Banco Itaú Unibanco S.A. is a Brazilian financial services company headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil.
Itaú Unibanco was formed through the merger of Banco Itaú and Unibanco in 2008. It is the largest banking institution in Brazil, as well as the largest in Latin America, and the seventy-third largest bank in the world. The bank is listed on the B3 in São Paulo and in NYSE in New York.

Itaú Unibanco has operations in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, United States and Uruguay in the Americas, as well as in Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom in Europe; China, Hong Kong, Japan and United Arab Emirates in Asia. It has over 33,000 service points globally, including 4,335 branches in Brazil and 55 million customers globally.

Itaúsa, a large Brazilian conglomerate ranking among Fortune magazine's top 500 corporations in the world, serves as the parent company. Outside Brazil, Itaú Unibanco has offices in Asunción, Buenos Aires, Cayman Islands, Dubai, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Luxembourg, Montevideo, Nassau, New York, Miami, Santiago, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Zurich.

In 2022, Itaú was considered the most valuable brand in Brazil.

History

In September 2006, Banco Itaú bought BankBoston's assets in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.

On November 4, 2008, Banco Itaú and Unibanco announced the merger that resulted in Banco Itaú Unibanco. The institution was born with R$575 billion in assets, a net equity of around R$51.7 billion and a portfolio of combined credit of R$225.3 billion. The new bank had 4,800 branches and service branches, representing 18% of Brazil's banking network, and 14.5 million account holders (18% of the market). In terms of credit volume, it represented 19% of the Brazilian system and in total deposits, funds and managed portfolios, 21% by 2008. In the insurance and pension plan market, the new group had a 17% and 24% share, respectively. The wholesale operations (corporate) totaled more than R$65 billion, serving more than 2,000 economic groups in Brazil. The private banking (wealth management) business had become the largest in Latin America, with approximately R$90 billion in assets under management.

On August 22, 2009, Banco Itaú Unibanco and insurance company Porto Seguro announced their alliance. The alliance combined residential and automobile insurance operations and included an operating agreement that provided exclusive access to offer homeowner and vehicle insurance products to clients of Banco Itaú Unibanco in Brazil and Uruguay.

In June 2013, the bank agreed to buy Citibank Uruguay's retail banking operations.

In 2014, Banco Itaú announced that it was merging with Chilean bank Corpbanca. As a result, Itaú bought Helm Bank, Corpbanca's operation in Colombia and Panama, and rebranded it under the Itaú name.

References

External links
Itaú International Global Website

Banks established in 2008
Companies based in São Paulo
Companies listed on B3 (stock exchange)

Itaú Unibanco


Jan Savitt (born Jacob Savetnick; September 4, 1907 – October 4, 1948), known as "The Stokowski of Swing", from having played violin in Leopold Stokowski's orchestra, was an American bandleader, musical arranger, and violinist.

Early life and education
Savitt was born in Shumsk, then part of the Russian Empire (now part of Ukraine) and reared in Philadelphia.

He evidenced musical ability an early age and began winning conservatory scholarships in the study of the violin. He was offered the position of concert master in Leopold Stokowski's Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, but turned it down, preferring to continue his studies at Curtis Institute. About a year later, believing himself ready, he joined Stokowski and the association continued for seven years, during which time Savitt gained further laurels as a concert soloist and leader of a string quartet.

Family
Savitt was married to model Barbara Ann Stillwell from 1940 until his death in 1948, and had two daughters with her, one of whom, Jo Ann, was married to Joel Douglas, son of actor Kirk Douglas, from 2004 until her death in 2013.

Career
In 1938, Jan Savitt & His Top Hatters broadcast from 5–5:30 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as the KYW staff orchestra at KYW/NBC in Philadelphia. Saturday's weekly broadcast was one hour, coast-to-coast. The group also played at the Earl Theatre and performed with The Andrews Sisters and The Three Stooges.

He got his start in popular music some time later as music director of KYW, Philadelphia, where he evolved the unique "shuffle rhythm" which remained his trademark. Numerous sustaining programs created such a demand for the "shuffle rhythm" that Savitt left KYW to form his own dance crew.

Savitt's band was notable for including George "Bon Bon" Tunnell, one of the first African American singers to perform with a white band. Tunnell's recording with Savitt included Vol Vistu Gaily Star (co-composed by Slim Gaillard) and Rose of the Rio Grande. Helen Englert Blaum, known at the time as Helen Warren, also sang with Savitt during the war years.

Savitt and his orchestra had a bit role in the 1946 film High School Hero.

Death
Shortly before arriving in Sacramento, California, with his orchestra on Saturday, October 2, 1948, for a concert scheduled for that evening at Memorial Auditorium, Savitt was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage and taken to Sacramento County Hospital.  Savitt died on October 4, with his wife at his bedside. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) California

The Top Hatters
These musicians played with Savitt as The Top Hatters:

Al Leopold, Charles Jensen, Cutty Cutshall, Ed Clausen, Frank Langone, Gabe Galinas, George White, Harold Kearns, Harry Roberts, Howard Cook, Irv Leshner, Jack Hansen, Jack Pleis, James Schultz, Johnny Austin, Johnny Warrington, Maurice Evans, Morris Rayman, Sam Sachelle.

Discography
The Top Hatters (1939–1941), Decca Jazz Heritage Series, 1967

Notes

References

External links

 Jan Savitt recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

1907 births
1948 deaths
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
Ukrainian Jews
American classical violinists
20th-century American conductors (music)
American male violinists
American jazz violinists
Swing violinists
Big band bandleaders
American jazz singers
American jazz bandleaders
Musicians from Philadelphia
20th-century classical violinists
20th-century American singers
Singers from Pennsylvania
Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
Classical musicians from Pennsylvania
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Male classical violinists
20th-century American violinists

Jan Savitt


The Ghisi Shield is a piece of Renaissance parade armour made by the Italian goldsmith and engraver Giorgio Ghisi, signed and dated 1554.  It is part of the Waddesdon Bequest, held by the British Museum in London since 1898.

The shield is made from a single plate of hammered steel, with its rim turned over a wire.  The decoration on the outer face is damascened in gold and partially plated with silver.  It is  in diameter,  deep, and weighs .  An inscription on the front of the shield reads, "GEORGIVS DE GHISYS MNTVANZ FA M.D.LIIII".

Ghisi was an artist, mainly a printmaker, from Mantua, but he was in the Netherlands from about 1550 to about 1555, and the shield was probably made in Antwerp, then under the rule of the Habsburgs.  It is one of only two surviving pieces of damascened metalwork known to have been made by Ghisi. (The other item is a damaged sword hilt, dated 1570, and now in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest.)

The intricately decorated shield, damascened with gold and silver, was intended for display, not for use in battle.  It is embossed with repoussé and chased work in high relief, with a framed central circular scene of battling horseman, surrounded by four strapwork cartouches containing allegorical female figures (Victory, Fame, Fortitude, Prudence).  The frames around the five main scenes themselves incorporate detailed images on a much smaller scale, taken from the Iliad and ancient mythology, inlaid in gold.  Further imagery of birds, foliage, putti, satyrs and other figures, fills the field between the frames.

The shield may have been designed by a Netherlandish artist, not Ghisi himself: other shields made in the Netherlands in the late 16th century have survived with similar decoration, but none of them demonstrate the accomplished decorative skills of Ghisi.  For example, an iron shield held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna has similar strapwork and embossed imagery with scenes of Jason and the Golden Fleece; and a similar gilded shield or rondache at the Hermitage in St Petersburg has four allegorical figures (Prudence, Fortitude, Fame, Envy) arranged in circular cartouches around a circular image of Mars.

The Ghisi Shield was sold for £1,000 at the Allègre sale in Paris in 1863, and then sold in the sale of the Demidov Collection in Paris in 1870, shortly before the death of Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato, for 1,600,000 francs (about £6,400).  It was bought at the Demidov sale by Baron Anselm von Rothschild, and later inherited by his son Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, who left it to the British Museum after his death in 1898 as part of the Waddesdon Bequest.

Gallery

References
 The Ghisi Shield, British Museum, London. Includes the entry from "Bury 2001": Bury, Michael, The Print in Italy: 1550-1620, London, British Museum, 2001
 The Ghisi Shield, British Museum
 The Engravings of Giorgio Ghisi, Michal Lewis, R. E. Lewis, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1985, , 9780870993978, p.17-18
 Rondache, The Hermitage, St Petersburg
 "Vliesschild" ("fleece-shield"), Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

1554 works
Individual shields
Prehistory and Europe objects in the British Museum
Artworks in metal
Renaissance art
1554 in art

Ghisi Shield


The Soła () is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula.

Soła originates in the Western Beskids mountain range near the border with Slovakia. It is made up of the confluence of several small creeks at the village of Rajcza. It runs downhill northeastwards through Żywiec Basin to the towns of Żywiec and Kęty, forming the border between the Silesian and the Żywiec Beskids. After , the Soła empties into the Vistula River after having passed the town of Oświęcim.

The river flows within metres of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum informs that the human ashes and ground bones of those murdered there were often dumped into the river.

Soła flows through or near the following settlements: Rajcza, Milówka, Cisiec, Węgierska Górka, Cięcina, Radziechowy, Wieprz, Żywiec, Tresna, Czernichów, Międzybrodzie Żywieckie, Międzybrodzie Bialskie, Porąbka, Czaniec, Kobiernice, Kęty, Nowa Wieś, Hecznarowice, Bielany, Łęki, and Oświęcim.

Notes and references

Rivers of Poland
Rivers of Silesian Voivodeship
Rivers of Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Soła


Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. It may also be known as "rock maple", "sugar tree", "birds-eye maple", "sweet maple", "curly maple", or "hard maple", particularly when referring to the wood.

Description

Acer saccharum is a deciduous tree normally reaching heights of , and exceptionally up to . A 10-year-old tree is typically about  tall. As with most trees, forest-grown sugar maples form a much taller trunk and narrower canopy than open-growth ones.

