Pushing hands, Push hands or tuishou (alternately spelled tuei shou or tuei sho) is a two-person training routine practiced in internal Chinese martial arts such as baguazhang, xingyiquan, tai chi, and yiquan.  It is also played as an international sport akin to Judo, Sumo and wrestling, such as in Taiwan, where the biannual Tai Chi World Cup is held.

Overview
Pushing hands is said to be the gateway for students to experientially understand the martial aspects of the internal martial arts: leverage, reflex, sensitivity, timing, coordination and positioning. Pushing hands works to undo a person's natural instinct to resist force with force, teaching the body to yield to force and redirect it. Some tai chi schools teach push hands to complement the physical conditioning of performing solo routines. Push hands allows students to learn how to respond to external stimuli using techniques from their forms practice. Among other things, training with a partner allows a student to develop ting jing (listening power), the sensitivity to feel the direction and strength of a partner's intention. In that sense pushing hands is a contract between students to train in the defensive and offensive movement principles of their martial art: learning to generate, coordinate and deliver power to another and also how to effectively neutralize incoming forces in a safe environment.

History
According to the Chen family of tai chi teachers, pushing hands was created by Chen Wangting (1600–1680), the founder of the Chen-style tai chi, and was originally known as hitting hands (da shou) or crossing hands (ke shou). Chen was said to have devised pushing hands methods for both empty hands and when armed with a spear. Other tai chi schools attribute the invention of pushing hands to mythical Zhang Sanfeng.

Training pushing hands
In tai chi, pushing hands is used to acquaint students with the principles of what are known as the "Eight Gates and Five Steps," eight different leverage applications in the arms accompanied by footwork in a range of motion, intended to allow students to defend themselves calmly and competently if attacked. Also known as the "13 original movements of tai chi", a posture expressing each one of these aspects is found in all tai chi styles. Training and pushing hands competitions generally involve contact but no strikes.

The three primary principles of movement cultivated by push hands practice are:

 Rooting  -  Stability of stance, a highly trained sense of balance in the face of force.
 Yielding  -  The ability to flow with incoming force from any angle.  The practitioner moves with the attacker's force fluidly without compromising their own balance.
 Release of Power (Fa Jing)  -  The application of power to an opponent. Even while applying force in push hands one maintains the principles of Yielding and Rooting at all times.

The Eight Gates ():
P'eng () - An upward circular movement, forward or backward, yielding or offsetting usually with the arms to disrupt the opponent's centre of gravity, often translated as "Ward Off." Peng is also described more subtly as an energetic quality that should be present in every taiji movement as a part of the concept of "song" (鬆) -- or relaxation -- providing alertness, the strength to maintain structure when pressed, and absence of muscular tension in the body.
Lü () - A sideways, circular yielding movement, often translated as "Roll Back."
Chi () - A pressing or squeezing offset in a direction away from the body, usually done with the back of the hand or outside edge of the forearm. Chi is often translated as "Press."
An () - To offset with the hand, usually a slight lift up with the fingers then a push down with the palm, which can appear as a strike if done quickly. Often translated as "Push."
Tsai () - To pluck or pick downwards with the hand, especially with the fingertips or palm. The word tsai is part of the compound that means to gather, collect or pluck a tea leaf from a branch (採茶, cǎi chá). Often translated "Pluck" or "Grasp."
Lieh () - Lieh means to separate, to twist or to offset with a spiral motion, often while making immobile another part of the body (such as a hand or leg) to split an opponent's body thereby destroying posture and balance. Lieh is often translated as "Split."
Chou () - To strike or push with the elbow. Usually translated as "Elbow Strike" or "Elbow Stroke" or just plain "Elbow."
K'ao () - To strike or push with the shoulder or upper back. The word k'ao implies leaning or inclining. Usually translated "Shoulder Strike," "Shoulder Stroke" or "Shoulder."

The Five Steps ():
Chin Pu () - Forward step.
T'ui Pu () - Backward step.
Tsuo Ku () - Left step.
You P'an () - Right step.
Chung Ting () - The central position, balance, equilibrium. Not just the physical center, but a condition which is expected to be present at all times in the first four steps as well, associated with the concept of rooting (the stability said to be achieved by a correctly aligned, thoroughly relaxed body as a result of correct tai chi training). Chung ting can also be compared to the Taoist concept of moderation or the Buddhist  "middle way" as discouraging extremes of behavior, or in this case, movement. An extreme of movement, usually characterized as leaning to one side or the other, destroys a practitioner's balance and enables defeat.

The Eight Gates are said to be associated with the eight trigrams (Bagua) of the I Ching, the Five Steps with the five elements of the Taoist Wu Hsing; metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Collectively they are sometimes referred to as the "Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi" and their combinations and permutations are cataloged more or less exhaustively in the different styles of solo forms which tai chi is mostly known for by the general public. Pushing hands is practiced so that students have an opportunity for "hands-on" experience of the theoretical implications of the solo forms. Traditional internal teachers say that just training solo forms isn't enough to learn a martial art; that without the pushing hands, reflex and sensitivity to another's movements and intent are lost. Each component is seen as equally necessary, yin and yang, for realizing the health, meditative, and self-defense applications.

Pushing hands  trains these technical principles in ever increasing complexity of patterns. At first students work basic patterns, then patterns with moving steps coordinated in different directions, patterns at differing heights (high, middle, low and combinations) and then finally different styles of "freestyle" push hands, which lead into sparring that combines closing and distancing strategies with long, medium and short range techniques. These exchanges are characterized as "question and answer" sessions between training partners; the person pushing is asking a question, the person receiving the push answers with their response. The answers should be "soft," without resistance or stiffness. The students hope to learn to not fight back when pushed nor retreat before anticipated force, but rather to allow the strength and direction of the push to determine their answer. The intent thereby is for the students to condition themselves and their reflexes to the point that they can meet an incoming force in softness, move with it until they determine its intent and then allow it to exhaust itself or redirect it into a harmless direction. The degree to which students maintain their balance while observing these requirements determines the appropriateness of their "answers." The expression used in some tai chi schools to describe this is "Give up oneself to follow another." The eventual goal for self-defense purposes is to achieve meeting the force, determining its direction and effectively redirecting it in as short a time as possible, with examples provided of seemingly instantaneous redirections at the highest levels of kung fu by traditional teachers. Pushing hands also teaches students safety habits in regard to their own vital areas, especially acupressure points, as well as introducing them to the principles of chin na and some aspects of the manipulative therapy or tui na also taught in traditional tai chi schools. At a certain point, pushing hands begins to take on aspects of qigong (chi kung), as the students learn to coordinate their movements in attack and defense with their breathing.

Competition

Pushing hands has become a part of competitive Chinese martial arts, especially those devoted to internal arts. The rules and the judging are subjective, problematic, and constantly in flux.

Push hand contests is divided into two types.
Moving step () - The players stand in a circle; the player who is pushed or pulled out of the circle, or falls down, loses a point.

Fixed step () - The players stand in a small box; the player who is pushed or pulled out of the box loses a point.

See also
Chi Sao
Ching
Dantian
Neijia
Silk reeling
Taijitu
Tao Te Ching
Wudangshan

References

External links
Tai Chi Classics A translation of the Tai Chi Classics, which deal with the application of Eight Gates
Pushing Hands Quotes

Tai chi
Chinese martial arts terminology

Pushing hands


Arthur Jay Gillette (October 28, 1869 – March 21, 1921) was an American orthopedic and pediatric surgeon, after whom the Gillette State Hospital for Crippled Children (now the Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare) in St. Paul, Minnesota was named.

Arthur J. Gillette grew up on a farm in what is now South St. Paul, son of Albert and Ellen Gillette and  attended Hamline University in the early 1880s. In 1883, Arthur Gillette decided to become a doctor and studied at the Minnesota Hospital College and the St. Paul Medical College in downtown St. Paul. After his graduation he moved to New York and  studied orthopaedic surgery under the renowned Dr. Lewis Albert Sayer and Dr. Newton Shaffer.

Dr. Gillette returned to Minnesota in 1888 where orthopaedic surgery became his specialty. By 1890, Dr. Gillette was Minnesota's first full-time orthopaedist and was an instructor at the University of Minnesota Medical School in what he called "this almost new science" of orthopaedic surgery.

On April 23, 1897, the legislature gave the University of Minnesota the authority to establish a "Minnesota Institute for Crippled and Indigent Children." A ward was set aside at City and County Hospital in St. Paul the state providing braces and surgical appliances at minimal cost.  The regents named Dr. Gillette chief surgeon and Dr. Gillette's medical school colleagues agreed to donate their services.

Dr. Gillette married Katherine Kennedy, a school teacher at the hospital, in 1905. The couple began an annual tradition of inviting young patients to have a picnic on the grounds of their St. Paul mansion.

The number of patients Dr. Gillette served outgrew the space at City and County Hospital and the need for a separate institution was apparent. Citizens of St. Paul, the Business League and the Commercial Club of St. Paul donated  in Phalen Park and its new facilities opened in 1911.

On March 21, 1921, Dr. Gillette died at the age of 57. He had been responsible for the treatment of 4,171 children. More than 80 percent were cured or discharged as improved and able to live independently. In 1925, in memory of Dr. Gillette, the hospital was renamed the Gillette State Hospital for Crippled Children (now Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare).

References
Koop, Steven E., We hold this treasure: the story of Gillette Children's Hospital, Afton, Minnesota: Afton Historical Society Press, c 1998.

External links
Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare

American orthopedic surgeons
1869 births
1921 deaths
Hamline University alumni
American pediatric surgeons
Physicians from Minnesota
19th-century American physicians
19th-century surgeons
20th-century American physicians
20th-century surgeons
University of Minnesota faculty

Arthur Gillette


Charles Thomas Wagner (December 3, 1912 – August 31, 2006) was an American right-handed pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox (1938–42, 1946). Nicknamed "Broadway," he went on to a 50-year career as a farm system supervisor, scout and minor league instructor.  His professional relationship with the Red Sox lasted a record 73 years.

