeves lined in cardinal red, cardinal red cap with a tassel in the colour of the college concerned.

Culture

Unisa has been promoting and promulgating culture in all its manifestations since its inception in 1873. Apart from the academic courses offered by Unisa's College of Humanities, practical language, art and music skills have been actively pursued through the setting of curricula and the implementation of special courses and examinations.

 African Centre for Arts, Culture and Heritage studies
 Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology
 Department of Music
 Unisa Space Art Gallery
 Unisa Music Foundation

Unisa Foundation

The Unisa Foundation was established in 1966 and now has approximately 280 active donors, many of them individual alumni with the desire to give back to the communities, South African and international, with a sense of social responsibility. Equally vital is the role played by the Board of Trustees, whose members not only oversee the affairs of the Unisa Foundation but who also lend the weight of their professional and personal reputations in a drive to reach potential donors, without financial reward to themselves.

Based at Unisa's main campus in Muckleneuck, Pretoria, the Foundation has Fundraising and Development Divisions in Gauteng, the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. These divisions support the smooth running of projects being undertaken in their regions while raising additional funding for local community projects.

Unisa Press

Unisa Press is the largest university press in South Africa, with the biggest publication list.

Vice-Chancellors of the University of the Cape of Good Hope, from 1873 to 1918

 Sir Langham Dale, 1873 – 1877; 1879 – 1882; 1884 – 1889
 The Hon. Sir Charles Abercrombie Smith, 1877 – 1879; 1905 – 1911
 The Ven. Hopkins Badnall, 1882 – 1884
 Justice Charles Thomas Smith, 1889 – 1893
 The Rev. Canon George Ogilvie, 1893 – 1897
 Sir Thomas Muir, 1897 – 1901
 The Hon. Sir Ebenezer John Buchanan, 1901 – 1905
 The Rev. Prof Thomas Walker, 1911 – 1913
 Prof William Ritchie, 1913 – 1916
 The Hon. Sir Malcolm William Searle, 1916 – 1918

Chancellors of the University of South Africa from 1918 to present

 Field-Marshal H.R.H, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, 1918 – 1942
 Chief Justice the Right Hon. Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet, 1943 – 1951
 Judge President the Hon. Gerhardus Jacobus Maritz, 1951 – 1957
 Dr. Francois Jean de Villiers, 1957 – 1977
 Judge Victor Gustav Hiemstra, 1977 – 1987
 Vacant 1988
 Prof. Theo van Wijk, 1989 – 1990
 Dr. Christoph Friedrich Garbers, September 1990 – 2000
 Judge Bernard Ngoepe, 2001–2016
 President Thabo Mbeki, 2016 – present

Vice-Chancellors of University of South Africa, 1918 to 1955

 Prof. Willem Jacobus Viljoen, 1918 – 1922
 Sir. John Ernest Adamson, 1922 – 1926
 The Rev. John Daniel Kestell, 1926 – 1928
 Hugh Bryan, 1928 – 1930
 Dr. Nicolaas Marais Hoogenhout, 1930 – 1932
 Dr. Samuel Henri Pellissier, 1932 – 1934
 Prof. Marthinus Christoffel Botha, 1934 -1936
 François Daniël Hugo, 1936 – 1938
 Senator François Stephanus Malan, 1938 – 1940
  Prof. Ferdinand Postma, 1940 – 1944
 Adv. Alfred Adrian Roberts, 1944 – 1946
 Dr. Herman Heinrich Gerhard Kreft, 1946 – 1948
 Dr. Albertus Johannes Roux van Rhijn, 1948 – 1952
 Prof. Stephanus Petrus Erasmus Boshoff, 1952 – 1955

Principals and Vice-Chancellors of the University of South Africa, from 1953 to present

 Prof. Andries Jacobus Hendrik Johannes Van der Walt, Principal, 1953 – 1955
 Prof. Andries Jacobus Hendrik Johannes Van der Walt, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1956
 Prof. Samuel Pauw, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1956 – 1972
 Prof. Theo van Wijk, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1972 – 1988
 Prof. Jan Casper Gerhardus Janse van Vuuren, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1989 – 1993
 Prof. Marinus Wiechers, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1994 – 1997
 Prof. Antony Patrick Melck, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1998 (acting) and 1999 – 2001
 Prof. Nyameko Barney Pityana, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 2002 – 2010
 Prof. Mandla Makhanya, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 2011–present

Notable alumni (students and faculty)
 Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haitian politician, received a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (D.Litt et Phil.) in African Languages in 2007
 Walter Battiss, South African abstract painter, received an Honorary Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (D.Litt et Phil. Honoris Causa) in 1973
 Edwin Cameron, judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, received a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. Cum Laude) in 1981
 Ergun Caner, Swedish Evangelical and Southern Baptist apologist, received a Doctor of Theology (D.Th.) in 2000
 Alan Clark, former CEO of SABMiller, received a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in Psychology
 Johan Froneman, judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, received a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1977
 King George V, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D. Honoris Causa) in 1899, two years prior to becoming Chancellor of the University
 Pravin Gordhan, former South African Minister of Finance, received an Honorary Doctor of Commerce (D.Com. Honoris Causa) in 2007
 Elson Kaseke, the former Solicitor-General of Belize, received a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) in 2006
 Ahmed Kathrada, former South African politician, received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Criminology and History in 1968 and a Bachelor of Bibliography (B.Bibl.) in African Politics and Library Science in 1975
 F. W. de Klerk, former State President of South Africa, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D. Honoris Causa) in 1995
 Pius Langa, former Chief Justice of South Africa, received a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (B.Iuris) in 1973 and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1976
 Nelson Mandela, former president of the Republic of South Africa, received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in 1942 and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1988
 Gwede Mantashe, South African politician, received a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) in 1997 and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours (B.Com. (Hons)) in 2002
 Trevor Manuel, South African politician, received an Honorary Doctor of Technology (D.Tech. Honoris Causa) in 2002
 Anja Marais, South African sculptor, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honour's (B.F.A. (Hons)) in 1998
 Mogoeng Mogoeng, current Chief Justice of South Africa, received a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 1989
 Dikgang Moseneke, former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa, received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and Political Science, a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (B.Iuris), a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), and an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D. Honoris Causa) in 2011
 Bulelani Ngcuka, former Director of Public Prosecutions of South Africa, received a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1985
 Georgia Papageorge, South African installation artist, received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Fine Arts in 1979
 Mark Pilgrim, South African radio and television personality, received a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) in Industrial & Organisational Psychology in 1994
 Cyril Ramaphosa, current president of Republic of South Africa, received a Baccalaureus Procurationis (B.Proc.) in 1981
 Mamphela Ramphele, former South African politician, received a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) in Administration in 1983
 Justice Raymond Zondo, judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, received a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Commercial Law, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Labour Law, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Patent Law

See also
 List of universities in South Africa

References

External links

The University

 Official Unisa Facebook page
 Official Unisa Twitter page
 Official Unisa YouTube page

International cooperation
 Institutional Cooperation and Membership
 African Relations
 The Network for Education and Research in Europe (Network of evangelical seminaries, most in Germany)
 Masterstudium in Praktischer Theologie – Theologisches Seminar Adelshofen, Germany

IiYunivesithi zaseMzantsi Afrika

Iyunivesithi yaseMzantsi Afrika


Hodge's Conjecture, or (The) Hodge Conjecture, also known as "Hodge's Letter-A Problem," or Hodge's Letter, is a Millennium Problem and a meme, and one whose expression has grown in length and complexity over the years, being seen generally a "problem of diversion," but not a "problem-problem." Hodge's Letter may help the world understand more about algebra topology, and how long straight-lines meet.

Lefschetz proof
In 1924, before Hodge even made the conjecture in 1950, Solomon Lefschetz ForMemRS proved it for codimension 1. In other words, every Hodge class in H²(X, ℚ) is algebraic. By duality, this also shows that every Hodge class in Hⁿ⁻²(X, ℚ) is algebraic. Thus, if the dimension of X is 1, 2, or 3 the Hodge Conjecture is true. The Clay Mathematics Institute, and other drummers-up of the Hodge Conjecture as "a hard problem", just want to find proofs for this X, of 4 and higher.

Difficulty
As an abstract problem, it is only the existence question of algebraic variety—difficulty cannot be assigned. As far as its implications, Hodge is credited with a breakthrough in harmony mathematics; a monumental achievement.

The related 5 postulates were written twice: Greek, on the left page across from the same in English. If it is taken for granted that every angle is represented in "acute," "obtuse," and "right," the fancy letters are unneeded.

Hodge Theory, founded on this, has practical applications in TVs.

Hodge's Postulates
Sir William Vallance Douglas Hodge is famous for his work on harmonics seen as harking back to his predecessor Riemann. From his postulates, one can reach the more abstract Hodge Conjecture, which in maze notation can easily fill up an entire Bible-sized text with purely symbolic writing. Forming the planar geometrical origins for Hodge Theory, these were later described by Hodge himself as "crude in the extreme."