The leaves are deciduous, up to  long and wide, palmate, with five lobes and borne in opposite pairs. The basal lobes are relatively small, while the upper lobes are larger and deeply notched. In contrast with the angular notching of the silver maple, however, the notches tend to be rounded at their interior. The fall color is often spectacular, ranging from bright yellow on some trees through orange to fluorescent red-orange on others. Sugar maples also have a tendency to color unevenly in fall. In some trees, all colors above can be seen at the same time. They also share a tendency with red maples for certain parts of a mature tree to change color weeks ahead of or behind the remainder of the tree. The leaf buds are pointy and brown-colored. The recent year's growth twigs are green, and turn dark brown.

The flowers are in panicles of five to ten together, yellow-green and without petals; flowering occurs in early spring after 30–55 growing degree days. The sugar maple will generally begin flowering when it is between 10 and 200 years old. The fruit is a pair of samaras (winged seeds). The seeds are globose,  in diameter, the wing  long. The seeds fall from the tree in autumn, where they must be exposed to 45 days of temperatures below  to break their coating down. Germination of A. saccharum is slow, not taking place until the following spring when the soil has warmed and all frost danger is past.
It is closely related to the black maple, which is sometimes included in this species, but sometimes separated as Acer nigrum. The western American bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum) is also treated as a variety or subspecies of sugar maple by some botanists.

The sugar maple can be confused with the Norway maple, which is not native to America but is commonly planted in cities and suburbs, and they are not closely related within the genus. The sugar maple is most easily identified by clear sap in the leaf petiole (the Norway maple has white sap), brown, sharp-tipped buds (the Norway maple has blunt, green or reddish-purple buds), and shaggy bark on older trees (the Norway maple bark has small grooves). Also, the leaf lobes of the sugar maple have a more triangular shape, in contrast to the squarish lobes of the Norway maple.

Ecology

The sugar maple is an extremely important species to the ecology of many forests in the northern United States and Canada. Pure stands are common, and it is a major component of the northern and Midwestern U.S. hardwood forests. Due to its need for cold winters, sugar maple is mostly found north of the 42nd parallel in USDA growing zones 3–5. It is less common in the southern part of its range (USDA Zone 6) where summers are hot and humid; there sugar maple is confined to ravines and moist flatlands. In the east, from Maryland southward, it is limited to the Appalachians. In the west, Tennessee represents the southern limit of its range and Missouri its southwestern limit. Collection of sap for sugar is also not possible in the southern part of sugar maple's range as winter temperatures do not become cold enough.

The minimum seed-bearing age of sugar maple is about 30 years. The tree is long-lived, typically 200 years and occasionally as much as 300.

Sugar maple is native to areas with cooler climates and requires a hard freeze each winter for proper dormancy. In northern parts of its range, January temperatures average about  and July temperatures about ; in southern parts, January temperatures average about  and July temperatures average almost . Seed germination also requires extremely low temperatures, the optimal being just slightly above freezing, and no other known tree species has this property. Germination of sugar maple seed in temperatures above  is rare to nonexistent.

Acer saccharum is among the most shade tolerant of large deciduous trees. Its shade tolerance is exceeded only by the striped maple, a smaller tree. Like other maples, its shade tolerance is manifested in its ability to germinate and persist under a closed canopy as an understory plant, and respond with rapid growth to the increased light formed by a gap in the canopy. Sugar maple can tolerate virtually any soil type short of pure sand, but does not tolerate xeric or swampy conditions.

Sugar maples are deeper-rooted than most maples and engage in hydraulic lift, drawing water from lower soil layers and exuding that water into upper, drier soil layers. This not only benefits the tree itself, but also many other plants growing around it.

The mushroom Pholiota squarrosoides is known to decay the logs of the tree.

Human influences have contributed to the decline of the sugar maple in many regions. Its role as a species of mature forests has led it to be replaced by more opportunistic species in areas where forests are cut over. The sugar maple also exhibits a greater susceptibility to pollution than other species of maple. Acid rain and soil acidification are some of the primary contributing factors to maple decline. Also, the increased use of salt over the last several decades on streets and roads for deicing purposes has decimated the sugar maple's role as a street tree.

In some parts of New England, particularly near urbanized areas, the sugar maple is being displaced by the Norway maple. The Norway maple is also highly shade tolerant, but is considerably more tolerant of urban conditions, resulting in the sugar maple's replacement in those areas. In addition, Norway maple produces much larger crops of seeds, allowing it to out-compete native species.

Cultivation and uses

Maple syrup and other food use

The sugar maple is one of the most important Canadian trees, being, with the black maple, the major source of sap for making maple syrup. Other maple species can be used as a sap source for maple syrup, but some have lower sugar content and/or produce more cloudy syrup than these two. In maple syrup production from Acer saccharum, the sap is extracted from the trees using a tap placed into a hole drilled through the phloem, just inside the bark. The collected sap is then boiled. As the sap boils, the water evaporates and the syrup is left behind. Forty gallons of maple sap produces 1 gallon of syrup. In the southern part of their range, sugar maples produce little sap; syrup production is dependent on the tree growing in cooler climates.

The seeds can be soaked, and—with their wings removed—boiled, seasoned, and roasted to make them edible. The young leaves and inner bark can be eaten raw or cooked.

Timber

The sapwood can be white, and smaller logs may have a higher proportion of this desirable wood. Bowling alleys and bowling pins are both commonly manufactured from sugar maple. Trees with wavy wood grain, which can occur in curly, quilted, and "birdseye maple" forms, are especially valued. Maple is also the wood used for basketball courts, including the floors used by the NBA, and it is a popular wood for baseball bats, along with white ash. In recent years, because white ash has become threatened by emerald ash borer, sugar maple wood has increasingly displaced ash for baseball bat production. It is also widely used in the manufacture of musical instruments, such as the members of the violin family (sides and back), guitars (neck), grand pianos (rim), and drum shells. It is also often used in the manufacture of sporting goods.

Canadian maple, often referred to as "Canadian hardrock maple", is prized for pool cues, especially the shafts. Some production-line cues will use lower-quality maple wood with cosmetic issues, such as "sugar marks", which are most often light brown discolorations caused by sap in the wood. The best shaft wood has a very consistent grain, with no marks or discoloration. Sugar marks usually do not affect how the cue plays, but are not as high quality as those without it. The wood is also used in skateboards, gunstocks, and flooring for its strength. Canadian hardrock maple is also used in the manufacture of electric guitar necks due to its high torsional stability and the bright, crisp resonant tone it produces. If the grain is curly, with flame or quilt patterns, it is usually reserved for more expensive instruments. In high-end guitars this wood is sometimes Torrefied to cook out the Lignin resins, allowing the greater stability to climate & environmental changes, and to enhance its tonal characteristics as the instrument's resonance is more evenly distributed across the cellulose structure of the wood without the lignin.

Urban planting
Sugar maple was a favorite street and park tree during the 19th century because it was easy to propagate and transplant, is fairly fast-growing, and has beautiful fall color. As noted above, however, it proved too delicate to continue in that role after the rise of automobile-induced pollution and was replaced by Norway maple and other hardier species. It is intolerant of road salt. Sugar Maples are commonly planted as a street tree in cities within the Mountain West region of the United States, usually a different cultivar such as the "Legacy" sugar maple. The shade and the shallow, fibrous roots may interfere with grass growing under the trees. Deep, well-drained loam is the best rooting medium, although sugar maples can grow well on sandy soil which has a good buildup of humus. Light (or loose) clay soils are also well known to support sugar maple growth. Poorly drained areas are unsuitable, and the species is especially short-lived on flood-prone clay flats. Its salt tolerance is low and it is very sensitive to boron. The species is also subject to defoliation when there are dense populations of larvae of Lepidoptera species like the rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda).

Cultivars
 'Apollo' – columnar
 'Arrowhead' – pyramidal crown
 'Astis' ('Steeple') – heat-tolerant, good in southeastern USA, oval crown
 'Bonfire' – fast growing
 'Caddo' – naturally occurring southern ecotype or subspecies, from Southwestern Oklahoma, great drought and heat tolerance, good choice for the Great Plains region
 'Columnare' ('Newton Sentry') – very narrow
 'Fall Fiesta' – tough-leaved, colorful in season, above-average hardiness
 'Goldspire' – columnar with yellow-orange fall color
 'Green Mountain' (PNI 0285) – durable foliage resists heat and drought, oval crown, above-average hardiness
 'Inferno' – possibly the hardiest cultivar, with more red fall color than 'Lord Selkirk' or 'Unity'
 'Legacy' – tough, vigorous and popular
 'Lord Selkirk' – very hardy, more upright than other northern cultivars
 'Monumentale' – columnar
 'September Flare' - very hardy, early orange-red fall color
 'Sweet Shadow' – lacy foliage
 'Temple's Upright' – almost as narrow as 'Columnare'
 'Unity' – very hardy, from Manitoba, slow steady growth

Use by Native Americans
The Mohegan use the inner bark as a cough remedy, and the sap as a sweetening agent, and to make maple syrup following the introduction of metal cookware by Europeans.

Big trees

The national champion for Acer saccharum is located in Charlemont, Massachusetts. In 2007, the year it was submitted, it had a circumference of  at  above the ground's surface, and thus a diameter at breast height of about . At that time the tree was  tall with an average crown spread of . Using the scoring system of circumference in inches plus height in feet plus 25% of crown spread in feet resulted in a total number of 368 points at the National Register of Big Trees. A tree in Lyme, Connecticut, measured in 2012, had a circumference of , or an average diameter at breast height of about . This tree had been  tall with a crown spread of , counting for a total number of 364 points.

In popular culture

The sugar maple is the state tree of the US states of New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

It is depicted on the state quarter of Vermont, issued in 2001.

References

 Brisson, J., Bergeron, Y., Bouchard, A., & Leduc, A. (1994). Beech-maple dynamics in an old-growth forest in southern Quebec, Canada. Ecoscience (Sainte-Foy) 1 (1): 40–46.