Playing career
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Wagner signed with the Red Sox in 1935 and made his MLB pitching debut on April 19, 1938. After being used in both starting and relief duties, he enjoyed his first full season as a starter in 1941. He was the second in a pitching rotation that included Dick Newsome, Mickey Harris and Lefty Grove. Wagner finished with a 12–8 record and three shutouts, and his 3.07 earned run average was the best on the Boston pitching staff and the third best in the American League, being surpassed only by Thornton Lee (2.37) and Al Benton (2.97), and over Marius Russo (3.09).

In 1942, Wagner compiled career-highs in victories (14, eighth in AL), starts (26), complete games (17, seventh in AL), strikeouts (52), innings pitched (205), and had a 3.29 ERA. After the season, he left his team to serve in the Navy during World War II. Wagner returned to the Red Sox in 1946, along with teammates Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Tex Hughson and Joe Dobson. He pitched his final game on August 8, 1946, ending with a 1–0 mark in 30 innings.

In a six-season career, Wagner posted a 32–23 record with 157 strikeouts and a 3.91 earned run average in 527 innings pitched.

Although posting only a .118 batting average (20-for-170) with just 8 RBI in his major league career, he was an excellent
fielding pitcher, recording a .992 fielding percentage with only one error in 127 total chances. His only miscue occurred August 8, 1941 in the fifth inning against the Senators at Fenway Park on an errant pickoff throw.

Later life
Following his retirement as a player, Wagner became the Red Sox' assistant director of minor league operations from 1947 to 1960. He then scouted for Boston from 1961 to 1969 and from 1971 to 1992. He was the Red Sox' Major League pitching coach for the 1970 season, on the staff of first-year manager Eddie Kasko. He later worked as a special assignment instructor in the Red Sox minor league system, and was still consulted about the organization's prospects into his 90s. He was a staple for years at Reading Phillies games in his hometown, where the press box was named in his honor in 2000.  He was crowned as the inaugural "King of Baseballtown" by Reading club in 2003 as he entered the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Wagner appeared before the Boston faithful on Opening Day 2005. He spoke to the crowd, "Let's Play Ball." Wagner died a year later in 2006 at age 93 after suffering a heart attack in his car following a Reading Phillies game.

Trivia
Wagner and Ted Williams were roommates as members of the Boston Red Sox.

Notes

External links

Reading Eagle obituary

1912 births
2006 deaths
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania
Boston Red Sox coaches
Boston Red Sox players
Boston Red Sox scouts
Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball pitching coaches
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Rocky Mount Red Sox players
Baseball players from Reading, Pennsylvania
United States Navy sailors

Charlie Wagner


Symmons Plains Estate is a historic farm and mansion in the locality of the same name, near Perth, Tasmania. A 856ha property, the estate dates back to 1820s, with the main Georgian house built in 1839. It is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.  In 1978, the homestead and its garden and outbuildings were registered on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.

History
The property was granted to Rev. John Youl in the 1820s. The house was built in 1839, and the Youl family lived at the property for 7 generations. In 1960, racing driver and family heir John Youl developed neighbouring Symmons Plains Raceway from part of the property. The house came to worldwide media attention in 2011 when a false story of the home being sold to J.K. Rowling for 10 million AUD was printed by Women's Day. The story was picked up by national and international news outlets, including Sunrise Breakfast Show, Perez Hilton and Nine News, but it was quickly debunked by news outlets including The Examiner and ABC's Media Watch. In reality it was purchased by Clovelly Tasmania, a farming subsidiary of the Ingleby Company.

References

Tasmanian Heritage Register
Houses in Tasmania
Farms in Australia
Tasmanian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate

Symmons Plains Estate


The Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) is a data set of temperature, precipitation and pressure records managed by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), Arizona State University and the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center.

The aggregate data are collected from many continuously reporting fixed stations at the Earth's surface. In 2012, there were 25,000 stations within 180 countries and territories. Some examples of monitoring variables are the total daily precipitation and maximum and minimum temperature. A caveat to this is 66% of the stations report only the daily precipitation.

The original idea for the application of the GHCN-M data was to provide climatic analysis for data sets that require daily monitoring. Its purpose is to create a global base-line data set that can be compiled from stations worldwide.

This work has often been used as a foundation for reconstructing past global temperatures, and was used in previous versions of two of the best-known reconstructions, that prepared by the NCDC, and that prepared by NASA as its Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) temperature set. The average temperature record is 60 years long with ~1650 records greater than 100 years and ~220 greater than 150 years (based on GHCN v2 in 2006). The earliest data included in the database were collected in 1697.

History
The initial version of Global Historical Climatology Network was developed in the summer of 1992. This first version, known as Version 1 was a collaboration between research stations and data sets alike to the World Weather Records program and the World Monthly Surface Station Climatology from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Within the stations, all of them have at least 10 years of data, 2/5 have more than 50 years of data, and 1/10 have 100 years of data.  Version 1, or more commonly notated as V1 was the collection of monthly mean temperatures from 6,000 stations. There were, as of 2022, 3 subsequent versions of the GHCN – M have been created as described below.

Map and description

The GHCN is one of the primary reference compilations of temperature data used for climatology, and is the foundation of the GISTEMP Temperature Record.  This map based on GHCN version 3 shows 7,280 fixed temperature stations in the GHCN catalog color-coded by the length of the available record as of 2007.  Sites that are actively updated in the database (2,277) are marked as "active" and shown in large symbols, other sites are marked as "historical" and shown in small symbols. In some cases, the "historical" sites are still collecting data but due to reporting and data processing delays (of more than a decade in some cases) they do not contribute to current temperature estimates.

After this map was created, version 4 of GHCN was released and increase the number of reported stations to over 24,000.

Advantages
These are direct, in-situ measurements which were not interpolated or based on model simulations. This image shows 3,832 records longer than 50 years, 1,656 records longer than 100 years, and 226 records longer than 150 years. The longest record in the collection began in Berlin in 1701 and is still collected in the present day.

Disadvantages
As is evident from this plot, the most densely instrumented portion of the globe is in the United States, while Antarctica is the most sparsely instrumented land area. Many parts of Africa do not have current temperature data. Records are mostly limited to places where human settlements exist. Parts of the Pacific and other oceans are more isolated from fixed temperature stations, but this is supplemented by volunteer observing ships that record temperature information during their normal travels. The recorded data may also be subject to inhomogeneities, such as station relocation, change in observation practice (e.g. from staffed observation to automatic datalogger) and change in instruments.

GHCN – M Version Evolution
While V1 was the prominent collection of climate data throughout the 1990s, its flaws were slowly appearing and was soon replaced by Version 2 (V2). V2 was released in 1997, swiftly replacing the newly outdated V1. The improvements included improved world coverage; number of stations increased from 6,000 to 7280 as well as creating new data processing enhancements. These include but are not limited to increase in updated data, increased quality assurance, and additional data sets.  V2 quickly became the frontrunner for organizations like NASA, NOAA, and IPCC. The GHCN – M V2 was the predominant climate monitoring data set for 14 years. Until in 2011, Version 3 (V3) was released. Version 3 was a new and improved version of the two previous versions with additional quality controls. These controls included eliminating duplicate data collections and minimizing homogenization. The newest version and the one being currently used is known as V4, or Version 4. V4 is currently made up of 25,000 land-based stations which has become one of the largest collectors of monthly and daily climate data around the world. The goal of V4 was to combine the previous data sets collected with ones currently being recorded to create an overarching view of the changing climate data. This also helped eliminate the previously unsolved issue of homogenization which plagued the previous versions. Additionally, V4 accounted for previously large issues, such as uncertainties, differences in scale, as well as the aforementioned homogenization.

References

External links
Global Historical Climatology Network monthly (GHCNm)

Climate change organizations based in the United States
Climate and weather statistics
Historical climatology
Arizona State University
Global Historical Climatology Network
Global Historical Climatology Network
Oceanography

Global Historical Climatology Network


Borivali (Pronunciation: [boːɾiʋəliː]) is an affluent suburb which is located at the north-western end of Mumbai and has a large Gujarati population followed by others. Traditionally the tribals and East Indians lived in Borivali.

The attractions include Sanjay Gandhi national park, fish park, Kanheri caves, Mandapeshwar caves, Water kingdom, etc.

Borivali railway station is an originating & terminating Railway Station for Mumbai Local Trains towards Churchgate in the South & Virar in the North. Also some Express Trains halt at this Rail Station which provides ease for people travelling far off destinations.

History

Borivali has developed from what was once a congregate region of smaller towns namely; Eksar, Poisar, Vazira, Shimpoli, Mandpeshwar, Dattapada, Kanheri, Tulsi, Magathane and Gorai, which were situated on and around Mount Poinsur, between the Dahisar River and Poisar River.

It is believed that the name "Borivali" comes from the existence of a lot of bushes of a sweet fruit called " (Marathi) meaning "berries" in English. Hence, the name means the town of berries literally "bori-vali".  The existence of the ancient temple of Lord Ganesha "Shree Svayambhu Ganpati Devalaya" in Vazira Naka area.

The pre-historic era's "Mandpeshwar" ("An 8th Century remains of a beautiful Edifice structure, Mandapeshwar caves is a rock cut architecture and a Hindu shrine of lord Shiva located near Borivali IC Colony, at walking distance from Dahisar Railway Station") and "Kanheri caves" stand testament to the rich history of this place. Borivali was spelt "Berewlee" by the then ruled India under the British Raj. It is also spelt and pronounced as "Borivli".

Borivali is densely populated but continues to retain some green cover due to the presence of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, previously known as the "Borivali National Park" in the east and the mangroves in the west end of Borivali.

Demographics
Borivali has a large population of Gujarati people followed by Marathi people.