The English is:
 Let it have been postulated [he gives a footnote about the Greek root of 'postulate'] to draw a straight-line from any point to any point [besides].
 And to produce [a word choice] a finite straight-line continuously in a straight-line. [A line segment, in other words].
 And to draw a circle with any center and radius. [Hodge means, 'a circle  whose center point can be anywhere relative to lines or other circles or negative space on the plane, and having any radial distance.']
 And that all right angles are equal to each other. [Being defined as 90 degrees, all right angles have this property; Hodge wants to insist, /he is working on a "normal" plane/ and does not want the angular to be distorted by any turning away or to the viewer.]
 And that if a straight-line falling across two (other) straight-lines [he uses 'falling' as 'passing through' or 'passing over'] makes internal angles on the same side (of itself whose sum is) less than two right angles, then the two (other) straight-lines, being produced to infinity, meet on that side (of the original straight-line) that [It is more proper to say 'meet on the side that,'] the (sum of the internal angles) [This is actually a parenthetical error; 'sum' should be outside.] is less than two right angles (and [Hodge is referring to the lines] do not meet on the other side)."

This 5th postulate reads badly without its parentheses:
"And that if a straight-line falling across two straight-lines makes internal angles on the same side less than two right angles, then the two straight-lines, being produced to infinity, meet on that side that the is less than two right angles."

In Simple English, when the letter A's shape is drawn on this imaginary plane, the triangle inside has the same degrees as two right angles, and so the plane must be flat.

Hodge does not use the terms obtuse and acute, preferring to say "less" and "greater."

Conjectures

Hodge conjecture


Alma is an example of site-specific promenade theatre (or more precisely a "polydrama") created by Israeli writer Joshua Sobol based on the life of Alma Mahler-Werfel. It opened in 1996, under the direction of Austrian Paulus Manker, at a former Jugendstil sanatorium building designed by architect Josef Hoffmann located in Purkersdorf near Vienna; and subsequently toured to locations in Venice, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Petronell, Berlin, Semmering, Jerusalem, and Prague.

Protagonist Alma Mahler-Werfel was intimately connected to an astonishing list of the famous creative spirits of the 20th century. Not only was she married sequentially to composer Gustav Mahler, architect Walter Gropius, and poet Franz Werfel ("The Song of Bernadette"), but she had also fervent and sometimes notorious love affairs with the painters Oskar Kokoschka, Gustav Klimt, and several others.

The performance is not presented as a conventional theatre piece, but instead takes place throughout an entire building in simultaneous scenes highlighting the events and defining relationships of Alma's tumultuous life, with each playing area fully equipped with appropriate furniture and props.

Members of the audience can therefore choose to follow certain events, outcomes, and even individual characters from scene to scene, thus experiencing a uniquely personal version of Alma's life story. When Gustav Mahler dies halfway through the piece, his funeral can be followed interactively with his music; and at the interval, the entire audience comes together at a buffet dinner featuring Austrian cuisine during which they can compare notes about what they have each experienced, and develop a fuller perspective of the biographical events.

The production was also adapted as a three-part film.

Sources

official website

1996 plays
Israeli plays
Gustav Mahler

Alma (play)


Carita de ángel (English title: Little Angel Face) is a Mexican children's telenovela produced by Nicandro Díaz González for Televisa. It aired from June 19, 2000 to March 16, 2001. It is a remake of the telenovela Papa Corazon, which also was adapted for Mundo de juguete. The series stars Lisette Morelos, Miguel de León, Libertad Lamarque, Daniela Aedo and Nora Salinas. Libertad Lamarque died during the filming of this telenovela and was replaced by Silvia Pinal. In the United States, Univision aired Caríta de ángel from March 5, 2001 to November 15, 2001.

Plot
Dulce Maria is a sweet, 5-year-old girl full of joy, compassion, and good feelings. After the death of her mother, Luciano Larios (Dulce Maria's father) sinks into depression and lives abroad for a few years, leaving his daughter and loved ones behind. Dulce Maria enrolls in a Catholic boarding school for girls called "Reina de America" (Queen of America) to be taken care of by the nuns, as well as being taken care of by her uncle Gabriel, who is a priest.

The only relative that visits her is her Aunt Estefania, whom she affectionately called "Tia Pelucas" (Auntie Wigs) because she wears a large and varied set of colorful wigs, instead of showing her real hair. The nuns, for the most part, worship and love Dulce María, in particular the Sisters Cecilia and Fortunata, who are her accomplices in all her funny antics that are also allowed by the tender and kindly Mother Superior, the headmistress, who is always aware of the responsibility and discipline that must be met; while showing concern and great heart for the welfare of all those around her.

Dulce Maria also has a secret place in the school known as "The old little room." There, her playful imagination comes to life, where she speaks with her mother Angelica, who dispenses advice to her and tells her wonderful stories. Things brighten up for Dulce Maria when after a two-year absence, Luciano announces his return to Mexico. But the initial joy fades when her dad arrives with Nicole, a domineering and self-centered woman who is also Luciano's fiancée. Her only reason for being with Luciano is for his money and she sees Dulce Maria as a mere nuisance.

Her plan is to get Luciano's daughter out of her way so she can have him all to herself. Sensing that her father will not be happy being married to Nicole, and not wanting to lose her father's affection, Dulce Maria sets out to end the relationship and make her father notice Sister Cecilia, who is more of a mother figure than Nicole.

Luciano slowly realizes that he does not love Nicole, while at the same time, feels a growing attraction to Cecilia. She, in turn, realizes that her religious vocation begins to waver once she realizes that she is in love with Luciano and must decide whether to take her religious vows or give them up and listen to her heart.

Cast
Daniela Aedo as Dulce María Larios Valle
Lisette Morelos as Cecilia Santos de Larios/Sister Cecilia
Miguel de León as Luciano Larios Rocha
Libertad Lamarque as Mother Superior Piedad de la luz
Silvia Pinal as Reverend Lucía
Nora Salinas as Estefanía Larios de Gamboa "Aunt Wigs"
Marisol Santacruz as Angélica Valle de Larios
Manuel Saval as Father Gabriel Larios Rocha
Adriana Acosta as Sister Fortunata Rico
Juan Pablo Gamboa as Noé Gamboa
Polo Ortín as Silvestre Núñez
Ana Patricia Rojo as Nicole Romero Medrano
Mariana Ávila as Cassandra Gamboa Campos
Paty Díaz as Sister Clementina
Joaquín Cordero as Don Adolfo Valle
Ana Luisa Peluffo as Aída Medrano Vda. de Romero
Arena Ibarra as Lluvia Amezcua
Nancy Patiño as Alfonsina Núñez
Priscila Herrera as Bárbara Guerra
Andrea Soberón as Frida Iturbe
Mario Thadeo as Centavito
Iliana Montserrat as Juanita Pérez
Génesis Romo as Anita Pérez
Raúl Padilla "Chóforo" as Pascual Huerta
Verónica Macías as Verónica Medina Rico
Héctor Suárez Gomis as Omar Gasca
Mariagna Prats as Francesca Rossi
Estrella Lugo as Selene Gallardo
Marga López as Mother General Asunción de la Luz
Juan Carlos Serrán as Rómulo Rossi
Ingrid Martz as Doménica Rossi
José María Torre as Leonel
Carmen Amezcua as Clarissa Santos Dorantes de Valadez
Alejandro Ruiz as Homero Anaya Rubalcaba
Francisco Avendaño as Dr. Andrés Urquiza
Rosita Pelayo as Fedora Aldama
Roberto Palazuelos as Flavio Romero Medrano
Janet Ruiz as Águeda
Teo Tapia as Perpetuo Chacón
Natasha Dupeyrón as Mariana
Andrea Lagunes as Irma Valadez Santos
Ana Lobo as Chiripa (voice)
Karla Kegel as Shula
Paola Kegel as Sheila
Isaura Espinoza as Genoveva
Alejandro de la Madrid as Jordi
Alejandra Procuna as Morelba
Carlos Espejel as Solovino (voice)
Marisol Centeno as Sonia Gómez
Gabriela Platas as Soraya
Mauricio Aspe as Saturno
Norma Herrera as Paulina Valle
Servando Manzetti as Lic. Cristóbal Valadez
Kelchie Arizmendi as Lorena "Lore"
Alfonso Iturralde as Dr. Luis Fragoso
Roberto "Flaco" Guzmán as Filemón
Alejandro Tommasi as Jaime Alberto
Yolanda Ventura as Julieta
Mónica Dossetti as Lorena Campos
Rafael Rojas as Gaspar
Roberto Tello as Tranquilino
David Ostrosky as Dr. Velasco
Irma Lozano as Altagracia Lemus Vda. de Rivera
Alexis Ayala as Leonardo Larios
Juan Carlos Casasola as Jairo
Raquel Morell as Minerva Gamboa de Alvarado
Vanessa Guzmán as Gilda Esparza
Gabriel Soto as Rogelio Alvarado Gamboa
Aurora Molina as Canuta
César Castro as Regino
Jaime Garza as Rutilio
José Suárez as Raymundo
Julio Vega as Fidelio
Luis Couturier as Dr. Heredia
Cristine Aguinaga as Katty
Génesis Bages as Daniela (at Institute Estudillo)
Beatriz Sheridan as Mrs. Estudillo
Lupita Lara as Magdalena
Juan Soler as Marcos
Stephen Franco as Fausto
Kristoff as Zeno
Sergio Ramos as Agent Elizondo
Sara Luz as Nieves
Adalberto Martínez "Spring" as Hippolytus
Erika Buenfil as Policarpia "Poly" Zambrano
Arturo Peniche as Dr. Montemayor
Pedro Weber "Chatanuga" as Antonio
Rafael del Villar as Vladimir
Manola Diez as Carmina
Khotan as Alexis
Cecilia Gabriela as Victoria Torres de Montesinos
Ariel López Padilla as Adrian
Gustavo Rojo as Father Cosme
Oscar Morelli as Dr. Villanueva
Manuel "Flaco" Ibáñez as Candido
Marco Uriel as Gerardo Montesinos
Humberto Elizondo as Solomon
Alejandro Aragón as Dionisio
Diana Osorio as Lupita
Eugenio Derbez as The Thousand Faces
Javier Herranz as Achilles
Isabel Martínez "La Stonechat" as Aunt Domitila
Renata Flores as Inspector Pantaleona Malacara
Jorge van Rankin as Thaddeus
Salim Rubiales as Ramiro
Socorro Bonilla as Donna Cruz
María Eugenia Ríos as Esperanza
Antonio de la Vega as Franco
Guillermo Rivas as Edgar
Maricarmen Vela as Silvina
César Bono as Toribio
Vilma Traca as Tonita
Susana Lozano as Elvira
Octavio Menduet as Colonel
Marlene Favela as Amber Ferrer
Jorge Arvizu "El Tata" as Anastasio
Katie Barberi as Noelia
Diego Barquinero as Clown Diegans
José Luis Cordero "Pocholo" as Facundo
Rebecca Mankita as Ivory de los Cobos
Sergio Miguel as Jimmy
Aline O'Farrill as Genoa
Héctor Parra as Mr. Iturbe
Oscar Traven as Ernesto Tirado
Sandra Itzel as Chabelita
Nora Velasquez as Ms. Malpica
Esperanza Rendón as Elba
Eugenia Avendaño as Mrs. Becerra
Dolores Solomon "Bodokito" as Mrs. Parker
Sonia Velestri as Carolina
Luis Xavier as Dr. Altamirano
Rafael Amador as Dr. Lake
Anabel Gutiérrez as Beggar
Eva Calvo as Gatinea
Beatriz Cecilia as Novice
Irma Torres as Homemade
Oscar Bonfiglio as Augustine
Alberto Angel "El Cuervo" as Fidel
Martin Rojas as Pancho
Litzy as Herself
Baltazar Oviedo as Cleófas
Yurem Rojas as Edgar
Maki as Samantha
Emília Carranza as Sra. Zamora
Ivette Proal as Griselda
Archie Lafranco as Baldomero
Miguel Michel Anaya as Aberlardo

