The Zittau–Löbau railway is a line in the German state of Saxony, originally built and operated by the Löbau-Zittau Railway Company. The line opened in 1848 and it was one of the oldest lines in Germany. Only part of the line is still in service. It starts at Zittau and originally ran via Oderwitz and Herrnhut to Löbau.

History

The Löbau-Zittau Railway Company () received a concession on 25 June 1845 to build a line from Löbau to Zittau. The line was opened on 10 June 1848. The line was initially also operated by the Löbau-Zittau Railway.

On 1 January 1871 the line was acquired by the Royal Saxon State Railways.

At the end of May 1998, passenger services were abandoned between Zittau and Löbau via Herrnhut. As a result, the Oberoderwitz–Herrnhut section lost virtually all of its traffic because local freight traffic ran only from Herrnhut to Löbau. Then, on 31 May 1999, the Oberoderwitz–Herrnhut section closed. Until the end of 2001, freight trains still served Obercunnersdorf (scrap trade) and Herrnhut (coal and timber). Afterwards only Niedercunnersdorf (gas, agricultural traffic) was served. At the end of February 2002, an application was made to close the Herrnhut–Niedercunnersdorf section, but final closure only occurred on 28 February 2003. At the December 2002 timetable change, passenger services between Ebersbach and Löbau were finally abandoned. Thus there are no any regular passenger services on the northern section of the Zittau–Löbau line. The remaining section from Zittau to Oberoderwitz connects with the Oberoderwitz–Wilthen line and is served by passenger services between Zittau and Dresden.

Since 2007 the Oberoderwitz–Löbau section has been leased to Deutsche Regionaleisenbahn (DRE).

Route
The line leaves Löbau station through a cutting to the south. Beyond Großschweidnitz station is the first deep cutting on the line, which then crosses the valley of the Großschweidnitzer Wasser on a seven span viaduct. Immediately after the viaduct, the line to Ebersbach turns off to the south, while the Löbau–Zittau line turns to the southeast towards Herrnhut and Zittau. After Niedercunnersdorf station the line runs parallel with Niedercunnersdorf village. Just before Obercunnersdorf station the line crosses Obercunnersdorf viaduct. After Herrnhut station the line turns south again and runs over a viaduct over the Petersbach. The next viaduct follows in the village of Ruppersdorf, just before the station. Further on, within sight of Kottmar mountain, the line reaches the Landwasser valley and the town of Oderwitz. First another viaduct is crossed before the line reaches Oberoderwitz station. The route now follows the Landwasser valley to the southeast. In Mittelherwigsdorf it crosses the Mandau and then reaches the village's station. The line then follows that Mandau valley to Zittau.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

Railway lines in Saxony
Görlitz (district)
Zittau
Löbau
Railway lines opened in 1848
1848 establishments in Saxony

Zittau–Löbau railway


On August 14, 2006, a convoy carrying the Pakistani High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bashir Wali Mohamed, was attacked by a claymore antipersonnel mine concealed within an auto rickshaw. The High Commissioner escaped unhurt, but seven people (including four Army commandoes) were killed and a further seventeen injured in the blast.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Sri Lankan government blamed the LTTE. High Commissioner Mohamed claimed that India had carried it out, in order to intimidate Pakistan, which is one of the main suppliers of military equipment to the Sri Lankan government. Pakistan had promised one shipload of the wherewithal every 10 days in coming months.

A Sri Lankan military spokesman said, "Definitely it's an LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] attack to the Pakistan ambassador's car but they missed and the backup vehicle got caught." The Pakistani ambassador may be a target of the LTTE because Pakistan is a major backer of the Sri Lankan government.

Several LTTE suspects were arrested following the attack.

Sources

2006 crimes in Sri Lanka
Pakistani ambassador to Sri Lanka
Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Attacks on diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka
Attacks on diplomatic missions of Pakistan
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks in Eelam War IV
Mass murder in 2006
Pakistan–Sri Lanka relations
Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 2006
August 2006 events in Asia

Attack on Pakistani ambassador to Sri Lanka


Post-punk revival (also known as garage rock revival, new wave revival, and new rock revolution) is a genre or movement of indie rock that emerged in the early 2000s as musicians started to play a stripped down and back-to-basics version of guitar rock inspired by the original sounds and aesthetics of garage rock, new wave, and post-punk.

Bands shared an emphasis on energetic live performance and used aesthetics (in hair and clothes) closely aligned with their fans, often drawing on fashion of the 1950s and 1960s, with "skinny ties, white belts [and] shag haircuts". There was an emphasis on "rock authenticity" that was seen as a reaction to the commercialism of MTV-oriented nu metal, hip hop and "bland" post-Britpop groups. The commercial breakthrough of the genre came with the release of the Strokes' Is This It in 2001.

Definitions and characteristics

The term post-punk was coined to describe groups who took punk and experimented with more challenging musical structures and lyrical themes, and a self-consciously art-based image, while retaining punk's initial iconoclastic stance.

In the early 2000s, a new group of bands that played a stripped down and back-to-basics version of guitar rock emerged into the mainstream. They were variously characterized as part of a garage rock, new wave or post-punk revival. Inspired by the original sounds and aesthetics of garage rock of the 1960s and new wave and post-punk of the late 1970s and early 1980s, with other influences that ranged from traditional blues, through new wave to grunge. The music ranged from the atonal tracks of bands like Liars to the melodic pop songs of groups like the Sounds, popularising distorted guitar sounds. They shared an emphasis on energetic live performance and used aesthetics (in hair and clothes) closely aligned with their fans, often drawing on fashion of the 1950s and 1960s, with "skinny ties, white belts [and] shag haircuts". There was an emphasis on "rock authenticity" that was seen as a reaction to the commercialism of MTV-oriented nu metal, hip hop and "bland" post-Britpop groups. Because the bands came from countries around the world, cited diverse influences and adopted differing styles of dress, their unity as a genre has been disputed. For garage rock historian Eric James Abbey, these were diverse bands that appropriated (or were given) the label "garage" to gain a degree of credibility.

AllMusic argued that rather than a revival, the history of post-punk was more of a continuum from the mid-1980s, with scattered bands that included Big Flame, World Domination Enterprises, and Minimal Compact extending the genre. In the mid-1990s, notable bands in this vein included Six Finger Satellite, Brainiac and Elastica. At the turn of the century, the term "post-punk" began to appear in the music press again, with a number of critics reviving the label to describe a new set of bands that shared some of the aesthetics of the original post-punk era. Music critic Simon Reynolds noted that bands like the Rapture and Franz Ferdinand were influenced by the more angular strain of post-punk, particularly bands such as Wire and Gang of Four. Others identified this movement as another wave of garage rock revivalism, with NME in 2003 designating it a "new garage rock revolution", or simply a "new rock revolution". According to music critic Jim DeRogatis, the Strokes, the White Stripes and the Hives all had a sound "to some extent rooted in Nuggets-era garage rock".

History

Background

There was interest in garage rock and elements of punk in the 1980s and 1990s, and by 2000 local music scenes in several countries had bands playing alternative and indie music. The Detroit rock scene included the White Stripes and the Von Bondies. New York's scene included the Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Le Tigre, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, the Walkmen, the Rapture, and Liars. In Los Angeles & San Francisco, the scene was centered around Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Dandy Warhols and Silversun Pickups. Other countries had their own local bands incorporating post-punk music.

2001–2007: Commercial breakthrough

The commercial breakthrough from these scenes began initially in the UK, and was led by a small group of bands. The Strokes emerged from the New York club scene with their debut album, Is This It (2001), which debuted at No. 2 in the UK and cracked the Top 50 in America. The White Stripes, from Detroit, released their third album, White Blood Cells (2001), which charted decently in both the US and the UK, as well as spawning two transatlantic Top 25 singles. The Hives, from Sweden, became a mainstream success with their compilation album Your New Favourite Band (2001) which peaked at No. 7 on the UK charts. Also in 2001, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's debut album hit No. 5 in the UK. The Vines, from Australia, released Highly Evolved in 2002, which was a top 5 success in both England and Australia, and peaked at No. 11 in the US. Along with the Strokes, White Stripes, Hives and others, they were christened by parts of the media as the "The" bands, and dubbed "the saviours of rock 'n' roll", prompting Rolling Stone magazine to declare on its September 2002 cover, "Rock is Back!" This press attention, in turn, led to accusations of hype, and some dismissed the scene as unoriginal, image-conscious and tuneless. According to Reynolds, "apart from maybe the White Stripes, none could really be described as retro".

In the wake of this attention, existing acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs were able to sign to major record labels. A second wave of bands that managed to gain international recognition as a result of the movement included Interpol, the Black Keys, the Killers, Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, the Shins, the Bravery, Spoon, the Hold Steady, and the National in the US, and Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, the Futureheads, The Cribs, the Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs and the Kooks in the UK. Arctic Monkeys were the most prominent act to owe their initial commercial success to the use of Internet social networking, with two No. 1 singles and Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006), which became the fastest-selling debut album in British chart history.

2008–2010: Decline in popularity
As a dominant commercial force, the revival was relatively short-lived. By 2008, the initial success of the movement was beginning to subside, leading commentators to discuss its decline as a phenomenon and argue that it had been overtaken by the more musically and emotionally complex music of indie rock bands like Arcade Fire (which, nevertheless, has been characterized by critics as featuring post-punk influences and sound) and Death Cab for Cutie.

By the end of the decade, many of the bands of the movement had broken up, were on hiatus, or had moved into other musical areas, and very few were making significant impact on the charts. Bands that returned to recording and touring in the 2010s included Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes  and Interpol.

2011–present: Resurgence

Post punk artists that attained prominence in the 2010s and early 2020s included Parquet Courts, Protomartyr and Geese (United States), Preoccupations (Canada), Iceage (Denmark), and Viagra Boys (Sweden).

In the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s, a new wave of post-punk bands from Britain and Ireland emerged. The groups in this scene have been described with the term "Crank Wave" by NME and The Quietus in 2019, and as "Post-Brexit New Wave" by NPR writer Matthew Perpetua in 2021. Perpetua describes the groups in the scene as "U.K. bands that kinda talk-sing over post-punk music, and sometimes it's more like post-rock." Many of the acts are associated with producer Dan Carey and his record label Speedy Wunderground, and with The Windmill, an all-ages music venue in Brixton, London. Artists that have been identified as part of the style include Black Midi, Squid, Black Country, New Road, Dry Cleaning, Shame, Sleaford Mods, Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital, Idles and Yard Act.