Landmarks
One of the many gardens that Borivali boasts of is the Veer Savarkar Udyan on Lokmanya Tilak Road and Rivali Park. It has four entrances from T.P.S. Road, Factory Lane and Babhai and is an ideal place for all which have facilities like jogging track, boating area, kids' play-garden, skating etc. Gorai Udyan is at Gorai Sector-1. I.C.Colony is also home to the Tukaram Ombale Garden/Fish Park which can be accessed from the Link Road and the I.C. Colony last bus stop.

In 2009, Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai Joggers' Park was inaugurated on Link Road adjacent to the Eskay Resort. The plot measures around 4 acres, has a jogging track surrounding a body of water where boating facilities have been started and features slabs with information on various freedom fighters scripted on them, besides seating areas for senior citizens. This Jogger's Park has a small fee for entry. Another Joggers' Park is located in Chikuwadi.

Espee Square is an upcoming Business Center on Dattapada Road, Connected to Western Express Highway at Borivali east.

Oberoi Sky City is an upcoming township with Skyscrapers, a mall and a 5-star hotel.

The Orion is an upcoming Business Park on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rd at Borivali west.

Transport
Road Ways: Autorickshaws, Taxis, BEST buses and Trains are the public modes of transport available in and to Borivali. Borivali (east) is well connected with Western Express Highway while Borivali (west) is linked to the New Link Road. Connectivity has increase with the two metro lines set to pass through Borivali viz. Mumbai Metro Line 2 and Mumbai Metro Line 7.

Railway station

Borivali railway station is a railway station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It is one of the major platforms of the Mumbai metropolitan city and the biggest railway station in the Western railway. The platform has access to all stations from Churchgate to Virar. The platform has good connectivity for Express trains which goes to different states around the country. It has 10 platforms which were renumbered in 2019, this sudden change created a lot of confusion for everyday travelers. With every platform being busy for almost 18–20 hours a day. It is believed to be one of the blind-friendly railway stations on the western railway. Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act reveals that It is the most crowded station in Mumbai with around 2.87 lakh passengers traveling from there daily.

Notable people
 Asha Bhosale, singer
 Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, politician, National Leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party
 Jaywant Dalvi, Marathi author
 Drashti Dhami, TV actress
 Bhavya Gandhi, TV actor
 Avdhoot Gupte, Marathi classical singer
 Bose Krishnamachari, Malayali painter
 Dhondutai Kulkarni, Hindustani classical singer
 Ram Naik, UP Governor, former minister
 Ratnakar Pai, Hindustani classical singer
 Rohan Shah, actor
 Rohit Sharma, Indian cricketer
 Vinod Tawde, Member of Legislative Assembly, Minister
 Disha Vakani, TV actress

Attractions
Gorai Beach is on the western end of Borivali. One can reach here by crossing the Gorai Creek in a ferry. Rickshaw is available on the other side of the ferry. On holidays the beach is full of visitors and locals. Plenty of accommodation options are also available at Gorai beach.
EsselWorld: One of Mumbai's largest amusement parks.
Water Kingdom: Asia's largest water park.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is one of the famous national parks within the metro limits of a major city, and one of the most visited national parks in the world.
 Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church – Mount Poinsur, Mandapeshwar, I. C. Colony. - Roman Catholic Christian Church.
 Mandapeshwar Caves
Global Vipassana Pagoda
Mandapeshwar Caves
Kanheri Caves

Schools & Colleges
 Ryan International School
 VIBGYOR Group of Schools
 Saint Francis D'Assisi High School
 Mary Immaculate Girls' High School
 Our Lady of Vailankanni High School
 Abhinav Vidya Mandir
 The Teddy Bear's Kindergarten
 Don Bosco High School
 JBCN International School
 Chogale Highschool

See also
Dattapada
Devipada
Kandivali
Dahisar
Sanjay Gandhi National Park

References

Suburbs of Mumbai
Talukas in Maharashtra
Mumbai Suburban district

Borivali


Moseley Baker (September 20, 1802 – November 8, 1848) was an American lawyer, politician, and military officer who served as the speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and served two terms in the Congress of the Republic of Texas, where he led impeachment proceedings against President Sam Houston. During the Texas Revolution, he led a company of men fighting in the Texian Army and was wounded at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was named a brigadier general of the Republic of Texas militia.

Early life
Baker was born September 20, 1802, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Horace Baker and Rebecca Moseley. He moved to Montgomery, Alabama, as a young man. There he became a lawyer, and was also the founder and first editor of the Montgomery Advertiser. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1829 and was elected speaker of the House.

Baker lived above his means and soon found himself deeply in debt. In 1832 he was arrested for defrauding the Bank of Alabama. He soon escaped and made his way to Mexican Texas. He arrived in San Felipe de Austin with only $1 in his pocket. After borrowing $10 from another resident, he opened his own law practice.

Baker, his wife, and their daughter moved to Liberty in March 1835. In October he was granted land in Lorenzo de Zavala's colony on Galveston Bay.

Texas Revolution

1835
As relations soured between Texas colonists and the Mexican government, Baker began to advocate for independence from Mexico. In July 1835, Mexican general Martin Perfecto de Cos issued warrants for the arrest of Baker and five other men, all accused of land speculation or being part of the Anahuac Disturbances. Local officials refused to enforce the warrants, and the men were never arrested. All of the men were well respected in their communities, and the warrants greatly angered other colonists. This, combined with news that Cos was leading a large military force to Texas, convinced many colonists to embrace the idea of revolt. In August, Baker began recruiting men willing to fight for independence.

War broke out in October 1835. Baker was a private at the first battle, in Gonzales. When that battle ended, Baker accompanied the bulk of the army to San Antonio de Béxar, where they commenced a siege of Cos's troops, garrisoned in the Alamo Mission. There were several small skirmishes during the siege. Baker fought in the Grass Fight and participated in the final assault on the city in early December. Cos's troops were defeated and marched out of Texas.

With no Mexican troops remaining in Texas, many Texans believed the war was over. Men, including Baker, left the army to return to their families. In February 1836, however, Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led a large contingent of Mexican troops into Texas. Santa Anna brought the bulk of his army to Béxar, where they besieged the small Texan force garrisoned at the Alamo. Texan commander William B. Travis sent dispatches around the region, begging for reinforcements.

1836
On February 29, 1836, Baker joined the militia newly organized at San Felipe. He was elected captain of the company, which had about 30 members. The company arrived in Gonzales on March 6 to join the other forces that were gathering to reinforce the Alamo. As no central commander was present, the men elected Baker to take charge of all of the recruits in Gonzales. He marched them to the east bank of the Guadalupe River, about  below the town, and made camp.

Sam Houston arrived in Gonzales about 4 pm on March 11. He announced that the Convention of 1836 had declared Texas an independent nation and read the men the Texas Declaration of Independence. The new interim government had placed Houston in charge of the recruits gathered in Gonzales. That evening, two men arrived from Béxar with news that the Mexican army had retaken the Alamo, and the Texian defenders were dead; Houston promptly arrested the men as spies.

The following day, Houston organized the army. All of the companies gathered, including Baker's, were placed into the First Regiment of Infantry, with Edward Burleson in charge. Houston sent scouts to determine what had actually happened in Béxar. They returned on March 13 with Susanna Dickinson, who had been inside the Alamo during the battle. Dickinson warned that more than 2,000 Mexican troops were on their way to Gonzales. Local citizens panicked; Houston ordered an immediate retreat, promising that his new army would protect the citizens as they fled.

Baker and the rest of the army marched for 26 of the next 38 hours. Over the next week, the Texian army continued to head east and north, away from the Mexican soldiers. Texian volunteers flocked to Houston's force. Baker helped with the recruitment; on March 22 he wrote a letter to the Telegraph and Texas Register, calling for volunteers and asking the women of Texas to convince their husbands and sons to join.

On March 23, news reached Houston's army that General James Fannin had been defeated at the Battle of Coleto. Houston ordered another retreat, so Baker and his men headed east toward the Brazos River. After a brief rest in San Felipe, Houston ordered the army to march to Groce's Landing,  away. Baker and Captain Wyly Martin absolutely refused to retreat further. Houston chose not to directly challenge the men, fearing he would lose control of his army if Baker or Martin were able to gather enough troops to their perspective. Instead, he gave each of them orders to remain behind and protect key crossings along the Brazos.

At this point, Baker had about 40 men with him. His company built fortifications along the east bank of the Brazos, directly across the river from San Felipe. By March 31, they had dug an L-shaped ditch,  long, and piled tree branches in front. Two days later, Baker's men found four survivors from Fannin's regiment wandering the prairie. The men had escaped after the Battle of Refugio and were searching for the remainder of the Texian army. One of the survivors, Samuel G. Hardaway, joined Baker's company. Baker requested reinforcements to hold the San Felipe crossing, and within days had about 120 men under his command. He informed Houston this ought to be a large enough number to hold the crossing against the Mexican army.

On March 29, scouts Deaf Smith and John York mistook a cattle drive for a cavalry troop and informed Baker that the Mexican army was only a few miles from his position. Baker ordered that the town be burned, saying Houston had ordered it so. Moses Austin Bryan, nephew of the founder of San Felipe, refused to start the fires, so Baker personally set a torch to the first home. Baker and his men remained camped on the east bank.

Santa Anna's troops marched into San Felipe at dawn on April 7. Knowing that the Mexican army was close, on April 6 Baker had ordered his men to hide all the boats and rafts along the river. He then sent three men as pickets on the west bank. Private Bill Simpson took the third watch, and promptly fell asleep. The Mexican advance guard captured him; the other two escaped and made it to safety with the rest of Baker's troops. Simpson told Santa Anna everything he knew, that Houston was at Groce's Landing with an army numbering approximately 800 men, and that the Texian army meant to retreat all the way to the Trinity River if the Mexican army crossed the Brazos.

Throughout that day and the next, Baker's troops were under near-constant fire from Mexican snipers and artillery. Private John Bricker was hit with grapeshot from the cannon, becoming the first Texian casualty of the San Jacinto campaign. Mexican troops built several rafts, but Baker's men fired enough that Santa Anna decided it was unwise to try to cross at that point.