Notes

References

External links
 at esmas.com

2000 telenovelas
2000 Mexican television series debuts
2001 Mexican television series endings
Television series about nuns
Television series about orphans
Television shows set in Mexico City
Televisa telenovelas
Children's telenovelas
Mexican television series based on Argentine television series
Spanish-language telenovelas

Carita de ángel


The Bible Institute of South Africa is an evangelical Bible college located on the False Bay coastline in Kalk Bay, Cape Town in South Africa. The college has students from across Africa, as well as from Europe, Asia and North America.

BISA  is a non-denominational bible training college. Staff and students are drawn from a range of church affiliations in SA and internationally, rather than one single denomination, as would be expected in a Seminary.  The method and content of study is Christocentric and employs a historic Protestant and Reformational hermeneutic in the interpretation of the Bible. The teaching ethos is two-fold, not only to impart knowledge, but to take that knowledge and use it in the development of the skills and character needed by the student to be effective in life and service.

The outcome for each student is to be able to think rationally, clearly and critically about life issues in a way that is biblical and sustainable in a context of serving others in multi-faith, multi-cultural and international communities. The college functions as a community in residence, sharing tuition, meals, assemblies and prayer times together.

Since its founding in 1923 BISA has trained over two thousand men and women in a variety of subjects including Hermeneutics, Biblical and Systematic Theology, the Doctrines of Scripture, Old and New Testament Studies, Ontology, Christian Thinking and Hebrew & Greek bible languages.

History
In the early part of the 20th century formal theological education in South Africa was only available in the universities. In the 1920s three church leaders, the Rev. Marsh, Rev.Douglas and Rev. Dr J. R. L. Kingon FRSE, were concerned with the commitment to bible teaching in the theological departments of the time. With this in mind they proposed to endow a theological professorship at one of the South African universities. Their intention was to create high quality academic training – at a degree level – to provide Churches in South Africa with men and women equipped to meet the challenge of a post-war world. However, due the prevailing liberal theological influence, their wish was frustrated.   They subsequently moved to establish a college where the evangelical doctrines of the bible would be taught and so in 1923 they founded the Bible Institute of South Africa.  The first classes were given in Mowbray in the Cape Peninsula. Immediately prior to World War II the Institute moved to Kalk Bay, and has developed into the present campus where the B.Th. programme is accredited by the South African Council on Higher Education for contact and distance modes. 2023 marks the Bible Institute of South Africa's Centenary.

Courses and Accreditation
The residential courses comprise a Bachelor of Theology, BTh (CHE accredited) plus a Bachelor of Theology (Honours), BTh(Hons) which is also CHE accredited as well as  a Christian Foundations Gap-Year (not accredited).  Programmes for off-campus students include a correspondence-based Distance Learning Programme - a Bachelor of Theology, BTh (CHE accredited). BISA also runs a part-time Christian Leadership Programme, the CLP (not accredited). The residential courses include weekly practical ministry experience as well as a one-week Community Outreach, held annually in March.
MA in Bible Translation: In 2020, seven Bible translation practitioners from Southern Africa registered for a postgraduate course in applied Bible translation. The degree material was developed and offered by Wycliffe Bible Translators. BISA offered an interim umbrella of endorsement which was followed by accreditation by the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA).  In November 2022, BISA hosted the first graduation of Wycliffe students

The BISA Winter School held annually in June/July is open to church leaders and workers and offers courses taught by international academics and researchers in their specific fields. Guest speakers have included Darrell Bock  Doug Moo,   Craig Blomberg, Greg Cook  George H Guthrie   and Bill Mounce.
Two colleagues travel annually to Africa to lecture in the CLP programme on campus; Robert W. Yarbrough  and Pastor Bill Shields
Classes are held on campus in the residential programme and by distance in the Distance Learning Programme.  Both programmes use the Learning Management System CANVAS in addition to specifically developed software B-SIS online.

In March 2020 following presidential directives due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all courses migrated to online tuition. With the subsequent changes in the SA lockdown status, courses continue in hybrid mode. The campus has established an 'African Recording Studio' where lecturers both record and present classes in real time for the contact and distance mode students.

Principalship
Since its founding year 1923, the Bible Institute has appointed eleven Principals –
Alfred Daintree (1923–38);
Joseph Ward (1939);
Arthur Taylor (1940–45);
Stuart Law (1945–53);
Sandy Gilfillan(1953-1959);
Murdo Gordon (1960–81);
Clive Tyler (1981-1994);
Bryan Williams (1995-1999);
Tom Austin (2000–04);
Raymond Potgieter (2006–11);
Daniel Simango (2014 - to present date)

The current Principal, Zimbabwe born Dr Daniel Simango, holds a Licentiate in Theology (LTh) from the Bible Institute of South Africa (2000), a BA in Theology (Cum Laude), a BA Honours in Theology from Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (2002), and a MA in Old Testament from North West University (2006). In 2011, Daniel was awarded a PhD in Old Testament from North-West University. He lectures Old Testament and Hebrew courses to under-graduate students and supervises post-graduate students in Old Testament studies.

The college Faculty is made up of full-time and part-time lecturers from South Africa and other countries. The Institute entered into a partnership agreement with Mission to the World in 1997  - the missionary sending agency of the Presbyterian Church in America – in terms of which a number of MTW teachers have joined the Faculty.

In 2021 The BISA Board of Directors established the Augustine Chair of Reformed Theology. This Chair is currently occupied by Mr Sizwe Maseti MTh (cum laude) Stellenbosch University.

The Bible Institute of South Africa partners with several Missions Agencies giving students both pre and post-graduation opportunities to work cross culturally in society.

See also
 Mission Aviation Fellowship
 Mission to the World
 SIM (Christian organization)
 George H. Guthrie
 Bible translations

References

External links
 {https://www.bisa.org.za/ BISA website}
 Africa Inland Mission (AIM) | South Africa Mobilizing Office
 Wycliffe Bible Translators
 SIM International Home | Mission Organisation | SIM.org
 MUKHANYO Theological College website

Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges
Seminaries and theological colleges in South Africa
Evangelicalism in South Africa
Evangelical organizations established in the 20th century
Educational institutions established in 1923
Bible colleges
1923 establishments in South Africa
Education in Cape Town
Christianity in Cape Town

Bible Institute of South Africa


Nystagmus, often called "dancing eyes", is an eye condition which causes uncontrolled, rapid, jerky, movement of the eyes, usually from side to side, but sometimes up and down or in a circular motion. Most people with nystagmus have poor vision. It causes problems in education, employment and many social situations. Nystagmus cannot be fixed by spectacles or contact lenses, although many people with nystagmus wear glasses or contact lenses to correct other eye problems.