Further reading

External links

 Common Trees of Pennsylvania
 UI Plants: Woody Ornamentals (sugar maple)
 Acer saccharum at Ohio State Horticulture & Crop Sciences
 Acer saccharum images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
 Winter ID Pictures
 Historic Photos and Technical Reports Documenting Sugar Maple Research, from digital archives at the University of Vermont.
 Interactive Distribution Map for Acer saccharum

saccharum
Hardwood forest plants
Trees of Canada
Trees of the North-Central United States
Trees of the Northeastern United States
Trees of the Southeastern United States
Flora of the Appalachian Mountains
Crops originating from North America
Plants used in Native American cuisine
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Trees of humid continental climate
Plants described in 1785
Taxa named by André Michaux
National symbols of Canada
Symbols of Vermont
Symbols of West Virginia
Symbols of Wisconsin
Garden plants of North America
Ornamental trees
Trees of North America
Trees of the United States
Trees of Eastern Canada
Symbols of New York (state)

Acer saccharum


Richard Estes (born May 14, 1932, in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American painter, best known for his photorealist work.

Estes creates his paintings based on several photographs that he takes. His paintings tend to consist of reflective and inanimate cityscapes and geometric landscapes. He is considered as one of the founders of the international photo-realist movement of the late 1960s, with other painters such as John Baeder, Chuck Close, Audrey Flack, Don Eddy and Ralph Goings.

He is represented in some of leading art museums in the world.

References

1932 births
Living people
American painters

Richard Estes


The 124th Division was a division of the PRC People's Liberation Army. During the Korean War, it was the first unit of the People's Republic of China to cross the Yalu River.

History
The 124th Division was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army (Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) or Chinese Communist Forces (CCF)) during the Korean War with a standard strength of approximately 10,000 men. It was a component of the 42nd Army, consisting of the 370th, 371st, and 372nd Regiments.

While the 124th Division at first drove back the ROK troops it encountered, and then slowed the advance of the U.S. Marine troops that replaced them on the road to the reservoir, UNC intelligence indicated that it did not have the success that attended the CCF action against the ROK II Corps and part of the U.S. I Corps in the west. The 124th Division faced the 1st Marine Division at Sudong on November 2. However, 124th division and other units of 42nd corps were relieved by 20th corps on November 10, and attended battle of Chongchon River. This division and 125th division defeated ROK 8th division on November 26, then 125th was deployed as van guard, and 124th division was its reinforce.

Current
In April 2017, The division was divided into two brigades: the 124th Amphibious Combined Arms Brigade and the 125th Amphibious Combined Arms Brigade. The 124th is transferred to the PLA 72nd Group Army (formerly 1st Group Army) under the Eastern Theater Command; the 125th is still part of the PLA 42nd Group Army, which is currently known as the 74th Group Army, under the Southern Theater Command.

It is now an amphibious mechanised unit.

References

Infantry divisions of the People's Volunteer Army
124

124th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division (People's Republic of China)


"I'm Asking You Sergeant, Where's Mine" (also known by the shorter title "Sergeant, Where's Mine") is a folk song written and first performed in the mid-1970s by Scottish comedian, actor and singer Billy Connolly. It was later popularized by The Dubliners. Inspired by The Troubles in Northern Ireland, it is told from the point of view of a wounded soldier and makes ironic reference to British Army recruitment advertisements of the era that showed recruits having a grand time in exotic places and enjoying such activities as skiing.

The first recording of the song, by Connolly, was included on his live album, Cop Yer Whack for This (Polydor ACB 00215, 1974) – the song's title was shortened to "Sergeant, Where's Mine?" for that release. Connolly re-recorded the song in 1992 backed by The Dubliners, and it was included on the group's album 30 Years A-Greying (Baycourt RTE-CD 157–30, 1992).

This song was one of several Connolly wrote with a military theme. Another was "Weekend Soldier", a song reminiscing about his own experiences serving in the Territorial Army, which he performed on his album Get Right Intae Him!.

References

Protest songs
1974 songs
Anti-war songs
Songs about military officers

I'm Asking You Sergeant, Where's Mine


Pub Philosophy is a term sometimes used to describe organised gatherings in public houses for philosophical discussion. Several series of events in the United Kingdom and elsewhere offer pub philosophy in a variety of formats, typically involving an invited speaker and some degree of open discussion. Among the more long-standing of these are:

Big Ideas (based in London, UK) https://web.archive.org/web/20100912055756/http://bigi.org.uk/
Kant's Cave (held in London, UK, by Philosophy For All)
Living Philosophy (based in Tintern, Wales UK)
PhiloMadrid (based in Madrid, Spain)
Philosophy In Pubs (based in Liverpool, UK) http://www.philosophyinpubs.co.uk
PIPS Brighton (based in Brighton, UK) http://www.pips-brighton.org.uk/
The Stoa (based in Faversham, Kent, UK)
Skeptics in the Pub
Thinking While Drinking (based in San Diego, California) http://thinkingwhiledrinking.org

Pub Philosophy groups, while often run by amateurs, have sometimes been recruited by more mainstream institutions to provide a distinctively participatory public forum. Such alliances have included Tate Liverpool and University of Chester working with Philosophy in Pubs, the Brighton Science Festival 2010 working with PIPS Brighton and the London School of Economics producing an event in collaboration with Big Ideas.

See also

List of public house topics
Café Philosophique
SAPERE
Socrates Cafe
Viennese café

References

External links
Big Ideas
Kant's Cave
PIPS Brighton
Philosophy In Pubs National
Living Philosophy
PhiloMadrid
Faversham Stoa
Skeptics in the Pub
Kingston Philosophy Cafe
Thinking While Drinking

Philosophy education
Philosophy events
Philosophy organizations
Pubs
Public philosophy

Pub Philosophy


The Bloomsbury Gang, also known as the Bedford party, was a political party formed in the United Kingdom in 1765 by John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford.  The group took its name from Bloomsbury, a district of central London now in the London Borough of Camden.

Political parties established in 1765
History of Great Britain
History of the London Borough of Camden
Defunct political parties in the United Kingdom
1765 establishments in Great Britain
Gang

Bloomsbury Gang


Bull surfing is a harvest sport race that take place in the village of Anandapally, southern Kerala during the post harvest season. A pair of yoked bulls are sent charging down a football field-sized paddy field soaked in ankle deep water, while their handlers boarded on a wooden plank, hang onto the tail or onto a harness and slide through the mud. The fields are freshly ploughed as the bulls are raced by their handlers.

Bull surfing competitions are common in Kerala where local clubs or landlords offer trophies and cash prizes for races with different categories for speed and style. A pair of oxen is usually managed by a participating unit formed by a handler (the surfing member) and a team of people to assist him. Usually 30 to 50 of these units participate in the race that goes on from morning until dusk. Just like the professional jockeys, these participants are well trained and are experts in managing the oxen during the race. The oxen are specifically fed and trained just for the competition. They are also well groomed and horn polished, so they look their best before jumping in the mud. Most participants begin by holding onto the rope attached to the bulls, and move to hang onto the tail when their surfing begins. The races are performed by one team at a time and there will be several rounds to determine which team took the least time to complete one lap within the field. The villagers gather around these fields while keeping a safe distance and chanting and cheering in excitement.

References

Sport in Kerala
Traditional sports of India

Bull surfing


Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) is a regional academy for digital, creative and performing arts located in the centre of Birmingham, West Midlands, England.

Birmingham Ormiston Academy is an independent state funded academy for 14- to 19-year-olds, with a curriculum  designed to for those with talents in the specialist subjects. Their motto is "Imagine Everything". Applicants select a pathway, which will occupy the majority of the curriculum time (16 hours); additional subjects and programmes are also available.

The academy admits students from Birmingham, the surrounding metropolitan boroughs and the wider West Midlands region. The school is sponsored by Ormiston Trust and Birmingham City University, and is partnered with Maverick TV, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the BRIT School, and has also been unofficially referred to as the BRIT school in Birmingham.

As of 1 September 2014 BOA had taken over the running of the Old Rep Theatre on Station Street in Birmingham. The venue was re-launched on 4 September 2014 with a performance showcasing the skills of their students. Amateur and professional companies will still be able to perform at the theatre as well as the school using the venue for lessons, rehearsal space and performances.

Entry
Entry to any pathway is initially by application, then if applicants meet the initial entry criteria they will be invited to an aptitude workshop for their chosen pathway at the school. The pathways offered are Dance, Acting, Musical Theatre, Music, Music Technology, Art and Design, Games Development and New Media, Broadcast and Production. Admission onto a pathway is considered on the basis of the applicants aptitude for their chosen pathway. For Post 16 students once they have been accepted onto their chosen pathway then they are encouraged choose an additional subject to study at A-Level. However, acceptance onto these courses depends on the future student's GCSE results.

References

External links
 Official website

Schools of the performing arts in the United Kingdom
Secondary schools in Birmingham, West Midlands
Academies in Birmingham, West Midlands
Ormiston Academies
Specialist arts colleges in England

Birmingham Ormiston Academy


Abd al-Karim al-Razihi (ar: عبد الكريم الرازحي) (born 1947) is a Yemeni poet. His first book of poems was titled The Need for a Second Heaven and an Additional Hell. He worked at the Yemeni Ministry of Culture in Sanaa, and edited the magazine Al-Yaman al-Jadid.

In 2000, al-Razihi's poem "A Summer Night Dream" landed him in trouble with religious fundamentalists. An orchestrated campaign culminated in his fleeing the country to seek safety in the Netherlands. He returned some time later. Razihi's comments on the popular drug khat, which first appeared in an article in the newspaper Yemen Times in 1993, have also been quoted widely: "Qat...is the opium of our people. It is the green Imam who rules over our republic. It is the key for everything and it is central to all our social occasions. It is the unexplainable that explains everything".

Al-Razihi's poetry appeared in translation in a 1988 anthology of modern Arabian literature. His short stories have been translated by the Australian writer Eva Sallis and appeared in the literary journal Heat in 2005.

References

Yemeni poets
1947 births
Living people

Abd al-Karim al-Razihi


In Greek mythology, Polydorus (; , i.e. "many-gift[ed]") or Polydoros referred to several different people.
Polydorus, son of Phineus and Cleopatra, and brother of Polydector (Polydectus). These two sons by his first wife were blinded by Phineus because of the instigation of their stepmother, Idaea who accused them of corrupting her virtue.
Prince Polydorus, son of the King Cadmus and goddess Harmonia, fathered Labdacus by his wife Nycteis.
Polydorus, an Argive, son of Hippomedon and Euanippe, daughter of Elatus. Pausanias lists him as one of the Epigoni, who attacked Thebes in retaliation for the deaths of their fathers, the Seven against Thebes, who died attempting the same thing.
Prince Polydorus, a Trojan, was the King Priam's youngest son.
Polydorus, a Ceteian warrior who participated in the Trojan War. During the siege of Troy, he was killed by Odysseus using his sword along with Aenus, another Ceteian. (Ceteius is called a stream in Asia Minor).
Polydorus (son of Astyanax)
Polydorus, one of the Suitors of Penelope who came from Zacynthus along with other 43 wooers. He, with the other suitors, was shot dead by Odysseus with the assistance of Eumaeus, Philoetius, and Telemachus.