By April 9, the Mexican artillery maneuvered close enough to strike Baker's makeshift fortifications. Heavy rains caused the river to rise, and the Texian camp was soon surrounded by floodwaters. Their only way out was the main road. Baker called for a vote, and the men voted to retreat. Soon after they left, Mexican forces withdrew from San Felipe, and none of the scouts were able to discern where they had gone.

Baker's men and those of Wyly Martin rejoined the main body of Houston's army in the middle of the night of April 14. Houston ordered an early march on April 15. Martin told Houston that his men deserved a chance to rest and eat breakfast, and they would not be marching until after they had done so. Angry, Houston ordered Martin to eat and then escort the Texian families fleeing the area to the Trinity River. Worried he would be ordered to take care of women and children instead of fighting the Mexican army, Baker ordered his men to be ready to march - without their breakfast.

The Texian army made camp at Lynchburg, on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, on April 19. The following day, Santa Anna his portion of the Mexican army to a campsite less than  away. Eager to test the strength of the Texians, Santa Anna sent his artillery, a nine- or 12-pound cannon known as the Golden Standard, to a spot about  from where the Texians had concealed themselves in a grove of timber. Houston ordered Captain James C. Neill to take the two Texian cannon to the edge of the trees and return fire. The cannons traded shots for approximately 30 minutes. Both Neill and Mexican Captain Fernando Urriza, who commanded the Golden Standard's crew, were injured. The infantry were eager to join the fight; Baker later recounted that "it was with the utmost difficulty that I could prevent my company from rushing on the enemy".

The skirmish lasted for three and one-half hours, with a small number of cavalry and infantry on each side engaging. Mexican forces finally withdrew to their camp. Later that afternoon, Houston allowed Colonel Sidney Sherman to take the Texian cavalry and skirmish again. Part of the Mexican infantry joined the battle, and Sherman was forced to withdraw when Houston refused to send in a larger part of his force. Many Texian soldiers, including Baker, were angry that Houston had not allowed the rest of the infantry to join the fight. Baker began composing a letter on behalf of the army, complaining that Houston had no intention of engaging in battle, and would instead delay until Santa Anna's troops had been reinforced and grossly outnumbered the Texian army.

Santa Anna received approximately 400 reinforcements at 8 a.m. the following morning, bringing his army to 1,250 men. Texian troops were convinced that a Mexican attack was imminent. Santa Anna's men had spent much of the night preparing for a Texian attack, building makeshift breastworks around their exposed camp. The newly arrived troops were no better rested - they had marched continuously for 24 hours with no sleep or food. As the morning faded away with no sign that the Texians were preparing an attack, Santa Anna relaxed his guard. His troops, including those who had been standing guard, were given permission to rest.

At noon, Houston held a council of war with his senior officers. They voted to fight at some point that day. Edward Burleson, commander of the First Regiment of Texian Volunteers, called the officers under his command together. They were asked to vote on whether to attack at 4 pm that day or 4 am the following morning. Baker was one of only two officers to vote for the pre-dawn hour. The Second Regiment held a similar vote.

At 3:30 pm, the Texian army lined up. Baker's men, as Burleson's First Regiment, were in the center of the line. Baker addressed the men, giving a "rousing, inspirational" speech that referenced the sacrifices both civilians and members of the Texan military had endured. The speech ended with "Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!". Baker's men reportedly hoisted a red handkerchief to serve as their flag, and as a warning to the Mexican troops that they would offer no quarter.

At 4 pm, the Texian army advanced, commencing the Battle of San Jacinto. They crept forward in silence, hidden by the tall grass. Houston ordered them to charge when they were about  from the Mexican camp. Baker was one of the first wounded; First Lieutenant John Borden stepped forward to lead his company.

Later years
From October 1836 through June 1837, Baker served in the first Congress of the Republic of Texas, representing Austin County. He attempted to impeach Houston, who had been elected President of the new country; the impeachment proceedings failed. After his term expired, Baker moved to Galveston County. There he earned a second term in Congress, serving from November 1838 through January 1839.

The next Congress named Baker a brigadier general in the militia. He led a campaign against Indians along the Brazos River. Baker ran for a third term, to serve in the Sixth Congress, in 1841, but lost to Archibald Wynns by one vote. He was reappointed a brigadier general in 1842, following Mexican General Adrian Woll's invasion of Béxar. Baker raised a company of men but fell ill and was forced to hand command to Gardiner Smith.

Baker continued his feud with Houston, culminating in an 1844 open letter that named Houston "the greatest curse that Providence in its wrath could have sent upon the country." Following the death of his wife, Baker became a Methodist preacher. He promoted his version of the religion through his own newspaper, True Evangelist. Although Methodist leaders, who disagreed with some of Baker's teachings, asked him to discontinue publishing the paper, Baker refused.

Baker died of yellow fever on November 4, 1848, in Houston. His body was first laid to rest at Jefferson Davis Cemetery before being moved to the Episcopal Cemetery. In 1929, his remains were exhumed and reinterred at the Texas State Cemetery.

Notes

References

Sources

External links

1802 births
1848 deaths
People of the Texas Revolution
Army of the Republic of Texas generals
Army of the Republic of Texas officers
Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama
Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia
Speakers of the Alabama House of Representatives
Republic of Texas politicians
19th-century American newspaper editors
Burials at Texas State Cemetery
Journalists from Alabama
19th-century American politicians
Journalists from Virginia
Military personnel from Montgomery, Alabama

Moseley Baker


Ron Kavana (born 25 December 1950) is an Irish singer, songwriter, guitarist and band leader.  Born in the County Cork town of Fermoy, he is the son of an Irish father and an American mother from Chicago with Cajun roots.

Performing with a lengthy list of bands, Kavana has performed with influential musicians from the worlds of Celtic music, British soul, blues, rhythm & blues, rock, Irish folk and folk-rock, and worldbeat music. His Galway to Graceland album was described as an album of blues, Tex Mex, country, rock, cajun, and occasionally Irish influenced music. A talented songwriter, Kavana has written songs exploring history and politics, as well as drinking, dancing, and playing music.  The Village Voice has called him a "hard-hitting, no-nonsense realist".

Biography

Early career
After cutting his early musical teeth in a R&B band, the Wizards, Kavana moved to London in the late 1970s.  He got a job at Rock on Records, replacing Philip Chevron, who was leaving to work full-time with his band, The Radiators From Space. In 1977, Kavana put together Kavana's Krisis Band, playing regularly at Islington's Hope & Anchor.  This band evolved into Juice on the Loose, who became something of a house band for Ace Records, with Kavana as band leader and producer.  During this era, Kavana and members of the band toured and recorded with many American acts, including Big Jay McNeely, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Willie Egan, Dr. John, Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers and Flaco Jiminez, Wallace Davenport, Gatemouth Brown, Memphis Slim, Champion Jack Dupree, and Slim Gaillard. Kavana appears on Juice on the Loose's self-titled album, released on Line Records in 1981. Other Juice on the Loose recordings would surface on Kavana's first solo album, Rollin' & Coastin'.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Kavana also played with Panama Red, The Thunderbirds, The Balham Alligators, and The Alexis Korner Band.  Following a European R & B package tour backing Korner, Kavana played an anniversary show for the Boogie Woogie Band's anniversary at Dingwalls, with an all-star band that included Charlie Watts on drums and Jack Bruce on bass.

Solo career
Kavana released his first solo album, Rollin' & Coastin' in 1985, on the Italian record label, Appaloosa.  The album was a compilation of solo tracks and Juice on The Loose recordings.

In the mid/late 1980s, Kavana opened several tours for The Pogues, including a December/January 1985/1986 jaunt through Ireland, where he performed as a duo with Elvis Costello.  Pogues management considered Kavana as a replacement for departing bass player/singer Cait O'Riordan. The band chose road crew member Darryl Hunt for the job, but Kavana made several appearances on The Pogues' album If I Should Fall From Grace With God, and co-wrote two songs with Pogue Terry Woods: "Every Man Is A King (In The U.S. of A.)" and "Young Ned of the Hill", the former released originally as a B-side and the latter included on The Pogues album, Peace and Love.

In 1990, Kavana produced the album For The Children.  Featuring 29 guests (including several members of The Pogues), the album was a fundraiser for LILT (London Irish Live Trust), a charity organisation working for peace in Northern Ireland.

By the late 1980s, Kavana had formed the eclectic group Alias Ron Kavana. The group was subsequently named "Best Live Act in the World" by Folk Roots magazine in 1989, 1990, and 1991. The Alias Band's first album, Think Like a Hero, was released in 1989. Alias Ron Kavana's second album, Coming Days, followed in 1991.

Terry Woods joined forces with Ron Kavana and recorded the album Home Fire, released as Kavana's second solo effort in 1991. The two appear together in the 1990 Ken Loach film, Hidden Agenda, performing the Wolfe Tones' song "The Ballad Of Joe McDonnell".

After quitting The Pogues, Woods joined with Kavana and formed a new band, The Bucks.  This line-up recorded the album Dancing to the ceili band, released in 1994 on WEA. The album and the band's live shows were well received by fans and critics, but the group disbanded after a short time.  Kavana cites lack of label support as a reason, and claims he "never got a penny" for the album.

Returning to the Alias Band, Kavana recorded Galway to Graceland (ARK 002) in 1995.  The album was self-financed and produced independently.  Due to financial difficulties it was deleted before getting a full release.

Kavana again entered Pogues territory, this time playing guitar in an early version of Shane MacGowan's band The Popes.  Kavana's guitar work can be heard on "Haunted", a duet featuring Sinéad O'Connor.  He also came up with the tune for "Snake With Eyes of Garnet" from MacGowan's first solo album, The Snake, although he received no credit for this work.

Academics and current career
In 1995, frustrated by problems with record labels and the music business generally, and finding himself financially under pressure, Kavana took a three-year break from the industry, enrolling in a full-time Humanities course, graduating with first-class honours in Irish studies and film studies.