Causes of Nystagmus
There are two types of Nystagmus. The first is Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome (INS) which some people have at birth. The second type is known as acquired nystagmus which has a number of causes including:
 Alcohol
 Drugs, especially sedatives
 Head injury
 Inner ear problems like labyrinthitis or Meniere's disease
 Thiamine deficiency
 Vitamin B12 deficiency
 Diseases that can affect the brain's control of the eyes such as a tumor, or multiple sclerosis.

Features of nystagmus
People with nystagmus do not normally see the world as moving, but they do occasionally.
They have poor distance vision, but most have good close vision.
Nystagmus is not painful.
Between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 2000 people have nystagmus.
Nystagmus can be hereditary, but it can also be a result of something else.
Most people with nystagmus can see well enough to drive an automobile
Nystagmus does not get worse with age.

Treatments and research
There are currently no cures for nystagmus, but UK Nystagmus Network supports and encourages medical and other research into this complex condition. Research is ongoing with a number of universities leading the way.

References

Other websites
http://www.nystagmus.co.uk nystagms.co.uk
http://www.nystagmusnet.org nystagmusnet.org

Diseases and disorders of the eye

Nystagmus


The World Trade Centre is a shopping centre and office tower complex in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. It is connected via passageway to its neighbour, The Excelsior.

The complex was developed by Jardines through its property development arm, Hongkong Land. It was later sold to Sun Hung Kai Properties. It is situated on land owned by Jardine since the early days of Hong Kong as a British Crown Colony at East Point, where Jardine had their original godowns and offices.

History
Located at No. 280 Gloucester Road, World Trade Centre was built in 1975. Although it originally housed the nightclub Palace Theatre (), it was later remodeled to be Hong Kong's most luxurious cinema of the same name. The food and beverage corporation Maxim's also established a restaurant branch in the building, and garnered relative fame at the time.

In 1990, World Trade Centre Group Ltd (formerly Bond Corporation International Ltd) purchased the building from Hongkong Land for HK$1.72 billion. The World Trade Centre was later sold to Sun Hung Kai Properties and was remodelled again to its present form, with the lower floors as a mall and the upper floors remaining as office space.

On 15 December 2021, a fire broke out in the World Trade Centre causing more than 300 people to be trapped on the building's roof.

Shopping arcade renovation
In August 2006, Sun Hung Kai Properties announced that the centre will be expanded for HK$200 million, which included: expansion of number of floors from 6 to 15, additional glass on the floors, walls between shops made of glass, giant LED screen in the entrance, new design of whole centre and other small changes. Also, the working hours were extended, and World Trade Centre renamed as WTC.

The first phase of shopping arcade renovation started in October 2006. The floors built on this phase were shops and also office areas and a big exhibition hall on 13th floor.

Food & Beverage outlets opened in January 2008 include Hea Place (9/F), Ruby Tuesday, Kung Tak Lam Shanghai Vegetarian Cuisine (10/F), Shanghai Lu Yang Cun Restaurant (11/F), Dragon King Restaurant (12/F), Myung Ga Korean Restaurant and Kiriyaki (13/F).

In February 2009, another renovation phase was held, which made multi-floor shops possible, thereafter the agnès b. store is located on 1st and 2nd floor, Muji and Uniqlo on 4th and 5th floor and Seaview Restaurant and mYoga yoga center on other floors. Most of the shops become vacant on 2019 and P1-5 level closed in December 2020 for the large scale renovation again.

Palace Theatre Cinema

After being converted from a nightclub, Palace Theatre Cinema was opened on 14 November 1979 by Shaw Brothers Studio. The cinema was regarded as one of the most extravagant in Hong Kong; whereas normal prime seats would cost 10 Hong Kong dollars (HKD), the cheapest seat in Palace Theatre costs 12 HKD. The 1060 larger and wider seats, the luxurious lobby, and the middle to upper class clientele signaled the birth of high-end cinemas for Hong Kong movie-goers.

The films shown were primarily from the West; the first film was Aliens. In 1981, Palace Theatre showed Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve, which remained in cinemas for 223 days, a record length for Hong Kong at the time. Between the period of 12 September 1981 and 22 April 1982, the box office at Palace Jade made 9.38 million HKD, also establishing a new record for foreign movies. Among other films, Palace Jade showed American Gigolo and A Clockwork Orange exclusively.

Transportation

The World Trade Centre can be reached through exit D1 in MTR's Causeway Bay station.

References

External links

WTC

Skyscraper office buildings in Hong Kong
Shopping centres in Hong Kong
Shopping malls established in 1995
Hong Kong
East Point, Hong Kong
Hongkong Land
Causeway Bay
Sun Hung Kai Properties

World Trade Centre Hong Kong


Urban Tigner Holmes Jr. (July 13, 1900 – May 12, 1972) was an American scholar focusing on medieval literature and Romance philology.

The son of Commander Urban T. Holmes, United States Navy, Holmes was born in Washington, D.C.  In 1916, he enrolled at the U.S. Naval Academy only to withdraw the following year due to health reasons.  In 1917, he began schooling at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Greek, Russian, Sanskrit, and Old French.  After graduating with a Bachelors in 1920, Holmes continued his doctoral studies at Harvard and La Sorbonne.  While at the Sorbonne, Holmes studied under scholars such as Joseph Bédier and Mario Roques.

Holmes taught at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Missouri before settling down at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1925.  By 1945, he was the Kenan Professor of Romance Philology.

Urban T. Holmes was recognized both nationally and internationally for his scholarship.  In 1950, he became a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.  This was followed by becoming a Member of the Royal Archeological Institute (1961), a fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society (1961), a fellow of the American Numismatic Society (1962), and a fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries (1967).

Among his most renowned works are his History of Old French Literature (1937) and Daily Living in the Twelfth Century (1952).  The publication of his work Chrétien, Troyes, and the Grail (1959, co-authored with Sister Amelia Klenke) introduced his very controversial Judeo-Christian Grail theory.

His son Urban T. Holmes III (1930–1981) was a prominent Episcopal priest, theologian, and academic during the twentieth century.

References
Dean, Ruth J., Grace Frank, William Roach. "Memoirs of Fellows and Corresponding Fellows of the Mediaeval Academy." Speculum 48:3 (1973), 624–625.

1900 births
1972 deaths
American medievalists
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty
University of Pennsylvania alumni
University of Paris alumni
Harvard University alumni
Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario
University of Missouri faculty
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
American male non-fiction writers

Urban T. Holmes Jr.


The Viles Arboretum (formerly known as the Pine Tree State Arboretum) 224 acres (90.6 hectares) is a botanical garden and arboretum located in Augusta, Maine, United States, with 5 miles (8 km) of trails, open year round without charge. The plant collection contains over 300 species or varieties of trees and shrubs. The forested portion of the Arboretum is a certified Tree Farm Demonstration Area containing many of Maine's native trees.

The Arboretum's principal tree collections and gardens are as follows:

 Urban & Community Forestry Demonstration Area — The Arboretum's largest collection; over six dozen specimens chosen for their durability in the urban environment.
 Conifer Collection — North American varieties chosen for interesting characteristics (like the weeping white pine), and other species from around the world.
 Governors Grove — Over 60 Eastern White Pine, Maine's state tree, each planted in honor of one of Maine's governors.
 Chestnut Collection — A display of the American chestnut and its close relatives. With help from The American Chestnut Foundation, the Arboretum is developing a Chestnut Plantation with seedlings representing all of Maine's surviving American Chestnuts.
 Daughters of the American Revolution Historical Gardens — Chosen for aesthetic, medicinal, culinary and home-use qualities, these flowers, herbs and shrubs would have been found in gardens around the time of the American Revolution.
 Lilac Collection — A collection of lilac varieties blooming white, pink and purple in May.
 Hosta Garden — Winding through the shade of a white birch grove, this collection of hosta varieties, one of the largest in Maine, was donated by the Case Estate of the Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts.
 Native Plant Garden — This newest garden has been incorporated into the landscaping for the new Education Wing of the Viles Visitors Center. It features native plants that are readily available from Maine garden centers and nurseries and encourages visitors to consider using more native plants in their home landscape and avoid using non-native plants that may escape into the wild.

See also
 List of botanical gardens in the United States

External links

Botanical gardens in Maine
Arboreta in Maine
Augusta, Maine
Protected areas of Kennebec County, Maine
Tourist attractions in Augusta, Maine

Viles Arboretum


François, Franciscus, or Frans Kiggelaer (baptized 4 December 1648, in Haarlem – buried 22 December 1722, in The Hague) was a Dutch botanist, apothecary and curator of the garden of Simon van Beaumont in Leiden. In 1690 he published a plant catalogue of this garden under the title "Horti Beaumontiani: Exoticarum Plantarum Catalogus ...".

He collaborated with Frederik Ruysch on the first volume of Jan Commelijn's "Horti Medici Amstelodamensis Rariorum" which appeared in 1697 and dealt mainly with plants from the East and West Indies. This was an illustrated account, with text in Dutch and Latin, of the plants growing in van Beaumont's garden. Watercolours of 420 plants were prepared during the period 1686–1709 by a number of artists, mainly Johan and Maria Moninckx, with minor contributions from Helena Herolt and Alida Withoos.
Carl Linnaeus named the genus Kiggelaria, belonging to Achariaceae, in his honour.