See also
 List of post-punk revival bands
 New rave
 New wave of new wave

References

Alternative rock genres
Post-punk
2000s in music
2000s fads and trends
Retro-style music

Post-punk revival


Hobo's Taunt was the second album released by Canadian singer-songwriter  Willie P. Bennett and was released as an LP album by Woodshed Records in 1977 (WS-007). Produced by David Essig, the album was engineered by brothers Daniel Lanois and Bob Lanois.  This production team had trouble capturing Willie's vocals, as he moved around too much, so had him lie down and sing while flat on his back.

The album contains one of Bennett's better-known songs, "Lace And Pretty Flowers", which has been covered by several other singers.

Bennett re-released the album on compact disc in 2000. The album was digitally remastered by Paul Reiemens at Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton, Ontario and released on Bennett's independent label, Bnatural Music. In 2003 it was re-released by Japanese label Air Mail Archive (AIRAC-1039), as part of their "Canadian Singer Songwriters Series Vol. 2", in an LP-style slipcase. However, this edition was mastered from a vinyl LP.

Track listing
All words and music by Willie P. Bennett
Side one

 "Come On Train"
 "Lace and Pretty Flowers"
 "Storm Clouds"
 "Hobo's Taunt"
 "Stealin' Away"

Side two

 "A Woman Never Knows"
 "Lonely One Car Funerals"
 "If You Have to Choose"
 "You"
 "Faces"

Performers and credits
 Willie P. Bennett – vocals, guitar, harmonica, high string guitar ("Come On Train")
 Steve Taylor - drums
 Ken Whiteley - piano, accordion, mandolin ("One Car Funerals"), vocals ("Hobo's Taunt", "Storm Clouds"), lead acoustic guitar ("You")
 Chris Whiteley - harmonica ("One Car Funerals", "If You Have To Choose", "Hobo's Taunt"/Trumpet ("Stealin', "A Woman Never Knows"), acoustic guitar ("A Woman Never Knows")
 Michael Gardner - Fender bass, bass, vocals ("Storm Clouds")
 Rick Taylor - electric Guitar, high string guitar ("If You Have to Choose", "Diamond Rings", "You"), harmony guitar ("Diamond Rings")
 David Essig - high string guitar ("If You Have To Choose"), mandolin ("If You Have To Choose")
 Tom Evans - saxophone ("Stealin' Away", "A Woman Never Knows")
 Daniel Lanois - electric guitar break ("A Woman Never Knows")
 Produced by David Essig and Willie P. Bennett
 Engineered by Daniel Lanois and Bob Lanois (Storm Clouds & Faces)
 Recorded at Grant Avenue Studios, Hamilton, Ontario

References

1977 albums
Willie P. Bennett albums

Hobo's Taunt


The Sutter Buttes (Maidu: Histum Yani or Esto Yamani, Wintun: Olonai-Tol, Nisenan: Estom Yanim) are a small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava domes which rise as buttes above the flat plains of the Sacramento Valley in Sutter County, northern California. They are situated just outside Yuba City in the northern part of the state's Central Valley.

Referred to as the world's smallest mountain range, the Sutter Buttes have as their highest point the summit of South Butte, at , which is also the highest point in Sutter County.

At the base of the mountain is the small town of Sutter. Both the town and the buttes are named for John Sutter, who received a large land grant in the area from the Mexican government.

Geography
The small range forms a rough circle approximately  from north to south and east to west.

Geology

The Sutter Buttes lie within the Central Valley of California.

They were formed about 1.6 million years ago in the early Pleistocene Epoch by volcanic activity.  They are the remnants of a volcano that has been dormant for about 1.4 million years. Some geological references suggest that the volcano represents the southernmost boundary of the Cascade Volcanoes, but there are significant differences in age and form compared to the other volcanoes in that range. Others suggest that its age places it with the volcanic elements of the California Coast Ranges; its composition is closer to that range but does have significant differences.

Exploration of natural gas leaks was first undertaken at South Butte by Dexter Cook in 1864, when he dug a  shaft.  Sutter Buttes Oil Company drilled a well in 1927 to a depth of , and other wells were drilled on the western margin.  Buttes Oilfields, Inc., drilled a well in 1932, but it wasn't until June 1935 though that it drilled the first of four gas wells in the area of T. 15 N., R 1 E.

Soils and vegetation
The rugged central part of the Buttes has a stony, brown sandy loam of variable depth and good-to-somewhat-excessive drainage. The smoother perimeter has more variable soil, with clay or silt loam areas among the sandy loams. These soils support grassland or oak woodland.
The Sutter Buttes contain many species of flora and fauna. Wildflowers are represented by numerous taxa; included in these many wildflowers is the yellow mariposa lily, Calochortus luteus.

History

Indigenous era
The Sutter Buttes figure prominently in the creation stories and other traditions of the indigenous Nisenan, Maidu, and Wintun peoples. The Nisenan lived on the East side of the Buttes, while the Patwin Wintun lived on the West side.  The Nisenan name for the Buttes is Estom Yanim.  The Maidu name for the Sutter Buttes is Histum Yani (middle mountains of the Valley) or Esto Yamani, while the Wintun name for the Sutter Buttes is Onolai-Tol. All of these names roughly mean "The Middle Mountains".

There were seasonal encampments in the Buttes, and all these tribes visited the Buttes regularly to gather acorns and other foods or to hunt game. The Buttes were also a center of regional Native American religion. According to anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, the Patwin village where the city of Colusa now stands was the "hotbed" where the Kuksu Cult was established.  This religion spread through much of Northern California.  Ceremonies were performed in earthen dance lodges where spirit impersonators would re-enact ancient mythological events.

In the Maidu and Nisenan religions, the Sutter Buttes is the place where dying people came to ascend to the afterlife.

Spanish & Mexican periods
The Spaniard Gabriel Moraga was the first European to see the Sutter Buttes in 1806. In 1817, the Californio Luis Antonio Argüello named it "los tres picos" (the three peaks, name that appears on the Mexican land grant made to Captain John Sutter). In 1843, John C. Frémont called them "The Three Buttes." James Dwight Dana explored the buttes on 16 Oct. 1841, while part of the United States Exploring Expedition.  In June 1846, John C. Frémont, on a massacre spree since April, stopped at the Sutter Buttes. Fearing an attack from the local Indians, Frémont led a preemptive attack which killed many Indians and led the others to flee the area. It remains known as the Sutter Buttes massacre.

American period
Under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago at the end of the war with Mexico the United States acquired California. Under the treaty the United States agreed to respect titles conveyed by Mexico. John Sutter claimed ownership of the Sutter Buttes under his New Helvetia grant. The United States Land Commission and the courts determined that Sutter's New Helvetia Grant did not include the Buttes. No land title in the Buttes arises under a Spanish or Mexican Grant, all title to land in the Buttes derives from the federal government. During the Gold Rush, the Buttes were called the "Marysville Buttes". In 1920, the state of California failed to purchase the Marysville Buttes, which finally became the "Sutter Buttes" in 1949.

Howel Williams further investigated the geology of the buttes in 1929. Williams teamed up with Garniss Curtis in 1977 to include radiometric dating of the area.

In 2003, the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased  in Peace Valley, on the north side of the Sutter Buttes, for $3 million with the intent to develop it as a state park. In 2005 the Parks Commission determined that the property would be a state park. The land was served by a road easement at the time it was purchased by the state. An underlying landowner sued asserting that the easement was insufficient to permit park visitor travel between Pennington Road and the park, and lost. The court determined that the easement was sufficient to allow visitor use. This land will continue to sit unused for the foreseeable future. The Parks agency has indicated that persons who can access the park from adjoining private lands may enter and use the park. The only access to the property is an easement  wide running about  from North Butte Road. The route crosses private lands and has not been prepared for regular public access.

Titan missile silos and U-2 crash
Between 1960 and 1962, the US Air Force built a Titan 1 ICBM missile launch complex at the north side of the Sutter Buttes, the Pennington Missile Base. A part of the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron headquartered at nearby Beale Air Force Base, the site was designated "851-B." The companion 851-A and 851-C launch sites were located near Lincoln, California and Chico, California.  Designed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to survive a nuclear attack, the Titan 1 complexes were the largest and most hardened of the first-generation ICBM facilities. The sites were composed of three underground missile silos interconnected to support and command bunkers by a network of tunnels. The facility was active between 1962 and 1965. In January 1965, the Titan 1 ICBM was phased out by the US Department of Defense. All missiles were removed from the site by February 1965.  The facilities were then decommissioned and the land subsequently sold back into private ownership.  The site has been host to many vandals and trespassers since the early 1980s to the present.

In September 2016, a US Air Force Lockheed U-2 from the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron crashed in the Sutter Buttes during a training mission, killing one of the two pilots.

Public access
Before 1960, the land was private, but accessible to the public. In 1960, a fire spread on the Buttes and the ranchers decided to close its access to the public. Since the state acquired some of the Buttes, it intends to redevelop its public access but the neighboring ranchers are highly hostile to that idea.
The state park land came with an easement running between the park and Pennington Road to the north. An underlying land owner sued the state asserting that the easement was not sufficient to allow park visitor use. The underlying landowner lost and the court determined that the state could permit visitor access to and from the park over the easement.

Public access to the Sutter Buttes is limited. Almost all of the land is privately held by ranchers and farmers, but an important exception is a  parcel encompassing most of North Butte, donated by deed from the McClatchy Company to the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust.
The terms of the deed of conveyance include the stipulation that the donated land be used for supervised public educational access, not for private use. The deed further stipulates that if these terms of conveyance are violated the land can revert to McClatchy ownership.
A few naturalists and local organizations, including Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes,
and the Sutter County Historical Society,
lead hikes through some areas. Since 1929, the State of California had considered purchasing the land for protection and a state park.

Park Access
The State acquired access to the park property at the time it purchased the property. There are two basic theories supporting public access to the park: That the road is a dedicated public road, and that the road is on a road easement purchased by the owner of the park property from the owners of the burdened land.
The road running between the park and North Butte Road may be a public road by dedication.

All of the land in the Sutter Buttes became federal land under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago. Before this land was conveyed out of federal ownership it was surveyed and maps were prepared and adopted by the federal General Land Office. The survey notes and approved maps show a road running between what is now North Butte Road and the northwest corner of the park property before the land was conveyed out. Under the federal mining act of 1866, the federal government offered roads established on the federal land to the people. This offer could be and apparently was accepted by use. The road today is not in the exact place it was on the federal maps but is the functional equivalent and so appears to be a public road.