Working on and off for several years, Kavana released a two-disc set Irish Songs of Rebellion, Resistance and Reconciliation in 2006.  This was followed by the 2007 four disc set Irish Ways: Story of Ireland in Song, Music & Poetry.  The albums followed Irish history through songs and poems from 1796 to the present day.  The albums are credited to The Alias Acoustic Band.

Discography

Albums
  Juice on the Loose (1981) (Juice On The Loose), Chiswick Records
  Rollin' & Coastin (1985), (Ron Kavana) Appaloosa Records
  Think Like a Hero (1989) (Alias Ron Kavana), Chiswick Records
  For the Children (1990) (LILT – The London Irish Live Trust), Alias Records
  Coming Days (1991) (Alias Ron Kavana), Chiswick Records
  Home Fire (1991) (Ron Kavana), Special Delivery/Topic Records, Green Linnet Records (1992)
  Dancin' To The Ceili Band (1994) (The Bucks), WEA
  Galway to Graceland (1995) (Alias Ron Kavana), Alias Recordings
  Alien Alert (live) (1999) (Ron Kavana with The Resident Aliens), Proper Records
  Irish Songs of Rebellion, Resistance and Reconciliation (2006) (Ron Kavana and the Alias Acoustic Band), Primo Records
  Irish Ways: Story of Ireland in Song, Music & Poetry (2007) (Ron Kavana) Proper Records
  40 Favourite Folk Songs (2011) (Ron Kavana and Friends), Primo Records

Other releases
  "Any Way The Wind Blows" and "Fermoy" on Any Way The Wind Blows 7" Single (Juice On The Loose) (1980) The Songwriter's Workshop
  "Sweet Love In The Valley", b-side on Cowboys And Indians 7" Single (Juice On The Loose) (1981) The Songwriter's Workshop
  "A Living Wage"  on  Hard Cash  (Various Artists)  (1990)  Green Linnet Records
  "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"  on  Get Weaving  (Various Artists)  (1992)  Weaving Records
  "Stand/Close It Down"  (as Ron & Miriam Kavana)  Undefeated - A Benefit For The Miners  (Various Artists)  (1992)  Fuse Records
  "Lovely Cottage-Gold Ochra At Killarny Point To Points"  on  Folk Heritage  (Various Artists)  (1992)  Music Club International
  "Lovely Cottage-Gold Ochra At Killarny Point To Points"  on  Folk Heritage II  (Various Artists)  (1992)  Music Club International
  "As I Roved Out" on Giving People Choices (Various Artists) (1993) ActionAid
  "Reconciliation"  on  The Folk Collection  (Various Artists)  (1993)  Topic Records
  "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight"  on  The World Is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson  (Various Artists)  (1993)  Green Linnet Records
  "Sloop John B."  on  Out on the Rolling Sea - A Tribute to Joseph Spence (Various Artists)   (1994)  Hokey Pokey Records
  "The Kilshannig Wager"  on  The Folk Collection 2   (Various Artists)  (1995)  Topic Records
  "Home Fire/Beyond The Pale"  on  Delicias Celtas  (Various Artists)  (1995)  Ediciones Resistencia
  "St. Patrick's Day In New Orleans"  (as Alias Ron Kavana) on fRoots #6  (Various Artists)  (1996)  Folk Roots
  "Reconciliation", "Fermoy Regatta/Tom's Tavern" on A Living Thing: Contemporary Classics of Traditional Irish Music (Various Artists, Produced by Ron Kavana) Globe Style
  "Pennies For Black Babies"  (as Alias Ron Kavana) on Roots - 20 Years Of Essential Folk, Roots & World Music  (Various Artists)  (1999)  Manteca
  "Reconciliation"  on  Topic Records: Three Score & Ten: A Voice to the People  (Various Artists)   (1999)  Topic Records

In film
Kavana has appeared in and/or composed music for the soundtracks of such films as Sid and Nancy, Ryan's Daughter, and Hidden Agenda (1990).

References

External links

1950 births
Living people
Musicians from County Cork
Musicians from London
People from Fermoy
Irish male singer-songwriters
Irish male mandolinists
Irish male guitarists
Irish harmonica players
Irish blues guitarists
Proper Records artists
Green Linnet Records artists
20th-century Irish guitarists
21st-century Irish guitarists
20th-century Irish singer-songwriters
21st-century Irish singer-songwriters
20th-century Irish male singers
21st-century Irish male singers
20th-century Irish mandolinists
21st-century Irish mandolinists

Ron Kavana


Graphene is one of the forms of carbon. Like diamonds and graphite, the forms (or 'allotropes') of carbon have different crystal structures, and this gives them different properties. Graphene is the basic 2D (two dimensional) form of a number of 3D allotropes, such as graphite, charcoal, fullerene and carbon nanotubes.

The term graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix '-ene' by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer carbon foils in 1962. Graphene is like a honeycomb or 'chicken wire' structure, made of carbon atoms and their bonds. Graphite is many graphene sheets stacked together.

Three million graphene sheets stacked to form graphite would be only one millimetre thick.

The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2010 was awarded to Sir Andre Geim and Sir Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene".

Graphene supercapacitors are among the possible applications.

Graphene oxide
An international team from the University of Manchester made a membrane of graphene oxide. They showed it blocked many gases and liquids but let water through. Sir Andre Geim said: "Helium gas is hard to stop. It slowly leaks even through a millimetre-thick window glass but our ultra-thin films completely block it. At the same time, water evaporates through them unimpeded. Materials cannot behave any stranger".

Latest idea
Membranes of graphene will make pretty good bullet-stoppers. Research shows that an atom-thick layer absorbs  a hit better than steel. The research team suggests that combining graphene with one or more additional materials to form a composite might be the way forward.

Graphene Batteries
1. Internal Structure

The internal structure of a graphene battery is quite similar to that of a standard lithium-ion battery pack. There are 2 electrodes and an electrolyte solution to enable flow of charge. The difference is that one of the electrodes in graphene-based batteries, mostly the cathode, is replaced with a hybrid composite material (solid-state metal + graphene) used in place of a standard solid-state metal

2. Advantages

Smaller, slimmer battery: Graphene being a two-dimensional material is only a single layer of atoms. To help understand this better, when you stack 3 million layers of graphene is that you get 1 mm thickness. This means that graphene would allow smartphones to be slimmer than ever and provide more space from additional electronics and allow to place higher capacity batteries.

Higher capacity: Graphene has a higher energy capacity for the same size as compared to lithium-ion batteries. While Lithium-ion batteries are known to store up to 180 Wh per kilogram, graphene based batteries capable of storing up to 1,000 Wh per kilogram. So, the same size of graphene battery pack has a higher charge capacity than lithium-ion or other commonly used batteries.

Faster charging times: Graphene is an excellent conductor of electricity. Its two-dimensional honeycomb structure doesn't offer any resistance to the flow of electrons. So, it can charge quickly and also provide greater endurance compared to lithium ion batteries.

Graphene patents
The invention of graphene has led to many patents for its practical application. In 2013 the score was:
Chinese entities: 2,204
US entities: 1,754
South Korean entities: 1,160
United Kingdom entities: 54

South Korean electronics giant Samsung stands out as the company with most graphene patents to its name.

References

Allotropes of carbon
Materials

Graphene


Yang Dong (; 600s–619), known in traditional histories by his princely title of Prince of Yue (越王) or by his era name as Lord Huangtai (皇泰主), posthumous name (as bestowed by Wang Shichong) Emperor Gong (恭皇帝), courtesy name Renjin (仁謹), was an emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty.  During the disturbances that permeated throughout the Sui state late in the dynasty's history, his grandfather Emperor Yang left him in charge of the eastern capital Luoyang, and after Emperor Yang was killed by the general Yuwen Huaji in 618, the Sui officials in Luoyang declared Yang Dong emperor.  However, soon one of those officials, Wang Shichong, seized power, and in 619 had Yang Dong yield the throne to him, ending Sui.  Soon, he was killed on Wang's orders.

During Emperor Yang's reign
It was not recorded when Yang Dong was born, except that his elder brother Yang Tan (楊倓) was born in 603 and his younger brother Yang You was born in 605.  He was the second of three sons of Yang Zhao, Emperor Yang's son and crown prince.  His mother was Yang Zhao's concubine, Consort Liu.

In 606, Yang Zhao died.  According to Confucian principles of succession, Yang Dong's younger brother Yang You, would have been considered Yang Zhao's heir and successor, as Yang You was born of Yang Zhao's wife Crown Princess Wei.  However, Emperor Yang did not create any son of Yang Zhao crown prince to replace Yang Zhao, but left the matters of succession ambiguous between them and Yang Zhao's younger brother Yang Jian the Prince of Qi.  He did, however, create Yang Dong and his brothers imperial princes, and Yang Dong was created the Prince of Yue.

In spring 613, when Emperor Yang launched his second of three campaigns against Goguryeo, he left the eight-year-old Yang Dong nominally in charge of the eastern capital Luoyang, with the official Fan Zigai () actually responsible.  Subsequently, while Emperor Yang was in Goguryeo territory, the general Yang Xuangan rebelled near Luoyang, and Fan defended Luoyang under Yang Dong's command.  The general Wei Wensheng (), leading the army from the capital Chang'an under Yang You's command, came to Luoyang's aid, and Emperor Yang also abandoned the Goguryeo campaign and sent the generals Yuwen Shu and Lai Hu'er () back to the Luoyang region; these Sui generals together defeated Yang Xuangan.