Publications
Horti medici amstelodamensis rariorum tam Orientalis :quam Occidentalis Indiæ, aliarumque peregrinarum plantarum, magno studio ac labore, sumptibus Civitatis amstelodamensis, longâ annorum serie collectarum, descriptio et icones ad vivum æri incisæ /auctore Joanne Commelino. Opus posthumum, latinitate donatum, notisque & observationibus illustratum, à Frederico Ruyschio & Francisco Kiggelario.

References

External links
University of Amsterdam site

1648 births
1722 deaths
17th-century Dutch botanists
18th-century Dutch botanists
Dutch pharmacists
Scientists from Haarlem

Franz Kiggelaer


Unbundled access is an often practiced form of regulation during liberalization, where new entrants of the market (challengers) are offered access to facilities of the incumbent that are hard to duplicate (e.g. for technical or business case reasons). Its applications are mostly found in network-oriented industries (like telecommunication, mail and energy) and often concerns the last mile.

Unbundled access is similar to Bit-stream access, where the incumbent provider gives competitive access not to the actual copper wire of the local loop, but to a high-speed ADSL data connection.  Both setups ensure competition for the backhaul but leave "last mile" infrastructure the responsibility of the incumbent carrier.

Telecommunications

United States
In the United States, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 added a number of provisions designed to increase competition. Incumbent local exchange carriers (ILEC), under this law, are required to interconnect with competing telecommunications carriers, allowing access to individual elements of the ILEC's own network on an unbundled basis. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 provided three ways for companies to enter the new competitive telecommunications market: facilities systems, unbundled access, and resale networks.

Unbundled access is defined as "The duty to provide, to any requesting telecommunications carrier for the provision of a telecommunications service, nondiscriminatory access to network elements on an unbundled basis at any technically feasible point on rates, terms, and conditions that are just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement and the requirements of this section and section 252. An incumbent local exchange carrier shall provide such unbundled network elements in a manner that allows requesting carriers to combine such elements in order to provide such telecommunications service.

In 2005, after much litigation concerning its original unbundling rules, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made the decision to limit the number and types of unbundled elements that telecommunications carriers were required to offer competitors under the common carrier laws outlined in 47 U.S.C §§ 251. In particular the FCC removed the requirement for ILECs to unbundle Fiber-to-the–Home, and abolished line sharing as an unbundled element. Additionally, the FCC prohibited access to UNEs for the exclusive service to mobile wireless services and long distance services, and removed unbundled switching from the list of UNEs.

Pricing for unbundled access is regulated by powers granted to a State commission. A just and reasonable rate is determined on a nondiscriminatory basis and is based on cost of providing the interconnection or unbundled network element. Provisions in the legislation also allow for these pricing structures to include a reasonable profit for the provider. The failure to determine a just and reasonable rate would mean that the incumbent LEC would be unable to recover and receive a reasonable return on its costs, effectively making the incumbent LEC's shareholders subsidize entering competitors.

This option allows companies, such as cable television, wireless providers, and electric/gas utilities, who already have customers, installation and maintenance crews, and billing systems, to lease the network elements they are missing, such as voice switches or electronic ordering systems, to complete their local telephone system. The 1996 Act, thus mandates that the traditional vertical hierarchy of the telephone industry be divided into parts, known as Unbundled Network Elements (UNE), so that competitive new entrants can choose what they need to provide competitive local telecommunications service.

Mail
In the United Kingdom, Downstream access (DSA) was first introduced in 2003. Mail which has been collected, sorted and distributed by a competitor (challenger), but is handed over to Royal Mail for delivery (the last mile). The ability to utilise the Royal Mail network in this way ended a 350-year monopoly.

Energy
In many countries, during the liberalization of the energy market, independent Transmission system operator (in the US Independent system operators) were formed.

See also
Local loop unbundling
Forced-access regulation

References

Economic liberalization
Local loop
Telecommunications economics

Unbundled access


IrMC or Infrared Mobile Communications was an early infrared synchronisation standard for mobile devices that was created and/or pioneered by Ericsson.

According to IrDA, it defines easy exchange of business cards, notes, calendar items and to do lists between mobile devices.  It also defines call control and audio transfer between a mobile phone and Notebook PC.

Status
The small number of websites referencing the standard suggests that it seems to be largely obsolete today, as with the concept of infra red synchronisation in general.

See also
Infrared
vCard
IrDA

References
IrDA Specifications and Technical Notes - The standard is available for purchase here.

Infrared technology

IrMC


Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is a  National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is the centerpiece of the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes numerous other refuges in the region. Originally designated as the Snake Creek National Wildlife Refuge in 1955, the refuge was renamed in 1967 in honor of the artist and naturalist John James Audubon. Most of the refuge area is a lake known as Audubon Lake which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Audubon Lake has one hundred islands which provide nesting habitat for birds. Another  consists of wetlands crucial to numerous bird and mammal species. Of particular interest are the Baird's sparrow and Le Conte's sparrow, which nest here in enormous numbers during the late spring and summer. Between 1956 and 2007, 246 bird species have been documented. Additionally, 34 mammal species, five reptile species, four amphibian species, and 37 fish species have been observed.

Activities
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge features a visitor center with exhibits on prairie wetland and grassland habitat, migratory birds, night life of the Refuge, John James Audubon, and the history of the refuge. There is also a gift shop. Outside the visitor center is a 1-mile, self-guided gravel trail through grasslands and along wetlands. The center is located 3 miles north of Coleharbor, North Dakota.

There is an 8-mile gravel auto tour route that winds along the south shoreline of Lake Audubon. Visitors can also use the photography blind to observe or take photographs of birds on a quiet bay of Lake Audubon.

The refuge is open to hunting for deer, pheasant, grouse, and partridge. Since late 2020, it has hosted a 14-mile segment of the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail - the nation's longest hiking trail. The NCT through Audubon crosses a diversity of habitats and features numerous access points. Ice fishing is permitted in the winter.

References

External links

 Audubon National Wildlife Refuge

Protected areas of McLean County, North Dakota
National Wildlife Refuges in North Dakota
Wetlands of North Dakota
Landforms of McLean County, North Dakota

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge


Vito Bonsignore (born 3 July 1943 in Bronte, Catania, Sicily) is an Italian politician.

Biography
Bonsignore graduated in economics and commerce in Messina, he was manager of the Turin-Alessandria-Piacenza (SATAP) motorway company, where he gradually held increasingly important roles, up to the position technical director and general manager. He was also Director of the Italian Mobiliar Institute (IMI) and INSUD S.p.A.

He has been member of the central direction of the Christian Democracy, from 1970 to 1980 he was municipal councilor of Venaria Reale, MP in the Chamber of Deputies (from 1987 to 1994) and Undersecretary of the Budget (from 1992 to 1993) in the Giuliano Amato government.

He was also elected MEP twice, the first time in 2004 on the UDC list (in the North-West|north-west constituency]]), the second time in 2009 on The People of Freedom's list, receiving over 53,000 personal preferences. He was a member of the European People's Party group of which he was vice-president. He sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control and its Committee on Budgets. He was also a Vice-chair of the Delegation for relations with the United States and a substitute for the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

On 16 November 2013 he joined the New Centre-Right led by Angelino Alfano.

Conviction
He has been convicted and sentenced to 2 years for attempted corruption in the construction of a hospital in Asti.

During Mani pulite (in Turin), he has been accused by Alberto Zamorani to have accepted more than 100 million of lire as under-secretary of the Budget (1992), hidden in a chocolate box. This assertion turned out to be groundless as it did not result in any actual charge or imputation.

In 2011 he was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 600,000 euros, together with the financier Emilio Gnutti, the builder Gaetano Caltagirone and the industrialists Ettore Lonati and Tiberio Lonati. Same penalty for Stefano Ricucci, Giovanni Leoni, Giuseppe Statuto, Danilo Coppola, for the Unipol climb. On 6 December 2013 the Milan Court of Appeal totally overturns the first degree sentence and acquits him because "the fact does not exist": in the grounds of the sentence, in fact, the judges of the third penal section write that the alleged occult pact between Unipol, the "friendly banks" and the so-called "contropattisti" was only a "theorem" brought to trial and based on "mere perceptions, inferences or presumptions". On 6 May 2015, the Cassation confirmed the acquittal by putting an end to the affair.

References

External links

1943 births
Living people
People from Bronte, Sicily
Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians
Christian Democratic Centre politicians
Union of the Centre (2002) politicians
The People of Freedom politicians
New Centre-Right politicians
Popular Alternative politicians
Deputies of Legislature X of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XI of Italy
Politicians from the Province of Catania
Union of the Centre (2002) MEPs
The People of Freedom MEPs
MEPs for Italy 2009–2014
MEPs for Italy 2004–2009
Italian politicians convicted of corruption

Vito Bonsignore


Ignatius of Santhià (5 June 1686 – 22 September 1770), born Lorenzo Maurizio Belvisotti, was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

Belvisotti made it his mission to help penitents in the sacrament of Reconciliation and also devoted himself to the care of the ill. He gained a strong reputation for the humble and austere nature of his life in addition to the application of the Franciscan charism in his life which served as a model for thousands.

He was canonized in 2002 after three miracles had been attributed to him and as recognition for his long life of service and heroic virtue.