The purchased road easement
In 1928 T.J. Brady, then the owner of the property that became the park, purchased a road easement from Richard Campbell Sr. and Lee and Allie Ballard, then the owners of land between what became the park property and North Butte Road, to provide access to his property. Richard Campbell Jr. sued the state when the park was established, claiming that the existing easement was not sufficient to permit the state to allow park visitors to use the road. Campbell and his co-plaintiffs lost: The courts determined that the state could use the easement for visitor access to the park.

Gallery

See also

Sutter County, California
List of highest points in California by county
Sutter Buttes massacre
Island Range
Sky Island

References

Sources

External links

Buttes of California
Locations in Native American mythology
Mountain ranges of Sutter County, California
Geography of the Sacramento Valley
Volcanoes of California
Extinct volcanoes of the United States
Pleistocene lava domes
Pleistocene California
John Sutter
Mountain ranges of Northern California

Sutter Buttes


Brian Murray (born 6 September 1984 in Patrickswell, County Limerick) is an Irish sportsperson.  He plays hurling with his local club Patrickswell and was a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team from 2006 until 2009.

Playing career

Club

Murray plays his club hurling with the famous Patrickswell club just outside Limerick city.  He was born into a family that had a strong association with hurling.  His father, Terence Murray, was also a member of the Patrickswell club and refereed the 1987 and 1993 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship finals between Galway and Kilkenny.  After enjoying little success as minor or under-21 levels he subsequently joined the club's senior team.  After beginning as an outfield player Murray was later chosen as goalkeeper on the team and has remained in that position since 2005. He played in his first senior county final in 2006, however, victory went to Bruree on that occasion.

Inter-county

Murray first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team in 2005.  He lined out in a challenge game against Tipperary in late 2005, a game which Limerick won with Murray keeping a clean sheet as goalkeeper. He impressed in that game and made his competitive debut against the same opposition in a National Hurling League game in early 2006. Murray remained as the first-choice goalkeeper for all but one game of the National League.  The team remained unbeaten and qualified for the final against Kilkenny.  It was an unhappy day for Limerick as 'the Cats' won the day by 3–11 0–14. Murray's performances were so impressive that he edged out Timmy Houlihan as the regular Limerick goalkeeper for the championship.  He made his debut in the Munster championship against Tipperary, however, Limerick's championship losing streak continued and they were defeated. After moving successfully through the qualifier system Murray's side later played defending champions Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final.  Although the team only lost by a point it was a game that Limerick could easily have won.

In 2007 Limerick faced near neighbours Tipperary in the semi-final of the Munster championship.  That game ended in a draw with both sides scoring 1–19. The replay saw Limerick in arrears by ten points at half-time, however, Murray's side rallied to level the game at the end of normal time.  A period of extra time failed to separate the sides and a score line of 1–24 to 2–21 resulted in a second replay.  Once again, Limerick looked vulnerable at times during the game, however, they grinded out a victory with a score line of 0–22 to 2–13. It was Limerick's first win in the Munster championship since 2001. Murray later lined out against Waterford in the Munster final, however, they were defeated on a score line of 3–17 to 1–14. These two sides later met again in the All-Ireland semi-final, however, manager Richie Bennis had done his homework and masterminded a surprise 5–11 to 2–15 victory over the Munster champions. This victory allowed Murray's side to play Kilkenny in the championship decider.  Unfortunately, Limerick got off to a bad start with Murray letting in two goals by Eddie Brennan and Henry Shefflin in the first ten minutes.  Limerick fought back, however, 'the Cats', however, went on to win the game by six points. In spite of this loss Murray was later presented with his first All-Star award, marking him out as the best goalkeeper in the championship.

After the highs of the previous year, 2008 proved to be a difficult year for the Limerick hurlers.  The team were trounced by 4–12 to 1–16 in opening game of the championship by Clare. The newly structured qualifier system pitted Murray's side against Offaly in a must-win game.  Limerick, however, were out of sorts as Murray left in three goals leading to a 3–19 to 0–18 defeat. Limerick's involvement in the championship came to an end following this trouncing.

In 2009 Justin McCarthy took over as Limerick manager.  After a poor showing in the National League, Limerick's first championship assignment was a Munster semi-final showdown with Waterford.  That game, described by many pundits as the worst game in the history of the provincial championship, ended in a draw.  The replay was a big improvement, however, Murray ended up on the losing side by 0–25 to 0–17.  Limerick later manoeuvred through the qualifiers, narrowly defeating Wexford, Laois and Dublin.  It was the first time that Limerick secured three championship victories in-a-row since 1996.  In the game against 'the Dubs' Murray was brought all the way up the field to convert a penalty.  A four-point victory allowed Limerick to advance to the All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary.

Inter-provincial

Murray has also lined out with Munster in the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition.  He captured a winners medal in this competition in 2007 as Munster defeated Connacht.

Honours

Patrickswell
Limerick Senior Hurling Championship:
Winner (4): 2000, 2003, 2016, 2019
Runner-up (2): 2006, 2015

Limerick
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
Winner (0):
Runner-up (1): 2007
Munster Senior Hurling Championship:
Winner (0):
Runner-up (1): 2007
National Hurling League:
Winner (0):
Runner-up (1): 2006

Munster
Railway Cup:
Winner (1): 2007

References

Teams

1984 births
Living people
Patrickswell hurlers
Limerick inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
Hurling goalkeepers

Brian Murray (hurler)


The teres minor (Latin teres meaning 'rounded') is a narrow, elongated muscle of the rotator cuff. The muscle originates from the lateral border and adjacent posterior surface of the corresponding right or left scapula and inserts at both the greater tubercle of the humerus and the posterior surface of the joint capsule.

The primary function of the teres minor is to modulate the action of the deltoid, preventing the humeral head from sliding upward as the arm is abducted. It also functions to rotate the humerus laterally. The teres minor is innervated by the axillary nerve.

Structure
It arises from the dorsal surface of the axillary border of the scapula for the upper two-thirds of its extent, and from two aponeurotic laminae, one of which separates it from the infraspinatus muscle, the other from the teres major muscle.

Its fibers run obliquely upwards and laterally; the upper ones end in a tendon which is inserted into the lowest of the three impressions on the greater tubercle of the humerus; the lowest fibers are inserted directly into the humerus immediately below this impression.

Relations
The teres minor originates at the lateral border and adjacent posterior surface of the scapula. It inserts at the greater tubercle of the humerus. The tendon of this muscle passes across, and is united with, the posterior part of the capsule of the shoulder-joint.

Innervation
The muscle is innervated by the posterior branch of axillary nerve where it forms a pseudoganglion. A pseudoganglion has no nerve cells but nerve fibres are present. Damage to the fibers innervating the teres minor is clinically significant.

Variation
Sometimes a group of muscle fibres from teres minor may be fused with infraspinatus.

Function
The infraspinatus and teres minor attach to head of the humerus; as part of the rotator cuff they help hold the humeral head in the glenoid cavity of the scapula. They work in tandem with the posterior deltoid to externally (laterally) rotate the humerus, as well as adduction.
Teres Minor can produce only very small scapular plane adduction during maximal contraction (Hughes RE, An KN 1996) with adductor moment arm of approximately 0.2 cm at 45° of shoulder internal rotation and approximately 0.1 cm at 45° of shoulder external rotation.

Clinical significance

Injury
There are two types of rotator cuff injuries: acute tears and chronic tears. Acute tears occur as a result of a sudden movement. This might include throwing a powerful pitch, holding a fast moving rope during water sports, falling over onto an outstretched hand at speed, or making a sudden thrust with the paddle in kayaking.  A chronic tear develops over a period of time. They usually occur at or near the tendon, as a result of the tendon rubbing against the underlying bone. The teres minor is typically normal following a rotator cuff tear.

Imaging

Atrophy of the teres minor muscle is often a consequence of a rotator cuff tear, but common isolated teres minor atrophies have also been found. A quadrangular space syndrome causes excessive and or chronically compression of the structures which pass through this anatomical tunnel. The axillary nerve and the posterior humeral circumflex artery pass through the space. People affected note shoulder pain and paresthesia down the arm first and foremost in abduction, extension, external rotation and overhead activity. Selective atrophy of the teres minor muscle has been seen and pulled together directly with compression of the corresponding axillary nerve branch or posterior humeral circumflex artery. Fibrous bands, cysts of the glenoid labrum, lipoma or dilated veins can occupy the quadrilateral space pathologically. Similar symptoms are common with anterior shoulder dislocation, humeral neck fracture, brachial plexus injury and thoracic outlet and inlet syndrome. It is important to include those pathologies for a complete as possible differential diagnosis.

Ultrasonography is a tool to detect a fatty degenerative atrophy of the teres minor and shows in affected muscles increased echogenicity and betimes a slight reduction in muscle bulk. MR imaging helps to consolidate the diagnosis of neurogenic muscle atrophy. Extracellular edema after traumatic events causing neural damage show an increased signal intensity on T2-weighted MRI sequences and normal intensity on T1-weighted sequences. Posterior humeral circumflex artery compression and reduced blood flow in stressful arm positions and or maneuvers can be diagnosed by a Doppler ultrasonography. The nerve should be detected adjacent to the vessel. In an elevated arm position the axillary neurovascular bundle can be seen at the posterior axillary fold just before it perforates the deltoideus, while the posterior course is well visible in the neutral position. For a detailed assessment of the artery, a MR angiography is required. The major task of an ultrasonographic examination is to rule out any space occupying mass. Additional electromyography is helpful to reveal any decelerated nerve conduction velocity, and thus denervation of the concerned muscle.

Additional images

See also
Accessory muscles of the scapula

References

External links

 ExRx

Muscles of the upper limb
Rotator cuff
Shoulder extensors
Shoulder lateral rotators

Teres minor muscle


The Boston Stone is a stone in Boston, Massachusetts. Near —but not on— the Freedom Trail, it is a minor tourist attraction.

The stone, a flattened sphere about  in diameter, hollowed out on one side, is embedded in the foundation of a building on Marshall Street (a narrow alley named for Thomas Marshall, captain of a ferry to Charlestown in the late 17th century) in the Blackstone Block Historic District. Below the stone is a plinth inscribed "Boston Stone 1737". There is no plaque and no further elucidation, and the Boston Stone has no official status.