In history, Polydorus was:

Polydorus of Sparta (reigned from c. 741 to c. 665 BC)
Polydorus, tyrant of Pherae, ruled briefly in 370 BC

In art, Polydorus was:
One of the three Rhodian sculptors who created the sculpture Laocoön and His Sons and signed the Sperlonga sculptures

See also
 Polydora

Notes

References

 Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.

 Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.  Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy translated by Way. A. S. Loeb Classical Library Volume 19. London: William Heinemann, 1913. Online version at theio.com
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy. Arthur S. Way. London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1913. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
William Smith. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology vs .Polydorus-1, Polydorus-2 & Polydorus-3. London. John Murray: printed by Spottiswoode and Co., New-Street Square and Parliament Street. 1849.

Princes in Greek mythology
People of the Trojan War
Suitors of Penelope
Greek mythology of Thrace
Mythology of Argos
Theban mythology

Polydorus


Cheslie Corrinne Kryst ( ; April 28, 1991 – January 30, 2022) was an American television correspondent, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2019. Kryst was also an attorney and had served as a correspondent for Extra from October 2019 until her death. For her work on Extra, she was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Early life and education
Cheslie Corrinne Kryst was born on April 28, 1991, in Jackson, Michigan, to an African-American mother and a Polish-American father. She had four brothers and a sister. Her mother, April Simpkins, competed in pageantry and was crowned Mrs. North Carolina US when Kryst was a child. The family moved from Michigan to Charlotte, North Carolina, when Kryst was young, and later settled in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where Kryst attended Northwestern High School. The family later moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Kryst transferred to Fort Mill High School, graduating in 2009; both cities are suburbs in the Charlotte metropolitan area.

After graduating from high school, Kryst moved to Columbia, South Carolina, to attend the Honors College at the University of South Carolina. She graduated cum laude from the Darla Moore School of Business with a degree in marketing and human resource management in 2013, where she was also a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, Gamecocks women's track and field team, and mock trial.

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Kryst enrolled in Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, graduating with a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration in 2017.

Law career
Following her graduation, Kryst became licensed to practice law in both North Carolina and South Carolina and began working as an attorney at Poyner Spruill LLP, practicing complex civil litigation. She also worked pro bono not only for clients who were low-level drug offenders, but also with Brittany K. Barnett of the Buried Alive Project, to free a client sentenced to life imprisonment. She was the founder of the fashion blog White Collar Glam, dedicated to helping women dress professionally in white-collar jobs.

Pageantry
Kryst began her pageantry career as a teenager, winning Miss Freshman at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and later Miss Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina. After taking several years off from pageantry, Kryst made two attempts to win the Miss North Carolina title within the Miss America Organization, placing in the top ten her first attempt and first runner-up on her second attempt.

Miss USA 2019
In 2016, Kryst competed in Miss North Carolina USA 2017, where she placed as the fourth runner-up to Katie Coble. She returned the following year and placed in the top ten, before returning again for Miss North Carolina USA 2019, where she won the title, representing Metrolina. She was crowned by Kaaviya Sambasivam, Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2018, as the outgoing titleholder Caelynn Miller-Keyes was unable to attend the crowning due to the filming of season 23 of The Bachelor.

As Miss North Carolina USA, Kryst was given the right to represent North Carolina at the Miss USA 2019 competition, held at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. She went on to win the competition and became the third woman from North Carolina to win the title, following Chelsea Cooley and Kristen Dalton, who were crowned Miss USA 2005 and Miss USA 2009, respectively. At 28 years and 4 days old, Kryst became the oldest woman to be crowned Miss USA, breaking the previous record held by Nana Meriwether, who was 27 years, 6 months and 26 days old upon assuming the title, until R'Bonney Gabriel surpassed her. After winning Miss USA, Kryst crowned Laura Little as her successor for the Miss North Carolina USA title.

With her win, 2019 became the first year that all four major United States-based pageants were won by women with African ancestry; other titleholders were Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa (as Miss Universe 2019), Nia Franklin (as Miss America 2019), and Kaliegh Garris (as Miss Teen USA 2019). Previously, she had been crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2019.

As Miss USA, Kryst took a one-year leave of absence from her law career to fulfill her pageantry duties. She represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2019 competition on December 8, 2019, and finished in the top ten. Her national costume was inspired by four American female icons: Rosie the Riveter, the Statue of Liberty, Maya Angelou, and Lady Justice. Kryst's reign was originally scheduled to end on spring 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she became the longest reigning Miss USA titleholder on June 5, 2020, surpassing Nia Sanchez's previous record of 399 days. Her reign ended with a total of 557 days on November 9, 2020, and she crowned Asya Branch of Mississippi as her successor at the Miss USA 2020 pageant.

Television hosting
In October 2019, Kryst became a New York City correspondent for Extra, after serving as a special correspondent in September 2019. Her interview with actor Terrence Howard was the first to break the news that the actor planned to retire from acting following the final season of the television series Empire.

In 2020, Kryst received a nomination for Outstanding Entertainment News Program at the 47th Daytime Emmy Awards due to her position as a New York correspondent for Extra. She was nominated again for the same award the following year at the 48th Daytime Emmy Awards.

Death
On January 30, 2022, Kryst jumped to her death from The Orion, a 60-story high-rise apartment building in Midtown Manhattan, where she resided and was last seen on the 29th floor. On January 31, her death was ruled a suicide by the coroner. Kryst's mother April Simpkins released a statement, where she stated that Kryst had "high-functioning depression".

Explanatory notes

References

External links

1991 births
2022 deaths
2022 suicides
21st-century African-American women
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
African-American beauty pageant winners
African-American bloggers
African-American television hosts
African-American women lawyers
African-American women writers
American beauty pageant winners
American bloggers
American people of Polish descent
American television hosts
American women television presenters
American women bloggers
Beauty pageant contestants from North Carolina
Female suicides
Lawyers from Charlotte, North Carolina
South Carolina lawyers
Miss North Carolina USA winners
Miss Universe 2019 contestants
Miss USA winners
People from Jackson, Michigan
People from Fort Mill, South Carolina
People from Rock Hill, South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks women's track and field athletes
Suicides in New York City
Suicides by jumping in New York City
University of South Carolina alumni
Wake Forest University alumni
Wake Forest University School of Law alumni
21st-century African-American lawyers

Cheslie Kryst


Rüdiger Kuhlbrodt is a German film and theatre actor and director.

Life
Rüdiger Kuhlbrodt was born in Hamburg, Germany, on 20 November 1942. After high school, he studied performing arts at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg
(University of Music and Theatre Hamburg). Kuhlbrodt joined the Stadttheater Pforzheim and the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, later the Theater Lübeck and the Städtische Bühnen Münster, and in 1975, the Schauspielhaus Bochum. After a creative break that he spent in California, Kuhlbrodt with other artists established in 1980 an alternative theater project in the former Atlantic Movie Theatre in Düsseldorf. With various projects he toured throughout West German correction institutions and other theater-distant social facilities. In 1983, he was appointed a senior director at the Westfälisches Landestheater. In 1986, he was selected by Peter Zadek to the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg.

After a stint at the Theater des Westens in 1992, Kuhlbrodt became a member of the Berliner Ensemble. After 1996, he made guest appearances at the Kammerspiele Berlin, the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, the Wiener Festwochen, the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, the Schlosspark-Theater Berlin, the Theater der Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg, the Hamburger Kammerspiele, the Ruhrtriennale, the Freilichtspiele Schwäbisch Hall, and the Salzburger Landestheater. In 2002, for political reasons, Kuhlbrodt established the independent group Global Heroes that appeared with the multimedia performance America at war: a mini-series.

Kuhlbrodt lives in Berlin and in Palm Beach, Florida.

Director
 1968: Max Frisch: The great anger of Philip Hotz
 1969: James Saunders: The Pedagogue
 1969: John Mortimer: The Mandatory Mandate
 1970: Christopher Fry: A Phoenix Too Frequent
 1971: René de Obaldia: Sea air
 1973: G.G. del Torre: Presumed Innocent
 1973: Louise Labé, Pierre de Ronsard: Love and Regret
 1980: Till Eulenspiegel
 1983: Janosch: I say you are a bear
 1984: The Glass Man
 1984: George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four
 1985: Hans Fallada: Every Man Dies Alone
 1985: Germany a wonder fairy tale
 1987: Henry Miller: Sexus, Plexus and Nexus
 2007: Erich Kästner: The Blue Book. War diary and novel notes