Life
Lorenzo Maurizio Belvisotti was born in Vercelli on 5 June 1686 as the fourth of six children to Pietro Paolo Belvisotti and Maria Elisabetta Balocco. His education came from a local priest - Bartolomeo Quallio - who inspired him to discern a potential call to religious life. His education came at the age of seven after the death of his father. He travelled to Vercelli from his village for theological and philosophical studies in 1706.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1710 and remained as a parish priest until 1716. He was offered a position of power in Vercelli but he declined it and instead became a novice in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He made his religious profession on 24 May 1717 and assumed the name of "Ignatius of Santhià" - this earned the ire of his parents who did not understand his decision to join the order. He assumed his name in honor of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He was assigned to a convent in Saluzzo in 1717 and served as a sacristan there. He was also a novice master at Chieri for a time and a sacristan in Turin in 1723. He also served as the novice master at Mondovi from 1731 to 1744 but an ailment in one of his eyes caused him to retire from the position for two years.

Between 1743 and 1746 war broke out in Piedmont. After he had recovered from his near blindness he became the head chaplain of the armies of Charles Emmanuel III who were combating the Franco-Hispanic forces. He gained a strong reputation for his work with the injured. He also worked in that position in hospitals in both Asti and Alessandria. He returned to his old life after the conflict ceased where he served as a confessor and religious instructor. He continued to visit the ill and the poor across Turin and ministered to the thousands that flocked to receive his blessing and would often state: "Paradise is not made for slackers. Let's get to work".

He died on 22 September 1770 with a reputation for holiness and hailed as a saint across Turin where he died.

Canonization
He had a formidable reputation as a saint after his death and it led to numerous petitions for his sainthood. The first process - which granted him the title Servant of God - spanned from 1777 until 1780 when it closed after the conclusion of its work. A second process opened sometime later to follow suit. These occurred despite the fact that the formal introduction to the cause did not occur until the pontificate of Pope Pius VI on 23 February 1782. Both local processes in Turin were granted the formal decree of ratification on 24 September 1791 in order for the cause to proceed to the next stage.

He was proclaimed to be Venerable on 19 March 1827 after Pope Leo XII recognized the fact that he had lived a life of heroic virtue.

Two miracles that were said to be attributed to his intercession were placed under investigation in two diocesan tribunals and both were granted their ratification on 19 October 1963. Pope Paul VI approved them both and beatified him on 17 April 1966.

The third and final miracle for sainthood was investigated in 1993 and was ratified on 3 June 1994. Pope John Paul II approved the miracle on 20 December 2001 and canonized him on 19 May 2002.

His body lies under the altar in the left chapel in the Church of Santa Maria al Monte dei Cappuccini, Turin.

References

External links
Hagiography Circle
Saints SQPN

1686 births
1770 deaths
People from Vercelli
17th-century venerated Christians
18th-century venerated Christians
18th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
Venerated Catholics
Canonizations by Pope John Paul II
Capuchins
People from Santhià
Italian Roman Catholic saints
Canonized Roman Catholic religious brothers
Franciscan saints
Capuchin saints

Ignatius of Santhià


The Lentz Hotel, erected in 1853, is an historic site that is the oldest commercial building in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. It was moved in 1980 from its original site at the center of Mount Pleasant, North Carolina and restored.

Description
The board-and-batten exterior of the Lentz Hotel is supported by a timber frame of chestnut.  The building  reflects the "bracketed mode" of construction, made popular by American architect Andrew Jackson Downing (1815-1852). This "Carpenter Gothic" style includes brackets under especially wide eaves, vertical board-and-batten sheathing, and heavy lintels over the windows.  The seven mantels and the staircase are of the Greek Revival tradition. The exterior siding is cypress, interior walls are pine, and the floors are made of heart pine planks.

History
Built by W. R. Scott in 1853, he sold the property (then known as the Mt. Pleasant Hotel) to John Lentz in 1863 for $1,350 in Confederate currency. The Lentz family operated the Hotel for over 60 years, spanning three generations. In 1911, the Lentzes built an outside set of stairs so the upstairs rooms could be used by the female students of Mont Ameona Seminary after the school burned (it was considered unseemly for girls to walk through the downstairs rooms where men could be present).

The Lentz Hotel was the social center of Mt. Pleasant during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth century. In fact, it was "famous for parties and social events". Much of the Hotel's prosperity came from the town's dual role as a trading and educational center.
In 1926, the Lentz family sold the hotel.

Over the 20th century, the hotel changed hands several times. Used as a rental property, the Lentz hotel deteriorated. In 1980, the current owners made plans to demolish the hotel and build a new building. However, the Mt. Pleasant Insurance Company and local preservationists started exploring other options.  With funding from the Historic Preservation Fund of North Carolina and the Daniel J. Stowe Foundation, the Lentz Hotel was moved to its current location on College Street in Mount Pleasant.

After being moved, the Lentz Hotel was completely restored.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

References

Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
Buildings and structures completed in 1853
Gothic Revival architecture in North Carolina
Buildings and structures in Cabarrus County, North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places in Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Lentz Hotel


A stop light party, stoplight party,traffic light party or traffic party is a party at which guests wear different colors indicating their relationship-seeking status. While they may be held anytime, anywhere, they are commonly held around Valentine's Day and in areas around colleges and universities.

Concept
The basic idea of the party is that each guest selects a glow stick in a color that best suits their status. Party guests may also be told to arrive wearing the appropriate color. The color green means that one is single and looking for a relationship. Red means that one is in a relationship, or not looking for one. Yellow may mean "unsure" or "maybe," or could mean that one is in a relationship but still open to advances.

The purpose of a stop light party is to decrease the apprehension associated with approaching potential partners at parties. It also serves the purpose of providing an easy indicator of one's unavailability, to fend off unwelcome advances. The color codes derive from the traffic light signal colors indicating red for stop, yellow for caution/slow down, and green for go.

History
The earliest documented examples of a Stop Light or Traffic Light Party held in the public setting can be traced back to the late 1990s and the college town of Albany in upstate New York, where a promoter named Bill Kennedy was throwing them in nightlife venues across the city. The party would gain in popularity after a large nightclub named Sneaky Pete's opened in the winter of 2000. Kennedy would give out glow necklaces and had a large decommissioned traffic light lit up at every party. After years of creating a local buzz, the party received national attention in 2005 after the Albany Times Union ran a feature story about it. The Associated Press (AP) picked up on the story, and it ran nationally on the front page of papers across America. Internet dating site Match.com ran a feature story and after that and the concept went viral. It has been thrown in venues across the world since, receiving extensive media coverage.

See also

 Limits (BDSM)
 Sexual consent

References

Parties
Consent
Dating
Sexual ethics

Stop light party


Raul Lino  (21 November 1879 – 13 July 1974) was a Portuguese architect, designer, architectural theorist, and writer. Lino's architectural theses and studies revolved around the theory of the Casa Portuguesa (Portuguese: Portuguese house), an idealized concept of Portuguese residential architecture, planning, and lifestyle.

The cities of Cascais and Sintra, along the Portuguese Riviera, boast the largest concentration of Lino's constructions out of anywhere, as part of the Summer architecture movement there. Lino played an active part in the cosmopolitanization of Cascais as a summer resort for the wealthy and notable and in the continuation of Sintra as a historicist, romanticist haven.

Early life

Raul Lino da Silva was born in Lisbon, Portugal, on 21 November 1879, to a well-off construction materials merchant. His family's financial standing allowed Lino to leave Portugal, in 1890, to study in Windsor, England, for three years.

Following his studies in Britain, Lino moved to Germany, where he would study under and eventually work in the atelier of German revivalist architect, Albrecht Haupt, until 1897, when Lino returned to Portugal to finish his degree in architecture.

Early career

After returning to Portugal and finishing his studies in architecture, Lino began to work in his father's construction materials business, in 1897. During this time, Lino began his travels across Portugal and his studies of the regionalisms in architecture and style, paying particular note initially to the Alentejo region.

Back to Portugal, he designed and built more than 700 projects. Many were in the Mediterranean Revival and Soft Portuguese styles.

He was a founding member of the National Academy of Fine Arts and served as its secretary in 1946.

Lino was a habitual guest writer for various Portuguese newspapers and journals, including the Diário de Notícias, the Diário Popular, and Atlantida.

A Casa Portuguesa

Lino also wrote many books and texts about the theory of the architecture of the Portuguese house, including:
A Casa Portuguesa - The Portuguese House (1929)
Casas Portuguesas - Portuguese Houses (1933)
L'Evolution de l'Architecture Domestique au Portugal - The Evolution of Domestic Architecture in Portugal (1937)

Selected works

Some of his most important projects were:
 House in Castilho street, 64 and 66 (Valmor Award 1930), Lisbon
 Casa dos Patudos, Alpiarça
 Tivoli Theatre, Lisbon
 João de Deus Museum and Kindergarten, Lisbon
 Gardénia Shop, Lisbon
 St. Patrick Tower, Estoril
 Montsalvat House, Estoril
 Silva Gomes House, Estoril
 Brazil Pavilion in the Portuguese World Exhibition, Lisbon
 House of Quinta da Comenda, Arrábida
 Casa de Santa Maria, Cascais
 Casa do Cipreste, Sintra
 Casa dos Penedos, Sintra
 Casa Branca, Azenhas do Mar
 Casa Branca, Oeiras

See also
Category: Mediterranean Revival architects

External links
  Raul Lino archives, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Art Library

20th-century Portuguese architects
Mediterranean Revival architects
1879 births
1974 deaths
Architects from Lisbon

Raul Lino


Jacquie O'Neill (born 1969 in Yorkshire, England) is an English illustrator.