In 616, with most of Sui territory, particularly the northern commanderies, engulfed in agrarian rebellions, Emperor Yang went from Luoyang to Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), leaving Yang Dong in charge of Luoyang assisted by the officials Duan Da (), Yuan Wendu (), Wei Jin (), Huangfu Wuyi (), and Lu Chu (). The rebel leaders Li Mi and Zhai Rang soon took advantage of Emperor Yang's departure (along with the elite Xiaoguo Army (), to capture the food storages Luokou Storage () and Huiluo Storage (), near Luoyang, causing Luoyang to be down on food supplies.  In spring 617, Yang Dong sent the generals Liu Changgong () and Pei Renji () against Li Mi and Zhai, but Liu and Pei were defeated.  In summer 617, with his forces repeatedly defeated by Li Mi's, Yang Dong sent the official Yuan Shanda () to Jiangdu to seek aid from Emperor Yang, but Emperor Yang, believing in the prime minister Yu Shiji's assessments that the situation was not as severe as Yuan Shanda was claiming, initially refused to send aid.  Pei soon surrendered to Li Mi, making Luoyang's position even more precarious.  Emperor Yang finally did order the generals Pang Yu () and Huo Shiju () to lead the troops from the Chang'an region to aid Luoyang, and Pang and Huo were able to force Li Mi away from Huiluo, allowing Luoyang to regain some of its food supply, although by fall 617 Li Mi had recaptured Huiluo.

In fall 617, Emperor Yang sent the general Wang Shichong (from Jiangdu) and several generals in other outlying areas to lead their troops to aid Luoyang.  Wang was able to stem Li Mi's advances, and the armies stalemated.  Meanwhile, the general Li Yuan had rebelled at Taiyuan and soon captured Chang'an, declaring Yang Dong's brother Yang You emperor (as Emperor Gong).  In spring 618, Li Yuan sent his sons Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to lead an army to Luoyang, ostensibly to aid it, but Yang Dong and his officials chose to have no communications at all with Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.  After Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin briefly engaged Li Mi, they considered the idea of attacking Luoyang but did not do so, and instead withdrew to Chang'an.

In late spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji, who declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao the Prince of Qin emperor, and began to lead the Xiaoguo Army on a trek back north.  Soon, news of Emperor Yang's death arrived at Chang'an and Luoyang.  Li Yuan, in response, had Yang You yield the throne to him, establishing Tang dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu.  The officials at Luoyang declared Yang Dong emperor, and those commanderies still loyal to Sui recognized him as emperor as well.

Reign

When describing Yang Dong's brief reign, the official histories indicated that Yang Dong had a handsome face, and was meek, loving, and solemn in his personality.

Yang Dong posthumously honored his father Yang Zhao as an emperor, and honored his mother Consort Liu as empress dowager.  The government was led by a collective leadership of seven officials—Duan Da (whom Yang Dong created the Duke of Chen), Wang Shichong (Duke of Zheng), Yuan Wendu (Duke of Lu), Huangfu Wuyi (Duke of Qi), Lu Chu, Guo Wenyi (), and Zhao Changwen ().  They became known as the "seven nobles."

Meanwhile, the officials at Luoyang, fearful that Yuwen Huaji was approaching Luoyang, contemplated their options.  Yuan and Lu, under suggestion from Gai Cong (), decided to try to make peace with Li Mi by bestowing official Sui honors—including creating him the Duke of Wei, a title that Li Mi himself had claimed.  Li Mi, who was apprehensive of Yuwen's advances himself, accepted.  For the next month, Li Mi and Yuwen battled, and each time Li Mi was victorious over Yuwen, he would report to Yang Dong.  The officials at Luoyang were pleased, except for Wang, who remarked that Yuan and Lu were awarding honors on a bandit, drawing suspicions from Yuan and Lu that Wang was intending to surrender the city to Yuwen.  The "seven nobles" thereafter became to suspect each other.

Wang began to incite his troops by telling them that they would soon fall into Li Mi's trap, and that if Li Mi received the command over them (as Li Mi was nominally bestowed the office of supreme commander of the armed forces), he would surely slaughter them for having resisted him.  When Yuan received news that Wang was doing this, he planned to ambush Wang.  However, Duan revealed the plot to Wang, and Wang started a coup himself first, killing Lu and surrounding the palace.  Huangfu fled to Chang'an (controlled by the Tang).  At Wang's insistence, Yang Dong surrendered Yuan, who remarked to Yang Dong, "If I die in the morning, Your Imperial Majesty will die in the evening."  Yang Dong wept, but still sent Yuan to Wang, who executed Yuan.  Wang then met Yang Dong and pledged his loyalty, swearing that all he intended was to save himself and save the empire.  Yang Dong took Wang inside the palace to meet Empress Dowager Liu, and Wang swore before her as well.  Nevertheless, from this point, all power was in Wang's hands, and Yang Dong himself was powerless.

Upon hearing of Yuan and Lu's deaths, Li Mi broke off the peaceful relations with Yang Dong's regime, now under Wang's control.  However, he had a low opinion of Wang, so he did not take much precaution against an attack from Wang.  In fall 618, Wang made an all-out attack against Li Mi, dealing Li Mi a crushing defeat at the Battle of Yanshi.  Li briefly considered fleeing to his general Xu Shiji, but ultimately decided to head west to Chang'an, to surrender to Tang.  Most of Li Mi's former territory (modern central and eastern Henan) surrendered to Wang, and around the same time, the rebel generals Du Fuwei (who controlled modern central and southern Anhui), Shen Faxing (who controlled modern Zhejiang), Zhu Can (whose army roamed in southern Henan), and Dou Jiande (who controlled modern Hebei), all nominally submitted to Yang Dong, and at least in appearance, it appeared that Sui power was becoming restored under Yang Dong.

Meanwhile, Wang was becoming arrogant in his relations with Yang Dong and Empress Dowager Wang.  Once, after attending a feast in the palace, he became afflicted with food poisoning, and he became convinced that there was poison in his food, and from that point on refused to see Yang Dong any more.  Yang Dong knew that Wang was intent on usurping the throne, but could not think of anything to do other than to try to receive divine favor by donating palace silk to the poor—an action that Wang soon put a stop to by surrounding the palace.  By spring 619, Wang had Yang Dong make him the Prince of Zheng and bestow on him the nine bestowments – the ultimate steps before taking the throne.  In summer 619, Wang had Duan and Yun Dingxing () enter the palace to try to persuade Yang Dong to yield the throne, but Yang Dong refused.  Wang then sent a messenger to Yang Dong, promising that although he was taking the throne, he would return the throne to Yang Dong once Yang Dong grew older. He thereafter issued an edict in Yang Dong's name, yielding the throne to himself, ending Sui. Wang took the throne as the emperor of a new state of Zheng.

After reign
Wang Shichong made Yang Dong the Duke of Lu.  A month later, Pei Renji and his son Pei Xingyan (), as well as the officials Yuwen Rutong (), Yuwen Wen (宇文溫, Yuwen Rutong's brother), and Cui Deben () plotted to kill Wang and restore Yang Dong.  The news leaked, and the conspirators were slaughtered, along with their families.

Wang Shichong's brother Wang Shiyun () the Prince of Qi persuaded Wang Shichong that in order to avoid a repeat of the plot, he needed to put Yang Dong to death.  Wang Shichong agreed, and he sent his nephew Wang Renze () the Prince of Tang and his servant Liang Bainian () to force Yang Dong to drink poison.  Yang Dong made one last plea, pointing out that Wang Shichong had previously promised to keep him alive.  Liang considered requesting confirmation from Wang Shichong, but Wang Shiyun refused.  Yang Dong set sacrifices to Buddha and prayed, "May it be that I will no longer again be reborn into an imperial household."  He drank poison, but initially did not die.  Wang Shiyun ordered that he be strangled.  Wang Shichong posthumously honored Yang Dong as "Emperor Gong", the same posthumous name that Tang later gave Yang Dong's brother Yang You, but as Sui's official history, the Book of Sui was written during Tang, Yang You was recognized as Emperor Gong, while Yang Dong's status as a Sui emperor became ambiguous in traditional histories.

Notes and references

 Book of Sui,vol. 59 .
 History of Northern Dynasties, vol. 71 .
 Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 180, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187.

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Sui dynasty emperors
600s births
619 deaths
Sui dynasty Buddhists
Chinese Buddhist monarchs
7th-century Chinese monarchs
Political office-holders in Henan
Executed people from Shaanxi
Executed monarchs
Forced suicides of Chinese people
People executed by strangulation
People executed by China
7th-century executions
Transition from Sui to Tang

Yang Tong


CytoSport is an American manufacturer of sports-oriented nutritional products, or "supplements" based in Benicia, California. It is a subsidiary of PepsiCo organized under the Gatorade line of products, and is primarily known for its line of Muscle Milk protein supplement products, primarily in the form of ready-to-drink beverages and powders. In Canada, the product is branded as Muscle Mlk, a modification required in Canada to avoid confusion with milk. CytoSport also formerly produced supplemental products under the Monster Milk and CytoMax brands.

History
CytoSport was founded in 1998 by the father/son team of Greg and Mike Pickett.  It produces its powder products and pre-blends of ready-to-drink products at a  manufacturing facility.

Its products are endorsed by running back Adrian Peterson and by college swimming coach Mike Bottom.

TSG Consumer Partners has financed Cytosport. The company reportedly earned US$200 million in 2008, and received the Small Company of the Year Award at the 16th annual Beverage Forum presented by Beverage World magazine and Beverage Marketing Corporation. Hormel announced it was acquiring CytoSport for $450 million in 2014.

In February 2019, Hormel announced it was  selling the CytoSport business to PepsiCo, Inc.  for a purchase price of $465 million. The transaction included the Muscle Milk and Evolve sports nutrition brands and was completed in April 2019.