History

The stone was originally a millstone used for grinding paint pigments. It was imported from England in 1635 or 1700 by the painter Tom Childs. in 1836, the stone was recovered while the foundations for the present building were being dug, and was placed in the brick wall in the building that still stands today.

According to popular legend and some sources, the stone is the geographic center of Boston, as it was used in colonial times by surveyors as the zero point for outlying milestones showing the distance to Boston, analogous to the London Stone, but this is almost certainly not true – there are no contemporary records indicating this, the 1767 Milestones stretching from Boston to Springfield, Massachusetts are not based on the Boston Stone, and the Old State House would have been a more likely center point for measuring distances to the city. 19th-century advertising for the Marshall House inn describes the original inscribing of the Boston Stone's plinth, and perhaps its attribution as Boston's zero milestone, as an early 19th-century advertising ploy.  Nonetheless, the 1921 Rand, McNally guide to the city opined that it was probably set up to provide directions to nearby shops in imitation of the London Stone.

References

External links

Landmarks in Boston
Stones
Government Center, Boston

Boston Stone


Barry James Douglas (born 4 September 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań.

After playing for Queen's Park and Dundee United in Scotland, he joined Polish club Lech Poznań in 2013, where he won the 2014–15 Ekstraklasa title. He signed for Konyaspor in Turkey in 2016, after which he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. Douglas enjoyed a successful season with Wolves, winning the 2017–18 EFL Championship and making his full international debut. He joined Leeds United in July 2018, where he won the 2019–20 EFL Championship under Manager Marcelo Bielsa.

Club career

Queens Park
Douglas was born in Glasgow and raised in the city's Pollok district. He played for Livingston's youth teams, but was released at the age of sixteen because he was considered "too small". He then spent a year out of football before joining Queen's Park, becoming part of their first team squad in 2008. He made his senior debut in August 2008 in a Scottish Second Division match against Stranraer, and went on to become a first team regular for Queen's Park, playing for the amateur club part-time while also working as a refrigeration engineer and serving an apprenticeship in the trade. His performances saw him linked with a number of professional clubs, despite Queen's Park being relegated to the Third Division in 2009. Douglas continued to impress at the lower level, scoring nine goals from his full-back position during the 2009–10 season. He finished the season as Queen's Park's top scorer.

Dundee United
On 20 June 2010, he signed professionally with Scottish Premier League club Dundee United. His debut for his new club came in August of that year, as a substitute against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the SPL. He spent three seasons at Tannadice; the player signed by United to replace him in the position, Andrew Robertson, also moved from Queen's Park, leading to disputes between the clubs as Dundee United had used the amateur status of Queen's Park and Douglas to avoid paying a transfer fee, and attempted to do the same with Robertson.

Lech Poznań
On 28 May 2013, Douglas signed a two-year deal with Polish club Lech Poznań. He made his debut against Widzew Łódź in a 1–0 win on 29 September 2013. His first goal for the club came on 3 August 2014, from a freekick in a 3–2 defeat against Wisła Kraków. He scored a freekick on 6 March 2015 against Jagiellonia Białystok in a 2–0 victory, before scoring another on 22 March in a 2–1 win over Wisła Kraków.

He played 27 times as Lech won the Polish league championship in 2014–15, and the subsequent Super Cup. He scored from another freekick for Poznań in the UEFA Champions League qualification phase against FK Sarajevo on 22 July 2015. He made 75 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 5 goals.

Konyaspor
Douglas signed for Turkish Süper Lig team Konyaspor in January 2016. He played his first league match against Galatasaray on 6 February 2016. With Konyaspor, Douglas reached the 2016–17 Turkish Cup final and played the full game as they defeated İstanbul Başakşehir on penalties. He played 45 times in all competitions during his spell, including four games in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 1 July 2017, he was signed by manager Nuno Espírito Santo for English Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal with a year's option in the club's favour. He made his debut for the club on 5 August 2017 in a 1–0 win against Middlesbrough at Molineux. He scored his first goal a week later, in a 2–0 win away against Derby County. On 22 November 2017, Douglas scored a long range freekick in a 4–1 win against Leeds United. He was nominated for the EFL Championship Player of The Month award for November 2017.

Douglas picked up a winner's medal during the 2017–18 EFL Championship with Wolves winning the league, contributing five goals and 14 assists from the left back position. His tally of assists also saw him finish joint-top (with Robert Snodgrass) of the relevant charts in the EFL Championship.

Leeds United

2018–19
On 28 July 2018, EFL Championship side Leeds United signed Douglas for an undisclosed fee (roughly £3 million) on a 3 year contract. He was given the number 3 shirt for the season. He made his debut and got an assist in the opening game of the 2018–19 season on 5 August 2018 against Stoke City at Elland Road in a 3–1 win. Douglas had injury problems in the beginning of 2019, which resulted in him missing several games, which saw Gjanni Alioski slot into his left back position whilst out injured, and on 30 March, Douglas, in obvious distress, played through a ruptured knee ligament, as all three substitutes had been used, in a tightly fought 3–2 win over Millwall. The injury ruled the Scot out for the remainder of the season, including playoffs.

During an injury-hit 2018–19 season, Douglas played 27 games in all competitions, making 5 assists. Leeds finished the regular season in third place, dropping out of the automatic promotion places with three games left after a defeat to ten-man Wigan Athletic on 19 April. With Douglas' season already ended by injury, Leeds lost to Derby County in the playoff semi-finals.

2019–20
After three months out injured, Douglas returned from injury on 10 July in a pre-season friendly 5–0 win against York City. He started the season as Leeds' first choice left back, but after a series of injuries, he found himself out of the side behind Gjanni Alioski. After an impressive half time substitute appearance against West Bromwich Albion on 1 January 2020, head coach Marcelo Bielsa said Douglas would start against Premier League side Arsenal in the third round of the F.A. Cup. Douglas played the full 90 minutes of the cup tie, which Arsenal won 1–0 but was substituted for Alioski during Sheffield Wednesday's late win at Elland Road on 11 January.

After the English professional football season was paused in March 2020 due to Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football, the season was resumed during June, where Douglas earned promotion with Leeds to the Premier League and also become the EFL Championship Champions for the 2019–20 season in July after the successful resumption of the season.

2020–21
His first start of the 2020–21 season came on 16 September 2020 for Premier League Leeds in a 1–1 draw against Hull City in the EFL Cup (Hull went on to win 9–8 on penalties).

Douglas was loaned to Championship club Blackburn Rovers on 16 October 2020 until the end of the 2020–21 season.

In May 2021, he was released by Leeds at the expiry of his contract.

Return to Lech Poznań
On 2 July 2021, Douglas returned to Poland, signing a 2-year contract with Lech Poznań.

International career
Douglas was selected for the Scotland national team in March 2018. He made his international debut on 27 March, coming on as a substitute for Andrew Robertson in a 1–0 win against Hungary.

Style of play
Douglas plays either as a left back or a left wing-back. He is also known for his free-kick and set piece ability.

Trivia
In August 2019, Douglas was one of the main stars of Leeds United documentary 'Take Us Home' on Amazon Prime, featuring in several episodes, the documentary was narrated by Academy Award winning actor and Leeds United fan Russell Crowe.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours
Lech Poznań
Ekstraklasa: 2014–15, 2021–22
Polish Super Cup: 2015

Konyaspor
Turkish Cup: 2016–17

Wolverhampton Wanderers
EFL Championship: 2017–18

Leeds United
EFL Championship: 2019–20

References

External links

1989 births
Living people
Footballers from Glasgow
Scottish men's footballers
Men's association football fullbacks
Scotland men's international footballers
Scottish Premier League players
Scottish Football League players
Ekstraklasa players
III liga players
II liga players
Süper Lig players
English Football League players
Livingston F.C. players
Queen's Park F.C. players
Dundee United F.C. players
Lech Poznań players
Lech Poznań II players
Konyaspor footballers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Leeds United F.C. players
Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Scottish expatriate men's footballers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Poland
Expatriate men's footballers in Poland
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey

Barry Douglas


Katja Wächter (born 28 January 1982 in Leipzig, Sachsen) is a German foil fencer. In 2009, Wachter won a silver medal for the same weapon at the European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and bronze, as a member of the German fencing team, at the World Championships in Antalya, Turkey.

Wachter represented Germany at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she competed in two foil events. For her first event, the women's individual foil, Wachter defeated Peru's María Luisa Doig, Romania's Cristina Stahl, and France's Corinne Maîtrejean in the preliminary rounds, before losing out the quarterfinal match to Italy's Giovanna Trillini, with a score of 8–15. Few days later, she joined with her fellow fencers and teammates Melanie Wolgast, Anja Schache, and Carolin Golubytskyi for the women's team foil. Wachter and her team, however, lost the fifth place match to the Chinese team (led by Zhang Lei), with a total score of 28 touches.

References

External links
Profile – FIE
EuroFencing Profile
NBC 2008 Olympics profile

German female fencers
Living people
Olympic fencers for Germany
Fencers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Leipzig
1982 births

Katja Wächter


Tan Zhenlin (; 24 April 1902 – 30 September 1983) was a political commissar in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War, and a politician after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Tan Zhenlin was born in You County, Hunan. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1926, and participated in the Chinese Civil War since the Jinggang Mountains rebellion in the early days of the war. By 1949 he rose to the first deputy political commissar of the Third Field Army of the PLA.

After the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, Tan became the Party Secretary and Governor of Zhejiang. He served as the Third Secretary of the Communist Party's East China Bureau, then Governor of Jiangsu. In December 1954 Tan became the party's deputy Secretary-General (not to be confused with General Secretary), and later Vice-Premier. During the Great Leap Forward, Tan became a Secretary of the Secretariat, in charge of agriculture. He supported Mao's policies during the Great Leap, which he regretted later in life. In 1967 he was quoted in Chinese press disputing to the concept of a unified Chinese cuisine: "In fact, in relation to some dishes regarded as delicacies in the South, many people in other parts of China share the disgust felt by Europeans" (referring to monkey brains).

Tan became a central figure opposed to the Central Cultural Revolution Group (CCRG) in the early stages of the Cultural Revolution. Tan, along with other Communist revolutionaries such as Chen Yi and Nie Rongzhen, openly attacked the CCRG and their insistence on expanding the Cultural Revolution. Tan bluntly told the assembled leaders that the Cultural Revolution was an attempt to purge the Communist old guard. Tan also reputedly said, "I made three mistakes in my life. I should not have lived to this day. I should have never joined the revolution with Mao. I should have never joined the Communist Party." He was denounced as part of the February Countercurrent and required to take a leave of absence to conduct self-criticism. However, after Lin Biao's own demise in 1971, Mao attempted to reach out to his old revolutionary colleagues, and restored Tan's political standing. In 1975 Tan was named a vice-chairman of the National People's Congress.

Tan Zhenlin was a member of the 8th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. He was a member of the 8th (1956–1969), 10th (1973–1977), and 11th (1977–1982) Central Committees of the Communist Party. He served as the vice-chairman of the 4th and 5th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1975–1978, 1978–1983).

References

1902 births
1983 deaths
Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hunan
Governors of Zhejiang
Governors of Jiangsu
Members of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party
People's Republic of China politicians from Hunan
Mayors of Hangzhou
Politicians from Zhuzhou
Members of the 8th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress
Burials at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery

Tan Zhenlin


A jukung or kano, also known as cadik is a small wooden Indonesian outrigger canoe. It is a traditional fishing boat, but newer uses include "Jukung Dives", using the boat as a vehicle for small groups of SCUBA divers.

The double outrigger jukung is but one of many types of Austronesian outrigger canoes that use the crab claw sail traditional throughout Polynesia. Whilst this sail presents some difficulties in tacking into the wind, actually requiring to jibe around, a jukung is superb in its reaching ability and jibe-safe running. They are usually highly decorated and bear a marlin-like prow.

People in Kalimantan also named their boat Jukung. It is used for transport in daily activities such as going to the office, to school, or shopping in pasar terapung (The Floating Market, a very famous tourist attraction).

Currently there is a modern version of jukung made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe in Indonesia. Advertised as unsinkable, the main body is made of a closed HDPE pipe that contains sealed air as the source of its buoyancy.

Type of jukung

 Jukung gede (in Balinese language gede means large). A large type of jukung used for transporting 4–5 cows from Bali to Nusa Penida in Lombok strait, often seen in Kusamba beach.
 Jukung payangan. This is the big and famous fish catcher from salompeng. The hull is about 15 m long with 5 crewmen. Payang itself refers to a type of seine used by local fishermen.
 Jukung polangan. The usual type of jukung at Sepulu, with projecting rear end, boom-spar and five seats (called polangan). The front and back "fins" were carved and painted with gold. The hull is using Madurese jukung style.

The great Jukung race

In the late 1980s there was a seafaring journey of over  in open outrigger 'jukung' canoes by nine crews, who sailed from Bali to Darwin across the Timor Sea. Crews were from New Zealand, Australia, USA, England, Japan, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Indonesia. This was a three-month expedition masterminded by Bob Hobmann, filmed and made into a documentary called "Passage out of Paradise"; it was featured by the National Geographic Society as "The Great Jukung Race". It was the first ever expedition of this kind, following purported Austronesian sailing routes in craft dating 7,000 years old.

The expedition started in Bali, where once crews were familiar with sailing their Jukungs they embarked on a two-month adventure following the ancient sailing routes used around 1,000 years BC, along the eastern Islands via Komodo Island. They completed the journey with a treacherous 5 day sail across the Arafura Sea to Darwin, via the Tiwi Islands.

Challenges experienced were storms requiring numerous boat repairs, waterspouts, excessive exposure to sun, heat, or rain, adverse currents & whirlpools. Hazards included drifting onto war-torn Timor, unpredictable behaviour/welcome from remote villagers, salt water boils, wound infections, malnutrition, near misses with night-time freighters, sightings of sperm whales and giant white sharks. Some sailors were viciously attacked by hornets while preparing to leave a remote beach camp. The crews rebelled & unanimously decided to sail as a group, as opposed to racing the final leg of the journey, for safety reasons. They luckily avoided the risk of contact with salt water crocodiles & lethal box jellyfish common in the Northern Territory coastal waters.

As a result, all sailors miraculously survived a cyclone of more than  winds in their tiny  long,  wide primitive bamboo/rope jukungs, although the Australian crew was lost for 2 days, later located by the Australian coastguard, with a smashed jukung washed up on an island.

The fleet of 9 jukungs and 18 international sailors were given a traditional welcome by local Melville Island Aborigines, and successfully reached their final destination of Darwin, Australia.

See also
Vinta, a similar outrigger boat from the Philippines
Mayang, another Indonesian fishing boat
Kakap
 Lancaran
 Penjajap
 Kelulus
 Jong
Jukung tambangan

References

External links
 Traditional Boats by Horst Liebner
 Horridge, Adrian (2015). Perahu Layar Tradisional Nusantara. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Ombak. An Indonesian translation of Horridge, Adrian (1985). The Prahu: Traditional Sailing Boat of Indonesia, second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
A Jukung from Madura Island – Traditional Indonesian Trimaran
http://www.aquatec.co.id

Types of fishing vessels
Sailing ships
Boats of Indonesia
Outrigger canoes
Indigenous boats

Jukung


Matthew or Matt Smith may refer to:

Artists
Matthew Smith (painter) (1879–1959), British painter
Matthew Dow Smith, American comic book artist
Matt Smith (comics editor) (born 1972), British comic book editor
Matt Smith (illustrator), American children's magazine illustrator and album cover artist

Entertainers
Matt Smith (born 1982), English actor
Matt Smith (drummer), jazz percussionist
Matt Smith (guitarist), guitarist for the Australian band Thirsty Merc
Matt Smith (musician), guitar player for the glam rock band Paris
Matt "Money" Smith (born 1973), Southern California radio personality
Matt Smith (The Real World) (born 1978), participant in The Real World
Matt Smith (TV reporter), entertainment correspondent

Politics
Matthew Smith (Pennsylvania statesman) (1734–1794), Vice-President (Lt. Gov.) of Pennsylvania
Matthew H. Smith (born 1972), member of the Pennsylvania State Senate
Matthew Smith (colonial secretary) (1836–1887), former acting Colonial Secretary of Western Australia
Matt Smith (Australian politician) (born 1978), member of the Tasmanian state parliament
Matthew Smith (Canadian politician) (1842–1909), farmer, hotel owner and political figure in Prince Edward Island, Canada
Matthew Smith (Irish politician) (died 1955), Irish Fianna Fáil politician

Sports

Association football
Mattha Smith (1897–1953), Scottish footballer
Matt Smith (soccer, born 1982), English-born Australian professional soccer player
Matt Smith (footballer, born 1989), English professional footballer for Salford City
Matty Smith (footballer, born 1997), Scottish footballer with Dundee United
Matthew Smith (footballer, born 1999),  Wales international footballer
Matt Smith (footballer, born 2000), English professional footballer for Wigan Athletic

Rugby
Matt Smith (rugby union, born 1985), rugby union player with Leicester Tigers
Matty Smith (rugby league) (born 1987), English rugby league player for Wigan Warriors
Matt Smith (rugby union, born 1989), rugby union player with Cornish Pirates
Matt Smith (rugby union, born 1996), rugby union player with Glasgow Warriors

Other sports
Matt Smith (broadcaster) (born 1967), BT Sport presenter
Matthew Smith (field hockey) (born 1973), Australian field hockey player
Matthew Smith (rower) (born 1977), American rower
Matt Smith (baseball) (born 1979), American baseball pitcher
Matthew Smith (cricketer) (born 1990), English cricketer
Matt Smith (duathlete) (born 1996), Australian duathlete

Other people
Matthew Smith, author of JFK: The Second Plot
Matthew Smith (games programmer) (born 1966), British computer game programmer
Matthew Smith (labor activist) (1893-1958), British-American labor organizer
Matthew Smith (spy), 17th-century spy and the author of Memoirs of Secret Service
Matthew Smith, model, contestant in America's Next Top Model
Mathew C. Smith, U.S. Army brigadier general

Matthew Smith


Old Agoura, also referred to simply as "Agoura" by some locals, is a district on the east side of the city of Agoura Hills, located in the Simi Hills of western Los Angeles County, California.

The community of Oak Park is to the west, and the city of Calabasas to the east.  In some contexts East Agoura, also north of the 101−Ventura Freeway is considered a part of Old Agoura.

Description
The neighborhood has a mix of older and larger properties, often with private corrals and horse facilities, which draw equestrian oriented residents. The Old Agoura Overlay, of the city's general plan and municipal code, guides architecture and development in the district.

A network of horse trails along the roads and fields connect much of the district to its centrally located Old Agoura Park, and to the surrounding protected open spaces including: Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyon Park of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area;  and Liberty Canyon Park.

See also

References

External links
Flickr: Old Agoura HOA photo gallery

Neighborhoods in Agoura Hills, California
Simi Hills

Old Agoura, Agoura Hills, California


Ferrante Aporti (20 November 1791 – 14 November 1858) was an Italian educator and theologian.

Biography
Aporti was born at San Martino dall'Argine (in what is now the province of Mantua, northern Italy).

After his ordination to the priesthood and a three-years' course in Vienna, he was appointed professor of church history in the seminary of Cremona and superintendent of schools in the same city. He took a special interest in the education of poor children and opened an infant school at Cremona in 1827 for their benefit.

The success of this undertaking led to the establishment of similar schools in various cities of Italy. Aporti visited each, encouraged the teachers, and published for their guidance: Il manuale per le scuole infantili (Cremona, 1833) and Sillabario per l'infanzia (Cremona, 1837). He also gave, in the University of Turin, a course of instruction on educational methods which attracted a large number of teachers.

He received from the French Government the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1846, and from Victor Emmanuel the rank of Senator in 1848. He was called in 1855 to the rectorship of the University of Turin, a position which he held until shortly before his death.

Sources

1791 births
1858 deaths
Clergy from the Province of Mantua
19th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians
19th-century Italian educators
Writers from the Province of Mantua

Ferrante Aporti


Missing Richard Simmons is an investigative journalism podcast, created by Stitcher, First Look Media, and Pineapple Street Media and hosted by Dan Taberski. The first episode was released on February 15, 2017, with the following five episodes released weekly.

Synopsis
Missing Richard Simmons focuses on the sudden retirement from public life of Richard Simmons. After having an illustrious media career spanning over 30 years and known for interacting with fans on a personal level, Simmons retired from the public eye in February 2014. Not only did he no longer appear in the media, but he also stopped teaching his regular exercise classes at Slimmons and stopped corresponding with his friends and fans. Former producer on The Daily Show Dan Taberski sets out to find out why.

References

Other websites
 Missing Richard Simmons

Podcasting

Missing Richard Simmons


Cineplex Odeon Films (later known as Odeon Films) was the film distribution unit of the Canadian cinema chain Cineplex Odeon Corporation. The company was originally named Pan-Canadian Film Distributors. In 1998, the company was sold off to Alliance Atlantis Communications, which eventually folded into Entertainment One.

History
The company began in 1979 as Pan-Canadian Film Distributors, a partnership between film producer Garth Drabinsky and inventor Nat Taylor, based in Toronto, Ontario. At the time of its establishment in the United States, the Cineplex Odeon theatre chain and the tie-in studio were owned by the MCA entertainment group, also the then-owners of Universal Pictures. On August 27, 1986, Pan-Canadian renamed itself as Cineplex Odeon Films, and began operations at Los Angeles, California in November 1986; Garth Drabinsky became its chief officer. Cineplex Odeon Films made its first film to American screens, which was The Decline of the American Empire, produced by Rene Malo.

The distribution branch then underwent a restructuring shortly afterwards, in order to turn the company into a U.S.-based subsidiary of the firm, with headquarters in Century City, with regional offices in New York City, Chicago and other markets, and the new Canadian division of the studio would start operating out of the new Cineplex Odeon corporate headquarters in Canada, and the turf included licensing of films on home video, pay TV and theatrical distribution. In late 1987, it formed a partnership with Robert Redford's production company Wildwood Enterprises, Inc. by setting up Northfolk Productions, for combining the production of both pictures with budgets less than $5 million, and has plans to produce at least five films for the next five years between the average budget of $4–5 million. By 1990, it was Canada's largest independent film distribution company.

On October 22, 1987, Cineplex Odeon created yet another subsidiary, that of the television division, Cineplex Odeon Television Productions, whose first offerings included 41 then=new episodes of the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, set for the USA Network in 1988, in association with MCA TV, (they were seen in Canada on the Global Television Network). David J. Patterson became senior vice president of the Cineplex Odeon television division.

In December 1993, it was announced by Michael Herman (Cineplex Odeon Films Canada Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs) that as part of a corporate restructuring, Bryan Gliserman had been appointed to the role of Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs effective January 17, 1994. Gliserman would oversee all of Cineplex Odeon Films operations, and would be responsible for the maintenance and improvement of Cineplex Odeon Films distribution services. Gliserman would also build relationships with key suppliers like Columbia/Tri-Star, Savoy Pictures and Gramercy Pictures. Prior to his promotion, Gliserman had spent 17 years in the Canadian film industry. He had experience with development, financing, production, distribution and exhibition posts with a wide variety of organization.

Later in the 1990s, it changed its name to Odeon Films on account of its historic significance, before releasing one of their final films—the science-fiction film Cube (released in American markets under Trimark Pictures' banner).

In early 1998, 75% of Cineplex Odeon Films was sold to Alliance Atlantis Communications for . The remaining 25% was donated to a foundation representing Canada's film schools. The sale took place as Cineplex Odeon Corporation was sold to Sony's Loews Theaters to form Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The sale was partly due to a Canadian law that forbids foreign companies from owning domestic distributors as the company was no longer Canadian.

The Cineplex Odeon Films library is currently owned by Echo Bridge Entertainment (who acquired Alliance Atlantis' international distribution unit in 2008) and AMC Theatres. As a side note, in 2013, Alliance Films, the company that succeeded Alliance Atlantis Communications, was folded into Entertainment One.

Film history
Notable films from Cineplex Odeon's early days include The Glass Menagerie, The Last Temptation of Christ, Prancer, The Grifters, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Madame Sousatzka, Jacknife, the Prince concert film Sign o' the Times, The Decline of the American Empire, Oliver Stone's Talk Radio, and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland.

A home video division was also started in 1986, previously known as Pan-Canadian Video Presentations in the early 80s. The company also had a home video deal with Universal with most titles released through their MCA Video banner in the US and Canada. The home video division lasted until 1998, when it was absorbed into Alliance Atlantis along with its film distribution counterpart. The company received a deal with Virgin Vision in 1987 for the Canadian distribution of the output.

Cineplex Odeon worked with Universal for distributing and co-producing some of their notable productions in the US, such  as The Glass Menagerie, The Last Temptation of Christ, Oliver Stone's Talk Radio, and Madame Sousatzka. The company also had a home video deal with Universal with most titles released through their MCA Home Video (later Universal Studios Home Video) banner. Cineplex Odeon also had an international division, Cineplex Odeon Films International, meant for distributing their films outside of North America.

References

External links
A biography of the company's founder, Garth Drabinsky

Film distributors of Canada
Defunct mass media companies of the United States
Mass media companies established in 1978
Defunct mass media companies of Canada
Loews Cineplex Entertainment
1978 establishments in Ontario
1998 disestablishments in Ontario

Cineplex Odeon Films


This is a list of key characters in The Inheritance Cycle, a fantasy adventure series by Christopher Paolini. The series contains several hundred characters, while the following list contains only the most frequently mentioned.

Many of the names Paolini has used originate from Old Norse, German, Old English, and Russian sources, as well as the invented languages. With the exception of Angela, the characters' personalities are entirely imagined and not based on actual people. Some characters, like the titular character Eragon were developed before the series was written, while others (such as Angela) were added on an as-needed basis.

Major characters
 Eragon Bromsson – the human son of Brom and Selena, although Eragon's true relationship to Brom is not revealed until the third novel. Eragon is the cousin of Roran Garrowsson and half-brother of Murtagh. Until the age of fifteen, he was raised by his uncle Garrow. After the dragon Saphira hatches for him, he travels to the Varden, where he learns of the evils done by Galbatorix and determines to end the king's rule. He has romantic feelings for the elf Arya, but the two never become a couple as he leaves Alagaësia permanently at the end of the final novel. He is also known as Eragon Bromsson, Argetlam, Shur'tugal, Shadeslayer, Firesword, and Kingkiller.
Eragon has dark brown eyes and hair and fights with bow and arrow or a sword, especially the sword Brisingr, crafted for him by the master smith Rhunön. After a magic ceremony in the second novel, Eragon takes on the physical characteristics of an elf, although he retains some aspects of his human body (such as the ability to grow a beard). He is a skilled magician and second to only Murtagh in his skill with the sword.
The author originally intended Eragon's character serve in an autobiographical capacity. However, Paolini states, "Eragon has done many things that I haven't—such as ride a dragon, fight monsters, and use magic—and these experiences have made him a different person than me. Eragon is now his own person, similar to me in some respects, but possessing a unique history, likes, dislikes, friends, and family." Eragon was the first character developed by Paolini, and the author's outline of how the character would develop drove the novels' storyline. The name "Eragon" is an aptronym based on the word "dragon", and a play on the phrase "an era gone".
Eragon was portrayed by Edward Speleers in the film adaptation of Eragon.
Saphira Bjartskular ("Brightscales") – a female blue dragon who hatches from an egg stolen from Galbatorix by Brom and Jeod. She is the last living female dragon in all of Alagaësia, although more dragon eggs are found at the end of the final novel. Saphira is wise, fearless, protective of Eragon, and somewhat vain. She is also skilled at aerial acrobatics. Her sire was Iormûngr, a bonded dragon, and her dam was Vervanda, a wild dragon. At the end of Inheritance she mates with Fírnen before leaving Alagaësia with Eragon.
Saphira's name is derived from the word "sapphire", and as such serves as an aptronym describing her coloration (blue being Paolini's favorite color). She was voiced by Rachel Weisz in the film.
Arya Dröttningu – a female elf and is the only daughter of King Evandar and Queen Islanzadí. Arya has served as courier of Saphira's egg and the elves' ambassador to the Varden. She becomes queen of the elves after the death of her mother, as well as a dragon rider (bonded to Fírnen), at the end of the final book. She is also known as Arya Svit-kona and Arya Shadeslayer. Eragon rescues her in the first novel when she is being held captive by Durza, a shade. When Eragon first pursues her romantically, she rebuffs his advances, telling him she had recently lost a close friend, Fäolin, and that any relationship would be unwise because of their respective responsibilities and age differences. She holds traditional human gender roles in disdain. At the end of the final novel, she is willing to consider Eragon as a romantic partner, but he leaves before they can begin a relationship. She shows this by telling her true name to Eragon, which she refused to do before.
Arya is over 100 years old. She is beautiful, wise, and possesses inhuman speed, strength, grace, and superior fighting and magical skills (like most elves). She has long black hair, slanted cat-like green eyes, and is very tall.
She was portrayed by Sienna Guillory in the film.
Murtagh Morzansson – the human son of Morzan and Selena, and Eragon's half-brother. Eragon first meets him in Eragon and travels with him to the Varden, where he is mistrusted for being Morzan's son. In Eldest, Murtagh is kidnapped by the Twins and forced to serve Galbatorix after the dragon Thorn hatches for him. He is an exceptionally skilled swordsman, and has enhanced strength and magic from Galbatorix, as well as Eldunarí (the source of a dragon's being and life force) to enhance his power. Due to his difficult childhood, he has little empathy for others. He has romantic feelings for Nasuada, but does not pursue a relationship as he feels he can never be accepted by society, even after helping to defeat Galbatorix. His name is entirely the author's invention.

Murtagh was played by Garrett Hedlund in the film.

  Galbatorix – the human king and tyrant of the Empire. When his first dragon, Jarnunvösk was killed by Urgals, Galbatorix began a quest for revenge against the Riders which ultimately resulted in their extinction and his rise to power in the human kingdom. He stole a dragon hatchling named Shruikan and bound their minds in a crude approximation of a Rider's bond. He has derived incredible magical strength from the captured souls of dead dragons, the Eldunarí. He is at least 120 years old. He is killed in the final novel. Galbatorix's name means "Big King" in Celtic.

He was played by John Malkovich in the film adaptation of Eragon.
Nasuada – the daughter of Ajihad and Nadara, human members of the Wandering Tribes. Upon her father's death at the beginning of Eldest, Nasuada becomes leader of the Varden. She is Eragon's liegelord. She is very cunning and trusted by both her people and Eragon, which leads her to become queen of the Empire in Inheritance.
Nasuada was played by Caroline Chikezie in the film version of Eragon.
Roran Garrowsson (Stronghammer) – Eragon's cousin and father of Ismira, who grew up with him in Carvahall with Eragon. Roran has an almost obsession with his eventual-wife, Katrina, which leads him to travel with the whole of Carvahall to join the Varden. He becomes an excellent motivational speaker as a result. Although he at first resents his cousin for inciting war and bringing about Garrow's death, the two make up and become quite close.
Roran was played by Chris Egan in the film Eragon.
Orik Thrifksson (also known as Grimstborith Orik and King Orik) – a dwarf, a member of the clan Dûrgrimst Ingeitum, and the nephew of King Hrothgar. He becomes king (Grimstnzborith) and leader (Grimstborith) of Ingeitum after Hrothgar's death. Orik is a smith, a warrior, and Eragon's guide. He adopts Eragon into his clan in Eldest. Orik later marries Hvedra, the Grimstcarvlorss of Ingeitum.

Humans
Brom – Eragon's father and first mentor. He is known for his intelligence and craftiness, surviving long after his dragon's death despite being hunted by Galbatorix (more than 100 years). Brom was the co-founder of the Varden. He had white hair and a long white beard, carried Morzan's sword Zar'roc, and could work basic magic. He was gruff yet kind towards Eragon. He is  revealed to be a former Dragon Rider (bonded to the first Saphira) as he lays dying at the Ra'zac's hand in Eragon.
Brom was played by Jeremy Irons in the film adaption of Eragon.
King Orrin – the king of Surda, a minor human empire not yet ruled by Galbatorix. Orrin's royal line comes from the Broddring Kingdom, the human's first empire. He is an enthusiastic scientist, viewed by Nasuada as somewhat childish and undisciplined. Orrin secretly supports the Varden, and he allows them to move to his country in Eldest. He often comes into conflict with Nasuada when she encroaches on what he believes to be his rightful power, and develops a drinking problem in the final novel which she cites as a reason he should not replace Galbatorix.
Irwin is the Prime Minister of Surda and opposes King Orrin's open support of the Varden.
Elva – an orphaned baby whom Eragon attempts to bless in the first novel. From his missworded "blessing" Elva is compelled to protect other people from misfortune or danger. During the battle against Galbatorix, he mutes her and Elva therefore is of no help. However, previous to the battle she proves useful and helps Eragon, Arya, Saphira, and their spellcasters navigate Galbatorix's traps leading up to the throne room. Eragon tried to remove the curse, but failed. As a result, Elva is not forced to help others, but she can still sense their pain.
Ajihad* – leader of the Varden and Nasuada's father. He is responsible for the Varden's alliance with the Dwarven nation. Shortly after the Battle of Farthen Dûr, at the beginning of Eldest, he is killed by Urgals.
*Pronounced "AH-zhi-hod".
Ajihad was played by Djimon Hounsou in the film version of Eragon. His name is entirely Paolini's invention.
Jeod Longshanks is a merchant and scholar. He is an agent of the Varden, whom he supported with his business by smuggling various supplies until he was exposed to the Empire, causing him to suffer heavy losses. He and Brom stole Saphira's egg from the Empire.
Carvahall villagers
Selena - she was the mother of Eragon and Murtagh, Morzan's consort and Garrow's sister. She was also known as The Black Hand (a name which is later used to describe a network of the Empire's spies in the Varden) Selena fell in love with Morzan, who trained her in magic and other warrior arts to act as his spy and assassin. After falling in love with Brom, she escaped to Carvahall to give birth to Eragon, dying shortly after.
Garrow was Roran's father (with his deceased wife Marian) Eragon's uncle, and Selena's brother. He lived on a farm, away from the rest of the village. He is killed by the Ra'zac toward the beginning of Eragon.
Katrina is the daughter of Sloan and Ismira. She wishes to marry Roran, which causes her disapproving father to kidnap her when he allies himself with the Ra'zac. After Roran, Eragon, and Saphira rescue her, she marries Roran and the two have a child.
Katrina is portrayed by Tamsin Egerton in the film adaptation. However her scenes were cut in the final version of the film.
Ismira is the name of both Katrina's mother (deceased, pre-series) and her daughter born in the final book.
Sloan is Carvahall's butcher and Katrina's father. Sloan dotes upon his daughter and is highly possessive of her, betraying the rest of the village to the Empire in exchange for her safety. The Ra'zac blind and torture him. When Eragon meets Sloan after his betrayal, he curses him (with approval from Queen Islanzadí) to go live among the elves and remain separate from his daughter until he repents, and his magically binding true name changes.
Horst Ostrecsson is a blacksmith, and husband of Elain and father of Baldor, Albriech, and Hope.
Birgit Mardasdaughter, the mother of Nolfavrell, assists Roran during the village's flight from the Empire to Surda. Her husband was Quimby, the village brewer, who was accidentally killed by the Ra'zac's soldiers when he tried to break up an argument in the village's tavern, then eaten by the Ra'zac. Birgit blames Roran and Eragon for his death, and tells Roran she plans to extract a blood price for this insult. When finally given the chance, she decides not to kill him.
 soldiers and magicians
The Twins were powerful human magicians who claimed to support the Varden but really worked for Galbatorix.
Trianna – After the disappearance of the Twins in Eldest, Trianna leads Du Vrangr Gata, a group of weak human magicians. Trianna is put in charge of Nasuada's plan to use cheap lace, made with magic, to finance the Varden's war efforts. She also leads Du Vrangr Gata in battle.
Carn is a spellcaster who serves with Roran throughout the missions in Brisingr and remains a close friend of his. Although not a particularly strong magician, he compensates by inventing extraordinarily clever spells and worming his way into his opponents' minds. Carn is killed in a Wizard's Duel in Inheritance by an enemy magician.
Jörmundur is second-in-command of the Varden troops. He is also a member of the Varden's Council of Elders but is the only member to support Nasuada.
Martland Redbeard is Roran's commander during his first Varden mission and a tactical genius. After losing a hand, he becomes one of Nasuada's military strategists.
Edric is the commander of one of Roran's missions with the Varden. Edric is a competent but overbearing and rigid commander.
Captain Brigman is a Varden officer who was sent by Nasuada to conquer the city of Aroughs. After an extended siege, Nasuada, wanting to conquer the city quickly, sent Roran to replace him as commander.
Fredric is the Varden's weapon master. He aids Eragon in finding a new sword, a falchion. He wears a suit of pungent ox hide armor, and wields a massive two-handed sword which is over five feet long.
Lord Barst was a general who was known for his power in battle, said to be just as ruthless as Galbatorix. In book 4, Galbatorix gave him an Eldunari to empower him in battle.
King Palancar was the king of the humans when they first migrated and established a settlement in Alagaësia. He founded the Broddring Kingdom, but was defeated by the Dragon Riders when he attempted to annex elvish territory. (deceased, pre-series)
Marcus Tábor was the Lord of Dras–Leona before its siege by the Varden.

Riders
The Dragon Riders are the humans and elves who bonded with dragon hatchlings, as well as a kind of police force existing in the time before Galbatorix's rise to power. They began with the first Eragon, an elf who adopted a newly hatched dragon during a massive war between their two species. Their rule ended 100 years before the events of Eragon with the death of Vrael.

Oromis is Eragon's second teacher after Brom. He is an elf and the last remaining Dragon Rider of the old order. He is also known as "Osthato Chetowa, the Mourning Sage" and "Togira Ikonoka, the Cripple Who is Whole" because of a curse placed upon him by one of the Forsworn. He is bonded to Glaedr.
The Forsworn were a group of 13 Riders (and their dragons) who joined Galbatorix during the Fall. When the dragons learned that thirteen of their kind were willingly helping to exterminate the rest of their race, they banded together and erased the Forsworn's dragons' names and identities. After "The Banishing of the Names" the Forsworn's dragons became beastlike and some of the Forsworn themselves went insane.
Morzan was a Dragon Rider, long dead by the start of Eragon; he is actually the father of Murtagh. He is described as "strong of body, but weak of mind" by Brom, who idolized him until the former's alliance with Galbatorix. Brom later killed him with his own sword.
Kialandí was a male Rider. (deceased, pre-series)
Formora was a female elven Rider. (deceased, pre-series)
Glaerun was a male elven rider and one of the Forsworn. He died during a nuclear-like explosion caused by the elven Rider Thuviel sacrificing himself at Doru Areba.
Enduriel was a Dragon Rider and one of the Forsworn. It's implied that Enduriel died after the event of the destruction of Ilirea and Vroengard. He may have been killed by Brom or the Varden. (deceased, pre-series)
Vrael was the last leader of the Riders before their Fall and was bonded to the male white dragon Umaroth.
Anurin was an elven Dragon Rider, and leader of the Dragon Riders before Vrael.
Arva was an elven Rider who was at Ilirea when the Forsworn attacked the city. He fought Kialandí (who dealt him a mortal blow) but managed to pass his sword Támerlein to his sister, Naudra (mate of Lord Fiolr).
Thuviel was a Dragon Rider whose dragon was killed before the battle of Doru Areba. Crippled by the emotional and psychological effects of losing such a bond, Thuviel became depressed and no longer wished to continue living. Vrael however, encouraged Thuviel to sacrifice himself by turning his body into pure energy. Galbatorix long believed the eggs hidden within the Vault of Souls to have been destroyed in the explosion. Thuviel's sacrifice made Doru Areba uninhabitable for even hundreds of years afterward, akin to the effects of nuclear radiation.

Dragons
In the books, the dragons are grouped into those bonded to Riders and wild dragons. The wild dragons are far more fierce, while the bonded dragons are more intellectual. All dragons hatch from eggs, in which they can remain for a very long time; once hatched they have a nearly infinite lifespan and continue growing their whole lives. They can breathe fire and reproduce at about six months old. When a dragon dies, it has the option to transfer its consciousness into a diamond-like organ inside its body called an Eldunarí. If it disgorges its "heart of hearts" before its death, the dragon has no choice but to retreat into it when it dies. Such Eldunarí will live on until another creature destroys them. Dragons are a variety of colors, which do not appear to be related to their parents' colors.
Glaedr is the gold dragon bonded to Oromis. He is at least three times as large as Saphira and a skilled fighter, but lost his left foreleg in battle with Formora. After escaping the Forsworn, Glaedr and Oromis went into hiding in Du Weldenvarden to teach the first of the new generation of Riders. He disgorges his Eldunarí shortly before his and Oromis's death in Brisingr, and is thus forced to live on after his body dies.
Thorn is a red male dragon bound to Murtagh. He has been magically grown to large proportions, but still has the mind of a child. Saphira refers to him as "Red-Shrike-Thorn".
Shruikan is Galbatorix's black dragon, the largest of all the dragons to appear in the series. He was twisted into the king's service through black magic. The dragon's name is a play on the word "shuriken".
Jarnunvösk was Galbatorix's first dragon, who was royal purple. She was killed by Urgals (deceased, pre-series).
Saphira is a female dragon bound to Eragon and a central character of the series. Eragon first encountered her as an egg (believing her to be a rare stone) while hunting in the wilderness of the Spine Mountains early in the first book. Her name is a play on the word "sapphire", due in part to her deep blue coloration.
Fírnen was one of the eggs that was captured by Galbatorix. His didn't hatch until Arya, his bond, brought him to the Crags of Tael'neir when the war with the Empire had finished. He is a small green dragon and Saphira's mate.
Bid'daum – the dragon whose egg was found by the first Eragon. (deceased, pre-series)
Unnamed, or, He Whose Name Cannot Be Pronounced in any Language, a dragon (whose name "cannot be pronounced in this language or any"), who brokered the peace treaty between the elves and dragns, after Du Fyrn Skulblaka, the Dragon War. (deceased, pre-series)
Umaroth (pronounced "oo-MAR-oth") was the white dragon bonded to Vrael, leader of the Dragon Riders before their downfall. He speaks for all the Eldunarí in the Vault of Souls.
Cuaroc served as guardian of the Vault of Souls in a magical automaton body.
Valdr (meaning "Ruler) is the eldest of the Eldunarí in the Vault of Souls. He gives Eragon a vision where the dreams of starlings are equal to the concerns of kings.
Belgabad was an enormous, ancient, wild dragon who lived alone in the northern region of Alagaësia. (deceased, pre-series)
Raugmar The Black was black male wild dragon who was a distant descendant of Belgabad. Raugmar was a great-great-great grandsire of Vervada, Saphira's mother. (deceased, pre-series)

Elves
The elves are one of the oldest races, but not native to Alagaësia. They came from a land called Alalea. They are very gifted in magic and live in the forest called Du Weldenvarden.
Queen Islanzadí is queen of the elves until her death in the final novel. She lives in the elven capital Ellesméra. She is the widow of the former king of the elves, Evandar, and the mother of Arya.
King Evandar was the mate of Islanzadí and Arya's father. He was ruler of Du Weldenvarden before Islanzadí was. He died in the elves' and Riders' final siege of Urû'baen. (deceased, pre-series)
Queen Tamunora was the elven queen who worked with the dragons to create the pact that would lead to the formation of the Dragon Riders, ending Du Fyrn Skulblaka.(deceased, pre-series)
Queen Dellanir was queen of the elves when Anurin decided to add humans to the pact so that there would be human Dragon Riders. (deceased, pre-series)
Lord Däthedr is a counselor of Islanzadi.
Lord Fiolr is Arya's friend and leader of Sílthrim. He is well trained in magic. It is implied that he fought at Ceunon and Gil'ead. He lives in the House of Valtharos. He is the owner of Támerlein, one of the last swords of the Dragon Riders that was his wife's brother's sword. Later in Inheritance, Arya adopts this sword (with a few modifications) after she becomes a rider.
Rhunön is an ancient elf who created all of the Dragon Riders' swords. After the betrayal of the Forsworn, Rhunön swore never to make another sword. In Brisingr, Eragon works with her to circumvent that oath and forge his sword Brisingr.
Blödhgarm (translated in an appendix as "Bloodwolf") is an elf who has magically edited his body to appear beast-like. His scent attracts females. He is the leader of a small group sent to protect Eragon and Saphira.
Wyrden was a powerful elven spellcaster under Blödhgarm.
Vanir is a (comparatively) young elf, who is Eragon's sparring partner during his training in Eldest. He is cocky and dismissive of Eragon until the latter's transformation during the Blood-Oath Celebration. His name comes from the group of Norse gods known as the Vanir, associated with fertility and prophecy.

Dwarves
The dwarves are one of the only humanoids native to Alagaësia. Their mythology holds that they were born from the rock of the mountains there.
King Hrothgar – the King of the dwarves, controlling the thirteen dwarf clans and Tronjheim, the city within Farthen Dûr. He admits Eragon as a member of Dûrgrimst Ingeitum, an honor that had never previously been bestowed upon a non-dwarf. He is killed with magic by Murtagh in the Battle of the Burning Plains. His name comes from that of a legendary Danish king who lived in the 6th century and who appears as a character in the Anglo-Saxon epics Beowulf and Widsith. He is succeeded by his nephew Orik.
Vermûnd is the Grimstborith of Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, a clan that lost everything during the Fall. Vermûnd orders the assassination of Eragon when he stays in Tronjheim during Brisingr. Because of his crime, Az Sweldn rak Anhûin are banished from the dwarves by Orik and the other clan chiefs until Vermûnd is replaced. Vermûnd himself is branded a traitor and shall be ignored until he dies.
Gannel Ormsson is Grimstborith ("clan chief") of Dûrgrimst Quan, the religious clan of the dwarves. He is also the head priest of the dwarves. He gives Eragon a necklace that will prevent anyone from scrying him. He supports Grimstborith Nado for the dwarven kingship, and later summons the chief dwarf god, Gûntera.
Korgan was the first dwarf king. He discovered Farthen Dûr while tunneling for gold. (deceased, pre-series)
Ûndin Derûndsson Grimstborith of Dûrgrimst Ragni Hefthyn — "the River Guard", host of Eragon's party in Tarnag. He original voted for Gannel as  the dwarves new king, but switched his vote to Grimstborith Nado under Gannel's orders.
Hadfala is Grimstborith of Dûrgrimst Ebardac. She original supported Gannel as king, but converted her vote to Orik after the attempt on Eragon's life.

Other characters and creatures
Angela is a fortune teller, herbalist, witch, and a friend of Eragon's. She is accompanied by a werecat named Solembum. She makes most of her living by fortune-telling for the richer people of Teirm and selling potions. It is implied that she is not entirely human and has lived for an incredibly long time.
Her character is loosely based on Paolini's sister.
Angela is portrayed by Joss Stone in the film Eragon.
Werecats are sentient creatures who can shapeshift between what appears to be a small, childlike human form and a lynx-like cat form. They are wise, magical, and have mild prophetic abilities. They get along very well with dragons.
Solembum is a werecat who journeys with Angela. In Tierm, he gives Eragon and important prophecy: "When the time comes and you need a weapon, look under the roots of the Menoa tree. Then, when all seems lost and your power is insufficient, go to the rock of Kuthian and speak your name to open the Vault of Souls". Solembum has red (sometimes blue or yellow) eyes and his ears are tipped with black tufts when in cat form; as a human, he appears as a small dark-haired boy and fights with a dagger.
Grimrr Half-Paw - the werecat's current "king".
Maud is a werecat that lives in Ellesméra and is a friend of Solembum.
The Ra'zac are extremely powerful beings of indeterminate origins who work for Galbatorix, in exchange for a supply of human flesh. They arrived in Alagaesia from the land the humans had migrated from; the Riders tried but failed to exterminate them. They have evolved to be the perfect human predators. It is impossible to sense their life force, which made it easier to sneak up on riders and kill them. Similar to insects, the Ra'zac have a three-staged life: first as eggs, then as humanoid youngsters and finally, after the first full moon of their twentieth year, they shed their skin and become huge beasts called the Lethrblaka.
The Ra'zac are killed in the movie, but remain alive until Brisingr in the novels (although some Ra'zac eggs are later discovered in the final novel).
Urgals – large, grey-skinned, horned humanoids. Although they are first considered beasts, Eragon later learns that the Urgals are as sentient and capable as humans, elves, or dwarves. Despite living in remote matriarchal mountain villages, the social rank and sexual attractiveness of males is determined by the number of foes they have vanquished, which leads to conflict with neighboring humans. They make a pact with Galbatorix to fight for him in exchange for more land sometime before the events of Eragon; when the king fails to deliver, they join the Varden. Urgals who grow to more than eight feet tall are considered 'Kull', and make up the Urgals' elite force of warriors. The Urgal race and the Kull were invented entirely by the author.
Nar Garzhvog is a Kull warlord and brilliant strategist. He fights in the Battle of the Burning Plains and accompanies Eragon on a later journey to the foot of the Beor Mountains. Garzhvog hopes that, after Galbatorix's defeat, some kind of treaty and athletic contests can be established between the Urgals and humans to avert future conflict between their races.
Yarbog is an Urgal who challenges the authority of Roran (his commander) during a mission. Roran defeats him in an unarmed combat wrestling match and earns his respect.
Shades are humanoid sorcerers possessed by spirits. They wish to kill all other living things and can only be killed by stabbing them directly through the heart. They briefly are vanquished if they receive a normally mortal wound.
Durza the shade, works for Galbatorix hunting down the new Rider Eragon and extracting information from Arya in the first book. He is killed by Eragon, but not before seriously wounding the Rider.
Durza is portrayed by Robert Carlyle in the film Eragon.
Varaug is the Shade created by three magicians using the body of a soldier during the siege on the city of Feinster in the third book. He is killed by Arya.
The Menoa Tree is one of the oldest and largest trees in Du Weldenvarden. The tree is the spirit of the elf Linnëa, who imbued her consciousness into the tree after being jilted by a lover. Linnëa was an elf who lived before the war between elves and dragons, when they first migrated to the new land.
Blagden is a raven blessed by Evandar for pecking out an Urgal's eyes when the elf king stumbled during a fight, allowing him to recover and defeat the Urgal. The magic gave Blagden the ability to speak (though he primarily speaks in riddles) and see the future, but also unintentionally turned his feathers pure white. Blagden's name is an Old English name meaning "the dark/black valley".
The five creatures of the Beor mountains are five unique species living only in the mountain range, for which five dwarf clans are named.
Feldûnost are large goat-like creatures used as mounts and to produce dairy. Their name means "frostbeard" in the dwarf language.
Nagra are giant boars hunted by the dwarves.
Fanghur are rare creatures that resemble dragons, though not as large or intelligent as their cousins, and are unable to breathe fire. They are considered to be the most deadly of the native Beor creatures through the way they hunt, by letting out piercing screams or to attack their victim's minds to paralyze them while they go in for the kill. Three attack Saphira in the second novel.
Shrrg are giant wolves.
Urzhad (called Beorn by the elves) are massive cave bears that grow to a large size. Urzhad are larger than most Beor creatures, about as big as a small house.

References

Inheritance

List of the Inheritance Cycle characters