Jacquie O'Neill was born in 1969 in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorkshire, England, the middle of three daughters. She attended King James's School in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and after that Harrogate College where her father was a Photography Lecturer.

After training as an Accountant she soon realised this was not the profession for her and followed many career paths including running a hotel & restaurant. After the birth of her first two daughters in 1995 & 1997 she returned to education and took an MSc in Creative Technology at Leeds Metropolitan University which she passed with distinctions. After Graduation in 2002 she moved to London and launched her illustration career.

Her first commission was for the BBC, she illustrated a map of London for the online series The Ghosts of Albion. Since then she has had a host of commissions from notable client's including: eBay, Reebok, Mattel, Warner Entertainment to name but a few.

Essentially a fashion illustrator she has branched out into the world of children's illustration completing a range of cards for girls for a company called Soul Trader UK.
She illustrated Po for Nickelodeon's KungFu Panda online games and has also illustrated the US version of the Meg Cabot books in the 1-800-Where-R-You Series

Her work was selected to appear in Martin Dawber's The Big Book of Fashion Illustration which was published by Batsford Ltd 2007

In the Summer of 2008 Jacquie was interviewed by Shivani Mair for Creative Careers Surgery which is an online resource for young people wanting to know more about career options in the creative industry.

In December 2008 she illustrated The Cheeky Girls packaging for the launch of their cosmetics and skincare range which donates a percentage of the profits to ChildLine

In March 2009 she was one of 3 Fashion illustrators asked to contemplate their influences for the Association of Illustrators Portfolios

In January 2010 the first children's book that she has illustrated will be available in the US. Sticker Stories: Figure Skating published by Grosset & Dunlap.

Jacquie currently lives in Cornwall with her American husband Michael and their four daughters. She is a member of The Association of Illustrators and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

References

 http://www.jacquieoneill.com
 AOI Interview
 Creative Careers Surgery Interview

External links
 The Association of Illustrators
 Creative Careers Surgery
 The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

English illustrators
1969 births
Living people

Jacquie O'Neill


Bryan Cody Ransom (born February 17, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility infielder and current infield coordinator for the Washington Nationals. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.

Early life
Ransom was raised in Mesa, Arizona. He attended Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 43rd round (1,202nd overall) in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign with the Indians. He instead attended South Mountain Community College.

He was a survivor of a fatal van accident when his South Mountain Community College baseball team's van blew a tire on a team trip to Tucson, causing the van to roll over. Two of Ransom's teammates died.

After spending two years at South Mountain, Ransom spent the 1997 season at Mesa State, helping the Mavericks to the NCAA Division II regional. Ransom transferred to Grand Canyon University for the 1998 season, and was a key member of an Antelopes squad that won the Western Athletic Conference Northern Division. Ransom started every game at shortstop, hitting .330 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs while leading the team with 20 doubles.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants
Ransom was drafted again in 1998, this time by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round (278th overall). After signing, he spent his first professional season with the Single-A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

Ransom made his major league debut on September 5, 2001, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the next three seasons from 2002 to 2004, he played for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies and the major league club. He was mainly used as a defensive replacement by the Giants. On August 8, 2003, he hit his first major league home run off Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vicente Padilla.

Following the 2004 season, he was granted free agency by the Giants.

He was signed by the Chicago Cubs on January 20, 2005. On March 30, 2005, he was acquired by the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. He played for the Triple-A Oklahoma Redhawks and played in 24 games in which he batted .261 with five home runs. He was released on May 25, 2005. He re-signed with the Chicago Cubs two days later and played with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs for the rest of the season. He was granted free agency after the season.

Houston Astros
Ransom signed with the Seattle Mariners on January 27, 2006, with an invitation to Spring Training. He played in 19 games during Spring Training in which he batted .219 with no home runs. After being reassigned to minor league camp, he was acquired by the Houston Astros for cash considerations on March 30, 2006. He played for the Triple-A Round Rock Express for 2006 season. He batted just .247 with 21 home runs in 122 games.

He returned to the Round Rock Express for the 2007 season. He played for the Express until the end of the minor league season. Ransom batted .263 in 134 games and led the Express in home runs (28) and RBIs (90). He was also second on the team in hits with 131. His good performance earned him a call up on September 4, 2007.

On September 16, 2007, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ransom hit a home run off Paul Maholm. It was Ransom's first home run in the major leagues since 2004.

New York Yankees

Ransom signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees before the 2008 season and was called up to the Yankees on August 15. He homered in both his first and second Yankee at bats, the first hitter in Yankee history to do so. The first occurred on August 17, 2008, against the Kansas City Royals; the second was on August 22, 2008, against the Baltimore Orioles.

On September 21, 2008, Ransom made the last putout in Yankee Stadium history. Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts hit a slow ground ball down the first baseline that Ransom fielded, then stepped on first for the deciding out in a 7–3 Yankees win. On September 26, Ransom had his first multi-home run game against the Boston Red Sox. Both home runs came on the first pitch of the at bat. Ransom was one of only three Yankees to hit a home run while serving as a pinch hitter.

Ransom started the 2009 season as the Yankees' starting third baseman due to the hip surgery recovery of Alex Rodriguez; however, Ransom too was put on the disabled list on April 25 after an injury to his right quadriceps.  On August 5, 2009, Ransom was designated for assignment. He was released August 7, 2009, but re-signed with the Yankees to a minor league contract on August 10, and was assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. He was placed on the 7-day disabled list for an unknown injury on August 16, 2009.

Philadelphia Phillies
On December 11, 2009, Ransom signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. On July 3, 2010, the Phillies called him up to the majors after injuries to Chase Utley and Plácido Polanco. Ransom played in 22 games in July and August, making starts at third, second and first base. He had eight hits and two home runs in 42 at-bats. One of them was a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on July 7.

Arizona Diamondbacks
On January 19, 2011, Ransom signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. On July 21, 2011, Ransom was called up from the Triple-A Reno Aces to replace an injured Stephen Drew. Ransom played in 12 total games at shortstop and third base in July and August. He elected free agency on October 10.

The Diamondbacks re-signed Ransom to a minor league contract on December 11. He again started the year in Reno, but was called up on April 18 when Chris Young went on the disabled list.  He made 13 starts at third base, hitting .269, before the Diamondbacks designated Ransom for assignment on May 21, 2012.

Milwaukee Brewers
On May 23, 2012, Ransom was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks by the Milwaukee Brewers.  On July 13, 2012, Ransom hit his first career grand slam against the Pittsburgh Pirates, lifting the Brewers to victory 10–7.  Ransom made 33 starts at shortstop, nine at third base, and two at second for the Brewers, hitting .196 with six home runs in 168 total at-bats.

Return to the Diamondbacks
On August 31, 2012, the Arizona Diamondbacks claimed Ransom off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.  He played in nine games for Arizona in September, making starts at shortstop and third and picking up seven hits in 23 at-bats.

San Diego Padres
On December 21, 2012, Ransom signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.  With injuries to Chase Headley and Logan Forsythe in spring training, Ransom made his third Opening Day roster and second Opening Day line-up starting at third base. He was designated for assignment on April 12, 2013.

Chicago Cubs
Ransom was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs on April 16, 2013. He was designated for assignment on September 8, 2013, and released on September 16.

Seibu Lions
Ransom signed a contract with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2014 season.

Coaching career
Ransom was hired by the Washington Nationals to serve as the team's infield coordinator for the 2023 season.

Personal life
Ransom is married to Ericka, and they have a daughter named Mackenzie and son named Jordan.  A 2009 YouTube video of his 60-inch box jump in a training session has received almost 400,000 hits.

References

External links

1976 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Bakersfield Blaze players
Baseball players from Arizona
Chicago Cubs players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball players
Houston Astros players
Iowa Cubs players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball third basemen
Milwaukee Brewers players
New York Yankees players
Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen
Oklahoma RedHawks players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Reno Aces players
Round Rock Express players
Saitama Seibu Lions players
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players
San Diego Padres players
San Francisco Giants players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
Shreveport Captains players
Sportspeople from Mesa, Arizona
South Mountain Cougars baseball players
Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball players
Chandler High School (Arizona) alumni

Cody Ransom


The Blue Van is a blues rock band from Denmark consisting of Steffen Westmark (vocals and guitar), Søren Christensen (keyboard, vocals and guitar), Allan Villadsen (bass), and Per Jørgensen (drums and vocals).