Controversy
A June 2010 investigation by Consumer Reports, a US consumer advocacy magazine, found that two of Cytosport's Muscle Milk products contained levels of heavy metals near or exceeding levels proposed by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Muscle Milk's Chocolate powder had four heavy metals — cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury — and three of these metals were found to be at the highest levels of all the health drinks tested. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 µg in three daily servings exceeded the USP limit of 5 µg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 µg also topped the USP limit of 10 µg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 µg was near the USP limit of 15 µg per day. Muscle Milk's Vanilla Crème powder had 12.2 µg of lead in three daily servings, exceeding the lead limits, and 11.2 µg of arsenic. In response, CytoSport said, "Importantly, the tests underscored the fact that Muscle Milk Chocolate liquid shakes, by far and away our company's most popular consumer form of Muscle Milk, did not exceed the proposed maximum levels of any heavy metals tested, even when used three times per day." CytoSport's founder, Greg Pickett, also indicated that NSF International released a conclusion that its own test results 'do not reflect the concentrations stated in the Consumer Reports article.'" In turn, Consumer Reports provided their rebuttal, defending their statements.

On June 8, 2009, it was reported that The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB) was referring advertising claims made by CytoSport Beverage Co. for its Muscle Milk product to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration for review. Under its National Advertising Review Council terms, NAD had asked Cytosport to substantiate certain claims following a challenge to its advertising filed by Nestle USA.  Nestle said the marketing of Muscle Milk was false and misleading, alleging consumers would be misled into thinking it is a supplemented milk product instead of a dietary supplement. CytoSport said its product claims are truthful and non-misleading, and that the product name is a non-deceptive registered trademark; it declined to participate in the NAD review, stating the review was unnecessary and inappropriate.

On May 6, 2009, in Sacramento, California, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction requiring Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VPX) to immediately remove Muscle Power from the marketplace, after concluding that the product infringes on CytoSport's trademark rights of Muscle Milk. This was prompted after CytoSport filed a lawsuit against VPX, stating that Muscle Power's packaging, or "trade dress", was deceptively similar to Muscle Milk's packaging. The court held that "VPX has chosen an identical font, in an identical color, on an identically shaped package, and placed the mark on the package in an identical location."

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing

Muscle Milk owner and founder, Greg Pickett, has also been involved in a championship winning North American sports car racing team. Founded in 2007, Pickett's team has competed in the American Le Mans Series the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Tudor United SportsCar Championship. The team's successes include overall and class victories as well as the 2012 and 2013 American Le Mans Series LMP1 Drivers' and Teams' Championship. The team officially closed operations on May 16, 2014, with Greg Pickett focusing his attention back on the expansion of his Muscle Milk brand.

References

External links
 Official Page

Benicia, California
Companies based in Solano County, California
PepsiCo subsidiaries
Sports nutrition
Products introduced in 1998

CytoSport


Major Gen. Henry Gene "Hank" Skeen (May 26, 1933 – January 12, 2006) was a general of the United States Army.

A native of Dale County, Alabama, Skeen entered the Air Force in 1949 and transferred to the United States Army in 1953. Upon completion of Officer Candidate School that year, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry. After serving as platoon leader in various Infantry and Airborne companies, he was awarded a Regular Army commission as a quartermaster first lieutenant in 1958.

During most of his career, Skeen held important quartermaster mission-related command and staff positions, including Director, Supply and Maintenance in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Secretary of General Staff, U.S. Army Computer Systems Command; and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army; and Secretary to the General Staff, U.S. Army Computer Systems Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. His important commands included Commander, U.S. Army Troop Support Command in St. Louis, Missouri; Commander, Defense Industrial Support Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Commander, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service in Battle Creek, Michigan; Commander, 88th Supply and Service Battalion in Vietnam; Commander, Regional Support Activity, Military Region II, Vietnam; Commander, U.S. Army Logistic Evaluation Agency at New Cumberland Army Depot; and Commander, Burtonwood Army Depot in England.

Skeen played a pivotal role in launching the Quartermaster Corps into the automation era in the 1960s and 1970s, and later lent major support to the establishment of the Army Supply Excellence Award and the Army Supply Master Plan. In 1997, he was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame.

Skeen was married to Pauline; and to Nancy Johnson Skeen at the time of his death. Amongst his grandchildren is Ryan Seacrest. Skeen was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on February 24, 2006, with full military honors.

References

External links
 Entry in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Hall of Fame
 Family obituary
 Genealogy (free registration required)

United States Army generals
Quartermasters
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
1933 births
2006 deaths

Henry Gene Skeen


Giorgio Corbellini (20 April 1947 – 13 November 2019) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate, who was the president of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 July 2009 until his death. In this position he managed relations with lay workers in the Roman Curia. He previously served as Vice Secretary-General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State.

He entered the seminary in 1958 in Piacenza, where he attended junior high and high school. From 1966 to 1972 he completed the course of philosophy and theology. He was ordained on 10 July 1971 and was incardinated in the diocese of Piacenza. After his ordination he was a pastor and taught religion in schools.

From 1981 to 1985 he completed his university studies in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University, graduating summa cum laude in utroque iure. He attended the courses in 1982-1985 for acquiring the title of lawyer Rota.

From 1981 to 1984 and then from 1985 he worked in the pastoral activities of the parish of Saint Lucia in Rome. Beginning in September 1993 he was also chaplain of the Ursuline Sisters in Rome, the Daughters of Mary Immaculate of Verona.
On 1 October 1985 he entered the service of the Holy See as an officer of the secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, now the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. Beginning on 1 September 1992, he served as Head of Legal Department of the Governorate of Vatican City.

In April 1993, he became Deputy Secretary-General of the Governorate. From February 2005 to February 2006 he was also Acting Director of Economic Services of the Governorate.

He worked in Rome until he was appointed Titular Bishop of Abula and president of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See, replacing Cardinal Francesco Marchisano. Bishop Corbellini also took over Cardinal Marchisano's role as president of the Permanent Commission for the Protection of Historical and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See. He was consecrated as Titular Bishop of Abula on 12 September by Pope Benedict XVI with Cardinals Tarcisio Bertone and William Levada as co-consecrators.

In addition to his duties at the Labour Office, on 11 May 2010 he was appointed president of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia replacing Cardinal Julián Herranz Casado.

References

1947 births
2019 deaths
21st-century Italian Roman Catholic titular bishops
Labour Office of the Apostolic See
Pontifical Lateran University alumni

Giorgio Corbellini


Bradley Jacob Taylor (born 14 March 1997) is an English former cricketer.

Taylor was born at Winchester in March 1997. He was educated at Eggar's School in Alton, Hampshire. A product of Hampshire's youth development programme, Taylor made his debut at the age of 16 for Hampshire in a List A one-day match against Bangladesh A at the Rose Bowl in 2013, becoming the youngest player to appear for the club in 135 years. Shortly after, he made his debut in first-class cricket against Lancashire at Southport in the 2013 County Championship. He took the wicket of Luis Reece with his third ball in Lancashire's second innings, becoming the youngest player in 146 years to take a first-class wicket for Hampshire. The following season, he made his Twenty20 debut for Hampshire against Sussex in the T20 Blast. He secured a contract at Hampshire in 2015. Taylor played for Hampshire until 2018, making eight first-class, eighteen one-day, and eight Twenty20 appearances. An all-rounder who bowled off break, Taylor scored 133 runs in first-class cricket, whilst with the ball he took 13 wickets at an average of 41.84 and best figures of 4 for 64. In one-day cricket, he scored 355 runs at a batting average of 35.50; he made three half centuries, with a highest score of 69. With the ball, he took 15 wickets at an average of 44.06, with best figures of 4 for 26. In Twenty20 cricket, he only scored 23 runs from four innings, in addition to taking four wickets. Having not featured for Hampshire since the 2019 season, with his 2020 season interuppted by injury, Taylor announced his retirement from professional cricket at the end of the 2021 season, alongside teammate Ryan Stevenson.

Taylor represented the England Under-19 cricket team from 2014 to 2016, making three Youth Test and 22 Youth One Day International appearances. In December 2015, he was named as captain in England's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

References

External list

1997 births
Living people
Cricketers from Winchester
People educated at Eggar's School
English cricketers
Hampshire cricketers

Brad Taylor


The Election Massacre of 1874, or Coup of 1874, took place on election day, November 3, 1874, near Eufaula, Alabama in Barbour County. Freedmen comprised a majority of the population and had been electing Republican candidates to office. Members of an Alabama chapter of the White League, a paramilitary group supporting the Democratic Party's drive to regain political power in the county and state, used firearms to ambush black Republicans at the polls.

In Eufaula, members of the White League killed an estimated 15-40 black voters and wounded 70, while driving away more than 1,000 unarmed black people at the polls. In attacking the polling place in Spring Hill, the League effectively hijacked the elections. They turned all Republicans out of office and Democratic candidates took a majority of offices up for election.

Background
The White League had formed in 1874 as an insurgent, white Democratic paramilitary group in Grant Parish and nearby parishes on the Red River of the South in Louisiana. The League was founded by members of the white militia who had committed the Colfax Massacre in Louisiana in 1873, killing numerous black people in order to turn out Republicans from parish offices as part of the disputed 1872 gubernatorial election. Historians such as George Rabe consider groups such as the White League and Red Shirts as a "military arm" of the Democratic Party. Their members worked openly to disrupt Republican meetings, and attacked and intimidated voters to suppress black voting. They courted press attention rather than operating secretly, as had the Ku Klux Klan.

Chapters spread to Alabama and other states in the Deep South. A similar paramilitary group was the Red Shirts, which originated in Mississippi and became active in the Carolinas. Both paramilitary groups contributed to the Democrats' regaining control in the state legislatures in the late 1870s. The Red Shirts were still active in the 1890s and were implicated in the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 in North Carolina. In the days leading up to the election, the commanding officer in Eufaula was expecting trouble but was ordered by the headquarters in Kentucky to stay away from the local officials over the polls and not interfere with the election under any circumstance.

Events
On the eve of the 1874 election, approximately 1,000 black Republicans were camped outside of Eufaula. While rumors spread throughout the white community that black Republicans would attempt an invasion. On election day, November 3, 1874, an Alabama chapter of the White League repeated actions taken earlier that year in Vicksburg, Mississippi. After the election started, an underage black Republican was caught attempting to vote. After being discovered by the white democrats, he was stabbed in an alleyway. The White League invaded Eufaula and, with firearms, ambushed Black voters as they marched down Broad Street, killing an estimated 15-40 black Republicans, injuring at least 70 more, and driving off more than 1,000 unarmed Republicans from the polls. The group moved on to Spring Hill, where members stormed the polling place, destroying the ballot box, and killing the 16-year-old son of a white Republican judge in their shooting.

The White League refused to count any Republican votes cast. But, Republican voters reflected the black majority in the county, as well as white supporters. They outnumbered Democratic voters by a margin greater than two to one. The League declared the Democratic candidates victorious, forced Republican politicians out of office, and seized every county office in Barbour County in a kind of coup d'état. Such actions were repeated in other parts of the South in the 1870s, as Democrats sought to regain political dominance in states with black majorities and numerous Republican officials. In Barbour County, the Democrats auctioned off as "slaves" (for a maximum cost of $2 per month) or otherwise silenced all Republican witnesses to the events. They were intimidated from testifying to the coup if the case went to federal court. Eventually, the rioters stood before a grand jury, and the grand jury blamed the "militant" black Republicans for the tense atmosphere in Eufaula.

Legacy
Due to the actual and threatened violence by the White League, Black voters began to stay away from the polls in Barbour County. They no longer voted in sufficient number to retain a majority of Republican officeholders. White Democrats continued to intimidate black voters through the late 19th century, especially after a Populist-Republican alliance elected some Fusion candidates in the Deep South, as well as local Republican officials in many states.

In the 1874 election in Alabama, 29 797 more votes than in 1872  mainly went to Democrats. But African Americans and later democrats admit that the votes were fraudulent. After the 1874 election, the Alabama Democrats used intimidation to limit African American voters from voting for a constitutional convention and the election to ratify the  Alabama Constitution.

In 1875, Mississippi Democrats also used widespread intimidation to control local elections, which became known as the Mississippi Plan. Such violence was adopted by chapters in other cities and counties. Democrats regained control of Alabama and other state legislatures. Reconstruction ended with the withdrawal of federal troops as part of a compromise to elect Rutherford B Hayes.

Historian Dan T. Carter concludes that "the triumph of white supremacy came at great cost, not only to the defeated Republican Party, but to the processes of government. Violence, already endemic in southern society, became institutionalized, and community leaders transformed the willful corruption and manipulation of elections into a patriotic virtue."

In 1901 the Democratic-dominated state legislature in Alabama, like other southern states, followed Mississippi's lead to end such election-related violence by passing a new constitution that effectively disenfranchised most black people by such measures as poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses and white primaries. Poll taxes and literacy tests also disfranchised tens of thousands of poor whites in Alabama. Although the Democratic legislature had promised whites would not be affected by the new measures, politicians wanted to preclude poor whites allying with black people in Populist-Republican coalitions. With disfranchisement achieved, the legislature passed laws imposing racial segregation and other elements of Jim Crow, a system that lasted well into the 1960s. At that time, the gains of the Civil Rights Movement led to Congressional passage of legislation in the mid-1960s that prohibited segregation and began to enforce the constitutional rights for minorities to suffrage and equal protection under the law.

In 1979, the state erected a "historical" marker located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Barbour County Road 49 near Comer, Alabama. The marker effectively blurred events – and their significance – in which the 1874 election supervisor Elias Kiels was assaulted and his son, Willie, was murdered while they were counting votes. The marker makes no connection to the murderous ambush on the same day in Eufaula, a few miles away. At Old Spring Hill, the terrorist mob, intent on disrupting the counting of ballots, was led by rich landowners Wallace Comer and his brother Braxton Bragg Comer. In the subsequent 1876 presidential election, "only ten black Republicans went to the polls in Eufaula." And three decades later, Braxton Bragg Comer, would benefit from the exclusion of Black voters in Jim Crow Alabama, being elected governor of the state.

The "historical" marker reads:
Near here is Old Spring Hill, the site of one of the polling places for the November 3, 1874 local, state and national elections. Elias M. Keils, scalawag and Judge of the City Court of Eufaula, was United States supervisor at the Spring Hill ballot box. William, his 16 year-old son, was with him. After the polls closed, a mob broke into the building, extinguished the lights, destroyed the poll box and began shooting. During the riot, Willie Keils was mortally wounded. The resulting Congressional investigation received national attention. This bloody episode marked the end of the Republican domination in Barbour County. - Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, 1979.

The 1874 election massacre is not mentioned in the Alabama state history curriculum, so the population does not widely remember the event. Due to this, there is no effort to correct the misrepresentation of the historical event portrayed on the historical marker.

See also
 Freedmen massacres

References

External links

 "Historic Markers » Alabama", Historic Chattahoochee Commission

Massacres in 1874
Massacres in the United States
Riots and civil disorder in Alabama
Barbour County, Alabama
1874 riots
1874 elections in the United States
Political riots in the United States
White American riots in the United States
Political history of Alabama
1874 in Alabama
1874 Alabama elections
Riots and civil disorder during the Reconstruction Era
November 1874 events
White League
Coups d'état and coup attempts in the United States
History of racism in Alabama
19th-century political riots
1870s political events
Democratic backsliding in the United States

Election Massacre of 1874


Ellis B. Haizlip (September 21, 1929 – January 25, 1991) was an American television and theatrical producer, broadcaster and promoter of African American culture. Haizlip is best known as the creator, producer and host of the television variety show, SOUL!.

Biography
He was born and grew up in Washington, DC.  He attended Howard University, where he produced plays and theatre shows before graduating in 1954.  He moved to New York City, and began producing plays with actors such as Vinnette Carroll, Cicely Tyson, Calvin Lockhart, and James Earl Jones, as well as performances by Alvin Ailey's dance company.  He also produced shows in Europe and the Middle East, including plays by James Baldwin and Langston Hughes, as well as a concert tour by Marlene Dietrich.

In 1968, Haizlip created and executive produced Soul!, an arts program which became a showcase for many African American artists and musicians, such as Ashford and Simpson, Roberta Flack, and poet Nikki Giovanni.  He also presented the show, after a few initial programs with other presenters.  According to one biography, "Haizlip's vision was for a program that would use the variety show format to display the breadth and variety of Black culture. The mission of "Soul!" would be not merely to entertain African American viewers, but to challenge them to ponder the possible meanings of Black culture and Black community at a time when African Americans were driving America's social transformation... Soul! was unapologetic about aiming its diverse and self-critical weekly affirmation of Black culture and politics to African American viewers, a group that had previously not had the pleasure of seeing itself widely, or truthfully, represented on television.."

Haizlip continued to actively promote African American culture through events such as the first Congressional Black Caucus Dinner in 1970; and "Soul at the Center", a 12-day festival of performing arts held at the Lincoln Center.   After the television show ended in 1973, when funding was reduced, he remained active in the media.  He also coordinated work at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in the 1980s, and then with a brain tumor. He died in 1991, at George Washington University Medical Center, aged 61.

In 2018, a documentary film about Ellis Haizlip entitled Mr. Soul! was written, directed and produced by his niece, filmmaker Melissa Haizlip.

References

External links

  Ellis B. Haizlip Papers, 1945-1991

1929 births
1991 deaths
African-American television hosts
African-American television producers
American theatre managers and producers
Gay entertainers
African-American LGBT people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century American LGBT people

Ellis Haizlip


The political status of Taiwan is a difficult situation that many people disagree about. There are two countries in the world that call themselves China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) is the country most people think of when they hear the name China. The Republic of China (ROC) also calls itself China. It is better known in most of the world as Taiwan.

Taiwan was a part of China for thousands of years. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan and Penghu was illegally taken by Japan. After World War II, the Japanese gave up any claim to Taiwan, but did not say who they were giving control to. At the time, the Republic of China governed all of China, and represented China in the United Nations. After losing a civil war in 1949, the ROC government fled to the island of Taiwan, leaving the PRC to control mainland China. The PRC says it owns the island of Taiwan (which is also known as Taiwan province) and the other islands. The ROC says that it was—and is—the rightful government of China, including mainland China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. In 1971, the ROC lost its United Nations seat as China. The seat was given to the PRC instead. This made the PRC the recognized government of China internationally. The major problems are about whether Taiwan is a part of the PRC or should be an independent country.

Current status
Today, the ROC (Taiwan) is a fully democratic society, with its own economy, currency, military, and elected officials. The Chinese mainland is ruled by the communist PRC government. Most countries have accepted the PRC as the leaders of China. Several countries, including the United States, have been careful to not say officially which parts of the original China are part of the PRC. 14 countries have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Those who don't usually have un-official de facto embassies and do business with Taiwan mostly as normal, aside from recognizing it as a country.

The current state of Taiwan and China is called the "status quo", which means neither side is trying to change the way things are. However, the PRC often threatens to use military force to change the situation and bring Taiwan under PRC control. Some people in Taiwan want Taiwan to formally become the Republic of Taiwan, an independent country. This would change the status quo also, and many Taiwanese prefer not to do this, in order to maintain peace. In opinion polls, only a very small percentage of Taiwanese people want to rejoin with the mainland.

Views by other countries
Today, most countries of the world see the PRC as China. Most countries however still have a very close economic and cultural relationship with Taiwan, even if they have major tensions with the PRC.

Problems
The relations between the PRC and Taiwan are tense. The PRC believes that Taiwan is a part of the PRC. The government of the PRC has said that if the people of Taiwan vote to become the Republic of Taiwan, that they will invade Taiwan and stop this from happening. In March 2004, they passed a law that will allow China to invade Taiwan if Taiwan tries to leave the PRC and become an independent country. This law has caused problems with the people in Taiwan. It has caused even more people in Taiwan not to want to be a part of PRC China.

Another issue is how a war for Taiwan would grow to include the United States, who has said it would help defend Taiwan, and Australia and Japan, who also hint at helping Taiwan in case of war.

Politics of China
Politics of Taiwan

Political status of Taiwan