Theater roles
 1975: Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind, Role: Father Gabor, directed by Peter Zadek
 1976: The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon, Role: Ben Clark, directed by Hans Lietzau
 1976: Menschen im Hotel (Grand Hotel) by Vicki Baum, Role: Baron von Geigern, directed by Rosa von Praunheim
 1977: Das Käthchen von Heilbronn by Heinrich von Kleist, Role: Georg von Waldstätten, directed by Werner Schroeter
 1978: Der Untertan by Heinrich Mann, Role: Major Fox, directed by Jürgen Flimm
 1979: Macskajáték (Catsplay) by István Örkény, directed by Jiří Menzel
 1986: Pravda by Howard Brenton, Role: Michael Quince, directed by Matthias Langhoff
 1987: Andy by Burkhard Driest, Role: Olaf Wolpe, directed by Peter Zadek
 1988: The "Lulu" plays Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box by Frank Wedekind, Role: Journalist Heilmann, directed by Peter Zadek
 1988: Punkt, Punkt, Komma, Strich by Wilfried Minks, Role: Ernst Jandl, directed by Wilfried Minks
 1989: Reineke Fuchs (Reynard the Fox) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Role: Isegrimm the Wolf, directed by Michael Bogdanov
 1990: Amphitryon by Heinrich von Kleist, Role: Alcibiades, directed by Niels-Peter Rudolph
 1992: Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angle) by Heinrich Mann, Role: Konsul Wolters, directed by Peter Zadek
 1994: Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, Role: Thidias / Proculeius, directed by Peter Zadek
 1997: In der Sache J. Robert Oppenheimer (In the matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer) by Heinar Kipphardt, Role: Robert Oppenheimer, directed by Hermann Kleinselbeck
 1998: Doppelleben Deutsch (German double life) by Marc Pommerening, Role: Johannes R. Becher, directed by Hannes Hametner
 1998: Histoire de Pygmalion et Don Juan (Ballet), Role: Frederick the Great, directed by David Southerland
 2000: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Role: Guildenstern, directed by Peter Zadek
 2001: Hitler's Doktor Faust by Rolf Hochhuth, Role: Nils Bohr, directed by Rolf Hochhuth
 2004: Wallenstein by Friedrich Schiller, Role: Wallenstein, directed by Axel Schneider
 2005: Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller, Role: Philip II of Spain, directed by Manfred Weiss
 2008: Maestro by Christoph Klimke, Role: Maestro Karajan, directed by Johann Kresnik

Filmography

Cinema
 1980: Exit Sunset Boulevard, directed by Bastian Clevé
 1987: Der Einbruch (The Burglary), directed by Bettina Woernle
 1988: Blindman's Ball, directed by Dore O.
 1991: The Polar Bear King, directed by Ola Solum
 1994: Das Rätsel Knut Hamsun (The Riddle of Knut Hamsun), directed by Bentein Baarson
 1998: The Waiting Time, directed by Stuart Olme
 2006: The Somme – From Defeat to Victory
 2007: The Baader Meinhof Complex, directed by Uli Edel
 2009: Blissestraße, directed by Paul Donovan
 2010: Der ganz große Traum (The Ultimate Big Dream), directed by Sebastian Grobler
 2013: , directed by David Dietl

Television
 1983: Rote Erde (Red Earth), directed by Klaus Emmerich
 1993: Ispettore Sarti, directed by Giulio Questi
 1995: Die Angst hat eine kalte Hand (Fear has a cold hand), directed by Matti Geschonnek
 1999: Virtual Vampires, directed by Michael Busch
 1998: Die vier Gerechten (The Four Justices), directed by Wolfgang F. Henschel
 2000: The Tunnel, directed by Roland Suso Richter
 2004: , directed by Winfried Oelsner
 2005: Die Bagdadbahn (The Baghdad Railway), directed by Roland May
 2005:  (Die Luftbrücke – Nur der Himmel war frei), directed by Dror Zahavi
 2006: Chubby Me, directed by Thomas Nennstiel
 2006: Polizeiruf 110, directed by Christine Hartmann
 2007: Tatort, directed by Angelina Maccarone
 2008: Puccini - die dunkle Seite des Mondes (Puccini - the dark side of the Moon), directed by Andreas Morell
 2009: Ein starkes Team, directed by Ulrich Zrenner
 2010: Schicksalsjahre (The Fateful Years), directed by Miguel Alexandre
 2011: Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei, directed by Heinz Dietz
 2011: And all were silent, directed by Dror Zahavi
 2012: Heiter bis tödlich - Hubert und Staller, directed by Jan Markus Linhof
 2013: The Jerusalem Syndrome, directed by Dror Zahavi
 2014: , directed by Rainer Kaufmann

Notes

External links

 Acting agency 60plus
 Crew United

Living people
1942 births
Male actors from Hamburg
German theatre directors

Rüdiger Kuhlbrodt


Russell Brookes (16 August 1945 – 30 October 2019) was a British rally driver. He won the British Rally Championship with a Ford Escort RS1800 in 1977 and with an Opel Manta 400 in 1985. In 1978, he won the Rally New Zealand, a round of the FIA Cup for Drivers, the predecessor to the World Championship for Drivers. In the World Rally Championship, he finished on the podium of his home event, the RAC Rally, three times in a row from 1977 to 1979.

Career
The only son of a firefighter, Brookes made his competitive debut in club events in 1963. At first he drove a number of privately entered cars including a BMC Mini Cooper. Progress was slow until 1973 without the support of family money in a sport which, at that time, did not permit sponsorship of individual cars. He then came to the attention of the Ford Motor Company Ltd when contesting their Ford Escort Mexico (One Make) championship.

In 1974, Brookes started one of the longest running sponsorship deals in motorsport when he signed with Andrews - Heat for Hire (a portable heating and air conditioning company). Their distinctive yellow colour scheme graced nearly all of his cars through to 1991. During this period the sponsors' turnover grew from £1.5m to over £60m making it a benchmark for other sponsorship deals.

In 1976, Brookes was invited to join the Ford 'works' team to drive an Escort RS1800 in the British Rally Championship. At that time the British Championship was highly competitive having eclipsed the World Rally Championship for publicity. Brookes found himself in formidable company not least from within the team, Björn Waldegård, Hannu Mikkola and Ari Vatanen (all world champions), being his team-mates. He won the Open Championship in 1977 and then stayed with Ford until the end of the 1979 World Rally Championship season.

Two years in the Talbot team followed before he joined Vauxhall/Opel dealer team, first in the Chevette HSR then the mighty Group B Opel Manta 400. The two years with the Opel Manta put Brookes head to head with his team mate Jimmy McRae (father of the late world champion Colin McRae). The needle match contest was more about the unofficial title of 'Top British Driver' than the championship itself. McRae won in 1984 and Brookes in 1985. The intensity of the contest lives in the memory of enthusiasts to this day.

After a year in the uncompetitive Vauxhall Astra and a one off event in a 'works' Lancia Delta Integrale Brookes rejoined Ford in 1988 for an assault on the British Rally Championship, championing first a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. Latterly he drove a Ford Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 giving Ford their first international win with the new four wheel drive car. Here he stayed until the end of 1991 when he more or less retired from competitive rallying. Until shortly before his death, he was still making sporadic appearances in various cars on historic rallies and at motorsports events. In September 2008, Brookes took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He competed in the event in a historic Ford Escort RS1600. He was one of a number of ex-world and British champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007.

Brookes died on 30 October 2019, at the age of 74 from injuries sustained from a bicycle accident.

References

External links

Russell Brookes EWRC Profile page

1945 births
2019 deaths
English rally drivers
Sportspeople from Redditch
World Rally Championship drivers

Russell Brookes


The Mills River is located in Transylvania and Henderson counties, North Carolina, United States is a tributary of the French Broad River.  The river flows out of the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest in two forks: the North Fork, which drains the slopes just south of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and Mount Pisgah, and the South Fork, which drains the area of the Pisgah Ranger District just east of the Cradle of Forestry in America, including the slopes of Black Mountain.  The Mills River flows into the French Broad River northwest of Hendersonville between NC 191 and Interstate 26.

The North Mills River Recreation Area, located on the North Fork of the river, is a popular local attraction for camping, hiking, and fishing. The Mills River is used as a water source for the cities of Asheville and Hendersonville.

References

External links
 North Mills River Recreation Area Information at hikewnc.info

Rivers of North Carolina
Pisgah National Forest
Rivers of Transylvania County, North Carolina
Rivers of Henderson County, North Carolina

Mills River (North Carolina)


John Alden Loring (March 31, 1871 – May 8, 1947) was a mammalogist and field naturalist who served with the Bureau of Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, the Bronx Zoological Park, the Smithsonian Institution and numerous expeditions collecting specimens in North America, Europe and Africa. A voluminous and careful traveling collector, Loring was recognized early in his career for 900 specimens collected, prepared and sent to the United States National Museum over a three-month period during an 1898 expedition through Scandinavia and northwestern Europe.

Loring's work and professional relationships spanned several continents focusing on collecting and documenting species of mammals. He served on the Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition (1909–1910) as the Smithsonian specialist designated to preserve small mammals collected during the year-long expedition. In 1916, he was sent as a joint envoy of the New York Zoological Park, Philadelphia Zoological Gardens and the National Zoological Park to South Africa to collect animals and if possible to arrange for a supply of future living specimens.

Loring's personal papers are held by the Smithsonian Institution Archives. His collection of field books are part of the Smithsonian's Field Book Registry.

Loring's rat was named for him (Heller, 1909).

References

Publications
Loring, J. Alden (John Alden). African Adventure Stories. New York, New York. C. Scribner's sons. 1914.
Loring, J. Alden (John Alden), 1871-1947: Young Folks' Nature Field Book (Boston, D. Estes and Co., c1906)

External links

1871 births
1947 deaths
American mammalogists
American naturalists
American nature writers
American male non-fiction writers
Smithsonian Institution people
Wildlife Conservation Society people

John Alden Loring


The Pruitt-Igoe Myth is a 2011 documentary film detailing the history of the Pruitt–Igoe public housing complex in St. Louis, Missouri, and the eventual decision to raze the entire complex in 1976.

The documentary argues that the violent social collapse within the Pruitt-Igoe complex was not due to the demographic composition of its residents, but was a result of wider, external social forces, namely the declining economic fortunes of St. Louis, the resulting impact upon employment opportunities, and the project's failure to meet occupancy projections from the start and therefore to meet monthly income projected to cover maintenance costs. Furnaces made to incinerate garbage failed, pipes/plumbing failed, and more issues kept on to the point residents stopped paying rent.

Synopsis

The film begins with a former resident of the Pruitt–Igoe public housing complex returning to the site of the buildings in the north side of St. Louis, and noting that in spite of the decades since the planned demolition of the buildings, the site remains largely vacant.  It continues by detailing the decision by the city to replace 19th century tenement housing with high-rise public housing, ultimately designed by Minoru Yamasaki (later the famed designer of the World Trade Center) in the modernist style as thirty-three 11-floor buildings.

Interviews with former residents, archival images, and film are used to tell first impressions about moving into Pruitt-Igoe and the steady deterioration of living conditions during the 1960s and early 1970s before the destruction by planned implosion between 1972 and 1976.

The film takes issue with the various explanations for the failure of the Pruitt-Igoe complex that have developed since its demolition, including that it was the fault of the modernist theory of architecture itself (an explanation developed by architectural historian Charles Jencks)
or of the general concept of public housing.

Instead, the explanation offered is that the fate of the Pruitt-Igoe project was determined by the declining population and industrial base in St. Louis after World War II.
The documentary argues that this process left few jobs for the remaining residents, thus reducing funds available for maintenance and security of the buildings, which were planned to be paid for by tenant rents even as residents grew poorer and the living conditions in the project deteriorated.

Reception
The Pruitt-Igoe Myth has a rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews, and a rating of 70 (out of 100) on Metacritic based on 8 reviews.  It was nominated for a Satellite Award in 2012 in the category of Best Documentary Film. It also won the International Documentary Association's ABC News VideoSource Award for best use of archival footage.

See also
Pruitt–Igoe
Urban decay
History of St. Louis (1905–80)

References

External links

2011 films
American documentary films
Documentary films about urban studies
Documentary films about African Americans
History of St. Louis
Documentary films about cities in the United States
Films shot in St. Louis
Films set in St. Louis
Documentary films about Missouri
2010s English-language films
2010s American films

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth


June C. Smith (March 24, 1876 – February 7, 1947) was an American jurist who served as justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1941 to 1947.

Life
Born in Irvington, Washington County, Illinois, Smith received his law degree from Southern Normal University in Huntingdon, Tennessee in 1899. Smith was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1904 and practiced law in Centralia, Illinois. He was elected state's attorney for Marion County, Illinois and was assistant attorney general. Smith was a Republican.  During World War I, Smith served in the United States Army. Smith served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1941 to 1947 and was chief justice of the court. Smith died in a hospital in Centralia, Illinois.

References

1876 births
1947 deaths
People from Centralia, Illinois
People from Washington County, Illinois
Illinois Republicans
Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court
Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court
Southern Normal University alumni

June C. Smith


Jared Connaughton (born July 20, 1985) is a Canadian former track athlete who specialized in the 100m and 200m. He is now a physical education cross country, and track and field coach at Fort Worth Country Day in Fort Worth, Texas.

Biography
Connaughton was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is the son of Susan and Neal Connaughton. He attended Bluefield High School and graduated in the spring of 2003.
Jared received a B.A from the University of Texas-Arlington in 2008. He is married to fellow University of Texas-Arlington athlete, Tamesha (nee Graves). They were wed in December 2011. The couple have two children, Morgan 5 and Louis 3.

Junior Career:
Jared is a four time medalist at the Canadian Legion Championships (1 Gold, 3 Silver), he also won two silver medals at the 2002 Canadian Junior championships in Kitchener, Ontario.
Jared participated in youth soccer for the Elliot River club and hockey for the North River Hockey Association.

College career
Connaughton attended The University of Texas at Arlington, which at the time was part of the Southland Conference. He was named the 2006 Southland Conference Track and Field athlete of the year both indoors and outdoors. In the 60 m semifinal at the Southland Conference indoor championships, he set a new meet and conference record of 6.68 seconds. In the final, he stumbled badly and was defeated by Ravyn Hayward of Northwestern State University 6.80 seconds to 6.85 seconds. Later in the 200 m final, Connaughton set a new championship meet record with a time of 21.57 seconds at the 200 meter flat track at the University of Houston, breaking the previous record set by JD Henry of Northwestern State in 2005 with a time of 21.64 seconds. Connaughton later went on to compete in the 60 m dash at the NCAA indoor championship meet at the University of Arkansas and finished with a time of 6.78 seconds.

In the 2006 outdoor season, Connaughton ran a time of 20.59 (2.1w) seconds at the Arlington Invitational. He then ran a season and personal best of 10.28 (1.7w) seconds at the Texas Christian University Invitational in early May. He finished 3rd in the 200 m at the Drake Relays with a time of 21.10 into a headwind of 1.1 m/s behind World and Olympic Champion Jeremy Wariner and Jamaican Ricardo Williams. Connaughton won both the 100 m and 200 m at the Southland Conference championships with times of 10.33 seconds and 20.90 seconds, and was named outstanding athlete of the year in the Southland Conference. Later at the NCAA Mid-West Regional Championships, Connaughton ran to a new personal best in the 200 m with a time of 20.70 seconds (1.9w). In the final, he finished 3rd with a wind aided time of 20.67 seconds behind Churandy Martina of UTEP and Carey Lacour of the University of Houston. He competed at the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, California, and ran a time of 21.27 seconds (−1.7w).
Jared was his team's high point scorer (20) at the 2007 Southland Conference Championship, leading his team to a team title, the school's first outdoor championships since the 1997 season.
In 2013, Jared was named as one of the 50 greatest Southland Conference track and field athletes.

International career
Connaughton was victorious in both the 100 m and 200 m events at the 2005 Canada Summer Games in August 2005. The Canada Games were hosted by Regina, Saskatchewan. He was the first Prince Edward Island native to win two gold medals at one set of Canada Games and the first gold medalist since 1969.

Connaughton competed for the Team Canada at the 2006 NACAC U-23 championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He finished 8th in the 100 m and in the bronze medal spot in the 200 m. After suffering a lower abdominal strain, he went on to finish 2nd at the Canadian Championship meet hosted by Ottawa. He ran to a time of 21.07 in the semifinal and 21.16 seconds in the final behind Bryan Barnett of Edmonton, who ran to a personal best of 20.70 seconds.

Connaughton is the 2008 Canadian National Champion in the 200 m sprint with a championship record and personal best time of 20.34 (+0.4 m/s) seconds. He achieved this on July 6, 2008, in Windsor, Ontario. The previous championship record was 20.40 seconds run by Atlee Mahorn in 1986.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Connaughton competed in the 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay for Canada. His team placed 6th in the relay finals, and Connaughton placed 14th in the 200 m semifinal competition.

At the 2009 Canadian Championships in Toronto, Ontario Jared won a bronze medal in the 100m and a silver in the 200m. Later that season he went on to represent Canada at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany competing in the 200m and as a member of the 4x100m relay team. That team finished 5th in the final, the best global placing the National Relay team had achieved since the 1997 IAAF World Championships.

In the 2010 season, Jared finished in silver medal position in the 100m at the Canadian Championships, behind champion Sam Effah, of Calgary, Alberta. Later, he won the gold in the 200m, running 20.66 seconds, setting the Varsity stadium record in the process.
Later that season Jared competed for team Canada at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India finishing in 4th place in the 200m. He also competed as a member of the 4x100m relay team.

In the 2011 season, Jared won the International Invitational at the Texas Relays, hosted by the University of Texas-Austin. His time of 10.04 (3.4w) was at the time the fastest in the world under any conditions.
Jared would go on to win two silver medals in the 100m and 200m respectively at the Canadian Championships, hosted in Calgary, Alberta. He was named to his third IAAF world championship team, where he competed in the 200m and 4x100m relay.

In the 2012 season, Jared opened his outdoor season in the 200m event with a 20.54 second (March 28th in Arlington, Texas). He followed that performance with a life time best, running 20.30 (0.3) on May 9 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
He captured a bronze medal in the 200m at the Canadian Championships, hosted in Moncton, New Brunswick.
On July 14, Jared ran 10.19 (1.0) at the Ontario Track and Field Championships, in Ottawa, Ontario, his second fastest wind legal 100m performance of his career.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Connaughton again competed in the 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay for Canada.  His team crossed the finish line 3rd in the 4 × 100 final, but they lost the bronze medal five minutes later when they were disqualified due to a lane violation committed by Connaughton. In the 200 m semifinal competition, Connaughton placed 11th.

In 2013, Jared progress was hampered by a nagging achilles tendon injury which side-lined him for the early part of the outdoor season. However, he went on to win a silver medal in the 200m at the Canadian Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick. An other injury prevented him from competing at his fourth IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. At the 2013 Francophone Games in Nice, France, Jared would go on to finish fourth in the 100m final and win Gold as member of the 4x100m relay team.

In 2014, injuries hampered his season, where he'd withdraw from the 200m final at the Canadian Championships, which marked the first time in his illustrious career where he'd fail to win a medal at the National Championships (dating back to the 2006 Canadian Championships). He'd go on to compete at his second Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland where he wouldn't advance past the first round of the 100m.

On August 29, 2014, Connaughton officially announced his retirement from the sport. He won a total of 19 medals at a variety of Canadian championships throughout his career including four juvenile (Legion), two junior, two Canada Games and 11 at the senior national championships.

Post-retirement
Connaughton now is an athletics coach at Fort Worth Country Day School, coaching cross country and track and field.

References

External links
 Jared's Connaughton's Sports Bio
 Canadian relay team going to Beijing
 P.E.I. sprinter qualifies for Olympics with record run

1985 births
Living people
Canadian male sprinters
Sportspeople from Charlottetown
Canadian people of Irish descent
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic track and field athletes for Canada
Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games
Pan American Games track and field athletes for Canada
Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games competitors for Canada
Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada
Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games

Jared Connaughton


A Fenwick tree or binary indexed tree (BIT) is a data structure that can efficiently update values and calculate prefix sums in an array of values.

This structure was proposed by Boris Ryabko in 1989
with a further modification published in 1992.
It has subsequently become known under the name Fenwick tree after Peter Fenwick, who described this structure in his 1994 article.

When compared with a flat array of values, the Fenwick tree achieves a much better balance between two operations: value update and prefix sum calculation. A flat array of  values can either store the values or the prefix sums. In the first case, computing prefix sums requires linear time; in the second case, updating the array values requires linear time (in both cases, the other operation can be performed in constant time). Fenwick trees allow both operations to be performed in  time. This is achieved by representing the values as a tree with  nodes where the value of each node in the tree is the prefix sum of the array from the index of the parent (inclusive) up to the index of the node (exclusive). The tree itself is implicit and can be stored as an array of  values, with the implicit root node omitted from the array. The tree structure allows the operations of value retrieval, value update, prefix sum, and range sum to be performed using only  node accesses.

Motivation

Given an array of values, it is sometimes desirable to calculate the running total of values up to each index according to some associative binary operation (addition on integers being by far the most common). Fenwick trees provide a method to query the running total at any index, or prefix sum, in addition to allowing changes to the underlying value array and having all further queries reflect those changes.