History
The Blue Van was founded in Brønderslev, Denmark when the members were in the 6th grade at school. The group soon moved to Copenhagen, where they first recorded two EPs, and in April 2005 they released their first full-length album—The Art Of Rolling.  The band is also known in the United States, due mainly to numerous shows in and around New York City preceding the release of The Art of Rolling, as well as their participation in events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Village Voice's hip Siren Festival. Their second album, Dear Independence, was released in October 2006. The band toured extensively with Australian band Jet to promote Dear Independence. Fans were treated to early renditions of "Rico", "The Odyssey", and "Don't Leave Me Blue". In the first quarter of 2007, the band announced that they would be going into a recluse state in a farm house to write material for their 3rd album. "Silly Boy", the lead single from their third album Man Up, was featured in a 2008 US commercial for the Samsung Behold cell phone.  It was the first of many syncs from the band's catalog using "Man Up", " Silly Boy" and "I'm a Man". Those and others have been featured in various TV series, including Beverly Hills 90210, Call Me Fritz, Revenge, Shameless, Free Radio, Private Practice, the German series Countdown-Die Jagd beginnt, CSI: NY, NCIS, Entourage, Mercy, Dallas, Lie to Me,  and numerous commercials including Scrubs, Red Lobster, Samsung, Common Law, Telus, Time Warner Cable, and NFL football. "Silly Boy" was used in the movie The First Time, starring Dylan O'Brien. "Man Up" has also been used in the MLB 09: The Show video game. Their song "Independence" was used as the theme for USA Network's new show, Royal Pains. "There Goes My Love", a single, was used in a debut Apple iPad  commercial that first aired during the 2010 Oscars.

The title track from their 2010 album Love Shot appears in the 2012 male-stripper film Magic Mike which stars Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey, and in an episode of The Hard Times of RJ Berger. "I'm a Man" was used in the American Pie film American Reuniob and also appears on the soundtrack. "Man Up" as well was used in the trailer for Adam Sandler's That's My Boy and soundtrack. "I'm a Man" was also used for the trailer for Fright Night starring Colin Farrell.

In 2013 the band released their 5th album entitled "Would You Change Your Life?" (WYCYL), recorded in Copenhagen and produced by Joshua (Kent, Mew, Carpark North, etc.). It was followed by an American tour in March/April same year and a full Danish tour, plus a tour in the German speaking countries.

To try something new, rather than just release a 6th album, they began recording a string of singles in Copenhagen, with old producer team Mark Wills and Dan Hougesen (who also worked with the band on "The Art Of Rolling", "Man Up" and "Love Shot". From mid 2014 'till late 2015, 10 singles including videos (all directed by Daniel Buchwald) was released, digital only. Outside the project a collaboration between TBV and support act, Velvet Volume resulted in a single called "Better Together". In December 2015 a huge box set, called "Letters", consisting of 2 vinyl records, a book, a CD and a DVD plus the 10 single covers on thick cardboard. Vinyl 1 has the 10 singles on it and on vinyl 2 is previously unreleased material, dating back to 2006 and forward.
Also included is a ticket for The Blue Van 20th anniversary show @ Pumpehuset in Copenhagen on April 21, 2016.

Facts
 Christensen and his wife appeared in an episode of House Hunters International that debuted on November 30, 2012, in which they searched for a home in Copenhagen.

Name
The band name is derived from the "Den blå vogn" - a van that collected mentally ill people in Denmark.
Others believe the name may be a tribute to a band from near the Deutschtown neighborhood of Pittsburgh who had a hit "song" of the same name in the late 1990s. The song Don't Leave Me Blue from the Album Dear Independence was featured on the MTV Danmark show Smacking New, which showcases new and upcoming bands.

Discography

References

External links
 The Blue Van - Website

TVT Records artists
Danish alternative rock groups
Musical groups established in 2003
People from Brønderslev

The Blue Van


Alexander Lockwood Smith  (born 13 November 1948) is a New Zealand politician and diplomat who was High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2017, and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2013.

Smith is a member of the New Zealand National Party and served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1984 until his retirement to pursue diplomatic roles in 2013. He represented first the Kaipara electorate and then Rodney, and has held a number of Cabinet positions; he was Minister of Education from 1990 to 1996 and subsequently served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister for International Trade, and Associate Minister of Finance.

Early years
Smith attended Auckland Grammar School in 1961. He has a PhD in Animal science from the University of Adelaide. Before entering politics he lectured at Massey University, worked as a television quizmaster for the children's quiz shows It's Academic and The W 3 Show, and was Marketing Manager at the New Zealand Dairy Board.

Member of Parliament

Smith was first elected in 1984 as the MP for Kaipara. He represented this electorate until it was abolished in 1996 during the shift to mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation. Following the  election he was the representative for Rodney until the  election where he stood as a list-only candidate and was elected as a List MP.

Minister in the Fourth National Government
Smith served as Minister of Education from 1990 until 1996 in the Fourth National Government of New Zealand. During this period he implemented a number of changes to the tertiary education sector (universities and technical institutions). One high-profile change involved a radical increase in student fees, as recommended by the Todd Report, which the government had commissioned to address issues of funding.

As opposition education spokesman in 1990, Smith promised to remove the Labour Government's tertiary tuition fee of $1250, if elected. Once in office, he kept this promise on a technicality: he shifted the burden of charging fees for courses from the government to the institutions, who then had to charge even higher tuition fees due to decreased government funding.

Smith's term as Education Minister also saw the introduction of means-testing for student allowances, with the effect that students of middle-class parents became ineligible for allowances until they reached 25 years of age.

In 1996 Smith took up the Agriculture and Trade Negotiation portfolios: Wyatt Creech succeeded him as Education Minister. Smith also became Minister for International Trade and for Tourism, as well as holding responsibilities as Associate Minister of Finance, Associate Minister of Immigration (International Access and Processing), and Minister Responsible for Contact Energy Ltd.

As Trade Minister, Smith spearheaded New Zealand's efforts at the 1999 APEC negotiations. He successfully negotiated New Zealand's free-trade agreement with Singapore, which became the NZ – Singapore Closer Economic Partnership. At the WTO Ministerial in Seattle, he took part in efforts which later lead to the Doha Development Round.

Opposition, 1999–2008
In opposition, Smith held a number of spokesperson roles for the National Party, including those of Foreign Affairs, Commerce, and Immigration. In his role as Immigration spokesman, Smith challenged Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field over alleged impropriety in Field's dealings with constituents.

During the 2008 election campaign, on 22 October 2008, Smith made some comments in an interview with The Marlborough Express concerning seasonal Asian and Pacific workers that caused controversy. Regarding Pacific workers he said that some employers "are having to teach them things like how to use a toilet or shower..." And he said that for pruning trees: "some of the Asian workers have been more productive... because their hands are smaller." Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia described these remarks as "racist", and the Prime Minister Helen Clark characterised them as "absolutely daft". Smith later stated that the media had presented his comments out of context, and that he had repeated the views of employers whom he had talked to; he expressed regret at any unintended offence taken. The parliamentary leader of the National Party, John Key, subsequently referred to this statement as an apology.

Speaker of the House
Following the National Party's successes in the 2008 election, Members of Parliament unanimously elected Smith as Speaker of the House.  Smith took a rather different approach from his predecessor, being more active in requiring ministers to provide answers to oral questions. Smith was re-elected as Speaker of the House again on 20 December 2011.

Smith was expected to retire from Parliament and to be appointed High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom later in 2012, but stayed on until February 2013. He gave his valedictory speech on 13 February 2013; this was in fact his first speech in Parliament in four years, as Speakers perform an apolitical role. Reflecting on his nearly 30 years in Parliament, he listed voting against the Homosexual Law Reform Bill in 1986 as his biggest regret:

I faced the classic dilemma of voting according to my own judgement or the opinion of those I was elected to represent. As a new member, I opted for the latter and I've always regretted it.

Smith was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services as a Member of Parliament and as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
Smith began his term as High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom on 25 March 2013, with a powhiri at New Zealand House in London. He stepped down from the role on 25 March 2017. He was replaced by Sir Jerry Mateparae, the former Governor-General.

Personal life
On 4 July 2009 he married longtime partner, Alexandra Lang, in the Legislative Council Chamber of Parliament.

Notes

References

External links

 National Party Bio
 Parliamentary page
 Lockwood Smith marries

1948 births
People educated at Auckland Grammar School
Living people
Academic staff of Massey University
Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
New Zealand National Party MPs
New Zealand list MPs
Speakers of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
University of Adelaide alumni
New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates
New Zealand education ministers
High commissioners of New Zealand to the United Kingdom
Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand game show hosts
21st-century New Zealand politicians
People from the Kaipara District

Lockwood Smith


Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Energy, HZB) is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. The institute studies the structure and dynamics of materials and investigates solar cell technology. It also runs the third-generation BESSY II synchrotron in Adlershof. Until the end of 2019 it ran the 10 megawatt BER II nuclear research reactor at the Lise Meitner  campus in Wannsee.

History
Following the renaming of Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin GmbH to Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH on 5 June 2008, the legal merger of Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung (BESSY) with HZB became visible on 1 January 2009.

The Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin für Kernforschung (HMI), named after Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner, was named 14 March 1959 in Berlin-Wannsee to operate the BER I research reactor that began operation with 50 kW on 24 July 1958, then named Institut für Kernforschung (IKB). The IKB was founded by the senate of Berlin (West) in winter 1956/57 as a dependent authority. Research originally focused on radiochemistry. In 1971, the federal government took over 90% of the shares in the HMI by converting it into a GmbH (limited liability company).

The Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung GmbH (BESSY) was founded in 1979. The first synchrotron BESSY I in Berlin-Wilmersdorf began operations in 1982.

In May 2022, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in South Africa on the final leg of a trip to Africa, publicly announced that HZB and Sasol had agreed to conduct research into substances to help produce sustainable aviation fuel on a commercial scale.

References

External links
 Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin: Official English language website
 Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin: Official German language website

Nuclear technology
Nuclear research institutes
Neutron facilities
Research institutes in Berlin
 Synchrotron radiation facilities

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin