The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were also known as The Oklahoma Long Riders because of the long dusters that they wore.

The gang formed in the last decade of the 19th century, and most of its members were killed before 1900. Only two of its eleven members survived into the 20th century, and all eleven met violent deaths in gun battles with lawmen.

Members
The gang was led by Bill Doolin and William Marion "Bill" Dalton; it included the following men at various times: William "Tulsa Jack" Blake, Dan "Dynamite Dick" Clifton, Roy Daugherty (a.k.a. "Arkansas Tom Jones");, George "Bitter Creek" Newcomb (a.k.a. "Slaughter Kid"); Charley Pierce, William F. "Little Bill" Raidler, George "Red Buck" Waightman, Richard "Little Dick" West, and Oliver "Ol" Yantis.  Additionally, two teenaged girls, known as Little Britches and Cattle Annie, followed the gang, informing them of the movements of law enforcement officers whenever they pursued the criminals.

Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce had previously been members of the Dalton Gang, which had been dominated by Bill Dalton's brothers. Bill Dalton had aided his brothers in their gang, but had never taken part in any of their robberies and did not get involved until after the deaths of two of them at a bank robbery in Coffeyville, Kansas. Doolin had worked as a cowboy in Kansas and the Cherokee Outlet. As a leader of the Wild Bunch, he had something of a Robin Hood image because he and his gang preyed on wealthy institutions. He and his gang received considerable aid from the general public in eluding the law (see Ingalls, Oklahoma).

Origins
What was known as the Dalton Gang had been dominated by several Dalton brothers, and led by Bob Dalton. Doolin, Newcomb, and Charley Pierce were also members. They took part in the botched train robbery in Adair, Oklahoma Territory, on July 15, 1892, in which two guards and two townsmen, both doctors, were wounded, one of the doctors dying the next day. Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce complained that Bob Dalton was not dividing money fairly among the gang and left in protest, but would later return. According to some accounts, Bob Dalton told Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce that he no longer needed them. Doolin and his friends returned to their hideout in Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory. On October 5, four of the remaining five members of the Dalton Gang would be killed in Coffeyville, Kansas during a botched robbery.

For a time, Doolin and his partners operated under outlaw Henry Starr (Cherokee), hiding out about 75 miles northeast of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, from where they made several raids. Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce visited the Daltons' mother in Kingfisher to console her after her sons' deaths. Brothers Lit and Bill Dalton were also visiting their mother, and Doolin proposed that they join him and his group to avenge their brothers. Bill Dalton agreed to join them and soon took part in several robberies, but Lit refused in disgust. Henry Starr was arrested in 1893 and held for trial at Fort Smith.

As Doolin and Dalton were accepted as leaders of the gang, it became known as the Doolin—Dalton Gang, and also as the Wild Bunch. They hid out in northeastern Payne County, and were obtaining ammunition and supplies at the little village of Ingalls.

Career
Doolin soon took action: On November 1, 1892, his new gang, the Wild Bunch, robbed the Ford County Bank at Spearville, Kansas, getting away with all the cash on hand and over $1,500 in treasury notes. From the postcard descriptions sent out, the city marshal of Stillwater, Oklahoma Territory recognized Ol' Yantis, the gang's newest member. The marshal's posse soon cornered and killed Yantis in a shootout.

On June 11, 1893, the Wild Bunch held up a Santa Fe train west of Cimarron, Kansas. They took $1,000 in silver from the California-New Mexico Express. A sheriff's posse from old Beaver County, Oklahoma Territory, caught up with the gang north of Fort Supply. The gang got away but, in the ensuing gunfight, Doolin was shot in the left foot. The injury gave him pain for the rest of his life.

On September 1, 1893, a posse organized by the new U.S. Marshal, Evett Dumas "E.D." Nix, entered the outlaw town of Ingalls with the intent to capture the gang. In what would be remembered as the Battle of Ingalls, three of the fourteen lawmen were killed in the gunfire. Two town citizens also died; one was killed protecting the outlaws.

After a short break the gang continued its activities in Oklahoma Territory. On January 3, 1894, Pierce and Waightman held up the store and post office at Clarkson. On January 23, the gang robbed the Farmers Citizens Bank at Pawnee, and March 10, the Wild Bunch robbed the Santa Fe Railway station at Woodward of more than $6,000.

On March 20, Nix sent the Three Guardsmen with a directive to take care of the Wild Bunch. The directive stated in part, "I have selected you to do this work, placing explicit confidence in your abilities to cope with those desperadoes and bring them in—alive if possible—dead if necessary."

On April 1, 1894, the gang attempted to rob the store of retired US Deputy Marshal W.H. Carr at Sacred Heart, Indian Territory. Although shot through the stomach, Carr shot Newcomb in the shoulder, and the gang fled without getting anything.

On May 10, 1894, the Wild Bunch robbed the bank at Southwest City, Missouri, of $4,000, wounding several townspeople and killing one.

On May 21, 1894, the jurors in the Roy Daugherty (a.k.a. "Arkansas Tom Jones") trial found him guilty of manslaughter rather than murder in the killing of three Deputy US Marshals. Frank Dale, the territorial judge hearing the case, returned to Guthrie, the territorial capitol in Oklahoma, and told US Marshal E.D. Nix, " ... you will instruct your deputies to bring them in dead."

Bill Dalton, meanwhile, had left Doolin to form his own Dalton Gang. On May 23, 1894, Dalton and his new gang robbed the First National Bank at Longview, Texas. This was the gang's only job. Various posses would kill three of the members and sent the last one to life in prison.

On December 19, 1894, Doolin was reportedly one of six men who attempted to rob the J.R. Pearce store at Texana, Oklahoma Territory; they were driven off having looted with less than $20.00 worth of  merchandise.

On April 3, 1895, the Wild Bunch, without Doolin, held up a Rock Island train at Dover, Oklahoma. Unable to open the safe containing the $50,000 army payroll, they robbed passengers of cash and jewelry. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Madsen and his posse took a special train to Dover and picked up the trail at daybreak, surprising the gang around noon. The marshals killed Blake and scattered the gang. This was the last robbery committed by the Wild Bunch as a gang, although some of its members kept up the robberies and killings for which they were known.

Demise

U.S. Marshal Evett "E.D." Nix was appointed in 1893. He made his main priority the toppling of the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Nix appointed one hundred marshals to the task, insisting that they hunt down all outlaws, but making this gang a priority. Marshal Nix was staunchly supportive of his deputies and whatever they felt was necessary to bring down the gang. With him as their defender politically, his deputy marshals systematically hunted down the gang members.
 Oliver "Ol" Yantis — killed November 29, 1892 at Orlando, Oklahoma Territory by Ford County, Kansas Sheriff Chalkey Beeson and Deputy US Marshal Tom Hueston.
 Roy Daugherty a.k.a. "Arkansas Tom Jones" — captured September 1, 1893, in Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory; convicted and sentenced to prison; pardoned in 1910; committed other robberies; finally tracked down and killed in a shootout while resisting arrest August 16, 1924, in Joplin, Missouri.
 William Marion "Bill" Dalton — killed June 8, 1894, near Elk, Indian Territory, by an Anadarko posse.
 William "Tulsa Jack" Blake — killed April 4, 1895, near Ames, Oklahoma Territory, by Deputy U.S. Marshals Will Banks and Isaac Prater.
 George "Bitter Creek" Newcomb a.k.a. "Slaughter Kid" — killed May 2, 1895, in Payne County, Oklahoma Territory, by the Dunn Brothers, who were bounty hunters.
 Charley Pierce — killed May 2, 1895, in Payne County, Oklahoma Territory, by the Dunn brothers.
 William F. "Little Bill" Raidler — shot and captured September 6, 1895, by Deputy U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman; paroled in 1903 because of complication from wounds received when he was captured; died 1904.
 Bill Doolin — captured January 15, 1896, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas by Deputy U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman; escaped with Dynamite Dick Clifton; killed August 24, 1896, in Lawson, Oklahoma Territory, by a posse under Deputy U.S. Marshal Heck Thomas.
 George "Red Buck" Waightman — killed March 4, 1896, near Arapaho, Oklahoma Territory, by a Custer County posse.
 Dan "Dynamite Dick" Clifton — captured June 1896 by Deputy U.S. Marshals from Texas; escaped with Bill Doolin; killed November 7, 1897, near Checotah, Indian Territory, by Deputy U.S. Marshals under Deputy Marshal Chris Madsen.
 Richard "Little Dick" West — killed April 8, 1898, in Logan County, Oklahoma Territory, by Deputy U.S. Marshals under Deputy Marshal Chris Madsen.

In popular culture
 The Doolin Gang was featured in Season 1, Episode 21 (air date June 10, 1954) of the 1950s syndicated television series, Stories of the Century, starring and narrated by Jim Davis.
 The western movie The Wild Bunch (1969) had no connection with the actual criminal gang.
 A fictional bandit gang naming itself the Wild Bunch (and numbering over 150 members) appears in the Italian Western My Name Is Nobody (1973).
 The gang was the inspiration for the album Desperado (1973) by the Eagles and the songs "Doolin-Dalton" and "Bitter Creek" on that album.
 A movie starring Randolph Scott, The Doolins of Oklahoma, portrayed Doolin as a Robin Hood type character.
 A movie starring Burt Lancaster named "Cattle Annie and Little Britches," released April 24, 1981, follows the story of two infatuated teens who followed and assisted the Doolin-Dalton gang.

References

Further reading

External links

Gangs in Oklahoma
Outlaw gangs in the United States
Outlaws of the American Old West

Wild Bunch


The Act of Guarantee (Dutch: Akte van Garantie) of the hereditary stadtholderate was a document from 1788, in which the seven provinces of the States General and the representative of Drenthe declared, amongst other things, that the admiralty and captain-generalship were hereditary, and together with the hereditary stadtholderate would henceforth be an integrated part of the constitution of the Dutch Republic. Moreover, members of the House of Orange-Nassau would have the exclusive privilege to hold the office. The Act was in force until the Batavian Republic was established in 1795.

Background

In the second half of the 18th century, there were tensions all over Europe because of growing dissatisfaction against the ruling upper class. William V, Prince of Orange, succeeded his father as hereditary stadtholder of the United Netherlands in 1751, but the –otherwise intelligent– prince showed weak leadership, and was heavily influenced from abroad. Especially the Patriots, influenced by Enlightenment thought and the American Revolution, opposed his policies, and sought to reform the state and legal system. After the Netherlands got into war with Britain in 1780, criticism of the stadtholderian regime's functioning steadily increased, and the influence and prestige of the prince gradually crumbled. Tensions between Orangists and Patriots peaked, both parties started arming themselves and forming exercitiegenootschappen, and the Republic teetered on the brink of civil war.

In subsequent years, violent incidents occurred between supporters of both camps, leading to lethal clashes as well. Patriot politicians managed to obtain positions of executive power in a great many cities, sometimes by the new system of democratic elections. This angered the Orangists, who together with the stadtholder saw their influence, and the wealth resulting from it, waning. Early September 1785, William V  was deprived of his command of the garrison in The Hague, making him feel insecure. Two weeks later, he left for Friesland, where his wife and children had already gone to commemorate the University of Franeker. Thereafter, the stadtholder travelled via Groningen to Het Loo Palace near Apeldoorn. He even intended to return to his ancestral court in Dillenburg, but his wife dissuaded him, and they set up their residence at the Valkhof in Nijmegen. A return to the Binnenhof in The Hague seemed impossible, however.

In September 1786, Patriots under Herman Willem Daendels briefly occupied the towns of Hattem and Elburg, but were soon driven out by stadtholderian forces. Although these clashes were militarily insignificant, their political impact was great: they sharpened the existing divisions and led to a further militarisation of the conflict. A much more serious confrontation took place at the Battle of Jutphaas (9 May 1787); although it was but a small defeat for the prince of Orange, it nevertheless confirmed that he was no longer able to control the country's internal affairs through force. Moreover, a few days later Amsterdam came firmly into Patriot hands when the Orangist Bijltjesoproer was put down on 30 May.

Creation

When the stadtholder's wife, Wilhelmina of Prussia, was arrested by a Patriot militia at Goejanverwellesluis on 28 June 1787, she requested her brother King Frederick William II of Prussia to avenge her humiliation. In response, a large Prussian army invaded the Netherlands in September 1787, and restored William V in his functions and privileges. The Patriots were then cleansed from all political positions and persecuted (many fled to France to escape persecution), clearing the way for Orangists to further increase William's position. They drafted the Act of Guarantee, stipulating that the hereditary stadtholderate, as well as the functions of captain-general (commander of the Dutch States Army) and admiral-general (commander of the Dutch fleet), would be forever granted to the House of Orange-Nassau.

After negotiations between Wilhelmina and the British and Prussian envoys, Laurens Pieter van de Spiegel was appointed Grand Pensionary of Holland. He tried to restore and reinforce the stadtholderian regime, and opposed any democratic innovation. Furthermore, Van de Spiegel tried to restore the Republic's prestige, and conduct several careful reforms, but almost all of them failed, partly due to the fact that the Orange restoration was aimed at keeping the ancien régime in place, and did not leave any room for reform. Van de Spiegel's most important achievement was therefore the draft and ratification of the Act of Guarantee, which had a very conservative and reactionary stamp.

The Act and treaties
Prussia and Britain actively intervened in the restoration, anxious as they were that the Patriots' democratic-republican ideals would spread to their lands as well. On the other hand, they sought to prevent the Dutch Republic from entering an alliance with France and the United States. Finally, they wished to secure Dutch military support in case of war with Russia and/or Austria, who had concluded an alliance in 1781, and together had been successfully conquering Ottoman territories since 1787. On 15 April 1788, Britain and the Republic first signed a defensive pact in The Hague, in which the English swore to guarantee the hereditary stadtholderate. The same day around the same hour, the United Provinces and Prussia concluded a similar treaty in Berlin. In the night of 12–13 June, the Prussian king and envoy and the English envoy jointly drafted a provisional alliance between Prussia and the United Kingdom at Het Loo Palace, also including an act of guarantee concerning the constitution of the Dutch Republic. Van de Spiegel did not participate in the negotiations, but did attend its signing.

On 3 July 1788, William V, accompanied by his sons prince William and prince Frederick, received a delegation of the States General at Huis ten Bosch Palace. In a formal ceremony, it solemnly granted him the Act of Guarantee. The Act was henceforth considered to be an unalienable part of the constitution of the Dutch Republic, which thereby began to look more and more like a unitary state led by an absolutist monarch.

On 13 August 1788, a definitive alliance, the Triple Alliance, was forged between Britain, Prussia and the United Netherlands, the former two promising to preserve the Orange hereditary stadtholderate. The treaty was drafted with the collaboration of Van de Spiegel, but dictated by England. With it, the Republic became a de facto Anglo-Prussian protectorate.

Burning the Act

The Act of Guarantee has been in force for seven years, but in the end, William's position in the Netherlands became untenable. After the French Republican invasion in late 1794, the outbreak of the pro-French Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam forced him and his family to flee to England in January 1795. One of the first acts of the Provisional Representatives of the People of Holland was abolishing the offices of (hereditary) stadtholder, captain-general and admiral-general. Next, the original Act of Guarantee was burnt on 16 February 1795 in a fireplace at the Binnenhof by provisional representative Daniël van Laer.

See also
 Act of Seclusion
 First Stadtholderless Period
 Second Stadtholderless Period
 Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol
 Kew Letters
 Oranienstein Letters

Literature
 Inventaris van de archieven van stadhouder Willem V (1745-1808) en de Hofcommissie van Willem IV (1732-1794), Volumes 1732-1794; B. Woelderink, H. J. de Muij-Fleurke; Uitgeverij Verloren, 2005;
 Handboek der algemeene geschiedenis; J.B. Wolters; Groningen, 1888 (6th, revised edition)

References

1780s in the Dutch Republic
1790s in the Dutch Republic
Legal history of the Netherlands
Patriottentijd
States General of the Netherlands
1788 in the Dutch Republic
1788 in law
1788 documents
Succession acts

Act of Guarantee


Cypress Tomb, also known as Saruwala Maqbara (Urdu: ), is an early 18th century tomb located in Begumpura, Lahore, Pakistan

Background

This structure houses the tomb of Sharf-un-Nisa Begam, sister of Nawab Zakariya Khan, the governor of Lahore province during the reign of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela, built in the eighteenth century. It is located near to the north of the Tomb of Dai Anga,  and east of the Grand Trunk Road in the Begampura neighbourhood of Lahore, Pakistan.

History
The structure was built during 1735–1740 CE, and was used by Sharf-un-Nisa Begam as a meditation chamber during her lifetime. Sharf-un-Nisa Begam had the structure constructed as a place for her to read the Quran in the mornings. She climbed up and descended from the structure by means of a wooden ladder. After her death, the meditation chamber was converted into her tomb, so that even in death, she could remain in purdah and out of view of unrelated men.

The building came to be known locally as the Cypress tomb, on account of the tile motifs depicting cypress trees, alongside other floral motifs used on the tiles on the exterior walls.

The tomb was originally surrounded by a garden and pool, which likely abutted the garden which once surrounded the nearby Tomb of Dai Anga. The tomb was one of the last notable structures of the late Mughal era.

During Sikh rule in the 18th century, it was believed that the tomb contained treasure, and so Sharf-un-Nisa Begam's Quran and sword were both plundered and the tomb desecrated.

As new buildings have been constructed around the area, it has become difficult to access the tomb. It was initially surrounded by gardens, but because of the houses built on them, a "small garden" exists today in which the local boys play cricket.

Architecture
Historian Catherine Blanshard Asher describes the tomb as "Lahore's best preserved monument from the post-Aurangzeb period". It is a "unique structure" as it is like a tapering tower with a "pyramidal vault".

The exterior walls of the tomb are covered with Varanasi tiles, whose colours are much fainter than other buildings where similar tiles have been used. The lower part of the walls contains white and blue tiles imported from western Europe. The mosaic tiles are set in a plaster base. The structure has an elevated platform, so that Sharf-un-Nisa Begam could remain in purdah even after death.

The use of glazed tiles is not unique in Lahore architecture, but the "stiff, rigid quality" of the design of these separates it from other buildings in the city.

Conservation
The tomb is listed on the Protected Heritage Monuments of the Archaeology Department of Punjab.

Gallery

References

External links

Architecture of Lahore
Buildings and structures in Lahore
Mughal tombs
Mughal gardens in Pakistan
Persian gardens in Pakistan
Tourist attractions in Lahore

Cypress Tomb


Amadeus, Count of Neuchâtel (died 1285) was a son of Count Rudolph III and his wife, Sybille of Montbéliard. In 1272, he succeeded his father as Count of Neuchâtel. However, his brothers questioned the legitimacy of his sole rule and demanded a share of his inheritance. They asked the grandfather  to arbitrate the dispute. Theodoric deviated from the usual practice in those days, and decided that the county should be regarded as an indivisible entity. He awarded the county to Amadeus, but acknowledged that his brothers were entitled to a share. However, the brothers would have to swear allegiance to Amadeus.

Marriage and issue
Amadeus was married to Jordanna, the daughter of Count Ulrich of Arberg. They had the following children:
 Rudolph IV, his successor
 Amadeus, a knight
 Guillemette, later Countess of Montbéliard, married Reginald of Burgundy
 Adelaide, married Ulrich of Porta
 Sibylle
 Nicola, a cleric

Counts of Neuchâtel
13th-century births
1285 deaths
13th-century nobility

Amadeus, Count of Neuchâtel


Werner Rodolfo Greuter (born 27 February 1938 in Genoa, Italy, as a Swiss national) is a botanist. He is the chair of the Editorial Committee for the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) - the Tokyo Code (1994) and the St Louis Code (2000).  His proposed policy as regards registration of botanical names proved unpopular and in 1999 he stepped back, not being elected anew: he completed his term as chair to be succeeded at Vienna in 2005. He has returned as a member of the editorial committee, contributing to the renamed International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, the "Melbourne Code" (2012).

Biography
Greuter went to schools in Bellinzona and Winterthur, and received his PhD from the University of Zürich in 1972. From 1972 to 1974 he was scientific director of the Goulandris Museum of Natural History in Kifisia, Athens, and edited its journal, Annales Musei Goulandris till 1976, being succeeded by W. T. Stearn.

He was appointed on 1 April 1978 to his current position: Professor of biology in the Institute of Biology at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, and First Director of the University's Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (BGBM) in Berlin.

Awards

 Medal of Honour of the University of Crete, Rethymnon, 2010
 Doctorate honoris causa (Laurea specialistica ad honorem in Biologia ed Ecologia vegetale), Università degli Studi di Palermo, 2010
 Premio Acuña Galé, Sociedad Cubana de Botánica, 2009
 Honorary Professorship (Categoría Docente Especial de Profesor Invitado), Universidad de La Habana, 2004
 Theophrastus Medal of Honour of the Hellenic Botanical Society, 2000
 IAPT Distinguished Services Award, 1999
 OPTIMA Gold Medal, 1998.
 Distinguished Services Award, XVI International Botanical Congress, St Louis, Missouri

Eponymy
The plant species Epipactis greuteri, Minuartia greuteriana, Hieracium greuteri, Centaurea greuteri, Bupleurum greuteri and Acanthus greuterianus are named after him. As well as Greuteria, which is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae and published in 2013.

See also
 binomial nomenclature
 List of botanists by author abbreviation

References and external links

 Prof. Greuter's page at The Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (BGBM)
 Example of a combination published by Greuter: Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter

1938 births
Living people
20th-century Swiss botanists
21st-century Swiss botanists

Werner Greuter


United Torah Judaism (, Yahadut HaTora), often referred to by its electoral symbol Gimel (), is a Haredi, religious conservative political alliance in Israel. The alliance, consisting of Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah, was first formed in 1992, in order to maximize Ashkenazi Haredi representation in the Knesset. Despite the alliance splitting in 2004 over rabbinical differences, the parties reconciled in 2006, in order to prevent vote-wasting. In April 2019, the party achieved its highest number of seats ever, receiving eight seats.

Unlike similar religiously-oriented parties like Shas, The Jewish Home, Tkuma, and Noam, UTJ is non-Zionist. Unlike some other Haredim, the party is notable for its usage of technology and electronic communication.

History

Before the establishment of Degel HaTorah and the formation of United Torah Judaism, the two factions were united under one united Agudat Yisrael party, but the late mentor and supreme guide of the non-Hasidic group, Rabbi Elazar Shach, broke away from the Hasidic wing when he concluded that the party was not representing all Ashkenazi Haredim. At that point, he split from them, and created the Degel HaTorah party for the "Lithuanian" Haredi Jews (also known as "Mitnagdim" by some). He chose the name Degel HaTorah, meaning "Flag of The Torah", to be a contrast to the well-known flag of Israel and its connection with the secular-dominated State of Israel (an "anti-Torah" entity, in his opinion). Rabbi Shach was known as an outspoken critic of the secular Israeli way of life.

The UTJ party also had considerable influence on the Israeli Sephardi Jews' Shas party. In fact, the Shas party was founded by Rabbi Shach at an earlier juncture when he was previously also frustrated with the policies of the Hasidic rebbes; so, he turned to the Sephardic Jews, and urged his own Ashkenazi followers at that time, to vote for the new Shas party, which they did in record numbers. Later, Shas broke with Rabbi Shach, as it adopted its own independent political stance under Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Yet, Shas generally goes in the same direction, as it has similar values, needs and interests within the state.

Haaretz cited that some women activists have protested the fact that UTJ, along with other Haredi parties, refuses to run female candidates for office. UTJ responded that they have the right to follow the Jewish laws of modesty, which separates roles of men and women, and maintain that they do not deny women the right to vote for any other Knesset parties of their choice. They add that Haredi women will not vote for them if they elect women.

2004 split
In January 2004, the party split back into its two factions following a disagreement over how to join Ariel Sharon's coalition, which had been negotiated by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv. Rabbi Eliashiv wanted the five MKs to have a three-month "waiting period" before accepting jobs in the government. Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, the Gerrer rebbe, however, thought that all Agudat members should accept positions immediately. The Agudat MKs argued that they should be entitled to follow their own rabbis' ruling, while their Degel HaTorah counterparts accused them of disrespecting Rabbi Eliashiv. The Agudat faction proceeded to follow the rebbe of Ger's instructions, with MK Yaakov Litzman accepting the position as chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee. This infuriated Degel HaTorah and its leaders, and in response, they left the party, dissolving a twelve-year-old partnership.

Re-unification as a party
In December 2005, there was a meeting between representatives of the two factions, presumably to smooth over the ill-feelings of the previous year and to attempt to re-group before the March 2006 elections. A number of issues were worked out, such as Degel HaTorah's insistence on the joint list being equally divided between the two parties. (In the past, Agudat Israel has received slightly more votes than Degel HaTorah.) Degel HaTorah has re-organized itself. It has a fully equipped modern party office on Hamabit Street 10 in Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood. It conducted a party convention, its first in 15 years, in December 2005.

In early February 2006, Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah agreed to run together as United Torah Judaism, despite the fact that the contentious "sixth seat" issue remained undecided. The two groups finally compromised by proposing dividing the sixth seat between two representatives on a rotating schedule (as was done in the last Knesset between the Belz and Vizhnitz communities for the fifth seat). This solution seemed to mollify the respective groups, and paved the way for the re-establishment of a joint list for the 2006 elections, although the Belz court was reportedly irked that once again, it was being asked to sacrifice part of its representation.

UTJ MKs told reporters that any decision to join future government coalitions will be dependent on achieving two "central posts" to be split between Agudah and Degel. Similarly, in order to avoid the problems that led to the 2004 split, disagreements about joining a coalition will not be determined by a majority vote of MKs, but rather taken to the party's rabbinic leaders.

Various media interviews with the party's Knesset members confirmed that it would strongly consider joining a coalition with the Ehud Olmert-led Kadima party, should it be offered to them after the elections. In March 2006, the rabbinical leaders of UTJ, including Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, issued public declarations urging the Haredi public to vote for the party's list. In the election, the party increased its mandate by one, to six seats.

Ideology
United Torah Judaism (Yahadut HaTorah – UTJ) is a coalition of two Haredi parties, Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah, which submitted a joint list in the 1992 election, in which it won four Knesset seats. In the 1999 elections, UTJ won five Knesset seats. UTJ wants to maintain a status quo relationship in regard to religion-and-state issues. The party has no uniform opinion on the issue of increasing settlements in the West Bank.

Structure and constituency
UTJ has always been a coalition of two individual parties, choosing to take advantage of Israeli election law in order to maximize the number of seats it can gain in the Knesset (and thus maximize its influence):
 The Agudat Yisrael ("Union of Israel") party that is guided by the followers of Hasidism in Israel, and also consisting of Ashkenazi Jews. The leading members of this party are the followers of the Ger, Vizhnitz, and Belz Hasidim.
 The Degel HaTorah ("Banner of the Torah") party that is guided by the rabbinic heads (usually the leading rosh yeshivas ("deans") of the Lithuanian yeshivas) of non-Hasidic Haredi Ashkenazi Jews.

The Agudat Yisrael faction takes its directions from the Hasidic rebbes of Ger (Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter), Vizhnitz (Rabbi Yisroel Hager), and Belz (Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach). Policy decisions are also weighed and decided by a Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah ("Council of Torah Sages"), a council of communal rabbis, made up of mostly senior and elderly rebbes.

Degel HaTorah's pre-eminent sages are Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, of Bnei Brak. Policy decisions are also weighed and decided by their own "Moetzes" (Council) of experienced communal rabbis, made up of mostly senior and elderly rosh yeshivas.

Election results

Knesset members

See also
 Agudath Israel of America
 Hasidim and Mitnagdim
 World Agudath Israel
 Chardal

References

External links

 United Torah Judaism Knesset website

Ashkenazi Jews topics
Haredi Judaism in Israel
Orthodox Jewish political parties
Political party alliances in Israel
Political parties established in 1992
1992 establishments in Israel
Conservative parties in Israel
Social conservative parties
Right-wing parties
Right-wing politics in Israel

United Torah Judaism


Mose Humphrey was a member of Fire Company 40 in New York City in the 19th century, and the inspiration for the folk hero character "Mose the Fireboy".

The character of Mose first appeared on Broadway in Benjamin A. Baker's A Glance at New York, in 1848. Mose was featured in several stage shows and penny novels in the mid-19th century. The character was most identified with actor Frank Chanfrau.

The Fireboy character was said to have a height of  and hands as big as Virginia hams, able to lift trolley cars over his head and rescue babies inside a stovepipe hat, as his own beaver hat was two foot across the brim. Certain stories recall Mose performing extraordinary deeds, such as swimming the Hudson River with two strokes, or tearing up mulberry and cherry trees to use as a bludgeon against the Plug Uglies, a gang that were at odds with New York Firemen Co. 49.

The real Mose was a parishioner of St. Andrew's Church.

Notes

Further reading

New York City firefighters
History of New York City
History of firefighting
American folklore
Tall tales
19th-century American people
American legends

Mose Humphrey


In differential geometry, the Schwarz minimal surfaces are periodic minimal surfaces originally described by Hermann Schwarz.

In the 1880s Schwarz and his student E. R. Neovius described periodic minimal surfaces. They were later named by Alan Schoen in his seminal report that described the gyroid and other triply periodic minimal surfaces.

The surfaces were generated using symmetry arguments: given a solution to Plateau's problem for a polygon, reflections of the surface across the boundary lines also produce valid minimal surfaces that can be continuously joined to the original solution. If a minimal surface meets a plane at right angles, then the mirror image in the plane can also be joined to the surface. Hence given a suitable initial polygon inscribed in a unit cell periodic surfaces can be constructed.

The Schwarz surfaces have topological genus 3, the minimal genus of triply periodic minimal surfaces.

They have been considered as models for periodic nanostructures in block copolymers, electrostatic equipotential surfaces in crystals, and hypothetical negatively curved graphite phases.

Schwarz P ("Primitive")

Schoen named this surface 'primitive' because it has two intertwined congruent labyrinths, each with the shape of an inflated tubular version of the simple cubic lattice. While the standard P surface has cubic symmetry the unit cell can be any rectangular box, producing a family of minimal surfaces with the same topology.

It can be approximated by the implicit surface
.

The P surface has been considered for prototyping tissue scaffolds with a high surface-to-volume ratio and porosity.

Schwarz D ("Diamond")

Schoen named this surface 'diamond' because it has two intertwined congruent labyrinths, each having the shape of an inflated tubular version of the diamond bond structure. It is sometimes called the F surface in the literature.

It can be approximated by the implicit surface

 .

An exact expression exists in terms of elliptic integrals, based on the Weierstrass representation.

Schwarz H ("Hexagonal")

The H surface is similar to a catenoid with a triangular boundary, allowing it to tile space.

Schwarz CLP ("Crossed layers of parallels")

Illustrations
 Susquehanna University - Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (Archived)
 Indiana University - Triply Periodic Surfaces of Genus 3 (Archived)
 Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg - Bicontinuous cubic phases based on triply periodic minimal surfaces
 Université libre de Bruxelles - Schwartz's Surface (Archived)
 Virtual Math Museum - 3DXM Minimal Surface Gallery

References

Differential geometry
Minimal surfaces

Schwarz minimal surface


Loop entropy is the entropy lost upon bringing together two residues of a polymer within a prescribed distance.  For a single loop, the entropy varies logarithmically with the number of residues  in the loop

where  is the Boltzmann constant and  is a coefficient that depends on the properties of the polymer.  This entropy formula corresponds to a power-law distribution  for the probability of the residues contacting.

The loop entropy may also vary with the position of the contacting residues.  Residues near the ends of the polymer are more likely to contact (quantitatively, have a lower ) than those in the middle (i.e., far from the ends), primarily due to excluded volume effects.

Wang-Uhlenbeck entropy
The loop entropy formula becomes more complicated with multiples loops, but may be determined for a Gaussian polymer using a matrix method developed by Wang and Uhlenbeck.  Let there be  contacts among the residues, which define  loops of the polymers.  The Wang-Uhlenbeck matrix  is an  symmetric, real matrix whose elements  equal the number of common residues between loops  and .  The entropy of making the specified contacts equals

As an example, consider the entropy lost upon making the contacts between residues 26 and 84 and residues 58 and 110 in a polymer (cf. ribonuclease A).  The first and second loops have lengths 58 (=84-26) and 52 (=110-58), respectively, and they have 26 (=84-58) residues in common.  The corresponding Wang-Uhlenbeck matrix is

whose determinant is 2340.  Taking the logarithm and multiplying by the constants  gives the entropy.

References
 Wang, M. C., & Uhlenbeck, G. E. (1945). On the theory of the Brownian motion II. Reviews of Modern Physics, 17(2-3), 323.

Thermodynamic entropy
Polymer physics

Loop entropy


"Squid's Visit" is the first part of the 16th episode of the sixth season of SpongeBob SquarePants. It was first broadcast on Nickelodeon on June 4, 2009. The episode is about SpongeBob SquarePants trying to get Squidward Tentacles to visit his home.

Story

SpongeBob learns that Squidward does not usually do anything after working at the Krusty Krab. He asks Squidward many times to meet him at his house. On the next day, Squidward tells SpongeBob that he does not want to leave his home to visit SpongeBob's house. SpongeBob asks his neighbor Patrick on what to do. Patrick says he should borrow something from Squidward so that he will have to go to SpongeBob to get it back.

Squidward accidentally drops pepper while making a casserole. He tries to get his vacuum cleaner but learns that SpongeBob has taken it. He puts the casserole in his oven and goes to SpongeBob's house to get the vacuum cleaner back. He learns that SpongeBob has made the inside of his house look just like Squidward's house. Squidward becomes afraid and asks SpongeBob for the vacuum cleaner. While SpongeBob is gone, Squidward looks around and sees that SpongeBob has copied small details of Squidward's house. He goes to the bathroom and believes that SpongeBob spies on him. He becomes unconscious after slipping on cream and hitting his head on a toilet.

He wakes up and thinks that he was dreaming. He screams when he sees SpongeBob and goes to a room with many paintings. He learns that SpongeBob has made copies of all 492 of his portraits. He goes to a closet and finds his vacuum cleaner. He learns that SpongeBob has put all of his furniture in the closet. He leaves SpongeBob's house and learns that his house has burned down. He did not take his casserole out of the oven which started a fire. Squidward faints and later sleeps in SpongeBob's house, while SpongeBob and Gary sleep where Squidward's house used to be.

References

Other websites

2009 television episodes
SpongeBob SquarePants episodes

Squid's Visit


Food waste in New Zealand is one of the many environmental issues that is being addressed by industry, individuals and government.

The total volume of food wasted in New Zealand is not known as food waste has not been investigated at all stages of the supply chain. However, research has been undertaken into household food waste, supermarket food waste and hospitality sector food waste. The Environment Select Committee held a briefing into foodwaste in 2018.

Household food waste
A Waste Not Consulting report to the Ministry for the Environment "Household Waste Data 2008", calculated that, in 2008, 1,048,993 tonnes of waste were generated by the residential sector, an average of 260 kg per person or 676 kg per household per annum. Over 44% of this household waste was organic, with 24.7% (or 258,886 tonnes) of the total being kitchen waste, and 19.6% being greenwaste (205,526 tonnes).

More detailed research into food waste generated by households, that was disposed of through curbside rubbish collections, was conducted by Waste Not Consulting in 2014 on behalf of WasteMINZ.  The rubbish bins of 1,402 households were studied with their food waste sorted, weighed and costed. The study found that 229,022 tonnes of food is sent to landfill by households annually. Of this approximately 50% or 122,547 tonnes is avoidable food waste. The national cost of avoidable household food waste disposed of to landfill in 2014/2015 was $872 million pa. Eliminating this food waste would have the same effect as reducing  equivalent emissions by 325,975 tonnes – equivalent to planting 130,390 trees or taking 118,107 cars off the road for a year.

Research done by Massey University academics in 2015 found that certain households created more food waste. These were households with more young people and households with larger numbers.

This research was repeated in 2018 with the rubbish bins of 600 households audited. The study found that on average, New Zealand households were throwing away 3.15 kg of food a week via their domestic kerbside collection. This is down from 3.17 kg of food waste from bin audits conducted in 2014-2015 by Waste Not Consulting. Due primarily to population growth over that time period 157,398 tonnes of avoidable food waste is being landfilled each year.

The average New Zealand household in 2018 wasted $644 worth of food pa approximately 86 kilos.

The top ten foods wasted in 2018 were:

 Bread 10%
 Left overs 8%
 Oranges and Mandarins 4%
 Apples 3%
 Bananas 3%
 Potatoes 3%
Poultry 3%
Rice 3%
 Lettuces 2%
 Beef 2%.

Statistics on exactly how much edible food is wasted by households and composted, fed to animals or disposed of through a kitchen waste disposal unit is not known. A 2014 survey of 1,365 households found that 66% of those surveyed disposed of some of their food through the council kerbside collection, with 47% disposing of some of their food through composting, 35% through feeding animals and 28% through a kitchen disposal unit. The Love Food Hate Waste Campaign launched in New Zealand on 1 June 2016. The campaign supports families to waste less food by encouraging behaviours to reduce food waste such as using leftovers and correct storage of food. An evaluation of the campaign conducted in 2018 found that households who had heard of the campaign have decreased their food waste to landfill by 27.1%.

Perceptions of food waste

In 2014 a survey of 1,354 households was undertaken by WasteMINZ and people were asked how much food they thought they wasted and how much their weekly shopping bill was. People thought they bought $140 worth of food per week in their grocery shop and they estimated they wasted 5%. So the total amount they thought they wasted was $390 per household per year which equates to $600 million per year

A study was undertaken in 2017 by Rabobank with similar questions asked. People thought they bought $180 worth of food per week in their grocery shop and they estimated they wasted 12%. So the total amount they thought they wasted was $1,071 per household which equates to $1.8 billion per year. It is unclear whether this increased perception of the amount wasted correlates to an actual increase in the amount wasted.

The survey conducted by WasteMINZ in 2014 was repeated using the same survey methodology. People thought they bought $150 worth of food per week in their grocery shop a $10 increase and they estimated they wasted 5% no change with 2014. This suggests that the increased estimate of food waste by Rabobank is due to a difference in survey methodology rather than an actual increase.

Supermarket food waste

Research has been conducted into supermarket food waste in New Zealand by the University of Otago. Physical waste audits were conducted at New World, Countdown and PAK'nSAVE supermarkets around New Zealand in 2017. In total it is estimated that 60,500 tonnes of food are wasted per annum by supermarkets in New Zealand. This equates to approximately 160 tonnes per store per annum.  15% of supermarket food waste is donated to food rescue groups and only 23% is sent to landfill with the balance sent to animal feed 46% or protein reprocessing 15%.

The most wasted foods are
 Vegetables    27%
 Bakery        23%
 Meat and Fish 19%
 Fruit         17%

In New Zealand it is permitted to send food waste to pig farmers though the Biosecurity (Meat and Food Waste for Pigs) Regulations 2005, passed under the Biosecurity Act 1993, prohibits feeding pigs with uncooked meat or food that has been in contact with uncooked meat. In Auckland Ecostock Supplies collects & recycles food waste from manufacturers, retailers, importers and transport companies to make high-quality stock feed.

Supermarkets do not sell foods that are past their use by date or best before dates for legal reasons and perceived danger to health. Many supermarkets have partnered with food banks around the country and now donate tinned and packaged food which has passed its best before date, but it still safe to eat. There are 15 food rescue groups operating around the country as at 2019  such as KiwiHarvest in Auckland and Dunedin, Kaibosh in Wellington, Kaivolution in Hamilton, to rescue fresh food and produce. This is then distributed to local food banks and social agencies. Most food banks do not report on how much dried or tinned food they have been donated, however 14 of the food rescue groups kept records of the tonnages of fresh food donated from supermarkets, manufacturers, growers and sometimes hotels and restaurants.  In 2017 2,777 tonnes of food was rescued. In Wellington the Kai to Compost scheme addresses commercial food waste in the city. It was initially a trial scheme with government funding but is now a user pays scheme involving 50 businesses.

Dumpster diving, especially at supermarkets, does still occur to gather discarded food.

Hospitality food waste
Research conducted into hospitality food waste by the University of Otago and WasteMINZ in 2018 found that cafes and restaurants create 24,366 tonnes of food waste each year, of which 61% is avoidable. It is not known what percentage is sent to landfill as some businesses divert their food waste to composting facilities, food rescue collections or animals.

For this research, food waste was divided into three categories: spoilage, preparation waste and plate waste.

 Spoilage occurs with the over-purchasing of ingredients or poor stock rotation, which causes food to spoil and be discarded before it is even used.
 Preparation waste occurs in the kitchen and includes things like vegetable peelings, eggshells or toast that gets burnt.   It also includes any unsold food that is left at the end of the day.
 Plate waste is whatever customers leave behind on their plate uneaten.

Spoilage was found to be 7% of all food waste; preparation waste was 60% and plate waste was 33%.

For cafés and restaurants, which offer prepared food such as scones, sandwiches, pies etc.; 30% of the preparation waste was unsold food.

By category, the food wasted the most in the sector is:

 Vegetables 28%
 Bakery 26%
 KFC 18%
 Meat   13%
 Fruit  9%

See also
List of waste types
Agriculture in New Zealand

References

Further reading

External links
New Zealand's Love Food Hate Waste Campaign
Biosecurity New Zealand - Feeding Food Waste to Pigs

Environmental issues in New Zealand
Waste in New Zealand
Food and drink in New Zealand
Food waste

Food waste in New Zealand