Fenwick trees are particularly designed to implement the arithmetic coding algorithm, which maintains counts of each symbol produced and needs to convert those to the cumulative probability of a symbol less than a given symbol.  Development of operations it supports were primarily motivated by use in that case.

Description
A Fenwick tree is most easily understood by considering a one-based array  with  values. The corresponding Fenwick tree has  nodes with an implicit node 0 at the root. Each level  of the tree contains nodes with indices corresponding to sums of  distinct powers of 2 (with  representing an empty sum 0). For example, level  contains nodes  and level  contains nodes  The parent of a given node can be found by clearing the last set bit (LSB) in its index, corresponding to the smallest power of 2 in its sum. For example, the parent of 6 = 1102 is 4 = 1002.

The below diagram shows the structure of a 16-node Fenwick tree, corresponding to a 15-element array A:

Let . The value of a node at index  corresponds to the range sum of values in , that is, the values of A starting after the parent's index up to the current node's index, inclusive. The values  are considered to be the "range of responsibility" for the current node, and consist of  (where & denotes bitwise AND) values. Note that the indices in this range do not directly correspond to children of : for example, the range of responsibility for node 2 is  but node 1 is not a child of node 2. The root node 0 contains the sum of the empty range  with value 0.

The initial process of building the Fenwick tree over an array of values runs in  time.

Pseudocode

A simple pseudocode implementation of the two main operations on a Fenwick tree—query and update—is as following:

 function query(tree, index) is
     sum := 0
     while index > 0 do
         sum += tree[index]
         index -= lso(index)
     return sum

 function update(tree, index, value) is
     while index < size(tree) do
         tree[index] += value
         index += lso(index)

The function  computes the least significant 1-bit or last set bit of the given  or, equivalently, the largest power of two that is also a divisor of . For example, , as shown in its binary representation: . This function can be simply implemented in code through a bitwise AND operation: lso(n) = n & (-n), assuming a signed integer data type.

Construction

One naive algorithm to construct a Fenwick tree consists of initializing the tree with null values and updating each index individually. This solution works in  time, but an  construction is possible:

 function construct(values) is
     tree := values
     for every index, value in tree do
         parentIndex := index + lso(index)
         if parentIndex < size(tree) then
             tree[parentIndex] += value
     return tree

See also
 Order statistic tree
 Prefix sums
 Segment tree

References

External links
 A tutorial on Fenwick Trees on TopCoder
 An article on Fenwick Trees on Algorithmist
 An entry on Fenwick Trees on Polymath wiki
stack exchange

Trees (data structures)
Soviet inventions
Russian inventions

Fenwick tree


Bronc riding, either  bareback bronc or saddle bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding a bucking horse (sometimes called a bronc  or bronco) that attempts to throw or buck off the rider.  Originally based on the necessary buck breaking skills of a working cowboy, the event is now a highly stylized competition that utilizes horses that often are specially bred for strength, agility, and bucking ability. It is recognized by the main rodeo organizations such as the  Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA).

Description
Each competitor climbs onto a horse, which is held in a small pipe or wooden enclosure called a bucking chute.  When the rider is ready, the gate of the bucking chute is opened and the horse bursts out and begins to buck.  The rider attempts to stay on the horse for eight seconds without touching the horse with their free hand.  On the first jump out of the chute, the rider must "mark the horse out". This means they must have the heels of their boots in contact with the horse above the point of the shoulders before the horse's front legs hit the ground. A rider that manages to complete a ride is scored on a scale of 0–50 and the horse is also scored on a scale of 0–50. The ride as a whole is rated as the sum of these individual scores: scores in the 80s are considered very good, and in the 90s are considered exceptional.  A horse who bucks in a spectacular and effective manner will score more points than a horse who bucks in a straight line with no significant changes of direction.

History

The earliest examples of American bronc riding were believed to have been born out of breaking horses for the United States Army, most notably in Wyoming and Colorado. The first three sanctioned bronc riding championship events were held in 1901 at the Colorado Cattle and Horse Grower's Association, Denver Horse Show Association, and the Northwestern Colorado competition. The following year competitions were held on September 2, 1902, at Cheyenne, Wyoming's Cheyenne Frontier Days, and in Denver, Colorado, at The Denver Horse Show Association annual event. Both of these were won by Harry Henry Brennan, known today as the "father of modern bronc riding."

Bareback bronc vs. saddle bronc riding

Bareback bronc and saddle bronc styles are very different. In saddle bronc, the rider uses a specialized saddle with free-swinging stirrups and no horn. The saddle bronc rider grips a simple rein braided from cotton or polyester and attached to a leather halter worn by the horse. The rider lifts on the rein and attempts to find a rhythm with the animal by spurring forwards and backwards with their feet in a sweeping motion from shoulder to flank.

The bareback rider does not use a saddle or rein, but uses a rigging that consists of a leather and rawhide composite piece often compared to a suitcase handle attached to a surcingle and placed just behind the horse's withers. The rider leans back and spurs with an up and down motion from the horse's point of shoulder toward the rigging handle, spurring at each jump in rhythm with the motion of the horse.

Bareback bronc riding began to develop as a professional rodeo sporting event around 1900. The riding equipment used during that era varied.  In some cases, the rider simply held onto the horse's mane, called a mane-hold.  Others held a loose or twisted rope tied around the horse's girth, and other methods involved using multiple handhold leather riggings based on a surcingle. In the early 1920s, when the old rodeo rules allowing two handed riding were being phased out and replaced with the newer rule of riding with one hand in the rigging and one hand in the air, Earl Bascom invented, designed and made rodeo's first one-hand bareback rigging. The original one-handed rigging was made by Bascom from a section of rubber belting discarded from a threshing machine, with the entire rigging—the handhold and the body—all made as one piece.  The handhold was folded back and riveted to the main body of the rigging, with a 'D' ring riveted on each side for tying the latigos. This rigging was first used at the Raymond Stampede in Alberta, Canada in July 1924. Bascom then refined the design, making his second one-handhold rigging out of leather and rawhide.  Sole leather was used for the rigging body.  Strips of leather, with rawhide sewed between, were used for the handhold with sheepskin glued under the handholds to protect the knuckles; this arrangement became known as "Bascom's Rigging". Honored in several Halls of Fame, Bascom is now known as the "Father of the Modern-day Bareback Rigging".  Variations of Bascom's rigging are still used in rodeos today.

The horse

The bucking horse is usually a mare, but occasionally, a gelding (a castrated male horse) is used.  Bucking horses usually travel in close quarters and are housed in a herd setting, geldings are generally less disruptive and more prone to get along with one another.  Mares are also used, and while a mixed herd of mares and geldings is a bit more prone to disruptions, they can be kept together without great difficulties.  Stallions are less common, because they can be disruptive in a herd and may fight if there are mares present.

The modern bronc is not a truly feral horse.  Most bucking stock are specifically bred for use in rodeos, with horses having exceptional bucking ability being purchased by stock contractors and fetching a high price.  Most are allowed to grow up in a natural, semi-wild condition on the open range, but also have to be gentled and tamed in order to be managed from the ground, safely loaded into trailers, vaccinated and wormed, and to load in and out of bucking chutes.  They also are initially introduced to bucking work with cloth dummies attached to the saddle.  Due to the rigors of travel and the short bursts of high intensity work required, most horses in a bucking string are at least 6 or 7 years old.

Animal welfare issues

The event has provoked concerns among some animal welfare advocates that practices used in the event may constitute animal cruelty.

Modern rodeos in the United States are closely regulated and have responded to accusations of animal cruelty by instituting a number of rules to guide how rodeo livestock are to be managed. The PRCA has rules that specifically regulate the proper care and treatment of rodeo animals; these guidelines must be followed by all rodeo participants in sanctioned rodeos.  In 1994, a survey of 28 sanctioned rodeos was conducted by on-site independent veterinarians.  Reviewing 33,991 animal runs, the injury rate was documented at 16 animals or 0.047 percent, less than five hundredths of one percent or one in 2000 animals. A study of rodeo animals in Australia found a similar injury rate.  Basic injuries occurred at a rate of 0.072 percent, or one in 1,405, with injuries requiring veterinary attention at 0.036 percent, or one injury in every 2810 times the animal was used, and transport, yarding and competition were all included in the study. A later PRCA survey of 60,971 animal performances at 198 rodeo performances and 73 sections of "slack" indicated 27 animals were injured, again approximately five-hundredths of 1 percent – 0.0004.
However, accusations of cruelty in the USA persist.   The PRCA acknowledges that they only sanction about 30 percent of all rodeos, while another 50 percent are sanctioned by other organizations and 20 percent are completely unsanctioned. Several animal rights organizations keep records of accidents and incidents of possible animal abuse.  They cite various specific incidents of injury to support their statements, and also point to examples of long-term breakdown, as well as reporting on injuries and deaths suffered by animals in non-rodeo events staged on the periphery of professional rodeo such as chuckwagon races and "suicide runs". While in terms of actual statistics on animal injury rate, there appear to be no more recent independent studies on animal injury in rodeo than the 1994 study, groups such as PETA gather anecdotal reports such as one from a 2010 rodeo in Colorado alleging eleven animal injuries, of which two were fatal.

There are economic incentives to keep animals healthy enough for continuing rodeo participation.  Bucking horses and bulls are costly to replace: a proven bucking horse can be sold for $8000 to $10,000, making "rough stock" an investment worth caring for and keeping in good health for many years. Health regulations also mandate vaccinations and blood testing of horses crossing state lines.  An injured animal will not buck well and hence a cowboy cannot obtain a high score for his ride, so sick or injured animals are not run through the chutes, but instead are given appropriate veterinary care so they can be returned to their usual level of strength and power. PRCA regulations require veterinarians to be available at all rodeos to treat both bucking stock and other animals as needed. The PRCA requires a veterinarian be at all sanctioned rodeos.

Activists also express concern that many rodeo horses end their lives as horsemeat.  While it is accurate that some rough stock animals are slaughtered for horsemeat at the end of their useful careers, other bucking horses are retired at the end of their rodeo usefulness and allowed to live into old age. The issue of horse slaughter crosses all equestrian disciplines and is not confined solely to the rodeo industry. Any unwanted horse can meet this fate, including race horses, show horses, or even backyard pasture pets.

Over the years, some states imposed regulation upon certain techniques and tools used in rodeos. In 2000, California became the first state to prohibit the use of cattle prods on animals in the chute. The city of Pittsburgh prohibited the use of flank straps as well as prods or shocking devices, wire tie-downs, and sharpened or fixed spurs or rowels at rodeos or rodeo-related events. Some other cities and states have passed similar prohibitions. Under PRCA guidelines, electric prods may not deliver a shock stronger than can be produced from two D batteries. Prods are allowed as long as the situation requires them to protect the people or the animals.

Flank strap controversy
A "flank strap" (or, "bucking strap") is used to encourage the horse to kick out straighter and higher when it bucks. The flank strap is about 4 inches wide, covered in sheepskin or neoprene and fastens behind the widest part of the abdomen. Flank straps that hurt the horse are not allowed by rodeo rules in the United States.

However, a bucking strap has to be an incentive, not a prod, or the horse will quickly sour and refuse to work.  A horse in pain will become sullen and not buck very well, and harm to the genitalia is anatomically impossible because the stifle joint of the hind leg limits how far back a flank strap can be attached.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has stated that burrs and other irritants are at times placed under the flank strap and that improperly used flank straps can cause open wounds and burns if the hair is rubbed off and the skin is chafed raw.  However, while the implied argument behind this claim is that pain is what makes the horse buck, in actual practice, irritants or pain generally interfere with a horse's ability to buck in an energetic and athletic fashion.

See also
 Rodeo
 Bucking horse
 Bronco
 Jineteada gaucha

References

External links
 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
 World's Toughest Rodeo
 International Professional Rodeo Association
 National Little Britches Rodeo Association
 National High School Rodeo Association
 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association

Horse-related professions and professionals
Rodeo events

Bronc riding


McDull, Kung Fu Kindergarten (麥兜響噹噹) is a 2009 animated Hong Kong film directed by Brian Tse. Telling the story of the fictional piglet McDull entering a kung fu academy, the film is the fourth in the line of film starring McDull.

Plot
The story begins as archaeologists discover a crudely made artifact while doing an archaeological study before the entire area was to be flooded following the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. The archaeologists identify it as being made by Mak-zi (also known as "McFat"), an ancient Chinese philosopher who had invented many things, but were arguably ahead of its time - for example, a myriad of electronic devices before the discovery of electricity. However, the crudeness of the artifact has led to the artifact being rejected for every museum in China and abroad, and thus, unwilling to destroy it, the artifact was set on a barge, continuously moving along the Yangtze River. The story continues on to Mak-zi's descendant 18 generations later, McDull (Kwok Kwan Yin), a kindergartener living in Hong Kong.

Due to mounting debts from failed ventures and economic hardships, McDull's mother, Mrs. Mak (Sandra Ng), decides to leave their home in Tai Kok Tsui to find fortune in the mainland. Arriving in Wuhan, Mrs. Mak, knowing that she cannot continue to take care of McDull while trying to make a living, decides to enroll McDull in the Spring Flowers Gate, a boarding Taoist martial arts academy in the Wudang Mountains, while she continues to ply her trade in Wuhan, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. McDull finds it hard to fit in, being ostracized by his peers at the academy due to being a Hong Konger. However, a mysterious Brother Panda (Anthony Wong) encourages him to get closer and make new friends with his peers.

McDull eventually gets used to being liked by his friends, but when news of a prestigious martial arts competition, the International Kindergarten Martial Arts Competition, is to take place, nearly all of the students consider leaving the academy, McDull included. On the way down the mountain (as the mountain itself has no modern conveniences), McDull intends to call his mother to tell her that he was quitting the academy, but after a talk with the master's assistant (The Pancakes), McDull learns about his master's plight: the headmaster had been a martial arts prodigy, mastering all forms of Chinese martial arts before the age of 20. When a published article by international action star Pruce Lee (a play on Bruce Lee) that claims that Chinese martial arts was on decline and was more suited for show than actual combat, the headmaster had respectfully disagreed. A war of wards was exchanged, and the two agreed to a match together. However, because of the political situation in China at the time, the battle, which would be later known as "The Battle of Luohu", was held at the Sham Chun River, the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The two battled all night, but the match was eventually stopped by a Zen master. Returning home, the headmaster had strongly believed that he had lost the encounter, and thus went into seclusion, trying to modernize Taoist Kung Fu with little success. He then turned his attentions to opening the Spring Flowers Gate, taking on the guise of Brother Panda to get new recruits and to comfort students at the academy. McDull, moved by his sacrifices, decides to return to training, and calls his mother to tell her to attend the competition.

Eventually, the day of the competition arrives. While at the competition, McDull notices his friend from Hong Kong, May, who had enrolled in a "wire-fu" summer camp sponsored by Yuen Woo-Ping, also competing in the contest. Meanwhile, the headmaster has also received a revelation: at the competition, the headmaster of a rival school greets him, stating that he was a student of Pruce Lee. He goes on to state that Pruce had thought highly of the headmaster, and believed that the headmaster had won their encounter. Because of this, he had spent his last years extensively studying Taoist martial arts, and had written a book about the subject, which was dedicated to him.

Meanwhile, the Mak-zi artifact had wound up at the site of the competition, and, in front of a large televised audience just as McDull's match was about to begin, the artifact suddenly comes to life, revealing to itself as a crudely made clock in the shape of a chicken powered by cow feces which could count 100,000 years, 100 years at a time, using a complex holographic system. Inspired by the sight before her, Mrs. Mak decides to move back to Hong Kong to start a new business. McDull, having been beaten up badly in the competition, also returned to Hong Kong, having discovered Mak-zi's original blueprints for the clock in the meantime. Having returned home, McDull proceeded to build a new clock using the blueprints as a guide.

The story is concluded by a flashback from an adult May, who had gone on to become an office worker, suddenly noticing McDull's clock in the sky. Taking a break from her mundane life, she traces the clock to its location, and find a quaint restaurant in the middle of Hong Kong's concrete jungle, run by the adult McDull.

Throughout the film, viewers were also treated into various stories involving Mak-zi, in a pseudo-documentary style, narrated by Jim Chim.

Voice Actors

 Kwok Kwan Yin as McDull
 Chen Lok Yuen as May
 Anthony Wong as Daoist,Professor and Panda Brother
 The Pancakes as Miss Chan
 Wan Kwong as Mcdull's Great-Grandfather
 Sandra Ng as Mrs. Mak
 Yu Chun Pak as Goose

External links

2009 films
Hong Kong animated films
Films based on comic strips
Yellow Bus
Chinese children's films
2000s Cantonese-language films
McDull
2009 animated films
2000s Hong Kong films

McDull, Kung Fu Kindergarten


Duan Sui (; died 386) was a monarch of the Xianbei-led Chinese Western Yan dynasty. He was the only ruler of the short-lived state who was not a member of the Murong clan, the imperial clan of the Western Yan.

He was a general under the emperor Murong Chong, whose people wanted to return east to their homeland but who, after capturing the Former Qin capital Chang'an, wanted to settle in Chang'an, against the wishes of his people.  In spring 386, the general Han Yan (韓延) assassinated Murong Chong in a coup and supported Duan Sui as the Prince of Yan.  About a month later, however, the officials Murong Heng (慕容恆) and Murong Yong ambushed Duan Sui and killed him.  They supported Murong Yi, the son of the Former Yan Prince of Yidu Murong Huan (慕容桓) as the new Prince of Yan.

References
 Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 106.

Western Yan monarchs
386 deaths
Year of birth unknown

Duan Sui


Matthew Carr (born 29 December 1978) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fremantle and St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL).  He played as a half-back flanker and began his football career at East Fremantle. Matthew is the elder brother of Josh Carr, who also played for Fremantle and they both attended Corpus Christi College in Bateman, Western Australia.

St Kilda career (1998-2000)
Carr was drafted by Collingwood with the 64th selection in the 1995 AFL Draft, from East Fremantle in the West Australian Football League, but did not manage to make his debut for the Magpies.  He then returned to East Fremantle in 1997, before being drafted by the St Kilda with their 1st round selection in the 1998 Pre-Season Draft. Carr played another year in the reserves before making his AFL debut  in 1999.  He played 28 games for the Saints over two seasons before being traded to Fremantle.

Fremantle career (2001-2008)
Carr was traded to Fremantle at the 2000 AFL Draft by St Kilda in exchange for Craig Callaghan. He played 21 games in Fremantle's disastrous 2001 season, which saw the club take out the wooden spoon; having been part of the St Kilda side that finished last in 2000, this meant Carr played in consecutive wooden spoon seasons with two different sides. He played every game in 2002 and after an excellent 2003 season, in which he was sixth in Fremantle's best and fairest, his 2004 season was severely disrupted by injury. An ankle problem early in the season and a broken leg later in the season saw Carr restricted to just 11 games.

Matthew's 2005 season was also affected by injury, he had been averaging more than 25 disposals per match before the Rd 9 match against Hawthorn. Carr was only able to manage 14 disposals while apparently under duress against Hawthorn. He returned for the Rd 18 clash against Collingwood but did little in the last 4 games of the season.

From the 2006 season onward, Matthew was generally used in a utility/tagging role, often given the assignment of playing against the opposition's best midfield player. He was generally very effective in that role and finished the 2006 season having played every game for the Dockers, including three appearances in the 2006 finals series. However, throughout 2006 and 2007 seasons, injuries and fitness concerns continued to hamper his game and, although a serviceable player, he never returned to his earlier form.

Carr played four games in the 2008 season before announcing his retirement on 19 May 2008. His 134th and last game for Fremantle was played against the Adelaide Crows at AAMI Stadium on 19 April 2008.

He has continued to play football in the West Australian Football League, but switched to Swan Districts from East Fremantle in 2009.

References

External links

 Profile at WAFL Online

1978 births
Living people
Fremantle Football Club players
St Kilda Football Club players
East Fremantle Football Club players
Swan Districts Football Club players
People educated at Corpus Christi College, Perth
Australian rules footballers from Western Australia
People from Goomalling, Western Australia
Australia international rules football team players

Matthew Carr